Operation “Blame the Afghan People” is in full swing. The countdown to us forgetting completely about Afghanistan has also just begun and the media is doing its best to shove a comparative narrative to Vietnam down our throats. Today’s episode explores our national amnesia, examines the Vietnam comparison, talks about what happens when our occupations end and questions the continuation of a wartime military budget. 

Resources

Peter G. Peterson Foundation: Budget Basics: National Defense

The Intercept: $10,000 Invested in Defense Stocks When Afghanistan War Began Now Worth Almost $100,000

World Economic Forum: The story of Vietnam's economic miracle

Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam’s Economy, FDI Show Steady Growth but Fourth Wave a Concern

The World Bank: The World Bank In Vietnam

CTV News: 'Canada left them behind': Afghan interpreters and their families plead to be evacuated from Afghanistan

CBC: N.S. veteran unhappy as Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan

War On The Rocks: China’s Strategic Assessment of Afghanistan

Congress: H.Res.1003 — 116th Congress

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

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Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’

Operation “Blame the Afghan People” is in full swing. The countdown to us forgetting completely about Afghanistan has also just begun and the media is doing its best to shove a comparative narrative to Vietnam down our throats. Today’s episode explores our national amnesia, examines the Vietnam comparison, talks about what happens when our occupations end and questions the continuation of a wartime military budget. 
Resources
Peter G. Peterson Foundation: <a href="https://www.pgpf.org/budget-basics/budget-explainer-national-defense">Budget Basics: National Defense</a>
The Intercept: <a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/08/16/afghanistan-war-defense-stocks/">$10,000 Invested in Defense Stocks When Afghanistan War Began Now Worth Almost $100,000</a>
World Economic Forum: <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/how-vietnam-became-an-economic-miracle/">The story of Vietnam's economic miracle</a>
Vietnam Briefing: <a href="https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnams-economy-fdi-show-steady-growth-but-fourth-wave-a-concern.html/">Vietnam’s Economy, FDI Show Steady Growth but Fourth Wave a Concern</a>
The World Bank: <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/vietnam/overview">The World Bank In Vietnam</a>
CTV News: <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/canada-left-them-behind-afghan-interpreters-and-their-families-plead-to-be-evacuated-from-afghanistan-1.5548418">'Canada left them behind': Afghan interpreters and their families plead to be evacuated from Afghanistan</a>
CBC: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/veteran-taliban-resurgence-afghanistan-1.6140200">N.S. veteran unhappy as Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan</a>
War On The Rocks: <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2020/04/chinas-strategic-assessment-of-afghanistan/">China’s Strategic Assessment of Afghanistan</a>
Congress: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/1003/text">H.Res.1003 — 116th Congress</a>
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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at <a href="https://unftr.substack.com/">unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae">spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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