On Haitian Triumph

By
Edgar S. Penn

On January 12, 2010, the tiny and impoverished nation of Haiti was hit with another in a series of disasters. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake, centered several miles outside of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was strong enough to topple buildings, destroy homes, cripple communication lines, disrupt food aid, and kill upwards of 200,000 people. While the devastation is bad enough on its own account, it is particularly devastating as it has hit a nation which has had more than its fair share of hard knocks throughout the past several centuries. As Haiti attempts to rebuild, as aid is shipped in and humanitarian organizations step up their efforts, as the US and other nations pledge support, and as people all over the world cope with loss, it is high time that we come to understand the Haitian situation in light of its history.

Afghanistan: Maybe Charlie Was Wrong

By
Edgar S. Penn

We all saw the movie "Charlie Wilson's War." Playboy congressman Charlie Wilson (D-Texas) sitting in the hot-tub ignoring the women “of disrepute” to watch Dan Rather interview the Mujahideen. It was a life changing moment. Congressman Wilson jumps into action to save the Afghani people from the Soviets; those damn Soviets who had better technology and were mowing down Afghani's left and right from their helicopters. In fact, the Soviets did have better technology and they were fighting a bloody and drawn out war in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen was fighting a foreign army and did need US military aid if they were to have a hope of victory. But should we have given them that hope?