[Recovering Ex-hippie]

How very weird. With Budhist, Hindus and Christians comprising the majority, I am suprised they refuse Israeli help. I bet they would send Mother Theresa home now too if she was alive. And I thought our PC holiday stuff about Santa was bizaare; this takes the cake.

I just found out how much I will be paying in Fed taxes this year and am fuming. That any of this goes to the UN is maddening! I wish we could check off a list of where outside the US we chose not to have our taxes go. THAT would be taxation with representation!

[NYFriend]

I suspect it wasn't the Israeli's, but rather the military which the Sri Lankan government objected to. Most people in Sri Lanka are, as people here have said, Buddhists, and overwhelmingly conservative Buddhists quite different from those in Japan or South Korea. I'm guessing they don't want their Muslim minority fighting with Israeli army troops.

[Chieftain]

That's compassion for you! Ideology blinds better than pitch black!

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Thomas Jefferson et al. remarked in a few places that to apply the taxes of a citizen to something they object to was reprehensible. We should definitely be able to target our taxes (not specifically, but generally, e.g., military 40%, education 10%, NEA GOOSE EGG, public radio GOOSE EGG...).