#3274: Are soldiers needed? (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Tom F. Driver <tfd3@columbia.edu>

On March 30, in the Christian Science Monitor,  Kathie Klarreich wrote:

    "The only [U.S. military] presence remaining is a small, rotating US 
    contingent, which has been based in Haiti's second-largest city, Cap 
    Haitien. ... their mandate is limited to civil-engineering projects, such as 
    renovating orphanages and setting up medical units.  
    	Such help is crucial to a population whose per capita income is less 
    than $300, and whose government budget barely covers salaries."
    
It's obvious that such help is needed.  What needs explaining is why it takes 
soldiers to accomplish it.  If you had an orphanage that needed renovating 
and a medical unit that needed setting up, would you call in soldiers?  How 
come Klarreich doesn't ask this question?  


-------------
Tom F. Driver
New York City
<tfd3@columbia.edu>