Bush administration moves to exploit Burma cyclone disaster

The Bush administration lost no time in seeking to exploit the devastating tragedy in Burma (Myanmar). It has seized upon the cyclone that struck the country over the weekend, killed at least 20,000 and likely many more, to aggressively push its foreign policy agenda in Asia.

On Tuesday, Bush held a special ceremony at the White House to sign a bill giving Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi a Congressional Gold Medal. He used the occasion to place deliberately provocative conditions on any disbursement of aid to the ravaged country, beyond an initial token sum.

“The United States has made an initial aid contribution, but we want to do a lot more,” Bush declared. “We’re prepared to move US Navy assets to help find those who’ve lost their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the situation. But in order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country.”

So far, the US embassy has authorized the release of a paltry $250,000—less than half the cost of a single Tomahawk cruse missile of the type used by the US Navy to kill a Somali rebel last week. Later Tuesday, the administration pledged an additional $3 million to be allocated by a USAID disaster response team.

The very fact that the US is making aid to Burma conditional upon the satisfaction of certain demands is itself an outrage. Bush did not say why it was necessary for the US to carry out its own assessment in order to release more aid, nor did he elaborate on what was meant by promises that the US military would help “stabilize the situation.” US Navy ships are standing by off the coast of Thailand to intervene.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/may2008/bush-m07.shtml

But...just as I suspected.

How soon they want us to forget...

About the equivalent of Newsmax or Fox. :puke:

Guess it wasn't advantagous to help our own people.

When I clicked on WSWS I expected to find some Naomi Klein shock doctrine story about how Burma only gets food and medical aid if they privatize their water supply or some dumb shit like that.

Instead the only 'demand' I see is that the US be allowed to see if it's aid is going to people who need it by evaluating the damage. Good for the US then. When we gave unconditional aid to North Korea it was diverted to the military and the aristocracy while hte people were left to starve. Food aid given to North Korea in the 90s was sold on the black market and the money used to buy luxury items and loyalty among the ruling class. Bush sounds like he just wants to stop this from happening in Burma. If so good for him.

If he is up to something else, I am open to what that is and what the evidence of that is.

Thats about it though. I wish he had depression, then he wouldn't show up for work nearly as much. But his attempts to address the Global fund is one of his achievements.

The medicare prescription drug benefit was ok, but if negotiations were allowed with drug companies and it were more public it would be far cheaper and better. So that is at best 'half' an accomplishment but still an accomplishment because the eldery would be suffering w/o the catastrophic coverage offered by Medicare D.

So that is 1.5 accomplishments vs about 100 failures and acts of destruction.

-1 and HIV, TB, Malaria, doctors w/o borders and bushitler steals some credit? hugh ugh -.5 Serial killing in Iraq? -3,000,000. So much for your credit.

This is just the opening press release, but you can count on some proviso being quietly snuck in at some point which will allow US or IMF "economic advisors" to be brought in to aggressively counsel against price controls or protectionist policies or allowing organized labor to have a say in reconstruction contracts, whatever, there will be some subtle catch, if not today, soon. This administration doesn't give out a penny unless they see an opportunity to advance the interests of their corporate backers somehow.

:applause:

for not getting the word out in time. Another have-assed attempt to blame "big government" for a problem. No one had the temerity to ask her why the NOLA catastrophe was as bad as it was. Maybe because our Bush-run media was more worried about covering Der Furher's ass then saving the people of New Orleans?

overturned the evil rats that have overrun the country, established aid stations, started cleanup and rebuilding and established a new democratic government.

bush didnt have a problem tossing the govt out in afghanistan, haiti or iraq but i guess theres nothing he wants that bad n burma.

wars have never and will never be for the good of the people... Economics is what its about.