Kathy
I have to agree -- I hardly think this is the "greatest Disaster the World has
Ever Known" - it's not even the biggest (in loss of life) tsunami disaster ever
to occur.
it's only about six or eighth on the list (depending on the current death toll
you read).

AS far as the "greatest Disaster The World has EVER known"
it's NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I see that the UN guy apologized for his comments today...
backpedaling really fast... and admitting the US has given the most already...

Hope someone served him "crow pie" for lunch.

As for disasters-- all disasters are personal to those who live them....
we can offer up our prayers for those who are suffering - but basically when my
government is giving away millions and millions in tax dollars, I hard think my
contribution is going to make much of a difference.
I kind of look on these world wide disasters where the US should rush in and
"rescue" everyone else like I did
the phrase "clean your plate, there are children starving in India."

yes - they are -but what has my plate got to do with it?

When the World Trade Center 9/11 happened - we did not have other countries
rushing into the US offering millions of dollars to help .... yeah - the sent
some search and rescue teams and such -- but pretty much we were on our own....
When the huge Earthquake hit CA a few years back - we didn't see MILLIONS of
dollars in AID get sent to this country to rebuild the infrastructure...

When FLORIDA was hit with FOUR hurricanes this year - with BILLIONS of dollars
in losses -- other countries did NOT rush in to help us rebuild.

I'm tired of being the world's charity organization...

Charity begins at HOME...
when there are no starving homeless shivering on our streets, and Appalachian
children living in shacks with little or no schooling, when American inner city
children all have a decent home, warm meals, warm clothing and DECENT EDUCATION
-- I'll worry about "all the starving children in India."

India has had nearly a century to modernize - and got a good start from the
British -- they have the means to get where we are today - if they would work
at it like the American people did.

I'm sorry - but I'm tired of it -- all of it.
I don't want our troops off in other countries playing "save the poor" -- we
aren't the world police.
WE have BILLIONS in unpaid debt notes to foreign countries (Japan and China
being the largest note holders) - and we are giving away more money every day
to other countries?
what kind of fiscal sense is that?
That's like me - being $80K in debt and standing on the street corner and
handing out $100 bills to every person who walks by - just so they will "like
me"

The US needs to give up this worry about public image - and stop spending us to
death...
sorry - the rest of the world should just suck it up and start trying to take
care of their own problems!
BAh.....

Cheryl
DRAGON BEADS
Flameworked beads and glass
http://www.dragonbeads.com/