BAFC

For this, my second post, I find myself in an odd position. I feel compelled to write about the tsunami. Why is this odd, you ask? The answer is that I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to geological-related events. The compulsion stems from the anti-American sentiment being disseminated, much of which I am sorry to say comes from our fellow citizens. They are not, unfortunately, a rare breed. I, of course, am speaking of the “card carrying” members of the BAFC (Blame America First Club).

First was an attack on our only giving 35 million. I am not sure how you can say “only’ and “35 million dollars” in the same sentence. One thing to keep in mind, when the 35 mil was pledged, the death toll had not reached the cataclysmic level of 150,000. Once that tragic number increased, so did our relief offering.

Second, we were criticized for giving more to the Florida hurricane relief effort. Two things in our defense: one; our infrastructure costs a lot more to maintain than does Sri Lanka’s, and two; our government is charged with protecting US citizens first.

Third and final, we give the lowest percent of our GDP than any other industrialized nation. Balderdash! We sent our military over there to administer the relief effort. The military cost trillions to run every year. Those statistics also fail to recognize private donations. The US gives more than 50% of all relief aid and 60% percent of all food aid. That is something to be quite proud of considering that we make up only 6% of the world’s population.

Please do not let the BAFC get you down.