Hurricane Katrina
The hurricane has caused incredible damage, death and destruction everywhere. Emergency, rescue and recovery assistance is pouring into the Gulf Coast region from around the country. But NOT from around the world.
The hurricane IS getting noticed overseas. Our good friends the Germans have seen fit to opine about global warming. And our not so good friends, the Iranians, have sent condolences.
We can and do take care of our own. Good thing, that.
posted by Presley Bennett @ 8/30/2005
10 comments
10 Comments:
Alas, such is the undeserved but predictable consequence of our arrogance.
Like I said, its unjustified, but one cannot help but notice a sense of causality.
I'm not really sure how much good the rest of the world could do. Nobody knows how to deal with our infrastructure better than we do, and nobody has a better organized army or national aid system than we do. The American Red Cross provides the template for the rest of the world. The American National Guard. . .which seems oddly absent, but will hopefully show up soon. . .is one of the best trained in the world. The American food reserves are also great. We are the world's best chunk of territory for the kind of natural resources you need to find something like this. We have no lack of fresh water, food, logistics, operations research experts, etc. Do you really want Russia to send us its aid workers?. After the Tsunami India turned down foreign aid, and rightly so. If we couldn't take care of our own, I have no doubt Britain and France and Canada would be stepping up to the plate, and quite possibly other people as well.
"Alas, such is the undeserved but predictable consequence of our arrogance.
Like I said, its unjustified, but one cannot help but notice a sense of causality".
It would appear that New Orleans is not the only place where the tide of slime is rising. What a pathetic comment.
Don't bother to respond as I'll not dignify the likes of you with a response.
Oh ye of little exposure: Canada Ready to Help
I'm not really surprised that you went all the way to Germany and Iran and bypassed folks across your border. Some of you are so predictable.
Arthusa, perhaps it's because the post to which you are responding is dated 8/30 and the news story about the Canadian help is dated 8/31.
Yeah, maybe we're predictable, but we're not psychic. As for the predictability issue, predict that we will always be there to help anyone in need - whoever it is, friend or foe. Predict that we will always back up our friends, with treasure and blood, whenever called upon to do so. And predict that we will always remember those who stood by us in our moment of need, whatever our need may be.
Reign in your anti-americanism, it's a little annoying. And the next time you want to criticize in terms of "Oh ye of little exposure", check your dates.
Ok, I guess I could have worded that a lot better. I apologize.
All I'm saying is that I expected spite from the rest of the world. Whether or not one agrees with their reasons for being spiteful is immaterial. The fact of the matter is that they will always take it out on people who don't deserve it.
There is a distinct difference between being anti-American and seeing the flaws in the way America deals with the rest of the world. You can love your country and still see that its not always doing the right thing.
Why on earth are you so overly defensive? I sensed it throughout your post, which is admittedly why my link was added with such a pithy remark but it certainly didn't warrant a) the ra ra speech about "always being there" and b) the ridiculous charges about anti-Americanism. What on earth are you babbling about?
A timely remark that the article (not the first mentioning Canadian offering help, but I think the news was aired over tv and radio before it got to websites) was dated a day after your post was the only point you needed to make. I'd be more than willing to swallow crow and acknowledge it.
However your antagonism and mean-spiritedness is also wholly uncalled for. And the fact that that the article is a day late is no excuse for your mean assumptions about the rest of the world, which seems to be one of the driving forces behind your "patriotism".
Anyway here's more crow to eat: Foreign governments line up to help after Katrina
But of course it's two days late! Surely that was reason enough for the braggart behaviour. I'd mention when Red Cross Canada started to accept donations but...why bother. You have enough to swallow. :)
I simply took exception to the rather smug tone of your original post, and for this I'm "mean spirited"? As for "antagonism", your original post literally dripped with it. If you choose to make snide remarks, expect a response in kind
My "ra ra speech" was a simple recitation of fact and what I am "babbling about" is the enormous amount of generosity that this country has shown the world over the decades. Where in this do you find "mean assumptions" about the rest of the world? Forgive me if I take a sense of pride in the enormous contributions my country had made, as consistantly makes. As for my "braggart behavior", we have a saying here that goes "it's not bragging if it's fact".
And for any help that Canada, or any other country renders us in our time of need, this American is sincerely grateful. Thank you.
Bush retracted that I think crys, just today, and Canadian help has been allowed to cross the border.
dale: you crack me up. I would say my original comment was smug, I admitted it was pithy, I would even say it was condescending. But how on earth is it "dripping" with antagonism? LOL. Please. Highlight the quotes.
Also I think I'll have to break my comment down for you, so that you don't take my remarks completely out of context and apply them to any part of your opinion to make yourself appear rational.
My remark about "babbling" came immediately after I asked you to explain and support your "anti-American" accusations, which you failed to do, so I can see why you had to attach it to your fact-sharing. The rest of my remarks were inclusive of both your comments and the post (this was mentioned in the first paragraph). Having clarified that I trust that you can figure out what I meant by the "mean assumptions" about the rest of the world? The USA itself at the time of your post hadn't fully gauged the scope of the tragedy, and yet the first conclusion you jump to--after, I assume a quick google search if that--is that the world doesn't care about the tragedies of the US.
Or was that not what you were implying in your post? And you now see the picture this presents to the average reader correct? "Here the US stands, people suffering, and all anyone can do is talk about global warming. But hey that's all right. We don't have high expectations of y'all. But we'll be there for you sharing treasure and blood!"
It's pretty obvious that the USA has done more than it's fair share in providing help to other countries, but your "Ra Ra/Facts" speech seemed wholly out of context given my first reply. It's like you were reminding me that y'all were strong loyal folk, sharing treasure and blood (I love that phrase), when no one had called that into question. Presenting it as facts doesn't lessen the appearance of bragging, you'll need a different tactic.
Arethusa,
First, allow me to clear up a little confusion on your part. I am not the author of this blog and the original post, upon which you and I are commenting, was not written by me. While I may agree with her comments, if you have issues with the original post, perhaps you should take that up with her as she is quite capable od defending herself.
I simply took exception to your comment which consisted of three sentences, all of which were condescending in nature. Should I not have sensed a little "anti-Americanism" at the core of your comment? Sorry if I misread your snide comments, I simply did not sense a lot of compassion within them and found them inappropriate, given the scope of the tragedy.
As for my resulting comments, I have made not a single derrogatory comment about ANY other country. NOT ONE. All of my comments were positive ones about my own. If you consider this "babbling" or "bragging" and if this sort of thing offends you, well, I simply don't know what to tell you. I find it somewhat appropriate at a time such as this.
If an American feeling good about his country in a time of crisis elicits such venom in you, perhaps the problem is not with me, but with you.
The point of your original comment was to secure credit for the help Canada has offered. At the end of my previous post I gave it, without reservation, and with sincere thanks. Your response was further condescending rhetoric.
In closing, I find continuing this discussion while bloated bodies are still floating in the streets of New Orleans unseemly at best. Again, any help from any source is always appreciated but in the end we can take care of our own. Always have, always will. If you consider that "bragging", well, get over it.
Assuming that we understand each other now, I suggest that the thread be closed. I have better things to do, and I'm sure that you do as well.
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