Is the Expansion of the War in Afghanistan Fundamentally Flawed

This photo was taken about two hundred yards down the beach from where my studio is located. The little story below is too easy to turn into a political commentary –a good metaphor for the expansion of the Afghanistan war.

So I was on the beach the other day and a guy who lives just down the street from me was walking out to the surfing point. He asked me, "I’m planning to paddle out today. Do I wear a wetsuit or not?" And I said, "Don’t go in! Didn’t you see the photo taken yesterday of the large white shark jumping out of the water about a hundred yards from here?" he listened politely and said, "Yes," he says, "but I’ve already decided to go in. The question is, ‘ Do I wear a wetsuit or not?" And I said, "The water’s cold. Wear a wetsuit." And he says, "Thanks for the advice," as if the discussion was about the wetsuit.

Photograph byRandy Wright, a volunteer for the nonprofit Shark Research Committee. He says he took this photo of a white shark on Saturday off Sunset Beach. (Randy Wright / Shark Research Committee) People think the shark is about ten feet long and has been trolling out around the surfing point for a number of days.