Search This Blog

Monday, August 11, 2014

Finally, Arms for the Kurds

News reports this morning say that the USA is now providing arms for the Kurdish army that is under attack by ISIS.  All I can say is FINALLY!!!!!  It took president Obama six months to come to this conclusion, and during those six months literally thousands have died at the hands of ISIS, major cities and installations like the Mosul Dam fell into the hands of ISIS (which could have been avoided) and the situation got to the point where the arms deliveries may not be enough to turn the tide.

Think of it this way:  suppose the Coast Guard got a radio message from a small boat off the coast of North Carolina that it was leaking and needed help.  The radio message made clear that the only help needed was a bit more fuel for the pumps that would let the boat make is safely home while the pumps kept the water from the leak under control.  At that point, the Coast Guard decided to consider if a response was appropriate and did not come to a decision.  A few hours later, the same boat radioed that their pumps were unable to keep up with the water because they could only be run at a slow speed due to lack of fuel.  They repeated that they were in great need of fuel and were concerned also that the pumps might fail altogether since they were being run at the slower speed.  The Coast Guard decided to consider if a response was appropriate and did not come to a decision.  An hour later, the boat radioed to say that one of the areas below deck was now full of water and the pumps were clearly not working well enough to get rid of the problem.  To make matters worse, sharks were now circling the boat as if waiting for it to go down.  The Coast Guard decided to consider if a response was appropriate and did not come to a decision. An hour later, the boat radioed another message, this time with the clear sound of despair heard in their voices.  They reported that one of the pumps had failed, and the remaining one was running out of fuel.  Once that happened, the boat would surely sink and they would all die.  They also reported that they could not fix the pump because they did not have the right tools on board.  Even worse, they reported that one passenger had gone into the water to try to locate the leak and plug it, but he was attacked by the sharks and killed.  At this point, the Coast Guard decided to use a helicopter to bring some fuel cans to the boat and to also give a few tools to the people on board so that they could try to repair the damaged pump.  The Coast Guard, however, told the people on the boat that no Coast Guard personnel would be allowed to board the boat, however, because Coast Guard policy now said that Coast Guard personnel would not board sinking boats.

That is where we are at the moment.  Our friends and allies the Kurds have been asking for six months for weapons.  They never asked for troops, just weapons to defend themselves.  Obama (the Coast Guard) has "considered" the situation until now.  Even after six months, he is still going slowly. 



 

No comments: