We're giving Italy $50,000 for earthquake relief?!? Good grief, why bother?

[FudaFuda]

I just read where the US State Dept. is giving Italy $50,000 for emergency relief following the earthquake outside Rome that has killed at least 100 people and flattened whole towns.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.15148f36e80f2222604c174cd120fa19.381&show_article=1

WTF?! Talk about big spender. I'm not really sure we need to be worried about helping Italy at all, but $50,000 doesn't exactly go very far.

[JuniperLea]

1. Well excuse the fuck out of me...

But we don't have a fucking pot to piss in, or a window to throw it out ourselves!

All that said, $50k is a humanitarian "gift" and I hope to Goddess it's seen as such.

:eyes:

[B Whale]

2. Good will gesture to a friend surely. Better than

giving nothing.

Similar to when Castro offered to help during Hurricane Katrina

[FudaFuda]

4. Political fallout's a bitch.

I hope you and JuniperLea are both right that it will be taken positively.

We spend more than $50,000 for the envelopes we use to send billions in bailout cash to European bankers.

[B Whale]

31. European's bailed out European bankers, although

i get your point. small beer

[Political Tiger]

3. Doesn't sound right

I've got a feeling there's more to it than that.

[GoCubsGo]

10. Probably an error in the number of zeroes...

That's my guess. Also, the article says that the embassy in Rome will be releasing the money. One would guess that the embassy money is more available for immediate use, and that they don't have huge wads of cash sitting around.

[rvablue]

5. Another negative post by you and a link

from breitbart.

What a surprise!!!

Italy more than likely has the resources to handle this crisis.

It's a humanitarian gift to show that we stand with our friends and allies in bad times.

Remember how many less wealthy countries sent us money and resources after 9/11 and Katrina??

It's how international diplomacy works.

Get a clue.

[Ian David]

6. The Bush Admin refused foreign aide after Katrina.

Because it would have been embarrassing.

As if we didn't know what we were doing.

[rvablue]

11. The point of the my post is that it is almost always offered by friends

and it's too bad that Bush refused based help on his childish conditions and weak character.

I would say he did a very good job embarrassing himself in the wake of Katrina all by himself -- surely a little help from our international friends wasn't going to make that any worse.



ed:sp.

[FudaFuda]

8. I'd rather offer Italy some seriously real help

and if they say they're in good shape and they've got it covered, then fine. We typically react with a bit more help on the ground than this.

[rvablue]

15. I'd say the Obama administration has got this covered

and if Italy needed more we'd be doing more for them. They are allies.

The nominal donation is so that RW nutjob reactionaries aren't going to go on the teevees and series of tubes and bitch and moan that the administration is ignoring our friends during their time of need.

It's a diplomatic niceity...something the Shrub knew nothing about ... as when he gave pittance to very poor countries when they were going through some horrible tragedies until public outrage forced them to do more.

[MADem]

23. We offered them Search and Rescue teams, and they declined.

Your source sucks. You also don't appreciate how well the Embassy in Rome works with the GOI.

They'll get what they need, and if they need more in addition to this initial Emergency Relief payment from us, we'll give it to them. If they need people-power, we'll pitch in with stationed forces if need be.

[rvablue]

27. Oh you with your facts and common sense reasoning, you're ruining

the OPs incessant thinly veiled campaign to foment distrust and disdain for every little move the Obama administration makes.

Reasonable anaylsis and the truth won't help a bit!!

:hi:

[MADem]

29. Heh heh....

I'm very familiar with our Embassy in Rome. I've got to say, they do a good job, and they do so across presidential administrations and changes in leadership within the GOI.

They're very responsive and we value their friendship--if "hairplug Silvio" needs more help, he'll get it with a snap of his well-manicured fingers.

[FudaFuda]

14. and by the way, what's your fucking problem?

"Another negative post by you" Oh my.

negative about what? The United States federal government? Well goddamn, I didn't know it wasn't impolitic to criticize the government around here.

I don't care who's in the White House - the United States federal government is still the United States federal government. I'm not always a big fan.

[rvablue]

17. Uh huh. Show me one positive post you've made and I'll retract

my criticism.

And if you don't like anything about Obama or his administration maybe you should spend time elsewhere.

This is DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND, not "I'm always suspiscous of the federal government and want to complain about everything all the time."

[FudaFuda]

26. Funny how the gubmint is wonderful now.

By the way, my post has fuck all to do with President Obama, unless now all criticism of the government is, in your opinion, a criticism of him by extension.

[theoldman]

7. I do not think that breitbart is a reliable news source.

I am sure that we will give the Italians millions if they need it.

[rvablue]

18. No, he certainly is not. He exist mostly so that Drudge can link

to something with a veil of "legitimacy."

Breibart is a RW hack.

[FudaFuda]

28. The story is AFP. nt

[Dorian Gray]

9. Yeah...

that's sort of embarrassing.

[TahitiNut]

12. So, how much have YOU sent personally? Hmmm??

Stepping up to the plate, swinger??

[FudaFuda]

16. Well, I work full-time and pay my taxes, so I guess about $50,000

How 'bout yourself?

[EFerrari]

13. Why are you using breitbart? That's not a credible source. n/t

[FudaFuda]

20. It's an AFP story. Breitbart's just regurgitating. whatever. nt

[EFerrari]

21. You're right. Maybe that's what Rome had on hand. Thanks. n/t

[jesus_of_suburbia]

19. I hope we'll be giving more if they need it. Maybe they didn't want any money.

[EFerrari]

24. First reports after disasters are almost always incomplete. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Isn't that the most embassies can spend in an emergency barring act of congress?

Go ahead and look up embassy responses to overseas emergencies. It's $50,000 every time.

[EFerrari]

25. Exactly. That's probably what was in the safe in Rome for that purpose.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

30. This thread gets the Sad Trombone:

http://www.sadtrombone.com/

[Igel]

32. After every international disaster there's the same low-ball

response, the same complaining, and then the actual response.

Consider it earnest money, a gesture of good will, money to provide some immediate replies before Congress can get involved or any serious funding can occur. How big's the disaster? What's the need from outside Italy? What's needed from the US? What do they want us to send? Is there something we can send that others would have a harder time sending?

Do they even know?

No. The first thing they need is search and rescue teams (which take a while to assemble and get in-country); they have enough, or it doesn't matter if we send ours by the time they'd arrive. Others are closer and probably can help.

The second thing they need is blankets. They don't need reconstruction money, they don't need many more clothes. They need blankets. The Italians probably have that covered--it's not a city of 5 million, after all. If the Italians don't, the Slovenes probably can manage :-)

The third thing they need is time to assess what they need as the fourth thing. Money? Cement? Fibre-optic cable? Since they haven't finished finding the bodies, much less finished clearing away the rubble, those things are a bit premature. But let's all rush and do something, anything. I'm going to rush and have a beer.