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George W. Bush gasped at the effrontery: how dare U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egelund charge that the developed nations of the world have been “stingy” when it comes to tsunami relief! The President fired back petulantly that the United States is a “generous, kindhearted nation”. And so it is, judging from the many charitable donations made by American individuals and corporations since Egelund’s comment. But bear in mind three other truths.
1. The initial offer of aid by the United States government was only $15 million, a gratuitously insulting amount considering what is being spent to murder innocents in the President’s war on Iraq, and to celebrate that slaughter at the second Bush inaugural. The Bush Administration pours hundreds of billions into a preemptive war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
2. The eventual offer of $350 million was made very grudgingly after several highly critical stories by the media.
3. If you would know the values of a nation or of an individual human being, “follow the money”; those truly generous and kind-hearted spend more to heal than to kill.
1. The initial offer of aid by the United States government was only $15 million, a gratuitously insulting amount considering what is being spent to murder innocents in the President’s war on Iraq, and to celebrate that slaughter at the second Bush inaugural. The Bush Administration pours hundreds of billions into a preemptive war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
2. The eventual offer of $350 million was made very grudgingly after several highly critical stories by the media.
3. If you would know the values of a nation or of an individual human being, “follow the money”; those truly generous and kind-hearted spend more to heal than to kill.