How about nothing? I’m sick of paying for nation building and “liberation” schemes, used for propping up a us backed “leader” with motives for oil or some other national resource. When someone doesn’t support unlimited military industrial complex spending that doesn’t make them non patriotic. Additionally being against foreign aid, for example in Israel, doesn’t make someone anti Semitic. The us media seems to spread both of those messages constantly.
Why don’t you go there and do that? After all it’s what the leaders of your party, Bernie, AOC, and others want for our future. The joyous utopia of gun free living with the govt controlling all aspects of life and commerce so that the PEOPLE! Can want for nothing.
WWP is notorious for spending about $0.89 of each donated dollar to administration (of the organization),travel (for the execs and fundraisers), and miscellaneous expenses, and ONLY $0.11 of each dollar actually goes to the wounded Veterans. In their beginning, WWP was a good charity and actually spent most of their money on Veterans. Along the way they have discovered that their brand name gets them money, and lots of it that can and is spent on things other than the Veterans.
I donate to the USO, which is truly everywhere the deployed Servicemember is, as well as at home. I have benefited from the USO’s generosity and services, and therefore I donate $20 or $30 whenever I can (usually a few times per year).
And as for Venezuela: I truly think that deposing Maduro would be a “just cause” and would have no problems going there. I am currently a Reservist, so that may or may not happen. I know my former Watercraft unit has delivered certain goods to “Colombia” in the past. With the deployment of the USNS Mercy, it seems like things are ramping up. I would not be surprised to see a US military engagement (as short as it would be) in the very near future, as Guaido is faltering in his efforts to uproot Maduro. Humanitarian aid has been destroyed by the pro-Maduro government forces. There are definite similarities in operational escalation to Operation Restore Hope in Somalia back in the early 1990s.
Just as an additional observation, I find it interesting the U.S. is criticized for their motives when they do help, and also criticized when they dont help. Are there other reasons we are sending humanitarian aid besides helping people who are eating pigeons and dogs? Probably, but it would still help. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Somalia was a vacuum. What was the U.S. motivation behind making sure convoys of food got to people? It goes on and on. It was a disaster not to have armor in support. There was a show recently discussing private sector security. 300 former SF South Africans and a couple of helicopters quelled a civil war in a couple weeks. I think the cost per month was 10 or 20 million. But because they were South African and private, the UN bitched and moaned and took the mission away from the private security firm. Cost billions within a month the country was in chaos again. Sorry, I forgot where I was going with this.
It didn’t help Somalia much because:
1.) Mohammad Farah Aidid seized all the humanitarian aid (keeping it from the starving)
2.) The Clinton Administration saddled TF Ranger with ridiculous Rules of Engagement (ROE)
3.) TF Ranger used the same tactical template for every “snatch & grab” mission. The enemy figured it out
4.) Operation Gothic Serpent was not adequately supported by armor and air cover (AC-130 Specter gunships) denied by the Clinton Administration
5.) Because of #3 above, there was no contingency for two Blackhawks being shot down
6.) Al Qaeda operatives trained Aidid’s forces on how to take down helicopters
7.) There was little or no tactical or strategic coordination between TF Ranger and the UN forces
So Mr. Murphy played a huge role in the overall “failure” of the Somalia mission. Lots of lessons were learned from it however. One that might have made the difference in the lives of both Shughart and Gordon, as well as Mike Durant was that the minigun systems in the MH-60 Blackhawks are no longer dependent on the main helicopter power system; they have independent power that allows them to keep firing even after a crash (assuming they function).
Do we start with the cost of U.S. Mariners? Instead of tearing down our regulations and safety programs maybe we should help mariners from other countries be afforded the same protections and wages. Break an arm as a sailor for other flags and they fly you home in a wooden cast and give you cab fare home. But labor is cheap! cheap! Stepping off soapbox.
Nowhere in my post did I say anything about tearing down any of our regulations or programs.
It wouldn’t be effective to try that…there will always be somebody, somewhere willing to do it cheaply and dangerously because even low wages and dangerous conditions beats watching your 7 kids go hungry.
So the solution you propose is to cut the standard of living for those here so that mariners from the third world can compete for our jobs? If not that, then what are you saying exactly?
You’re kidding, right? I should take a pay cut, for what reason? It’s not going to help the Filipino on the other side of the world. And now we are drifting off topic.
I’m not proposing to cut our standard of living or quality of our mariners operating within our own waters, our current leader of America is…
President Donald Trump and top White House aides are discussing the possibility of issuing a Jones Act waiver for coastwise transportation of LNG, according to Bloomberg. The president is said to favor granting the waiver, which would allow the use of foreign-flag vessels for this purpose. Presidential waivers are typically used for temporary national security purposes, like disaster relief.
I would be for a limited Jones Act waiver limited to the US build requirement only on one condition. Any entity granted that waiver would be required to simultaneously enter into a binding (as in, a bunch of upfront money) contract to construct the US built replacement for that foreign built ship. This would allow a company to get their venture underway and begin earning revenue while also spurring contracts at our shipyards. It would also make these companies think long term because they would have a bunch of money on the line.
Do nothing. I know people who’ve been to Venezuela. The people and military are highly supportive of Maduro and whatever he does. My opinion, let the Venezuelan people exercise their right to national sovereignty, as we do.
Bigger countries usually use foreign aid as a way to put a resource rich country on a short leash. Dont comply with our trade standards? We’ll take away your food.
