[Chainmail]

I respect the fact that you and your husband served our country. It is sad that neither of you learned the salient lesson of our military missions: to keep our country safe from aggression anywhere it can and will crop up against us. We don't have much connection to Taiwan as such - but it is in a vital part of the world and it is also an ally. If we don't demonstrate that our allies can count on us, we end up with zero allies. Not a great position for us and our children and our grandchildren.

I served too, including direct combat in Vietnam and I was severely wounded. I understand the price of wearing the uniform, maybe better than most.

[elenvee]

Thank you for your service. But our philosophy on the use of American military power is quite different. Mine comes from the Constitution, and nowhere does it say we should maintain a huge standing army ready to be the world’s 911 when vaguely defined “interests” are at stake.

The American military should be used in the interests of the American people, and the American people only. Once the semi-conductor business has been relocated, which is well underway, the American people will not have interests in Taiwan sufficient to send young American men and women to die there.

As for our allies. We have NEVER demonstrated that they can count on us—Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc. We race in, tear the place up, and then when the situation becomes politically untenable, we leave.

Not to mention, Taiwan is not our ally. We have military sales agreements, but no alliance with Taiwan whatsoever. We do not even have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, much less any kind of official alliance.