Tsunami Disaster
I cannot comprehend a magnitude nine earthquake, nor 52,000 plus dead, nor the horrors yet to come from disease, pestilence and starvation.
I believe that God does not cause bad things to happen. When they do, He is focused like a laser on how we help each other. Free will is both a blessing and a heavy burden.
Now here's pure speculation, but if we can jump over tall buildings to invade Iraq, maybe this is an opportunity to turn that bad situation into a good one. Pull our forces out of Iraq, and send them to Indonesia and India and Somalia, on an emergency basis. Bring our technology and our power to bear on giving aid, moving earth, building shelters, stopping looting, moving populations, and burying the dead. Supplement our forces with experts from NOAA, FEMA, CDC, and the rest of the alphabet soup. Meanwhile, tell the Iraqis to declare amnesty for the insurgents (that's what amnesty has historically been used for everywhere), and have the Iraqis take care of themselves. Oh, and I'll bet that our former strong allies will join THIS coalition!
When we're done in Asia, bring our men and women home to a hero's welcome. And in the whole process, let's not forget to say a few prayers that we get it right, as only we can do.
-Greg
UPDATE: CNN totals 12/29/2004 1:10 PM EST
Sri Lanka: 23,015
India: At least 10,000
Indonesia: 45,268
Thailand: 1,830
Myanmar: 90
Malaysia: 65
Maldives: 46
Tanzania: 10
Bangladesh: 2
Somalia: Kenyan media reports hundreds dead
Kenya: Kenyan media reports one death
Seychelles: Unconfirmed reports of deaths
I believe that God does not cause bad things to happen. When they do, He is focused like a laser on how we help each other. Free will is both a blessing and a heavy burden.
Now here's pure speculation, but if we can jump over tall buildings to invade Iraq, maybe this is an opportunity to turn that bad situation into a good one. Pull our forces out of Iraq, and send them to Indonesia and India and Somalia, on an emergency basis. Bring our technology and our power to bear on giving aid, moving earth, building shelters, stopping looting, moving populations, and burying the dead. Supplement our forces with experts from NOAA, FEMA, CDC, and the rest of the alphabet soup. Meanwhile, tell the Iraqis to declare amnesty for the insurgents (that's what amnesty has historically been used for everywhere), and have the Iraqis take care of themselves. Oh, and I'll bet that our former strong allies will join THIS coalition!
When we're done in Asia, bring our men and women home to a hero's welcome. And in the whole process, let's not forget to say a few prayers that we get it right, as only we can do.
-Greg
UPDATE: CNN totals 12/29/2004 1:10 PM EST
Sri Lanka: 23,015
India: At least 10,000
Indonesia: 45,268
Thailand: 1,830
Myanmar: 90
Malaysia: 65
Maldives: 46
Tanzania: 10
Bangladesh: 2
Somalia: Kenyan media reports hundreds dead
Kenya: Kenyan media reports one death
Seychelles: Unconfirmed reports of deaths
posted by Greg Finnegan @ 5:18 PM
8 Comments:
At 7:54 PM,
brendalove@gmail.com said…
Only in Utopia....but we can still dream, can't we?
At 6:42 AM,
Greg Finnegan said…
Not just in Utopia. We don't have, and never had, an exit strategy for Iraq. This was just handed to Bush on a silver platter. It's not utopian, it's extremely pragmatic. The polls have turned against him, and this turns a lynch mob into a mosh pit. But, it's also pragmatic to realize that none of the power players - George junior, George senior, Barbara, Rummy, Rove, Rice or Cheney - have any sense of history. Powell maybe, but he's way on the outside.
-Greg
At 12:19 PM,
Cattiva said…
The disaster is just so horrifying, it's hard to comprehend.
At 1:07 PM,
Greg Finnegan said…
Cattiva, you are right. The latest is 80,000 projected by CNN. President Bush announced that the United States has "established a regional core group with India, Japan and Australia to help coordinate relief efforts. I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short order."
More here: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/29/bush.quake/index.html
At 3:09 PM,
Adriana said…
I agree with you on everything you posted. I'd like to see the troops on Asia helping instead of being killed in Iraq.
I'm from Venezuela, but I usually watch CNN America & I saw the worst images I've ever seen. This is the worst disaster ever & I can't stop feeling sad about it.
God bless all them!
At 3:48 PM,
CW FISHER said…
Not so hasty, Mr. Finnegan. It occurred to me too, this scenario of yours, but it stopped at the gate on playback. Would Indonesia want U.S. troops there? Would the world trust our intent? My answer was no. But I love the idea. From a strategy standpoint it reminds me a bit of grammer school soccor, where the entire team moves with the ball. Our armies are not fleet. They had to drive in, remember. They'll have to drive out, most likely. Anyway, I'm with you, and I like it, but the problem is getting God to go along with a second disaster closer to Iraq.
At 4:17 PM,
Greg Finnegan said…
Don't you just hate it when someone like CW Fisher comes along and cuts right to the heart of the matter, with a mere "by your leave"? You, sir, have (mixed metaphorically) hit the nail squarely. They would NOT want our army there. I DO want them there, because the U.S. Army is trained, equipped, motivated, obedient and intelligent. And wealthy. I also respect their requirement to be commanded only by Americans. How to resolve... ponder, ponder...
Thanks, CW, for stimulating thought! Jump back in any time!
-Greg
At 7:17 PM,
brendalove@gmail.com said…
Greg, the numbers are so high now I don't even know what to say anymore. My mind is still trying to wrap around the concept of 80,000+ people dead just that quick.
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