Thursday, December 30, 2004
BITTER LOSERS
The Sydney Morning Herald’s online forums attract the nicest people:
I cant help but wonder, how as a country can we justify the hundreds of millions spent on the Iraq war, yet our Government allocates a meagre ten million to such a disaster, shows you where our priorities are. - John Smith
Why is our military off mucking about in a token war when we REALLY need them here? - Cathy Bannister
We are shocked and sad at such needless loss of life, yet we ignore the fact we spend $b’s so that we can kill just as many in the pursuit of a new world order. - Rubens Camejo
Feel that I have just woken from a dream. Iraq never really happened and 100000 thousand Iraqi people havn’t died .The Coalition of the willing didn’t kill them and we dont have to send them aid after all. - john g
Nice folks in the letters pages, too (archived link to yesterday’s letters not yet available):
Almost 3000 people died as a results of events in the United States on September 11, 2001, and our Government was willing to spend billions to do something about it - even go to war, and not ask any embarrassing questions about the evidence for or legality of doing so.
Tens of thousands of Asians die and all our Government can spare to help them is $10 million.
I guess it makes sense. We all know an American’s life is worth millions but Asians’ lives are worth only a few hundred. I’m surprised there’s even a body count. Dead Iraqis don’t get counted. - Gordon Drennan, Burton (SA)
It would be a tangible mark of the true greatness of the man were the Prime Minister to devote as many resources to this overwhelming disaster as he has to the Iraqi disaster and its aftermath. - Severino Milazzo, Maroubra
Today’s SMH letters include a couple of winners, however:
I wonder if multimillionaire Osama bin Laden will donate anything to help his fellow Muslims in their terrible distress caused by the tsunami. - David Blackburn, Hawkesbury Heights
Quick. Hurry Osama. Before you lose the initiative. Spend some of your millions. Send some of your obscene followers. Get in and help those suffering so much from the tsunami before the US-led Forces of Evil send in their tents, doctors, nurses and clean water.
Oh! Too late, they’ve beaten you again. Next time, perhaps. - John Colebatch, North Epping