The US military has landed in Taiwan for the first time in thirty years (officially), says Taiwan News:A U.S. military transport plane landed in Taiwan with typhoon relief aid yesterday afternoon in a first since Washington switched diplomatic relations to China 30 years ago.Taipei Air Station, a blog which features posts on the US military and its service here in the years prior to 1979 when US troops were stationed in Taiwan, crowed today about the arrival of our boys here, saying:
The C-130 transport plane arrived at a military airport in Tainan around 2:30 p.m., one week after Typhoon Morakot devastated the South. Two heavy CH-53E helicopters from the U.S. had also been expected, but the Ministry of National Defense said they would only arrive today as a ship was first supposed to bring them closer to the island after the necessary maintenance. Each helicopter can transport 16 tons of goods, reports said.
Yesterday's landing of the cargo flight from the Japanese island of Okinawa was the first such event since Washington switched its diplomatic recognition to Beijing under President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
I know the United States will provide all that is asked and more.I'll second that motion! Many thanks to my homeland for its generous assistance.
And when it is completed, do I have a motion from the readers of this blog, to ask the United States to park our aircraft and remain in Taiwan just in case help is needed for any contingency in the future?
So far Taiwan has refused Chinese military aid, but is accepting prefab homes from Beijing.
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7 comments:
Awesome. Forget how hard the Taiwanese army and rescue workers have worked days and nights tirelessly to evacuate and proivde aids to thousands of people already. The Taiwanese effort doesn't deserve one word of of praise from you. Then the GI Joes come at the tailend of the rescue and is going to take ALL the credit and praises.
滾回美國去吧.
台灣50年來最慘重的水災
國土之殤
撰文者：張毅君
商業周刊 第1134期 2009-08-17
不過四十八小時，台灣，從「旱」轉「澇」。
大自然的反撲，要我們更謙卑，重新學習。
誠如作家小野所言：「歷史從來不會被大雨沖走，未來總是在一場大雨之後。」你可能會不理解，老天爺為什麼總是要五毛給一塊？
四十八小時前，石門水庫一道道乾涸造成大地的裂痕，像是餵不飽的孩子，一張張開口渴望的嘴。
四十八小時後，全台灣泡在水裡，水流像是無數雙強勁的手，一一撕裂大地上任何一樣東西，滾滾泥水，斷橋、垮樓、崩路、活埋。
水是輕柔，下手卻重。 老天爺開了一場玩笑，我們二千三百萬人卻笑不出來。
這是一場共同承擔的劫難，我們誰都逃離不了。 三十年前，水產養殖是讓我們驕傲的，日本消費者盤中的鰻魚丼、石斑魚湯，來自養殖戶年年「進貢」，我們換到了鈔票，他們得到了美味。
在大量抽取地下水之後，我們的鈔票換來鬆散的土質、年年下降的地層。
盧山溫泉、知本溫泉，不也是另一種驕傲？為了更靠近山、更親近水，讓來自都市的人重拾兒時回憶、重新認識山水，我們在河岸築起了度假飯店，我們在山坡鬆軟的地質上，硬是多擠出一、二公尺的地來蓋民宿。
一場大水，我們二、三十年來跟大地爭來的，一次都還給它了。
一代代傳下來的老智慧：夫唯不爭，天下莫能與之爭。但對於人多地少、在台灣土生土長的人來說，怎麼能接受這樣的觀念？
當然要爭！我們把大地的資源當成最廉價的生財器具，濫墾、抽取地下水、填海爭地、砍樹填地，創造經濟奇蹟，讓每一個人的生活過得更好。因為小，我們更要大，要台灣第一，養魚、養蝦、養花、種檳榔、種水果，都要第一。
我們抱怨洪水來得太急，自問一下，我們不也急著把免費的大地資源廉價加工後販售出去？
我們都一直要求速度，那是台灣的本事，要的是讓子孫豐衣足食，我們不理會大地的呻吟。
百年台灣，耗盡了千年資源。
大地就像一個人，哪邊有傷口，哪邊就最脆弱。
這回，台灣的傷口太深了，水流一刀刀把台灣的土地切割，而這些傷口，這一塊土地的人都有責任。
土石流什麼時候才會停？學者的提醒：等山坡地都沖成平地，就會停了！
這是我們要的答案嗎？如果不是，如果希望子孫下一代，不再為了洪流的生離死別而哭泣，我們能不能靜下心來，聽聽大地的聲音。
大地「委屈」了二、三十年，非得要它用激烈的手段抗議，才能喚醒我們？我們只會一直問：我們要什麼。問一問大地要什麼？它要的是喘一口氣、留一點生生不息的空間；而不要趕盡殺絕，用到一滴不剩。
如果還有下一個三十年、下一個五十年，颱風還是年年報到，風雨還是如期光顧，我們準備用什麼樣的心情來面對？日夜恐懼、逃離家園？還是挺直腰桿，不畏不懼？
這是一個機會，讓我們認清台灣的脆弱。如果就此放慢腳步，想一想，我們要一個全新的台灣，它應該是長什麼樣子。
這次的水災，是一次總算帳，過去三十年犯的錯，不會一筆勾消；未來三十年台灣的新面貌，我們卻可以自己決定要什麼、不要什麼。
如果與大地相處是我們未來最重要的功課，就要更謙虛聆聽。
莫為死者悲哀，請為生者流淚，留下來的人如果不能參透大自然反撲背後的智慧，往者在天堂還是會望著一張張流淚的臉孔，等著下一場災難降臨。
The Taiwanese effort doesn't deserve one word of of praise from you.
You need help, seriously. Not only have I seen the aid effort, I have privately and publicly praised it. And provided links to stories as well as places to donate.
Really, see a doctor.
Hey Michael, you don't have to post comments like that (first anon). Gun is very provocative language. He just told you the English equivalent of "go the fuck back to America".
I mean we've seen enough, we know there are disgusting people like that out there, it's funny and disappointing at the same time. But enough is enough.
Yes, I agree, enough is enough.
As the proud father of Taiwanese children, Michael has a right and a responsibility to ensure they have the best home they can have. He has every right to stay in Taiwan and fight for Taiwan.
Anon should go the fuck back to China, or wherever he thinks he's from.
Note that those temporary homes from China were rejected by Pingtung county government after it was revealed that the same units were used in Sichuan after the earthquake there last year. Apparently a great number of women who were pregnant while living in those miscarried, and the homes were found to contain some poisons (what a surprise).
The still-packed units are laid out along highway 1 for anyone who wants them, because Pingtung for sure doesn't.
Sadly, Ma-tong had previously turned down some temporary housing from Japan, made from carbon materials, safe, environmentally-friendly and very cheap. Is Ma-tong so keen to please his masters in Beijing as to poison the Taiwanese people rather than accept gifts from Japan? Nice way to show thanks for all those Hakka and aboriginal votes.
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