There is a certain familiarity to the concomitant series of actions and reactions when disaster strikes in the world. The US stands ready, willing and able to offer assistance. It is often the first country to send in millions of dollars, navy strike groups loaded with food and medical supplies, and transport planes, helicopters and floating hospitals to help those devastated by natural disaster.
Then, just as swift and with equal predictability, those wedded to the Great Satan view of the US begin to carp, drawing on a potent mixture of cynicism and conspiracy theories to criticise the last remaining superpower. When the US keeps doing so much of the heavy lifting to alleviate suffering, you’d figure that the anti-Americans might eventually revise their view of the US. But they never do. And coming under constant attack even when helping others, you’d figure that Americans would eventually draw the curtains on world crises. But they haven’t. At least not yet.
So it was last week. The US stood ready to help the cyclone-ravaged Burmese people.
Why so? Because the Navy was nearby training for disaster relief efforts. We’re such imperialists, we all should be ashamed.
It did not matter that Burma’s ruling junta was no friend of the Americans. With more than 100,000 people feared dead and many more hundreds of thousands left destitute, US Air Force cargo planes loaded with supplies and personnel started arriving in nearby Thailand to begin humanitarian operations in Burma.
A US Navy strike group in the Gulf of Thailand sent helicopters ashore, ready to arrive in Burma within hours. Alas, Burma’s military leaders left their people to die for 10 days before finally accepting help from the evil empire. Even if the Yanks are allowed to boost their assistance to Burma, they can expect a groundswell of criticism.
**********
The need to paint Americans as a greedy, selfish, war-mongering superpower cannot be disturbed by facts. It matters not that, in the year before the tsunami, the US provided $2.4 billion in humanitarian relief: 40per cent of all the relief aid given to the world in 2003. Never mind that development and emergency relief rose from $10 billion during the last year of Bill Clinton’s administration to $24 billion under George W. Bush in 2003. Or that, according to a German study, Americans contribute to charities nearly seven times as much a head as Germans do. Or that, adjusted for population, American philanthropy is more than two-thirds more than British giving.
There is a teenaged immaturity about the rest of the world’s relationship with the US. Whenever a serious crisis erupts somewhere, our dependence on the US becomes obvious, and many hate the US because of it. That the hatred is irrational is beside the point.
For he’s a jolly good Satan, for he’s a jolly good Satan, for he’s a jolly good Satan . . . and so say all of us!
Mostly unrelated: premise for best disaster movie evah!
Another cool idea for a disaster!
Great resource for encountering new music, through other people’s online mixes.
Or that, according to a German study, Americans contribute to charities nearly seven times as much a head as Germans do. Or that, adjusted for population, American philanthropy is more than two-thirds more than British giving.
Trust me on this: Euros don’t give shit to charities because that’s the job of the state. To decide, on your behalf- aw, hell, without your input, which charities are worthwhile.
If you could get Byron MacGregor to record this, you ought to have a million-seller on your hands.
you’d figure that the anti-Americans might eventually revise their view of the US. But they never do
No, of course not. They also piss and moan that we don’t do enough even though we are the doers (with their hand stretched wide demanding more money) This applies to US citizens of a certain ideological bent too.
This reminds me of Bob Geldof’s Time Magazine piece on Bush and his actual efforts for Africa (as opposed to the oxygen sucking left big talk- non-action) and the lack of interest the deciders in the media have of it.
For he’s a jolly good Satan, for he’s a jolly good Satan, for he’s a jolly good Satan . . . and so say all of us!
And Dan? Um, that’s really, really good.
I think it’s important to note that, while Eutopians are always eager to write a check, it’s Americans that actually do something for these poor unfortunates. Without us, they’d have nowhere to send the check.
Nice find. Nicely done.
Trust me on this: Euros don’t give shit to charities because that’s the job of the state. To decide, on your behalf- aw, hell, without your input, which charities are worthwhile.
I have no problem mentioning all the data that outlines conservatives actually give to charities as opposed to most of the left, who do nothing but gripe about america an then evidence shows their giving amounts to as much, lip service.
I was pleasantly surprised that there were no claims that “Bush hates Burmese people” after the news of the Myanmar cyclone disaster broke.
None that I heard, anyway.
I gave alot of time and money to the victims of Katrina, so this rang true for me (from NRO):
re: re: What’s Wrong with Conservatism [Andy McCarthy]
Mark’s right  conservatism is not the problem, it’s conservatives like Gerson.
When Katrina struck, I was horrified by the reports. Of course the voice in my head that said (a) why didn’t these people leave when they had the chance, and (b) these people elected the likes of Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco, what did they expect? But like millions of other Americans, I felt an obligation to help less fortunate people who were in need. So I sent money to the Red Cross because the Red Cross is a reputable outfit with a good reputation help to the people who need it.
Afterwards, I got so angry at the boondoggle government spending, which inevitably rewarded (and continues to reward) the worst tendencies, I ended up annoyed at myself for contributing  in the name of “compassion,” the government is going to spend goo-gobs of your money anyway, and waste aplenty.
Why does Gerson think that the measure of compassion is whether the government moves when people are hurting? Look at our experience: Katrina, 9/11, or name your overseas catastrophe. Americans pony up more dough than any people on the planet. Government activism causes the dysfunction we saw in Katrina and, at best, it stands in the next Katrina to depress the charitable impulse. That’s compassion?
05/14 12:43 PM
I think my favotite “lefty” story is about the Clintoon’s writng off Bill’s old underpants on their taxes.
As has been documented over and over again, The “left” gives nothing but lip service to charity, and the “right” puts their money where the left’s mouth is.
I love it when the “left” tries to take credit for what the “right” gives to charity. Obama and Micheele looked OK on last years tax returns, but I don’t think they were counting on anybody looking at last years tax forms.
And Gore? The champion of the people? What a joke that moron is.
Yeah. “Those fuckin’ tight ass conservatives!”
“looking at last years tax forms.”
I think I meant “the returns from yje year before”.
I just get so excited here, sometimes.
I don’t have a link and unfortunately don’t have the ability at the moment to find it, but there was a column about this in a Canadian paper in the early seventies. Adressed the same thing. Despite world attitudes we are always the first to respond. Is it ever reciprocated? Doesn’t matter. We, as a nation, see a problem and do our level best to aleviate the suffering.
I love it when the “left†tries to take credit for what the “right†gives to charity
That’s not the only thing they try. The KKK is a product of the Democrat[ICK] party. The Democrat[ICK] party big time opposed to the Civil Rights Act…they done a darn good job of pretending that away and with a media who doesn’t know what an encyclopedia is or cares, they done got away with it.
Well, I am almost to the point of not wanting us to help any longer… almost… and seriously insulted at the bad rap we get. I think it may be that the whole world is really full of envy and victimhood. Ever since WWI, we’ve been suckers for every plight. It’s kinda like a bunch of white peeps thinking they can change the disposition of the innerds-cities dwellers. Just wishful thinking.
To etch a finer point, charitable contributions by the American right far surpass those of the
American left. The left, of course wails that they give just as freely, and on paper, they do.
The difference is the left donates to activist groups that promise investigations as to how the “catastrophe” was allowed to occur, whereas, the right donates to the active groups seeking to alleviate the pain and dispair caused by the catastrophe. Nuance…
Bains,
“The difference is the left donates to activist groups that promise investigations as to how the “catastrophe†was allowed to occur,”
Ok, how did Katrina happen? Who allowed it to occur? Who was in charge of the local and state goverment? Etch a finer point for me.
Oh! Oh! Ohhhhhh! I know!
Suspecting you are missing my point, but answering the pixels anyway…
how did Katrina happen? natural occuring hurricane. Who allowed it to occur? God? Nature? Perhaps even the Polar bears who wanted more attention to their tragic plight. We all should be so lucky as to have the government mandate that tasty seals just jump into our furry laps for carnivorous in gestation. Who was in charge of the local and state government? George McChimpy Hallibush,the African idiot McMonkey – but don’t you dare say the OBAMAMESSIAH even resembles curious George – that is beyond the pale.
I know a guy whose parents had a place in Gulfport, right near the beach, and Katrina took it all the way down to the slab.
I blame him.
The difference is the left donates to activist groups that promise investigations as to how the “catastrophe†was allowed to occur, whereas,
NGO’s
No Good Organization…basically a model of the US Congress funded by the….drum roll please….US government…AKA? US TAXPAYER
essentially, the US taxpayer pays for Democrat front organizations that say they are for AID but essentially they are front groups and laundry US tax money to Democrat candidates. That’s why the Dems fed the Swift program info to to Eric and James Risen. It bust them. Hello Spitzer.
“Perhaps even the Polar bears who wanted more attention to their tragic plight. We all should be so lucky as to have the government mandate that tasty seals just jump into our furry laps for carnivorous in gestation. Who was in charge of the local and state government? George McChimpy Hallibush,the African idiot McMonkey – but don’t you dare say the OBAMAMESSIAH even resembles curious George – that is beyond the pale.”
WHAT? I ask you to etch a finer point for me. What is beyond the pale? I ask you to explain and I get tasty seals, McChimpy, Hallibush, McMonkey and I am beyond the pale?? Ok, vote for that my brother!
uumh, tasty seals…
tasty furry bellies…
Shut up dude, you’ll blow our cover.
…
you said blow dude.
US response to yet another national disaster kinda screws up Palm D’Or buzz for the premise of [i]Blindness[/i] and the Cannes Jury’s finger on the zeitgeist, as mentioned in the Spicoli link above.
Quit fuckin’ around with Teh Narrative, y’all.
BTW, so much for that Chinese superpower status.
“Ok, how did Katrina happen? Who allowed it to occur?”
Funeeeee! George ChimpMcHaliburtonmotherfucker Bush! Don’t you read the papers?
When the federal government started doling out small fortunes to those loud mouth bitches in New jersey because of a terrorist strke, that ended it for me. I’m sorry, the federal goverment has taken enough from me and doled it out to every fucking loser who won’t get up off of their ass and/or take responsibility for their own actions. Every fucking nickel we’re distributing in Myanmar is going to prop up a bunch of marxist animals who will use it to enrich themselves while they inflict syphillis on their mistresses. Sorry, not gonna do it.
Ann, the origins of the New Orleans catastrophe stretch WAY back. First there was the odd structure of the Louisiana government, which put small local boards in charge of the levees. Lots of money, lots of small boards, little oversight == slush funds for the politically well-connected. The levee boards spent cash on just about everything except the actual levees, so the infrastructure they were responsible for wasn’t maintained.
The Army Corps of Engineers made some mistakes, but those mistakes wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had the levee boards done their jobs. The pumps the levee boards were supposed to maintain weren’t working; the water they were supposed to remove damaged the levees; the levees failed; the city flooded.
In the end, you had a large population living below the water level, protected by an infrastructure allowed to rot by corrupt local politicians. Further, the local government abandoned their own disaster plan (see the Ray Nagin Memorial Bus Depot) and the state government waffled rather than ask for help.
In contrast, other states that were hit by Katrina’s full strength had fewer lives lost and managed the aftermath better.
Which cannot be over-emphasized. The storm’s eye made landfall east of the Louisiana-Mississippi border, which means the storm’s force was weaker in Louisiana than in Mississippi and Alabama.
Friends of mine in the ham radio community helped with emergency communications after Katrina — one relayed messages for Mississippi emergency managers (from his home here in Georgia) because their in-state comm network couldn’t handle it with the damage it had suffered. But they were getting things done and nobody heard much about their damage because they were getting things done. When Bush told “Brownie” he’d been doing “a hell of a job,” he was speaking in Mississippi, where FEMA had, indeed, been doing a hell of a job.
Well, how do you expect gub’mint officials to be focused on getting things done when their cash is in danger of defrosting?
I haven’t been able to find the link but I remember, around tsunami time, the French Foreign Minister bragging about how France gives a significantly higher percentage of its GDP to overseas aid. There were redfaced Frenchies galore when it was revealed that the vast bulk of that aid was in the form of loans.
A widespread and hearty STFU was heard around the world.
Although Katrina did make tremendous messes in many places, New Orleans undeniably got the worst of the damage–measured in human and structural and business costs–from Katrina (and whatever that next hurricane/storm was named, the one that went in the following week.) Eye schmeye, the delta got flooded and that was the cause of the biggest catastrophe. And who was to blame? Damn near everyone. First off, the poor people were too poor to have a way out when it was coming. Second, the levees were not maintained or sufficient, which was the fault of local, state, and Federal authorities dating back probably to the 1950s. And third, the disaster plans, which were supposed to coordinate local, state, and Federal assistance, weren’t made, implemented, or successful when they needed to be. Katrina was a historical clusterfuck, and Bush “failed” no more badly than a President Gore would have.
The fact still remains: if a big hurricane hits a big city in the Gulf, Florida, or the East Coast, there will be lots of unnecessary deaths even if Republicans are in charge at all governmental levels. Katrina taught us to blame poor people for not getting in their nonexistent cars and driving away to nonexistent relatives or staying at unaffordable motels or, if they must, in shelters (but not in their home city). It also taught us that a lot of disaster relief gets used in ways that aren’t helpful in disasters. I’d love to see the audits of New Orleans’ FEMA and Homeland Security spending, but I wonder what Charleston, Miami, Virginia Beach, and Atlantic City spent their money on. And lastly, we should know by now that building below sea level, especially near a coastline, isn’t that smart. Build with pontoon flooring, like the Dutch do, next time!
I think Gore would have sent in the Guard, because that’s just the kind of hypothetical that folks on the Left would like to believe. If Bush had actually done that, though, he’d have been the focus of another dozen Jesus-loads of Greenwaldian overpixelage.
…and: I thought we were the great Santa.
Bullshit, jon. You’ve bought the MSM Narrative® whether you realize it or not.
There was plenty of transportation available for poor people, and for not-so-poor people if they preferred to use it. It was even in the plans to use it. That one falls directly and solely upon the head of the Chocolate Mayor™, who abandoned all the plans at the first hint of trouble.
Rita. Go peruse the archives of Mostly Cajun for an account of how that went.
Regards,
Ric
Well, how do you expect gub’mint officials to be focused on getting things done when their cash is in danger of defrosting?
As the person with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do for the next six hours, give or take, I annoint myself as the “comment judger.” Dan wins this one so far …
Bonus Question -How much coffee do you think it is safe to drink w/in a six hour period? I’m sitting in the cutest coffee shop in Port Huron Michigan.
About 10 cups, if it’s cute.
Depends on whether there’s a decent public restroom, and whether there seems to be a perpetual waiting line for said restroom.
The use of “depends” in this context was purely accidental, I promise.
It was cute, until it just switched the music to the Beach Boys. I should have gotten suspecious when the manager started handing out Hawaiian shirts and leis (sp?) to the employees. It is – kill me now- “Beach Boy theme day.”
Where are you, Carin? We go just past Port Huron to Lexington every summer.
Sorry for the spelling. Apparently I’m already tipping my boundary for coffee intake. Yikes.
But, I will have at least one more cup. Because I’m edgy like that.
REALLY! I’m in a coffee shop right on the main road – whatever that’s called – named “The RAven Cafe.” They have a little lunch menu, so I figure I can ride this baby for a few more hours.
Purely a coincidence, I’m sure.
Oh, I’ll have to look for The Raven. I actually think I’ve seen it before.
The coffee shop in Lexington is pretty cute, but it opens at something like 10am. So goofy.
Oh … I’ve got some action here. Some people sitting at the bar are talking politics. Should I jump in? Yes or no?
This place opens at 7:30.
Jump in! Jump in!
They stopped. Oh well. But, I have been known to jump into it.
Everyday it’s bitching from within.. Bitching from without..Bitching from around the world.
Often feels like we can’t win for losing..
Thanks Australian … It’s nice to here some decent, friendly talk once in a while…
Except for all those school buses the city plan said should have been used to shuttle them to safety.
Seriously, there was a way to evacuate them. It wasn’t their fault it wasn’t used, and I don’t know anyone who blames them for that.
Though reelecting the guilty party doesn’t endear them to anyone.
Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have more responsibility here than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. I know deep down in places you dont talk about at parties, you don’t want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it. I prefer you said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand to post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
Something I never heard of the except day before Katrina landed, but never/nothing since, was how Houston, Texas, and some surrounding communities were preparing to accept tens of thousands of evacuees in accordance with existing plans.
Very early in the disaster when it became apparent that no plan had been executed there was the flap about calling the NOLA residents “refugees” and immediately with that the “Fuck Bush HaTEs Black PEOPle!” drowned out everything else…
There was pundit discussion that nobody (Nagan, Landrieux (sp?), wanted to be the one to instigate an evacuation then have the storm miss. The same people that declined to act in the forefront of the emergency were the first ones (after media and Kanye West) to indict Bush.
Golly we’ve got a large proportion of useless fucks in government in this country. And yes, I know, in Louisiana that’s always been a feature, not a bug.
I linked this article at my blog and at my Houston Chronicle blog. If you ever wanted to see the “hate America” sentiment of the left, go check out my comments. I just shake my head in sadness. It’s like the sullen teenager who doesn’t appreciate his loving parents.
http://blogs.chron.com/texassparkle/
Then there was the Amtrak offer to get people out before the storm that was declined.
Bullshit. A huge swath of the Misissippi coast was absolutely leveled.
well see, they didn’t have to worry about all the demolition of flooded buildings. so much easier to start from scratch.