WORD OF THE WEEK #66 – mollify

August 19  – “If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out.” President Biden in interview with George Stephanopoulos 

August 31 – “The bottom line, 90% of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to leave.” – President Biden 

Apparently his victory speech did little to mollify the vast majority of Americans who are not happy with leaving of our citizens behind. 

Mollify is a  verb meaning to soothe in temper or disposition.  Also mollified or mollifying.

“He mollified the staff with a raise.”

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mollify

Significant Quote:

“We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit.  We’ll do it…. responsibly, deliberately, and safely.  And we will do it in full coordination with our allies and partners….” President Biden – April 14, 2021

Full cooperation with our allies? Really?

On July 2 all U.S. air support left Bagram Airport in the middle of the night without informing even the Afghan General, who woke up to find all of his air support gone and the lights turned off.  Looters quickly arrived.

On August 15 the city of Kabul fell. Our embassy closed. In our exit there was little or no cooperation with our allies. It took President Biden 36 hours to return the Prime Minister of England’s call.

England’s response, August 19 –  For the first time in history the UK Parliament voted to hold the President of the United States in contempt for unilateral decision making and a botched withdrawal. That came after several impassioned denunciations on the floor.  One member stated that they would not join us in combat under our present administration.  It was an unprecedented and humiliating rebuke.

It appears that England along with other NATO countries did not feel that we were in “full cooperation” with them.  Rather they were furious.

Another significant quote….

July 23 – Conversation from President Biden to Afghan President Ghani:  “I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban.  And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”

President Ghani followed those instructions, painting a false and rosy picture, up until August 15, when he hopped on a helicopter with his tail between his legs.

Just eleven days later the final U.S. plane left Afghanistan leaving behind an unknown number of U.S. citizens along with green card holders, Afghanistans with visas, plus all of their families. Oh, and over $80 billion of fully operational sophisticated weaponry.

We are now told that it is up to the State Department to negotiate their return, and we are told that we have significant leverage. It appears to me however that they are holding Americans as hostages, so I ask….who really has the leverage?

My Question: 

I clearly am not part of the U.S. intelligence community, but even I was pretty sure that there was going to be a terrorist attack at the airport.  How did I know?  Our government told me in no uncertain terms – STAY WAY FROM THE AIRPORT. 

Knowing that, what was being done at the airport gate to protect our troops? With thirteen dead Americans it seems like a reasonable question.

And the Excuses:

“I am the commander in chief and the buck stops here….however….” He then goes on to blame others for what was his responsibility.

First and foremost he blames Trump (of course) for putting a policy in place that he felt obliged to follow. A little strange how this one policy was inviolate, while so many others were not….Keystone Pipeline, border policies, the arctic refuge, Iran policy….but this one policy he was forced to uphold?

He also blames the Afghan army for quitting so rapidly, painting them as cowards. He says he was surprised at the speed of the collapse and not prepared. But the CIA gave repeated warnings ….this one in April, five days before Biden’s withdrawal speech, “The Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws.”

Biden’s April announcement that the withdrawal would start two weeks later was unexpected. Imagine what effect that had on the morale of the Afghan troops and what momentum it gave the Taliban?

Despite those repeated warnings from the intelligence community, Biden rejected all options to keep troops in Afghanistan longer. He was hell-bent on withdrawal. His original date of 9/11 suggests he may have been motivated more by public relations.

On July 2, when questioned about withdrawal plans he said “Look. we want to talk about happy things, man.”

Painting the Afghans as cowards? the Afghan Army had lost over 60,000 in this war. British MP Tom Tugendhat, who served in Afghanistan, tore into Biden in a speech on the floor of Parliament, calling the president “shameful” for maligning the whole of the Afghan military  “Those who have not fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have.”

Dear Mr. President – the buck stops with you. Period

Interesting Phrase:  Blowing smoke up your ass.

A crude but great American idiom…. Defined as “to speak deceptively to one, usually in an attempt to mask true feelings or the reality of a situation.”  “I think they’re blowing smoke up my ass about giving regular raises to their employees.”

So let me ask you….when, on August 19, just eleven days before our last plane left, when President Biden told the nation “If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out”….do you think he really meant that, or was he just blowing smoke up our collective asses?

Quote of the Week:

“Stupidity is one of life’s big mysteries, like evil, like love, an ineffable thing. You cannot exactly define it, but you know it when you see it…..“ Lance Morrow

Nasria, 25 and pregnant, and an American citizen, one of many (No one knows how many) who are now stranded in Afghanistan. U.S. Rep Darrell Issa met with her and reported that she was kicked in the stomach by Taliban fighters. She said she and her husband tried to get to the airport for 12 to 13 hours, waiting without food or water, but the Taliban blocked them at gunpoint even as she showed them her U.S. passport. 

Despite the State Department telling her they’ll find a way to get her out of the country, she said she’s losing hope. “Now that the U.S. military is gone, the Taliban is hunting Americans.”

Until next time….

Gramps

66 Weeks of Great Words

1 –   exacerbate – to make worse “Your input just exacerbates an already difficult situation.”
2-   assuage – to make a situation or feeling less intense. “I pray our Heavenly Father may assuage you of the anguish of your grief.”.3 –   force majeure’ –  unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. “The tenant will not be required to pay rent due to the force majeure’ clause.
4 –   sanguine – optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be sanguine about this, but I see a major roadblock”
5 –   segue – (seg way) proceed to what follows without pause.  “She has the skill to easily segue from political conversations into subjects less controversial.”
6 –   bifurcate – to cause to divide into two branches or parts. “We have decided to bifurcate this large project.”
7 –   indolent – habitually lazy – “His failure in life may stem from his indolent ways as a youth”.
8 –   ameliorate – to make better or more tolerable –  “this drug should ameliorate your pain”
9 – truncate – to shorten by or as if by cutting off – “A truncated version of this report is on the web.”
10 – nascent – coming or having recently come into existence  “His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine”
11 – béchamel – a rich white sauce – “He made a lump-free béchamel for her, and, in return, she gave him her love.”
12 – anarchy –  absence of government – “The revolution began when anarchy took root in just one city”.
13 – rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”
14 – milieu – the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops.- “His discipline is a result of growing up as part of the military milieu”
15 – nadir – the lowest point – “The stock market reached its current nadir in March”
16 – black swan event – comes as a surprise and has a major effect. “This pandemic is considered by many to be a black swan event.”
17 – myopic – narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications.  “Your myopic view of this project is disturbing”.
18 – quixotic – foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals – “His quixotic pursuit for her affection was quite simply foolish.”
19 – prescience – human anticipation of the course of events – foresight.  “His intuitive prescience helped to make him a success”
20 – laconic and laconic riposte – use of a minimum of words, and a short clever response to an insult or challenge. In response to a demand to immediately surrender the general sent back the following: Nuts”21 – protean – ability to change, versatile.  “The coronavirus is protean in its ability to either make you sick or not.”
22 – ephemeral – lasting a very short time or perhaps only one day. “Custer was chasing an ephemeral Indian city.”
23 – catch-22 – a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.  From the novel “Catch-22”.
24 – arrogate – to take or claim something without justification. “In order to accomplish his dream he arrogated to himself controversial powers”.
25 – obtuse – difficult to understand, lacking intellect.  “The responses to his remarks this week were even more obtuse.” 
26 – purloin – to appropriate wrongfully (steal), often pertaining to a theft that is a breach of trust.  “When she opened her new office she purloined one of my listings”.
27 – salience – the quality of being particularly noticeable or important.  “It is not clear that raising the electoral salience of the Supreme Court will work to the president’s advantage.
28 – confabulate – to talk normally or to hold a discussion.  “He likes to confabulate.”
29 – animus – a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will. “I have no animus or agenda for the Affordable Care Act.”
30 – puerile – to act or communicate in a juvenile, silly or childish manner. “His puerile ways are giving a poor impression at his job interviews”.
31 – regnant – having the greatest influence – “The regnant belief”.
32 – roil – to be agitated or chaotic – “the politics of slavery was roiling the United States”.
33 – sonder – The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
34 – inculcate – To instill or teach someone an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. “They will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture.”
35 – mendacity – untruthfulness, lying. “He blew the whistle on the mendacity of the politician.”
36 – pejorative – Expressing contempt or disapproval.  Having negative connotations.   “Permissiveness is often used a pejorative term”.
37 – dystopian – A world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized fearful lives, often associated with a totalitarian government or an environmentally degraded world. “The dystopian future of a society bereft of reason”.
38 – Occam’s razor – The simplest answer may be the preferred answer.
39 – execrate or execrable – very bad – “The execrable hotel food.”
40 – immutable – unchangeable – Do not make the mistake of assuming that public opinion is immutable.   
41 – prurient – having or encouraging an excessive or unwholesome interest in matters of sex. 
 “She’d been the subject of much prurient curiosity”.
42 – obsequious – exhibiting fawning attentiveness. Exaggerated deference of manner.  “Waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities.”
43 – iconoclast –  a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions “He was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclastic insight and irreverent prose.”
44 – oblique – something not parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line – slanting.
“We sat on the settee oblique to the fireplace. Or something not done in a direct way such as “He issued an oblique attack on the president”.
45 – profligate – wasteful – wildly extravagant.  “He has always been a profligate spender, which is why he is broke.”
46 – raconteur – a good teller of stories.  “We always invite her to dinner because she is a fine raconteur”.
47 – taciturn – a person who is reserved or uncommunicative in speech…saying little.  It usually connotes unsociability. “Nothing bothered the taciturn Hogan more that excessive praise.”
48 – fungible – capable of mutual substitution: interchangeable/  “The court’s postulate is that male and female jurors must be regarded as fungible.”
49 – filibuster – The use of tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly. This currently requires a 60 vote Senate majority. “They stopped the bill from coming to a vote by the use of a filibuster”.
50 – hegemony – preponderant influence or authority over others: Domination. “They battled for hegemonyin Asia.”
51 – de facto – being such in effect though not formally recognized or contrary to established law “a de facto state of war” for a war that has not been officially declared.
52 – blockchain – an open, distributed leger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.
53 – bête noire – A person or thing one particularly dislikes or is strongly detested. “The abuse of women was a bête noire for Lincoln.”
54 – evince -“to constitute outward evidence of….to display clearly: reveal. “He evinced a depraved mind.”
55 – virago – a loud overbearing woman.  Domineering, violent, or bad tempered. “Democrats, on the other hand, saw Jessie as a Republican virago.”
56 – metonym –  a name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated. “Washington is a metonym for the federal government of the US.”
57 – felicitous is an adjective and is defined as   well chosen or suited to the circumstances such as “a felicitous phrase”.
58 – ennui – a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. “He succumbed to ennui and despair”
59 – Imprimatur is a noun meaning sanction or approval. “He gave the book his imprimatur.”
60 – fiat – A command or act of will that creates something without further effort.  An authoritative determination. “He runs the company by fiat.”
61 – salient – meaning most notable or important.  Of notable significance. “It succinctly covered all the salient point of the case.”
62 – meme – an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.  “The band encouraged fans to make memes to advertise the U.S. release of their EP.”
63 –  delectation – delight or enjoyment. “Here are some chocolates for your delectation.”
64 – feckless – acting in an irresponsible, weak, or cowardly manner. Inept, incompetent. “feckless leadership.”
65 – Ignominious – Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame. despicable, “His was an ignominious withdrawal.”
66 – mollify – to soothe in temper or disposition. “He mollified his staff with promises of future raises.”