Today, the Associated Press reported the following in an article entitled "White House Blasts Burmese Junta.""The White House criticized Burma's ruling junta on Wednesday for refusing to allow U.S. Navy ships to help their country deal with last month's devastating cyclone.
"The U.S. military ordered the USS Essex and accompanying vessels, loaded with aid and a fleet of helicopters to fly it in, to depart Burma's coast after 15 attempts in recent weeks to get the junta's permission to let them help with relief efforts. The ships were already in the region for international exercises when the cyclone hit and were sent to waters near Burma, also known as Burma, in case authorization could be obtained. 'These assets were immediately deployed to Burma in the spirit of goodwill to offer extensive and life-saving assistance to the victims of Cyclone Nargis,' White House press secretary Dana Perino said. 'Tragically, the Burmese authorities refused to accept this assistance.'
Well, the Essex is a highly impressive piece of machinery. It was there, along with other ships, on military ops already. Burma has a military budget of under $2 billion, less than 1% of America's. Why ask permission when your military is right there? I mean, when Iraq didn't play ball with us, we didn't ask permission. We went right on in with shock and awe.
Burma has an oppressive government. Wasn't liberating Iraqis from oppression one of the reasons given for invading Iraq in 2003?
Wasn't ending tyranny a "commitment of generations?" If so, what is keeping America, with the guidance of Our Great Compassionate Leader, from getting on with the glorious and noble duty that history has given us? Isn't "our own freedom ... enhanced by the expansion of freedom in other nations"?
Wasn't the use of American military might the only way that the only way that the Iraqi people might ever live and breathe in freedom? If this was the case, is it not also true for the people of Burma?
I am just asking.
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