Arkansas Humor

Back about 1991 America and the world poised on the brink of being appalled when told that Saddam Hussein was using women and children as shields for his military weapons. Well, shame on him.

Since September 2001 we've learned about a whole lot of militant groups who live among the citizens, poke their heads out to blow something up and then go back into hiding in plain sight.

Now, it's Hezbollah setting up their Little Katies close to where Lebanese citizens live, firing a missle toward the south and running away.

Now, I wouldn't give you a good two cents for any of the aforementioned groups, but I ask the question: Are they doing anything different from what real live, bona fide governments do? The answer, of course, is probably in degrees such as when it's okay and when it's not.

For instance, on August 10, 1965 FIFTY construction workers were killed in Searcy, Arkansas when a fire broke out inside a Titan II missile silo. On September 20, 1980 residents of Damascus, Arkansas were awakened to a trememdous fireworks show when their Titan II missile exploded, blew the doors off the silo and threw the NINE megaton NUCLEAR WARHEAD over 1,000 feet through the air.

With a range of some 6,000 miles the Titan II nuclear missile was not there to protect the 300 or so folks in Damascus. Who was the United States most concerned about in 1965 and 1980? Russia, of course. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Evil Empire. After all, Moscow is only 5,541 miles from Little Rock as the crow flies.

I'm not saying; I'm just asking. Was the United States government hiding offensive weapons among its citizens? Was (Is) it wrong? Well, look at the alternative. Who's gonna set up a place and put all their missile eggs in one basket? Is there a difference between Israeli missiles being pointed at citizens of Damascus, Syria and Russian missiles pointed at residents of Damascus, Arkansas?

Word to the wise-or-not: don't move anywhere named Damascus. That might include going to school at Damascus College in Australia or getting a job a Damascus Steel in New Zealand or visiting Damascus, Pennsylvania or Damascus, Virginia.