23123: Simidor re 23109: Walton's Reconstituted Army (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Simidor <karioka9@mail.arczip.com>


The Haitian army was at war and, if brought back to life, will always be at war against the people.  That was its sole raison d’être, the only thing it excelled at.  No experience needed, no training necessary.  The type of army that serves the people and protects the nation’s borders is a beautiful dream, even more unattainable than Dr. King’s “I have a dream” vision.  I’m all for teaching unemployed soldiers how to plant trees and combat erosion, but as agricultural agents, not soldiers.  The leopard will lose its spots and turn to militant vegetarianism, while our tree-planting soldier is busily trying to convert his seedlings into koko-makaks.

Walton’s suggestion reminds me of the monkey in the story who went and asked God for some misery, because somebody tricked him into thinking misery was a good thing. The lesson of the story: one should always think twice about the object of one’s desire....  Sometimes it’s best to let bygones be bygones.

Which brings me to a related pet peeve.  Haiti is paying $500 million for a feel good MINUSTAH force that refuses to perform the one service that could remotely justify this monstrous expenditure that the impoverished Haitian people will spend decades paying back.  That one service is the disarmament of a few hundred untrained former soldiers, gang members and Lavalas militias, all of them too cowardly to fight anybody holding a gun.  Even assuming there are 100,000 illegal guns in the country, $500 million is enough money to buy back each and everyone of those guns at about $5,000 a piece!  At $5,000 a pop, you could hire every former military and paramilitary asshole, every gang member and Lavalas chimere, and turn them to planting trees for at least two years!  Any way you look at it, Haiti is being ripped off.

No to a reconstituted army!
Send the MINUSTAH troops home!

Daniel Simidor