Global Thinking
Perhaps one day we’ll advance international relations beyond the 17th Century so that governments simply speak the truth to each other directly, instead waddling through a ridiculous mire of posturing and message-sending. This BBC headline says it all: "US to protest to China on Google." Come on, Hillary, I know you’re busy with Haiti – anything to distract people from her reaming in "Game Change" – but if you want to say something to China about Google, then say it; don’t waste precious ink telling us you’re gonna say it.
And speaking of going to Haiti, there was plenty of ink on how our Secretary of State was flying their with a whole load of emergency supplies. But hey, if they sent a cargo jet without Clinton and her entourage, there would have been room for literally tons more life-saving cargo. Alas, we live in a world where image is more important than reality.
The reality is that Haiti is a disaster. Here’s how Agence-France Presse described it: "Haitians cowered in fear on Saturday as armed looters scavenged through their ruined capital filled with the stench of rotting corpses after the earthquake, which the UN said was the worst disaster it had ever faced."
Americans and many others around the world are pouring their hard-earned into the rescue and relief effort. A great deal of it will be wasted, of course, after much of it is stolen. And it makes the point that the world needs not only an independent policeman to deal with man-made problems, but a rescue agent that can step in professionally and efficiently to cope with nature-borne troubles.
Clearly, we need to figure out this one-planet situation so that we can live our lives more peaceably and deal with global problems more effectively. Less mindless pedantry, more sound preparation. We need to be smart, together, which isn’t our history but which must be our future, if we are to survive.
©2010 SetonnoteS
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