This is not stingy.

[Nile]

Food airlifted to isolated towns

By Chris Brummit
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Pilots dropped food to Indonesian villagers stranded among bloating corpses yesterday as up to 5 million people around the tsunami-struck Indian Ocean rim struggled to stay alive without clean water and food.
With the death toll topping 117,000, a U.S. Navy flotilla from Hong Kong raced to the shores of Sumatra, and an American cargo plane touched down in the Sumatran city of Medan with relief supplies and body bags.

(snip)

Along with the airport at Medan, officials converted a Thai navy air base used by U.S. bombers during the Vietnam War into a hub for the colossal international relief effort, which also will include humanitarian operations for Sri Lanka and India.
"As soon as we received word that the earthquake victims needed our help, we immediately activated forces to provide assistance," said Col. Mark Schissler, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, just outside Tokyo.

(Fill story)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20041231-123615-9809r.htm

[sonicx]

1. Washington Times?

[G_j]

5. it does say it is an AP story n/t

[Sporadicus]

2. Don't Bother Your Beautiful Mind

by reading stories from The Moonie Times.

[Nile]

11. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful response.

:)

[rooboy]

3. Good point. How much is the Reverend Moon donating? n/t

[cornermouse]

4. Compare what we're giving to what other nations are giving.

There is definitely a stingy component involved in the American response.

[Nile]

8. Do you think it is cheap to send a Navy flotilla...

and Air Lift wing?

[PA Democrat]

16. Compared to what? The cost of maintaining 140,000 troops in Iraq?

Compared to the US "defense" budget?

Yes it's pathetically CHEAP in comparison. Sorry if that was not the answer you were looking for.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PA Democrat]

24. Don't put words in my mouth

Show me where I said that I don't want the US to send in military equipment. Show me, you asshole before you make such ugly accusations.

I am HAPPY that the US is doing something. My comment is that it is not enough. This administration spends money like a drunken sailor when it comes to waging an immoral war, and is stingy when it comes to dispensing aid that could literally save millions of lives.

Bullshit, that the cost of that fucking immoral war has nothing to do with Bush pinching pennies on humanitarian aid. It has EVERYTHING to do with it.

Do you honestly believe that there is no relevance to the fact that the Muslim world sees the immense effort, the obscene money we have spent to wage an immoral war compared to the stingy amount of aid offered three days into this disaster?

Yeah, lecture me on morality. I donated money to Doctors Without Borders DAYS before Bush roused himself off his pathetic ass to do a single thing.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[displacedtexan]

6. 11.9 cents per person isn't stingy?

Heavy sigh.

On edit: most of that 11.9 cents is a loan.

It's a ponderous chain we're forging, indeed.

[G_j]

7. significantly lower than in other recent natural disasters.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2885227

<snip>
The usual U.S. contribution during major disasters is 25 to 33 percent of total international aid, according to Brian Atwood, former director of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration. So far, the U.S. contribution is 13 percent of the $270 million in international aid that the U.N. said yesterday has been pledged since the tsunami struck. Spain has pledged $68 million, almost twice what United States has contributed so far. Japan has provided $30 million, Britain $29 million, Germany $27 million, Australia $27.6 million, France $20.5 million and Denmark $15.5 million, the U.N. reported.

The current U.S. aid also is significantly lower than in other recent natural disasters. After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, when some 9,000 were killed and 3 million were left homeless in Central America, the United States provided $988 million in relief aid.

<snip>

[Nile]

9. Is a ship load of food worth more than a ship load of dollars right now?

You can not eat the money.

[TyeDye75]

10. No but with enough money you can buy

two shiploads of food or three or ten..whatever

[G_j]

12. I don't think anybody is saying

this is not a good thing.

The overall response and commitment is where the "stingy" issue arises.

[tx_dem41]

14. I listened to a relief worker the other day. Money is what is needed..

for several reasons (over food). The money is spent much more efficiently in country (it costs money to ship the food half way around the world). Secondly, the money spent in the region spurs the local economy.

Makes complete sense.

[Jon8503]

13. Bush's resonse to this disasester is totally, completely indefensible

anyway you look at it. The Washington Times which we all know how it writes in no way will be able to sugarcoat our response.

A disaster of this magnitude deserved an immediate response from world leaders which it got except for ours.

It deserves the world's No. 1 priority at this moment forward until the work is done and we all know "its hard work" but it has to be done.

[Cuban_Liberal]

15. A Band-Aid on a gaping wound is totally 'stingy'. n/t

[gnofg]

17. Bodybags

We are especially good at bodybags

[TomClash]

18. Here's a partial rundown

of aid pledged:

Britain $95m
Sweden $75m
China $63m
US $35m
Japan $30m
Australia $27m
Germany $27m
France $20m
Saudi Arabia $10m

[G_j]

19. & Spain has pledged $68 million, n/t

[TomClash]

22. Bueno! n/t

[RuleofLaw]

20. I am happy to tell you

That Denmark has agreed to treble its donation from 95 million kroner to 300 million kroner ($60 mill) More than the US. Also, today is a national day of mourning in Denmark, Sweden and Norway:

Danmark yder mere hjælp end USA
Ved pressemødet blev det også offentliggjorde, at Danmark vil tredoble dets bistand til de katastroferamte land i Syd- og Østasien.

I første omgang var det blevet besluttet at afsætte 95 millioner kroner, men der vil nu blive givet 300 millioner kroner til hjælpearbejdet.

Dermed er Danmark i øjeblikket et af de lande i verden, der giver allermest til de nødstedte i de 11 lande, der blev ramt af tsunamien i søndags.

Storbritannien har indtil videre afsat 518 millioner kroner og Kina 340 millioner kroner, mens USA foreløbigt donerer 189 millioner kroner.

[TomClash]

21. It gives a whole new meaning to the moniker "Great Dane"

Three cheers for that wonderful country!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

26. US has upped aid pledge to $350M

looking better...but was it due to pressure or because it was the right thing to do?


http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/31/us.aid/index.html


theProdigal

OnEdit : added story link