Richest nations pledge more than US$250m tsunami victims

[Tinoire]

Honey pot for carrion companies like Halliburton, Brown & Root, that specialize in "rebuilding". See Bush's poorly chosen but premonitory words.

Richest nations pledge more than US$250m tsunami victims

(snip)

Egeland said one of the biggest challenges would be sheltering all those displaced by the disaster.

"These are ranging from the villages that were wiped out in Somalia on the horn of Africa - Somalia has been largely forgotten because we have only accessed really these areas over the last 48 hours - to all the people displaced in Sri Lanka to the growing number we are now aware of in Indonesia.''

The World Food Programme (WFP), said at least 1 million people have been displaced in Sri Lanka. Approximately one million people in Sumatra are homeless, according to Unicef.

About 45,000 victims of the quake and flooding are living in camps in India. And in the Maldives 14,000 people from 20 islands have been displaced with 1000 evacuated to the capital, Male.

The world's richest nations have pledged more than US$250 million (euro184 million) in emergency aid for the victims and people around the globe have contributed millions more.

Egeland said US$220 million had been received in cash and pledges, but his list did not include several large pledges.

He said an equal amount had been promised in relief goods and equipment, and military and defense assistance.

(snip)

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday the United States, India, Australia and Japan have formed an international coalition to coordinate worldwide relief and reconstruction efforts.

He pledged a multifaceted response that goes far beyond the initial U.S. pledge of US$35 million (euro26 million), including U.S. military manpower and damage surveillance teams in the short term and long-term rebuilding assistance .

(snip)

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/12/30/latest/20443Richestna&sec=latest

====


Us, Stingy?
It's All Relative
By DAVE LINDORFF

Cost of one F-22 Raptor tactical fighter jet -- $225 million

Cost of the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq--$228 million/day

Amount spent by Kerry and Bush campaigns -- $400 million

U.S. aid to Yushenko camp in recent Ukrainian conflict -- $30+ million

Estimated cost of Bush's Second Inauguration and Ball -- $ 40+ million

Amount of U.S. tax cuts under Bush -- $1 trillion

Cost of the U.S. Iraq War in 2004 -- $147 billion

U.S. reconstruction aid budgeted for Iraq (though never spent!) -- $18 billion

Amount the U.S. initially in aid to Indian Ocean tsunami victims -- $ 10 million

Amount U.S. offered in tsunami aid after being chastised by UN official -- $35 million

Dave Lindorff
http://www.counterpunch.com/lindorff12292004.html

[uppityperson]

1. Dump the inaugeral ball and donate this.

Think of how good this would look Dick and George. Your popularity ratings would go up again. Oh yes, that's right, you don't talk to yourselves and have already made up your minds.

[vpigrad]

2. Stingy bastards...

That UN guy was right.

[AspenRose]

21. I heard on the radio news this morning that they're spending $40 Mil

on the inauguration.

What is WRONG with these people?! Compassionate conservatism my a**. :mad:

[Rose Siding]

3. NYT: "...pressure on vacationing president to appear more engaged"

...World leaders, including President Bush, promised long-range help to Asian countries on Wednesday as impatience with the pace of relief efforts rose along with the estimated toll from the week's disaster, which officials said now surpassed 80,000 dead.

As American planes and ships moved into place to help, Mr. Bush made his first public comments since tsunamis inundated about a dozen countries on Sunday, reflecting pressure on the vacationing president to appear more engaged in what aid groups are calling one of the worst natural disasters in history.

http://nytimes.com/2004/12/30/international/worldspecial4/30quake.html?hp&ex=1104382800&en=7697280dfe2245cf&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Javaman]

4. Spain donates 68 million and they don't have one nth the economy we have..

Someone put it all in perspective just how fucking cheap moron* is: Inauguration $40 million. Donation to the Tsunami victims $35 million. Enough said.

Moron brags about how much capital he has "earned", well, if he had a clue, he could have sliced off $1 billion from the bullshit in Iraq and sent it to the people that really need it and he would have earned real capital, international capital, but instead, he waits several days before saying anything or expresses any sort of empathy (impossible for him to do), then donates a measly $15 mill, then only doubles it when we are called stingy. He his a colossal jackass embarrassment.

Personality, any "capital" he "earned", he just blew it all by being himself, stupid and lazy.

Although, he was reappointed, give it time folks, him just being himself will be enough to do him in.

Just because a train is going slow doesn't mean it won't crash and crash hard. No brakes means no brakes.

[NYC]

5. Was it a year & 8 months into Nixon's second term

that he resigned?

[Mistress Quickly]

8. Where did you get the figure for Spain?

All I have is this:

SPAIN: Sent aircraft to Sri Lanka with first aid, sanitary equipment and 19 volunteers, promised 50 million euros.

link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28593949.htm

[ze_dscherman]

11. 50 Million EUR = 68 Million USD

Some other overviews:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/30/content_2394217.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4133971.stm

[drdtroit]

6. And how many billions to Florida after the hurricanes?

Geeez!

[Kool Kitty]

7. Bush really blew this big time.

He should have gotten out in front of the cameras on day one, giving the condolences of the nation and making certain that the world knew we were going to give and give generously. He should not have waited until he was criticized to come out like a sulky child and claim that we gave more than any other nation in foreign aid last year. His handlers should not have let him whine about aid given last year, they should have had him be the first leader to publicly offer aid and condolences. (His claims about foreign aid ring a bit hollow considering he is making big cuts in foreign aid this year.) From what I heard, he was busy clearing brush for the past three days. Reminds me of Nero fiddling while Rome is burning. Bush blew a perfect chance to raise our stature in the world. What a fucking idiot.

[Javaman]

15. Exactly, after 9/11, the next day, countries from all over the world...

Expressed their sympathy.

Our "fearless leader" waits 4 fucking days!!! The man is an unfeeling moron.

[merwin]

9. Seeing Bush writhe... priceless

[burrowowl]

10. Oh my!

They are calculating the Euro at $1.36.
Man I wish I would have had some change to buy Euros when the $ was higher. A 36% return on investment, you really can't beat that.

The U$ is pennywise and pound (or dollar) foolish and get this, some of the monies promised are to be credit lines or loans (probably only payable if Haliburton does the work) at horrendous interest rates. 'Bidness' as usual!

[neweurope]

12. "U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday the United States ,

India, Australia and Japan have formed an international coalition to coordinate worldwide relief and reconstruction efforts."

All these "news" are meant solely to be hard by the American public. Kofi Annan who came back from his vacation at once (!) is organizing worldwide help. The world has not been eagerly waiting for your leader to do anything...

[allemand]

13. BBC: Wave aid 'too slow to save lives'

Aid workers around the Indian Ocean are struggling to reach millions of victims of Sunday's devastating tsunami waves.

<...>

But the UN's relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, said it will take another "two or three days" for the relief effort to get into full swing - by which time it may be too late for "tens of thousands of people who would like to have assistance today - or yesterday".
"We are doing very little at the moment," he admitted.
"I believe the frustration will be growing in the days and weeks ahead."

Survivors have begun to express anger in the Indonesian province of Aceh, near the epicentre of Sunday's earthquake. "There is no food here whatsoever. We need rice. We need medicine. I haven't eaten in two days," a local woman told Reuters news agency. Fights have broken out over food packets in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, the Associated Press news agency reports.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4133971.stm

[Redstone]

14. Can someone explain this to me?

I'm stumped. Why the hell are we sending an aircraft carrier to the area?

Last I saw, the majority of the airplanes on one of our carriers weren't exactly capable of carrying large amounts of food and medicine or landing on primitive or damaged airfields.

I'm serious; I really don't get it. Can anyone explain the rationale?

Redstone

[Javaman]

16. They are there just incase we need to do some relief bombing work...

Since moron hasn't a concept of empathy is, he sends the military. Love=bombs. Boy, that old bitch barbara did a great job raising that moron*.

[Mistress Quickly]

17. I know some of the ships in the carrier group

can make fresh water of of sea water, I think 90,000 gallons a day. Do the ships always have to travel together in the group? Probably so.

[Redstone]

18. Thanks, Mistress Q

That would make sense. Though I imagine the desalination equipment is designed for ship-to-ship replenishment, I'm sure they've figured out a way to pipe the water ashore.

Though I don't keep up with military stuff much these days (had my fill of it 32 years ago), I do believe you're right about the carrier groups having to stay together.

Redstone

[Mistress Quickly]

19. My pleasure...

:hi:

Welcome to DU!

There's so much info at the moment, it's hard to keep up.

[DrGonzoLives]

20. Shit, Pfizer almost gave more than the U.S. government

n/t

[Logansquare]

22. Note that our government has "pledged" the funds, not delivered them

We still haven't dropped a dime on the Africa after pledging billions in aid earlier this year (or was it last year?)