UN hits back at US

[Briar]

UN hits back at US in report saying parts of America are as poor as Third World

By Paul Vallely
Published: 08 September 2005

Parts of the United States are as poor as the Third World, according to a shocking United Nations report on global inequality.

Claims that the New Orleans floods have laid bare a growing racial and economic divide in the US have, until now, been rejected by the American political establishment as emotional rhetoric. But yesterday's UN report provides statistical proof that for many - well beyond those affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - the great American Dream is an ongoing nightmare.

The document constitutes a stinging attack on US policies at home and abroad in a fightback against moves by Washington to undermine next week's UN 60th anniversary conference which will be the biggest gathering of world leaders in history.

...

The report is bound to incense the Bush administration as it provides ammunition for critics who have claimed that the fiasco following Hurricane Katrina shows that Washington does not care about poor black Americans. But the 370-page document is critical of American policies towards poverty abroad as well as at home. And, in unusually outspoken language, it accuses the US of having "an overdeveloped military strategy and an under-developed strategy for human security".

...

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article311066.ece

[crikkett]

1. & constant erosion of human rights!! n/t

[Trevelyan]

2. The Iceman Cometh

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=496~

America won't forget

~~Kayla won't forget either:

The day that Hurricane Katrina reached status 5, Mr. Archie Harris, President of the 100ish year old Rose Ice and Coal Company of Wilmington, North Carolina, enlisted his fellow Icemen across the country, including Canada. He phoned, e-mailed, and faxed for days.

The storm hit on Monday morning, and on Wednesday morning the first trucks rolled out of North Carolina. It took time to make and bag the ice, call in the drivers, and load the trucks, otherwise they would have left even sooner.

That mysterious convoy filmed attempting to creep into the disaster area, was probably the drivers of this nation\'s Icemen. Each truck was carrying 42,000lbs of 7lb bags of ice. They have pledged to send at least 300 more trucks.

It has come a little late, but FEMA, now smothered under our super-efficient Homeland Security Department, has agreed to cover the cost; and I suspect to take credit for the Icemen's efforts.

My comment is, I will never forget that in a national natural emergency, the President of an old ice company responded faster than the President of the United States.


(On the other hand, Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has already forgotten. Perhaps Chertoff should check the timeline.)

All around this tragedy there are good folks who took matters into their own hands.... :D :yourock:

[MsConduct]

3. OMG! The truth hurts,don't it? n/t

[bigbrother05]

4. Can the UN

come and help us with Human Rights violations? please help us, we have incompetent leaders. Help