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Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 01:40 pm
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
- I suspect that this tragedy is just what some devoted Bush and Howard haters have been waiting for since their own candidates failed to defeat their objects of hatred at the ballot box.Posted by PW on 2004 12 30 at 02:18 AM • permalink
- amazon.com has gotten well over a $1 million from folks here in the us. stingy bastards that we are, of course.Posted by Mr. Bingley on 2004 12 30 at 02:18 AM • permalink
- There was a sneering ABC leftie journalist on tonight’s 7:30 Report, interviewing somebody
pretty high up in either a charity or the UN Emergency Response. Transcript not available but
here’s some things that stuck with me.*Every time* the Australian aid contribution of $35
Million was mentioned it was said that it had been
increased to $35 Million. The sneering implication
being that the initial Australian response was
woefully inadequate. Never mind that the initial
response was made before the extent of the
tragedy was known and was clearly voiced
as an initial response.One of those idiot letters to SMH (or something
similar) was cited by the ABC woman. “A letter
to a *major metropolitan daily* says we’re
spending billions on the Iraq war but can only
afford $10 million for this crisis”.And there was lots of mention of the word “stingy”.
Well I believe we’re wasting $800 million EACH
YEAR on the ABC for this quality presentation
of news, so there’s some money that people
would be glad to see diverted to the relief
effort, at the expense of “journalists” like
they have at the 7:30 Report.
- My guess is that James Wolcott is super-duper happy with the results of the tsunami, seeing as how he gets to witness Mother Nature walloping us miserable humans all over again.
Or is he noticeably silent on the issue?
Just asking…
Posted by William Young on 2004 12 30 at 03:10 AM • permalink
- Yes, James Wolcott should be especially pleased! All those slash and burn people, turning jungle into desert, and, as an added bonus, a sprinkle of conspicuous consumers too.Posted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 30 at 04:46 AM • permalink
- Tim�you forgot one!
May God bless those who have lost love ones and may all the nations (Especially the US)dig deep to help with Medical & Food supplies for those hanging on.
Shaun B.
My gawd, the world sure does obsess about the US and what it does and does not do. This fellow�s heart may be in the right place but his head is clearly up his, as you say, �arse�. I�m off to write MY cheeky letter to the newspaper to complain about you Australians being so niggardly in you charity and France too.
*/sacasm offPosted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 30 at 05:07 AM • permalink
- Just look at this disgusting quote on the BBC Have your Say (BBC picks opinion it likes)
“We had higher surf than usual here on Maui. However, I would like to see the tax dollars we spend on an illegal war in Iraq diverted to help victims of a force utterly out of their control. As world citizens, this is our first priority.
Marjo Miller, Kihei, USA”Truly vile. I not paying for their shit anymore. Send me to jail. I rather be a running man (jailed for entertainment) than a BBC slave.
- “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.”
ok less declare war on earthquakes and tsunamis.
Posted by vinnyboombutts on 2004 12 30 at 09:52 AM • permalink
- This is sadly typical of the incredibly ruthless Left who don’t think twice about exploiting victims of a tragedy to use as a human platform for their anti-American ideology. ONLY when the dead come in handy and can be used to whack America do these so-called bleeding hearts come out of the woodwork. Otherwise these victims are ignored. No-one cared about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi victims of failed U.N. sanctions before the war. Now Iraqi dead are like gold to these sickeningly self-righteous cretins. Just consider the 70,000 victims of the war in Sudan, the 1000 victims a day of the conflict in the Democratic Republic Of Congo and the casualties of the bloody wars in Aceh and Chechnya. Just compare the air-time given to these issues on the ABC in 2004 with the coverage of the Iraq war, remembering that even the U.N. referred to the situation in Sudan as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world!”
To add to this utter hypocrisy we have ABC ‘personalities’ like Corrine Grant continuously ranting about the decadence of Western capitalism, consumerism and commercialism while making out that she’s poor…with 3 over-paid gigs a week! Who does she think she’s kidding? Where’s all THAT filthy money going to?
- [H]ow 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
As if mere money can buy back human-life. What utter crap. I believe there are 23-25 million Iraqis involved here. And I don’t remember anyone offering aid to the US. I do remember certain groups cheering in the streets at our demise.
Posted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 30 at 12:42 PM • permalink
- vinnyboombutts
Gee I suppose you forgot Bali. Oh, but it was American policy that got you blown to bits�not Islamic terrorist.
If you love the Islamist so, climb in bed with them. I hear they are very accommodating.
Posted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 30 at 12:50 PM • permalink
- I forgot to mention, 80% of the food aid entering Sudan in 2004 was provided by the U.S.
Sudan’s embassy in Washington was picketed by U.S. Congressmen/women and a coalition of Christian groups earlier this year, some of whom were arrested, in an effort to bring pressure on the Sudanese government.
The Indonesians took 2 days to send a helicopter to survey the scene in Aceh! Of course, there were no aid organisations present in the region as they were expelled in the lead up to the brutal war there. A situation, it seems, not fashionable enough for the so-called ‘bleeding heart’ Left to exploit!
- posted by mike
“vinnyboombuttsGee I suppose you forgot Bali. Oh, but it was American policy that got you blown to bits�not Islamic terrorist.
If you love the Islamist so, climb in bed with them. I hear they are very accommodating.”
it’s called sarcasm
Posted by vinnyboombutts on 2004 12 31 at 10:41 AM • permalink
- Sorry vinnyboombutts–no visual cues.
Vercotti: Well I had noticed that the lad with the thermo-nuclear device was the Chief Constable for the area. Anyway a week later they came back, said that the cheque had bounced and that I had to see Doug.
Interviewer: Doug?
Vercotti: Doug (takes a drink) I was terrified of him. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I’ve seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug.
Interviewer: What did he do?
Vercotti: He used sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, bathos, puns, parody, litotes and satire.
�Monty Python’s Flying Circus Ep. 14
Posted by Mike SC USA on 2004 12 31 at 02:12 PM • permalink
