[WT]

Reuters - Sept. 8, 2005

"The State Department or country officials have said offers of help been received from:

Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela."

[Third_Rail]

And are we accepting?

[Lone_Gunman]

I really don't want aid from outsiders.

Why don't we just not send so much foreign aid to them, and use our own money to fix our own problems, without shuffling it through another country?

[WT]

We've accepted supplies and money from some of the countries on the list.

The German Luftwaffe has flown supplies into Florida.

Iran has offered oil.

Russia has some of its behemoth cargo planes waiting for permission to transit.

The Swiss are waiting for permission to fly over water treatment plants.

I gather the rest of the world is waiting for permission to help but the USA won't let them. Crazy.



Here's a partial listing of the offerings by other countries, friend and foe alike.

- AUSTRALIA: $8 million to American Red Cross.
- AUSTRIA: Water pumps, plastic sheets, cots.
- BANGLADESH: $1 million.
- BELGIUM: Medical, logistics, civil engineering and diving teams, pumps, generators.
- BRITAIN: 500,000 ration packs, medical experts, search gear, marine engineers, high-volume pumps.
- CANADA: Three navy ships, coast guard vessel, Sea King helicopters, about 1,000 personnel.
- CHINA: $5 million.
- CUBA: 1,100 doctors.
- CZECH REPUBLIC: Rescue teams, field hospital, pumps, water processing equipment.
- DENMARK: Water purification units.
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Rescue workers, doctors and nurses.
- EL SALVADOR: 100 soldiers, including medical personnel and engineers.
- FRANCE: 300 tents, 980 cots, 60 generators, three water purification units, 30 pumps.
- GERMANY: 70,000 ration packs, medical supplies, vaccination teams, water purification equipment, medical evacuation aircraft.
- GREECE: Two cruise ships to house homeless.
- GUATEMALA: 80 specialists from army, health and interior departments.
- HONDURAS: 134-member medical and search team.
- INDIA: $5 million to American Red Cross, medical teams.
- INDONESIA: 45 doctors and 155 other staff, 10,000 blankets.
- ISRAEL: Doctors, trauma experts, other medical staff, field hospital.
- ITALY: 300 cots, 300 blankets, 600 sheets, pump, first-aid kits, baby food.
- JAPAN: $1 million, tents, blankets, power generators, portable water tanks.
- KOSOVO: $500,000.
- KUWAIT: $500 million worth of oil and other goods.
- LATVIA: Disaster team, financial aid, blankets, bottled water.
- LITHUANIA: Rescue teams, meals, building materials.
- LUXEMBOURG: Two jeeps, 1,000 cots, 2,000 blankets.
- MEXICO: Navy ship with food, amphibious vehicles, helicopters, medical team; 15 army vehicles carrying food, health workers, water-treatment equipment, mobile kitchens.
- THE NETHERLANDS: Three giant water pumps, frigate with water, medicine, helicopters and beds.
- NEW ZEALAND: $1.4 million, search team, victim identification team.
- NICARAGUA: Flooding and sanitation experts.
- NORWAY: Navy divers, 10,000 blankets, unspecified financial aid.
- PAKISTAN: Doctors and paramedics.
- PANAMA: 120,000 pounds of bananas.
- PERU: 80 to 100 doctors.
- THE PHILIPPINES: 25-man relief team.
- PORTUGAL: Loan of 2 percent of strategic oil reserve - 500,000 barrels of oil.
- QATAR: $100 million.
- ROMANIA: Two medical teams.
- RUSSIA: Three transport planes with generators, food, tents, blankets, drinking water, medical supplies.
- SINGAPORE: Three CH-47 transport helicopters and 38 soldiers based in Texas flying supply and airlift missions.
- SLOVAKIA: Water purification gear, cots, water.
- SLOVENIA: Cots, bedding, first aid kits.
- SOUTH KOREA: $30 million, search team, relief supplies.
- SPAIN: Firefighters and equipment, medical staff, tents, cots, blankets, water treatment units, heating equipment, meals, water, generators.
- SRI LANKA: $25,000 to American Red Cross.
- SWEDEN: First aid kits, blankets, meals, generators, plastic sheeting, two water purification units.
- SWITZERLAND: 50 tons of supplies.
- TAIWAN: $2 million.
- THAILAND: At least 60 doctors and nurses, rice.
- URUGUAY: Two mobile water purification units, two tons of powdered milk.
- VENEZUELA: 1 million barrels of gasoline, $5 million in cash, water purification plants, 50 tons of canned food and water.
- UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Tents, clothing, food, other aid.

[CAS700850]

Certain names on the list just strike me. Iran. Cuba. Venezuala. These nations are not really our "friends", yet in a time of crisis they come, offering a helping hand. Maybe there is hope for the future. Or maybe I spent too much time handling the marihuana that is evidence for my trial tomorrow...

[Farnham]

- PANAMA: 120,000 pounds of bananas.

For some reason that makes me :D

[Chipperman]

30,000 pounds of bananas are destined for Scranton, PA.




:neener:




(Harry Chapin song for those of you scratching your head)

[Third_Rail]

Let me guess, we're turning down most if not all of that aid.

[NHBB]

wouldnt be surprised rail... seems there is a matter of pride involved, amongst other motivations. the offer of special ops troops from russia was extremely humorous though... sure, lets open the gates to spec op groups around the country with a long history of disdain...

[scout26]

What happened the free backrubs from the Working Girls of Thailand ???? :D

[Henry Bowman]

There are times when it is your way of serving others to allow them to help you.


I first wrote this for my father's eulogy. He spent his life always helping others. When he retired, he expected to have more time to help and serve others. Instead, he was stricken with kidney disease and had to rely on others to transport him to/from dialysis, mow grass, rake leaves, fix the roof. All of these people, many whom he had helped in the past, thanked him for the privilege and opportunity to help.

Sometimes you show great honor to others by letting them help you.

[erik the bold]

Most aid from Quatar and Kuwait $150m combined...

Makes our other allies like the UK, France, Japan, Italy, et al, look like cheapskates. :evil:

[Leatherneck]

For some reason I find this the most touching: SRI LANKA: $25,000 to American Red Cross.

TC

[WT]

When little, poor countries offer us aid ..... well, it leaves me almost speachless.

TV is showing pictures of Chinese cargo planes landing at Little Rock.

South Africa has water purifying equipment on its way.

[Otherguy Overby]

PANAMA: 120,000 pounds of bananas.

That's only three truck loads.

BTW, bananas have to be kept within a certain temperature range, if not they'll ripen in transit.

[JamisJockey]

Look at Kuwaits contribution....they remeber us saving them not that long ago. I hope we accept that one.

[Flyboy]

That's only three truck loads.

BTW, bananas have to be kept within a certain temperature range, if not they'll ripen in transit.
Who cares how many truckloads it is? It's sixty tons of food--particularly nutritious food, I might add. And I'm sure the relevant people know how to handle the refridgeration.

[Standing Wolf]

Most of us find it easier to give than receive. I think it might do the nation good to be on the receiving end once in awhile.

[fisherman66]

Didn't Mexico offer to send us some of their top notch drinking water?

Perhaps I got fooled.

[Mongo the Mutterer]

Henry

Sometimes you show great honor to others by letting them help you.You nailed it. It bring tears to my eyes that these folks are coming to help us. Do we need it, probably not.

But we have to honor these folks. an I use the word honor in it's highest sense.

[NHBB]

I must admit, I am honored by certain countries efforts to contribute, and dismayed by some.. even if they offered aid, its not what we need. spec op troops from russia? give me a break. send some f'n water and food to these people.

[c_yeager]

even if they offered aid, its not what we need. spec op troops from russia? give me a break. send some f'n water and food to these people.

Due to a unique combination of highly effecient farming techniques, scientifically advanced crops, and a large area of arable land, the United States produces significantly more food that the population could ever consume. One thing we DONT need is food.

Frankly, the only thing that Russia has thats really worth anything is their military, so thats what they offered (not that we need it).

[NHBB]

yeager, I completely agree with what you stated, but why on earth did I just drink apple juice that was a blend of foreign countries and local agriculture? we import a lot of food.... and here I am in NH drinking apple juice that came from other countries even though there is enough apple trees growing here to suffice. just an example of dependency on foreign sources that we could easily accomodate on our own...

[NHBB]

I know the answer to my own question, its cheap.

regardless of how many jamaicans they fly up here during prime time season, it is just cheaper to import the product from other countries. I live a half hour from a major apple grove, and when I go to pick them for myself I encounter many folks with a rudimentary understanding of the english language.