As American involvement in Afghanistan is winding down, most Americans are at a loss to justify a Trillion dollar plus (and blood) investment in a country that mostly lives in the 10th Century.

Justification includes getting Bin Laden, and the Taliban, both definitely bad guys.  Now, there will be contractors rebuilding Afghanistan into perpetuity, of course at US expense.  So, what did we get out of the deal -- basically nothing.

Afghanistan is frozen in time, for the most part.  Old ways will never die in that part of the World, and perhaps -- shouldn't.  So it begs the question, what did we get out of Vietnam?  That cost ( in inflated dollars) several Trillion.  We lost a whole generation of would be leaders, and guess who filled in the leadership void, draft dodgers.

Not everything is measured in dollars and cents, but it (undeclared war) does cost someone their life, education, leadership positions, homes, medical care, etc., etc.

So the US is the Policeman of the world at great cost.  What cost? you see we actually paid for WW2 with War Bonds, people donating scrap metal, standing in lines to get bananas, and rationing -- you see wars should hurt, and cost everyone.

But, now they are convenient wars.  We fight them with expendable people, stealing the Social Security Trust Fund (there is nothing left, that is why they want to end it).  Yes, a College education now-a-days could cost you a kidney, to sell to some old rich dying fart.  

Oh, sorry, back to the subject.  Who won the War in Afghanistan?  The Chinese of course, they won the war in Vietnam, too.  How do you think we are paying them back, the billions we owe them?  Of course, they really don't want our worthless funny money the Fed doles out to the brain dead paupers.  They all ready have strategic stockpiles of metals that would make ours look like a High School Aluminum Can drive.

So, the swoosh into the vacuum you hear, are Chinese going to Afghanistan in droves.  What, you say, that worthless place.  Not quite. Afghanistan contains the largest known reserves of Lithium in the World, as in Lithium batteries.  Oh, Lithium batteries are bad, they burn up (big ploy to grab the Lithium futures market, but don't tell anyone).  Oh, Afghanistan has one of the largest reserves of copper, gold, silver, uranium, lead, zinc, tin, and rare earths.  China is jumping all over that.

To the Victors belong the spoils of War, right, wrong.  The US supplies the warm bodies and blood...the price the rich and protected seldom pay...