When I was younger my mother would say this in exasperation when I'd leave half-painted art and half-written papers around the house.
More recently, my roommates also said this regarding the construction in downtown Madison. Why don't they finish paving one road before they tear up another?
While these are small issues, the principle applies on a larger scale. If a government starts too many projects without finishing them it stretches its resources, ebbs away at the nation's integrity and results in the chaos of unfinished business.
This is a lesson the Bush administration could stand to review. In his war against terror, President Bush is beginning too many battles without finishing any of them.
Last year, when the bombing of Afghanistan began, the administration's rhetoric centered on our job of restoring democracy, prosperity and security to Afghanistan. The president asked American children to send their nickels and dimes to needy Afghan children. Americans were reminded daily that the Afghan people were not our enemies, but that they were also victims of fanatical terrorists. In his address to the United Nations last November, Bush even stated, \I can promise that America will join the world in helping the people of Afghanistan rebuild their country....In this war of terror, each of us must answer for what we have done or what we have left undone.""
It's time for him to answer.
According to the human rights organization Global Exchange, at least 824 Afghan civilians were killed by the U.S.-led bombing campaign between Oct. 7th 2002 and January 2002. The families of those who died in these air strikes are now living in dire straits. Families live in makeshift tents, and hospitals and orphanages are overcrowded and understaffed. Many Afghans are ill and starving.
Rory McCarthy reported in the British newspaper The Guardian, on a 32-year-old Afghan woman named Orfa. Her house was bombed by U.S. air strikes and eight of her family members were killed. With her husband dead, she has no way of providing for her children. Yet the only assistance she has received came from the Taliban officials fleeing the capital. They gave her shrouds for the dead and over $300.
""Mistakes can be made by anyone, but the pilot who has bombed this house should come here and see how many people died. Maybe he could help us,"" she said.
McCarthy also reported that many children suffer from severe post-traumatic stress. One 10-year-old boy was traumatized after a bomb hit his house and killed his relatives. He was seen wandering around picking up pieces of flesh from his uncle's body. Yet there are no therapists to help these children.
Last year, Laura Bush promoted the rights of Afghan women to shed their burqas and return to the public sphere. However, the instability and violence keep many women afraid to leave their homes without the thick veil. With no international peace keeping forces stationed outside of Kabul, the rural regions remain dangerous places for women.
Non-governmental organizations, such as Global Exchange and Peaceful Tomorrows, have been pressuring the Bush administration to establish an Afghan Victims Fund to assist the hundreds of families who suffered due to the U.S. military campaign.
The Bush administration opposes such a plan. The Pentagon fears setting a precedent which could apply to future conflicts. Instead, our military leaders want to forget Afghanistan and move on to newer, fresher conflicts.
It appears Bush has tired of Afghanistan. The plight of Afghan people served his propaganda purposes last fall. Now, however, the existing problems of Afghans only shed negative light on the War on Terror. So he would rather focus on Iraq, a country where the citizens are also suffering under a repressive dictator. But once we bomb Iraq and oust Saddam Hussein, will we again abandon the same citizens we claim to be helping?
Like an amorous frat boy, Bush seems to enjoy the ""thrill of the chase"" of repressive regimes. He is eager to invade and control countries, but he soon tires of the details of rebuilding the nation and instead moves on to another conflict, leaving the prior object of his ""affection"" emotionally and physically damaged.
The administration's resistance to aiding the Afghans is short sighted. By helping to rebuild, not only would we help individual Afghans, but we would also improve our image in other parts of the world, especially in the Middle East. If we ignore their problems, it gives the image the U.S. government has little regard for human life. This fuels international resentment towards us and makes Americans less safe. Helping Afghans in desperate circumstances is the only way we can move closer to true reconciliation and lasting security in the country.
It's time for Bush to act responsibly and live up to his word. He shouldn't promise things he can't deliver and he shouldn't start a job he can't finish.
