On Mon, Mar 05, 2007 at 03:31:40PM -0800, Paul Johnson wrote: > Roberto C. Sanchez wrote: > > > Ummm, many of the overseas military bases are in place at the > > *invitation* of the host governments. > > OK, then the host country should be providing revenue equal to expenses > incurred on behalf of American taxpayers at the base. They want us to > fight their fights for them, they can pay us. > We also go there so that we can fight the bad guys before they get to us on American soil. If you want remunaration from the hosts of our overseas bases, then write your congresscritter and tell him to push for negotiating a new treaty. > > I'd hardly call that empire. Now, those bases were built under the shadow > > of the Cold War Soviet threat. However, many of the bases have closed or > > will be closing soon. > > Given I'm paying for it, that's too little, too late. How many billions > (trillions?) could have been put to productive use instead of flushes away > on installations rendered unnecessary in 1945 or during Glasnost? > If you think that overseas installations were rendered unnecessary in 1945 you are completely delusional. If you think they were rendered useless by glasnost, then you are just foolish. > >> > > I challenge you to provide a statistic. Now, don't get me wrong, I > > think it would be great if the US governmnet would get out of the > > charity business and leave it to private citizens' generosity. However, > > I am also a realist. > > I'd rather they just get out of the foreign charity business. American > government should serve American citizens first and only. > How wonderfully parochial. Foreign charity and aid are ways of generating goodwill. Everybody needs that and it is a way of serving American citizens, especially if you are one of the millions of Americans who travels abroad and wants to have a good experience. > >> > > I guess it is a matter of perspective. There is really only so much > > that can be done before people (both in the US and abroad) start > > complaining that what should be a humanitarian mission is becoming too > > belligerent. Just look at the fiasco in Mogadishu. Good intentions > > gone wrong. > > I'm rather annoyed at the Clinton Administration for not learning from the > mistakes of the neoconservative administrations immediately prior to his > term. What the hell do you think is going to happen when you provide aid > of any sort to a country run by a warlord? > The people of Somalia were starving *becuase* of the warlords. Providing support to them was the right thing to do. Using the military to guarantee that the aid reached the people and did not end up in the hands of the warlords was also the right thing to do. Regards, -Roberto -- Roberto C. Sanchez http://people.connexer.com/~roberto http://www.connexer.com
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