Marin County

Opinion: No, President Trump, the Never-Ending War in Afghanistan is Not Ending

Published

6 years ago

March 5, 2020

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

That is the one lesson that we all should have learned about President Donald Trump. He’s a salesman, not a statesman. He offers up fantasies, not facts.
The most recent agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan is a clear example of this.

In the 2016 campaign, Trump had the good sense to promise to end America’s forever wars and bring the troops home. Afghanistan, our longest war now in its 19th year, is a classic example.

We invaded Afghanistan to get Osama bin Laden and punish his forces for their attack on America on 9/11. We threw the Taliban out of power. Under Obama’s watch, bin Laden was found and killed.

Yet we didn’t get out.

We have squandered trillions of dollars and lost thousands of American lives in an unending war in an impoverished nation on the other side of the world. We don’t care enough to send the troops and invest the trillions needed to occupy the country. Yet no president has had the courage to get the troops out and end the folly.

Trump promised that he would do it. Now, he’s cut a deal with the Taliban that he will use to claim that he’s fulfilled his promise. Don’t fall for the hype.
The deal Trump made with the Taliban will bring U.S. forces down — but only to the approximate level that existed at the end of the Obama administration.

He’s essentially agreed only to reverse the buildup that he had ordered over the last three years.

Further reductions are said to be dependent on the Taliban making a deal with the existing government. But the Afghani government already objects to the agreement that Trump made. It doesn’t want to face the Taliban without U.S. soldiers.

After nearly two decades, it has been unable to create a legitimate government and a coherent military that can consolidate its position.
If we wait for the Afghan government to agree for U.S. soldiers to leave, the forever war will continue, well, forever.

Trump wants credit for ending the war — and fulfilling his campaign promise — without ending it. He wants to get out, but he doesn’t want to be blamed for losing.
What’s needed is a clear commitment to get out — not dependent on what the Afghani government or the Taliban do. Trump has failed to produce that, violating the campaign pledge he made to the American people.

The sad reality is that we have no reason to be in Afghanistan.
The country is impoverished, not strategic. The Taliban are oppressive and violent. The Afghanis should be uniting to defeat the Taliban and keep them from coming to power. But this is the responsibility of the Afghanis, not of the United States.

The architects of the forever war warn that we will lose credibility if we get out and the government collapses. But what could be a greater loss of credibility than fighting futilely for nearly two decades without victory and without end?

They warn that without U.S. forces, Afghanistan could become a launching ground for terrorists. But, as we’ve seen, terrorists have many places to train in failed states — including those we’ve helped create like Libya.

We would be far better off — and far more secure from terrorists — if we stopped destabilizing the Middle East, ended the forever wars, stopped sponsoring regime changes, and addressed the threat of terrorism as a matter for intelligence, international cooperation, and aggressive policing.

At the very least, we should stop wasting trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives on wars that we have no plan or commitment to win.
Trump was right in 2016: Great powers do not fight endless wars. He is wrong to pretend that he’s bringing the troops home from Afghanistan when all he’s agreed to is to bring them back down to the level they were at when he took office.

Americans are right to want an end to the endless wars. We need a president who has the courage and common sense to end them.
Trump has proven once more that he is not that president.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Posts by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

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Activism

Marin Civic Center Library Marks Black History Month with 3 Events

The Civic Center Library’s Afternoon Book Club will celebrate and commemorate Black History and will meet in person on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 1-2 p.m. to discuss “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead. (This afternoon book club generally meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.)

Published

11 months ago

February 10, 2025

Oakland Post

Fauna Solomon, “The Nickel Boys” book cover, Keenan D. Webster. Photos courtesy of Marin County Civic Center Library.

By Godfrey Lee

The Marin County Civic Center Library in San Rafael will be celebrating Black History Month with presentations by Fauna Solomon on the steelpan drum, Keenan D. Webster on West African music and a book club discussion on “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead.

The library is located at 3501 Civic Center Dr., Room 427, in San Rafael, CA. 94903. Their phone number is (415) 473-6057.

Solomon will be sharing about the history and sounds of the steelpan drum on Friday, Feb. 14, from 12- 12:45 p.m. at the Civic Center Library.

Solomon is a former teacher and professional musician from Guyana, South America, and uses storytelling and performance to explore the complex and dynamic history of the instrument. Having played since age 5, Fauna has performed across the country. Her program traces the steelpan’s evolution from the West Indies to its global recognition, offering insight into its cultural and historical significance.

The Civic Center Library’s Afternoon Book Club will celebrate and commemorate Black History. It will meet in person on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 1-2 p.m. to discuss “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead. (This afternoon book club generally meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.)

A copy of the book can be requested online, or ask at the Info Desk of the Civic Center Library (or call 415-473-6057) for assistance in placing a hold.

“The Nickel Boys” is the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida and is based on the real story of the Nickel Academy, a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children.

When Elwood Curtis, a Black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. As life at the academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades.

Later in the afternoon at the Civic Center Library, local musician Keenan D. Webster will be sharing about the traditional instruments of the Mandinka and the Mande-speaking people of West Africa on from 4-5 p.m. on Feb. 20.

Experience the Kora (West African Mandinka harp), the Kamele Ngoni (West African Mande harp), the Balaphone (Mandinka xylophone), and more. Feel the beauty, fire, and energy of this incredible music, and learn how these traditions gave birth to the banjo and influenced blues, jazz, and popular music of today.

Webster was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His love for the blues, spirituals, and gospel and folk music of the South deepened in his youth. As a teenager in Los Angeles, California, he became fascinated with African, Afro-Cuban, reggae, and other music from the African diaspora, and was further inspired to learn about his roots, music, culture and spirituality with the Gullah, Mandinka, Mende and Yoruba people of West Africa.

He started with drums of West Africa and Afro-Cuban roots. Then came jazz and Blues, playing the saxophone and flute, and later the Native American flute. He has a deep appreciation for world music and has familiarized himself with classical music from India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Webster has been on a mission to use music for world peace, healing, to fight against racism, and to bring all people together.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Andre Thierry Explores Zydeco Music at Marin City Library

Grammy-nominated Andre Thierry leads the musical program with an interactive, engaging experience that combines traditional and newly composed music.

Published

11 months ago

January 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Andre Thierry’s music program for kids. Courtesy photo.

By Godfrey Lee

The “Are You Ready to Learn” music program allows children, families, and adults, to explore the rich Kreole culture and Zydeco music of southwestern Louisiana.

Grammy-nominated Andre Thierry leads the musical program with an interactive, engaging experience that combines traditional and newly composed music.

The program, created by Thierry, showcases a mix of African and Native American Blues and French Kreole dance melodies with elements of Afro-Caribbean music.

Children and families sing and dance while learning about popular Zydeco instruments like vest rub boards, drums, and accordion.

For information on the program, go to https://www.andrethierry.com

The free program will take place on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m., at the Marin City Library, 164 Donahue St., in Marin City. For more information, call 415-332-6158.

Thierry will be performing again the Fairfax Library, 2097 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax, on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. For more information, call 415-453-8092.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Brian Colbert Sworn in as Marin County’s First Black Supervisor

A 10-year San Anselmo resident, Former San Anselmo Mayor Brian Colbert was raised in Connecticut and has degrees from Oberlin (Ohio) College and the University of Chicago Law School. He worked on Wall Street, with several tech startups, and for a concierge medical practice in San Francisco. He was elected to the San Anselmo Town Council in 2017, was reelected in 2020, and served twice as mayor.

Published

11 months ago

January 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Brian Colbert joined the Marin County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14. Photo by Bob Dell. Courtesy of MarinShares.

By Oakland Post Staff

Former San Anselmo Mayor Brian Colbert officially joined the Marin County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 as the District 2 representative. Colbert’s swearing-in was a celebratory event at the Marin County Civic Center that coincided with the swearing in of District 3 Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters for a second term. District 1 Supervisor Mary Sackett, who has been selected as Board President, took her oath of office that day.

Colbert was elected in November 2024 to replace retired District 2 Supervisor Katie Rice, who served in that role since 2011 and completed 20 years of service as a county employee.

Colbert now represents the entire Ross Valley area following seven years on the San Anselmo Town Council.

A 10-year San Anselmo resident, Colbert was raised in Connecticut and has degrees from Oberlin (Ohio) College and the University of Chicago Law School. He worked on Wall Street, with several tech startups, and for a concierge medical practice in San Francisco. He was elected to the San Anselmo Town Council in 2017, was reelected in 2020, and served twice as mayor.

“As your newly elected official, I am committed to working tirelessly for the people of Marin County,” Colbert said. “Our county’s unique and distinct character — its natural beauty, diverse communities, and innovative spirit — makes it a place like no other.”

Colbert continued, “I will approach every challenge through the prism of preserving these values, focusing on solutions that promote economic vitality, environmental stewardship, and resilience. My pledge is to listen to your concerns, act with integrity, and ensure that every voice is heard as we tackle the issues that matter most and building a brighter future where opportunity and compassion go hand in hand.”

The Marin County Board of Supervisors members are (from left, standing) District 3’s Stephanie Moulton-Peters, District 4’s Dennis Rodoni, District 5’s Eric Lucan, District 2’s Brian Colbert, and (seated) District 1’s Mary Sackett, who is serving as Board President for 2025.

The ceremony included Colbert taking his public oath of office, administered by his daughter. There were also celebratory elements such as a performance by gospel singers from his district.

Supervisor Colbert’s swearing-in is a milestone for Marin County, as he is the first African American elected to the Board since its inception in 1852.

The Board typically meets two or three times a month on Tuesday mornings in the Board chamber of the Marin County Civic Center, Suite 330 in San Rafael. Meetings are conducted both in person at the chamber and also via videoconference to increase public engagement opportunities.

Meeting start times are usually 9 AM. All Board meetings are televised live on channel 27 for Marin County subscribers of Comcast/Xfinity and streamed live on MarinCounty.gov. Videos and agendas of the meetings dating to 2005 are archived on the website as well.

“We have a collaborative Board of Supervisors that is grounded in finding solutions for the good of our constituents, the County overall, and the health of our planet,” Sackett said during her opening remarks Tuesday. “I am focused on the County delivering essential services efficiently and effectively.”