Posted on 03/17/2005 11:46:30 AM PST by JZelle
Christian groups and some other private relief agencies are being asked to halt their work in the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian province of Aceh and leave the area by March 26, Indonesia's defense minister said yesterday. The decision likely will target Western and smaller church groups as the government moves to tighten control over reconstruction work in Aceh, the home of a decades-old separatist insurgency. "We want each of the relief agencies to be transparent in their programs: Some of them are not clear about their mandates," said Juwono Sudarsono during an interview in a Washington hotel.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Somebody remind me why we went to help these people.
We went to help the people. What you're reading about are the officials in their government who are corrupted, dishonest, SOB's.
Aid that is flowing in via the U.S. and private aid groups are going directly to the people. There is no chance for graft and corruption in such efficient operations.
What the Indonesian officials want to do is set themselves up as the middle man, so they can funnel resources into their own personal pockets. The people are probably a hell of a lot more grateful for the private aid and don't look forward to the day when their government takes that over.
"Somebody remind me why we went to help these people."
Good question.
Personally, other than the money sent by the gov't for aid(my tax dollars), I didn't give a penny to these ungrateful Muslims.
After 9-11 and the fiasco of United Way keeping 50% of donations for non-charitable uses, I'm leery of all charities these days.
Typically Islamic; bite the hand that feeds you especially if it is a Christian hand. This religion (although peaceful) has no place in a non-Muslim culture.
Translation: "We're terrified they might mention 'GOD' and thus completely subvert our faithful terrorist suppporters to Christianity.
How weak. I read the Qu'ran and hear about how wonderful Allah is all the time, yet am no closer to converting to Islam.
2) The Christian-based groups will make the Muslims look bad.
Aceh province is in all practical respects in rebellion and a war zone.
The Christian groups already made the Muslims look bad when they worked to help survivors while drooling Islamists in bin Laden T shirts ogled the dead. Te Indonesian government is angry that the peasants have been thinking more kindly toward the evil US. They can't have that.
Seriously, do Muslims ever help each other or is that forbidden by the false prophet?
I've heard this as well from other sources. People on the ground report that even though much money is being sent none of it is reaching the people in need.
Then some ignorant atheist will ask in a haughty tone, "Why does God allow this suffering?"
As if the problem of suffering here should be laid at the feet of a non-existing God when these leaders are so obviously corrupt.
The answer to the ignorant would be, "Perhaps the same reason God lets you go on living."
Blaming the actions of men on God is facetious. The real question is why do we as a people permit such blatant corruption and evil to cause and extend such suffering.
There is Law and there is Natural Law. We write the Law based on our best understanding of the Natural Law, and do our best to bring about justice. The Law is not sacred, nor holy, nor infallible, and neither is our understanding.
Such was the wisdom of the Founding Fathers when they wrote our Constitution. They were humble enough to declare that their understanding of the Natural Law was not infallible, and that their descendants may need to adapt and adjust the Law to new understandings.
The stupid advisers in Washington need to retire.
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