The Tsunami Disaster: SPIEGEL ONLINE Caught Misrepresenting the Facts Again

(By Ray D.)

SPIEGEL ONLINE Exploits Tsunami Disaster to Attack George W. Bush

SPIEGEL ONLINE seems to know no limits in its tireless efforts to destroy the reputation of President Bush in Germany. Now the online magazine is exploiting the horrible tsunami tragedy to attack the United States and Mr. Bush ("Tsunami Deepens Rift Between UN and USA") . Not only that, but the publication is also using false information to incorrectly portray Bush as a unilateralist bent on deepening the divide between the UN and the United States.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: "With the emergency help for the Tsunami victims Bush is demonstratively avoiding cooperation with the UN. Instead he is relying on a hastily forged emergency alliance with India, Japan and Australia." (quoted German text circled in red above)

Either SPON doesn't know what is going on or they are simply lying to make Bush look bad. CNN and numerous other news agencies are reporting the following:

"The Bush administration also lent its support to a European-hosted international conference designed to accelerate pledges of assistance to victims of the Asian and African tsunamis and added the United Nations to a four-nation coalition organizing humanitarian relief."

ABC News reports:

"The United States, India, Australia, Japan and the United Nations have formed an international coalition to coordinate worldwide relief and reconstruction efforts."

The BBC reports:

"UN chief Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell are to discuss aid efforts on Friday as rescuers struggle to get supplies to remote areas."

That hardly seems to reflect the actions of an administration or a leader intent on "demonstratively avoiding cooperation with the UN." How does SPIEGEL ONLINE explain this clear contradiction?

SPIEGEL ONLINE Falsely Accuses Bush of "Attacking" the United Nations

And of course in its article, entitled "Tsunami Deepens Rift Between UN and USA," SPIEGEL ONLINE does not miss the opportunity to vocally support UN officials like Jan Egeland who have called wealthy nations like the US "stingy." That despite the fact that the US has been responsible for contributing 40% of worldwide aid for natural catastrophes this past year. To top it all off, SPON labels Bush's mild rebuke of Egeland a "heavy attack" on the UN. The article's opening paragraph reads:

"It took an entire 72 hours until George Bush made a statement from his ranch in Texas after the flood catastrophe in Southeast Asia. All the more heavy then was the attack of the US President against the United Nations. The reason: The highest UN aid coordinator criticized the aid of the USA as too stingy."

But Mr. Bush never attacked (or even directly mentioned) the United Nations in his recent statement on the tsunami disaster. He also never "attacked" Mr. Egeland. He simply described Mr. Egeland as "misguided" and "ill-informed." Here is the uncut text of the statement that SPON is referring to. Decide for yourself whether it represents a "heavy attack" on the UN:

Question from reporter: "Mr. President, were you offended by the suggestion that rich nations have been stingy in the aid over the tsunami?  And is this a sign of another rift with the U.N.?"

THE PRESIDENT:  "Well, I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed. The -- take, for example, in the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food, in cash, in humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last year.  That's $2.4 billion.  That's 40 percent of all the relief aid given in the world last year, was provided by the United States government.  No, we're a very generous, kindhearted nation.

You know, the -- what you're beginning to see is a typical response from America.  First of all, we provide immediate cash relief, to the tune of about $35 billion [sic].  And then there will be an assessment of the damage, so that the relief is -- the next tranche of relief will be spent wisely.  That's what's happening now.  I just got off the phone with the President of Sri Lanka,  she asked for help to assess the damage.  In other words, not only did they want immediate help, but they wanted help to assess damage so that we can better direct resources. And so our government is fully prepared to continue to provide assistance and help."

(Click here to read the entire transcript of Bush's press conference.)

The fact that the US government plans to spend far more on tsunami relief than the initial $35 million it has already pledged from emergency contingency funds is only briefly mentioned at the end of SPON's article. SPIEGEL ONLINE also fails to inform readers that Congressional approval is required before truly large sums can be released by the US government.

Bush is further criticized for not leaving his ranch and rushing back to the White House to coordinate the American response. What SPON fails to mention is that Bush's Crawford ranch is considered to be the "Western" White House because it is fully equipped to deal with any emergency or situation the President might face. Apparently Bush should have immediately run around pulling his hair out and exclaiming "I feel your pain." That is perhaps the only reaction that would have pleased the Angry Left and the German media. The fact that the US is leading worldwide efforts together WITH the UN and Europe is just not important to the German media's Bush haters. Once again, they have chosen to twist the facts to match their worldview, and in so doing have further deepened the rift between Germany and the USA.

It is a phenomenon that we have seen before and that we will likely see again in the future. No matter what the United States does, no matter how much money it gives or how much it helps others, the Angry Left and elitist Euro Snobs will always find some fault and some reason to bash it all. Let's just hope Americans don't get so angered by all the cynicism and phony criticism that they really decide to stop doing the right thing. That would be another catastrophe that we don't need.

Note: If you would like to make a donation to help the tsunami victims, click here. Emphasis ours on all quoted statements above.

+++UPDATE+++ Check out our second article on this topic. One of our readers just emailed and pointed out that the article is now in SPIEGEL ONLINE's "Politik" section. It was removed from the main homepage where it had been prominently featured. If you would like to email SPIEGEL ONLINE with your comments on the article, you may contact them at: [email protected]

Comments

[Transatlantiker]

Without approving the SPON criticism at all, just a little clarification.

Bush can release $50 million dollars immediately in events like that without Congress approval. But this limit is per country. Since many countries are affected (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc) he can spend much more immediately. This is probably going to happen very soon. I also bet the Europeans will pledge more in the coming days.
I don't think anyone had an idea on Christmas Day what kind of catastrophe was developing.

[Kathianne]

The divide seems to be too wide. Can't see where the US and Germany or France are going to meet.

[Transatlantiker]

I don't see a divide here. Bush found Schroeder's idea about a debt moratorium very interesting. This catastrophe really doesn't allow for political nitpicking.

We'll see a lot of collaboration in the coming days and weeks.

[Downer]

Vor ein paar Tagen durfte man Deutschlands Außenminister Joschka Fischer beobachten, wie er sinngemäß versprach, dass alles getan werde, um sämtliche Deutsche dort unten zu versorgen. Dumm nur, dass er dies die ganze Zeit, dabei war es nicht einmal länger als eine Minute, von einem Zettel dilettantisch ablas, so als mache er solche Bekundungen zum ersten Mal in seinem ganzen Leben.

Von Boortz auch lesenswert, man beachte übrigens auch das Foto unter dem Artikel:

"THE DISASTER

It surpasses belief. How can you imagine over 100,000 people killed in this day and age in this manner? Once again, despite the statements being made by various America-haters around the world, the people of this country are stepping forward in unprecedented numbers. Naturally, there is confusion as to just where your charitable contributions. The need isn't for blankets and old clothes. The need is for cash. I've been wanting to make a contribution myself, and frankly I'm stumped. I do know this ... it won't be a check to the International Red Cross. I've grown just a bit weary of the constant condemnations of the United States by that body. Bear in mind here that the American Red Cross, the people who did so much for the victims of the hurricanes this past summer are not to be confused with the apparent anti-Americanism of the international body. I've asked my staff to investigate various charities that are working in the relief effort and to make a recommendation. I'll share their information with you.

In the meantime, certain people aren't missing the opportunity to use this disaster to attack the United States and President Bush. CNN was carrying a video clip yesterday showing a disaster survivor screaming "Please tell the world, where is America?" Bear in mind, there is no way in the world that this individual could have had any idea as to who was doing what insofar as relief efforts were concerned. He had just survived a terrible natural disaster and may well have lost members of his family, and there he is asking "Where is America?" His screams just validate what most of us already know ... when times get rough pretty well anywhere in the world the people affected look to America for help. One day they may be demonstrating outside an American embassy demanding for the withdrawal of all things American from their part of the world, and they next day they reflexively look to America for rescue.

America will once again show its generosity and goodness to the world as this disaster unfolds. Ironically it is the very strength that allows us to help at times like these that will insure the continuation of the animosity against our country. It might be a good time to remember that poll that was taken just prior to the presidential election. A surveyed showed that 58% of the various nationalities polled wanted to see the United States and its role in world affairs weakened. A weakened United States could not respond to this disaster in as meaningful a way. These people will put aside their desires for American weakness until this tragedy is passed. Then it will be back to business as usual.
"

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html
http://boortz.com/images/bin_laden_shirt.jpg

[Walter E. Wallis]

Words have an effect. Politicians who slander the United States must pay a price. We should demand equal access to their audience to respond, and the response should NOT be couched in diplomatic terms. If we are denied that access, limitations should be applied to relations. My grandson is in Fallujah today fighting against people who have been raised in an atmosphere of unrelenting and unquestioned hatred of the United States.

Laut CNN - Interview, dass ich am Samstag gesehen hatte, bezog sich Egeland nicht auf die USA, sondern auf Geberländer oder Industrieländer im Allgemeinen, und wichtiger, er meinte vor allem nicht die Hilfsbereitschaft zu Anlass dieser Naturkatastrophe. Er hatte die Aussage vor der Naturkatastrophe, oder kurz danach gemacht, als das Ausmass noch nicht abzusehen war, wie es die täglich steigenden Opferzahlen beweisen. Egeland's Aussage bezog sich nicht auf ein bestimmtes Land und nicht auf die Reaktion zu der Naturkatastrophe.

Den PISA-Test sollten SPIEGEL - Arbeiter mitmachen, anscheinend gibt es Schwächen. Anders könnte man die Verdrehungen von Egeland's Worten nicht nachvollziehen. Dieses Verfahren des SPIEGEL's ist aber bekannt.

[Ray D.]

@ transatlantiker:

Thank you. I've updated the article to reflect that. I've heard the 35 million sum quite a bit. I guess that is what was in the emergency funds. What is the limit the executive can spend before Congress has to approve? If anyone knows, I'd appreciate it.

BTW transatlantiker...why do you think SPON is so adamantly using this situation to play politics? I thought even they would know better...

---Ray D.

[George M]

Ray:

I am sure that this question was not asked in your part of the world. I am sure the world, including SPON is wondering, where is Koffie Annan?

He is skiiing in Jackson Hole, WY.

(Not sure if Kojo is with him.)

[George M]

"Laut CNN - Interview, dass ich am Samstag gesehen hatte, bezog sich Egeland nicht auf die USA, sondern auf Geberländer oder Industrieländer im Allgemeinen"

Das war "Take Two." Egeland hat laut nur die USA geschimpft in seinem ersten Interview.

[Sandy P]

$35 mill right away, plus carriers/planes, the marines and capabilities to make 90K gallons of fresh water per ship, I think there's 3.

US private/corp donations are already at $107 million, via Chuck Simmins.

Instapundit has more links to how generous we are.

[Sandy P]

W did ignore the UN - they were an afterthought after banging on their high chairs.

Read The Diplomad as to how effective the UN is being at the moment.

But the UN has moral authority?

Please.

[Sandy P]

Via The Diplomad:

...Do I really need to say anything more? "Only really the UN can do the job?" We have US C-130s flying in and out here dropping off heaps of supplies; US choppers arrive today; USAID is doing a knock-out job of marshalling and coordinating US and local resources to deliver real assistance to real people. The Aussies have planes and troops delivering stuff; even the Indians have goods on the way. The UN? Nowhere to be seen. OK, I'm not being fair. Last night they played host to a big "coordination" meeting of donors to announce that the UNDP has another large "assessment and coordination team" team arriving. Our USAID guys, who've been working 18-20 hrs/day, came back furious from this meeting saying everybody would be dead if the delivery of aid waited for the UN to set up shop and begin "coordinating." The UN types are upset with the US, Ms. Short, dear, not because we're undermining them but because we're showing them up as totally inept....

[Allan]

Right! The UN is the world's moral authority. Someone please list its successes, that is to say, its successes without United States backing and doing the heavy lifting.

Just a bunch of arrogant, self-serving, socialists who prefer the whoring in New York City to the squalor from whence they came.

[Transatlantiker]

At this point nobody can really "coordinate" anything yet.

What you have now is small rescue units... like USAID, the German THW and local relief organizations. Nobody can really be "in charge" at this point.

Nobody should try to create a rift now. The UN has only limited ressources, it will depend on fast and significant aid from all of us.

I think SPON has mostly copied this stuff from US/UK media.

And Claire Short, whatever your opinion on her may be, is an ******

[Tom Penn]

If I am not mistaken, Kofi made his first appearance post-disaster just today. Why in the world would he get a pass, while Bush gets the usual German media jackboot in the ass? With all the money Americans bleed into the UN every year, why is the UN not equipped with a disaster relief fund standing ready to cope with such emergencies? Why is the UN not the entity to which people in need scream for help? Must I be accountable for everything all the time? What is the purpose of the UN?

No offense to victims in need, but I'd prefer the US not to give one more dime to the UN no matter the circumstances until we clear up who the money actually goes to and what exactly (as well as what quality) of goods this money buys. I don't trust them.

I was always an overly compassionate person, until I woke up to how fruitless it is to be generous in this world. Maybe all this hate-America crap is just making me cynical, but why should we help others when they hate us no matter what we give or how much we do?

I read blog comments recently (maybe on this site) where a German thought the US did not fund the rebuilding of Germany after WWII. Why did we give our blood and treasure to get contempt and denial in return? Should we not have just kept this money for the benefit of our own people?

Americans died fighting on behalf of Muslims in Afghanistan in the 80s and today, Serbia, Somalia, Kuwait, etc. We opened our arms to embrace them into our society. We are repaid in hate and terror. Why should my government spend our blood and treasure when this is the result?

Will the people of India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka consider my people with any additional measure of decency, gratitude and respect no matter how generous we are in their time of need? Why should I think so? They will probably hate us because it was not more, or not executed to ultimate perfection.

I think the US government should suspend all foreign aid (including every dime given to the UN), except that which helps burgeoning REAL democracies to stand on their own feet. Let the UN deal with the rest, or not. I'm sure individual Americans will continue to give very generously to deserving international charities, especially in the aftermath of catastrophes.

[Joe]

I am going to warm to this topic... I can see. This will probably be the first of several posts I will be making about it.....

Among the biggest corporate givers are Pfizer Inc., which is donating $10 million in cash and $25 million worth of drugs to relief agencies; The Coca-Cola Co., which is donating $10 million; Exxon Mobil Corp., which is giving $5 million; and Citigroup Inc., which is contributing $3 million. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $3 million.

Pharmaceutical and health-care products companies were among the biggest givers. Merck & Co. Inc. is giving $3 million in cash while Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories Inc. are each donating $2 million; each of the three are also sending drugs and other health care supplies to the region. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is donating $1 million in cash and $4 million in antibiotics and antifungal drugs. Roche Group and GlaxoSmithKline PLC were also planning to donate supplies and/or cash.

Nike Inc., American Express Co., General Electric Co., The Walt Disney Co., and First Data Corp. are each giving $1 million.
For some corporations with operations in the countries struggling with the disaster, their far-flung enterprises are serving as quick supply routes for aid.

Drug makers with offices or plants in the region sent employees out with antibiotics, nutritional supplements, infant formula, baby food and other supplies. Employees of companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo Inc. and Marriott International Inc. hotels in the region are delivering bottled water, food and other supplies.

"They're sending whatever they can, as fast as they can," said Elaine Palmer, spokeswoman for PepsiCo, which rushed out Aquafina bottled water from one of its Indian bottlers and plans to contribute a minimum of $1 million to the relief effort.

Fresh drinking water is one of the items most needed. Many sources of fresh water, like wells, have been contaminated by seawater, debris and sewage.

In Thailand, Starbucks coffee shops are donating all of Wednesday's profits to the relief effort. The company also made an initial contribution of $100,000 and will donate $2 for every pound of certain coffees sold in January in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Many companies are offering to match employee donations to aid groups and are making it easier for customers to donate.

First Data's Western Union is offering free money transfers from U.S. and Canadian donors to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Amazon.com had collected about 87,000 donations totaling more than $5.4 million for the American Red Cross as of Thursday afternoon.

Wal-Mart Inc. is setting up collection containers at all of its stores, in addition to a $2 million donation from its foundation.

Google Inc. has put a link on its home page to relief groups, and America Online is encouraging members to donate to Network for Good, an online charity the Internet-service provider founded along with Cisco Systems Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo also added links to five charities on its home page.

AOL members donated more than $1 million in less than 48 hours, according to spokesman Nicholas Graham.

As Germany is the largest economy in Europe. The third largest in the world. The nation with the most people in Europe I am sure this same outpouring of support is also taking place. I hope someone will provide more information about what Germany is doing.

[Ray D.]

@ Joe,

Actually, Germany has pledged far less than even England...

---Ray D.

[Gabi]

Walter,
words are not enough to express what I feel about the US and especially your grandson doing this job for the world in such an atmosphere of hate towards the US. I feel gratitude every moment, every day, every morning when we get up, when we go to sleep, we think of all these brave people fighting this war. They do it for us. Please tell him that we are always with him. I hope he will be home safely soon. And everybody with him.

There is this tragedy in Asia. There will be more tragedies everywhere in this world. But let us not forget the people in Iraq who are fighting for us.

Thank you again.

Happy new year? A better new year than 2004.

[Alec Rawls]

I wish Bush WOULD cut out the U.N. Those countries that think the U.N. can be an effective avenue for delivering help can try to make it so, but they will fail, and the waste will be tragic. It is always important, in allocating money for relief efforts, to avoid channeling money to the con-artists, seat-warmers and bag-men. The U.N. is the most immoral money-sucking international organization there is. It needs to disappear, not be gorged with money needs to be used to aid Tsunami victims.

[beimami]

SPON is firing a shot here for the world-wide Leftist movement, which perceives correctly that the main obstacle to a UN dominated Leftist world government is the United States of America and its promotion of democracy. That's why the Left is so opposed to the U.S. action in Iraq: Why, the Iraqis might be able to decide for themselves what kind of government they want. Nothing that America does, short of submitting itself totally to the will of the UN will satisfy SPON and its ilk.

A few points about the article.

1. The excessive demonization of Bush is only partly because SPON absolutely loathes Bush; it also allows SPON apologists to claim that SPON is not anti-American, just anti-Bush. But anyone who reads the German media knows that they miss no opportunity to trash America, regardless of whether or not Bush is involved.

2. The Left has been complaining for years about how much (or little) the US gives in foreign aid, and about who receives that aid - they really hate US aid to Israel. What is really revealing here is not whether they are right or wrong (wrong in my estimation), but that they honestly believe that they should be able to dictate how much the US gives, and to whom. In their fantasy world, the US should give 7% of GDP to the UN, and the UN should decide who gets it. The will of the American people is of no concern to them.

3. What really burns them here is the huge opportunity that is being missed. With proper financing, the UN could use this disaster to spread its influence throughout south Asia. Well, it's a win-win situation: Either the US gives them the money they want, or they claim that the US is being stingy with aid.

Foreign aid, death penalty, Kyoto, International Criminal Court. The US should give up its sovereignity and allow these matters to be determined by the UN. And when these matters are settled, the next list will come. The real war is not against Islamic fanatics, but against Leftism.

[davod]

Unless someone can point to who started this I would suggest that the whole controversy about Bush not responding quickly enough is a red herring started by the press.

The money issue is also a canard put about by Internationalists who believe that the only way the world can get along is if the UN controls all the money. The UN label on everything is probably one of the reasons the most caring and giving countries in the world receive little credit for much of what they provide.

[Joe]

Let me see UNITED NATIONS Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland would be in charge of this effort. He is from Norway. Norway a nation that is smaller then the state of New Mexico. Norway with a population smaller than that of metro Atlanta.

This could only make sense to the UN loving American hating euro’s.

Well duh!!

Of course, it makes sense. These are the same clowns who made Libya Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission.

Americans and those people and nations who actually want to do something constructive need to get a grip here. We fail to realize the enlighten euro way of meetings, talking and signing papers as “real action”.

[jcrue]

the more they malign Bush the more apparant it is their opinions are irrelevant. because in the real world nothing they say holds any water in the end. one way works better than they other and the critics around this world really hate to be shown to be fools.

and just like a child, the more things go against their desires, the cries become louder and more frequent.

"i love the American concept of 'freedom of speech' - it makes spotting the idiots that much easier" - anon.

[Joe]

Ray,

Warming to this topic…..

I was really thinking more about individuals and corporations and not governments when I asked about the generosity of the German people.

Is it possible this is a reflection of high taxes? I mean an individual German could take the position why give to the Red Cross when I already give to Berlin. Of that UN character, thinks Germans want to be taxed even more so they can give even more.

Is it possible this is a reflection of the secular nature of Germany? Where so few people believe in GOD much less actually attend church. Where the morality of the state socialism has replaced the morality of what was once a judeo Christian nation.

Is it possible this is a reflection of the euro superior moral values we in the US hear so much about? Is this a new value set of where the expressions of feel good words and the expression of the political correct emotions are to take the place of real actions, real money, and real involvement? Are moral values defined in Berlin and the newsrooms of German media?

I am sure this is all going to be explained by the MSM in Germany. Hopefully someone will post a link as well as someone translating it so we all can have a better understanding.

[Condi]

@Joe- your insults to the German people and their generosity displays a profound ignorance.
-Condi

[Jana]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/brucebartlett/bb20041231.shtml

Read this for an informed account of how stingy the Americans really are.

[beimami]

The Bush administration pushed its pledged emergency aid up over 300 million a few hours ago, but I still haven't seen anything in the headlines on the websites of the major German news organizations, though it is buried at the end of an ARD story crowing about the generosity of the German people (http://www.tagesschau.de/aktuell/meldungen/0,1185,OID3925520,00.html).

I have also seen no mention of the U.S. Navy ships loaded with relief supplies that are headed for the region (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142995,00.html). The anti-Americanism of the German media is as conspicious for that which it leaves out as for the half-truths it reports.

I saw a German reporter on a German news channel (NTV if I recall correctly) complaining a few hours ago that the New Year's clebrations in the US did not appear as subdued as the celebrations in Europe will be. What an ass. The celebrations don't actually begin for a few hours in the US, so he has no clue how subdued they will or won't be, and the celebrations here do not appear to me to be at all subdued. Firecrackers have been going off all day around here. But he knows he can get away with the comment and everyone here who is inclined to believe the worst about America anyway will suck it right up.

[beimami]

@Jana

Thanks for the link. The article mentions a typical trick of the Left over here. Since the U.S. gives more in foreign aid than any other counry, they choose to look at aid as a percent of GDP, then compare us with small countries like Sweden and the Netherlands to skew the results against us. There is no end to the tricks they use to demonize the U.S.

[Gabi]

DIE ZEIT
01/2005
Eine Frau, die das Meer pflügte
Die amerikanische Schriftstellerin Susan Sontag ist gestorben. Ihre Essays, Reden und Romane waren ein einziges, kritisches, liebendes »Dennoch«
Von Fritz J. Raddatz

Wenn ein Freund stirbt – und Susan Sontag war ein enger Freund –, dann fragt man sich, aufschreiend: Was war das Besondere an diesem Menschen? Warum war er einem nahe, was machte ihn – sie – so wichtig für das eigene Leben?

Susan Sontag war außergewöhnlich. Damit meine ich nicht ihren überragenden Intellekt, ihre–man sagte oft: europäische – Bildung; damit meine ich Haltung.
...
http://www.zeit.de/2005/01/sontag

--------------------------------------------------------

Tja, europäische Bildung - das scheint wohl das größte Kompliment zu sein, aber vielleicht auch nur in der Einbildung mancher, vieler Europäer. Da zieht man Sontag runter aufs europäische Niveau und bejubelt dann die eigene Großartigkeit.

So machte man auch Kerry zu einem von uns - so europäisch. Das kostete ihn dann den Wahlsieg. :-)

[Ray D.]

Look everyone,

There are a lot of great people in Germany, the USA and around the world donating a lot of money and effort to help those in need. The point is that those who decide to exploit this to create artificial divisions where there are none for political reasons ought to be ashamed. There is no doubt in my mind that both Germany and the USA will prove to be very generous in dealing with the tsunami aid effort. This is a great opportunity for Europe and the USA to move closer despite the best efforts of the cynical leftist media to sow more hate.

---Ray D.

[racker]

@beimami
"but I still haven't seen anything in the headlines on the websites of the major German news organizations"

what do american news organisations show about german help? nothing! we show our help in our news, americans show their help in their news, whats the problem?

@beimami
i remember some reports of CNN from yesterday when they listed the money of different countries! It was like
USA:35million
GB:30million
Australia:xxxmillion
Israel:200 thousand or something, dont remember

they only show that what they want to show, no mentions about france, germany or other european countries! so why do you complain if german news are doing the same?

[Joe]

Oh Condi,

There were no insults intended. I even pointed out that I was sure someone would post a link displaying the generosity of both Germany Inc as well as the German people. I was hoping you would be the one to provide a link to an article, which spoke of the millions in euros corporate Germany had already donated or how the various charity, social services and relief organizations were being flooded with donations. I see you have provided only an account of a few individual reactions and reasons. None the less this is heart warming.

I had actually hoped you were going to provide a link showing DHL planes being loaded in Frankfurt with supplies from German NGO’s being readied for the flight to one of the 11 nations which suffered this disaster. Something like this link http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=earthquake&ei=UTF-8&xargs=12KPjg1t9SroGmmvmnEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ7Fo5h7DOV5CtdY6hNdE%2DIfXp%2DfxodtTphm%2DwzWuLrFr%2DMO6cP%2Dg4O6rjm3TUaLH6GugtfRzv84F5%2DR&pstart=4&c=images&b=10

While you seem ready to accuse me of insults, I note with interest how you manage to give a free pass on insults by Germans toward Americans. I guess there really is no social justice for anyone other than Germans.

Of course, it is now routine that Germany distorts whatever the US does or does not do. It is reflected not only by the leadership of Germany but also by the media and finds a ready audience in the German people.

So please do not let facts get in the way of any discussion here.

[Joe]

racker,

Here are two links for you. They deal with the contributions of Europe and the second one speaks only to the increase in German aid.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142995,00.html

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041230-102836-5300r.htm

**** Please realize that many in your nation do not consider either of these sources to have any validity.

[Walter E. Wallis]

Those people who stoop to using even this great tragedy as just another opportunity to bash Bush are beneath contempt and undeserving of any consideration. They are pissing in the well of understanding that peace and prosperity depend on.

[roman thomas]

@racker
the problem is not that each country tells what each is giving. it's when one country tries to manipulate the people by telling how bad the other side is for not doing more. when actually, they give more than everyone else.

[roman thomas]

by the way.........HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

[beimami]

@racker and ''

How easily you are manipulated by the German media. Did you read the post you are commenting on? I would be elated if the German press would concern itself primarily with what the Germans are doing, as you so gleefully claim the US media is doing. The point is that the German media (And SPON in particular here) have attempted to use the tragedy in Asia to demonize the US, and continue that demonization by refusing to report, or essentially burying, any information that could make the US look good.

Once again, it is not just the half-truths they report, but also what they leave out.

Germans, Americans and the rest of the world are, in my opinion, performing brilliantly in response to this horrible and unforeseen catastrophe. It is well worth remembering that no country or people is under any obligation to do anything whatsoever, other than that which their collective conscience dictates. And a lot is being done: by Germans, by Americans and by many others. It is unfortunate when certain media organizations try to use this catastrophe to poison international relations. I don't see any other way to view the SPON article.

Trotzdem, auch wenn es in manchen Teilen der Welt nicht so gut angefangen hat: Ich wünsche Euch ein frohes neues Jahr!

[Downer]

Frohes Neues ebenfalls.

Ein amüsanter Comic über Ober-Bescheidwisser Noam Chomsky:

http://www.filibustercartoons.com/comics/20041229.gif

[Downer]

We can really trust in George W. Bush:

Bush Pledges $350 Million in Aid to Stricken

Areas of Asia
By DAVID E. SANGER and WARREN HOGE 6:51 PM ET
President Bush said the U.S. would probably add more resources as the scope of what he called an "epic disaster" became clearer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/31/international/worldspecial4/31cnd-diplo.html?hp&ex=1104555600&en=adcdde04bc3c920e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Here a temporary list (Quelle: Right Nation) from America's "stingy" companies:

US Government - $350M.
American Red Cross - $28M thus far
Amazon.com - $4.8M so far (donations are expected to surpass the $6.8M donated for 9-11 relief).
Save the Children - $5M more expected.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - $3M
America Online - $3M raised so far from 53K donors. Additional $200K donated by the company. Will also match employee donations up to $50K.
eBay - setting up program to allow proceeds of sales to be donated to disaster relief.
Cisco Systems - $2.5M
JP Morgan Chase - $3M + matching of employee contributions.
CitiGroup - $3M + matching of employee contributions
PepsoCo - $1M
Pfizer - $10M in cash + $25M in medical supplies + matching of employee contributions
Johnson & Johnson - $2M + medicine and medical supplies
Abbott Laboratories - $2M + medicine and medical supplies
Merck & Co. - $250K + medicine & medical supplies
Bristol-Meyers Squibb - $100K + medicine & medical supplies.
Starbucks - $100K + $2 for every pound of Sumatra coffee sold during January.

[Knitterface]

Ein wenig Off- Topic, aber egal. Hochnotpeinlicher Text eines gewissen Herrn Beuys. Hier könnt ihr euch wieder herrlich streiten, ob dies nun anti- amerikanisch oder "nur" Anti- Reagan ist:

06.06.04, 11:27h Lyrik von Joseph Beuys

"Aus dem Land
das sich selbst zerstört
und uns den "way of life" Diktiert

da kommt Reagan und bringt Waffen und Tod

und hört er Frieden
sieht er rot.
Er sagt als Präsident von USA
Atomkrieg ? - Ja
bitte
dort und da

ob Polen
Mittler Osten
Nicaragua

er will den Endsieg
das ist doch klar.

Doch wir wollen: Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob West
ob Ost
auf Raketen muß Rost !
wir wollen: Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob West
ob Ost
auf Raketen muß Rost !

Er will die Säcke im Osten reizen
die auch nicht mit Atomen geizen

doch dein Krieg um hirnverbrannte Ziele

der läuft nicht Reagan - wir sind viele !
Hau ab mit deinen Nuklearstrategen

deinen Russenhassern
deinem Strahlenregen

Mensch Knitterface
der Film ist aus

nimm' die Raketen mit nach Haus !

Denn wir wollen: Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob Ost
ob West
Kalten Kriegern die Pest !
Wir wollen: Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob Ost
ob West
Kalten Kriegern die Pest !

Dieser Reagan kommt als Mann der Rüstungsindustrie

but the peoples of the States don't want it - nie !
und den wahren Frieden wird's erst geben

wenn alle Menschen ohne Waffen leben.

Wir wollen: Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob West
ob Ost
auf Raketen muß Rost !
Sonne statt Reagan
ohne Rüstung leben !
Ob Ost
ob West
Kalten Kriegern die Pest !....."

Ich hoffe für ein wenig gute Laune gesorgt zu haben...

[Sock Puppet of Doom]

@Downer That comic was funny. Thanks for sharing it.

I am just so amused over all the my "member" is bigger than yours that is going on here between countries. Even Chirac had to get in on it but he was quickly shamed by Bush's 350 million. The important thing is that the 1st world respond.

We haven't decided who we are going to donate to yet but we will have made a donation tonight before the clock strikes 12:00. The ICRC is not very popular at our house right now which complicates matters.

Happy New Year everyone.

[Mike H.]

I really want to get angry with Germany.....but then there's Gabi, David, the German Navy....Darn, I guess I'll have to go find someone else to get angry with. Wait, how 'bout the world media?

Happy New Year!

[Tyranno]

@beimami: "but I still haven't seen anything in the headlines on the websites of the major German news organizations"

Racker: "what do american news organisations show about german help? nothing! we show our help in our news, americans show their help in their news, whats the problem?

Racker missses the main point. Show us the article from the American New Journal criticizing the German or European contributions? Or name calling Schroeder, Chirac, or the little Swedish UN/statist buttworm? (Did I say that outloud or just think it?)
Parochialism is the norm, the leftist German/Euro obsession with blaming the U.S. for all the sins of the world, real, imagined or media generated, is bizarre.

Tyranno

[beimami]

@Tyranno

You are on target.

[rcane]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1275151.htm
Aid for some Aceh survivors 'weeks' away

It always take the UN forever to get anything done

[Erik S]

Even Le Monde has to admit that Uncle Sam is the largest contributor of aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami…

…although France's newspaper of reference did try to do that surreptitiously, by hiding that information inside Jean-Pierre Langellier's article devoted to the fact that Great Britain is the second-largest contributor of aid to tsunami victims (!)…

As for Condi, before you take on Joe, I suggest you read David R Henderson's book, The Joy of Freedom. (An excerpt can be read on my website; if you are short on time, go directly to the subhead entitled "Are Market Economies So Lacking in Virtuousness in the First Place?")

[Gabi]

Bush hat aus den Fehlern anderer gelernt. Offensichtlich haben die EU und die UN nichts aus dem Abschlachten von 7.800 Menschen in Srebrenica gelernt. Haßerfüllt verfolgen sie seitdem Bushs Entscheidungen: Diese sind stark, angstfrei und konsequent. Dadurch zeigt er noch deutlicher die Schwächen der EU und UN. Gemeinsam klammern sie sich aneinander und reden sich Stärke ein. Stark im gemeinsamen Schwachsein.

This happened when Clinton was president of the US. The US under Bush is different! And what about Europe and the UN? Clinton was one of them. Bush is not - luckily (zum Glück).

"The international community wants to forget Srebrenica, and it is reluctant to apprehend the war criminals. It knows all too well that to bring to trial those responsible for the massacres will highlight its own liabilities. Indeed, I learnt on my last trip that Karadzic and Mladic have stated privately that they are assembling their defense and are prepared to implicate those who were "complicitous" in their crimes.

The UN, which was supposed to be guarantor of the civilians of Srebrenica, has not seen fit to establish a commission of inquiry to determine whether its personnel should be held accountable for the crimes against humanity and violations of the laws of war. Do Janvier and Akashi share some responsibility with Mladic and Karadzic for the carnage that followed, since they cut deals with the BSA that led to the sacrifice of Srebrenica?

Should the Dutchbat officers and soldiers be brought to trial for delivering the civilians of Srebrenica into the hand of their executioners when they had the mandate and obligation to protect them?

Whey has the French government not set up a commission of inquiry to determine Janvier's share of responsibility in the massacre at Srebrenica. Did his negotiations with Karadzic and Mladic give them the green light to annihilate the enclave? Why has the French government protested the recent action taken by British troops to arrest indicted Serb war criminals.

Why are the US government, the CIA, the State Department, the Pentagon and the National Security Agency suppressing important documents and photographs requested under the freedom of Information Act by human rights organisations, by the Hague War Crimes tribunal and those seeking to establish that Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) violated the Geneva Convention?

Why did the US government keep secret, for almost a month, crucial satellite photographs of men kneeling in the field near Srebrenica awaiting execution when many lives might have been saved if they had been released immediately?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recently went to Bosnia for six hours to demand the arrest of war criminals. This is another example of the US Government's double standards. It is up to the US government to set the arrests in motion.

These are all profoundly serious questions that remain unanswered. There will be no lasting peace in Bosnia until he war criminals are apprehended.

The international community from the outset defined the conflict in Bosnia as a "civil war". It prevented the Bosnian government form defending its people through an arms embargo (the only mandate rigorously enforced). It created the treacherous concept of the "safe area" -- nothing other than legitimised concentration camps. It negotiated with and legitimised the position of Slobodan Milosevic, the architect of Greater Serb. It betrayed the people of Bosnia and delivered them to their executioners.

The litany of false promises, hollow threats and betrayal is endless. Were they the product of a deliberate policy of appeasement and collaborations. The arrest of Karadzic and Mladic will be the real test of British prime minister Tony Blair's commitment to put human rights at the top of his foreign policy.

The president of the Hague tribunal, Antonio Cassese, said: "'Trial will establish individual responsibility over collective assignation of guilt, otherwise the entire Serbian nation will bear responsibility for the genocide committed against the Muslim people of Bosnia. We must bring to justice the individual perpetrators. Cassese also said: "justice dissipates the call for revenge because when the court meted out to the perpetrator his just deserts, then the victims' calls for retribution are met. Victims are prepared to be reconciled with their erstwhile tormentors because they know that the latter have now paid for their crimes."

Cassese recalled the annihilated and deportations of the Armenians by the Turks in 1915. The same powers, he said, Britain, Russia and France, had called for those responsible to be tried for their crimes, but they never were. The Armenian massacres became, he said, "the forgotten genocide." He went on: "The result of the immunity of the leaders and organisers of the Armenian genocide is that it gave a nod and a wink to Adolf Hitler, and others, to pursue the Holocaust some 20 years later. Yesterday it was the Armenians and the Jews. Today it is the Muslims in Bosnia, and if there is not calling to account, then it will become another "forgotten genocide". Who knows who will be next.

There will be no lasting peace without justice. If American and European leaders turn their backs on the dead and missing of Srebrenica, they will have traded away everything that democratic nations claim they stand for."

Bianca Jagger

http://www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/srebrenica/BiancaJagger2.html

[C. Lapide]

Thank you for mentioning that article. I was rather displeased when reading it first in SPON, but the sad thing is, that I actually expected that someone would try to exercise some USA bashing in context of the catastrophe. Unfortunately it was German media once more.

[Gabi]

"America and Israel are the real terrorists," Osama bin Laden said in his last tape. I don't find a transcript. Could anybody help me, please.

In German media they never mentioned that Bin Laden talked about Israel. At least I did not find any article. I wonder why. I find it important to know what he thinks about Israel.