Reuters on the news conference by Bill Graham that already has our local radio news people crowing that Canada has pledged “more than the US” to tsunami relief:
Defence Minister Bill Graham, explaining why the ministers had not come home more quickly, told a news conference: “The scope of the tragedy, the scope of the damage that was done, took some time for us to absorb.”
Not to anyone who knows how to spell “Drudge Report”, Bill. Try it, sometime.
The government has faced repeated questions as to why it was not sending its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), a 200- member military unit created precisely for this kind of emergency. Graham said it would cost C$15 million to C$20 million just to get it there and said it would not be able to arrive before next week even if required. He said the reconnaissance team leaving on Thursday for the region would determine if parts or all of the rapid response team were needed.
Graham: “This is an issue we look at in terms of whether it’s appropriate, whether countries need it and whether or not it’s worth moving it.”
The Diplomad is is at the scene. Mercifully, Canada stayed outside his line of fire today. He begins by quoting a UN statement;
As the United Nations system moves into high gear to identify the immediate needs of the countries devastated by the South Asian tsunami that has reportedly claimed nearly 70,000 lives and affected millions more, initial actions have been tailored to help each of the worst-hit nations.
He goes on to say,
The UN site then goes on to list all the “donations” that the World Food Program and other UN agencies are making to alleviate the suffering.
OK. We’ll make this short.
Let’s start with the last citation, the one from the UN. I can tell you, dear readers, that I am temporarily working in one of the countries that got slammed hard by the tsunami and while the UN effort might be in high gear, it must have its parking brake on. No sign of that effort here! Lots of bureaucrats flying in and out, but that’s about it.
And now to that Egeland character and the UN official site’s claims. Notice to the UN: The USA is BY FAR the biggest donor to the UN system. We pay for about 25% of the whole operation, BUT when you look at operations like WFP or UNHCR, we cough up about 40%. That wheat and rice that the WFP is bragging about? It is almost all from the USA. Notice to Mr. Egeland: if taxpayers want to give more they can do so without having the government reach into their wallets. Ever hear of charities? The American people are BY FAR the biggest donors to private charities — many of which are doing very fine work here in alleviating the suffering. Please note, they are actually on the ground, delivering goods and services, not flying about on first class tickets and holding press conferences in New York.
Now to that weird Post newspaper. Whom have you heard saying Bush is insensitive to the plight of the victims of this natural disaster? I haven’t heard that here in ground zero. I doubt you’ve heard it anywhere but in the MSM.
Well, whaddaya know? The German Chancellor has cut short his vacation! Now that’s gotta hurt a EUroweenie, huh? Giving up a day or two of the four or five or six months annual vacation EUrocrats get –boy that feeds and shelters a lot of people out here! They really appreciate it, Mr Chancellor! And those $4 million the ENTIRE EU has pledged, yeah, that’ll do it! I’m sure it will be a big help when some of it gets here in about six months.
One more note about the USA. The amounts listed in the newspapers as donated by the USA greatly underestimate the true size of the donation we make. We are moving huge numbers of aircraft, ships, and personnel to help out. We have carriers and even a MEU on the move. And guess what? We don’t charge the UN for that, and we don’t include those enormous costs in any “pledging conferences.” The only countries I see delivering goods and services where I am are the Aussies (who are terrific!) and us. The EU is only to be seen in press releases.
These lib-left people and their posturing make me sick . . . real folks are dying and the comfortable chattering lefties want little lip-biting gestures. I’ll take a C-130 any day.
Currently the British public have donated �30 million and the government has upped aid to �50 million.
Typical that the main countries of the Anglosphere US UK Aust Canada NZ are doing most. Still waiting to hear how much the Muslim states such as Saudi are donating to their fellow Muslims in the area affected….
Two things;
Muslims are only required to give alms to other Muslims and, if disasters are ” the will of god”, why would you feel compelled to give aid since you would be interfering with god’s purposes. Schopenhauer was right, it’s the most stupid of the monotheistic religions.