Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are other things falling apart around the world. The mysterious crash of a Malaysian Airline is but one of these things. Here the questions surround how a Boeing 777 can just disappear from 35,000 feet, or how passengers use stolen passports to get on board the ill-fated airliner. What does it mean? Right after the event, several nations joined in the search, to include a rather large Chinese Naval unit. This is a rare projection of such naval power into the South China Sea, and even out of the humanitarian mission, suspicions still abound.
Another aviation incident in that region also sparked a little Chinese controversy. Seems that the DPRK or North Korea, did a missile test on March 6, 2014. They fired their missiles from their coastline out to sea; however, these missiles crossed the flight path of a Chinese Airliner heading from Tokyo to Beijing. This prompted China to send a rather strongly worded message to Pyongyang to the effect that the Chinese government was drawing a bright red line in the sand. In other words, “You need to knock this crap off! We will not tolerate any such behavior on the Korean peninsula!”
Venezuela is also having severe issues. There the government, which took the place of their now deceased dictator, is having a lot of trouble holding on, amid the crumbling of their already shoddy infrastructure. This nation is going through some serious internal issues that have a very real danger of spilling over into the rest of the region. Last Sunday, the government of Libya authorized the use of force against a North Korean Tanker, and even sent boats out to stop the tanker, ostensibly because the tanker was obtaining oil from Libyan separatists who were controlling an oil terminal. Then last week, Israel intercepted a shipload of Iranian missiles and other munitions headed to Gaza. Of course, taking full advantage of the world’s distraction, Syria, through the infamous Assad, is acting even more heinous than usual toward its own people.
Against all this, we Americans tend to be focused on the shiny thing that is closest to our feet. We go through life blissfully unaware of the things that are out there that can bite us, which on one hand is a good thing. I would prefer that we didn’t have to focus on these things, and instead to enjoy our way of life, our families, and the latest sporting event or fad. Having said this, just remember that the world is full of issues, and we need people who will handle or deal with this stuff. We need people who aren’t afraid to wade in, and who at a moment’s notice, aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. So, by all means, enjoy your lives and the little things, but don’t cut the funds to those who are dealing with the really ugly ones. The notion that we need to cut down our military end strength, so we can fund some program for the social development of _____________________, (fill in the blank with your least favorite special interest group, since there are too many to be specific), is ludicrous and damn short-sighted. ~ Michael S. Pauley
Another aviation incident in that region also sparked a little Chinese controversy. Seems that the DPRK or North Korea, did a missile test on March 6, 2014. They fired their missiles from their coastline out to sea; however, these missiles crossed the flight path of a Chinese Airliner heading from Tokyo to Beijing. This prompted China to send a rather strongly worded message to Pyongyang to the effect that the Chinese government was drawing a bright red line in the sand. In other words, “You need to knock this crap off! We will not tolerate any such behavior on the Korean peninsula!”
Venezuela is also having severe issues. There the government, which took the place of their now deceased dictator, is having a lot of trouble holding on, amid the crumbling of their already shoddy infrastructure. This nation is going through some serious internal issues that have a very real danger of spilling over into the rest of the region. Last Sunday, the government of Libya authorized the use of force against a North Korean Tanker, and even sent boats out to stop the tanker, ostensibly because the tanker was obtaining oil from Libyan separatists who were controlling an oil terminal. Then last week, Israel intercepted a shipload of Iranian missiles and other munitions headed to Gaza. Of course, taking full advantage of the world’s distraction, Syria, through the infamous Assad, is acting even more heinous than usual toward its own people.
Against all this, we Americans tend to be focused on the shiny thing that is closest to our feet. We go through life blissfully unaware of the things that are out there that can bite us, which on one hand is a good thing. I would prefer that we didn’t have to focus on these things, and instead to enjoy our way of life, our families, and the latest sporting event or fad. Having said this, just remember that the world is full of issues, and we need people who will handle or deal with this stuff. We need people who aren’t afraid to wade in, and who at a moment’s notice, aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. So, by all means, enjoy your lives and the little things, but don’t cut the funds to those who are dealing with the really ugly ones. The notion that we need to cut down our military end strength, so we can fund some program for the social development of _____________________, (fill in the blank with your least favorite special interest group, since there are too many to be specific), is ludicrous and damn short-sighted. ~ Michael S. Pauley
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