Mark Steyn: Tsunami? Blame America -

Jerusalem Post ^ | January 6, 2005 | Mark Steyn

[UnklGene]

Pokey78

[UnklGene]

ping!

[captain_dave]

... "I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN," [Clare Short] told the BBC. "Only really the UN can do that job."...

I agree. Only the U.N. can undermine the U.N.; and they have done so most effectively. The U.N. was created in the darkest moments of World War 2. That time is no longer the world we live in.

[Strategerist]

Most "events" - even acts of God - come, to one degree or another, politically predetermined: Almost exactly a year before the tsunamis, there were two earthquakes - one measuring 6.5 in California, one of 6.3 in Iran. The Californian quake killed two people and did little physical damage. The Iranian one killed 40,000 and reduced an entire city to rubble - not just the glories of ancient Persia, but all the schools and hospitals from the Seventies and Eighties.

USGS lists the Bam quake at 6.6 and the California one at 6.5; I've been seeing 6.3 for the Bam quake more and more, not sure what the origin of that is.

The primary reason the Bam quake did so much damage was it was DIRECTLY under a medium-sized city, and the California one wasn't. I've noticed a bit of a gloatfest from people under the illusion that it's entirely American construction techniques that was the difference in deaths and damage.

Have a Bam-sized quake DIRECTLY under a city like Salt Lake City or some Midwestern city with limited seismic upgrades and you're going to have 5,000+ killed; you won't reach 40,000 killed, but it will be very, very bad.

[TAdams8591]

"So American personnel in American planes and American ships will deliver American food and American medicine and implement an American relief plan, but it's still a "UN-led effort."

America to the rescue, AS USUAL. Also AS USUAL, the UN is WORTHLESS!!!!

[xjcsa]

Also here.

[Tench_Coxe]

Steyn was being nice in this article.

[iso]

Those idiots blame America forever .

[xzins]

Steyn is exceptional, as usual.

[Nuzcruizer]

Where does she get off claiming the UN has MORAL AUTHORITY?? The oil for palaces scam has shown just how "moral" the UN is, the subsequent attempts to cover up
this scam show just who's "authority" was used to implement it in the first place.

Many other Useless Nations "relief" efforts have shown the world that buildings full of UNocrats, un compounds, SUV's and Land Rovers for UNocrats to drive do not do any good in the countries of the people they are supposed to be helping. Paying huge amounts of money just so UNocrats can sit in luxury and watch millions die from genocide, starvation and dictators isn't doing the world any good at all. inviting the worlds worst human rights violators to head the UN office for human rights is a sick joke.

It's time to put an end to this pink elephant, and create a more effective, less costly organization. I think a room with a big enough table and chairs is really all we need.
Oh, and leaders of countries willing to do what is needed, like George Bush, Toney Blair, and that Australian guy.

[spinestein]

[Indeed, the effectiveness of these efforts seems to be what Clare Short finds so objectionable. Washington's announcement that it would be coordinating its disaster relief with Australia, India, and Japan smacked too much of another coalition of the willing. "I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN," she told the BBC. "Only really the UN can do that job. It is the only body that has the moral authority."]

This statement is about as morally bankrupt as you will ever see. I'm stunned that such an inefficient, outdated, and corrupt bureaucracy such as the UN can have such an undeservedly high opinion of itself.

[YOUGOTIT]

Lets give them to the Russians. As I look back it may have been a mistake to save them from speaking Russian.

[spinestein]

When are we going to see some results from the UN in bringing peace to Sudan? They've had a committee working on that genocide problem for a while now and I haven't seen anything tangible from "the only body that has the moral authority" to help nations in need.

I can only assume it's because the number of innocents murdered hasn't topped the 1 million mark yet and they're waiting for that magic number to be exceeded before they deem it worthy of their attention.

I would also guess that's why they needed more time for the sanctions to work in Iraq because the official number of those murdered by Saddam Hussein was only around 900,000 or so.

[YOUGOTIT]

Better yet. Since the French, Germans (The Children of Hitler), the Belgians (Southern part of the country the french speaking part) and others in the slime pit of Europe are in a massive boycott of anything American, I think it is time for all of us to stop buying anything made in Europe. Lets drive their unemployment rate to 20%, its already over 11% in parts of this triangle of hate America.

Just my personal humble opinion.

[upchuck]

Also here.

Yeah, it's over there as well. But the big diff is that this one is not unnecessarily excerpted.

[upchuck]

Thank you for NOT unnecessarily excerpting this article.

[Ruth A.]

Lets give them to the Russians.

I like elegant solutions. This one is surgically precise.

[xjcsa]

Yeah, it's over there as well. But the big diff is that this one is not unnecessarily excerpted.

True enough.

[Chu Gary]

Another great article by Steyn. The fleet that the US sent in to assist must cost, at minimum 30 - 50 million dollars per day. Like Senator Everett Dirksen said years ago, "a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."