6/28/2020

Friend DJT,

            How was your day yesterday? Did you play golf while you were over in Potomac Falls? Will you be playing today? I suspect that golfing is your way of meditating - living in the moment and releasing your mind from the worries of the day. We, all, need that kind of discharge. Some folks assume you are golfing to have fun, and so they think you are being callous. Perhaps you need to find a different way to relax so people don’t get the wrong idea.

            This morning I am reading about the Taliban because of that US Intelligence report that a Russian spy unit offered them “bounties” for killing American soldiers.  I get the Taliban confused with ISIS and Al Quaeda. It seems that their war with the Afghan government is a constant flow of minor skirmishes. According to the NYT “Casualty Report” on June 24 there were 10 incidents in 7 different provinces, and in each case 1 or 2 people, often policemen, were killed, often on the highway. This form of warfare explains how such a small county can keep overcoming the armies of superpowers - relentless attacks & a constant supply of recruits in a place that has normalized violence. It’s hard to imagine how it can ever go back to a peaceful condition. Afghanistan may be our reminder that the world tends toward entropy & our democracy is a rather fragile thing.

            The latest Taliban leader, Mawlawi Haibatullah, is an interesting guy. He abhors publicity, lives a humble lifestyle and is polite. Apparently, his sphere of influence is with the mullahs which makes sense since the Taliban see war as a form of worship. It seems that leading the Taliban is tricky business. The commanders have a lot of autonomy, and it seems they have a consensus-driven decision-making process. So, the leader is not in complete control. That sounds familiar doesn’t it? It’s easy to imagine that the Russians would talk to a few commanders about a bounty. Are you sure you never heard about that?

            I will hold us all in the Light,