Posted on 12/31/2004 9:10:50 AM PST by CHARLITE
Good Morning,
Am I Heartless?.......or What?
You know, the disaster in Asia is a terrible thing but I ask you, other than the number of dead, didn't we have several major disasters hit us in the very recent history? We had hurricanes go through our Southern States and wipe out a lot of structures? We lost Billions of dollars worth of just about everything, including crops. Oil rigs were shut down in the Gulf of Mexico, pushing the price of crude oil to Americans higher.
The reason we didn't suffer the great loss of life is because we have developed the technology along with the rest of our innovation that put in place a warning system to alert us of coming disasters and we react in a way that loss of life is help to a minimum.
The reasons behind many of these Asian countries having such a great loss of life is that even though the warnings were given, that a great event had occurred in the Pacific Ocean and that danger was imminent, some of these Asian Countries failed to warn their people for fear of loosing the tourist dollar. They had no system of their own in place to detect such a problem. They would rather build new beaches for tourists to visit. They would rather line their Monarchy’s pockets with green-backs than to build systems to protect them selves.
The U.N. gets on OUR national television networks and claims the U.S. is stingy when it came to acting upon this disaster by not sending more MONEY.... Note, they didn't say anything about supplies just MONEY. Bush is bashed for riding his dirt bike on his ranch and not jumping off and doing something right then and there but, Kofi Annan extends his skiing vacation in Colorado and nothing is said about and he say nothing about it for several days after the fact.
The U.S. pledged some $35 million for starters of OUR tax dollars to aid in the relief program, then France steps in and makes it sound like an auction to whom the spoils of the rebuilding contracts will be given. They brought in a new bid of $52 million and then boasted about it. Did someone forget to tell them that something like $80 million of private American money was also added to the pot bring our total (for starters) to roughly $115 million. The EU has made a pledge of something like $7 million and that includes, I think, 17 countries. Hell Australia did better than that by them selves as did Japan. Kofi Annan should take some of that money skimmed off the "Oil for Food" program and do all the rebuilding. What the hell good is the U.N. anyway?
Where is China in this mess? They have openly claimed they will be the largest world economy and military. Russia is right in there with them helping them to pull this off. Where are these people,s support? I'll tell you where, it's right there in their own countries taking care of their own local welfare. That's how the U.S. better start dealing with the rest of the world. The only time we are a good country is when we are handing out money to others who are too damn lazy or to greedy lining their own pockets with cash to set up the necessary systems to protect their citizens.
How many world dollars came to America after the 9/11 attacks? How many world dollars came to Amerce when the hurricanes hit our shores? Who came to our rescue to search the rubble for bodies? That takes care of the East Coast tragedies now let's look at the fires we've had recently. Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and California, hundreds of thousands of acres charred black, homes and lives lost, where was the outside support? The lumber that could have been harvested was turned into nothing but burnt match sticks; you can thank the environmentalists for that. NOPE, no outside money came in for that.
We were attacked by Japan and they turned Pearl Harbor into an underwater grave yard, did they help rebuild that after the war? NO!! But what did we do, we built Japan back better than they would ever have done. How about Europe, after the war we rebuilt them, now we are doing the same thing in Iraq and Afghanistan. We send billions of TAX dollars to Africa to fight AIDS but do they care enough for their own people to do anything? The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan if from West Africa, Kumasi, Ghana to be exact, how much money has he or the U.N. applied to the fight of AIDS on HIS own continent?
I feel it's high time that we tell the rest of the world to go to hell. If they are unwilling to protect and support themselves, well it's just too damn bad. Their people will have to take up those issues with their Governments. It's time to tell the U.N. and the E.U. we will not compete with them as we know we are better at everything we set our minds to do. It's funny, we are the youngest of the nations of the world and yet we are the strongest and most innovative, but that won't last much longer at the rate we are letting the rest of the world walk (STOMP) all over us. You can't tell me that only the brightest minds left their home lands to come to America
We have cars, planes, and electricity from thinkers and tinkerers, all Americans. These people weren't rocket scientists; we didn't have rockets back then. We invented the steam engine and the gas engine and then went on to invent computers.
I sent out what was supposed to be a joke, not long ago. I had to do with a class reunion or something like that where one of the young people was trying to mock the elder. The youngster chided, "We have computers, rockets, planes... etc, it went on, and the youngster asked what they did back in the old days, since they didn't have these devices. The elder replied, "Nope! We didn't have all of those things so WE invented them, what was his generation going to give to the Country?" Now I ask what are these other countries doing to improve themselves? Not a damn thing because they know that the good old U.S. of A. will come to their rescue if something happens. Maybe it's time we stop and make them stand on their own 2 feet. If Africa doesn't give a damn about their AIDS problem, why should we?
I'll step off my soap box for now and hope you have a great day!
Greg W.
of the United States of America
I agree in many ways, I don't blame those who died in this tragedy or even their governements. But I am sick of the US getting bashed every five seconds. Hell we have been begging for help in Iraq, and told mostly to go to hell. Iran had an horrible quake last year and killed tens of thousands and the US quickly sent aid and rescue teams and even offered to defrost relations with a special envoy mission. What did we get in return, "no thanks, we are going to keep on with DEATH to AMERICA, and sign up suicide bombers on the street. Not to mention fund the terrorist and people like Sadr in Iraq to keep blowing things up". You get a little tired of getting kicked in the nuts everytime you offer a hand
Bravo Zulu!
I also remember this report. I have been surprised that it has not been mentioned. Just couldn't remember where I saw it. Thanks!!!
We give, because we are rich and can afford to. No, Thais and Indians probably didn't send money or supplies for hurricane relief in Florida. But it wasn't NEEDED.
100,000. Can you fathom that number? The people in the islands who live in poverty, how are they going to shelter and feed themselves, let alone rebuild their nations? If they had America's money and technology, they still couldn't have been saved from the tsunami. The scope of this natural disaster is just amazing.
And it is our love and generosity that will help those in need. I'm proud of that. We stand at the forefront of aid and assistance. I'd hate to be known as "Number 2".
May I submit this as the winning post of the day?
Circumventing the inept and corrupt UN is not heartless at all. I admit to a heartlessness toward the UN & Annan.
The following is a news report:
Thu 30 Dec 2004
www.news.scotsman.com
5:45pm (UK)
Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition'
By Jamie Lyons, PA Political Correspondent
United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate relief following the Asian tsunami disaster. [bracketted comments are Purpleland's: Thank heavens for Bush's initiative!]
The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world’s response.
But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said that role should be left to the UN.
[The United Nations & Kofi Annan have NO credibility]
“I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,” she said.
[America is sovereign. The UN under mined itself.]
“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.
[Americans do not agree that the UN can do anything but grab the money, then have meetings, form study committees, solicit reports, play Nepotism, and wine & dine themselves.]
"This was genuinely an even of Biblical proportions, and no warnings given could have saved more than 10% of those who died given the event and the circumstances of geography."
The Indonesian island closest to the epicenter (20 miles away) had an evacuation plan. Only 6 people died out of 60,000. Source CNN.
You would hate to be Number 2? Ask France and China, and maybe Russia, who's number 1. The only time the U.S. is number 1 is when we open our checkbook!
All those who keep using the number 100,000 yes it is a horrible, mind-numbing, hard to grasp figure. Its also around a quarter of the number that Saddam killed in Iraq. Yet, many of the nations and groups who are bashing us now, had no problem with Saddam.
Here is a report on the earthquake on December 24th: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11775215%255E421,00.html
I agree with Greg!
Enough!
With a population of 260 million, the amount of private donations from American citizens will be staggering. It doesn't matter which country complains. We win, hands down.
Sorry, but you are wrong about this. You are right in saying that it is not a storm. Storms last longer and cover more area, you can't get away from a storm in just a few minutes. Experts have agreed that with 10 minutes warnimg, if people acted on it, most of the people could have gotten to high ground and been saved. Only a very small island is completely covered in water during a tidal wave, most of the areas the people could have gotten to safety. All areas could have had an hour warning or more, had they acted on the info they received. Boats do not sink in a tsunami unless they are close to shore, boats in deep water are not bothered, in deep water tsunamis are very small indeed and do not affect boats even submarines. These are facts that can be checked if you want to bother, in fact even small islands in deep water are not bothered, witness Diego Garcia as an example. Storms, such as hurricanes last much longer and are harder to flee as I stated earlier, but we still managed to get most of our people to safety in Florida this fall when they had 4 in a row. Technology would have saved lives on sunday, but more importantly, the leaders of these countries could have saved lives if they had heeded the warnings given to them.
Send No Money To Tsunami Nations
and
Yup, that sez it right there.
On one hand we (the USA) are the world's police to the extent that out military had denigrated to becoming a "Meals on Wheels" service under Clinton, but if its Republican president do any action then all of a sudden it has to pass the WORLD'S TEST under the auspices of Kofi Annan @ the UN.
If President Bush decides to unilaterally cut off all aid to the world for their ingratitude, I'd be one of the first to applaud him for that stance.
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