Ready, Don't Aim, Just Fire
Those who expected to find our government changed after September 11th — those who hoped that maybe there was a glimmer of intelligence in the decision-making apparatus — are, I fear, going to experience a feeling of let-down-ness. The same relationships exist. The same cover-thy-butt religion prevails Really, nothing has changed or is likely to. Consider that with all the magnanimity about not pointing fingers of blame, the fact is that people who should have been better plugged in weren't; that the billion dollars a day we squander on our military muscle and spies doesn't buy squat. Obviously.
If you think otherwise, consider an LA Times story in which high officials report concerns within the CIA that focus on bin Laden and his crew might make us vulnerable to other threats from abroad. Yes, another pitch for more funding and less oversight; what's new? Um, the story goes on to quote anonymous high officials to say that they haven't told this to Bush in his regular morning briefings; nor have they told Congress. Whoa! You mean I'm sittin' up here in the sticks of Redding reading the LAT story in my local fishwrap, and they haven't even told Mistuh Bush about this? Well, not at his morning briefing at least. Huh? I wonder what I should do about it. Maybe grab my wallet.
I'm not a pacifist, by any means, even if I oppose full-scale ground combat with lower-spectrum cannon fodder from each side decimating the oppose ranks. While I appreciate that such conflict performs a herd-thinning effect, I don't consider it a highly effective approach to resolving international issues. If it turns out that this anthrax threat is serious, I would certainly suggest nuking every long-bearded rag-head we can find, and anyone who bought their stamps. Even if their first target was the National Enquirer. We'll talk about the collateral damage later; or not.
Personally, I think the world has gone pretty much mad, and is the hands of the arms-sellers. Consider that the head of the Ukraine military has offered his resignation because he thinks — after seeing unassailable evidence — that maybe it might be indicated that one of their anti-aircraft missiles incidentally accidentally shot down a civilian airliner with more than 80 people aboard. Of course, these things happen, when you have all these bombs and missiles and you're playing war games -- they call it training -- something's gonna go wrong. Like the Iraqis hitting our naval vessel with the Exocet missile killing three dozen American sailors. Oops, sorry, 'cause that was back when Iraq was on our side against Iran. Or like when one of our naval vessels blew an Iranian civilian airliner out of the sky by mistake.
But what the dickens is the Ukraine doing with anti-aircraft missiles, let alone training for war. Is every country condemned to waste men and money on killing machines they should never employ? If everyone has planes and tanks and guns, why shouldn't we use them, before the other guy? I mean, why not?
Actually, they are. Right next door. The breakaway region of Abkhazia said it had launched pre-emptive air strikes to thwart an invasion of its lands by Georgia, which had hours earlier announced that it was sending its troops to their mutual border. Abkhazia split from George nine years ago, and pushed them out shortly afterward. What are these people, in a country not half the size of Massachusetts, doing with an air force?
For those myopics who think that Reagan won the cold war, here is the residue. A country that spent all of its money on weapons of war, now selling those weapons for cash, or to pay debts. Delivering into the hands of inexperienced and unstable governments, the tools of their own destruction. And if they didn't get 'em from Russia, then we probably sold the stuff to 'em, since we control half of the world's arms sales. Or maybe it was the Chinese, French, British, Germans, Dutch, Japanese, or Israelis. Use 'em or lose 'em, and then buy some more.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.