Poor is poor, American or non-American

Now that hurricane Katrina is devastating the US's south eastern states, now that there are perhaps hundreds of Americans killed or missing, now that millions of people are homeless, it would be interesting to see how many of the death are from the rich families. I bet not too many. I bet the vast majority of those who are dead now or have become homeless are from poor American families. This is easy to see, especially now that the US poverty rate continues to rise (thanks to Bush and his rich bastard masters). Whatever the world-wide dislike that exists towards the Americans, is shared by the poor and the rich in the US as they are all, to millions of people around the world, considered to be rich, arrogant and selfish. But how true is it? How could majority of Americans be considered rich while 50% of the country's wealth is owned by the top 2%? Or while 80% of the wealth is owned by the top 10%? As I said the "fairness" in sharing the dislike is there, but the share in the wealth is not.

The other day, I saw a picture on Toronto Star showing some Americans in New Orleans. It was truly difficult to say whether it was the US or, say, Haiti. The faces were screaming that those people were incredibly poor. It was very clear that they lived in a different world than the rich top few percent Americans. Looking at that picture, I thought to myself that it was really not fair to blame the Americans for being spoiled rich arrogant. That's just not true.

I wonder how many of those people in the picture are dead now or have lost their homes and everything. I feel close to them. I feel sympathetic to them. I feel that I have a responsibility towards them as much as I have the responsibility for any other victim people around the world.

Despite trying to avoid talking about politics with my little one, I can usually sense a negative feeling towards George Bush and occasionally towards the Americans in general. I try to at least explain that Bush is not America and that America is not Bush. Fortunately, usually that works and I see the positive impact. My little one made my day today by offering the next weekly allowance to help the American victims of the hurricane Katrina. After this nice jesture and reminder from a child and now that Canada has offered its readiness to help the US, I too will do my part as much as I can. I Hope to find out how this can be possible and how I and my little one can help.

Update:
It appears that there is a desparate need for cash donation to help the living victims of the hurricane. Desi at GreatScat suggests the Red Cross, or call 1-800-HELP-NOW.

Remember! Some people are in need of our help. This is not just an American issue. This is our issue; a problem for all of us. Regardless of what the government/s will do or not, let's not wait for them to act. Let's do our part, our duty. Please give generously.

Anti-semite mother?

Am I emotional? Yes, my first born was murdered. Am I angry? Yes, he was killed for lies and for a Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel. My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? No, I know full-well that my son, my family, this nation, and this world were betrayed by George [W.] Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agenda after 9/11...

These are Some of the words of Cindy Sheehan, mother the killed US soldier in Iraq. Now, go ahead, call her anti-semite for commenting about the truth, for commenting about the fact that it is Israel who enjoys the most out of the US's so-called war on terror, not the world, and not the Americans.

Trying to cover up again

US civil liberties groups have launched a lawsuit to force the release of 87 pictures and four videos showing abuse at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad.

Bravo to them.

It is "probable that al-Qaeda and other groups will seize upon these images and
videos as grist for their propaganda mill," the chairman of the joint chiefs of
staff, Gen Richard Myers, argues in court papers.

What are you afraid of General?

The Pentagon stepped up its campaign with a later request, submitted on Friday, for certain material to be kept from the public domain. Imagine what those "certain material" are that have caused so much panic at Rumi's department.

The civil liberties groups have submitted counter-arguments by a retired US army colonel,Michael Pheneger, who insists the public good would be served by publication of the images.
"The first step to abandoning practices that are repugnant to our laws and national ideals is to bring them into the sunshine and assign accountability," he wrote.
He also argued that the Iraqi insurgency would continue regardless of whether or not the pictures were published.

Glad to hear that there still are some decent former American colonels.

U.S. defies order to give up Abu Ghraib abuse photos

The photographs were some of thousands turned over by Spc. Joseph Darby, the whistle-blower who exposed the abuse at Abu Ghraib by giving investigators computer disks containing photographs and videos of prisoners being abused, sexually humiliated and threatened with dogs.

Looks like Rusmfeld, the war criminal, doesn't want to let his human rights record gets darker than it already is. Read about it here.

The law-hating bully

Washington says it has no plans to obey a NAFTA ruling that compels the United States to refund an estimated $5-billion in illegally collected duties to Canadianlumber producers -- setting up a potential trade war that experts say could threaten the future of the North American trading bloc.

Of course! Isn't that what a bully does?

Legal and/or constitutional fascism?

Foreign citizens who change planes at airports in the United States can legally be seized, detained without charges, deprived of access to a lawyer or the courts, and even denied basic necessities like food, lawyers for the government said in Brooklyn federal court yesterday.

Welcome to Bush's America.