Unbelievable as it sounds President Barack Obama is giving Egypt, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, 20 F-16 fighters and 200 tanks as part of a billion-dollar aid package. Granted, the military may be a stabilizing force in Egypt, but it is incomprehensible to give such high-profile weaponry to a country torn by civil strife.

By giving both Israel and Egypt such sophisticated military hardware, America is pouring gas on a potential conflict that could spiral into a war costing millions of innocent lives.

We have given Egypt more than $70 billion propping up the corrupt dictator, Mubarak. We have spent untold billions buying dubious Middle Eastern and other countries’ friendship, all for naught, because most vote against us in the U.N., proving you cannot buy friendship. When will we realize that we cannot correct society’s defects, and that we cannot force feed democracy on other nations, though it would be great?

Charity begins at home, so let’s try fixing our own problems before solving the world’s problems.

Alfred Farris

Cherokee