American Iconoclasts

For John, BLUF:  Pulling down statues is not higher level politics.  It is more like Fascism.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Once upon a time there were two statues of Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.  But, Iconoclasts destroyed them in March of 2001.  Who were those iconoclasts?  The Taliban, operating under the orders of their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.  They (the Taliban) were offended.

Here is the Introductory paragraph from Wikipedia:

The Buddhas of Bamiyan (Persian: بت های باميان – bott-hâye Bāmiyān) were 4th- and 5th-century monumental statues of standing buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Kabul at an elevation of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft).  Built in 507 CE (smaller) and 554 CE (larger), the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art.  They were 35 and 53 meters tall, respectively.

Here are the before and after (March of 2001) photos for the larger Buddha:

Don't be an iconoclast.  Be a story teller.  What does the statue mean to you, to your friends, to the nation?  What should we learn about our collective history from the statue?

Don't be like the Taliban.  Remember, after this their sanctioned terrorist friends (Al Qaeda) took down the twin towers of the World Trade Center on 11 September of the same year.♠

Hat tip to The Burning Platform for the picture.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  There is always the problem that some people just don't know when to stop.