Posted on 12/27/2004 2:04:39 PM PST by ejdrapes
I was watching CNN's Inside Politics today (no transcript up yet) and they had a panel on - someone from the Washington Post, LA Times (Ron Brownstein) and Time magazine (Karen Tumulty). They were discussing our response to the disaster and the host of the program mentioned that the UN called our response "stingy". Then the panel went on to talk about how we "fumbled" this and were basically AWOL for one day. This just really made my blood boil. What have other countries done? The Brits say over 10,000 of their citizens were on holiday in that area. It's a large tourist area for Europeans. Where's the criticism of the EU and its member nations? And do we really have to play politics at a time like this?
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Of course US is stingy. You can't scam billions of dollars if the US only pays 15 million. I bet you there are a lot of diplorupt (diplomat that's corrupt) at UN that are salivating over the prospect of scamming all of the donation for the disaster relief. That's probably why UN said that the cost of recovery is in the billions, eventhough none from UN has set a foot in any of the disaster areas. What a corrupt bunch of leaches!!!
----"Dems will claim Bush should have anticipated this tsunami and built protective barriers all along the shores of the Indian Ocean."-----
The media is already making lots of news that "this could have been prevented if a warning system was in place. The West Coast of America has a warning system - but not the Indian Ocean." (The Whole Pacific ocean is monitored by the way)
The scientist's figure a 1 in 10 chance of this happening in the Indian ocean. Higher risks elsewhere where they are doing the monitoring.
Drudge is finally picking it up, front page as developing.....
hahh...
A Little late there drudge....
Freepers rock as usual...
Regards,
Joe
My first Email to egeland:
Dear Mr. Egeland,
I saw your Interview on CNN 360, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
I've seen Statistics that My Country, the United States of America
gives more money than any country on earth to Charity and Disater
Relief.
You said to the Host, that "WE in Rich Countries", are stingy.....
By using We, you referred to the host and we as The United States of
America. By stating Charity as "International Solidarity", Is a
pathatic SOCIALIST Farce.
Where was the United Nations support teams when Our State of Florida
was ravaged by Hurricanes?
Where was your press conference concerning our tragedies, as the
silence of your Interviews when something beseaches our country is
deafening.
I also question your use of statistical data.
I would like the chance to debate you on this concerning your
statistics. My statistics that I have found show The United States of
America to be one of the highest giving nations in terms of relief and
support around the world when it comes to tragedies like this.
I anticipate your response, and again, please produce your claims of
statistical evidence concerning the percenatges you described by using
the word "We in your Interview with CNN."
Prove you are not hypocritical, sir. Demonstrate to this United States
Citizen that we shoudl trust anything in regards to the United
Nations.
And while you are at it, why shoudl we give to an organization that is
corrup in the Oil For Food Program and has Sex pedophiles running
around in the Congo, and where is the press media on that?
You should go back on CNN, apologize for your comments, and give
appreciation to the United States of America, and its citizens who
always open up their hearts and their money to tragedies like this.
By the way, how much did you personally contribute to the American Red
Cross for Hurricane Disaster Relief. or How much did the UN give?
Just how is that "Phuket" pronounced, anyway?
My Second email to egeland... Still no response.
Dear Mr. Egeland,
I have your transcript of your interview and your exact words:
Here they are:
1) You said at your news Conference:
"If, actually, the foreign assistance of many countries now is 0.1 or 0.2 percent of the gross national income, I think that is stingy, really," he said. "I don't think that is very generous."
2) Then on CNN, you said:
"COOPER: Earlier at your press conference you said it's going to cost billions of dollars. You said rich nations -- you didn't point out anyone in particular. You didn't say the U.S. You didn't say Europe.
But you just said rich nations are being, I think, stingy was the word
you used.
You don't think rich nations are paying their fair share?
EGELAND: No, I don't think so. I have been in relief work now in
non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross and the U.N. for many
years. It bothers me that we, the rich nations, are not becoming more
generous the more rich we become.
The average rich nation pays 0.2 percent of its national income in
international solidarity, in international assistance. We keep 99.98
percent to ourselves, on average. I don't think that's very generous
when we see the images that you have just seen today.
COOPER: Are saying richer nations should pay a much higher proportion?
EGELAND: A much higher proportion. I mean, usually in the old days in
many religions, you should give one-10th of your surplus. We give much
less than one percent."
You see, your use of the word "WE", invokes inclusion of My Country,
The United States of America.
Is it not enough that we give more money in AID than any other Country
on Earth? Why do you choose to quantify using percentages instead of
real dollars?
That is hypocritical and it is no wonder why so many of our citizens
despise the United Nations.
You choose to attck us as if our country is responsible for the
Earthquake, and the resultant Tsunami's.
How dare you sir, in this time of need, seek to demand that we give
more than we do. You should be ashamed of your comments and you should
apologize.
If you think our citizens and country will give more due to your
comments you are wrong We will always continue to give because we are
a charitable nation, and our hearts grieve for those lost.
Maybe that should be your focus instead of attacking my country.
--
Best Regards,
"Poo" as in manure,
followed by "kett" as in "kettle."
I don't get it. For the most part, the Euro-crap weasels and the third world crap holes don't spend their money on any kind of military or self-defense, so they should have plenty to hand out in crises such as this, right?
Of course not -- their money is too wrapped up in their socialist income redistribution programs, so they expect us to carry the burden. And of course we shall (as we should be helping out significantly, just out of human decency), as we always do.
I'm just sick of these effete, arrogant Euro-twits who demand that we take care of the rest of the world and then sit back on their flabby asses and pick us apart.
Dan Rather ought to try and get his facts (gasp!)straight...Tsunamis have nothing to do with Global Warming
They are caused by earthquakes...
'course, those who listen to Danny-boy have no brains anyway.......
:-)
I'd like to see a breakdown of which nations have contributed and just how much they're coughing up -- especially Muslim and Arab countries.
That thought has crossed my mind.
I see damage, but what I see damaged doesn't look like "billions" in that part of the world to my uneducated eye.
You can't place a dollar value on the lives lost and many of those were probably tourists. What a horrible feeling to be swimming and all of a sudden pulled out toward the coral reefs that surround the islands. Must have felt like some major undertow!
Amen the that ejdrapes!
And methinks it's also time we adopted a "don't call us, we'll call you - and stay the hell out of our way if we don't!" policy toward U.S. "matters", both foreign and domestic.
Btw, did the UN also happen to mention how much of its "own money" (ie, how much of the 7 bil. and/or 25% of its annual budget that's courtesy of us) it's sending to those poor folks?
To steal a line from Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream...."
my addition: that someday there won't be a United Nations for me to have to keep saying 'just shut the F*** up already', on a daily basis.
Well as Indonesia is about 98% Muslim now, where is Saudi Arabia's contribution to their "fellow" Muslims?
As for the UN's comment, I agree. We should deduct a billion bucks from the UN payments next year and donate it all to the disaster recovery efforts of our allies in the Area.
I am sure the UN won't mind driving last years model cars for once. They could perhaps cut out the caviar on the menu and replace it with tuna fish.
Perhaps they could even match our offer with a Billon or so of the ten Billion that they skimmed off of Iraq on the bribes for WMD deal scam they ran for 10 years.
It is pronounced "POO KET"
Phuket, Thailand is one of the most beautiful locations on the planet. A very popular honeymoon destination listed in Conde Naste. It is also the location where "The Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed the James Bond movie - You might remember some of the breathtaking scenery in the movie.
That being said, Phuket alone host many 5 Star resorts and hotels that are right on the beach.
The damage in Phuket alone will be in the billions.
They are the source of that pestulance, socialism which they call goodness. It their opium for the masses with which they expand corruption and power. The U.N. is revealing the true nature of European socialism. While the U.N. should exist for the benifit of all mankind, in actuality, it exists for the benifits that power creats.
Hey Jan Egeland if you are so concerned about money why don’t you donate ALL OF YOUR UN SALARY to the UN relief effort.
How many more people did Saddam kill than this quake and tsumani – HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS?....The UN's response to murderous tyrants: Stingy
The ENTIRE EUROPEAN UNION- with twice the population of the USA- pledged only 4 million dollars. The US has pledged 15 million. You’re EUROPE IS STINGY! When there are earthquakes in Washington, California, and hurricanes in Florida, the Carolinas etc. . , do the people in other countries reciprocate? What about 9/11? It is time the USA gave to the rest of the world what the world has given to the USA!!!! NOTHING
As for the USA being STINGY we have bailed out almost everyone in the world. NOW WE ARE IN DEBT! HUGE DEBT. Perhaps the rest of the world can do what we the USA has done for so long.
Hmm Stingy -- why doesn't Norway donate all of its oil revenue to the aid society. After all Norway has the highest living standard in the WORLD!!!!!! How many Norwegian divisions liberated the human race from the NAZI tyranny in World War Two, how many Norwegians died at the Battle of the Bulge, or freeing the Philippines from the monsters of the Imperial Japanese Butchers that rapped Nanking? – oh yea I forgot while Americans were fighting and dying for the freedom of the human race there was more than 15,000 Norwegians fighting for the NAZIS and thousands of Norwegian women giving birth to children so they could be sent to Hitler so that the NAZIS could keep Dachau and Auschwitz running!!!!
How about asking your UN employees and representatives to give back some of the 21 BILLION plus in monies stolen from the Oil for Food program. That should more than cover the damage done!
Perhaps it is because the UN's child rape/porn operations in central Africa are a much higher priority.
As long as I can remember IT Has been the USA that rushed in with aid for floods from the Yellow River and the Yangtze. Who rushed in with money help? We Americans did.
We have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges and the Niger. This year Florida was devastated by Hurricanes and no foreign land has sent a dollar to help. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the American people who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the my country – the United States.
When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was we Americans who propped it up and our reward is to be insulted and swindled on in the UN by France.
When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries into help... Iran last year is an example of this.
The Marshall Plan, The Truman Policy, pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent war-mongering Americans. SCREW THEM!!!
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it is the Americans who rebuilt them. As Amtrak is going broke today nobody is loaning Amtrak even a rail. I can name to you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the aid of the USA in trouble? I don't think there was any outside help even during the destruction of the World Trade Center.
Oh yea -- you only want the USA to pay money!!! YOU HYPOCRITE!!!
THE UN HATES THE USA, CHRISTIANS AND JEWS !\
US OUT OF THE UN, UN OUT OF THE US!!!!!!!!!
WE HAVE GIVEN ENOUGH TO THE WORLD. TIME TO CLOSE THE BANK AND KEEP OUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.