The bombing has begun. Despite prior plans to do otherwise, I've spent most of the afternoon tuned to the television, Slashdot, and the Internet trying to learn as much as possible to comprehend what is happening.

Based on what knowledge I have about what is going on, I believe, with some reservation, that the United States government is making the right move. The Taliban, with Osama Bin Laden as their "patron saint" (as I remember one ABC reporter putting it), have made it their mission to inflict their dark and sick vision of living hell upon the world, and the people of their own country have been the foremost victims.

Although they have been conducting this tyranny on their own soil for years, our country did not get involved until they hit us where it hurt the most: at home, on unsuspecting civilian targets. Maybe we should have unseated the Taliban years ago, when the warnings of gross human rights violations first came pouring in. Or maybe it's not the job of the United States to be the world's police force. Or maybe, 20 years ago, our leaders should never have armed them to fight the Soviets, only to leave behind an impoverished and unstable ruins, with no assistance after "our" interests were no longer at stake.

In any case, what exists in the present must be dealt with. A bunch of thugs exerting rule over a country have most likely orchestrated this direct attack on the people of New York and Washington D.C. They have most certainly held their own people hostage to oppression, brutality, and countless savage crimes ever since coming to power. They show no remorse, intent to change, or even any willingness to negotiate and reason. They must be taken down.

Reports say that U.S. (and perhaps U.K.) planes and missiles have endeavored to strike exclusively at military targets, such as they are. While it reassuring to hope and believe that only the criminals will be hit, it is unrealistic to expect complete perfection, even if the military does everything in their power to exclusively aim at the bad guys. Some (hopefully as few as possible) innocent, impoverished Afghan citizens will be injured and killed.

I applaud the airdrops of food and medicine to areas where they might do some good. Hopefully, this will be effective. I also hope that when the fighting is over, our country will follow through with these gestures, and show it to be more than a publicity stunt by shipping massive doses of aid to those who need it most. Sustain it long enough to get them on their feet.

Now, the critical question that I still haven't heard a cogent answer to: Assuming everything goes well, the Taliban is taken out, Bin Laden is either killed or captured and put on trial, what then? Who will take control of Afghanistan? Do we let our "allies" in the Northern Alliance rule the country, exercising their own brand of thuggery, as they have done in the past? Does the United States or United Nations institute a military-ruled government of its own? This would likely breed animosity from locals, who would rightly feel that their country should not be ruled by foriegners.

What if the people behave as the victims of domestic abuse that they are, and, once "rescued", demand a return to the jailers who kept them "safe" before? Or, left alone, merely find a new set of tyrants and start the cycle all over again? Maybe that underestimates the courage and strength of the Afghan people, whose sympathy-inducing portraits have been paraded in front of us for weeks. I don't know.

This also assumes that once the dust clears, the aims of the U.S. policy makers, military leaders, and rank and file soldiers are as noble as many of us would like them to be. Actions of the past give much cause for doubt, but still, there's always this wanting for our leaders and fighters to have everyone's best interests at heart. (Or maybe I am the only one who wants that, and I'm just a nutty idealist.)

Anyway, enough of this opinionated prattle from he who knows so little. I'm going to try focusing on my own life again for a while.