NEWS: 9.0 Quake, Tsunamis Strike SE Asia - 275,000+ Dead

Originally posted by bergg
It is amazing that some of the wealthiest countries in the world cant even come up with a million dollers.

Bergg, which countries are you reffering to?

The Andamans still being hit. Two major aftershocks 5.7 and 6.1 10 minutes apart this morning:

Aftershocks hit Andamans

Originally posted by Valhall
Well, in this case, the smaller the token offering, the bigger the slap in the face...so France's slap across India's face is 23,300% more egregious than ours.

Speaking of all the other cheap arse democratic-we-really-care-for-humanity nations out there (sorry for singling out just one), get this:
Canada has a DART team (Disaster Assistance Response Team), but is not being deployed as it will be too expensive... It is made up of about 200 military personnell with state of the art equipment for filtering water, and I don't even know what else...
Too expensive! Shame on me? Shame on the world's leaders, and all the people who voted them in for essentially turning their backs on THIS emergency. I know the US gives away more to other countries than anyone else per year. Heck, Bill Gates gives more to charity than most countries do. My issue is with this particular emergency, not the ones in the past.

This world makes me sick. Everything has to become political and he said, she said. So guy made a comment that the richest countries don't give enough. So what!!!! It's true. While the US is not stingy, you must acknowledge that we don't do as much as we can do to help others. We are very selective as a government when making these donations. On the other hands American people are very generous as individuals, no one can deny that.

So why are we arguing and making a freaking mountain of a molehill, because some guy said. big freaking deal. get a grip America, get a grip India (35 million could do alot), everyone needs to stop trying to blame someone else for events in this world. Can we not help each other without bragging about how much he gave and how much she gave. That is so damn petty. arrghhhh

Originally posted by skippytjc
Indigo, you are flat out wrong.

The US government is many things, but one things its NOT is stingyor cheap.

The US gives out more money than any other country in the world. Nearly double the second place country (Japan).

Actually, that IS stingy for a nation of an economy of $10.9 trillion. I am not saying it's only US that is stingy, it's the rest of the rich countries/captialist pigs too, but the rest cannot boast of being the economy in the world that is bigger than the next 25 combined.

In fact, you missed the fact that in the article, in terms of GDP(Gross domestic project) US is the lowest at 0.14%. Norway is the highest at 0.92%.

If any of these rich countries had a genuine interest in helping the developing countries, they could eradicate their poverty by donating only 5% of their gross domestic product, $500 billion for US. Rather than spending it on black projects, wars and oil interests.

Tegarding the $15.8 billion that is spent for developing countries. It spends 18% in comparison to militarize Israel. It's spent hundreds of billions of US taxpayers money on illegal wars. Sadly, you actually willingly pay for it.

The truth is US and even the other rich countries are greedy. And the latest tsunami in SE Asia has shown just how much greed that is.

Not that US is obliged to donate anything, but, it just makes me sick, when so many Americans claim high moral grounds, when it is obvious that US is anything but moral.

[edit on 29-12-2004 by Indigo_Child]

Originally posted by IronDogg

Originally posted by smokenmirrors
This pizzes me off.

I am a US taxpayer, and you have just called me, and all US taxpayers greedy.

You can pound sand!

I had hoped this crap would have been absent from this thread, but I was delusional.

Next thing you know, I will be reading "It's Bush's fault"

As an American taxpayer, you SHOULD be pissed off. Your taxes support one of the richest nations in the world. Here you have one of the richest nations in the world essentially refusing to help (a 35 million dollar slap in the face to india is all that that is) a country in desparate need. Don't just voice your anger here. Call your congressman, other politicians; tell them your anger! Tell them how mad you are that the richest nation in the world can only afford a slap in the face for this global disaster, and nothing more... If we don't speak up the politicians, they will think everything is allright, and will instead continue on with their personal agenda's...

Btw, it's not Bush's fault at all. It is the American peoples' fault (that is including you) for allowing him to weasel into office again to continue his dictatorship-greedy ways...
Not that I am a Kerry supporter (he was the lesser of two evils though), but I'd bet he would've thought alot more about the humanity in the SouthEast... Our prez is probably just wondering how to get his hands on the oil investments & securities from the dead corporate executives over there to help him fund the upcoming serbian/iranian war...

Get back on topic, please. How much money do you think we should give them? Keep in mind that we need to determine what needs to be done before we just start throwing money on the table...

Zip

Good lord,

no one has any real, clear idea of what the extent of the disaster really is and ALREADY people are finding something to fault Bush with (I guess sending an entire navy task force that is larger than the entirety of most of the world's other navies doesn't mean much to these people)?!?!?

In most disasters, the initial amount offered is usually only 10% of what the total will be. Everyone expects the US offer to go up significantly once we know what is actually needed and where.

To be frank, the Us hasn't done anything wrong... it's just clear that people will attack the US for anything these days. Americans are told, by the world, to both solve all of its problems and to stay out of all of its problems. Which is it?

Originally posted by Gazrok
Who else is giving India 35 million?

*Listens to those same crickets...*

The EU and Japan?

AUSTRALIA: $27 million, five air force transport planes with supplies and medical teams as well as team of police.

BRITAIN: 15 million pounds ($29 million).

CAMBODIA: $40,000.

CHINA: 21.6 million yuan ($2.6 million).

CZECH REPUBLIC: A plane sent to Sri Lanka with drinking
water. Officials said aid worth $444,400 would be sent.

EUROPEAN UNION: Ready to release up to 30 million euros ($41 million) on top of 3 million euros already allocated to IFRC.

FINLAND: Pledged 500,000 euros to the IFRC. Local
aid organisations have contributed another 75,000 euros. The Finnish Red Cross has sent a field hospital with 15 staff to Sri Lanka.

FRANCE: 100,000 euros earmarked, 16 rescuers sent to Thailand and 10 tonnes of aid to Sri Lanka.

GERMANY: 2 million euros. Three German planes to be dispatched to Phuket.

INDIA: Has promised over $23 million in monetary aid besides sending warships and aircraft to distribute food, medicines and blankets to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

JAPAN: $40 million pledged and three navy vessels sent to Thailand.

KUWAIT: Supplies worth $2 million pledged and $100,000 sent.

QATAR: $10 million

SAUDI ARABIA: $10 million package pledged, half to be distributed via the Saudi Red Crescent, and half for international aid groups.

SOUTH KOREA: $2 million.

TAIWAN: $5.1 million.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: $2 million.

UNITED STATES: $35 million and 12 vessels to region.

link

As we speak the death toll of Indonesia alone has just reached 45,268

Indigo, how much of a percentage of your income will you be sending? 1%? 5%? I bet nothing even close to that.

Bottom line is this: The US sends more $$ to other nations for relief and help than any other nation on the planet. Period. Fact. The percentage of what the US donates against its national income is meaningless, its only cannon fodder for anti American zealots to spew their propaganda.

So here we have a nation, the USA that is arguable the most hated nation on the planet, but somehow the US spends more money in international aid and relief than most countries combined. And people like you STILL have the nerve to criticize.

I will state again: Its pathetic that people are turning this horrendous tragedy into their personal weapons for USA bashing.

AceOfBase


CNN.com is reporting that Japan has commited $30 million, not $40

Originally posted by skippytjc
AceOfBase


CNN.com is reporting that Japan has commited $30 million, not $40

Read below:

Spacedaily
TOKYO (AFP) Dec 28, 2004
Japan on Tuesday sent three navy vessels to Thailand and pledged 40 million dollars to provide emergency food, medicine and shelter to victims of the tsunamis that ravaged the Indian Ocean coastline...

...Japan, Asia's biggest economic power, has pledged 30 million dollars in direct aid to tsunami-hit countries....

...Separately, a foreign ministry official said Japan would give one billion yen (9.7 million dollars) to Japanese non-governmental organizations to support humanitarian work in the affected region....

Bush, the monkey has spoke "we are the most kind-hearted and generous nation" Right, Bush, and I suppose you are spreading democracy to the Iraqis?

You know,
If we're going to bash any government here, it should be the ones that either failed to set up anything resembling an early warning system or that refused to issue a warning when the tsunami warning when the quake was first detected. They are to blame for the excessive death count (though, like I said yesterday, much of the death count on small islands -- which really hasn't been factored into the total yet -- was unpreventable). India is racing to develop bigger and better ICBMs... Indonesian politicians routinely blame 'Jewish devils' for their problems, Somalia has no government (only factions that hide terrorists), and half of Sri Lanka is run by rebels who brainwash little kids into becoming suicide bombers.

Guess what, the US isn't to blame. The primary fault lies squarely on the flawed governments of this region.

Originally posted by Indigo_Child

Bush, the monkey has spoke "we are the most kind-hearted and generous nation" Right, Bush, and I suppose you are spreading democracy to the Iraqis?

Bush, Bush, Bush... This type of reaction only shows that the rabid Bush haters will blame him for any and everything that goes wrong in the world.

I've heard this morning on The BBC,that one of the scientists who developed these early warning devices was an Indian,the prime minister of India,Vajpayee said that they're now bying six of them at a cost of 28mil$..
See this is where politicians mess up with their priorties they develop nuclear bombs and so fort but do not spend a penny in such devices that could save lives,instead of killing them.....

[edit on 29-12-2004 by Horus_Re]

Lets ask Anan and the UN if they will spot these nations a few billion $$ they pocketed from the Oil For Food program...

That should be enough...

Originally posted by onlyinmydreams
You know,
If we're going to bash any government here, it should be the ones that either failed to set up anything resembling an early warning system or that refused to issue a warning when the tsunami warning when the quake was first detected.

I do agree that they should have passed on any warnings that they did have but the last tsunami that affected the Indian Ocean was in 1883.
Setting up an early warning system for an event that hadn't happed in more than 100 years was not really a priority.

Quake relief coalition formed

From correspondents in Texas
December 30, 2004
THE US, Australia, Japan and India will form a 'core group' to lead relief efforts after the Asian tsunami, US President George W. Bush said today.

He predicted that other countries would join the initiative.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has spoken to the foreign ministers of Australia, Japan and India to set up the group, Mr Bush told reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas where he is on holiday.

Link

Originally posted by skippytjc
Lets ask Anan and the UN if they will spot these nations a few billion $$ they pocketed from the Oil For Food program...

That should be enough...

Can you please give me a link to the billions the UN pocketed from Oil for Food?
I've only seen the articles on the billions Saddam pocketed.

If you can't give me a link, perhaps Dr Horacid or someone else can.