Don't know how "tomorrow" sounds to Kalla, but it sounds like a plan to me.

for a shame-based culture like islam i wonder if we're *really* helping at all

Just give us the money and go home. Our government shall decide how and on whom to spend it. Muslims shall be the judge of how to spend money on Muslims. We in Muslim governments have never stolen, hoarded, or mispent money or food aid. Give us the money and go home, better yet just wire $1 Billion to the Presidential Palace and don't even bother coming over.

This not only makes me angry it is extremely foolish.
There are a bunch of guys in the vicinity wearing shirts inscribed Mujahadeen. Were these animals able to launch a successful strike agianst our marines (the guys who took down fallujah) what would that mean to them. God forbid that it happen but what would that do to the President's credibility with the american People?
this shows extremely bad judgement. Not only are the marines themselves put a risk so is the war policy of the whole country.

That's ok, we'll, just let all the Muslim's help 'em.

And - ha ha tach ... really, they (the Iraqi's) were humiliated by us saving them from Saddam, and hated us for that. Now we're just creating another reason for them to hate us. I'm starting to see Allah's point in all of this.

Looks like it's time to specify which country your donation goes to. I don't know about anyone else, but when someone is doing me a favor I let them do it on their own schedule and in their own way. I also thank them for it. Neither seems likely to happen here. At least the could have the common sense and decency to act like they appreciate it unitl they have gotten everything they want. Who are the getting their etiquette lessons from anyway, the French?

Before we leave Indonesia, we should blanket the country with leaflets that say:

Allah has destroyed your village because Muslims have supported Al Qaida and wished America harm.

If you do not kill Al Qaida members in your village and leave Americans alone, Allah will unleash a thousand times worse destruction upon you and everyone in your family.

Unbelievable.

Was the November election all a dream and John Kerry's took office a bit early?

Does the word "Somalia" mean anything to George Jr.? Didn't your pappy start that out sort of along these same lines?

Time for us to leave. They don't want us there, we don't have to be there, especially since they seem to want us to be sitting ducks. We should break camp, right now, pack everything up and sail off to countries that actually WANT our help. I'm sure the Indonesian government and Islamic militant movements, with help from their worldwide Muslim brothers, can delsalinate seawater, clear wreackage, repair infrastructure, supply food, antibiotics, vaccinations, and everything else they need.

And if not, it's no longer our problem. We offered to help, they refused. Let's give them what they want good and hard.

I am so tired of "measured responses." I think we should have nuked Afghanistan at a time when we could use the heat of anger as an excuse. All subsequent relations with muslim countries would have been on our terms. This case with Indonesia is a lesser case of the same thing: Muslims are exercising their divine right to abuse us and we should disabuse them of the notion that they have a divine right to abuse us. Rather than acknowledge the principle that even the neediest muslim country can hope to dictate to us how to arm our Marines, I'd have us out of Aceh Province immediately, with a huge show of righteous indignation. I'd make sure the people of Aceh Province knew exactly what their government had done to set us off.

Our rulers are such contemptible weaklings to slave over the well-being of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Indonesia.

There's a Charles Lindbergh America-Firster devil sitting on my left shoulder and a universalist Wilsonian-Bushian angel sitting on my right shoulder. That angel made a lot of Sugar Mountain promises that suuuuure sounded good at the time but, right now, that devil sounds a hell of a lot better to me.

I say we take off, and nuke the site from orbit. Its the only way to be sure.
And hell, the Mullahs themselves say that God's pissed at all the widdle Muslims, we'd just be finishing what God started.

Remember one thing: even without guns, a Marine is never unarmed.

Mano-a-mano against an IED? Nice thought Dianna, but I don't think so.

Get them out of there. Safety trumps the honor of delivering aid to terrorist sympathizers.
If they were there to kick ass, thats one thing, you expect danger. But for crying out loud.

Somalia II- Fuck 'em.

Maybe instead of *not carrying* guns, the Marines should agree to *empty* their guns of all live ammo. That sounds reasonable, right?

So, I say they go to the office of this vice president and empty their guns.

this might sound cold but.

I was listening to a story on National Commie radio, NPR about China. An earth quake in 1976 during Mao's last year/s hit a town of about a million people. They denied all help and isolated themselves. And the process of change got a foot hold.

IF we bail them out, why would they have enough gumption to change them selves.

Same theory I have on the war, if you make it nice no one will want to stop fighting.. think Dresden.

Not a problem! Just request that this miserable twit, Vice President Yusuf Kalla just get his fat ass out of the palace and walk on down to the disaster area and tell those U.S. Marines to drop their weapons.
Damn, I'd like to be there to see that!

Tomorrow does sound about right. Here’s some piling on.

Have to disagree. We should go in, provide such immediate aid as we can and gracefully retire when asked. It is not a matter of East vs West or Muslim vs everyone else, it is a matter of simple human pride.

Providing help is one thing, coming in and taking over, which is how the U.S. tends to do things. (this didn't start with Bush) That builds resentment.

Even here at home, when the Feds show up after a disaster and push the locals aside, there is a lot of resentment, not gratitude and it is the resentment that is remembered down the road.

Just realize that the Indonesians, like everyone else, have their pride and don't like to be spectators on events in their own countries. Everyone appreciates help when they have problems, but no one likes it when the helper moves in and starts planning your meals and picking out your wallpaper.

If you think we should be doing this to gain their gratitude, you're wrong. We are not doing this because we expect them to feel grateful, we are doing this because it is the right thing to do.

Somehow I doubt the Marines are really unarmed. I also hope that there is a rapid reaction force out there to protect them as they probably only have concealed sidearms and some knives. Ohh, and maybe a hand-grenade or two.
Our military might be stupid, but they ain't dumb.