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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Tepid response from US public to Pakistan floods |
| 2010-08-29 |
| Tepid? It's that good? [Pak Daily Times] Americans are giving a paltry amount for relief efforts in Pakistan compared to other overseas disasters. They were more than 40 times more generous for the Haiti earthquake. Perhaps because "death to America" demonstrations aren't very common in Haiti. Reasons include the slow-motion nature of the calamity, relatively scant TV coverage, and - unmistakably - the fact that Pakistan is viewed warily by many Americans. Well, call me "mean spirited", but I just have a hard time with paying for a local Rage Boy's nice new tent... No disasters are alike. Yet a month into Pakistan's flood catastrophe, with 8 million people in dire need and a fifth of its territory affected, the donation comparisons are startling. InterAction, an umbrella group for US relief agencies active abroad, says its affiliates have raised about $12 million thus far for Pakistan, compared to more than $500 million at the same stage of the Haiti earthquake relief effort earlier this year. The American Red Cross, traditionally the biggest recipient of disaster relief donations, has collected about $2 million for Pakistan and is dipping into a contingency fund to support its work there. At the same stage, it had raised about $100 million in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, more than $670 million for Hurricane Katrina and about $230 million for the Haiti quake. "People find it complicated to understand our relationship with Pakistan - how the government works, who to trust," said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "It was easier to look at a place like Haiti and know a quick response was needed," she said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 AND further to that, they know they are prone to the odd famine - stop having 6, 7, 8 or 9 children. Stop at 2 please, there is too much pollution on the planet and too many people. I'm not donating next time you can't feed the hungry mouths you have created. Also, memo to Pakistan: marrying your cousins is a dumb idea. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-08-29 20:50 |
| #6 token australian would like to say: me too. Not giving them a cent. Also, I totally understand why the US would not donate - you guys are suffering baad economic woes. Plus I don't seem to recall Pakistan sending any aid for Hurricane Katrina... Nor the bushfire victims in Victoria I do remember Islamist fanatics blowing up hotels in Mumbai though. so why should I care about them now? It's the cradle of Islamofascism. They know they live in a flood zone. If they spent less time banging their heads on the ground worshipping Alan and more time digging drainage systems, building dams and dykes and levies they would not be in this mess now. AND further they know they live in an earthquake zone, so start building to code. Next magnitude 7.8 to hit i'm not sending a dollar then either. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-08-29 20:47 |
| #5 Don't hold back, OS - tell us what you really think. ;-p Me? I ain't giving 'em one thin dime. My extra cash is reserved for real tragedys, kicking the Donks out in November, and Fred (not necessarily in that order). |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-08-29 12:54 |
| #4 Well, considering the hatred they gave us after we helped them during their last disaster (earthquake), most Americans figure our aid is unwanted. F--- 'em seems to be a justified attitude. Go grub money off the Saudis and other rich Mohammedans. Its your own religion's fault they don't give money - Mohammedans do not have charity that Christians do. Muslims figure Allah did it to you because you deserved it. So, Muslims, suffer the evils of your false god and his paedophile prophet. Peace be upon you - the peace of the rotting dead bodies. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-08-29 11:49 |
| #3 At a party last night. A good friend is an American Red Cross official. The RC is about tapped out in its international relief efforts. Haiti took a lot, and the RC is NOT getting much in the way of donations for Pakistan. One thing she said that stuck with me: floods (in her experience) always engender fewer donations than earthquakes and hurricanes. A flood is a slow-motion disaster so people don't see the problem as quickly or as well as they do with an earthquake. She then noted that middle America doesn't seem to be well disposed towards Pakistan (Ed. really?). Many Americans see Pakistan as an enemy and as a corrupt state. Combine these facts and you have an explanation for why the money isn't flowing in. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-08-29 08:50 |
| #2 I guess after seeing numerous "Hate-America" demonstrations we finally got the message. Besides, why would they want food, clothing and shelter from us mere infidels? |
| Posted by: Mike Hunt 2010-08-29 02:51 |
| #1 I think the Pakistani community in the US is also not giving much because they think the govt is corrupt and will steal the money they give. You think. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-08-29 00:23 |