The Opinion "To be a Christian necessarily means that the individual seeks philosophical, moral and spiritual harmony with the ineffable source of the manifested Universe" has died after a brief, two thousand year illness. The Opinion leaves behind millions of judgmental, stone-throwing, mote-in-their-enemy's-eye-seeking, homophobic, self-righteous, hypocritical, fear-based, dualistic followers without benefit of a high-horse to sit upon. Pity, that.
The Opinuary Column
If only that were true. As it is, we'll have to deal with Opinion's survivors for quite some time. Click on the blue type and read the rest.
In a somewhat related vein, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship think they've figured out how President Obama can earn that Nobel Peace Prize he just received:
The United States has not actively used land mines since the first Gulf War in 1991, but we still possess some 10-15 million of them, making us the third-largest stockpiler in the world, behind China and Russia. Like those two countries, we have refused to sign an international agreement banning the manufacture, stockpiling and use of land mines. Since 1987, 156 other nations have signed it, including every country in NATO. Among that 156, more than 40 million mines have been destroyed.
Just days before Obama flew to Oslo to make his Nobel Peace Prize speech, an international summit conference was held in Cartagena, Colombia, to review the progress of the treaty. The United States sent representatives and the State Department says our government has begun a comprehensive review of its current policy.
One way Obama can earn his Nobel Peace Prize
We depend on land mines to help us defend South Korea, among other places. If you've never been to the Demilitarized Zone, then it's hard to imagine why. When my coworkers and I drove up there back in the late 1980's, we passed miles of barbed wire, dragon's teeth, and other defenses. Over any road that was going roughly north-south, there were huge concrete blocks suspended. The supports were to be detonated to make the roads impassable in case of invasion from the North. It was hard to travel more than a few miles without passing some sort of military base.
Land mines are another form of barrier. Like mountains and dragon's teeth, they make it more difficult for an army to pass over a particular bit of land. Often as not, armies can deal with them. The people who can't deal with them are the civilians who must use the land after a war.
While I recognize the tactical advantage of mines, at this point the U.S. and South Korea both have effective means of slowing down enemy advances. Cluster bombs are very effective against massed armies that are out in the open, and we have quite a few of them (they, too, have their hazards, as do all munitions). There seems to be no lack of concrete in South Korea, so fixed defenses of various sorts can be built there. It seems to me that the relatively small advantage land mines bring isn't worth the cost in civilian lives and unusable land.
Anyway, click on the blue type and read.
Have a good Sunday.
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