Oil Charity
Finally, these folks chime in.
There are two regions that are the richest in the world: the United States, and the middle East. All of that liquid gold that serves as the lifeblood of just about anything that happens or breathes in the Middle East makes them so fabulously wealthy that, for example, Saddam Hussein had gold-plated toilets and sinks in all of his houses. (Now, the wealth isn't evenly distributed, but that's another issue.)
This morning on the news, some non-productive oxygen-consumer (and, from the looks of it, Big Mac consumer) was going on and on about how small the first American aid pledge was. Well, you have to keep in mind, gentle reader, that the early estimates were ten or twenty thousand dead, and limited damage. Once the assessments were revised, the United States, Japan, and yes, even the EU, rose to the task and increased their donations. But the Arab world has been somewhat quiet about all of this. In spite of the fact that they have more money than Allah, and the South Asia region is more Muslim than Christian, the "charitable" Muslims from the core region of Islam have given little compared to other nations. Don't believe me? Observe.
I'm glad that Saudi Arabia has increased their pledge, and I'm glad that Qatar also has a generous pledge of $25 million. I just find it interesting how the whole thing has played out.
I'll keep you updated if necessary.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- Saudi Arabia, criticized in the Arab world for not offering more money for tsunami disaster relief, said Tuesday it will triple the aid it has pledged to $30 million and will hold a fund-raising telethon to benefit victims.
The Saudi government, which initially pledged $10 million to the relief effort, issued a statement that it is raising its emergency humanitarian aid "in light of the recent assessment of the magnitude of the tragedy."
There are two regions that are the richest in the world: the United States, and the middle East. All of that liquid gold that serves as the lifeblood of just about anything that happens or breathes in the Middle East makes them so fabulously wealthy that, for example, Saddam Hussein had gold-plated toilets and sinks in all of his houses. (Now, the wealth isn't evenly distributed, but that's another issue.)
This morning on the news, some non-productive oxygen-consumer (and, from the looks of it, Big Mac consumer) was going on and on about how small the first American aid pledge was. Well, you have to keep in mind, gentle reader, that the early estimates were ten or twenty thousand dead, and limited damage. Once the assessments were revised, the United States, Japan, and yes, even the EU, rose to the task and increased their donations. But the Arab world has been somewhat quiet about all of this. In spite of the fact that they have more money than Allah, and the South Asia region is more Muslim than Christian, the "charitable" Muslims from the core region of Islam have given little compared to other nations. Don't believe me? Observe.
I'm glad that Saudi Arabia has increased their pledge, and I'm glad that Qatar also has a generous pledge of $25 million. I just find it interesting how the whole thing has played out.
I'll keep you updated if necessary.
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