This is something I didn’t expect to hear. “If you leave it here for an hour, I can make it so it isn’t as much of a death trap.” I heard this today at a local bike shop as I was waiting for a minor repair on my bike. A mother and her teenage daughter brought the daughter’s bike in to be looked at because there was some problem with the steering. After the service attendant looked over the bike, he told the mom and daughter they needed to get the steering column fixed. It was something that would require ordering parts, etc, so it would take a few weeks before the parts arrive and the bike could get fixed. The mom said, “We are only in town until Sunday so that will not work.” The daughter asked, “Is there something that can be done in the short term?”, which is when the service attendant said the above. Mom and daughter said, “That will be fine so we will be back in an hour.” As they were leaving, I said to them, “I bet that makes you feel reassured.” They laughed.
As the U.S gets closer to complete the withdrawal from Afghanistan within the next 30 days, the Taliban is gaining greater control over the country to the point that by the time the U.S is completely withdrawn, Afghanistan is expected to be 100% controlled by the Taliban. I only hope that the scene from the fall of Saigon when the U.S. embassy employees were being airlifted from the rooftop of the embassy while the embassy was being taken over by the Vietnamese. This whole situation falls under the category of, “If you don’t understand history, you are destined to repeat it.” It is starting to feel like déjà vu all over, as I think back to the horrendous pictures of the fall of Saigon. The stories of Vietnam and Afghanistan feel so similar to me. So many years of fighting to what end? Fortunately, the memorial for Afghanistan will have less than 10% of the names on the Vietnam memorial. Nation building cannot be a foreign policy, we are not good at it. I can only hope that there will not be any tell all books about Afghanistan like the one McNamara wrote about Vietnam. We cannot repeat that mistake too.
Leah and I came back to Ypsilanti for the weekend, to attend the funeral tomorrow for her brother Bill Kleinow, who passed away two weeks ago following a heart attack in early June. This is the first sibling either of us has lost so this is very hard and emotional for us. Like all of Leah’s family, I have known Bill since as long as I can remember. He was a “cop” while I was growing up in River Rouge. He had a reputation as a no nonsense “cop” who wasn’t likely to give a kid a break if they were caught with their hands in the “cookie jar.” I remember his blue/black sports car convertible that sat out in front of Leah’s house. When Leah’s mother was murdered in 1975, Bill was on the South Lyon police force, which is where he lived at the time. I remember how impressed I was that the South Lyon police force sent a car with officers to help with the escort of the funeral procession to the cemetery. Leah and I were fortunate that we were able to spend time with Bill, Jan, and their youngest daughter Stephanie in early April, when we went to visit them for the first time since Covid-19. As usual it was an enjoyable afternoon. Since I was umpiring at Woodhaven High School the next week, I invited Bill to stop by and heckle me. I was looking forward to seeing him and getting his thoughts. Unfortunately, Bill forgot about the game until it was too late. By the time he remembered the game was over. April was the last time I saw Bill before he had his heart attack. I will remember that day with fondness.
Stay safe. Social distance. Wear your mask. Wash your hands regularly. Get your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: William George Kleinow. Thanx for being such a great brother-in-law
Onion of the Day: Some of the drivers I encountered on I75 today. I guess going eight over the speed limit of 75mph is not fast enough.
Quote of the Day: “I remember watching the desperate evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war and the scenes of terrified support staff scrambling to the roof to try to get into helicopters. This has the same feel. And it makes you wonder if the Pentagon failed in its withdrawal planning. So, get the U.S. citizens safely out, and slam the door shut. Never go back. And kill the instinct to nation build forever.” Nolan Finley