By Nora Soriño
ILIGAN City ― Now I know that it is not only Covid-19 that has variants. Other matters too.
Like this Afghanistan story. In relation to a world power called America.
Days ago, the whole world was just shocked at the sudden chaos in that part of the world. It was not only the Afghans that were involved. Americans too and other nationalities. Even Pinoys there.
It had something to do with that darn 9/11 happening in America over twenty years ago regarding two twin towers there in which many people died.
Per the American findings, this was the work of Al Qaeda. And said the group has been aided by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hence, the war there was waged principally by who else, the Americans.
“Lintik lang ang walang ganti!” So it is said. Especially if it involves a world power called America.
But the war there had cost so much for Uncle Sam. In terms of dollars and lives for their soldiers and families.
And the Afghans themselves were not appreciative of this.
As President Biden himself, says that you can’t continue fighting a war for which the Afghans themselves are “unwilling” to fight for!
Meaning, after two decades it is only now that they have realized that?
“As if you are just now of the Americans,” my geek friend Dong said as we were sitting at the plaza a meter apart minutes into our talk about this hot topic of Afghanistan.
“What do you mean by that?” I said even if I knew he could read my mind.
“The official line is that what happened at the twin towers was the doing of the Al Qaeda. It was the doing of the Americans themselves!”
“Ha?” I exclaimed in surprise. “What a variant of a story!”
“Because, why is it that the structures that were hit were destroyed through and through when it was only the upper parts that were hit?”
I recalled that logic being peddled by a commentator on-air days ago immediately after that news on Afghanistan broke out. Had he heard that one too? And embraced that one as another well, truth ― kind of “variant?”
“It was learned that the kins of the victims of the 9/11 memorial do not welcome Pres. Joe Biden. Unless documents on the matter of what really happened that fateful September 11 day 20 years ago are made public,” I said.
“It can’t be made public because it’s America’s own doing. What happened was ‘stage-managed’ by that country itself!” Dong said without batting an eyelash.
“It is becoming derelict like a third world country. So it has to stop this war of its own making. Biden says it has cost the country so much in dollars and lives. And the stopping was very messy, chaotic, it had caused Biden’s trust ratings to nose dive,” Dong continued.
That was the truth as Dong saw it. “The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God,” Dong said as he rose with just a head gesture indicating that he was leaving the plaza.
I was left thinking about this variant of a story. A part of me believed it while a part didn’t.
So I ask, ano ba talaga Uncle Sam?
Email: norasorino2@gmail.com
