The Silence is deafening

[Hajo]

I have friends and family who lived in the Gulf area.  I say lived because it looks like their livelihoods have been destroyed.  Not so much as personal property but their places of employment have in some instances disappeared completely.  Those of you who have watched Fox News....and who could get in touch with friends know just how bad the devastation is.  And we are still learning that it is much greater then first thought.

Now....what angers me is this.  First let me say this.  Last year the people of the US donated 240 Billion dollars to charity.  That's Billion with a B.  This does not include what our Govt. gave in Aid to Countries in need.  To give you some idea how much US Private citizens donated to Tsunami Relief....the Aids probelm in Africa etc.  That 240Billion from private US citizens is more then most GDPs in some countries in Europe maybe most.  The US sends help whenever needed or asked for whether it be resourses or monitary aid...whichever will help the most

And yet...............I've not heard one word from any other country on this planet.......not condolences, not an offer of any kind of help.  The Silence is deafening.  Hundreds of thousands of peoples lives are changed forever....and at this time really have no life at all. Not just in New Orleans...but in Biloxi Miss, Gulfport. and other major cities that I've not mentioned.

Makes me think.....maybe isolationism is not such a bad idea.  The people of the US have responded brilliantly as they always have.  People have left their jobs to rush to the Gulf Coast to help those in need.  I've watched helicopters pick hundreds of people from their roofs.  The devastation from Katrina far out paces the devastation from the tsunami.  And it doesn't stop at the Coast.  Flooding and Tornados from the Hurricane have caused flooding up to the Ohio river area near the great Lakes. Many States even a thousand miles away are feeling some effect from Katrina.

And yet.........the Silence is deafening.  The citizens of La., Miss. and Alabama will prevail....the US will also as usuall make sure it's citizens are again hopefull safe and secure...and we might learn a harsh lesson.  The lesson is who your friends are.....and who aren't.  And guess what....if their is an earthquake somewhere in the world....the US will still be there to help with what is needed, manpower, money etc.  But right now....the silence is deafening.  Even a word of sorrow....even a tiny offer of help would be appreciated to these many thousands of displaced people. Yes.

The Silence is deafening.

[Mustaine]

i agree.... (though it is being discussed here already):

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158943

[jEEZY]

I disagree...

Katrina Prompts Global Support for Victims


Wednesday August 31, 2005 6:31 PM

AP Photo LADM102

By DANICA KIRKA

Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - From papal prayers to telegrams from China, the world reacted with an outpouring of compassion Wednesday for the American victims of Hurricane Katrina, even moved to offer aid at the sight of what nature could do to a wealthy and powerful country.

Images of flood-ravaged New Orleans earned particular sympathy in central Europe, where dozens died in raging floodwaters only days ago.

``Nature proved that no matter how rich and economically developed you are, you can't fight it,'' said Danut Afasei, a local official in Romania's Harghita county, where flooding killed 13 people last week.

Throughout Europe, concerned citizens were keeping a close eye on events as they lamented the loss of life and the damage caused to New Orleans, often described as one of the North America's most ``European'' cities.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent messages of sympathy to U.S. President George W. Bush. Chirac, who has famously quarreled with Bush over the Iraq war, addressed his letter, ``Dear George.''

Pope Benedict XVI said he was praying for victims of the ``tragic'' hurricane while China's President Hu Jintao expressed his ``belief that that the American people will definitely overcome the natural disaster and rebuild their beautiful homeland.''

Queen Elizabeth II sent a message to Bush saying she was ``deeply shocked and saddened'' at the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.

In the message, the British monarch expressed her sympathies to the people of the United States, ``especially to the families of those who have lost their lives, to the injured and to all who have been affected by this terrible disaster.''

The U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland - a capital at the foot of the Alps hit by flooding last week - said calls were rushing in from Swiss individuals and institutions looking for a way to donate to relief efforts.

``We are getting calls from the Swiss public looking to express their condolences (and) people are also asking for an account number where they can make donations,'' said spokesman Daniel Wendell.

Earlier this week, the American Embassy donated US$50,000 (euro40,990) to help Swiss relief groups. Several communities in Switzerland remain virtually cut off from the outside world and reliant on air transport for essential supplies. The international oil company BP PLC's foundation donated US$1 million (euro819,806) for Katrina victims.

The Internet-edition Vienna daily Der Standard recorded 820 postings commenting on a front-page story on the hurricane. One of the postings, signed ``Emerald,'' asked where donations could be sent, sparking debate about whether a rich country such as the United States needed such aid.

In response, a posting signed ``far out'' said sending aid to homeless in New Orleans made just as much sense as donating to the poor in Sudan.

``Poor is poor, regardless of where,'' the entry said.

Amid the sympathy, however, there was criticism.

Islamic extremists rejoiced in America's misfortune, giving the storm a military rank and declaring in Internet chatter that ``Private'' Katrina had joined the global jihad. With ``God's help,'' they declared, oil prices would hit US$100 a barrel this year.

As U.S. military engineers struggled to shore up breached levees, experts in the Netherlands expressed surprise that New Orleans' flood systems failed to restrain the raging waters.

With half of the country's population of 16 million living below sea level, the Netherlands has been preparing since floods in 1953 that killed 2,000 people. The nation installed massive hydraulic sea walls known as the Delta Works.

``I don't want to sound overly critical, but it's hard to imagine that (the damage caused by Katrina) could happen in a Western country,'' Ted Sluijter, press spokesman for Neeltje Jans, the public park where the Delta Works are exhibited. ``It seemed like plans for protection and evacuation weren't really in place, and once it happened, the coordination'' was poor.

Both Katrina and the floods in Europe prove that all countries needed to be prepared for the worst, said Salvano Briceno, director of the Geneva-based U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

``Anyone can be affected, any day, anywhere by disaster originated by a natural hazard,'' Briceno told journalists. ``Urban risks, the degradation of the environment and global warming make disaster reduction a top priority for all governments' agenda.''

The sympathy was muted in some corners by a sense that the United States reaped what it sowed, since the country is seen as the main contributor to the global warming that may be behind such furies of nature.

European media in particular raised long-standing criticism of American environmental policy, which they maintain contributes to global warming and natural catastrophes such as Katrina.

The Lausanne-based daily 24 Heures warned that even greater disasters may be around the corner and asked what was being done to prepare by the end of the century for ``the exodus of 150 million refugees caused by the rising of the oceans.''

Joern Ehlers, a spokesman for WWF Germany, said global warming had increased the intensity of hurricanes such as Katrina, but that it was unclear whether climate change had made them more common.

In general, ``natural catastrophes are more extreme and occur more often'' due to global warming, he said, noting that Germany had been struck with three severe floods in the past six years.

Though no conclusions can be drawn from a single event such as Katrina, that storm ``fits into the picture of modern climate researchers. It's a building block in the global warming theory.''

Aside from its tragic aftermath, Katrina might help people understand the urgency of global warming effects, Ehlers said. But do the Americans, infamous for consuming massive amounts of energy, have themselves to blame?

``I wouldn't go that far,'' Ehlers said. ``But it's a fact that the Americans have a big impact on the greenhouse effect.''

Harlan L. Watson, the U.S. envoy for negotiations on climate change, disputed Ehlers' assessment during a trip to Geneva. He denied there was a link between global warming and the strength of Katrina.

``Our scientists are telling us right now that there's not a linkage,'' he said. ``I'll rely on their information.''

---

[Ripsnort]

To be fair, it took a couple days at minimum before the word spread of the true impact of devastation in SE Asia.   The streets were dry in NO on Tuesday(up until that levy broke...) and the pictures started rolling in Tuesday afternoon of the coastal damage in Mississippi,

[Yeager]

We understand completely up here in the NW what has happened.  Its a frigging natural disaster.  The worst we as a nation have likely ever seen.

But heres the deal....
The gulf coast will mourn collect and bury the dead as best as humanly possible, then get pissed, repair itself. Learn from the mistakes and most importantly, be prepared for the next one.

We are all americans, we help each other and help is on the way.

[RTR]

I have been out of touch for the last couple of months.

I am deeply saddened by the losses suffered by all in the south.

To those that this has touched, I can only offer my condolences and hope.

strength.

RTR

[Vulcan]

The Silence is deafening

Then maybe you should take your hands off your ears. People step up to help the US all the time, its just you so into yourselves sometimes that you fail to get it reported.

...and also remind youself that the Tsunami hit a series of 3rd world countries, and that hundreds of thousands died, not hundreds.

[Max]

I'm with you Hajo. I just sent the following mail out to our squad e-list:

Anyone besides myself notice the conspicuous absence of condolences, offers of aid on the international stage? Great Britain, of course, has offered help. Reports state that Germany has offered some aid, along with a poke in the eye that this storm was George Bush's fault for not signing the Kyoto Accord. I suspect we can count on the French for a shipment of unused military rifles to help arm the local militias...which will no doubt form along the Gulf Coast in the absense of  police protection.

Sorry for the political overtones but I for one am sickened by how much effort, dollars and man-hours Americans provide the rest of the world in time of need, and aside from our tried and true friends in Britain, the rest of the world gives us the finger, and takes joy in this moment of suffering, death and unparrelled destruction.

Max

[Hajo]

Vulcan....in response to your reply.

Sri Lanka and Indonesia.  Not talking about Govts. here.  talking about everyday people.  All totaled....the private donations from the ordinary citizen of the US was Greater then the US Govts.

The US alone....private citizens out paced, overshadowed the monitary help to the tsuanami effected area from any country, matter of fact the total of many countries.

What I am talking about is being a human being....personal help.  Helping your fellow man...no matter where, when or who they may be.  This has nothing to do with politics.

I'm sure someone will interject something political here.  But it has no place in this thread.

Rip....Fox broadcast around the world.....they got the same info we did at the same time.  And also knew one to two days ahead of time that the Gulf Coast would be devastated in a large area.

I have two Cousins in Miss.....Biloxi area and we just got in touch.
They told me that we can not comprehend what has happened from the comfort of our living rooms.  Currently they both are unemployed.  The business they worked in is no longer there.
Homes....can be repaired.  But lack of water....food....the inablility to go somewhere at this time is not an option.  No communications....potable water....we take for granted.  they don't.

[Curval]

Come on guys, lighten up.

As Rip points out it took some time for the scale of the Tsunami to sink in world-wide.

EVERYONE I know is glued to the TV, the internet and talking about what happened.  Don't dream up crazy talk that people are enjoying this.

[megadud]

they are going to have to bury all the victims from the hurricane and all the corpses that the floods dragged out. this is a freakin mess!

[Max]

Originally posted by Curval
Come on guys, lighten up.

  Don't dream up crazy talk that people are enjoying this.

Really? Al Jazeera has reported that fundamentalist Muslims have inducted "Private Katrina" into the jihad against the Great Satan.

Dmdmax

[Curval]

Well...fine.  The Musilm extremists might.  I suppose every other nation can get lumped in too?

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Vulcan

...and also remind youself that the Tsunami hit a series of 3rd world countries, and that hundreds of thousands died, not hundreds.

We don't know the full impact of this storm yet, thousands may indeed have died...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/08/31/D8CB1U3GA.html

[Squire]

Its been nothing but the top news story up here since it started, and the Canadian Red Cross is sending whatever it can, as well as citizens are contributing to the relief. I know we will send anything that the US asks us for in the way of specialised search units ect...

Your neighbours DO give a damn.

http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=014034&tid=001