Medical Diplomacy
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How much good has the United States done in the world- just since the end of World War II? In all honesty, I think it is an absolutely staggering amount. No one could possibly estimate such a vast concept. The Marshall Plan... all our aid and charity and support in innumerable third world countries... liberating millions and millions... yes, "staggering" is the only word for it.
Tommy Thompson writes in the Boston Globe that we must do more of the same to truly beat the bad guys... and it is hard to argue his points. His main focus here is on medical aid- but all the points are relevant to other types of assistance, as well... e.g., building schools and water treatment plants, etc.
[[ That is the principle at the heart of what I call ''medical diplomacy" -- the winning of hearts and minds of people in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and elsewhere by exporting medical care, expertise, and personnel to help those who need it most.
With my own eyes, I have seen people respond favorably to America when we provided life-saving care, trained doctors, and restocked hospitals in war-torn Afghanistan, AIDS-ravaged Botswana, and storm-soaked Haiti. Our acts of compassion destroy the rhetoric of terrorists, while giving future generations hope for a healthy and free future.
Four remarkable years of overseas travel as secretary of health and human services taught me that you don't have to share a man's faith to help save his life. You don't have to speak a woman's language to cure her illnesses. You don't have to understand a town's culture to bring it fresh water. ]]
True. This is what Americans have been doing for a long, long time. It transcends political parties and agendas... it is who we are: the greatest country ever to exist, with the most caring, compassionate, and competent people in the world.
Mr. Thompson's best line in this piece is "By delivering hope we will deliver freedom."
That is America.
Curing Tyranny
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posted by kmg at 05:40
7 Comments:
True but the people on the streets in Iraq know the deal. I was there and I know that. The things we do for them go a long way.
Tsar makes a very good point... but I agree with anonymous person-- they do appreciate our kindness... and it does make a difference with the average Achmed on the street...
It's an old story- the governments of the world paint the U.S. as evil... but the people, by and large, know better.
I know, I know... there I go being an incurable optimist again...
Geez...
This is something I remember he tried to talk about a lot as Secretary, but couldn't get through the Washington clutter. This is a nice summation of what he and a few others pushed for during the last half of the first term.
Damn... he does get on a roll, doesn't he?
For Tsar, who seems full of pap:
1. "Ending tyranny in every corner of the globe" actually calls back to President Bush's second inaugural, when he said: "So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."
Therefore, I ask Tsar: Is President Bush a liberal?
2. - 4. You conveniently ignore the fact that Secretary Thompson ties medical diplomacy directly to President Bush's War on Terror, saying it is a complement to that effort, not a contradiction.
5. Governor Thompson, as the father of welfare reform in America, doesn't need lectures from anyone on AFDC - let alone lame comparisons to foreign spending from the sidelines.
6. He does not call for cutting military budgets. It is a call for wise military spending. Perhaps you disagree? Why not spend $5 trillion on weapons systems we'll never use?
7. Wow, someone who thinks the Marshall Plan - in aligning the Western World against the Communists - was a bad idea. Interesting. Do you oppose rebuilding hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well?
8. Um, OK.
9. It appears you oppose the President's $15 billion PEPFAR program and others that are attempting to stem the tide against AIDS, which were neglected for far too long under the previous administration. Thanks to Secretary Thompson and President Bush, the United States is spending - gasp! - money in far off places in an attempt to prevent the collapse of a continent. I suppose it would be easier to just ignore the threat caused by AIDS and type, type, type your life away...
I stand by saying that we Americans must continue to be who we are... and that is a caring and giving people. We have done what we do and then let it fall where it may... with some carefully crafted political stuff thrown in for good measure.
Charity is its own reward.
Having said that, we also need to be MUCH more aggressive in "suggesting" that these countries start appreciating our generosity. Much, much more.
Finally...
Re welfare reform, that is plain goofy. It is one thing to "preach" and quite another thing to do. Wisconsin was first and showed the nation - and Congress - how to get it done, based on waivers from Reagan, Bush I and Clinton. Either way, he still doesn't need a lecture on AFDC-like programs.
As for AIDS, there are millions of orphans who now have this disease through absolutely no fault of their own. It is the right thing to do, the compassionate thing to do, to use American might and power to assist them in any way we can - including providing life-saving drugs and developing a vaccine or a cure. To claim otherwise is, well, not worth considering.
Just because it's "not your problem" doesn't mean it isn't a problem worth addressing.
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