PABAAH: Fuck the foreigners!

[Bug-Eyed Earl]

Hollywood Hypocrisy Further Exposed

HollyWood Rants

Wow! Hollywood really cares...about foreigners! (Is it now chic to donate to Tsunami relief? Will there be Tsunami wrist bands?) Where's the Hollywood donations to funds that support the families of those brave souls killed in action defending our country? When's the KIA Fundraiser Hollywood? Betcha Leo doesn't even have a $5 "Support Our Troops" magnet on his hybrid car.

Article:

Bullock, DiCaprio, NBC to aid tsunami victims
Los Angeles, January 4: Hollywood opened its wallet on Monday to survivors of the tsunami disaster as movie stars Sandra Bullock and Leonardo DiCaprio donated big sums to relief agencies and NBC planned a celebrity-studded TV benefit.

The American Red Cross said it received a $1 million donation from Bullock for tsunami relief in South Asia and East Africa. The star of "Miss Congeniality" and "Speed" previously donated $1 million to the Red Cross in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

DiCaprio pledged a "sizable" contribution to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, targeted for aid to devastated areas of Thailand, where his 2000 film "The Beach," was filmed, said a spokesman for the actor.

NBC and its sister cable networks -- USA, Bravo, Trio, Sci-Fi, MSNBC and CNBC -- plan to simulcast a benefit special on Jan. 15 featuring celebrities and musical performances.

The NBC Universal Television Group, a unit of General Electric Co., said the hourlong program would air live on the U.S. East Coast with a tape delay to the West Coast. Phone lines for viewer donations will be kept open throughout the evening.

The Enduring Freedom KIA Fund

In the pursuit of liberating these victims of oppression in Afghanistan and Iraq, the ultimate sacrifice is being made by hundreds of America's finest young military personnel. Many leave behind a spouse and small children. Unable to afford the life insurance that was offered to them, they must now survive on the insufficient standard military death benefit of $12,000. It is the goal of the Enduring Freedom KIA Fund to give financial aid to those needy and deserving families.

So they actually bother to mention that the families of soldiers KIA only get 12K, but instead of criticizing the current administration- who have the power to change this- they backpedal and go after "The Hollywood Elite" Of course they negelct to mention that there are more children orphaned in Sri Lanka than there are US soldiers killed in both Iraq Wars, and none of them get any sort of benefits.

I've seen lots of vindictive, jingoistic, and all in all hateful crap from Neocon websites.

But never have I seen something that more or less says so succinctly: "We hate foreigners."

[Admiral_K]

So they actually bother to mention that the families of soldiers KIA only get 12K, but instead of criticizing the current administration- who have the power to change this- they backpedal and go after "The Hollywood Elite"...

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/military.htm

Military personnel are automatically insured (unless they decline the coverage) under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program, which pays $250,000 to the families of servicemen killed while on active service — Premiums for this insurance are relatively cheap at $20 a month.

[Axis Kast]

I've seen lots of vindictive, jingoistic, and all in all hateful crap from Neocon websites.

But never have I seen something that more or less says so succinctly: "We hate foreigners."

That's a bit much.

It's not a matter of hating foreigners per se; it's a matter of wondering why the outpouring is held back only until the major disasters.

I've encountered plenty of people who've asked the question: "Where was all this money when we were talking about helping get the homeless off the streets and the local families off welfare?"

I think a lot of people are confused. It almost seems as if one can only admit hardship and suffering elsewhere, but never in one's own home.

There are times and places for giving. Tsunami victims unquestionably need help. But a lot of people are also arguing that they aren't the only ones.

[Chmee]

I've seen lots of vindictive, jingoistic, and all in all hateful crap from Neocon websites.

But never have I seen something that more or less says so succinctly: "We hate foreigners."

That's a bit much.

It's not a matter of hating foreigners per se; it's a matter of wondering why the outpouring is held back only until the major disasters.

I've encountered plenty of people who've asked the question: "Where was all this money when we were talking about helping get the homeless off the streets and the local families off welfare?"

I think a lot of people are confused. It almost seems as if one can only admit hardship and suffering elsewhere, but never in one's own home.

There are times and places for giving. Tsunami victims unquestionably need help. But a lot of people are also arguing that they aren't the only ones.

But the fact is, private citizens do already provide billions of dollars in charitable donations to causes all over this nation and all around the world. Doctors Without Borders was able to provide aid to tsumani victims on the very first day of the disaster because they already had aid teams on the ground in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and Indonesia, doing medical work funded by private donors from around the world.

People are reacting to an extraordinary event, but that doesn't mean they weren't already acting to help in many other ways here at home.

[Axis Kast]

People are reacting to an extraordinary event, but that doesn't mean they weren't already acting to help in many other ways here at home.

Certainly.

But some people look at the scope and the coverage of the aid to the tsunami victims, and they feel as if it robs them of possibilities on the homefront, so to speak.

I think you see what I'm getting at, even if you disagree?

[Chmee]

People are reacting to an extraordinary event, but that doesn't mean they weren't already acting to help in many other ways here at home.

Certainly.

But some people look at the scope and the coverage of the aid to the tsunami victims, and they feel as if it robs them of possibilities on the homefront, so to speak.

I think you see what I'm getting at, even if you disagree?

Sure, I see that ... but you have to look at the world with a sort of 'us and them' attitude to take that view. I'm glad not everybody in the world felt that way about us when we faced a crisis during 9/11, and I'm happy to return the favor in a situation like this.

[Axis Kast]

Sure, I see that ... but you have to look at the world with a sort of 'us and them' attitude to take that view. I'm glad not everybody in the world felt that way about us when we faced a crisis during 9/11, and I'm happy to return the favor in a situation like this.

Well, even from my vantage point of what some people will probably tell you is the ultimate "us and them" advocate on this message board, I still acknowledge that humanitarian missions have their role. It's in our best interests as well as those of the nations of Southeast Asia (and Africa) to ensure that the millions of people who need it get some help getting back on their feet. It's an economic thing, you see. Of course, it also has political and social effects. Responding to this crisis will dominate the administrative side of things for years.

In any case, though, I think that even the observation of an "us and them" attitude is too knee-jerk on your part. I think most people are bitter about it rather than bigoted. The biggest questions, for example, come from people who are unemployed and feel more government aid is the answer.

[Chmee]

Sure, I see that ... but you have to look at the world with a sort of 'us and them' attitude to take that view. I'm glad not everybody in the world felt that way about us when we faced a crisis during 9/11, and I'm happy to return the favor in a situation like this.

Well, even from my vantage point of what some people will probably tell you is the ultimate "us and them" advocate on this message board, I still acknowledge that humanitarian missions have their role. It's in our best interests as well as those of the nations of Southeast Asia (and Africa) to ensure that the millions of people who need it get some help getting back on their feet. It's an economic thing, you see. Of course, it also has political and social effects. Responding to this crisis will dominate the administrative side of things for years.

In any case, though, I think that even the observation of an "us and them" attitude is too knee-jerk on your part. I think most people are bitter about it rather than bigoted. The biggest questions, for example, come from people who are unemployed and feel more government aid is the answer.

Ah ... well, I don't want to tell those people 'fuck 'em', but we live in a democracy, and I go by the old saying "Democracy guarantees equality of opportunity ... not condition." Freedom wouldn't exist if it didn't include the freedom to fail, because it would take away too many choices.