Ebola and other Epidemics, Inadequate Healthcare Threatens Millions

[CountDeMoney]

Somebody's got to be there to shoot all the Liberians fleeing to the Ivory Coast.

That's the real issue, IMO. If they end up enforcing a quarantine, they could end up shooting at unarmed, desperate people just trying to survive. Maybe that needs to be done, I don't know, but it's a far greater concern than that our troops might be going into harms way to help people.

That should be fine by derspiess then.

Helping black pipples = bad
Shooting black pipples =

[The Brain]

Somebody's got to be there to shoot all the Liberians fleeing to the Ivory Coast.

That's the real issue, IMO. If they end up enforcing a quarantine, they could end up shooting at unarmed, desperate people just trying to survive. Maybe that needs to be done, I don't know, but it's a far greater concern than that our troops might be going into harms way to help people.

If there are other organizations that are better than the military at large scale killing then why are we paying the military?

[derspiess]

Their purpose is what their Commander-in-Chief says it is.

Nope, he's right.  Their purpose is to follow orders.  If the President wants them to dress up like clowns then by God they will all wear stupid berets.

That's their duty, not necessarily their purpose.

[Jacob]

That should not be their purpose.

Why not?

Just my opinion.  The military's purpose should be to kill people and break things, not meals-on-wheels or wading into a sea of ebola.

No disaster relief, no infrastructure construction, no winning hearts and minds, just a pure focus on destruction?

Seems a bit limiting.

[grumbler]

No disaster relief, no infrastructure construction, no winning hearts and minds, just a pure focus on destruction?

Seems a bit limiting.

To be fair to Spicey, there are lots of non-military organizations that engage in disaster relief, infrastructure construction, and winning hearts and minds, but there aren't any that have the mandate to kill people and break things.  It is okay to be limited to a specialty; that's more or less how modern society works.

[Ed Anger]

I'd round up Aspies and Anime fans and throw them at the problem.

[grumbler]

I'd round up Aspies and Anime fans and throw add them at to the problem.

FTFY  Excellent idea!

Suggestion: Have the hipsters rounded up and in the camps ready to replace losses.

[Ed Anger]

I'd round up Aspies and Anime fans and throw add them at to the problem.

FTFY  Excellent idea!

Suggestion: Have the hipsters rounded up and in the camps ready to replace losses.

[Jacob]

No disaster relief, no infrastructure construction, no winning hearts and minds, just a pure focus on destruction?

Seems a bit limiting.

To be fair to Spicey, there are lots of non-military organizations that engage in disaster relief, infrastructure construction, and winning hearts and minds, but there aren't any that have the mandate to kill people and break things.  It is okay to be limited to a specialty; that's more or less how modern society works.

Yeah, but my understanding is that the military gets more funding than all those other organizations put together, in part so it can deal with anything and everything.

I mean, if you want to keep the military purely a fighting organization (as opposed to primarily a fighting organization), you definitely have more say on the matter than I do. Personally, however, I'm under the impression that the US military has a pretty solid history of humanitarian efforts and disaster relief, and that that history has worked in favour of American interests (whether from straight up positive PR, or from keeping situations from escalating into situations less favourable for the US).

[CountDeMoney]

The USPHS needs the military to get them where they need to go.

[Tonitrus]

Indeed.  The thinking is probably that the military is our best equipped organization for moving and setting up logistics and infrastructure in a place where infrastructure sucks, or is non-existant.  Like after the Haiti earthquake.

[grumbler]

Yeah, but my understanding is that the military gets more funding than all those other organizations put together, in part so it can deal with anything and everything.

I mean, if you want to keep the military purely a fighting organization (as opposed to primarily a fighting organization), you definitely have more say on the matter than I do. Personally, however, I'm under the impression that the US military has a pretty solid history of humanitarian efforts and disaster relief, and that that history has worked in favour of American interests (whether from straight up positive PR, or from keeping situations from escalating into situations less favourable for the US).

I am not disagreeing with you, but simply noting that the mission of the military is kill/break, and that Spicey is supportable in his assertion that these other capabilities exist to support the mission.  Personally, i don't have a problem using these other capabilities as long as the use doesn't detract from the mission (indeed, I would argue that using these capabilities enhances the mission, because it gives personnel valuable experience and allows them to evaluate the performance of their equipment and procedures in real-world circumstances).

[jimmy olsen]

I have a hard time seeing how this will work out well, but all we can do is hope at this point.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140918/sierra-leone-readies-controversial-ebola-lockdown

[Jacob]

I am not disagreeing with you, but simply noting that the mission of the military is kill/break, and that Spicey is supportable in his assertion that these other capabilities exist to support the mission.  Personally, i don't have a problem using these other capabilities as long as the use doesn't detract from the mission (indeed, I would argue that using these capabilities enhances the mission, because it gives personnel valuable experience and allows them to evaluate the performance of their equipment and procedures in real-world circumstances).

Fair enough.

[jimmy olsen]

8 health workers and jorunalists were beaten to death in Guinea by angry villagers.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/18/ebola-health-workers-missing-guinea