Interesting that this government seems to respond to foreign disaster needs so quickly.

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"My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right." - Ashleigh Brilliant(?)
(Voting for None Of The Above, so far...)

Utter bullshit.

The US Navy was delivering aid to people who desperately needed it after the tsunami while the UN was still trying to figure out what they were going to do.

They weren't "undermining" the UN - they were out helping people. They simply bypassed the useless, self-serving UN bureaucracy.

Matt

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Boy, that sure sounds like nirvana - desperately searching for food while avoiding being eaten.

Matt

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If you're saying that development can be destructive to traditional social structures, then, sure, I think everyone agrees on that. Whatever pain it causes is massively outweighed by the good its accomplished.

It would be wonderful if extremely poor countries could simply reach fully developed status overnight, but that's not reality. Development causes social dislocations, and while governments can help blunt them, they can't fully curtail them. The only way to fully avoid them is to simply not develop and remain extremely poor in perpetuity. Personally, I don't really see that as a viable strategy.

Where on earth do you get that idea from?

Social and economic indicators are objectively observable, and rises or falls in them can be measured and noted. There's nothing to disagree on.

Ah yes, it's our old friend the noble savage.

Look man, if you wish to leave modern society and go live in the middle of the woods, there's really nothing stopping you.

Either way, contentment is a subjective thing and my comments have nothing to do with it. I'm referring to objectively observable improvements in the living standards of the developing world in the past 3 decades or so. If you want to talk about gross national happiness, then go vacation in Bhutan.

amen brother....

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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile....

it appears the government may not even have warned the pop. of the tsunami though they knew it was coming....if that’s true well, thats their gov. and pretty rank.
During the upset there several months ago nothing truly effective got done, and they the gov. relapsed into the usual.

Making the claim that the US will want some quid pro quo if we send aid, doesn't appear to be supported by facts. But wtf right, hell we were a bunch of cheap bastards anyway, when it came to the Phu Cat tsunami etc, so we are consistent, yes?

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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile....

Okay, sure: Poor fuckin' Myanmarese (??). I'll weep for them...

This is why I often take the "fuck them" point of view.

The Navy was bringing relief supplies, and it's viewed as "undermining" the UN. The fucking nerve of the Navy.

Fuck the UN.

Fuck the UN, and fuck Myanmar...

it might be interesting to research how much of that aid is still unused...I venture a guess at 30%....

whether ones chooses to beleive it or not, I googled after my guess. I was not far off, it was at 50%, now I would hope that that figure has been lowered.

Heres one;
Tsunami Relief News - French Watchdog Says Reallocate Excess Tsunami Aid

and

Trade Research - Half of Tsunami donations still unused: BBC

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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile....

The UN is absolutely fucking worthless...

All that sex is sure to lead to STDS

Especially in a place like Myanmar...

Doesn't it, though?

I'm sure it's a lifestyle that would lead to much contentment.

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"Take me back to the way life's never been."

Next time you go, ask your physician for this: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/Pubs/vis...ds/vis-ppv.pdf

I used to get bronchitis almost every winter, often escalating to pneumonia. The last time I even had a case of bronchitis even, was in 2003...right after an ER visit for way too high a fever for an adult with pneumonia and my doc told me about this vaccine. I got it. It's been great to me ever since. (*knocking on wood*)

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I am an American. That's the way most of us put it, just matter of factly. They are plain words, those four: you could write them on your thumbnail, or sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky. But remember too, that they are more than just words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them, speak them firmly, speak them proudly, speak them gratefully. I am an American. ...a tradition

My wife made me get the PneumoVax 5 years ago after having my 5th and 6th bouts of pneumonia. Haven't had it since. I was pretty shocked.


Shot hurts like a bastard, though!

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"Take me back to the way life's never been."