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| UN set to take control of tsunami relief effort |
| 2005-01-05 |
| The "core group" of nations announced by US President George W. Bush to channel aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will be dissolved on Thursday after only eight days as the United Nations Mr Bush's initiative on December 29 - which at first included only the US, India, Japan and Australia - appeared to have been prompted by an accusation by Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief coordinator, that the response of wealthy nations had been "stingy". The UN was included the next day after Mr Bush was criticised for sidelining the UN in a rescue operation involving dozens of countries. Ah... no - because the UN wasn't doing a farking thing besides talk. In fact they stil have not done anything. Translation: the 24/hr catering service at the 5-star hotel has been restored. Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, will take centre stage on Thursday at the hastily convened meeting in Jakarta when he appeals for aid to cover the next six months. Among those attending are Colin Powell, US secretary of state; Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese prime minister; Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier; and other leaders from Asia and Europe. What the fark is Powell doing there? Governments and individuals from around the world have already pledged over $2bn in assistance to help survivors of the December 26 tsunamis, which were triggered by an undersea earthquake off the island of Sumatra and killed 150,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and as far away as the east coast of Africa. UN officials and Washington's allies have tried to avoid public criticism of the core group during its short life, and Mr Tsuruoka insisted the group had been "innovative" and "very effective" in mobilising aid. Translation: They did the shitwork - but now that 24hr catering at the 5-star hotel is restored the U.N. can proceed to take the credit (and a slice of the funds for 'administrative costs (lunches, conferences, and 5-star catering)' of course...) Thursday's one-day summit is expected to focus on the short-term needs of the region for emergency aid and on plans to set up a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean similar to the one already working in the Pacific. On Wednesday donors continued to announce aid pledges. Germany linked its pledge of E500m ($664.5m, ￜ352m) for victims of the Asian tsunamis to the ending of rebel insurgencies in Sri Lanka and in the Aceh region in of Indonesia. Translation: We have an 'out'.... Joschka Fischer, foreign minister, said he would use a trip to the region starting on Friday to press the governments of the two countries to prioritise "national reconciliation" as relief efforts are stepped up in the disaster-hit districts. Translation: Appeasement will work! He noted that government leaders in the two countries could not ignore the "political context" in which the disaster took place. Translation: The tsunami was your fault because you did not appease your rebels..... But Andrew Tan, a Singapore official, warned against complicating the relief and reconstruction drives by "tying them to insurgency problems such as the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka". Unusually for such a disaster, no one has suggested there is an immediate shortage of funds, and diplomats say the challenge over the next few months will be to coordinate the delivery of aid rather than to raise more money. Translation: We are here to focus on taking credit for others delivering aid..... Louis Michel, the EU's development Commissioner, who is touring the affected area, said there was too much emphasis on money and not enough on longer term projects. Such as getting these people totally dependant on U.N. aid. |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #33 Actually, joeblow, you have been trolling for hits since you arrived. You have zero, zip, zilch, nada evidence about me except for this thread. I reached saturation right here regards your arrogance and closet BDS. What makes you think your opinion has been lacking around here? You post substance and others, me in particular, do not? Lol - you take yourself too seriously. What you post - we see it all the time. They come and they go. They suck and they blow. You're just another zit on America's ass, sonny. My language offends you? Who fucking cares? You're a pretentious posturing poseur, a wannabee expert and authority. Your opinions are old hat. I have not seen you give an inch, give credit where due, apologize for your own nastiness, or indicate via "intellectual content" that you have a superior position. All there is is your "reads", your "takes", your "demands", your "accusations", your "pontifications", your childish tantrums, and your opinions. It's a dime a dozen for input such as yours. You are irrelevant. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-06 12:08:17 AM |
| #32 How did I "insult" Bush - by callinmg him a closet liberal when it came to how he supports the UN? Zowie. That was sure some insult! Ouch. Look, I call a spade a spade. I'm certainly not going to pretend that GWB is my everything President, because he isn't. GWB has good qualities, but he also has some weak points, largely when his "compassion" gets the best of his cerebral businessman's instincts. The UN is one of those areas that plays to GWB's weak points, to his liberalness if you like. If you can show me instances when GWB told the UN to take a hike, like Reagan did, I might change my mind. JB, there's a very old adage in diplomacy, first uttered by Talleyrand, to the effect of "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice Doggie' while you are looking for a rock." It doesn't necessarily mean that you actually think the dog is nice. Bush hasn't actually told the UN to take a hike. But he actually got the security council to pass resolutions in support of the campaign in Iraq, which matters a lot more than whatever Kofi has blathered this month. Perhaps another example: I spent the whole summer watching Kerry and Company's attacks on Bush while Bush mainly did nothing and generally abstained from campaigning. Yet here we are, with Bush having won re-election and the Democrats scratching their head about how did they wind up with such a lousy candidate (because obviously, in their opinion, Bush would have lost to a good one). I would suggest we're in a similar situation wrt the UN. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-01-06 12:02:17 AM |
| #31 Phil - I love ya, but I'd rather be judged strictly on my merits as a contributor, Period. Full stop. I know that... I just felt like pointing out the absurdity of the situation. I have had moderation duties in other fora, and I am quite happy NOT having such responsibilities at the present. I understand if you feel the same. I've done the angry flame-master thing online before, and it's kind of tiring. And these days, it's boring for me to read. Frankly, I come to Rantburg for the news items I can't easily find anywhere else; if I wanted a little political analysis and a lot of flamewars, I'd be over at some more forum-heavy site like LFG. If the denizens of RB (You Know Who Not Included) want me to STFU and disappear - NO Problemo. Consider it done. Gone. Adios. Hasta La Vista, Baybee. But will we find another SERIOUSLY: I don't like what the UN has been doing lately, but I fail to see the point of accusing everyone here who disagrees with me (and most of those who agree with me) of overtly or covertly supporting the UN's corruption, especially when our ability to influence the UN is limited. Now that I think about it, the UN does a much better job of limiting itself than we ever could. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-01-05 11:53:27 PM |
| #30 your belief that Bush has some sort of veto power over the selection of the UN Secretary-General. Where did you get that as being my "belief?" I never said GWB had veto power over Kofi Annan's selection. I simply said GWB supports the status quo in in the UN. He had an opportunity to join the chorus of disapproval being voiced by some GOP Senators, led by the MN.senator, shortly after the oil for food scandal made the news, especially on FOX news. And instead of taking the opportunity as I imagine Reagan might have done to cheer his GOP senators on, GWB gave a press conference giving his full support to Kofi Annan. in the latter cases especially you seem to mistake insulting your opponents for rational argument, Re-read the posts. Who changed the direction of the discussion to personal insults? Who started the provocateur bullyboy posts? Those posts were not mine. It was your hero doing what he always does when he has no rational evidence to support his position - character assassination, immature distraction. think insulting Bush in particular for rational argument How did I "insult" Bush - by callinmg him a closet liberal when it came to how he supports the UN? Zowie. That was sure some insult! Ouch. Look, I call a spade a spade. I'm certainly not going to pretend that GWB is my everything President, because he isn't. GWB has good qualities, but he also has some weak points, largely when his "compassion" gets the best of his cerebral businessman's instincts. The UN is one of those areas that plays to GWB's weak points, to his liberalness if you like. If you can show me instances when GWB told the UN to take a hike, like Reagan did, I might change my mind. |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 11:49:40 PM |
| #29 Except Shipman, of course. Only The Shadow knows all of the nyms he employs! I'm guilty too, but I include the little leading dot to make sure ya know I'm not trolling. I'd post a couple of pictures on the topic, but it'd make me seem crude and foul. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 11:44:12 PM |
| #28 This reminds me of what an outside consultant told me when our company's merger was announced about the great lie in business: We're from Corporate, and we are here to help you. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-01-05 11:41:12 PM |
| #27 Nah, flamewars are good. Ya need to reinforce the creds once in a while. I'm sure some Womyn's Studies major is doing a paper right now on Male Hierarchichal Patterns in Weblogs: A Cybersexual Perspective regarding the Gynophobic Polemic. Or somesuch. And let's not be changing names, shall we? I think I finally know who all the key players are. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-05 11:38:35 PM |
| #26 BH - Seen enough tantrums? How about at home? ;-> |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 11:25:33 PM |
| #25 Phil - I love ya, but I'd rather be judged strictly on my merits as a contributor, Period. Full stop. If the denizens of RB (You Know Who Not Included) want me to STFU and disappear - NO Problemo. Consider it done. Gone. Adios. Hasta La Vista, Baybee. I'll just come back under another nym like blowhard. Heh. You don't think I'm crazy enough to give up RB, do ya?!!!! LOL! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 11:20:40 PM |
| #24 And you are... the moderator, the adjudicator, the Holy See of this forum? No, .com doesn't have any editorial duties here. He only bought the server. NOW, some of the time you've been making sense, but a lot of the time you haven't, and in the latter cases especially you seem to mistake insulting your opponents for rational argument, and think insulting Bush in particular for rational argument (for instance, your belief that Bush has some sort of veto power over the selection of the UN Secretary-General. AFAIK, such does not exist, and you need to find a better way of supporting such assertions than you currently have). |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-01-05 11:06:40 PM |
| #23 IWWIWWIWI = I Want What I Want When I Want It I see you've been talking to my son again. ;) |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-05 11:06:05 PM |
| #22 You fail to see the "intellectual content"? Lol! One must ask which lack is at fault? Your lack of cognitive acuity? Or your lack of appreciation for being outted as a Stealth BDS Sufferer? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 11:03:38 PM |
| #21 I'd advise you to get a can of humble and sup heartily. My $0.02 Thanks for your 2 cents worth, Frank, but you've got bad taste as far as who you respect. I think the intellectual content of post #19 says it all. I rest my case. |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 10:51:18 PM |
| #20 *IWWIWWIWI = I Want What I Want When I Want It |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 10:39:53 PM |
| #19 Thank you - so much. you're the man of the hour, so you must be right. You've been around, what, a coupla weeks? Or have you been here under another nym? Lol! You sound soooo familiar. Anyway, doesn't matter what I might've said prior to your appearance, I'm just a bully with little to contribute. And you? Lol, I know you. No matter the nym - you're old news and you have the same odor as the other lame creatures who have visited us 5 or 6 times in the last year. You're another ultra-sensitive political genealogist with a flaming case of BDS and a certainty that your shit doesn't stink. It does. You can trace the pain your hang-nail causes directly to George W Bush. Pretty fucking amazing. Another trait of your moron ilk is that you're deep into instant gratification. IWWIWWIWI* - the War Cry of the Three Year Old. There are no other considerations beyond your opinion becoming instant policy. So hey, Dubya, microwave that thing will ya? joeblow's got himself a woodie and needs release! Dubya's not perfect, but he's the best we could hope for in the circumstances, and has delivered far more than I ever expected from any of the politican types. I'll take him, warts and all. And jettison your brain farts. I just don't know how the Earth managed to rotate or revolve until you came (onanistically) to RB to set us all poor dumbfucks straight and assume the mantle of blame-giver. News Flash - that's a hotly disputed position. Guys like you are a dime a dozen. And almost as constructive as a genital rash, after sifting is completed. To maintain my image, in closing may I offer kiss my ass, asshat. *big kiss* |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 10:39:04 PM |
| #18 joeblow blow it out your ass |
| Posted by: smokeysinse 2005-01-05 10:33:37 PM |
| #17 actually, Joe, he's been a longtime contributor and you haven't. I find .com pleasantly sarcastic, willing to admit when he's wrong (happens rarely) and less jingoistic and full of BS than you. Your track record, pal, is short and not so sweet. I'd advise you to get a can of humble and sup heartily. My $0.02 |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-05 10:32:14 PM |
| #16 Not a matter of politeness, fucktard, it's a matter of you packing your BDS routine up and moving on. And you are... the moderator, the adjudicator, the Holy See of this forum? I'll tell you what you are,Mr.(or is it Ms.?).com. You are a foul mouthed blowhard bullyboy poster with little to contribute in the way of original ideas in political discussions except for the occasional mildly humorous/off color video or photo link. |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 10:20:50 PM |
| #15 An Aussie comment on "The Diplomad" blog had suggested that since the UN wasn't world government and only had expensive conferences to talk about talking about doing something.... Perhaps it could be replaced with a "login" type "UN BLOG". I thought it was a wonderful idea. Maybe GWB heard about it and was afraid We The People might replace Washington with a Blog on the next round. (that sounds tasty too...) |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-01-05 10:20:01 PM |
| #14 I think we are seeing some horse-trading going on. As much as I dislike the UN and many European governments we do need to work with these people. This is reality. |
| Posted by: Canaveral Dan 2005-01-05 10:09:06 PM |
| #13 Not a matter of politeness, fucktard, it's a matter of you packing your BDS routine up and moving on. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 10:07:43 PM |
| #12 Who said I was anything but polite in my response to your twaddle, doofus? |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 10:05:57 PM |
| #11 Who says I was kidding, asshat? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 9:40:18 PM |
| #10 Very funny .com. All kidding aside, my observations about why Powell is huddling with Kofi at the Jakarta meeting or how GWB will handle the UN's insistence to take over disaster aid siphoning..ahem...I mean disaster aid co-ordination doesn't take rocket science. GWB is a liberal in many ways. He is the son of a blue blood East Coast liberal Republican. He married a woman who is very liberal and he converted to her religion - Methodist - a very left wing church. GWB has been consistently supportive of the UN financially, paying the dues dutifully even after the UN called the Iraq war illegal even after the oil for food scandal dribbled out in the press. GWB has even been recently restrained by Congress( drunken sailors themselves when it comes to spending)for budget allocations to UN peacekeeping "missions"... wink, wink. Guys, here's a major clue that you missed a while back - who but a closet liberal/ UN supportive President would willingly appoint a known leftie like Colin Powell to be Sect'y of State and kept Powell in that office for 4 long years until Powell himself called it quits? Too bad we didn't elect Kerry. He had a plan that didn't include the UN. oh wait.. Hey jackoff how is GWB that different from kerry re: support of the UN? I'm not seeing GWB giving Kofi the thumbs down when food for oil scandal surfaced. I'm not seeing GWB telling the UN to take a hike wth regards to dues and other financial support after the UN stabbed us in the back with regards to Iraq. Kofi referred to it as an "illegal war" just a few months ago and what does GWB do in return - he asks Congress for an increased allocation for UN peacekeeping. Oh wow that was a tough and mean Texan response. Bush is better than Kerry on other issues, but they're pretty much equal in their support of the UN and the status quo in that failure of an organization. Don't kid yourself that GWB embodies a second coming of Reagan who actually told the UN to take a hike because they were anti-American and went so far as with holding the paying of dues. As far as predicting GWB's tie, hmmm that's a toughie - he'll wear whatever co-ordinates nicely with his wife's ice-blue inaugeral gown. |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 9:38:27 PM |
| #9 Lol TGA -- I hadn't pondered the deeper ramifications, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 8:45:35 PM |
| #8 Yes and which tie will Bush wear on inauguration day? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-01-05 8:42:24 PM |
| #7 joeblow - You are, without a doubt, the most cock-sure SOB I've had the privilege to read when it comes to what's going on inside the Bush admin -- and more specifically, which is the bigger eye-opener, what's going on in Bush's head. So what's your secret? ESP? Or are you The President's Analyst? Must be amazing to know what you know. Color me motherfucking impressed. Who'da thunk it? Right here on RB. Praise the Fates and Pass the Ammunition. So what's next? C'mon, give us a hint of what to expect over the next few months. Got the lowdown on Iran and the Mad Mullahs? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-05 8:26:30 PM |
| #6 right on joeblow! Too bad we didn't elect Kerry. He had a plan that didn't include the UN. oh wait.. |
| Posted by: jackoff 2005-01-05 8:20:50 PM |
| #5 What the fark is Powell doing there? Duh, I don't know, maybe he was sent there by our President? Let's see. Has George W. Bush ever come out and said that Kofi Annan and the UN are a bunch of corrupt slimeballs, which we laymen know to be true. I'll save you scratching your head - the answer is no. Our President supports Kofi and the UN corruption ridden kleptomaniacs, always has and always will. Does this help you better understand why our $350 Million disaster aid is as good as flushed down the toilet? No worries. Our Congressmen and the WH know how to "create" more $ to replace that which has been flushed away. It's called increasing the deficit... for a good cause. |
| Posted by: joeblow 2005-01-05 8:15:12 PM |
| #4 Germany has not linked its pledge to political requirements. I found it interesting that Schröder didn't even mention the UN in his press conference. The money will go directly to projects. This is not a check to the UN at all. Good. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-01-05 7:53:28 PM |
| #3 Disaster relief in Thailand. The UN has to be absolutely giddy about this. It's easier to organize a |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-05 7:51:16 PM |
| #2 Oh, boy! Does this mean South Asia gets to become a big, giant refugee camp for the next 50 years! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-01-05 7:40:20 PM |
| #1 Those poor people are totally fucked now.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-01-05 7:36:51 PM |