Originally posted by nivekronnoco
It's not really interesting because it's a lie...no aid was turned down....this is racist disinfo.
Racist disinfo?? What planet are you from?? Or maybe I should say: what White House office are you from?
Where the hell do you see anything racist about my post? If you're going to debate me, at least have the brains to give a decent rebuttal that
attacks my points, instead of just using the "racist" card.
To be sure, though, I looked up my facts just to make sure I was right, and it turns out, my count was low. At last count, there were 25 countries
that offered help, not 15. (Updated June 21st.)
Link to state department info:
www.state.gov...
Oh, wait....are you going to call the state department racist, too?
In alphabetical order, the names of the countries that offered help are: Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Quatar, UAE, United Kingdom, and
Vietnam.
By my count, that is 25 counties, and those names are taken DIRECTLY FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT LIST AND WEBSITE.
Here's another article:
calamities.gaeatimes.com...
Cleanup aid from overseas comes with a price tag
WASHINGTON — At least 22 nations — including Britain, where BP is based — have offered oil-collecting skimmers, boom, technical experts and more
to help the U.S. cope with its worst-ever environmental disaster. But their generosity comes with a price tag.
The State Department confirmed that nearly every offer of equipment or expertise from a foreign government since the April 20 oil rig explosion would
require the U.S. to reimburse that country.
The offers reveal a hard truth about the United States’ international friendships: With the U.S. widely regarded as the world’s wealthiest nation,
there is a double standard regarding foreign aid after a crisis, especially with offers from relatively poor countries.
U.S. disaster aid is almost always free of charge; other nations expect the U.S. to pay for help.
“These offers are not typically offers of aid,” said Lt. Erik Halvorson, a Coast Guard spokesman. “Normally, they are offers to sell resources
to BP or the U.S. government.”
Only Mexico, with wide swaths of poverty among its population, offered the U.S. anything for free. It said it would give the U.S. government some
containment boom. BP separately purchased 13,780 feet of boom and two skimmers from Mexico in early May, according to the State Department.
“We’re not disappointed,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday. “We’re quite pleased with the international offers of
assistance. What we’re concerned with right now is getting these types of assistance as they become available, as they are useful to our cleanup
operations, getting them into action so they can clean up the Gulf.”
The offers include:
—Britain, America’s closest ally and headquarters to London-based BP, said it would sell chemical dispersants and containment boom for use
cleaning up the spill. London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has previously complained about what he called “buck-passing and name-calling” in the U.S.
against BP.
—Russia, which received $70.5 million in U.S. aid last year and $78 million in 2008, said it could send boom, oil containers and ships if the U.S.
paid for them.
—China offered containment boom for a price. When a major earthquake struck in northwest China in April, the U.S. quickly gave $100,000 for relief
supplies, and after another major earthquake in southwestern China in 2008, the U.S. donated $500,000 through the U.S. embassy in Beijing to the Red
Cross to buy and deliver emergency supplies there. Congressional researchers estimate the U.S. spends roughly $30 million on foreign aid to China each
year, including educational exchanges and health programs.
—Israel, which receives roughly $3 billion in U.S. military aid and other assistance, also said it would send containment boom, if the U.S. paid for
it.
—France offered to send chemical dispersants and equipment to clean oil off birds but only for a price.
—Kenya, which received more than $24 million in U.S. aid last year and $11 million in 2008 for humanitarian aid, offered to send fire boom but only
if the Obama administration paid.
—Vietnam offered a ship with oil-collecting sweep arms if the U.S. paid for it. The U.S. spent $102 million in all types of aid to Vietnam in 2008.
When Typhoon Ketsana hit that country last fall, affecting 3 million people, the U.S. spent $100,000 on relief operations.
—Romania made a “general offer of support” but asked the U.S. government for payment. After heavy rains sent in July 2008 sent four major rivers
over their banks and killed five people, the U.S. gave $50,000 for emergency supplies.
—Croatia offered to send technical experts and plans, for a price. The U.S. gave Croatia $50,000 to buy local firefighting equipment in 2007 when
more than 800 wildfires broke out during an unusually hot and dry summer.
And another article:
www.eagleworldnews.com...HOUSTON - In Louisiana and other states on the Gulf of
Mexico there is frustration over what many residents see as a slow response by the U.S. government to protecting coastal areas. Some critics of the
Obama administration cite offers by the Netherlands in April to supply sophisticated skimmers and dredging devices, and the administration’s failure
to accept the offer. The issue is as murky as the oil slick now threatening regional beaches.
A Houston-based company is now cleaning oil off surface water in the Gulf of Mexico using sweeping arms that attach to a boat and help gather large
amounts of oil. These sophisticated devices were provided by a Dutch company with years of experience in such operations, but instead of using the
Dutch ships and crews immediately, when The Netherlands offered help in April, the operation was delayed until U.S. crews could be trained.
The Obama administration declined the Dutch offer partly because of the Jones Act, which restricts foreign ships from certain activities in U.S.
waters. During the Hurricane Katrina crisis five years ago, the Bush administration waived the Jones Act in order to facilitate some foreign
assistance, but such a waiver was not given in this case.
The Dutch also offered assistance with building sand berms (barriers) along the coast of Louisiana to protect sensitive marshlands, but that offer was
also rejected, even though Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal had been requesting such protective barriers.
A spokesman for the Dutch embassy in Washington, Floris Van Hovell, tells VOA his country stands ready to help in the Gulf.
[edit on 21-6-2010 by nikiano]