Who Needs Enemies With Friends Like These?
NATO said help was available but it would need to know more about what could be needed.
An organization which claims to be expert in crisis management needs more information and someone to hold THEM by the hand to tell them what to do? So which is it? They can't help or they won't help? My bet's on the latter because if they wanted to, they'd have hit the ground running already.
Germany also said it would offer aid or money if requested by Washington, though officials said the U.S. was well equipped to deal with natural disasters.
At the United Nations, the official spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the U.S. was the country best prepared in the world to deal with such a natural disaster.
With photos like the one above, does it look like America was best prepared to deal with such a natural disaster? Thousands of people are homeless, sick, dehydrating and in imminent danger of losing their lives because of thes
e callous attitudes. These people need help immediately not personal political opinions and debates.
A country which has donated $7.9 billion last year in foreign aid can only cough up $500,000 to the US? It's an insult, not aid.Japan donated $200,000 to the Red Cross and would also provide up to $300,000 in aid supplies such as tents and power generators.
*Quotes found here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/02/katrina.world/index.html
*Disaster Relief Agencies: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina/help.center/
I think Nato needs to know about what could be needed to avoid them sending un-necisary resources to the area. I think the lack of responce from overseas agencies comes from the fact that everyone thought and expected (as I think we all did) the US Federal Government would be doing a lot more than what has actually been done so far. That's the most shocking part of this disaster.
Click (or copy and paste) the following link to listen to an interview by the mayor of New Orleans about the lack of action. It's a 12 minute interview, listen right to the end, even when the line appears to go quiet
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.nagin/index.html?section=cnn_topstories
Posted by
Anonymous |
2/9/05 19:32
I was going to post a transcript of Mayor Ray Nagin's radio interview...but EllasDevil beat me to it! I have a lot of admiration for Mayor Nagin. He tells it like it is.
I guess my three questions are:
1. Where is Canada's Acadian community? Have they yet reached a helping hand out to their Cajun Cousins? This is the 400th anniversary of when the French landed in New Brunswick--and started the Acadian culture. We celebrated it with much hoopla and fanfare...bragging about our "strong family bond" with Louisiana. Louisiana helped the Acadians out when the British expelled them from Eastern Canada? Where are the Acadians now?? I want to know EXACTLY how much they're contributing to the humanitarian relief.
2. Whose bright idea was it to build a city on a swamp? France's. So they should get off their collective bar stools...get out of their cafes and salons...and start sending over some money and help. TOUTE DE SUITE!
3. Is New Orleans worth rebuilding? I suspect this won't be the last of the hurricanes.
OK...that's my rant for today.
Great blog Sistah!
xoxoxo QUEEN BEE
Posted by
Anonymous |
3/9/05 00:04
OK...I found out what New Brunswick is going to do to help out their Cajun Cousins.
Headline: New Brunswick offers sympathy and support.
HA! No money. They say it's because the US is not an underdeveloped nation. Cheapskates.
You can read the rest of the story here:
http://www.canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050902/TPNEWS14/109020019/-1/TPNEWS
I hope the link works.
Posted by
Anonymous |
3/9/05 00:16
Ellas...that was my whole point...everyone expects America to take care of itself..911, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes...that country is probably home to more natural disasters than any other I can think of. Just once, I thought, it might be nice if no matter what America says, somebody sent some blankets, food, water, diapers, etc. Nato DOES know what victims of a hurricane need and they use the excuse that they're waiting for more information? Come on...they DO know. They're just sitting on their collective derrieres.
Bee...VERY good point about Canada's Acadian community. Louisianians would certainly be grateful and use just the most basic of supplies and SEND them via the disaster relief organizations (link on the original article). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Good for Australia though...$10 million immediately donated to the Red Cross for the relief effort. They didn't wait for "information"...they knew.
Posted by
The SeaWitch |
3/9/05 03:23