I find it impossible to read about Burma without thinking of Psalm 73.
Some have alleged the military government is hoarding international food aid that is arriving and giving out spoiled and poor-quality food instead.UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had expressed concern that aid was being diverted to non-cyclone victims.
Montas said so far there was no evidence. But Brian Agland, CARE Australia's country director in Burma, said some of his local staff have samples of the rotting rice being distributed in the Irrawaddy delta.
Meanwhile, apparently air drops won't work very well. And a UN humanitarian invasion is out of the question, apparently. So we're left with . . . watching evil triumph.
Yep, and a thoroughly predictable triumph at that. If a small group of thugs wish to live well by despotically controlling a nation, keeping the population on the verge of starvation at all times is a perfectly logical thing to do. This cyclone helped in that pursuit.
Tangential question: What's the deal with the use of italics in the King James Bible?
The cyclone was a godsend; more aid to steal, and 100,000 fewer people to have to watch over.
"Some have said" is shorthand for "I'm making this up." It might be true. It's definitely weasel poo.
Well, we can pray.
Just sayin'.
"Won't work very well" is not the same thing as "won't work at all". I have to agree with the third comment at the link - we're letting the perfect be the enemy of the good here. Perhaps the airdrops should include weapons too.
What's the deal with the use of italics in the King James Bible?
It marks English words that don't directly translate any word in Hebrew, but have been added to make the English make sense. (Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.)
What's the deal with the use of italics in the King James Bible?
Sometimes God wants to emphasize?
Perhaps the airdrops should include weapons too.
Because unlike food, we can ensure that weapons would go to the people instead of the military, because...?
The airdrops SHOULD include weapons... marines and their rifles
"So we're left with . . . watching evil triumph."
That's what society has devolved into.
Where is the UN in all of this?
"That's what society has devolved into"
Devolved into? We used to be better? When? When, exactly, would we have interceded in a situation like this?
I could do a long screed here, but MM said not to feed the trolls, so I'll stop now.
FT
"Devolved into? We used to be better? When? When, exactly, would we have interceded in a situation like this?"
Berlin airlift...
"Berlin airlift... "
I don't think the situations are completely analogous because the US had definite national interests in Berlin in 1948. There is a good argument that the US does not have national interests in Myanmar today. We hate to see innocent people suffer because of autocratic thugs whose reflexive response to a natural disaster is to close the borders. That doesn’t necessarily mean
Most of the interventions in the last 60 years have come under the heading of containing communism, which is/was definitely in America’s interest. Other military actions each have had their own rationalities as for why it was in America’s interest to take action. Except for purely humanitarian reasons, I can’t think of a rationalization that military action in Myanmar is in America’s interest.
Two other situations that fit the non-intervention role are the slaughter in Rwanda and the slaughter in Darfur.
FT