Out of 20, Tom...That's not bad at allOriginally Posted by Tom Odom
Look at it this way, at least you still have your hair and sanity
Out of 20, Tom...That's not bad at all
Look at it this way, at least you still have your hair and sanity
Well I have my sanity (sort of)Out of 20, Tom...That's not bad at all
Look at it this way, at least you still have your hair and sanity
On Haiti, just a story from my teaching days at CGSC. A friend was giving a class to the African students of the day and the subject was human rights and democracy. As he gave the class he held up Haiti as a long standing independent nation that has struggled with democracy and human rights. At the point, the Somali in the class raised his hand and when he was recognized, he pointed to the Haitian student and said, "My country has struggled since independence in 1960 with these issues. Your country has been independent for nearly 200 years? What is wrong with you people?
Needless to say, the class sort of fell apart after that one...
Last edited by Tom Odom; 06-19-2007 at 04:40 PM.
Nice story Tom. Reminds me of the Indian officer at the Armor Advanced Course who was briefing about religion in India, and he showed a Shia cult flagellating themselves with chains (forgot what religious holiday that was for).
The Saudi National Guardsman jumped out of his chair and screamed, "That is not Islam!"
Things went downhill quickly from there.
"Speak English! said the Eaglet. "I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and what's more, I don't believe you do either!"
The Eaglet from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland
LOL I bet it did. That would have been Ashura. Then again there was Ralph Peters who went to a conference sponsored by NATO in Italy and pulled out a map showing his proposed borders for Kurdistan, including portions of Turkey. The Turkish officers in the audience were not amused.
Best
Tom
Haiti is in Africa?
Interesting, Tom, that the Haitian student was with the Africans and not the Latin Americans. Last time I looked, Haiti was an American republic
Seriously, the reason was that Haiti has more in common with Africa than it does with the rest of the Americas. That said, the Somali's question is a good one. If it can be answered for Haiti then we may be able to find an answer about how to address the failed/failing state phenomenon.
Maybe things have gotten so much better in the other countries that Iraq isn't really sinking at all ... it's the same or getting better.
I will e-mail my comment to Tony Snow immediately.
The governor of my state is running for President. Our state is just about last in everything. But I should watch what I post. He is currently my boss. He is advocating total withdrawal from Iraq. On the other hand, my state is only one of a few states that is in the black. Why? The oil & gas industry.
As for Iraq. Picture the great State of California suffering the same daily routine. Liberals and Conservatives blowing each other up. Tortured bodies found everyday and sent to the morgue. Illegal immigrants kidnapping citizens and demanding ransom. Police being attacked and/or executed. The list goes on...
But it isn't happening in California because we have a better system. They have an old archaic system that is difficult for even the most learned on the culture to understand. Iraq is now the, "FIGHT CLUB!", capitol of the world. I wonder if we take my governor's advice and completely leave Iraq. Would Iraq become the #1 worst place in the world or would it move up in the rankings. All I know is we opened up a big can of worms. I hope Washington knows what they are doing. No pun intended.
"But suppose everybody on our side felt that way?"
"Then I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn't I?"
John T.Interesting, Tom, that the Haitian student was with the Africans and not the Latin Americans. Last time I looked, Haiti was an American republic
Seriously, the reason was that Haiti has more in common with Africa than it does with the rest of the Americas. That said, the Somali's question is a good one. If it can be answered for Haiti then we may be able to find an answer about how to address the failed/failing state phenomenon.
We always treated Haitians as Africans; I was scheduled to go be the DATT in Haiti as an African FAO when fate and Rwanda intervened. You are correct; the Somali question was a good one. A French instructor of mine at DLI who was Haitian answered it one day in class. We asked him what he thought of the Duvaliers (Pappy and Baby) and he said they were bad for the country, bad for the people, and bad for the region. He then said if he was given the chance, he would do exactly what they had done.
Tom
...in relation to another thread...
Tom--
You are right, of course. DOD always treated Haiti as if it were a slice of Africa in the Americas. All the army attaches were Africa FAOs. I wonder - do you know - if State did the same?
Regarding the DLI instructor: His comment suggests something inherent in Haitian culture. Indeed, many scholars of Haiti - both Haitian and outsiders - have labeled Haitian culture as being predatory. This smacks of cutural deteminism which, as one old anthro prof, David Bidney, argued truly overstates the issue. The problem I see is that I don't have any answer for Haiti other than a long term "trusteeship" (nice word for colonial rule) in which power is devolved form the local to the national level as the culture is changed.
On that cheery note
JohnT
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