A viable alternative

Just a thought as I look at Japan, the US, and my own country Singapore.

The opposition always has something to say about the ruling party. But whatever the flaws of the ruling party, it is still in power. Why?

I guess this has to do with the opposition, actually. Not the voters being fooled by the ruling party or anything. While there may be some irrational voters, at the end of the day, most voters are rational and will vote for whichever party they see as providing best to their needs. And when everything looks bad, they will pick the lesser of two evils.

So if the opposition really wants to come into power, it needs to provide a viable alternative, one that can work. They must be able to provide a solution that is better than what the ruling party is or aims to provide. Otherwise, why bother to have a token opposition representation in parliament? That token opposition will not be big enough to do anything. In a crude way of putting things, it is like masturbation. You feel good, but it is not the real thing.

Any political party that wants to come into power needs to provide a working solution that is better than all other options out there. Simple. Else no one will vote for you, since it is not going to really matter. Voicing disagreement without the power to do anything is meaningless.

Back to Afghanistan

The U.S. is going back to Afghanistan. Instead of leaving.

In the words of someone, this is "so sad."

History has shown that if you let the generals fight a war, you are going to end up in trouble. Because war is not just about military action, but is a national effort that combines military might with economic, political, diplomatic, and even cultural efforts. It is a comprehensive package, and it cannot be just about "killing terrorists."

Killing terrorists alone will not end terrorism. It will only breed more terrorists to take their places. A proper strategy to eliminate the reason for their fight needs to be adopted in order to settle this issue for the long term. Yes, killing terrorists will rid them for the time being. But that is only until the next batch of them can be trained. Then you have the whole cycle again. And again. And again.

But if you can rid the reason for their fight, you stop the recruitment flow. That breaks the cycle.

By all means, listen to the generals. But also find people who can help you think up of a comprehensive strategy that will take care of the issue in the long term, rather than win the current fight. Don't win the battle but lose the war. That's what happened in Vietnam.

Another collision?!?!

10 US Navy sailors missing after destroyer collides with merchant ship

Not again?!

This is unbelievable. Four accidents in 2017, and we still have more than three months to go before the end of 2017.

One incident may be poor luck, two may be bad judgment, but when you have four, then it is more likely a systemic issue that needs to be thoroughly studied to know what is the root cause (or causes). And then a proper system put in place to right it.

As an ex-naval officer with experience in navigating congested waters and working in safety- and training-related posts, reading such news is painful to me. Such accidents don't have to happen. Things can be done to properly train people so that they don't even get into anything near such circumstances. The key is not to train people to respond to such situations. It is to train them so they don't even get into such situations.

I hope the US Navy gets its act together soon, before more have to die or get injured. Let me know if you need help. Being based in Yokohama now, I can easily get down to Yokosuka and talk with the people at 7th Fleet.

Happy 52nd Birthday, Singapore!

Happy Birthday, Singapore!

52 years of independence. And many more to come!

Plus, this year marks the 50th year of National Service! NS50!

72 years since Hiroshima

72 years have gone by.

72 years since human history changed forever. 72 years since the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

I hope we continue to remember this day. And may it never happen again.

Conning America

Someone really should write a book on Trump and how he is conning America.

Conning, in both senses of the word "con."

To con a ship means to be at the helm and to steer it. Which is befitting Trump since as the president, he is the man in charge of steering America.

There is another meaning for "con" for which Trump appears to be doing, with his campaign promises and what he has delivered to date.

So "Conning America" is going to make a great title for a book about Trump's presidency. You can even add in "The truth about the Trump presidency" as a sub title for the book.

All we need now is someone to pick up on this, do the research, write the book, and get it published.

Maybe Stephen Colbert or Trevor Noah?

#ConningAmerica #StephenColbert #TrevorNoah