Odious tsunami politics (U.N. inserts sizable foot in mouth)

Washington Times ^ | Friday, December 31, 2004 | House Editorial

[JohnHuang2]

"What they're actually doing is using dead people to make cheap points." That's how the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan described some partisans' use of this week's deadly Indian Ocean tsunami to promote various and sundry political agendas. We think it about describes the exploitation of the tragedy by the United Nations' Jan Egeland with his "stingy" remark and the New York Times' criticism of the United States. It being Christmastime, most world leaders were on vacation when the tsunami hit. Kofi Annan was just arriving back in New York late Wednesday. By Thursday morning he still hadn't met with U.N. humanitarian relief point man Jan Egeland —the man in charge of tsunami relief. President Bush was in Crawford, Texas, until yesterday. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was vacationing in Egypt. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was away, too. That's to be expected. World leaders should be judged by the job they do — not by how fast they can turn to a camera.

[TFine80]

At the press conference today, they were still indirectly criticizing the US.

[jazzlite]

They are self-absorbed secularists who love treachery. It would appear that the joy in life to them is to politically exploit human suffering. One hates to admit it, but it sure looks like good vs. evil.

[TFine80]

And on top of that, Egeland is basically a self-promoter.

Today he had a little tirade about how HE was the head of the UN relief agency.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

FU to the UN.

[Nuzcruizer]

I just hope that every cent of donated money is carefully watched if it goes through the UN money laundering organization. The USA,Australia,India already has things organized and moving, What do we need the UN for? They have never sucessfully oganized a relief effort yet. Ask any starving Sudanise refugee who is still waiting for help.

[sevry]

They're ginning it up. I wonder if the numbers are even what they say. That ABC show - Tsunami - that aired yesterday, showed a wall of water flooding a dyke, taking some people on bicycles on the walkway with it. It was about 20 minutes into the broadcast. Problem - that was a wave on a river in Red China! And it happened four years ago. They're exaggerating, just like with the Peterson trial. There were reporters saying - now people's lives can get back to normal, when the death sentence was delivered. But the fact is, for those living in the area, you could go month after month without crossing paths with the Peterson trial, in any way. All the broadcast trucks were confined to a single street. The tents were confined to an isolated plaza right in the county center. In fact, the only day you were put in mind that it was a local trial was that final day of the death sentence verdict. People heard three news choppers hovering close together about a half mile to the south of the court house. Everywhere you went people were looking up and wondering - what the heck is going on? Peterson verdict? Who's Peterson? Most people didn't even know about the Peterson trial, until word of mouth that day, which is where the late afternoon crowds came from that everyone saw on tv. It was those three choppers.

I wonder if it's not similar in the flood zone, that along the beaches it's a calamity, but that most everywhere else was relatively unaffected, but more by the earthquake than any rush of water? that is, until all the international groups hit the ground and start jockeying for power.

And that's what bothers me. There's this 'mama-guilt' complex that the US is supposed to suffer when some goofball gets on PBS and blames the US for not sending money. To who? To this dude's leftist friends at Red Crescent, at UNICEF, at the Int. Red Cross - and never, the Int. branch of the Salvation Army, or others with actual proven track records.

So they gin up the disaster. They don't beg. They shamelessly DEMAND funding, as they call it. And they're going to pocket most of it, and dole a bit out in country. This is how these people make money. There is no audit, no concern about where the millions are going. No one cares six months after the fact how the money was spent, and specifically on what. They're home free. It's just one big international grift, ghoulishly feeding off the thousands who died in this horrible disaster!

If I were President - I wouldn't give 'em a single US penny. Seriously. I'd made the point. I'd put the effort into the military relief and supply and INSIST that the US military coordinate and command ALL rebuilding and supply efforts. I'd count on volunteers, worldwide, to make themselves available to US military command for search and rescue, for treatment in the field, for getting supplies where they need to be, for helping restore what infrastructure was damaged, and so on. I would put my foot down on US donations to UNICEF, Int. Red Cross, or Red Crescent.

There's been tens of millions raised privately, already. If the American people want to do that, let them fund these agencies. But let the American government act responsibly, and get real help to those who really need it quickly, without delay, and regardless of any local obstacle - and I do mean mines, warring factions, snipers, etc. It's the only way. In fact, I hope they do that. The people of the area, Muslims, dead set against the US, would still respect the US effort if it were done in that way. And that means a full-out military command and operation, run exclusively by the US. We'll see.

[Lurker]

It's way past time to 'invite' the UN to move to a more generous nation like Norway.

Hell, I'll help them pack.

L

[squidly]

It would be well worth the expense in U.S. taxpayer dough were we to chip in to help them move.

Norway is too nice though. I'm thinking more like Ecuador.

[eclectic]

Sumatra

[stopem]

"Why, then, would Sri Lanka refuse a plane load of aid along with medical and security personnel from Israel, among the first to offer assistance?"

And than you read something like this on another thread. Can't find the thread again tho.

[GladesGuru]

There may well be a God - and it may be that he has a sense of humor, too. One of the destroyed, make that "flushed", cities was a major religious center to the Muslims.

Those who rant about the "Great Satan" arguably have no right to ask for the help of that "Great Satan". We should stop all aid from the "Great Satan" for the good of their Muslim souls.

We should do it because we believe in multicultrual diversity and the sacred right for all to worship as they please.

There is a clear moral duty here - we must not force any Muslim to live because of aid from the "Great Satan", lest Allah deny them their 72 virgins.
/end irony & sarcasm

[FreedomPoster]

I still haven't seen a better UN relocation suggestion than Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

As soon as they get that lovely locale squared away, we can talk about them working in other parts of the globe.

[hawkaw]

FU to the UN.

Having watched this incident unfold including how they tried to nail Bush43, having watched the oil for food scandal unfold and having attempted (but was blocked since there is no Freedom of Information Act at the UN)to get a file on a dangerous NGO who associated with the UN from the UN's Dept of Public Information, I now completely agree with your assessment.

[TexanToTheCore]

"I still haven't seen a better UN relocation suggestion than Port-au-Prince, Haiti."

Not even close. My choices are:


1. Novaya Zemla (norhtern tip)
2. Svalbard (Spitzbergen)
3. Little America, Antarctica

There, I feel better now.

[fastattacksailor]

Egeland is sore because the US has formed coalition to see that the money oges to the people that need it....not into the UN's pocket.


The UN must feel ronery

[FreedomPoster]

Pffft. Elements only. To have real danger, you need the human element.

[Grendelgrey]

...wonder if behind the scenes the U.N. is getting its' Grape Nuts squeezed. By not playing along, and setting up a second(better) relief effort could Bush be "nudging" the U.N.to stop the foot dragging regarding the Oil/Food/Money scandal? Too many partisan leaks and insults against Bush during the recent election have U.N. fingerprints on them. Kofi and the Kids have overtly blocked investigation of the scandal. I'm sure Bush worked the phones with dependable world leaders and allies behind the scenes,leaving the U.N. to twist in the wind. Now if the U.N. wants money and Logistics aid they may have to comply with the investigation, or be seconded by a superior, more effective U.S. led coalition relief effort.
Wheels within Wheels.....

[TexanToTheCore]

Trust me on this, fifty below zero is quite dangerous enough. Add to that the occasional nuclear test on NZ and you have a wonderfully fitting spot for the UN.