Confessions of a political junkie

Hopefully, we don’t get fooled again

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

– Pete Townsend

2001—the year of the leopard in the Chinese calendar, and the year of malaise and fear in ours. People are going mad from anthrax scares and the threat of plane hijackings and bombings. Pundits have often wondered how the denizens of this country would respond when the other shoe finally dropped. I’d have to say we’re taking it all quite well, given the circumstances. Everyone is a tad on edge these days, and that is expected. So if someone destroys public property because he or she recently lost a bet on a football game, it’s only because these are stress-inducing times we live in.

Right now, we are in the midst of deposing the Taliban government in Afghanistan, or as Gamblin’ G.W. would call them, “the evil ones.” The Northern Alliance is poised to take over with our help, and everything will be copacetic then.

Or will it? Remember, it was not too long ago we helped the rebel forces in Afghanistan take over the ruling power because we didn’t like its government at the time. Sound familiar? If it does, it’s because we helped put the Taliban in power when we aided its rebellion against the Russians. Who wouldn’t like to go back in time and prevent that from happening?

Of course, this situation is entirely different. The attacks on our country demanded retribution, and we need to get rid of the Taliban if it is aiding terrorists. But who is to say the new government in Afghanistan will be more amiable with the United States? After all, we helped put the Taliban in power, and look how it repaid us. So, hopefully, things will turn out differently this time around, although one never can tell.

For those of you who remember my column from previous years, you may know that I occasionally give my expert sports picks when major sporting events come around. This time of the year, it’s the World Series, and my prediction is George Steinbrenner’s (a.ka. Satan) Yankees will sweep the Diamondbacks.