Obama Approves $105 Million in Humanitarian Aid for East Africa

[Judas BentHer]

BLOOMBERG
By Roger Runningen - Aug 8, 2011

President Barack Obama today approved $105 million in famine relief for the Horn of Africa, where millions of people are in urgent need of aid amid the worst drought in 60 years, the White House said.

More than 12.4 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia require humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations. The famine has been compounded by two decades of civil war in Somalia. Thousands of Somalis are fleeing the famine and seeking refuge in Kenya and Ethiopia, which are also affected by the drought, according to the White House.

Aid announced today comes after previous donations of about $565 million in humanitarian assistance, including food, health, shelter, water and sanitation assistance, the White House said in a statement.


Awesome executive decision. After the debt debacle just days ago, where we the people have to take it in the shorts, let's give more money to east Africa.

Because after all, as the UN's foremost member and indeed one of the founding member nations of the UN, we're the only one's with no cash, to bail them out.

Meanwhile, that grand total of 670 million dollars, that wouldn't put one crimp in Oprah's bank account as one of those high end top 1%'ers who aren't going to pay more in taxes because they have more income, couldn't have been used as a government bail out for the working class that's struggling to stay afloat because we're impoverished, hungry, desperate to survive ourselves, our families, with a roof over our head trying to avoid eviction from the apartment or foreclosure on the home that, thanks to George W. Why did that fuck leave office out of handcuffs Bush Jr. who approved deregulation of the banking industry during his sorry ass term, we thought we could afford because we were led to believe so by bankers who should have known better. And had the ethics to say so. But they weren't regulated so they didn't have to say so, even though they knew better.

Nooooooo! Our seniors will struggle to live till their golden years are actually fiberboard, hoping to survive check to check and when they get a job at their age to make ends meet if they make too much, under that snot nose punk ass manager who's their boss and treats them like crap, they'll have their benefits cut because they make too much money that they're again paying income tax on. As if they'll live on to make that FICA back in Social Security after they quit or die on the job.

Well hell no! Let's give money to east Africa, where they keep breeding 'em even when they can't feed 'em, when multi-million dollar Televangelists,. like Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing, could be coughing up the cash along with the rest of his cronies, to save some people's flesh and bone instead of promising their souls would live better than they did once they starve to death!

[leo-rcc]

Of course he was going to give aid to Africa, he can't let his home country down.

[Judas BentHer]

Yes he can! (looks around) Oh! You mean the other one.

[Autumnlicious]

Awesome executive decision. After the debt debacle just days ago, where we the people have to take it in the shorts, let's give more money to east Africa.

That's right. Fuck them. Wonderful thought, Judas!



No one deserves to starve to death, asshole.

Just because the US is squabbling over it's horrific budget politics doesn't mean we fucking up and ignore the worst famine in Africa in decades.

But I see your point -- we should ignore the rest of the world until we get ourselves sorted out. While we're at it, we should suspend vaccination programs et al to save some pocket change while the motherfucking DoD consumes billions each year.

[Judas BentHer]

Hey reactionary reading comprehension deficient asshole,


No one said they deserve to starve to death.

And until you pick up a gun, put on a uniform and agree to die for this country, fuck you and your whiny punk ass bitch fest about how much the tax payer spends on DoD budgets.

You can't comprehend what I wrote about east African aid, while you think we should spend less to defend ourselves AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES we protect using that DoD budget so their people, can hate us regardless!

When was the last time you sent money to east Africa?

Yeah, I thought so.
My money goes out every two weeks to impoverished nations.
Ohhhh, that's not anything that crossed your mind. Color me surprised.

[Autumnlicious]

And until you pick up a gun, put on a uniform and agree to die for this country, fuck you and your whiny punk ass bitch fest about how much the tax payer spends on DoD budgets.

So I am not allowed to criticize the obvious waste in the DoD, by virtue of not being in the armed forces?

So I am not allowed to criticize the DoD when the projects at NASA I worked for were forced to borrow their training simulations from the DoD because the company demanded 50k$ from them, but only 10k$ from the DoD?

So I am not allowed to criticize the obvious military spending per capita and question it?


Really? Really?

You can't comprehend what I wrote about east African aid, while you think we should spend less to defend ourselves AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES we protect using that DoD budget so their people, can hate us regardless!

Of course! The world hates us! We need more money to defend ourselves!

Oh wait, we're not at war with any sovereign foreign power right now. We're only doing costly occupation operations in foreign countries where better armed and more bloodthirsty nations gave up (Soviets ring a bell?).

When was the last time you sent money to east Africa?

The day my tax money was spent on aid operations. Which happens quite often, actually.

Do I mind? No.

Yeah, I thought so.
My money goes out every two weeks to impoverished nations.
Ohhhh, that's not anything that crossed your mind. Color me surprised.

Already knew that, about the aid operations.

They don't operate in a vacuum.

[Minimalist]

$105 mill is a drop in the bucket, though, and stopping someone from starving to death today will do nothing for tomorrow.

The entire country is dysfunctional and even making certain that the aid gets where it is needed - instead of ending up in the hands of one of the warring parties - is a major task.

Previous grain dumps have not reversed the process of dessication which is causing the Sahara to continually expand. What they have done, ironically, is drastically slash grain prices for those farmers who were still able to grow a crop and drive them into poverty as well.

Some problems do not have a solution.

[Shell B]

Wow, Judas, could you be more of the American that every other country loves to hate? I am the first person to defend the U.S. when people from other countries say we never help. You would take away my only defense against a barrage of largely true insults? Fuck, the amount of aid the U.S. gives is one of the biggest reasons I am proud to be a citizen. I am aware that this will probably help very little and that much of it will wind up with homicidal fuckers because stealing food is what those homicidal fuckers do.

If you did not say they should starve then what the fuck are you saying? Yes, there are people here who need to be fed. However, there are no soup kitchens in hell and parts of Africa are hell.

---

Some problems do not have a solution.

No, some problems are unable to be solved because people are unwilling to solve them. Civil war is lucrative business for raping and pillaging types. They will never stop. Therefore, the starvation problem will never go away. Drought would have far less affect if it were in a more stable environment.

[Judas BentHer]

Yeah, whatever you say because of what you imagine you read.
Sure, you have a point, of course, yes, I agree, my goodness, I said you have no right to criticize unless...not that you criticize without realizing where that money goes, despite Googling for a chart to support your lack of knowledge before, though you knew the facts all along. This I can read. (I'm lying obviously) Because that's what you said right from the jump.
Of course, whatever you say to what I never wrote/or write, you go right on ahead and attack what you imagine is there and by gosh, have a really great time conversing with your own imagination on both sides while your at it. Everyone needs a hobby. I shall call you hemorrhoid. Because you love to climb up my ass.
Are you gay? It sounds like obsession.

And since you've taken a special interest in me I gotta wonder, were you like those bullies I use to beat the hell out of all through school because they picked on people thinking they could get over on it because they were big, top in their class, jocks or whatever else they were that they imagined gave them the right? Even going so far as to pick on girls and slap them around? Just because they thought they could because they had nothing better to do on their spare time.

Or maybe you're just one of those guys who thinks because you're an IT genius you can treat everyone like shit because you've got the education that you think raises you above everyone else so as to launch you unto the lofty status of asshole with brain, and don't have to show respect to anyone else.




You should go visit the hug thread. Because if ever in my life I met someone that needs one, it's you!

[Shell B]

Are you gay? It sounds like obsession.

Easy, Judas. Your bigotry is showing.

And since you've taken a special interest in me I gotta wonder, were you like those bullies I use to beat the hell out of all through school because they picked on people thinking they could get over on it because they were big, top in their class, jocks or whatever else they were that they imagined gave them the right? Even going so far as to pick on girls and slap them around? Just because they thought they could because they had nothing better to do on their spare time.

I call bullshit. You sound like the guy who got beat up and is now pretending to be a hardass. This topic has nothing to do with your obviously scarring school years. You should know, you started it.

Or maybe you're just one of those guys who thinks because you're an IT genius you can treat everyone like shit because you've got the education that you think raises you above everyone else so as to launch you unto the lofty status of asshole with brain, and don't have to show respect to anyone else.

In Syn's defense -- as if he needs it -- he is plenty respectful. He and I don't always agree, but he has never been disrespectful about it. Perhaps it is your tone that rankles him. It seems we have a lot of lofty egos in this place lately.

You should go visit the hug thread. Because if ever in my life I met someone that needs one, it's you!

I'll give him a freebie right here. *hugs Syn* Now, you should really get back on topic as that wall of an ad hom did nothing to refute what Syn said in response to you.