UN asks politicians and bush* minions to STAY HOME from disaster (link)

[diamond14]

the Secretary General of the United Nations
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=660

On the question of visits to the region, as I indicated, that is not excluded. But let me also say that we all need to be careful. When you have these sorts of massive emergencies, the urgent need is assistance to the people - shelter, food, water, health and other things. When we sometimes overwhelm them with high-profile visitors, we move people away from their work, and in fact we become more of a problem, an impediment, than actual assistance.

So, one should go to the region, but at the right time. Those who go to the region should make sure that they do not detract from the essential work that is being done, because it takes lots of efforts, and they have limited facilities. In some of these places, you often would not have even accommodation - and all the essential accommodation should go to those who actually doing it. So, yes, visit the region, but at the right time.

[Cocoa]

1. now Bush will go

no way the UN is going to tell him what to do!

[HeeBGBz]

2. Ooh spank!

Makes sense to me. Let them do their work.

[Divernan]

3. Boondoggling politicos are infuriated if they're not sucked up to.

You've never seen such a thin-skinned bunch of egomaniacs as travelling senators and congressmen, or governors and vice-presidents. It is absolutely true that they would waste the time of local officials and workers, and impede delivery of care and materials. For example, the captial city of one province of Indonesia (can't recall the name) lost 1500 of its 2000 policemen. Can any neocon argue that there are police to spare to protect and coddle visiting VIPs?

[diamond14]

6. and jeb, frist, and powell will use helicopters, taking those away

from STARVING people...the helicopters/fuel could be better used to drop emergency food/medicines/water.....

jeb, frist, powell are criminals...stealing from the tsunami victims...

[Quakerfriend]

4. I love it!

They can show there ire at this administration everyday, and I would be tickled pink!

I have to admit, when I saw that Frist was also going over (Larry King Live 1/2), I felt that they were just trying to use this crisis to grandstand. Truly sickening in my view.

[Quakerfriend]

5. I love it!

They can show there ire at this administration everyday, and I would be tickled pink!

I have to admit, when I saw that Frist was also going over (Larry King Live 1/2), I felt that they were just trying to use this crisis to grandstand. Truly sickening in my view.

[Inland]

7. I suspect that Powell and Jeb

will demand the entire area they visit go on high security lockdown. No movement of aid or refugees while the avatars of Bush sweep through their puny lives and then disappear forever in a belch of helicopter backwash.

[diamond14]

8. Yes. and then bush* spin machine will GLORIOUSLY praise them

for their 'compassionate conservatism' and 'bravery'.....and CNN, faux, and all the rest will put jeb/powell up front as the BIG humanitarians....and the red-state religiously-insane bush* supporters will CHEER and praise gawwddd....

and the victims will starve....

[WritersBlock]

9. Good for the UN.

Politicians do nothing but disrupt the relief effort when they go on these photo-ops. They take valuable time and resources away from those who are involved in actually trying to help.

Absolutely no good will be done for the tsunami victims by Jeb's visit. He can't possibly draw any more attention to their plight, and the notion that he's going because he has helpful "experience" after the hurricanes is utter horseshit. The only experience he will have had is of interrupting those who are trying to get some work done, simply so that he can further his political aspirations.

[leesa]

10. Good! No campaign trail for the Bush slime.