The U.S. Is Still Afraid of Burma

Yangon (in Myanmar) is 8,610.8 miles from Washington. Myanmar (Burma) has no air force to speak of. Its pilots have never fought a war. The U.S. first expressed its fear and trembling concerning Burma on May 20, 1997 when President Clinton made Executive Order 13047:

“I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, hereby determine and certify that, for purposes of section 570(b) of the Act, the Government of Burma has committed large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in Burma after September 30, 1996, and further determine that the actions and policies of the Government of Burma constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.”

Obama has just renewed this order, as have his predecessors. The American people somehow speak, even though 99.999 percent of Americans could not locate Myanmar on a map (I’m being generous). Obama somehow hears. Obama declares an emergency. Isn’t “democracy” wonderful?

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2:40 pm on May 18, 2012