Member-only story
Some of America’s checkered history isn’t pretty.
Examples might include how the white man took advantage of the red man, who occupied this land first; spoke with forked tongue, and ended up putting his people away on reservations.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Another might be what happened after the sneak attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Fear of the yellow peril ensued, nearing hysteria proportions in some circles. Internment camps for Japanese were set up. Some incarcerated there lost everything, not least their dignity.
It was an unnecessary stain on the fabric of our nation that will, with good fortune, not be repeated.
In more recent times there were Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Not only did the USA not accomplish their dubious goals in both countries, but occupied both countries close to 2 decades. In the process, the U.S. exhausted a fortune (Vietnam cost $168B, $1T in today’s dollars; Afghanistan cost more than $2T), lives (more than 58K Americans in Vietnam; over 2400 in Afghanistan) and goodwill.
The latter perhaps most of all.
This is not a political issue.
Both parties — Democrat and Republican — participated in what clearly in retrospect were…
