Sunday, April 10, 2011

Security - Can you have it

I went to a day long presentation about Global Security at Royal Roads University last week.  Royal Roads property used to belong to the military and still has strong ties to that community. Its a wonderful setting of sea and timber with a historic building.  Anyways the theme of the day was security - namely how we secure global commons, resources that we all make use of and gain from.  Examples of this would be cyberspace, space, maritime shipping lanes and the skies.  How do nations and groups of nations like NATO, secure these spaces for trade and use yet protect them from abuses such as terrorism, trafficking and other nasty stuff?  Often times its through the profession of arms, like its army's and navy's.  Oh and air force too. 
Contrast that with the other world that I have a foot in, the church one, which promotes peace (as in no bearing arms) and using peaceful measures to bring about change and end conflict, I see such a huge gap.  Some of the issues talked about today, even superficially, if I were to talk about them in the civilian church setting I think it would be a shocker.   I think the average citizen expects that the goods that they buy from what ever country they were manufactured in, will be accessible to them regularly.  Who gives thought to the affect of piracy on whether or not they will be able to get their favorite thing from WalMart?  We just expect the product will be there not consider how much an economy could be damaged if anything prevents that transaction from happening.
One presenter mentioned something I often say to my husband when we see these buy local commercials.  Essentially lower and middle class families buy their goods from the store and these goods are produced from around the world.  At one point not too long ago, something that was from a foreign country was a luxury good not the normal everyday thing.  I can remember my Grandma talking about oranges coming from Japan or Florida as being such a treat in the cold December prairie.  I can't help but wonder if this shift as complex as it is, could be leading not only nations but individuals into a false sense of security that is tested when have events like tsunami or criminal activities that show how vulnerable these resources really are.  Maybe in the long run security is a very fleeting concept and one can never be truly secure despite how hard we try?
top prior to adding borders

with border added - looks way too busy for me
Now on to a less weighty topic, here is my quilt top I started in January based on the block pattern I saw on Do Good Stitches.  Not sure if the borders will remain, I kind of like it better without or with just a simple 2" white band.  We'll see over the next few days if I change it or not before I take it to the long arm quilter. 

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