U.S. Sends Ships to Help Landslide Victims

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military on Friday dispatched at least two warships and other forces to the scene of a deadly landslide in the eastern Philippines to provide medical assistance and other relief, officials said.
....
"We will continue to coordinate our response efforts with the government of the Philippines and look for ways to best support them in this hour of need," Duffy told reporters traveling on Air Force One to Florida with President Bush.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Brian Maka, said that in response to a Philippine government request, the U.S. military was dispatching the USS Essex and the USS Harper's Ferry, and possibly other ships. He said Army and Marine Corps ground forces that happened to be in the Philippines also were available to help.

Maka said it was not immediately clear how many U.S. troops would be sent to the disaster scene but he said nearly 6,000 happened to be in the region as participants in the annual "Balikatan" exercise with the Philippine military.
....
Bush was informed by aides about the mudslide Friday morning.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/17/AR2006021701088.html

[benburch]

1. Yeah right. They get priority US Navy help... New Orleans did not.

There was an Amphibious assault ship with water, food, fuel, hospital, and helicopters BEGGING to be allowed to help New Orleans and this Monster told them NO.

[maddezmom]

2. I'm glad we're doing this but too bad we couldn't help our own

in the aftermath of Katrina. :eyes:

[tularetom]

3. Glad they're doing this but

wonder how it makes Katrina victims feel? Seems like * was informed about this a lot faster than a hurricane in our own country.

[MadMaddie]

4. The very fact that they are responding within a day...

Should set the grounds for criminal charges against Chertoff, Brownie and whomever else was involved in the FEMA debacle. They intentionally blocked these ships to provide aid to American citizens....deriliction of duty...indifference. The need to be prosecuted, didn't they say that they couldn't mobilize that quickly. This is Treason....

So the Philippine government can request help for their disaster and get a prompt response but an American cities mayor and state governers can't get help for a week......

<snip>
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Brian Maka, said that in response to a Philippine government request, the U.S. military was dispatching the USS Essex and the USS Harper's Ferry, and possibly other ships. He said Army and Marine Corps ground forces that happened to be in the Philippines also were available to help.
<snip>

[noonwitch]

5. I'm glad that our military is able to assist

And I agree that it's too bad their commander in chief had his head up his ass during the Katrina aftermath, or maybe more of them would have been able to assist in saving more Louisianans.

[WhiteTara]

6. go figure! Rush to the aid of others

neglect our own. Bast*ds

[goforit]

7. Anything to help Al Qaeda terrorist camps. * keeps that fear alive.

[Catchawave]

8. Watching on CNN....

It struck me funny how quickly we responded, but the US military was already there? Weren't they HERE too? Thinking of NOLA, of course.