US Military Responds, US Gov't Challenges Criticism Of Indifference

[NATO AIR]

three thoughts before i post these articles and update this...

-i'm sorry my carrier force couldn't respond to this, we have one last week before we commence sea trials and apparently the ship had some critical maintenence to undergo this week before it was sea-worthy. we're supposed to be out to sea in mid-january for official sea trials, perhaps there's a chance we can deploy in that direction (indian/southern pacific) and offer some assistance, but i doubt it. i think after the initial two weeks aftermath, we're going to be fighting starvation and disease more than anything else.

- the INITIAL US RESPONSE sucked ass. somebody dropped the ball and wasn't advising pres. bush very well. in a region where US influence is waning because china is buying everyone off and broadcasting anti-US/negative US viewpoints in the media, this was a perfect chance for the US to grab this motherfucker by the balls from the very beginning and let it be known the US was going to do EVERYTHING in its power to help. Goodwill helps a lot, people in Germany, Afghanistan, Iran, Panama, etc etc, they remember the kindness and assistance from America. We had a chance here to play hardball with China and make ourselves look good, and we missed it. Again, not Pres. Bush's fault, not Rumfield's fault, not America's fault, it was just a critical error in judgement. WE'RE DOING A WHOLE LOT FOR THEM NOW, BUT WE MISSED A WINDOW AND DIDN'T LEAD THE WAY WE SHOULD HAVE. The Europeans stole our thunder and the Chinese and their UN allies spent Saturday night, Sunday and Monday reminding everyone of it.

- Thank you all for your prayers and donations, I'm hearing very positive things about the American people from Thai, Indonesian and Indian people here in Japan. They are very, very grateful.

 

[NATO AIR]

Here we go...

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN DEPLOYED TO DISASTER REGION
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2002132960_weblincoln28.html
USS Lincoln to help with tsunami relief efforts

By Emily Heffter

Times Snohomish County bureau

The Everett-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is headed to the Indian Ocean to help with tsunami relief efforts.

The carrier has been at port in Hong Kong. It has been in Asia since leaving Everett in June to fill in for the USS Kitty Hawk, which is undergoing renovations.

In addition to the Lincoln and its group of ships, a five-ship fleet headed by the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard was directed to skip a port call in Guam and head for the region.

Also, P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft based in Japan have been deployed to help with search and rescue missions out of Utapao, Thailand.

It's not known right now exactly where the Lincoln will go in the disaster area or what assistance it will provide, said regional Navy spokesman Rick Huling. Those things will be decided while it's en route.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

NAVY'S EXPEDITIONARY GROUP 5 (over 5,000 sailors and marines) HEADED TO SRI LANKA
http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20041229/localnews/1797901.html
Ship to sail for Sri Lanka
Marines to aid victims of tsunamis
By Natalie J. Quinata
Pacific Daily News; [email protected]

More than 5,000 military personnel of the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group 5 will skip their New Year's holiday on Guam to fulfill a humanitarian mission in Sri Lanka.

The USS Bonhomme Richard docked in Apra Harbor yesterday for what was originally planned to be a five-day stay, but was called to bring relief aid to the inhabitants of Sri Lanka who were devastated by a tsunami this past weekend.

Sri Lanka was one of 10 nations that were affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that originated in the northern area of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. More than 40,000 people have died from the effects of the earthquake and the tsunamis it generated in countries that included India, Thailand and Somalia. The death count continues to climb.

The ship and its crew recently began their six-month deployment on Dec. 6 from their home port in San Diego, Calif. They were scheduled to be on Guam through Sunday.

Despite the missed opportunity to celebrate the new year at the island's clubs and hotels, Marine Expeditionary Unit members weren't disappointed about having their weekend festivities cut short.

"I don't really care, I'm just looking forward to doing something," said Pfc. Kevin Becvar, who is with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Becvar said he is used to the instability of his job and is ready to take on whatever missions come his way.

"We were never guaranteed we were going to stay here, and things change all the time," explained Lance Cpl. Johnson Garciavasquez, who has been a Marine for two years.

The USS Bonhomme Richard is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship whose mission is support of the global war on terrorism.

The USS Bonhomme Richard not only supports the missions of the Navy, but also deploys and lands elements of a Marine landing force in amphibious assault operations by helicopter and landing operations by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles, according to a press release from the Navy public affairs office.

Traveling with the USS Bonhomme Richard were the USS Duluth and USS Rushmore, both of which didn't pull into port yesterday. The two ships are capable of transporting 2,200 personnel.

AID GROWS AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT BUSH
(i really, really hate to say it, but we dropped the ball badly on this)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6763683/
Aid grows amid questions about Bush
Should vacationing president have spoken out?By John F. Harris and Robin Wright

Updated: 11:26 p.m. ET Dec. 28, 2004
The Bush administration more than doubled its financial commitment yesterday to provide relief to nations suffering from the Indian Ocean tsunami, amid complaints that the vacationing President Bush has been insensitive to a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.

As the death toll surpassed 50,000 with no sign of abating, the U.S. Agency for International Development added $20 million to an earlier pledge of $15 million to provide relief, and the Pentagon dispatched an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the region. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in morning television appearances, chafed at a top U.N. aid official's comment on Monday that wealthy countries were being stingy with aid. "The United States is not stingy," Powell said on CNN.

Although U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland yesterday withdrew his earlier comment, domestic criticism of Bush continued to rise. Skeptics said the initial aid sums -- as well as Bush's decision at first to remain cloistered on his Texas ranch for the Christmas holiday rather than speak in person about the tragedy -- showed scant appreciation for the magnitude of suffering and for the rescue and rebuilding work facing such nations as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia.

After a day of repeated inquiries from reporters about his public absence, Bush late yesterday afternoon announced plans to hold a National Security Council meeting by teleconference to discuss several issues, including the tsunami, followed by a short public statement.

Bush's deepened public involvement puts him more in line with other world figures. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cut short his vacation and returned to work in Berlin because of the Indian Ocean crisis, which began with a gigantic underwater earthquake. In Britain, the predominant U.S. voice speaking about the disaster was not Bush but former president Bill Clinton, who in an interview with the BBC said the suffering was like something in a "horror movie," and urged a coordinated international response.

Earlier yesterday, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president was confident he could monitor events effectively without returning to Washington or making public statements in Crawford, where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling. Explaining the about-face, a White House official said: "The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He didn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' "

Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark empathy. "Actions speak louder than words," a top Bush aide said, describing the president's view of his appropriate role.

Lack of urgency?
Some foreign policy specialists said Bush's actions and words both communicated a lack of urgency to an event that will loom as large in the collective memories of several countries as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks do in the United States. "When that many human beings die -- at the hands of terrorists or nature -- you've got to show that this matters to you, that you care," said Leslie Gelb, emeritus president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

There was an international outpouring of support after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and even some administration officials familiar with relief efforts said they were surprised that Bush had not appeared personally to comment on the tsunami tragedy. "It's kind of freaky," a senior career official said.

The president of Bread for the World, a leading advocacy group lobbying for more U.S. assistance to suffering people abroad, did not criticize the Bush administration, but did urge the United States to play a central role in the relief effort. "This is a disaster of biblical proportions and one that calls for a global response, with the United States playing a key role," David Beckmann said.

Some of those lost in the carnage were Americans. The State Department, which is in the early stages of estimating both relief needs and the U.S. death toll, has received more than 4,000 inquiries about relatives not yet accounted for, although many may be calls searching for the same people, U.S. officials said.

U.S. officials denied that the overnight aid increase was a response to the U.N. complaint Monday that some countries were "stingy" with aid. Usually only about 10 percent of the final aid tally is given in the initial response to a natural disaster, with the bulk of aid provided after an assessment of long-term needs, according to the State Department.

"We know the needs will be greater. This was a disaster of almost unimaginable dimension, and it's going to require massive support for some time," State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli said.

'An opportunity'
Gelb said what appears to be a grudging increase in effort sends the wrong message, at a time when dollar totals matter less than a clear statement about U.S. intentions. Noting that the disaster occurred at a time when large numbers of people in many nations -- especially Muslim ones such as Indonesia -- object to U.S. policies in Iraq, he said Bush was missing an opportunity to demonstrate American benevolence.

"People do watch and see what we do," he said. "Here's an opportunity to remind people of the good we do, and he [Bush] can do it without changing his policy on Iraq or terrorism."

"My initial reaction is that it does not seem to be very aggressive," said Morton Abramowitz, a former ambassador to Thailand who has been active in humanitarian relief efforts, of the administration's response to the tsunami.

Besides USAID assistance, the Pentagon dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln from Hong Kong to the region, and three Navy P-3 Orion surveillance plans and six Air Force C-130 cargo planes with humanitarian goods are being sent to Thailand.

A regional support center will be established at a military base in Utapao, Thailand, as a staging area for relief flights and for emergency and medical personnel providing assistance throughout the region, the Pentagon announced yesterday. U.S. Pacific Command will deploy personnel mainly from the III Marine Expeditionary Force to set up the command, control and communication structure.

Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who as the military's top European commander helped supervise NATO's efforts to respond to a 1999 earthquake in Turkey, said the United States has unique military capabilities in reconnaissance and logistics management that can be useful in the current crisis. He urged Bush to take a higher profile. "Natural disasters happen," Clark said. "One of the things people look for is a strong response that illustrates America's humanitarian values."

'A very generous people'
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), who is frequently outspoken in favor of U.S. humanitarian ventures, said he believes the initial U.S. response has been appropriate, even without a public role for Bush. "I think the world knows we're a very generous people," he said.

Still, the United Nations' Egeland complained on Monday that each of the richest nations gives less than 1 percent of its gross national product for foreign assistance, and many give 0.1 percent. "It is beyond me why we are so stingy, really," he told reporters.

Among the world's two dozen wealthiest countries, the United States often is among the lowest in donors per capita for official development assistance worldwide, even though the totals are larger. According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of 30 wealthy nations, the United States gives the least -- at 0.14 percent of its gross national product, compared with Norway, which gives the most at 0.92 percent.

Staff writer Jim VandeHei in Crawford, Tex., and political researcher Brian Faler in Washington contributed to this report.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company

 

[NATO AIR]

this might make you be proud of the american people

http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_12_28.html#008750
: At 5 p.m., Glenn Reynolds reported that Amazon had raised 112,000 for tsunami relief. Less than three hours later, the total is over $360,000 -- which beats the amount the French were reported to have pledged to tsunami relief this afternoon (as a UN official called America's first offer -- of many, no doubt -- of $35 million as "stingy").
: UPDATE: Five hours later, the total is over $585,000 at Amazon