Mind's Seat

Mr. President, please don’t invade Greenland

Community members in Greenland participating in a sports event

Mr. President, could you please stop threatening to invade Greenland?

You are needlessly terrifying Americans and people around the world. You risk ruining America’s relationship with Denmark, Greenland, and other NATO countries. One action could fracture those connections. It could break the trust that took many years to build.

America’s shared defense with Greenland and Denmark

The governments of Denmark and Greenland already have an agreement in place to share defense bases with the United States. This survey from YouGov states, “Nearly three-quarters of those polled, 73%, said they’re against using force to take over the island, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats opposed to the idea. Only 8% said they favour using the U.S. military to seize the island.” 1. “There are no current security threats to Greenland,” Senator Chris Coons a Democrat who represents Delaware, said. 2 He emphasized in a bipartisan statement from a delegation that had travelled to Greenland and Denmark that there is no current security threat from Russia or China.

Please also stop your rhetoric about invading Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba.

You are scaring millions of Americans and people around the world. You accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of being the cause if World War 3 starts because of what you referred to as his refusal to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Couldn’t you be accused of potentially starting a transatlantic or global third world war?

Give serious thought before using power.

“Real strength is choosing restraint when force is easy.” 3

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” – Plato

There is a time for military involvement when diplomacy and sanctions have failed to stop a country from its attacks on another one. It must always be the last alternative. The personal cost is a high one that could injure or kill your sons and daughters. They, like many veterans, could end up in a wheelchair or suffer another lifetime disability. Many will develop PTSD. Some have already committed suicide. Mr. President, please consider those facts before you attack Greenland or any other country. Do you want your legacy to be that you were responsible for these things?

I leave you all with this song,War, to reflect upon.

Notes:

Dr. Kevin Osborne is a chaplain, therapist, writer, poet, and singer. He helps people in their inner healing journey. Dr. Osborne and Karen Osborne live in Timmins, northern Ontario, Canada. Karen has a B.A. in Clinical Christian Counseling from St. James the Elder University. She is a counselor, writer, and editor. Kevin and Karen enjoy reading passages from books to one another over coffee and a sweet treat and discussing what they are reading.

Posted in Rethinking, thoughts