In addition to mocking patriotic songs and waving anti-gay signs, one group member dragged an American flag on the ground with her foot.
Sayer is a biology professor who replicated Spurlock's thirty-day experiment to teach his students about how the documentary medium can be abused to further a political agenda. The difference between Sayer and Spurlock: Sayer didn't deliberately double his daily calorie intake, nor did he stop exercising. He ate three meals per day at McDonalds, diversified what he ate, and was able to keep his calorie count between 2,000 and 3,000. Over 30 days, he lost 17 pounds. His blood pressure dropped. And his cholesterol basically remained the same. He suffered none of the effects Spurlock shows in Super Size Me.
The experiment is the most interesting, but not necessarily the most informative, aspect of Super Size Me. Spurlock goes on a one-month McDonald's spree in which he eats three gluttonous meals per day. He plays by a few rules: everything he eats has to be on the McDonald's menu, he must sample every food choice at least once, and he only super sizes when asked by a cashier. Over the course of his study, he gains 25 pounds; experiences an extreme increase in cholesterol; suffers sexual dysfunction, headaches, and nausea; and shows signs of addiction. It's not a pretty picture, and, while the extremity of Spurlock's reactions are in part a result of his excessive indulgence(5000 calories per day), it illustrates a point about the unhealthiness of fast food eating.
Where are the fast food resturants that serve dishes that are rich in vegetables and fruits and whole grains? I want them. Bet you cannot find one.- Netrox
Evidently what happened was that Medved ran into Franken and asked him if he would like to stop by the table to do a couple of minutes on the show. Getting an affirmative, Medved then ran into O'Neil and made the same offer. Franken's outburst was based on his paranoid claim that Medved "set him up" and "ambushed" him by setting up a debate with O'Neil without giving him a day or so to prepare.
As O'Neil said, if you are telling the truth, you don't need time to get yourself prepared. That, of course, was after Franken stormed off in a huff, carrying his hissy fit to the door.
I don't know what happened with Laura, but there was talk of Franken throwing a chair to the floor in another fit of rage earlier. Franken denied this, saying he had just pushed back and stood up and the chair fell over, but later O'Neil agreed with Medved that the chair had been thrown to the floor in anger, and they said something like 400 people saw this.But Franken did get in his pro-Kerry mantra, about Kerry serving "two tours of duty in Viet Nam', etc.Someone should tell him there is a difference between a fool and a comic.
Al Franken reprised his role in "Trading Places" and went ape today on the Michael Medved show when he arrived at Michael's table on radio row for a brief appearance to find John O'Neill of SwiftVets fame sitting next to Medved prepared for a "debate" with Franken.
A crowd quickly gathered hoping for another RNC-Habib like outburst and, although disappointed, was treated to Franken tossing a chair and then Franken angrily denying that he tossed a chair ("it fell over when I walked away").
Franken'e eyes literally bulging out of his head. I was 3 feet free Franken and the corner of his mouth was twitching and his hands were curled up in close to a fist.
The Senate voted Tuesday to allow U.S. military bases to continue to host Boy Scout events, responding to lawsuits and a federal court ruling aimed at severing relationships between the government and the youth group.
In a 98-0 vote, the Senate approved the provision continuing the hosting of Boy Scout events as part of massive bill setting Defense Department policy for next year. After the vote, Senate leaders decided to put off further debate and votes on the overall bill, probably until fall when Congress returns from a month long break.Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a former Boy Scout who sponsored the Senate provision, said it is necessary to push back on a spate of lawsuits to limit Boy Scout activities on government property.
The provision adopted Tuesday says Boy Scouts should be treated the same as other national youth organizations Frist said it "removes any doubt that federal agencies may welcome Scouts to hold meetings, go camping on federal property or hold scouting events and public forums" on government property.
Boo hoo. 4 hearie men dead. Good riddance. Why? Because the BSA is firmly against gays.People like him would rather hold a higher regard for Islamic terrorists who would rather (and do) kill gays as a practice of their religion? Just because this private organization holds an organizational belief about gays and their lifestyles justify in jumping for joy in seeing somebody die of a horrible and painful death? The BSA is a private organization in the belief of a higher Supreme Being and because it is a private religious organization they have the right to accept who can attend or be hired/fired based on their religious moral belief and values where the Supreme Court confirmed that right 5 years ago. This would be true of any other private organization including the KKK. As with most private organizations (except for NAMBLA and it's women's version) I am sure the BSA would want avoid this. But that is beside the point when it's all about the right of a private organization to hire or fire whoever they want that violates the private organization's moral and religious precept.
According to published reports, the allegations involve Charles Rosen, the founder of Gloria Wise who has stepped down as executive director, investing city contract funds in Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network.
Evan Cohen, Air America's former chairman, had served as Gloria Wise's director of development.
through informed sources, that the diversion of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in Co-op City to the liberal Air America Radio is at the center of the city’s probe of corruption at the local club.
The money, which was reportedly paid to Air America as a loan, was supposed to be paid back with interest, two unidentified informed sources told the News. One source added that Air America officials, led by an official of the Gloria Wise Club, agreed to help the local club by publicizing its activities.
To date, no indictments have been handed down in the New York City Department of Investigation’s ongoing probe of the Gloria Wise Club’s reported transfer of funds to Air America..
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Cohen, who is reportedly at the center of the Gloria Wise probe, is a Guam-based investors who was reportedly a key principal in the start-up of Air America, which has been billed as the liberals’ answer to conservative talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Shaun Hannity, Bob Grant, Michael Savage, and G. Gordon Liddy.
Has Air America paid back the loan, or even made preliminary payments? We don't know; AA hasn't issued a statement, and more curiously, the national media hasn't asked them. The only papers covering this story are the New York Daily News (but not in its national paper) and the Gotham Gazette, a local newspaper for New Yorkers covering the borough beat. It seems to me that if Salem Radio or Clear Channel had taken money from poor children and Alzheimer's patients to stay on the air, we would hear about that from all major media outlets within nanoseconds of it coming out.
It (i.e. camping) taught me a great deal of self-sufficiency, which later served me well, especially when I went off to college. If you went to camp, think back on how much that time -- and, yeah, some of it might have been tough or painful -- ended up shaping who you've become. That's an opportunity every kid should have. We'll be talking about why for the next few weeks. Your donations (click on the "Camp Air America" ad to the left) have already started coming in. When we're done, we'll fill you in on what you've made possible. I hope you'll be a part of it. Thanks.
Morning Sedition will be helping to raise money for Camp Air America this June and July.Go ahead a register on Larson's blog and start asking about the missing $500,000 for Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club that would've helped Camp Air America. No wonder they're going full tilt this June and July asking for donation considering where the $500,000 went in the first place!
Armstrong's new record of seven wins confirmed him as one of the greatest cyclists ever, and capped a career where he came back from cancer to dominate cycling's most prestigious and taxing race.Of course, you will have you ever so ultra-jealous French people and people in general who do not like Lance Armstrong because he overcame is testicular cancer which had spread throughout his body. Or that they are suspcious of his 7 Tour de France wins but not suspicious of the old record of 5 Tour de France wins held by their own Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault. How typical.
Cancer survivors, autograph hunters and enamored admirers pushed, shove, and yelled "Lance! Lance!" outside his bus in the mornings for a smile, a signature, or a word from the champion. He had bodyguards to keep the crowds at bay — ruffling feathers of cycling purists who sniffed at his "American" ways.
Some spectators would shout obscenities or "dope!" — doper. To some, his comeback from cancer and his uphill bursts of speed that left rivals gasping in the Alps and Pyrenees were too good to be true.
Armstrong insisted that he simply trained, worked and prepared harder than anyone. He was drug-tested hundreds of times, in and out of competition, but never found to have committed any infractions.
“The children started the stand because they wanted to help the injured Marines,” said Lisa Killeen, mother of Kelsey and Megan. “Hayden's mother, Rene Bardorf, is one of the founders of the Semper Fi Fund, and I am a caseworker for Bethesda and Walter Reed. The kids have seen us working and wanted to do something on their own to help.”
Each of the girls has her own job: Megan holds the sign up at passing cars, greeting everyone with her smile, and points to the location of the stand. Kelsey pours the lemonade, bakes cookies for the stand, and hands out Semper Fi Fund cards. Hayden takes the orders, gets the ice, and hands out the lemonade. And they all do it with a smile.
the White House release "in their entirety" all documents and memos from Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' tenure in two Republican administrations.This is nothing but a farce on Kerry's end when he refused to turn over all of his Navy records via the SF 180 form prior to the Presidential election and afterwards when he promised he would. He never really did a few months ago.
We cannot do our duty if either Judge Roberts or the Bush administration hides elements of his professional record.
We called for Kerry to execute a form which would permit anyone to examine his full and unexpulgated [sic] military records at the Navy Department and the National Personnel Records Center. Instead he executed a form permitting his hometown paper to obtain the records currently at the Navy Department. The Navy Department previously indicated its records did not include various materials. This is hardly what we called for. If he did execute a complete release of all records we could then answer questions such as (1)Did he ever receive orders to Cambodia or file any report of such a mission (whether at Christmas or otherwise); (2) What was his discharge status between 1970 and 1978 (when he received a discharge) and was it affected by his meetings in 1970 and 1971 with the North Vietnamese? (3)why did he receive much later citations for medals purportedly signed by Secretary Lehman who said he did not know of them; (4) Are there Hostile Fire and Personnel Injured by Hostile Fire Reports for Kerry's Dec. 1968 Purple Heart (when the officer in charge of the boat Admiral Schacte, the treating Surgeon Louis Letson, and Kerry's Division Commander deny there was hostile fire causing a scratch) awarded three months later under unknown circumstances.
A Dutch court has cleared a Muslim cleric of charges of discrimination after he denounced homosexuality as a contagious disease.
The court ruled that the imam could not be convicted because of his constitutional right to religious freedom.
The judge said that while he did consider the imam's comments discriminatory, he was free to base his remarks on the text of the Koran.
United States senators, including former presidential candidate John Kerry, may have inadvertently blown the cover of a CIA agent.
At a hearing to discuss the nomination of John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations, politicians discussed a dispute over Bolton’s treatment of an intelligence analyst.
The analyst was referred to as “Mr Smith” but when Kerry read from a transcript of closed door interviews he mentioned a name that had not previously come up.
“Did Otto Reich share his belief that Fulton Armstrong should be removed from his position? The answer is yes,” Kerry said.“Did John Bolton share that view? Yes.”
While it was not completely clear whether Armstrong was the spy, Bolton replied: “As I said, I had lost confidence in Mr Smith, and I conveyed that. I thought that was the honest thing to do.”
Then we have Senator Leahy (D) or "Leaky Leahy" as he is fondly remembered as:I said, "Senator, this has been the hardest testimony I ever gave in my life."He looked up, glasses perched on his nose.
"Why?"
"Because, sir, it is extremely difficult to have to answer questions from someone you do not respect."...I told him outright, "Senator, my name was leaked by your committee as being involved with drugs. I take that very seriously because it affects my family, my reputation, and my friends."
Kerry looked at me sternly and said, "You're making a very serious accusation, because this committee doesn't leak."
"Senator, leaked or not it was in every goddamned newspaper that, at one of your closed committee hearings, Ramón Milian RodrÃguez said I solicited money. That is a damned lie."
Felix Rodriguez wanted his testimony made available to the public, but "Kerry and Blum" refused.
"Leaky Leahy," allegedly threatened to sabotage classified strategies he didn't like.
Leahy ‘inadvertently' disclosed a top-secret communications intercept during a 1985 television interview.
"The intercept … made possible the capture of the Arab terrorists who had hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro and murdered American citizens. …"
"The reports cost the life of at least one Egyptian operative involved in the operation."
In July 1987, it was reported that Leahy leaked secret information about a 1986 covert operation planned by the Reagan administration to topple Libya's Moammar Gaddhafi.
U.S. intelligence officials said Leahy, along with the Republican panel chairman, sent a written threat to expose the operation directly to then-CIA Director William Casey.
Weeks later, news of the secret plan turned up in the WashingtonPost, causing it to be aborted.
A year later, as the Senate was preparing to hold hearings on the Iran-Contra scandal, Leahy had to resign his Intelligence Committee post after he was caught leaking secret information to a reporter.
He should have been indicted, tried and sentenced.
Chief presidential adviser Karl Rove testified to a grand jury that he talked with two journalists before they divulged the identity of an undercover CIA officer but that he originally learned about the operative from the news media and not government sources, according to a person briefed on the testimony.
The person, who works in the legal profession and spoke only on condition of anonymity because of grand jury secrecy, told The Associated Press that Rove testified last year that he remembers specifically being told by columnist Robert Novak that Valerie Plame, the wife of a harsh Iraq war critic, worked for the CIA.
Lt. "N".: "It's well known that these Islamic terrorists are devoutly religious and have deep revulsion and fear towards anything pig-related whether it's food or its by-products. It's a part of their dietary beliefs, fear and revulsion."
Lt. "N".: "We've contacted several pig farms throughout North Carolina to acquire initially approximately 80 tons of pig skins. They will be used immediately to begin burying killed terrorists in them by wrapping up their bodies or their remains in pig skin. This include Islamic suicide bombers, too. The head usually survives intact in a vest suicide bombing or bombing in general. We have a protocol on burying severed terrorists heads by burying them in pig skins. Whether the bodies are intact or in pieces we'll scrap everyone of them up and place them in pig skins."
Lt. "N": "It's damn if you do, damn if you don't when it comes to fighting Islamic terrorists. We would rather use every tactical means to dissuade them from thinking that dying is a good thing in enemy terroritories believing they'll achieve martydom and heaven. Not so, according to their beliefs, if we advertise the fact we'll bury them for free in pig skins. Word of mouth should do the rest."
"Lt. "N": "We respect those who believe in Islam as a peaceful religion while respecting all other religions. But if they use the Koran as a source and inspiration for their terrorist activities, then by all means we'll use that against them. It's fair game."
"He is married to the former Valerie Plame and has two sons and two daughters."
"Cooper wrote that Rove offered him 'a big warning shot not to get too far out on Wilson.'" and that "Rove told Cooper that Wilson's trip had not been authorized by either George Tenet of the CIA or VP Cheney."
I root for hurricanes. When, courtesy of the Weather Channel, I see one forming in the ocean off the coast of Africa, I find myself longing for it to become big and strong--Mother Nature's fist of fury, Gaia's stern rebuke. Considering the havoc mankind has wreaked upon nature with deforesting, stripmining, and the destruction of animal habitat, it only seems fair that nature get some of its own back and teach us that there are forces greater than our own. Sure, a hearty volcano can be enjoyable. Burning rivers of lava: so picturesque. But a volcano is stationary, like Dennis Hastert after a big lunch. It doesn't offer the same dramatic suspense. Hurricanes are in unpredictable flux. They move, change direction, strengthen, weaken, lose an eyewall, repair an eyewall; they seem to have volition and opera-diva personalities.
Hurricane Frances also has a heraldic quality. Camille Paglia observed on Salon in February, 2003 that the explosion of the Columbia shuttle on the eve of the war on Iraq was a "stunning omen," one that would make a Roman general think twice. A catastrophe strewing death, fire, and human remains across Bush's home state of Texas was inauspicious to our undertaking; and so it has proven to be. Frances is the second hurricane to afflict Florida, home of brother Jeb, in rapid succession.
The gods are not pleased.
What's next for Jeb? Few hurricanes coming his way. Yay.
Despite the anti-freedom and anti-democracy "quagmire" rhetorics by Liberal Leftie Loonies (LLL) who are completely clueless about the effectiveness of these covert/overt operations, these operations continue to play an important role in the success for Iraqi people to gain greater independency and autonomy. They gain more control of their country and away from the terrorists' grasp.WASHINGTON, July 7, 2005 – A little more than a year ago, the 2nd Battalion of the Iraqi Intervention Force made its way through the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, hunting insurgents. It was the fledgling army's first operational military patrol, backed up by a team of coalition military advisers.
Iraqi army Maj. Abbas Jassim Jebir, then a company commander with the 2nd Battalion, told Iraqis while he was out on patrol that day, "There are more on the way just like us." Jebir's comments were prophetic. Today's Iraqi military is not the same as it was a year ago. And as he told the citizens of Baghdad, more like him have come to Iraq's aid.
The Iraqi military is increasingly taking control of security missions throughout Iraq, but it is a process often overshadowed by sensational attacks on civilians in the country. Coalition officials have pointed out the steady progress of the Iraqi forces and acknowledged there is still more work to be done before Iraqi forces accept full responsibility for securing their nation.
However, there have been considerable strides made by the Iraqi army in the past year. Leading that force during its transition from the parade field to the battlefield has been the responsibility of Gen. Babakir Shawkat Zebari, chief of staff of the Iraqi Joint Forces. "There is no comparison," Babakir told American Forces Press Service via e-mail through a translator. "It is 180 degrees different than it was last year at this time, and there are four basic reasons why," he said.
First, the Iraqi force has grown significantly, he said, adding that mentorship of Iraqi forces by the coalition in tactical conditions is helping the military forces mature.
"Our ability to supply the force is keeping pace with our ability to field the force, so far, and perhaps most importantly, we are identifying poor performers, rooting out corruption wherever we can and replacing those personnel accordingly," Babakir said.
In 2004, a small fraction of an Iraqi unit refused to engage the enemy after they were ambushed and later regrouped at an Iraqi training base north of Baghdad. Coalition officials cited miscommunication and cultural issues as the underlying reasons why some of the Iraqi soldiers did not fight.
More than a year later, things have changed. Iraqi military forces have participated in many of the major engagements in Iraq. They have conducted operations in Najaf, Fallujah, Baghdad, Mosul and other cities, and many of these operations have been independent missions with Iraqis planning, coordinating and carrying out the mission with no coalition assistance. The Iraqi armed forces now also have a navy and air force.
"When I see us accomplish the task before us with the help of the Iraqi people -- ordinary citizens -- this is key, in my opinion," Babakir said. "I see a military that is being built that believes in democracy, human rights, the importance of the law, and with a desire to serve the Iraqi people."
Today there are more than 76,000 in the Iraqi armed forces. Of that, some 530 are navy and 190 are air force personnel, according to a U.S. State Department report. Last year, there was merely one operational Iraqi army battalion. In June, the 5th Brigade, 6th Division, of the Iraqi army became operational after completing their training. Soon, Iraqi Marines will assume full responsibility for the security of Basrah and Khor al Amaya oil terminals, relieving U.S. sailors. Recently, a company of 100 newly trained Iraqi troops assisted coalition forces during Operation Spear in western Iraq.
Iraqi military forces have been responsible for the capture and killing of insurgent forces throughout Iraq, and they have discovered numerous weapons caches on a weekly basis. They have also helped free hostages throughout the country, including Australian Douglas Wood, who was recently rescued after being held for six weeks. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division found him as the unit conducted cordon-and-search operations in northwestern Baghdad.
But, as the Iraqi military becomes more of a viable military force, their casualty rates have increased. In a speech in June, President Bush stated that more than 2,000 Iraqi security personnel have been killed in Iraq. But the toll, which has surpassed that of U.S. casualties, is not keeping Iraqis from joining the military. "There are more than enough recruits," Babakir said.
Recently he visited a recruiting station and asked personnel there about recruitment. Earlier the recruitment center had announced that an Iraqi army battalion would be formed and that they were seeking 1,000 applicants. Nearly 23,000 recruits applied, Babakir said.
Babakir noted that potential recruits undergo a vetting process that checks an individual's identity, mental and physical health and literacy, and all recruits must be within the military service age range of 18-35.
"We check their background to ensure they do not have a dirty past from the(Saddam) Hussein era," Babakir said. "They must be willing to serve wherever the armed forces send them," he added. "For example, they may join in one city, but they may be moved to an area that is under a specific threat," Babakir said. "They serve the needs of Iraq. ... This generation of servicemen will grow to become tomorrow's leaders."
"Under Saddam's rule, all people feared for their lives, including the members of the armed forces," Babakir said. "They served in the military under coercion and intimidation for the sole purposes of Saddam. Today's military enlists volunteers who want to serve the people of Iraq."
According to Iraqi and coalition officials, in recent months there has been an increase in civilian cooperation. Tip lines stocked with fresh tips from citizens are leading Iraqi security personnel to insurgent hideouts, weapons caches and supporters.
"We are better able to keep the insurgents on the run, and we must continue to do so," Babakir said. "We are doing much better at gaining and keeping ground once held and controlled by those who would do harm.
"This is slow and hard work. (But) if no one can supply the insurgents, if no one can support the insurgents, then the insurgents will find it harder and harder to fight," Babakir said.
"We must keep up the pressure on them. We need the help of the local citizens to do
this effectively." The pressure, coalition officials said, will continue to intensify as Iraqi military forces continue to develop. The Iraqi navy now has a fleet of patrol and assault boats and an air force with fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft that provide theater airlift, reconnaissance and tactical transportation and support. It also has an army with armor, special operations, and anti-insurgent units that are killing and capturing insurgent forces throughout Iraq.The quality of the Iraqi force is noteworthy too, Babakir said. The Iraqi military is now better equipped, trained and cared for than Saddam's military. Iraqi soldiers are expected to meet training standards and achieve proficiency with their equipment, and that takes time, Babakir said.
"Where have you known an armed forces to be built so fast, to do so much, in so little time?" Babakir asked. "None of this would be possible without the help the coalition, and we are so grateful for that support. We simply could not do any of this without the help we receive. ... I ask you, where have you seen such an undertaking before in history?"
The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.
Shikwati: Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.
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Shikwati: And what's the result? A disaster. The German government threw money right at Rwanda's president Paul Kagame. This is a man who has the deaths of a million people on his conscience -- people that his army killed in the neighboring country of Congo.
SPIEGEL: What are the Germans supposed to do?
Shikwati: If they really want to fight poverty, they should completely halt development aid and give Africa the opportunity to ensure its own survival. Currently, Africa is like a child that immediately cries for its babysitter when something goes wrong. Africa should stand on its own two feet.
Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.
I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.
In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.
They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don’t want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.
"There is nothing better than knowing that Blacksburg is what we expect it to be - a caring, friendly and supporting neighborhood," Riad (Islamic Director) told the Roanoke Times.
Laila Al-Qatami, a spokeswoman for the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday questioned how police could consider the act anything other than a hate crime.
Live Aid's concerts 20 years ago saved 5 million Ethiopians from starvation and focused the world's attention on Africa's poorest people.
However, Band Aid was just that: a temporary fix for a condition that is chronic and for which the West is again being asked to help find the cure.
In Ethiopia's tumbledown towns of today, few smallholders who eke out a living growing coffee, teachers who struggle with classes of 80 or nurses who face empty drug cabinets have heard of Bob Geldof or Live Aid.
Most, however, know extreme hunger, few drink clean water, their children are malnourished, and HIV and AIDS infections are the third highest in the world.
Four million people rely on daily food handouts. Two years ago, 14 million - one in five Ethiopians - faced starvation when rains failed for three years running. This is despite the country receiving more emergency aid per person than any other nation.
"Of course, if someone gave me some money I could make things better, but the money goes to the government, not to us," said Abdallah Abagisa, 36, a farmer with half a hectare of coffee trees near Jimma, 354 kilometres south-west of the capital, Addis Ababa. With 80 Ethiopian birr ($12) he could buy a scythe to clear weeds so that his trees produced more beans, but his family need that 80 birr just to survive.
Last year, American government provided 35 percent of worldwide relief aid. In private contributions, American individuals, estates, foundations and corporations gave over $240 billion to charitable causes in 2003, according to Giving USA Foundation. Privately, Americans give at least $34 billion overseas.
Josette Shiner, former Empower America president, points out that more than 80 percent of Americans belong to a "voluntary association," and 75 percent of households report charitable contributions. Shiner wrote in 1999, "Americans look even better compared to other leading nations."
According to recent surveys, 73 percent of Americans made a charitable contribution in the previous 12 months, as compared to 44 percent of Germans, and 43 percent of French citizens. The average sum of donations over 12 months was $851 for Americans, $120 for Germans, and $96 for the French. In addition, 49 percent of Americans volunteered over the previous 12 months, as compared to 13 percent of Germans and 19 percent of the French."
Of the 184 subscriber nations of the World Bank -- which provides financial assistance and debt relief to developing countries for particular sectors or projects with low-interest loans, interest-free credit and grants -- contributions paid in by America make up over 17 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) focuses on providing financing for general support of a country's balance of payments and international reserves.
Again, of the IMF's 184 nations, the U.S. does the heavy lifting, providing 17.5 percent of contributions.
What about debt forgiveness? The United States forgave about $14 billion in foreign debt from the late '80s through 1995. Since 1994, the U.S. has worked with the Paris Club -- an informal forum of creditor countries -- to review, negotiate and adopt debt relief programs for poor countries, recently badgering France and Germany into agreeing to forgive 80 percent of the $39 billion owed by Iraq.
America twice assisted Europe in World Wars I and II. America took the lead in defeating the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and continues to provide troops and military assistance to European nations and Southeast Asia.
United Nations' Egeland brags about his native Norway, which, in giving, he says, "is No. 1 in the world." Norway gives 0.92 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to foreign aid development, versus 0.14 percent in this country. " . . . We have . . . no country up to the 1 percent . . . line of foreign assistance in general," says Egeland, "and we have, I think, three . . . Scandinavians that have exceeded -- and Holland -- the 0.7 percent line of gross national income for assistance."
Yes, Holland gave $12.2 billion in foreign aid in 2003, but that was following two years in which it received more aid than it gave. Besides, these numbers overlook Americans' private contributions, which equal 2.2 percent of our GDP. Add the value of volunteer time contributed, and -- even when calculated at minimum wage -- that gives you another $100 billion.
Add in the amount of money spent to protect other (often wealthy) countries -- military spending is 3.3 percent of our GDP, versus Sweden's 1.7 percent, Denmark's 1.6 percent, Norway's 1.9 percent, and Holland's 1.6 percent -- and, as Ronald Reagan might have put it, not bad.
Not bad at all.
As to the tragedy in southern Asia, consider other actions taken by the United States so far: providing aircraft carriers, transport planes, helicopters, military support, logistical support, ships carrying food supplies, reconnaissance planes and warships, sending disaster assistance teams, shuttling supplies and advance teams to Sumatra's northwest coast and sending cargo planes carrying Marines and water purification equipment to Sri Lanka.
Former President Clinton, never missing an opportunity to take a swipe at a sitting president, said a few days after the tsunami, "It is really important that somebody take the lead in this." Well, Mr. Clinton, someone has -- America. Like always.
It's great that so many are finally noticing the tragedy of Africa. But sadly, historical evidence says that the solutions offered by big plans are not so easy. From 1960 to 2003, we (United States) spent $568 billion (in today's dollars) to end poverty in Africa. Yet these efforts still did not lift Africa from misery and stagnation.
