Plan B Forum

Ref. NATO troops in Afghanistan and Trump's Fox News interview in which he said: "They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines. We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them."

Prince Harry, who was twice deployed to the country, said on Friday as he paid tribute to NATO troops killed in the conflict, including 457 UK service personnel, "In 2001, Article 5 (NATO's collective security clause) was invoked for the first - and only - time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call."

He added: "Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace."

Harry had better watch out he’s going to get deported.

I have little time for 'Prince' Harry but he's right here. It may be the stopped clock thing.

The degree of anger in the UK - and presumably in other NATO countries whose troops also died in Afghanistan - at these moronic, childish, uninformed, revolting and absurd comments is enormous. I can only hope that at last some of his supporters will see him for the total fucker he is.

I still am thinking gloom and doom for the bi-election this fall. Reality seems to have no impact on the American voters. Trump has behaved consistently all his life. We know nothing about his wisdom, morality, ethics, goals in life, that was not known about him in 2015, Yet he still gets elected and the Supremes don't even bother to clean the brown off their chin. Am I the only one who never heard before Trump about this Emergency Docket the Supremes shovel everything Trump into? I can't even begin to game out what the fall election is going to be with the new anti-anti-gerrymandering rules the Supremes have approved. I'll bet it is lots of fun for professors teaching federal civil rights in law schools. They can't even use their lecture notes from the last semester.

My monthly American Legion meeting are fun watching the officials duck and bob as they officially support the CinC because one must resect the office.

snailgate.

If I remember correctly, and I’m sure I do, during the Vietnam War someone who managed to avoid military service, regardless of how they did it, was respected by the left as a person of integrity. Bill Clinton, for example, was accused of making misleading statements about his draft history that kept him out of the war; why the double standard?

liberty wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 24, 2026 10:38 pm

If I remember correctly, and I’m sure I do, during the Vietnam War someone who managed to avoid military service, regardless of how they did it, was respected by the left as a person of integrity. Bill Clinton, for example, was accused of making misleading statements about his draft history that kept him out of the war; why the double standard?

If I remember correctly, the people who were "respected by the left" were those who were conscientious objectors, many who were not granted CO status and went to prison rather than to go fight what they believed to be an unjust war.

Mr. Liberty, you do NOT remember correctly, Many big names on the right had children who pulled strings to get out of the draft. They were certainly 'outed ' by the left as 'chicken hawks.' Joan Baez was scorned by many on the left for her lack of support for her husband after he went to jail as a war protester.

snailgate

I was in England during the Vietnam war but I had several American friends with student deferments and/or unlikely draft numbers. I don't think (but of course this was almost 60 years ago) any of them has 'escaped' to England to avoid the draft. I know there were rare examples of returning soldiers being spat on, but I really do not think that this was commonplace. My recollection is that the bulk of my friends did not blame the grunts in any way - they were, after all, their high school friends and brothers and cousins - and blamed the political leaders. LBJ and RMN mostly.