I'm humbled by the image of our swords becoming plowshares.

[MindPilot]

I much prefer my trillion dollar military be saving lives and fixing shit.

[givemebackmycountry]

1. Oh Man - Fuck the a-hole that unreccd this -

I hope the trillion dollar BOMB dropping military drops a bomb on your double wide asshole freeper.
NOW - for the OP.

I agree.
And I'm kicking and recccing this to prove it.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. OH, and to add...what did RUSH ASS BOIL say the other day?

Unlike under Republican administrations when the DEM'S are in charge the military turns into "meals on wheels".

Asshole.

[Capn Sunshine]

3. he says that like its a bad thing

motherfuckers.

[MindPilot]

8. Yeah and what did Rush's Jesus say about feedin' hungry people?

Democrats could shit gold bricks and republicans would complain they were driving down the price of gold.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Dems could cure cancer and the Rethugs would say we were causing overpopulation

We all know that.

Don

[liberation]

51. Are you effing kidding me?

Just when I think that piece of shit Libaugh can't sink any lower... there it goes, proving me wrong... it can sink much much lower.


And by the way, why is his vomit inducing show still patronized by the US Military radio stations?

[Myrina]

34. ... why are people so obsessed with Rec and Unrec?

Seriously, does it affect your sense of self worth or something, that someone might disagree with what you think is 'important'?

:shrug:

[LostInAnomie]

58. Agreed. It looks idiotic when the first post in a thread is whining about an unrec.

Especially, when the OP gets heavily recced immediately after.

[FLDCVADem]

4. I'm proud that the military is able to provide such aid...

...and very glad to see them do it, but come on, that's not what they're for.

[Garbo 2004]

12. Berlin airlift, 1948-1949. nt

[truedelphi]

13. A strategic tactic that saved the lives of Berliners

And saved the city from communism.

And a tactic that was buried by the Bush Administration when it came to Katrina.

Deliberately that Adminstration fostered a pro0gram that was genocide.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Airlift to feed Holland and Belgium March 1945 - see it here:

[FLDCVADem]

18. And again, what is your point? n/t

[Captain Hilts]

21. Hurricane Felix Relief: Guatamala 2005

[FLDCVADem]

22. Apparently you didn't even read my post

So keep posting pics and stories of things that have nothing whatsoever to do with what I said.

[FLDCVADem]

17. And your point is what?

The Berlin airlift was a great and noble effort, but if you believe that it was for purely humanitarian reasons, you're living in a dream world.

As I said before, I have no problem whatsover with humanitarian missions being carried out by the military, but the bottom line is that the purpose of the military is not primarily as a humanitarian relief agency.

[CJCRANE]

24. What are they for?

[FLDCVADem]

25. You're kidding, right?

You truly don't know what the military is for? You truly believe the military was instituted for humanitarian purposes?

[CJCRANE]

26. Spell it out. If you disagree that they should be doing this

then you should spell out their mission statement that precludes them from doing this.

[FLDCVADem]

27. So you didn't read what I wrote either

Please point out where I said they shouldn't be doing this.

[CJCRANE]

28. IMO they're a tool (in the good sense of the word).

It's up to the people and the politicians to decide how to use them. You can choose to use a hammer to build things or knock things down, it has the potential for both.

[northzax]

42. who said they disagree?

but to think the primary purpose of the military is disaster relief is a bit absurd, no? the whole point of a military is to break stuff and kill people, hopefully more of the other guy's stuff and people than he does to us. Aid and disaster relief is a nice side benefit of the airlift capacity, logistical acuity and manpower.

[CJCRANE]

46. 3,000,000 starving people in the Caribbean could be considered a security risk.

This is classic neoliberal intervention, there's nothing unusual about it.

[northzax]

49. i think you're underthinking it.

this is also a classic realpolitik intervention, the PR value of a picture of a US soldier handing out food is immeasurable.

and then of course, there is a human instinct to help. Even if the government didn't want to, imagine the domestic and international opprobrium that would follow. with great power comes great responsibility.

[kestrel91316]

38. It's clear that you believe their only purpose is to kill or otherwise

impose our will on others.

FAIL.

Please return to FR.

[FLDCVADem]

40. Wrong

Fail would be on your part with regards to reading comprehension.

I'm glad that we have a military that is able to step in and help in these types of disasters. But the bottom line is that the military is for the defense of the country. If it can be used for other purposes, such as disaster relief, without diminishing its ability to fulfill its primary purpose, great. But if you believe that the primary purpose of the military is or should be for humanitarian purposes, then I suggest a good dictionary for the purpose of looking up the word "military".

[northzax]

43. only purpose?

nah. primary purpose? you betcha. the primary purpose of a Chinook helicopter is carrying men and war material into battle. that's what they were designed for, that's why the US government paid Sikorsky to design and build them, the fact that this capacity is also useful for disaster relief is a bonus. but you'll notice the Red Cross doesn't own any.

[jwirr]

52. My uncle fought in Korea - what for? My friends fought in Vietnam -

and we still cannot define why we were there. My nephew is fighting in Iraq and another in Afghanistan - again what for? Yes the militate has another reason for being but it has been a long time since we have seen it used that way. Many of the problems of the world today are not military in nature but the military can be of service as they are in Haiti. Terrorism is a criminal problem and the military only acts as their recruiter when they try to fix it. That is why we would like the military to do more of what they are doing today instead of what they have done in the three wars listed here.

[Jax]

59. Answer CJCRANE

You won't.

[mortfrom]

35. On this, Rush is right

The military, bottom line, is to break things and kill people.

[winyanstaz]

56. then it is time to change their bottom line.....

end the wars,,,bring our troops home now.

[Ex Lurker]

57. Rush is wrong

the military's function is to carry out the lawful orders of the United States civilian leadership. That includes humanitarian relief, if the leadership so directs.

[kestrel91316]

37. You'd prefer they sit on their asses at home in the US and play

war video games???

They are a large, well-trained group of people who are perfectly suited for HELPING. To fail to HELP would be inexcusible.

[FLDCVADem]

41. Please show me where I said that

Thanks.

[CJCRANE]

48. It's also in America's national interest not to have 3 million + starving, desperate people

in its own backyard. Some people are so eager to complain they can't think straight.

[patrice]

53. They would NOT exist if it were, or even if it were >50% of their rationale.

[yellerpup]

5. I hope you get your way.

My way too. :kick: & R

[silverweb]

6. Amen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I keep reminding people but not just ours

here is a mental for you...

One IDF rescue team working together with a Jordanian team, and a Mexican Navy team.

That was reported yesterday...

[MindPilot]

11. Yep...

[Gregorian]

9. Yep. It sure gives a good feeling of harmony.

I can almost imagine tax day being a celebration. Weird.

[GreenStormCloud]

10. Disaster relief has been one of the mission of our military for decades.

As well as helping the people and presenting a very positive image of America, it helps train the troops.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

31. Amen to that.

[blondeatlast]

14. Absolutely. k/r/nt

[JNelson6563]

15. Hear, hear!

Well said.

Julie

[lunatica]

20. Yup. Both sides of the skitzofrenic USA!

The military as demons and the military as saints and all at the same time! When an act of God strikes people we're there to rescue them, but when we strike we do it in God's name.

[Control-Z]

23. My future ex,

who often has a crappy, selfish attitude, actually said much the same yesterday. It is good to see our military on a mission to save rather than kill. Surprised me, coming from him.

[gimama]

29. Me, too.. & thank-FULL

"The Guys" are beautiful,UPbeat & HAPPY..
knowing they're deployed to DO GOOOD! Bless'em..

I am worried, tho, the relief efforts are taking too dang long..
It can turn ugly, & I don't want OUR Military's HUMANITARIAN Mission
to turn into another messed-up "conflict"(ie, Somalia).

[Shanti Mama]

30. In Afghanistan well over 60% of our swords are actually plowshares.

But no one writes about it.

My statement is not a pro-war or pro-occupation statement. It is just a fact.

[Robb]

33. Indeed. nt

[DisgustedInMN]

32. Agreed! If only..

.. this were always the PRIMARY MISSION of our forces.

Imagine!

....

We could all use some John Lennon right about now.

[BeFree]

36. Neatoo. Good image.

[showpan]

39. Anger at US builds at Port-au-Prince airport

by Deborah Pasmantier Deborah Pasmantier – Sat Jan 16, 5:57 pm ET
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – Anger built Saturday at Haiti's US-controlled main airport, where aid flights were still being turned away and poor coordination continued to hamper the relief effort four days on.

"Let's take over the runway," shouted one voice. "We need to send a message to (US President Barack) Obama," cried another.

Control remained in the hands of US forces, who face criticism for the continued disarray at the overwhelmed airfield.

Dozens of French citizens and dual Haitian-French nationals crowded the airport Saturday seeking to be evacuated after Tuesday's massive 7.0 earthquake, which leveled much of the capital Port-au-Prince.

But at the last minute, a plane due to take them to the French island of Guadeloupe was prevented from landing, leaving them to sleep on the tarmac, waiting for a way out.

"They're repatriating the Americans and not anyone else," said Charles Misteder, 50. "The American monopoly has to end. They are dominating us and not allowing us to return home."

The crowd accused American forces, who were handed control of the airport by Haitian authorities, of monopolizing the airfield's single runway to evacuate their own citizens.

The US embassy denied it was putting the evacuation of the approximately 40,000 to 45,000 American citizens in the country first.

Others waiting for a way out were taken aback by the chaotic scenes confronted them when they arrived at the Toussaint L'Ouverture airport.

"I haven't been able to tell my family that I'm alive. The coordination is a joke," said Wilfried Brevil, a 33-year-old housekeeper.

"I was at the Christopher Hotel," said Daniele Saada, referring to the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti, MINUSTAH.

"I was extremely shaken up. I was pulled out, the others weren't," added Saada, 65, a MINUSTAH employee.

"I decided to return to France. I have nothing and now I am stuck," she said, caught between fury at the chaos and sheer exhaustion.

The disorder even appeared to cause diplomatic ripples, with French Secretary of State for Cooperation Alain Joyandet telling reporters he had lodged a complaint with the United States over its handling of the Port-au-Prince airport.

"I have made an official protest to the Americans through the US embassy," he said at the Haitian airport after a French plane carrying a field hospital was turned away.

A spokesman for the French foreign ministry later denied France had registered protest, saying "Franco-US coordination in emergency aid for Haiti is being handled in the best way possible given the serious difficulties."

The US ambassador to Haiti defended American efforts at the small airport, which was up-and-running 24 hours after the massive quake, even though the air traffic control tower was damaged.

"We're working in coordination with the United Nations and the Haitians," said Ambassador Kenneth Merten, though he acknowledged some difficulties.

"Clearly it's necessary to prioritize the planes. It's clear that there's a problem."

Despite the chaos, a group of French citizens was eventually able to take off on Saturday, and the French plane carrying a field hospital landed safely around noon.

Still, with aid continuing to flood into the quake-stricken country, concern remains about the lack of coordination at the airport, and across devastated Port-au-Prince.

"The Haitians haven't been notified about the arrival of planes. And when they do land, there's no one to take charge and a large amount of goods are arriving without coordination," said Haitian government official Michel Chancy.

On Port-au-Prince's streets, the consequences of the coordination breakdown are clear, as traumatized and starving quake survivors approached passing foreigner and begged them for food.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100116/wl_afp/haitiquakeusfranceairport



If our military complex is involved, I can't see how this would be good for anyone but themselves since our Generals are basically corporate puppets. One only has to look no further than Iraq and Vietghanistan to see how well their strategies have worked especially when it comes to humanitarian aid.

[northzax]

45. oh, so these relatively healthy people can't fly out?

poor things. I guess we'll delay that next plane with food and water so we can land a passenger jet and take them home. the one runway at the airport has a capacity, today, of 80 landings and 80 takeoffs a day. that's 160 runway uses. since cargo planes don't carry passengers well, let's put you in charge. which cargo plane is being diverted to allow a passenger plane to land? the one with food or the one with medicine?

you understand that there is no air traffic control system yet in place? flights are being controlled from a Coast Guard ship? (the Air Force expects an ATC to be up and running by tonight) this is being done entirely by instrument.

so, which plane? your call.

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. The crowd accused American forces, who were handed control of the airport by Haitian authorities, of

I get it this is what they are perceiving but far from reality. Planes are evacuating their nationals, and that includes the French... Mexicans, Colombians etcetera.

OF course I have access to news from OUTSIDE port au Prince... but the denial is based on fact.

[cornermouse]

44. When did we leave the mideast?

I didn't realize that Obama had already brought our people home from Afghanistan, Iraq, etc....

[patrice]

50. I would be if I felt that there were anything like an at least 50:50 chance of plowshares relative

to swords.

At this point in time, I feel like the plowshares are really only an excuse for keeping the swords in place.

[omega minimo]

54. I'm humbled by the popularity of the two sentence OP

[winyanstaz]

55. me too....but I am NOT happy about Blackwater's paid killer thugs

roaming around down there.