Posted on 01/12/2005 11:19:43 PM PST by kattracks
ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN — The aircraft carrier leading the U.S. military's tsunami relief effort steamed out of Indonesian waters yesterday after the country declined to let the ship's fighter pilots use its airspace for training missions — part of a broad effort by Indonesia to reassert control over its territory.
The USS Abraham Lincoln's diversion, which was not expected to affect aid flights, came as the White House asked the Indonesian government to explain why it appears to be demanding that the U.S. military and other foreign troops providing disaster relief leave the country by the end of March.[snip]
The Indonesian government said foreign troops would be out of the country by March 31. "A three-month period is enough, even sooner the better," Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Tuesday.
U.S. Marines have scaled back plans to send hundreds of troops ashore to build roads and clear rubble. The two sides reached a compromise in which the Americans agreed not to set up a base camp on Indonesia or carry weapons.
Instead, the Marines — about 2,000 of whom were diverted to tsunami relief from duty in Iraq — will keep a "minimal footprint" in the country, with most returning to ships at night, said Col. Tom Greenwood, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.[snip]
Under Navy rules, pilots of carrier-based warplanes cannot go longer than 14 days without flying, or their skills are considered to have degraded too far and they have to undergo extensive retraining.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
thank you! nice to be among people who actually think like me.
Ooops sorry.....should have read your post more carefully....
Jusef deserves the Class I Dick Cheney response: GFY!
Bigtime.
Very well said. This has been the elephant in the living room that BBC/CNN sucessfully ignore.
In the case of the Lincoln in Indonesia, if the US Navy has overstayed any welcome (?), it is the welcome of the petty, childish, bigoted Indonesian government. We have not overstayed the welcome of those who are being helped: those Indonesian citizens who their government cannot adequately relieve without outside (our) help.
LOL! When I joined in 2000, I felt as if I was just arising from the "Conservative Catacombs" and found sanctuary at last. Welcome home...
thank you, but the other half of that question is equally important, i.e., "Is it assistance enough for their fellow Muslims to continue to kill Infidels? Can the Muslim victims of this disaster feast on that harvest or sleep securely under that mantel?"
This is the point of the extremists. Radical Muslims say that they are fighting for the rights of all Muslims to live a "surrendered" life as Allah would have them live, so their fight takes precedence over any other issue.
How great can that god be? His will be done irrespective of the death and mayhem? Such benevolence!
This title is a bit misleading since this "Very little is being degraded. We’re doing just as many missions as before,” Daniels said." is buried in the story.
This was so predictable.
Thats what you get for helping humans in need. An Islamic finger! "Thats for the cash! now go to hell!" Hope George Clooney raises alot of money!
People over here also need to stop and think, that is over 200,000 people died, then thye just dont need that much food then, do they?
We should still provide aid, airlift in what we can, with HUGE USA flags on it, so they know who came to their help.
As usual....bring in the relieve...now go home...F.U.!!!!
This was another Somalia in the making. No weapons? How long before our soldiers would be attacked by Islamofascists out to make a name for themselves? (Somalia was infested by bin Laden/Al Qaeda, too.) Indonesia can clear their own rubble. Our aid money is needed at home.
Last week at work, we were already wondering why we send millions and millions abroad in foreign aid...to our erstwhile friends/backstabbers...while US citizens are homeless or hungry or in desperate need. The other day, Boston talk radio had zeroed in on this, too...so you're not alone. The U.S. is waking up.
Diplomadic blog is really interesting. Great read.
Removing aid/aid workers when clearly you're not wanted, and if you stayed, you'd suffer another Mogadishu bloodbath isn't evil. It's common sense.
Yup well, it is gonna get much more interesting in the next day or so. Looks like the world is going to be held hostage over this aid distribution.
Great news. We wouldn't want to be where we're not wanted. The aid flights should stop, the Navy should drop leaflets explaining to the starving hoards that their own government is to be held responsible for any further grief, and we should concentrate our efforts in other areas. Let the people that are suffering deal with the idiots in their own government, and let the world at large witness yet another wonderful aspect of the ROP.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.