OT: Foreign Aid For USA

According to an article on the WDSU (New Orleans TV station) website, Saudi Arabia has offered to increase crude oil production to replace market shortages. Venezuela is offering humanitarian aid and fuel. Canada's Red Cross is assembling volunteers. President Bush has received messages from the leaders of China, France, Germany, and from the Pope. I would guess there are many more countries who have communicated with our government but details just aren't being released.

I also saw an article (at CNN.com I believe) that menti> I just listened to Secty. Chertoff (Homeland Security) say that there

Brenda Lewis wrote:

I am so heartened to hear of the offers of help from all of these countries -- France even -- that brings a happy smile to my face since they are not terribly fond of the USA. It would be *so wonderful* if the world could manage to get along this nicely when there isn't any disaster. That's not going to happen any time soon -- not in the human psyche, I suppose. Anyway, the whole thing about the "alive & well" people was quickly touched on during the press conference that I watched -- most of the discussion was given to rescuing those who are injured. Apparently, logistics is the problem in getting supplies to the folks in the evacuation centers. Food and water are available but *getting it* to the centers is *very* difficult! Most of this stuff is apparently on either barges or ships or something like that or being trucked in. Unfortunately, the main access to NuAwlins (that's exactly how the Gov. pronounced it -- LOL) is I-10 and that's a jumble of concrete blocks in several places!!! I don't even want to think about the problems the authorities are facing in trying to juggle all of the necessary humanitarian aspects of this tragedy. If it had just been the hurricane, the problems would be a fraction of what they are. Unfortunately, the flooding has escalated the severity of the problems to almost insurmountable levels. Secty. Chertoff said that ALL efforts have to be prioritized but that things ARE being done at all levels of priority. He said that *many* people who are Ok but trapped by flood waters are being given water & MREs and told to stay put until there is time to come back and get them. The needs of those who are ill or injured are just so overwhelming that people who are relatively safe just have to wait. I also hear that several Navy ships are on their way to the Gulf and will be bringing MORE helicopters. Once those arrive, it will be easier to evacuate the ill & injured, rescue those who are healthy but trapped AND get food and water to the people in the evacuation centers -- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. That doesn't help the people in the centers right now but anyone who thinks the authorities are not doing their level best to help ALL the people is dead wrong. I strongly urge EVERYONE to make a donation to the aid group of their choice. I donated to the Red Cross and PetSmart Charities and

*specified* that my meager offering be used for Hurricane Katrina victims. I make a point of donating to a group that helps animals because they are often overlooked and need our help too! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

I watched a good deal of CNN today. Sri Lanka has also offered assistance. :-)

Dianne

Well OF COURSE it's pronounced NuAwlins -- don't y'all know anything????

I just got out to fill up my car -- the stations up here (northwest Louisiana) are running out of gasoline.

This part of the nation is so dependent on the use of our cars, there's virtually no mass transit in place. I don't know how kids will get to and from school and how people will get to work if they can't sort this out fairly quickly.

It's good to hear that other nations are offering practical support in that area.

The U.S. has, admittedly, been arrogant -- Bush being, IMHO, the prime offender and trend-setter -- and I noticed that when Diane Sawyer asked him in an interview this morning if the gas companies should willing take some sort of hit on their 20%+ profits, he changed the subject and didn't answer her question.

I have no problem with profits -- I do have a problem with inhumanity.

-- Jere

They will just whine that they have to have those profits, their shareholders 'expect' them. I agree with you, I think it is unconscionable but whoever heard of a nice oil company, quelle oxymoron!

This post brought tears to my eyes.

Thank you.

Don't cry too soon. They have just been talking on our radio here about the ship sitting in the harbour loaded with food, generators, emergency shelters, cots, food and best of all masses of safe water, but it can't get permission to take it there, so no point in leaving.

At least the Canadian Red Cross got the go ahead last night and people are leaving here today and will go to Louisiana to be sent wherever the American Red Cross needs them.

Hope GWB gets off his ass and does something constructive soon - he doesn't seem to know how to cope at all.

The list of countries and international organizations gets longer every day: United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, South Korea, Israel, Singapore, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Organization of American States, NATO, the UN, Russia, Japan, Jamaica, Australia, Greece, Hungary...

All these offers of help and Bush's reply: "I'm not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn't asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy, and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country's going to rise up and take care of it." Take off the blasted 10-gallon hat GWB and admit we NEED HELP!!!

You're right, Brenda, we need help -- clearly Bush needs help in figure out how to get any help at all into New Orleans. People are starving to death there.

-- Jere

I hear he is going to visit today - that's the worst possible thing he could do. Diverting all those people to security etc. instead of staying out of the way and letting some help get through.

There's no shame in needing help but it is a pity to turn it away until it will be too late for some, starting with the elderly, the children and people who need medications to live etc.

What a tragic mess.

Not only do we need help, but we need to learn to accept help graciously. I think that would certainly help the US relationship with the rest of the world. We are interdependent, and being able to both give and receive help builds stronger relationships in both the giver and the recipient.

Sue

Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen wrote: > Not only do we need help, but we need to learn to accept help

Years ago I came across this wisdom: When you refuse to accept gifts/help from others, you deny them the good feelings of showing that they care about you and you deny them the satisfying feeling of knowing that they have touched your life. It's not a sign of weakness to accept aid from others. By accepting it, you're unselfishly giving them the joy of being a generous, caring, and giving person.

-- carolyn in cary,nc

That's so true. Years ago my best friend, now dead, was trying to do something nice for me and I didn't want her to go to the trouble of it all. She suddenly said "Shut up and allow me to do this, be graceful and accept what I offer you, for my sake" Since that time I usually do just that when someone wants to help, just accept gracefully lol

Carolyn Kotlas wrote: > Years ago I came across this wisdom: When you refuse to accept

Exactly what I meant....but oh, so much more beautifully expressed!

sue

To play Devil's Advocate, what good does it do anyone to accept help in a form that does no one good OR actually hinders the job at hand? Let's say Iceland offers to send 50,000 space heaters and 50,000 down comforters. It's cold a good bit of the year up there so they would know a LOT about space heaters and down comforters and how much they

*could* help. Problem is, the Gulf States don't NEED space heaters or down comforters, especially not now when temps are in the 90's. If the only thing that Iceland is able to send are space heaters, it would be much smarter to explain the situation to them and decline their very generous offer. Better yet, tell them we need 100,000 light weight blankets and see if they could provide those. If we accepted the space heaters and down comforters, resources would be needed to deal with them -- resources that are desperately needed in getting the basic essentials to those in need. If international offers of aid are being declined because of a "we can do this alone" attitude that's just not right. If the offers of aid are being declined because it's for things that won't help, that makes sense. The Gulf States are in such dire straights that we don't have the luxury of accepting things that are not needed, simply to make the donor feel all warm and fuzzy. In the news briefing I watched the other day, the bottom line was that THE STATE DEPT. is dealing with the offers of aid and coordinating what is given and when it is given, etc. "W" most likely doesn't have a clue exactly who is offering what -- that's not his job. It's also not his job to make blanket statements to the fact that we don't need any help. What I want to know is which donations of aid were refused? Regardless of how we all feel about "W", what is accepted or refused is not up to him. Lord knows *what* he meant by what he said. We all know he often suffers from severe hoof & mouth disease, especially in times of crises -- LOL! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

Many of the houses that remain standing, that are old, will have timbers in them. These would need a space heater going to completely dry them out, not to do so would be to make them a really toothsome item for termites.

While I agree with you I just want to point out that Iceland is not quite as cold as people think, the winters are similar to Boston, maritme temperate climate (the summers are fairly cool, though) The problem in disaster area is often not that food or other items are lacking but the infrastructure and the funds for getting things to where they are needed. Sending a lot of food to an area where there is hunger might just increase the hunger because it just increases the load on the distribution systems (there might be plenty of food in the country, just in a different area)

All of which is RIDICULOUS! Space heaters (if they were offered as aid) to dry out timbers -- for heaven's sake, there's NO DAMNED ELECTRICITY so how could they run the heaters? As for folding the down comforters to make mattresses -- LOLOL -- we need specific things and if countries can't help us with what is so desperately needed then we shouldn't take the donations just because we might possibly make use of them as some point in the future. Besides, those imaginary down comforters would have to be laundered and there's now way THAT is going to happen -- not when people don't even have drinking water. Like I said, if a country was to offer down comforters that we don't need, ASK them for regular blankets -- which I am sure we probably do need in the refugee centers that are in other states. Right now, we need money and food and water and health care (medical supplies and personnel) and a means to deliver all of it and we DO need it immediately. That means helicopters and/or a whole load of flat bottomed boats. THINK PEOPLE! If you think it is a waste of resources to keep "W" safe when he visits the disaster area, then we shouldn't waste resources dealing with aid that we can't make immediate use of but

*might eventually* come in handy! By the time those poor people need something like comforters or space heaters, most of them would have starved to death! We probably need people skilled at building & repairing bridges and laying roads and fixing the power lines and fixing things like I-10 so that we can quickly truck stuff into places like New Orleans. I would be willing to bet that one of THE most useful things we get from Canada are electrical crews to help fix the power lines, etc. Here's another thought -- has anyone offered to send us processed crude oil? We desperately need it because we have lost a whole passel of Gulf Coast refineries. The boats and helicopters and trucks and busses that are being used for emergency operations all need fuel and I can guarantee you there ain't gonna be enough to go around! I have no idea if the offer of processed crude oil has been made -- I am just using it as an example. So -- can anyone actually tell me what type of aid has our government declined to accept and which country did the offer come from? I didn't hear what "W" said but I would be willing to bet it was something along the lines of "We won't accept aid that we don't need and we will first do as much for ourselves as we possibly can before we do accept aid." Hopefully NO president will ever agree to accept aid in the form of things that are not absolutely necessary and certainly not just to make the donating country feel all warm and fuzzy! I don't care WHAT type of stuff is offered as aid -- I am sure that we could find a use for all of it --- eventually. Unfortunately, we just don't have the luxury of accepting anything and everything at this point in time. How do we know that the authorities haven't told some of the other countries that we don't need their aid *right now* but we will in X number of months? If we did accept all those "imaginary" space heaters and down comforters whose gonna pay to store them until we make use of them? Hells bells, whose gonna pay the people to work the docks or airports to unload the stuff and then transfer it to a warehouse where it has to be inventoried and kept track of? The logistics of accepting and then dealing with stuff that we don't need NOW is a nightmare that we can well do without! I'll wait to see how things shake out before I start to condemn what is being done. It's nor perfect and there are a whole lot of people who seem to have fallen through the cracks. I heard one of the FEMA guys in New Orleans say that they didn't even know there were refugees at the Convention Center! I bet someone with the authority made the decision to open up the Convention Center for those in need and then someone down the chain of command failed to notify the Red Cross &/or FEMA about it OR the message got lost in the shuffle!! Now THAT is criminal. Someone dropped the ball and I hope heads will roll for THAT particular "oops"!