For another perspective, the amount allocated for Bush's glitzy inauguration extravaganza in January tops $40 million, while $35 million has been approved for relief efforts for the tsunami victims. Or to put it another way: that $35 million would fund the nearly two year old Iraq war for just 6 hours.
Reminds me of Saddam and his palaces....
Or to put it another way, perhaps a more honest way, the $35million was all USAID had currently available in it's Emergency relief fund. More is to follow, but needs approvl. I would have been nice if it was immediate and automatic, but it's called bureaucracy.
Yes this is a tradgedy and its no ones fault, and certainly turning your nose up at anyones donations will do nothing but anger people (myself included). If everyone would quit spitting over the fence and start taking an invantory of what needs to be done and how much its actually going to cost perhaps that number would be achieved more quickly. Until that time stick your money in an envelope and mail it to the foundation you feel most comfortable with and shut the fuck up about what your neighbor is putting in the pot. They are finding dead bodies by the tens of thousands and all some people want to do is speculate who's responsibility it is to pay for all this.
Médecins Sans Frontières International Tsunami Emergency Appeal ...thinking that medical attention was most urgent. But now I'll donate to who I think will best help with water food and shelter.
Even though I am unemployed (and benefits ran out long ago) and without medical insurance, I'll make do.
It's easy. We have so much here. I realize this having been there. We are living in an embarrassment of riches. We can do it and without making generosity a bragging right for any group be they Liberals, right wing Christians etc.
And since when were'masive(sp) private donations' anything to do with the US Government's response....unless our government has been taken over and run by private parties, in place of the US people. Perhaps you' may have inadvertently said something accurate?
I realize you are ignorant and stupid but it doesn't have to be that way. You can put your anti-american hatred aside long enough to use what intelligence remains in you. Socialist European governments consider themselves to be the alpha and the omega. They tax high and spend high. Every effort comes from the government. Ever effort is limited by the government. Free and open economies like the US tax lower and as such people have more money to spend privately. So when the anti-american bias of the UN comes out in a statement calling US "stingy" it only account for the government CASH spending and not the entire aid from both the government and the private organizations.
When you do a full account of all aid coming from the US then you and the UN will be in a position to pass judgment. But to do that you'll have to put your hate on a shelf and use your intelligence if you have any.
As for the tragedy itself, sometimes, I just don't understand the point of living if we are gonna be witnesses of such horrid end of life. Its something I can't find an answer for. My heart reaches to them too.
And it seems, Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft (and I am sure more) do not give a care about this disaster.
It is truly sad what happened, by no means can nature be measured in it's beauty and its destruction. Rather ironic isn't it?
It's a pity Nature is so unbiased and non-partisan really, treating all with the same unfeeling, random impartiality be they Jew, Muslim, Christian, black, white, rich, poor, European, Asian, American, man, woman or child.
Because a bit if selective culling really wouldn't go astray.
Some things I've been wondering about.
Animals. I'm sure this story may not apply in populated areas where I'd expect there would be corpses of dogs, cats, rats and christ knows what else mixed in with the human remains. But it seems the wild things in Sri Lanka made a run for it well ahead of time. Amazing.
In addition to wobbling the planet, a NASA scientist has suggested the quake may have sped up the Earth's rotation. In the open ocean, the waves travelled at around 500 km/hour. That is insane. Anybody who isn't humbled by the forces involved in this event, really hasn't spent enough time thinking it through. There's some new film footage showing the back wash from one of the waves. If you've ever been knocked off your feet by the back wash in the surf or caught in a rip, being caught by this thing doesn't bear thinking about.
[snipped scott's personal attack] Socialist European governments consider themselves to be the alpha and the omega. They tax high and spend high. Every effort comes from the government. Ever effort is limited by the government. Free and open economies like the US tax lower and as such people have more money to spend privately. So when the anti-american bias of the UN comes out in a statement calling US "stingy" it only account for the government CASH spending and not the entire aid from both the government and the private organizations.
When you do a full account of all aid coming from the US then you and the UN will be in a position to pass judgment. [snipped scott's personal attack]
Two points:
I highly doubt Americans a) have more discretionary spending and b) will privately donate much more (if any more) than Europeans.
I'd be willing to put a bet on it if there was a reliable method to verify your anti-american doubts.
I just wondered what the 'Scott' spin would be on the US forming a new coallition for aid relief outside the UN body, thus potentially making the job twice as hard to co-ordinate, plan and operate, and possibly cause the deaths of more people than necessary.
I don´t think there is any point in keeping this thread.
I hope that 1) enough will be donated to meet the needs and 2) some kind of infrastructure will be constructed to make the horrible consequences of similar events less devastating. But I have no clue how to make it general enough to halt the consequences of the less likely and never-thought-of natural disaster. Next time it won´t come in the form of a tsunami.
Comments
Originally posted by sammi jo
For another perspective, the amount allocated for Bush's glitzy inauguration extravaganza in January tops $40 million, while $35 million has been approved for relief efforts for the tsunami victims. Or to put it another way: that $35 million would fund the nearly two year old Iraq war for just 6 hours.
Reminds me of Saddam and his palaces....
Or to put it another way, perhaps a more honest way, the $35million was all USAID had currently available in it's Emergency relief fund. More is to follow, but needs approvl. I would have been nice if it was immediate and automatic, but it's called bureaucracy.
what about you?
Originally posted by sapi
I just donated ?50,-
what about you?
I've donated to:
Médecins Sans Frontières International Tsunami Emergency Appeal ...thinking that medical attention was most urgent. But now I'll donate to who I think will best help with water food and shelter.
Even though I am unemployed (and benefits ran out long ago) and without medical insurance, I'll make do.
It's easy. We have so much here. I realize this having been there. We are living in an embarrassment of riches. We can do it and without making generosity a bragging right for any group be they Liberals, right wing Christians etc.
Originally posted by sammi jo
My accounting huh? Take it up with Associated Press, from where the fugures were culled in this CNN article.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/....ap/index.html
And since when were'masive(sp) private donations' anything to do with the US Government's response....unless our government has been taken over and run by private parties, in place of the US people. Perhaps you' may have inadvertently said something accurate?
I realize you are ignorant and stupid but it doesn't have to be that way. You can put your anti-american hatred aside long enough to use what intelligence remains in you. Socialist European governments consider themselves to be the alpha and the omega. They tax high and spend high. Every effort comes from the government. Ever effort is limited by the government. Free and open economies like the US tax lower and as such people have more money to spend privately. So when the anti-american bias of the UN comes out in a statement calling US "stingy" it only account for the government CASH spending and not the entire aid from both the government and the private organizations.
When you do a full account of all aid coming from the US then you and the UN will be in a position to pass judgment. But to do that you'll have to put your hate on a shelf and use your intelligence if you have any.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
Have you guys seen the Apple website?
It says on the front page:
"Our heart reach out to those hurt by the Indian Ocean tsunamis".
http://www.apple.com/
I thought it was rather humane on their part.
As for the tragedy itself, sometimes, I just don't understand the point of living if we are gonna be witnesses of such horrid end of life. Its something I can't find an answer for. My heart reaches to them too.
And it seems, Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft (and I am sure more) do not give a care about this disaster.
It is truly sad what happened, by no means can nature be measured in it's beauty and its destruction. Rather ironic isn't it?
Because a bit if selective culling really wouldn't go astray.
Some things I've been wondering about.
Animals. I'm sure this story may not apply in populated areas where I'd expect there would be corpses of dogs, cats, rats and christ knows what else mixed in with the human remains. But it seems the wild things in Sri Lanka made a run for it well ahead of time. Amazing.
Myanmar (Burma). Hmmm.
Charity begins at home. Where does it end up?
In addition to wobbling the planet, a NASA scientist has suggested the quake may have sped up the Earth's rotation. In the open ocean, the waves travelled at around 500 km/hour. That is insane. Anybody who isn't humbled by the forces involved in this event, really hasn't spent enough time thinking it through. There's some new film footage showing the back wash from one of the waves. If you've ever been knocked off your feet by the back wash in the surf or caught in a rip, being caught by this thing doesn't bear thinking about.
the Death toll is up to 126.000, but is still increasing rapidly.
Originally posted by Scott
[snipped scott's personal attack] Socialist European governments consider themselves to be the alpha and the omega. They tax high and spend high. Every effort comes from the government. Ever effort is limited by the government. Free and open economies like the US tax lower and as such people have more money to spend privately. So when the anti-american bias of the UN comes out in a statement calling US "stingy" it only account for the government CASH spending and not the entire aid from both the government and the private organizations.
When you do a full account of all aid coming from the US then you and the UN will be in a position to pass judgment. [snipped scott's personal attack]
Two points:
I highly doubt Americans a) have more discretionary spending and b) will privately donate much more (if any more) than Europeans.
Originally posted by ShawnJ
Two points:
I highly doubt Americans a) have more discretionary spending and b) will privately donate much more (if any more) than Europeans.
I'd be willing to put a bet on it if there was a reliable method to verify your anti-american doubts.
Originally posted by Scott
I'd be willing to put a bet on it if there was a reliable method to verify your anti-american doubts.
I just wondered what the 'Scott' spin would be on the US forming a new coallition for aid relief outside the UN body, thus potentially making the job twice as hard to co-ordinate, plan and operate, and possibly cause the deaths of more people than necessary.
I hope that 1) enough will be donated to meet the needs and 2) some kind of infrastructure will be constructed to make the horrible consequences of similar events less devastating. But I have no clue how to make it general enough to halt the consequences of the less likely and never-thought-of natural disaster. Next time it won´t come in the form of a tsunami.