This "down Right Mean", "arrogant And Dismissive"

[FirefightnRick]

...................again!

U.S. Mobilizes to Send Assistance to Haiti

Prayers to those there already, and to those including my USAR bretheren who are on their way.

Rick

Edited January 14, 2010 by FirefightnRick

[mad dog]

I'm the most proud of my country when I see us taking a leadership role in helping others. Maybe its just the idealist in me, but there's something profoundly moving when you see such a huge domestic and international response to a disaster like this. It restores a measure of hope that we have some capacity for good, no matter how small. That, just for a moment, we could all be brothers and sisters before we go back to posturing, exploiting, and de-humanizing each other. Just a breath of fresh air.

[hickoryhouse]

I'm the most proud of my country when I see us taking a leadership role in helping others. Maybe its just the idealist in me, but there's something profoundly moving when you see such a huge domestic and international response to a disaster like this. It restores a measure of hope that we have some capacity for good, no matter how small. That, just for a moment, we could all be brothers and sisters before we go back to posturing, exploiting, and de-humanizing each other. Just a breath of fresh air.

Well said sir... Well said.

It is very nice to see the world coming together for a common good, to see our country take a leadership role in this common good and the world stop, if only for a moment, just to focus on our friends in Haiti despite one nation's differences with another. Hopefully there will be a silver lining to this dark cloud but as of now, I am not able to figure out what that is. The displaced, injured and those that have lost family members down there are definitely in my prayers.

[adman]

Well said sir... Well said.

It is very nice to see the world coming together for a common good, to see our country take a leadership role in this common good and the world stop, if only for a moment, just to focus on our friends in Haiti despite one nation's differences with another. Hopefully there will be a silver lining to this dark cloud but as of now, I am not able to figure out what that is. The displaced, injured and those that have lost family members down there are definitely in my prayers.

[KRAM1]

When some nation is in trouble and needs help in such situations, it is always ALWAYS the US that steps up. I am never more proud of this great nation of ours and the men and women who serve and help than I am at times like this. Funny, I don't see the reports of Iran, Venezuela, N. Korea, China, Russia, etc. stepping up to the plate in the manner the US has to help out the people of Haiti. Sure, some will come along with the crowd, but it is great to always see the US take the lead.

USA! USA! USA!

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

When some nation is in trouble and needs help in such situations, it is always ALWAYS the US that steps up. I am never more proud of this great nation of ours and the men and women who serve and help than I am at times like this. Funny, I don't see the reports of Iran, Venezuela, N. Korea, China, Russia, etc. stepping up to the plate in the manner the US has to help out the people of Haiti. Sure, some will come along with the crowd, but it is great to always see the US take the lead.

USA! USA! USA!

--You are pretty much right... don't expect ten cents from an Islamic country. We do more but we also we hear more about us because we are in America. The International Red Cross is based in Switzerland (note reversed flag). Many European ones will do a lot also, just not as much since they are smaller countries, and we will not hear much about it since we hear mostly our news. Because are so close, we will be the first people in. We also have more family connections to Haiti than they do.

[hickoryhouse]

Adman, for the first time I agree with Kieth Olbermann. Pat Robertson is in my opinion essential irrelevant to most of American society. It is shameful that Rush would politicize something as tragic as this without even taking a breath to let the weight of the situation sink in. What have we learned to expect from these talking heads though.... We have had the pundit conversation ad naseum (sp) around here and what I have determined is that they all suck but even amongst the worst of them this is very very low.

Back to the topic at hand though... The country as a whole is standing up and lending a helping hand, I have heard reports of more than 30 million in donations from this country already! that is a truely staggering number and indicates the level of care and compassion that this nation as a whole has for the rest of the world.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Adman, for the first time I agree with Kieth Olbermann. Pat Robertson is in my opinion essential irrelevant to most of American society. It is shameful that Rush would politicize something as tragic as this without even taking a breath to let the weight of the situation sink in. What have we learned to expect from these talking heads though.... We have had the pundit conversation ad naseum (sp) around here and what I have determined is that they all suck but even amongst the worst of them this is very very low.

Back to the topic at hand though... The country as a whole is standing up and lending a helping hand, I have heard reports of more than 30 million in donations from this country already! that is a truely staggering number and indicates the level of care and compassion that this nation as a whole has for the rest of the world.

I can't say that I agree with Keith Olbermann. He wants to imply that Pat Robertson and Rush are self-righteous and hateful, but he far outdoes those two on both accounts. Wishing them to be dead under the rubble? Wishing them both to hell? Oh, that's right, they don't have souls, so he can't.

I didn't hear the Rush comment, but it sounds to me like he was commenting on Obama's actions, not on the Haiti situation. As for Robertson's comments, they didn't strike me as nearly as hateful as Olbermann's comments. They just struck me as naive and delusional. He did not make up the story about Haiti's pact with the devil; that's an old Haitian legend. But why he would believe that legend is beyond me.

[yyz28]

Damn, don't let Context get in the way of attacking someone you don't like.

Rush's statement on the attacks being made on him -

"I did not say, 'Don't make donations.'. I said private donations are going to be much better than a government donation. Go to the Red Cross, do other things, but don't go through the government. It's just going to go through hands and bureaucracies and $1 is going to end up being $0.30 by the time they get through with it."

Rush also commented on the call by Obama for George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to jump in and help and how the Media would try and compare the response to the disaster in Haiti to Katrina -

CALLER: Yeah, I heard earlier today that the president, Obama, was going to ask former President George W. Bush if he would lead... I guess... I don't know. If it would be a distribution or something to help with the relief program in Haiti. And I'm thinking, "Well, why would he do this since he blamed him for all the disaster of Katrina down in New Orleans? Why would he even think about doing this, unless if something goes wrong, well, he can blame Bush again?"

RUSH: Well, no. No. There are two things here. He can show bipartisanship. Get Clinton and Bush down there working in tandem. At the same time while Bush is down there, Obama will be able to say, "Look at our response to what happened in Haiti as opposed to the response in New Orleans." We're going to hear that. We are going to hear that before this is all over and we will hear it orchestrated by somebody in the State-Run Media. We'll get a story (it won't be long) marveling at how quickly Obama mobilized an entire world and the United Nations to start immediate relief. "Why, that day US soldiers, US jets and materials and supplies arrived," and it won't be long. It could be by the end of the day. On the cable shows tonight (certainly by tomorrow) we're going to get stories about how rapidly the Obama administration reacted and how thoroughly competent they were. Having Bush out there for this comparison to how slow Katrina was, it's just going to personalize it even more. I have no doubt that Bush is being used here by Obama for a multitude of purposes.

He may be right or wrong about this prediction, but it certainly isn't belittling or making light of the situation in Haiti. In fact, (and it was there before Keith Overbite opened his mouth last night), he has a huge banner at the top of his website with information on how to donate and get news on the relief effort in Haiti.

[meangreenacct]

Damn, don't let Context get in the way of attacking someone you don't like.

Rush's statement on the attacks being made on him -

"I did not say, 'Don't make donations.'. I said private donations are going to be much better than a government donation. Go to the Red Cross, do other things, but don't go through the government. It's just going to go through hands and bureaucracies and $1 is going to end up being $0.30 by the time they get through with it."

Rush also commented on the call by Obama for George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to jump in and help and how the Media would try and compare the response to the disaster in Haiti to Katrina -

He may be right or wrong about this prediction, but it certainly isn't belittling or making light of the situation in Haiti. In fact, (and it was there before Keith Overbite opened his mouth last night), he has a huge banner at the top of his website with information on how to donate and get news on the relief effort in Haiti.

I guess the part that confuses me about what Rush said, is the link on Whitehouse.gov IS a link to take you to the Red Cross donation website. No one is asking that a donation be made to Obama?

I really don't know what to say to the second part, other than I think the precedent for this was set when Clinton and Bush Sr. got together for Tsunami relief.

[yyz28]

I guess the part that confuses me about what Rush said, is the link on Whitehouse.gov IS a link to take you to the Red Cross donation website. No one is asking that a donation be made to Obama?

I really don't know what to say to the second part, other than I think the precedent for this was set when Clinton and Bush Sr. got together for Tsunami relief.

His point was that the money being spent by the Government ($100 Millon) to relieve haiti via the taxpayers (that's a donation from all of us, not our benevolant government, lest we forget) will be spent far less efficiently than the money being donated to private charity groups like the Red Cross. I think that point is pretty clear even without the whole context of his entire statement.

...and let's not forget the proposal by this administration to drop the tax breaks for charitable donations, making it harder for you and I to give to this relief effort, but I guess I can't beat on someone too hard for something they haven't pushed for, only suggested, so I digress...

...and regards to the second part, here's an AP article that came out this morning already comparing the response to Katrina to the response to Haiti. Analysis: Obama Heeding Lessons Of Katrina

Huge Contrasts Between Katrina, Haiti Quake But Comparisons Inevitable