Sound of one hand slapping forehead

from This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow

A Rush Limbaugh caller wants to know where all the foreign aid from other countries for America was during the Florida hurricanes.

OK all you Limbaugh listeners, try to follow along at home as I walk you through this. No matter what you've heard, the US is a very, very wealthy nation. The per capita income in the US is about $35,000. Hurricane Charley hit on Friday, August 13th. By Tuesday, August 17th, FEMA had already issued more than $2 million in checks for disaster relief. Ten days later President Bush asked Congress for $2 billion dollars for aid (he wasn't on vacation then, and its possible that the election had something to do with the amount). Since then the Small Business Administration alone has provided more than $1 billion to Florida businesses to fix hurricane damage.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's per capita income is $3,550, Thailand's is $2,000, Sri Lanka's is $850, India's is $450. The US poverty level for an individual with no children is just over $9,000.

To spell it out so that even Rush's most drug addled listeners can understand, even the poorest among us tend to make several times the average per capita income in the countries hit by the quake and tsunami. And it is tragic that some people lost their lives and their homes in the Florida hurricanes. Meanwhile at least 120,000 people were killed in Asia, and the extent of the damage will make it difficult for aid to reach those in need.

This disaster is much worse than the Florida hurricanes, even all four of them put together. Without the aid that we and other charitable people and governments provide, people will soon begin to starve to death or die of cholera and other diseases.

So lighten up, try to hate less and care more, like Jesus said.

Comments

[Jake]

Trying to communicate with Rush's listeners is a lost cause. I've worked with these people and they're a sorry lot. Some of the gems I've heard from them: On America's dependence on foreign oil: "We should just invade Saudi Arabia and take that oil. We deserve it more than they do." On immigration: "Why do we even let foreigners into this country?" (And no he wasn't a Native American.) On the homeless: "Why don't those people just get jobs and shut up."

[Mark]

Yeah, but you see the name of my blog - I have to try!

[Buzz Windrip]

Are they the same ones that think we should just carpet bomb Iraq for what they did on 9/11?

[mark1]

It's very likely that more Americans died in this disaster than in 9/11. Will George add the Almighty to his axis of evil now.

[mark1]

I wonder who is a bigger disaster, George Bush or the earthquake? Who has killed more people? I think they're about neck and neck right now but give him another year or so.

[Elayne Riggs]

It's not just that we're a rich nation with a well-equipped system already set up to deal with domestic disasters of this nature. It's also that our current government is way too arrogant to even accept offers of aid when they're forthcoming. Remember how we rebuffed all the nations offering to send help after 9/11?

[silversmith]

Mark, I'd like to try to communicate with Rush's listeners too. Two things prevent me from doing so. 1) The right-wing fascists won't hold still and let us shoot them. I'd try real hard then... 2) If we did connect, while it might clean the gene pool, after being caught, we'd have to go to jail. And I'm not really looking forward to that. Ever. So I try in my own way. I let them live. For now. :-D

[Rick]

I too have coworkers who are rabid Rush Limbaugh fans. I have listened to Rush and found him to be an arrogant,jingoistic bully with the brain of a gnat. But they all think that everything that comes out of his mouth is brilliant! Go figure! A general theme of Rush's is that America can do no wrong and that anyone who even slightly criticizes US policy is "anti-American". This plays well to the knuckledragger crowd but anyone with any common sense knows that is absurd. In Rushies world social programs "enable people to be lazy". Liberals "hate God" because they don't want religion crammed down people's throats and the US military should be allowed to "kick ass" around with world with impunity. I really see no difference between Rush's views and fascism. They are one and the same. What is really frightening is that he has 20 million listeners who think he is right.

[loser]

Limba is definitely a litmus test for moronic jingoism. In that sense, and only in that sense, should we be thankful for his existence.

[Vanessa]

Mark, I like your site, thanks for maintaining it. In the spirit of supporting this site and the moral integrity it asserts, I wanted to catch a slip which surprised me. On 12/30/04 you said: "Are they the same ones that think we should just carpet bomb Iraq for what they did on 9/11?" Just to clarify, Iraq did nothing to the U.S. on 9/11. I do not mean to nit-pick, but this is an insidious rumor which those who seek to justify the U.S. "kick[ing] ass around the world with impunity," as silversmith said, use to boost up their jinogism. Please clarify that your comment was not meant to support the baseless claim that Iraq was somehow involved in the 9/11 plot.

[Mark]

Hi Vanessa - thanks for the compliments, and for the correction. In this case Buzz Windrip made the comment, I suspect saying the same thing you are: that many listeners of Rush's show believe incorrectly that there was a link between Iraq and 9-11. It points out how difficult it can be to tell whether a particular name goes with the comment above or below it. I think I can change the configuration to make that more clear, and will work on that. Thanks for reading! Mark

[James]

I live in Sweden. Sweden still has almost 3,000 citizens unaccounted for. That is obviously nothing compared to Indonesia and the other countries affected, but it is still the biggest disaster of our time. Then I hear two things. 1. America offers the equivalent of bugger all in aid. Practically nothing. A fund raising evening on national television here raised more than America's aid. 2. America knew of the earthquake and likelihood of a tsunami and notified the military base on Diego Garcia. They didn't tell Indonesia, Thailand etc because "They didn't know who to tell". Priceless. This disaster has already claimed 150,000 lives. The disease that will follow will probably claim the same. America has thrown small change into the pot. I thought your government prided themselves on being Christian. This makes me bloody mad. p.s. excellent blog Mark.

[Frank Moorman]

What the Limba-listener seems to forget (along with much else) is that, when we did have a disaster that killed thousands on September 11, 2001, the rest of the world did offer to help in ways that they never had before, and Limba-hero GW Shrub told them to take a hike, we don't need your help. And I suspect the Limba-listener cheered that piece of macho bravado.