From: davei@wam.umd.edu (The One True Dave)
Subject: Don't be silly, please
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 02:12:49 GMT



  After reading some of the articles here, I have come to realize that,
while most of you are pretty well-meaning, many of you are grossly
misinformed.

  First, about the US owing the UN large amounts of cash: Huh? If you
do $3 billion worth of work for YOUR favorate debate club without them
paying YOU back, see how timely youa re with YOUR dues. The only nation
that has paid back the war debts they owe the US from WWII is Denmark.

  Second of all, those who think the US has som ulterior motive: Like
what?!? There's no oil in Somalia. There's no industry. That's like
a multi-billionare feeding and housing a homeless family to get at
their stuff.

  Thirdly, yes, the situation in Somalia is partly the US's fault.
The Marxists were trying to take over by force, and we gave our 
support to those who could stop the Marxists without forcing us
to send an army. This is also what happened in many of the Central
American countries. Failure to stay uninvolved militarily is what
started Vietnam and failure to do anything is why China is communist
now.
  We thought we were doing what was best. We had evidence that to
do otherwise would be catastrophic. Unfortunately, like elsewhere,
here the fruits of expidency have come back to haunt us.

  Those who say the United States is putting it's nose in other 
people's business would probably say the same thing about an
ambulance that came to the rescue of a man hit by a truck. It
should be between the truck driver and the (dying) man, right?
Get real. It isn't our duty as a nation to save Somalia, it's
our duty as human beings. There is no difference between watching
a Somali starve to death and watching it happen to your next door
neighbor.

  To the offended Canadians: Yeah, okay, you're helping. And you're
doing a good job of it. Sure, America could (and would) take up the
slack if you didn't, but it's a major help and it shows that you
care. But, in reality, you lack the transportation, logistics, and
materiel to ever do a job like this by yourselves. The US is pretty
much the only nation that could. So, while your point that Canada 
puts a lot of effort into these problems is well taken, you also
have to consider that the US is putting in more.

  As for Bosnia, well, tell me, who's right there? Those people
have been murdering each other for 2000 years and they take turns
being on top. I wish the fighting could be stopped, but that will
never happen, in Bosnia or anywhere, until people stop being close-
minded.

  The United States has acted on its conscience to save the people
dying in Somalia. If you can condemn them for acting out of conscience
then you should resign your membership in the human race. Even if we
do the wrong thing, at least we're doing it for the right reason.

  (Feel free to flame me, but please, don't just tell me I'm a twit.
Tell me why a twit so I can either a) tell you why I'm not a twit or
b) admit my twitdom and bow my head in shame.)

-Dave
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