It gives me Pride as an American when our Military responds to a crisis like the Haitian Earthquake

Of course it goes without saying that I also am proud of all of the Americans civilians who also are rallying to help those desperately in need now in Haiti. But I take special pride in seeing the institution that our nation deploys to defend ourselves, through the use force if necessary, used to bring rapid and essential relief to people suffering in the world. The U.S. is not alone in our willingness to use our military to respond to a humanitarian catastrophe like this, but it is a still source of pride for me that we do, and that we do it so well when we do.

I salute the members of our military who, as I type this, are scrambling to save lives in Haiti. Your efforts bring us honor of the sort that mere might never can.

n/t

:thumbsup:

Far far better that this be the need that our military is mobilized to respond to rather than the one that it was organized to be used for in the first place. While I do try to promote peace at all levels in the way I live my life, I concede that the world has not yet evolved to a place where pure pacifism is always possible.

I frequently have opposed how our military actually gets used, but not this time. I'm rooting for them to turn out tons of lemonade

Can you expand on that a little?

defense budget which equals the amount spent by the rest of the world combined.

But, I am just guessin'

ordered the military to respond. Our Commander-in-Chief. Thanks, President Obama for acting quickly.

He will not be like Bush in Katrina.

the fact that he's responding so quickly doesn't surprise me at all. He's always struck me as a very compassionate person.

And I'll do it with all of my heart.

precision B-52 strikes of food. Aerial assaults of pallet-loads of relief supplies. Double-envelopments of medics and field hospitals.

Naive, I know.

But maybe the whole fucking world would respect us again.

Maybe we could be real heroes.

but the air traffic control tower was destroyed. We're even working to solve that problem.

I think we will earn some respect after this.

...we did pretty well with the Tsunami...

Look...our government may suck a lot, but the people of the US donate billions of dollars a year to causes such as this. The people of this country are real heroes. Well..most of us

just ask them... there are a lot of good folks, being held down by powerful creeps.

in the Corps. Every kind of school you can imagine on how to blow shit up and kill people, but nothing about loving our fellow man.

Maybe the "new" Marine Corps is training aid workers.

The "people" of the US are (or should be) the "government". My so-called government has unlimited funds for war and expects us citizens to have a fucking bake sale to support relief.

Sorry to be a little cranky today. Haiti has a special place in my heart... it was where I learned that military force is obscene... and I hadn't even been to Vietnam yet.

Not to be too specific, but during the Cuban Missile Crisis, our outfit was tasked with impressing the locals in part of Haiti that the US could be quite unpleasant should some of those dirt-poor people listened to the Cuban message. We carried out our mission. Thoroughly.

I sent a big check today.... If I was half the person I think I am, it would have been more.

I supported when Clinton ordering an invasion of Haiti to restore President Aristide to power had the junta not backed down instead.

no problem at all...

I like this face of America.

K & R