Explosives the size of toner cartridges that don't go boom don't comprise an existential threat to the country. Another day, another tortured and failed al Qaeda plot.
However, it gives us a moment to reflect on the actual social and humanitarian worth of UPS business traffic from Yemen. About zero. Really. Even before Friday one would have had a hard time making the case for accepting air-shipped packages from anywhere in the Arabian peninsula.
How many UPS fronts were there in the failed dump of a country?
According to its website, exactly four. And here they are:
Sun Tours and Travel
Authorized Service Contractor for UPS
Damascus Street - Hadda area
Sana'a
Republic of Yemen
Tel.: +967 1 416751
Tel.: +967 1 418659
Fax: +967 1 418264
Aden
Al-Maala Street
Aden
Republic of Yemen
Tel.: +967 2 220788
Fax: +967 2 247636
Hodeidah
Al-Meina Street
Hodeidah
Republic of Yemen
Tel.: +967 3 233203
Tel.: +967 3 233204
Fax: +967 3 233205
Taiz
Al-Kamb Street
Taiz
Republic of Yemen
Tel.: +967 4 226756
So cutting off air shipping from anywhere near abouts was not only easy but probably long overdue, everything considered.
Here is the UPS "Logistics" commercial. It's happy tune and opens with the exhortation, "Logistics makes the world work better!"
It takes on an entirely new meaning now.
Here are the lyrics to the "Logistics" tune, sung to "That's Amore," updated for current events:
When it's planes in the sky for a chain of supply, that's logistics
When the pots for the line come precisely on time, that's logistics
A continuous link that is always in sync, that's logistics
Carbon footprint reduced, bottom line gets a boost, that's logistics
Always new ways to plan so the s--- hits the fan, that's logistics
When technology doesn't know where everything goes, that's logistics
When bombs that are wee don't go poot-doot-doot-dee, that's logistics
There will be lots of stress 'cause they called UPS, that's lo-og-i-stics
Updated for the war on terror and al Qaeda air parcel bombs, "That's Logistics," in video on YouTube. (One minute length.)
This post was published in an earlier form at Dick Destiny blog, a humorously pointed and entertaining place.
