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China earthquake


Vertigo58

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By now everyone is aware of the horrific natural disaster in mid China. NPR had a short story of how cities like San Francisco are raising $ to send to China. Situation is dire of course. Wonder if anyone has heard of Houston contributing or whatever?

Death toll could hit 50,000.00

Can you see the woman in that apt waiting to be rescued? Quite a precarious situation.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05...nterstitialskip

2008_05_14t083131_450x300_us_quake.jpg?x=400&y=266&sig=gHBVAef.7nN6rVF_J8nrFA--

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China can fend for themselves! If San Francisco wants to raise money, go raise money for your own homeless, or New Orleans.

I am more curious to whether China is rethinking their whole "One child" policy. :huh:

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China can fend for themselves! If San Francisco wants to raise money, go raise money for your own homeless, or New Orleans.

I am more curious to whether China is rethinking their whole "One child" policy. :huh:

I'm right there with ya'. China is trying to be the newest superpower, let them play one and not get any. No one helps us, I say screw them.

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Deadly natural disasters strike without regard for politics, and thankfully there are those of us who still believe that, as humans, our response to disaster should transcend power struggles.

.... my moment of zen.

While I agree with you overall, WE are expected to take care of ourselves while the rest of the country watches. The same can be said about the Soviet Union (but no one watches because they don't tell anyone), China and India are trying to be on our level. They (China) is starting to be an economic and military giant, its time for them to act like it.

The other countries? Yes, they need help because they don't have the infrastructure, specialized equipment, and people to do the job that would be necessary.

Yes, THEORETICALLY, mankind should help one another in time of disaster, but as we have seen in the past; we live in a world that is far from theoretical.

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Deadly natural disasters strike without regard for politics, and thankfully there are those of us who still believe that, as humans, our response to disaster should transcend power struggles.

.... my moment of zen.

Real politik supercedes buddhism. This is China we're talking about, after all!

EDIT: Having said that, the real politik as it applies to our actions demands that we provide aid to China. The media covers disaster thoroughly; nobody (of consequence) cares about the poor, so the poor get no coverage. It is therefore in our political interests that we inundate high-coverage events such as this one with resources so as to promote our own propagandistic self-image as a benevolent superpower...even in the face of the facts, which are that our superpower status is waning. We should provide so much in the way of resources, in fact, that Burma scenarios start cropping up among the countries we don't like...if only to demonstrate to the citizens of those countries just how despotic their government is.

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By now everyone is aware of the horrific natural disaster in mid China. NPR had a short story of how cities like San Francisco are raising $ to send to China. Situation is dire of course. Wonder if anyone has heard of Houston contributing or whatever?

Death toll could hit 50,000.00

Can you see the woman in that apt waiting to be rescued? Quite a precarious situation.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05...nterstitialskip

2008_05_14t083131_450x300_us_quake.jpg?x=400&y=266&sig=gHBVAef.7nN6rVF_J8nrFA--

I'm not contributing a dime. They already have enough of our dollars there as it is. They can afford to take care of it themselves.

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So Niche, you are saying that we should give them aid so that they don't NUKE us down the road ? We can stop them before they hit the button and say, "HEY !!!.... remember back in 2008, you know 2008, when we gave you all that aid when that earthquake flattened you ? How's about not flattening us with your bombs, eh ?"

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So Niche, you are saying that we should give them aid so that they don't NUKE us down the road ? We can stop them before they hit the button and say, "HEY !!!.... remember back in 2008, you know 2008, when we gave you all that aid when that earthquake flattened you ? How's about not flattening us with your bombs, eh ?"

I'm talking about a relief effort that could be mistaken for a military invasion, a violation of sovereignty...but one that cannot be refused lest the population find out and become displeased with the powers that be.

In the eyes of the people, by exerting ourselves so greatly in their time of loss and personal need, we are able to play the part of the hero to be admired and loved...but to their despotic governments, we are the counselor that gains the trust of a victim and them molests them with their consent.

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I'm talking about a relief effort that could be mistaken for a military invasion, a violation of sovereignty...but one that cannot be refused lest the population find out and become displeased with the powers that be.

In the eyes of the people, by exerting ourselves so greatly in their time of loss and personal need, we are able to play the part of the hero to be admired and loved...but to their despotic governments, we are the counselor that gains the trust of a victim and them molests them with their consent.

So we get NUKED anyways, which leads back to my original statement. Let China fend for themselves.

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List of international aid offered to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

International Aid

Good to know, if it is true then we SHOULD offer the same. Were these relief efforts EVER mentioned by our news agencies ?

BTW, how do we know which monies were "accepted" by opur Govt. and which monies went uncollected ? I will bet we didn't collect from China.

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Good to know, if it is true then we SHOULD offer the same. Were these relief efforts EVER mentioned by our news agencies ?

I am rather of the opinion that good people offer aid to the suffering, not because it is owed to them for favors past, but because it is the right thing to do.

But, then again, I am agnostic, so I may have a perverted view of charity.

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I am rather of the opinion that good people offer aid to the suffering, not because it is owed to them for favors past, but because it is the right thing to do.

But, then again, I am agnostic, so I may have a perverted view of charity.

I agree with this stance, I just have a small problem coming around when the one that needs help has tried continuously to poison mine and my neighbors children repeatedly. I guess you really should "keep your friends close and your enemies even closer."

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TJones: That list stated the People's Republic of China was one of the donors for Hurricane Katrina efforts.

Also... the PRC's main goal is to remain a stable country. The wealth gap is increasing between rural poor and urban rich and this is causing friction among the peasantry. Also the PRC is not intending to bother the US; it is focusing on domestic issues. Oh, sure, there were lead poisonings in cat food and other products, but that wasn't a deliberate attempt to harm the U.S. Rather it was corruption and/or incompetence.

Good to know, if it is true then we SHOULD offer the same. Were these relief efforts EVER mentioned by our news agencies ?

BTW, how do we know which monies were "accepted" by opur Govt. and which monies went uncollected ? I will bet we didn't collect from China.

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TJones: That list stated the People's Republic of China was one of the donors for Hurricane Katrina efforts.

Also... the PRC's main goal is to remain a stable country. The wealth gap is increasing between rural poor and urban rich and this is causing friction among the peasantry. Also the PRC is not intending to bother the US; it is focusing on domestic issues. Oh, sure, there were lead poisonings in cat food and other products, but that wasn't a deliberate attempt to harm the U.S. Rather it was corruption and/or incompetence.

Yeah, I saw the list. That is why I told Red that we should inturn, OFFER, the same amount of help.

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Yeah, I saw the list. That is why I told Red that we should inturn, OFFER, the same amount of help.

The same amount, or an appropriate amount? The earthquake was far more deadly than Katrina.

OTOH, I think our government pledged $3.5 million to Myanmar/Burma. However, it questionable that giving aid to the junta is ethical since they are probably keeping all of it to themselves while over 2 million people face death from disease and starvation.

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The same amount, or an appropriate amount? The earthquake was far more deadly than Katrina.

OTOH, I think our government pledged $3.5 million to Myanmar/Burma. However, it questionable that giving aid to the junta is ethical since they are probably keeping all of it to themselves while over 2 million people face death from disease and starvation.

A proportionate amount is fine. How are we to calculate that, and can we afford it with a war going on would come into play.

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A proportional amount of charity meted out, based on what we got before or will get in return. Hmm. No wonder we're so popular.

I'm waiting for the footage from China of Sean Penn on a broken-ass motorcycle, with a rifle and water pack across his back, rescuing an old woman from the rubble while we sit around deciding how much Chinese people deserve.

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A proportional amount of charity meted out, based on what we got before or will get in return. Hmm. No wonder we're so popular.

I'm waiting for the footage from China of Sean Penn on a broken-ass motorcycle, with a rifle and water pack across his back, rescuing an old woman from the rubble while we sit around deciding how much Chinese people deserve.

It does beg the question, if Jesus had been a Republican led government, how many loaves and fishes would he have created?

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It does beg the question, if Jesus had been a Republican led government, how many loaves and fishes would he have created?

Uhh Uhh Unnnnn, you of all people should know that YOU aren't allowed to bring Jesus into this, Mr. Agnostic. Since you asked though, 5 loaves and 2 fish fed a little over five thousand, so do the math. How many affected in China ?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Uhh Uhh Unnnnn, you of all people should know that YOU aren't allowed to bring Jesus into this, Mr. Agnostic. Since you asked though, 5 loaves and 2 fish fed a little over five thousand, so do the math. How many affected in China ?

Why does the radical right feel they have a lock on religion?

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