[lit-ideas] Re: Priorities

Wednesday, December 29, 2004, 6:29:36 PM, Veronica Caley wrote:

VC> I read several of these articles including the one you cite.  This news
VC> source does not seem to be anything like an objective news outlet, but
VC> rather another arm of right wing propaganda machine, therefore I give i=
t no
VC> credence.

Thank you, Veronica; I have now looked at the site more closely -- yes
-- at first very sleepy glance I thought I was looking at a standard
news site...

VC> Re the UN comment, out of order and undiplomatic.

I think it's worth looking at what Jan Egeland actually said:

>The second stage is for medium and long term help. The UN is holding
> a conference next month to discuss the next steps following
> this disaster. Already the UN's emergency co-coordinator
>  Jan Egeland has said this might be the worst natural disaster ever.
> That implies the need for unusually large contributions.

>He is also complaining that rich countries are not giving enough to the
> poor anyway. "It is beyond me why we are so stingy. Really. Christmas
> time should remind many Western countries at least, how rich we have beco=
me," he said.

>"There are several donors who are less generous than before in a growing w=
orld economy."

>He suggested that governments "believe that they are really burdening
>the taxpayers too much, and the taxpayers want to give less.
> It's not true. They want to give more."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4130127.stm

VC>  Concerning how much US
VC> government will contribute to Asian relief?  Who knows?  Mr. Bush's tac=
tic
VC> for several years is to mandate programs, offer money to pay for it and
VC> then greatly reduce it. =20


I think perhaps I'd best be no comment... -- I do have a plea. Both
the US and the UK rely on citizens giving money (of course Bush has
actually admitted this) but that shouldn;t stop peopke who feel they
can give something, doing so. Our Disasters' Emergency Committee,
having raised more than =A340 million for the Sudan, has now launched a
Tsunami Appeal. They already have $5 million - since yesterday and the
appeal hasn't really started -- but, well, the more the better.
Their web page is a bit shaky at the moment (they've had to change it fast)
and I think a lot of people are trying to access it -- still, here it is:


http://www.dec.org.uk/

or people might prefer to give to Medecins Sans Frontieres --
particularly people outside the UK -- they are
already there and will be sending more teams

www.msf.org/

and

www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

NB their web pages are also shaky, too many people are trying to
access them


Judy




--=20

                             mailto:judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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