Katrina: The blocked international assistance

from OurFuture.org:


Katrina: The blocked international assistance
Submitted by Rick Perlstein on August 21, 2007 - 12:37pm.


How cynical should be be about the old P.J. O'Rourke joke that "the Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it"? Just how much is conservative government like poor Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, taking a dive for the short-end money?

Well, if the Bush Administration wanted the Gulf Coast to recover, why did they reject the following offers of international aid?

• From India, Navy divers, salvage experts, MREs, and the use of 100 call centers

• From the Slovak Republic, 800 sleeping bags, 65 packets of water disinfectant, and 1,200 liters of hand disinfectant

• From Russia, one airplane and two helicopters with crews, a rescue vehicle, five rescuers, and two search dogs

• From India, Navy divers, salvage experts, MREs, and 100 donated call centers

• From the Netherlands, an amphibious transport ship for use as a hospital, divers, and water engineers

• From Peru, up to 100 doctors, nine tons of tuna, 3.5 tons of sardines, 500 polo shirts, 9,000 bedspreads, and 200 heavy tents

• From Cuba, 1,586 doctors

• From El Salvador, Spanish-language toll-free phone service to provide information to victims

• From England, high-volume pumps and marine engineers

• From Germany, a hospital ship with water-purification and decontamination capabilities

Like ol' Terry Malloy says: They should have looked out for us a little bit. Has the administration ever provided an explanation for this inscrutable behavior? Has anyone ever asked them?

http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/katrina_blocked_international_assistance?tx=3

(Image is from codepinkalert.org)

This makes me want to cry. It makes me so very angry. We could have used ALL of that. Insult the people trying to help and insult the people trying to recover. How dare they?

And by "we", I mean people who actually use our BRAINS
to come to our own conclusions based upon the evidence
of our senses.

I've actually agreed with YOU a few times lately, B-in-B...
I just haven't mention it for fear that DU members might
die from the shock!

KnowhutImean?