Tsunami, and Two Thoughts on the Military and Foreign Policy
I saw the news of the big earthquake and tsunami in Japan this morning. It's big enough that I should take note of it, but there's not much I can say. Rotary is not a big immediate disaster relief organization (we have some resources) but our big response will be when the dust settles. Then we'll work on redevelopment efforts. I was going to make two military / foreign policy remarks today, so I will return you to your regularly-scheduled programming.
Military Thought #1
For those advocating going to war with Libya (and yes, Virginia, a no-fly zone is war - ask yourself how you'd respond to a no-fly zone over your airport), consider this: No American has been killed in this conflict. The war is confined to Libya's borders. No American interests are affected (Libya's oil goes primarily to Europe.) Exactly the opposite can be said of the Somalia situation. If you want to go to war, Somalia is the bigger problem.
ETA: Here's some informed commentary about what would be needed for a Libyan no-fly zone. For those not clicking through, it's 50 fighters, 20 aerial tankers and 5 AWACS. We've got the planes, but they ain't cheap and if they're in Libya they're not in Afghanistan.
Military Thought #2
Ezra Klein and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had a discussion on US subsidies to rural America. In the interview, Vilsack repeatedly argued that because a disproportional percentage of America's military come from rural areas, this was a sign of rural America's greater character.
Having grown up in a rural area and joined the military, I have a different perspective. For many of my classmates, joining the military was one of the few if only ways to advance oneself. It had little to do with patriotism and a lot to do with economic need.
Military Thought #1
For those advocating going to war with Libya (and yes, Virginia, a no-fly zone is war - ask yourself how you'd respond to a no-fly zone over your airport), consider this: No American has been killed in this conflict. The war is confined to Libya's borders. No American interests are affected (Libya's oil goes primarily to Europe.) Exactly the opposite can be said of the Somalia situation. If you want to go to war, Somalia is the bigger problem.
ETA: Here's some informed commentary about what would be needed for a Libyan no-fly zone. For those not clicking through, it's 50 fighters, 20 aerial tankers and 5 AWACS. We've got the planes, but they ain't cheap and if they're in Libya they're not in Afghanistan.
Military Thought #2
Ezra Klein and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had a discussion on US subsidies to rural America. In the interview, Vilsack repeatedly argued that because a disproportional percentage of America's military come from rural areas, this was a sign of rural America's greater character.
Having grown up in a rural area and joined the military, I have a different perspective. For many of my classmates, joining the military was one of the few if only ways to advance oneself. It had little to do with patriotism and a lot to do with economic need.