Posted on 10/22/2005 1:40:47 AM PDT by Timeout
CHAKLALA AIR BASE, Pakistan -- High in a remote valley, the U.S. Army transport helicopter settled Thursday with a bump on the dry riverbed, and the earthquake survivors came running. Jostling and shoving for space, they crowded around the rear cargo hatch as the soldiers on board began tossing out tents, blankets and biscuits until they had no more to give.
As the helicopter revved its engines for takeoff, a balding man with a beard leaned across the edge of the lowered cargo ramp and, smiling his gratitude, extended his hand toward Brandon Chasteen, a 21-year-old Army medic from Chattanooga, who gave it a hearty shake. A moment later the chopper was churning toward another landing zone to pick up a load of injured.
...
Television news broadcasts have been filled in recent days with images of U.S. Navy cargo ships offloading relief supplies in Karachi, olive-drab Chinook helicopters disgorging bundles of tents and blankets in isolated mountain villages, and American soldiers -- some diverted from military operations in Afghanistan -- working with their Pakistani counterparts to evacuate the injured.
President Bush's Oct. 14 visit to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington to offer condolences for earthquake victims received wide coverage in the country's media, as did pleas by some in Congress for an increase in the $50 million in earthquake relief that the Bush administration has already pledged.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
North-west Kashmir was once a Sufi Muslim region. The thing about Sufi-ism is that it is a blend of the monotheism of Islam with the ideas of Hinduism. It is this aspect of their culture that prompted the Sunni Muslims from Pakistan to change the centuries-old peaceful ways of the Kashmiris. Today, the place is a sad, sorry story of hate.
However, the part not occupied by Pakistan, that is the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, is more-or-less still Sufi, albeit the incidents of terror emanating from the region under Pakistani control, still attracts a majority proportion of all Israeli Jewish tourists who come to India every year. In fact, some shops have Hebrew signs on them! You can search this out on Google.
All across the world, in cities - the United States suffers from an image problem.
Get out of the city and pound some sand and the countryside usually sings a different tune.
The United States is not immune from this truth either. Within our own cities we suffer from an image problem. Get out of the cities and wander the towns and country farms and you'll find people who really do love America and what it stands for.
Why are city people so easily jaded? Is it the lack of a decent education, the in your face reality of city living, or the fast food?
Or is the constant barrage of political propaganda in the media that inundates city residents from the time they wake to the time they return to sleep? In the city you can't go a day without hearing something bad about America. This goes for cities all around the world. The propaganda thins out as you head away from the cities and real actions and aid speak louder than rumors and rhetoric from the cities.
Sorry but this 'positive' attitude will last only until the aid package runs out. People will take the money from the rich 'Uncle' and sing praises to his face while they laugh and scorn him behind his back. People lose their self-respect when they are constantly getting charity - they have to belittle the aid-giver to convince themselves they have some worth. Just look at the story on the Nigerian computer scammers - white people are rich, dupes - Americans are the worst.
What was the world-wide response to Katrina and Rita? Screw the US - they're rich enough and can take care of themselves - except for aid offers that were so small they were insulting.
Thus,underneath a supposed "positive" story of relief in times of tragedy is yet another "hit piece" from WAPO on yet another botched "PR" job attempted by our government.
The entire takeaway message is that we are engaged in purely "for show" headline grabbing and that none of what we do is in any way actually sincere humanitarian relief.
All part of the barrage of left-wing propaganda from our own media.
Piss on them!
Get out of the cities and wander the towns and country farms and you'll find people who really do love America and what it stands for.
I like good down-to-earth type folks. But it's the loudest ones who get heard a lot.
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