The Middle East - Ready! Fire! Aim!

When I hear someone suggest the U.S. get involved -

Send our military in and get the problems solved -

Treating war as if it's just another kind of game,

I can't help but think they're shouting: Ready! Fire! Aim!

Arab Spring's resulted in a bitter Arab fall;

Adding yet, more weapons to the mix can't help, at all.

There are quite enough of those, but...  Refugees need food.

Starving people with no hope just sit around and brood.

If we want to see real change and want to play a part,

Giving all those displaced people aid would be a start.

I don't want to arm the rebels - gladly'd feed the poor...

But, until we care for vets we have, don't make some more.

Foreign Policy Isn't For Dummies

(Mr. Bennett's cartoon/Courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor)

President Obama's seen approval ratings drop

Because there are conflicts in the world he cannot stop.

John McCain can name you three the U.S. should invade;

Plus another couple where he thinks we should have stayed.

I don't think he understands how that would be perceived.

When we throw our weight around the Arabs feel aggrieved.

Libyans are mad we grabbed a suspect off the street,

Hustled him aboard a ship, and sailed off with our fleet.

"Well...  It took us long enough," said everyone on FOX

(Proving true the nickname for TV - the idiot box.)

These wars are religious...  They're the kind that can't be won

And we shouldn't risk the life of one more mother's son

In a fight that's lasted for at least a thousand years.

When we've jumped into the fray before it led to tears.

Once we put our foot down innocents are always crushed.

Thankfully, this President won't let himself be rushed.

Syria, Still.

Syria keeps grinding on with still no end in sight.

Civil wars are battles where nobody wins the fight.

It's the kind of war that has a tendency to spread;

Gaining new recruits in search of vengeance for their dead.

Syria is shattered - half its population's gone

And, still, the atrocities continue on and on.

There are more than 2 sides now (perhaps as much as 5)

Seems like they'll keep fighting until no one's left alive.

There are calls for intervention by the USA,

Like we have the power to swoop in and save the day.

If we have those kinds of skills we haven't shown them yet.

Plus, it's hard to get involved with Russia saying "Nyet!"

I'm not Isolationist; at least, I never was...

But I'm leery of the situation there because

Following the Arab Spring the Middle East has changed;

Focused on religion and fanatics are deranged.

Islam's in a Reformation like the one we had.

Students of our history can tell you - ours was bad.

Can't impose a reformation, can't force compromise.

Muslims have to be the ones who finally stop these guys.

The 113th Congress - What Kind of Example is This?

Do we want to show the world that we'll negotiate

If the threat is big enough?  Well, isn't that just great?

Less than perfect timing (just to understate the facts)

Threaten world economies until the Congress acts.

With a common enemy the Arab street unites;

We're that common enemy - ignoring sovereign rights.

Two raids into Africa; a city street, a beach...

One man's being questioned but the other's out of reach.

Egypt doesn't like the fact we can't support their coup.

In Afghanistan their President is angry, too.

Karzai says he won't agree to sign a long-term deal

'cause we never stop to ask the Afghans how they feel.

Pakistan and Yemen hate that we use unmanned drones;

All the world is mad the NSA is tapping phones.

Now they get to watch and see our government not work...

Anyone who'd sign up for this kind of thing's a jerk.