davidleong.info

amidst the incomprehensible suffering and loss going on right now in burma, there are some good ideas and some bad ideas. one particularly bad idea i’ve come across is a military invasion, as if that would actually help the situation. now i realize that time/cnn isn’t exactly at the top of the heap when it comes to journalistic quality, but really- time to invade burma? are you serious?

we americans do tend to shoot first and ask questions later, but i have to say that i don’t think it’s worked out very well for us on the global stage. our reputation for diplomatic integrity has been in the toilet for quite some time thanks to our spectacular work in iraq, so another botched invasion with staged “mission accomplished” banners ready to fly is the last thing we need right now.

granted, the military junta in burma is a big problem, and we do need to work harder to find creative solutions to their reluctance and paranoia that is costing lives every day as foreign aid is waiting in the wings. but to suggest that we should consider “giving war a chance” is sheer idiocy. if americans could come up with ways to solve these kinds of problems without first resorting to reflexive violence, this world would be a better, safer place.

want to do something constructive to help? give:

• mercy corps cyclone relief
• red cross cyclone response
• u.s. campaign for burma aid donation