The Vultures Descend
The UN’s Margareta Wahlstrom, aka “United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance in Tsunami-afected countries” – (yes, this is her title) is calling all psychiatrists;
“Counselling is the key thing as people have lost everything — children, family, shelter… which is why the UN will launch these appeals,” she said after visiting Sri Lanka’s southern region of Galle.
And after the psychiatrists arrive, then what? Why – family planning, that’s what. Lifesite;
“The United Nations Population Fund, the UNFPA, is calling for US $28 million in donations to re- establish ‘reproductive health services,’ in the Tsunami-stricken regions of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, according to a UNFPA press release published Thursday.”
As expected, the Diplomad is inside-reporting on the job.
Seeing these UNocrats perched at the table, whispering to each other, back-slapping, shaking hands, they seemed like a periodic reunion of old cynical Mafia chieftains or mercenaries who run into each other in different hot spots, as they move from one slaughter to another, “How are you? Haven’t seen you since Bosnia . . ..” As the hours wore on, however, and I nervously doodled in my note pad, shifted in my chair, looked at my watch, and thought about all the real work I had to do that evening, I decided that, no, labeling them mafiosos or mercenaries was much too kind. They seemed more to be the progeny resulting from a mating between a mad oracle and a giant carrion-eater. They were akin to some sort of ancient mythical Greco-Roman-Aztec-Wes Craven-Egyptian-bird-god that demands constant sacrifice and feeding, and speaks in riddles which only it can solve. Yes, I decided, the UNocrats are great hideous vultures, roused from their caves in the European Alps and in the cement canyons and peaks of Manhattan by the stench of death in the Turd World. They leisurely take flight toward the smell of death; circle, and then swoop down, screeching UNintelligble nonsense. They arrive and immediately force others, e.g., the American tax payer, to build them new exclusive nests in the midst of poverty, and make themselves fat on the flesh of the dead. My friends, allow The Diplomad to present to you The High Priest Vulture Elite (HPVE).
These genuinely repulsive, arrogant creatures survive only because the world’s rich countries, the non-Turd World, allow them, too. We in the First World find it politically impossible to reveal their pronouncements as the cant they are. For many in Europe and among the New York Times crowd, helping maintain these mad vultures substitutes for genuine action, “The UN is on the job!” In addition, for many senior bureaucrats and minor politicians, there is always the hope that if they play the game right, they, too, can join the High Priest Vulture Elite: We see the ranks of the HPVE full of Scandinavians and leftist Americans, and the occasional pompous Euro-Brazilian, all of whom parlayed mediocre domestic careers of lip-biting humanitarian symbolism into well-paying tax-free sinecures in the HPVE.
Well, with oil-for-food finally buried, we knew they’d be on the prowl for new bodies.
crossposted to SDA
Look on the bright side. It won’t last long… thusly;
Think how well that will go over with the AlQuieda aid workers as they enforce their version of Islamic law.
You might care to actually read the UNFPA press release as opposed to reading another blogs take on a press release put out by the “Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute ” with their version of the UNFPA’s release.
http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=542
Their aim at the moment ?
“The Fund has been working with partners from the start to assess immediate needs, supply life-saving medicines and supplies to enable pregnant women to deliver safely, and reestablish emergency obstetric care and other urgent health services.”
As opposed to the wildly biased take on handing out free condoms that your sources seem to believe it is.
Sweet merciful crap! Is this really how you perceive the UN? You look at people who spend their lives working in the places and dealing with the misery most of us prefer to ignore, and instead of dedicated humanitarians, you see vultures feeding off the dead!? Jeez, people.
The first priorities for the UN and associated aid agencies are obviously the necessities of food, water, shelter and major medical care, but I see nothing wrong with planning ahead for the psychological and secondary medical issues that will no doubt be widespread. Hell, FEMA shipped psychologists down to Florida when the hurricanes came through there, and I don’t remember anyone describing them and their Bush Administration bosses as vultures!
Frankly, I think you and the author of that piece are just so irrationally passionate in your hatred of the UN, writ large, that you automatically perceive every action it takes as yet another demonstration of its supposed moral degeneracy. Due respect folks, but I think y’all might want to consult one of those psychologists yourselves!
Somehow I hope that someone is paying attention to this information on the UN and that something will be done. As a start, I think the USA needs to find away to get the offices and diplomats relocated to Europe. Perhaps once they are not in the media and financial capital of the world, the attention these folks receive will diminish and so too, their interest in being a part of the faux agency?
Dave, the author of the “vulture” piece is a foreign service worker with the US
State Department, on the ground in the tsunami region, who has been personally observing and working with the UN (when they can be found) and has covering the corruption, the excess of the organizaiton well before this most recent debacle.
And, yes “sweet merciful crap”, the oil-for-food scandal, the Rwanda outrage, the blind eye to Darfur and the many sex-abuse and exploitation, and corruption cases – right down to the looting of a unlocked restaurant by diplomats in New York a year or so ago – mean that this is really how I percieve the UN.
Yes, Dave, I think that’s all how all folks with half a mind should view the U.N. A bunch of filthy cretinous vultures who have never helped anyone anywhere in a good long time. I think it is a huge mistake to turn over the reins to Kofi nd company especially in light of the oil for food travesty. When all is said and done Kofi and his cohorts will have lined their pockets with billions meant for the good of the tsunami victims with nary a one of them fed, clothed or helped in any way. Get a life, Dave.
kenny “You might care to actually read the UNFPA press release.”
Well Ken I did, at the link you provided and buried deep in the press release is this that you left out (by accident?):
UNFPA Genral policy:
“Providing and distributing equipment, medicines and supplies to ensure safe childbirth and emergency obstetric care, as well as prevention of HIV transmission;”
And in Indonesia they are providing this “service”
“has requested $8 million for the reestablishment of basic reproductive health services, including maternal health and the prevention of sexually transmitted infection and HIV/AIDS”
In the Maldives this: help UNFPA promote adolescent reproductive health, including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.”
In Sri Lanka this: “It will also work on reducing sexually transmitted infections and HIV transmission, and preventing and managing the consequences of sexual violence.”
Kenny if you believe this outfit is spending money on “just say no to sex” lectures I suggest doing a little research and learn of their similar programs in Africa. They are handing out condoms, pure and simple.
Do I think it is wrong to be concerned about Aids/HIV? Certainly not, but I don’t believe for a minute it is needed now during this emergency.
They are pissing good money down a rathole, but the UN has held the patent on that for a long time.
Marc,
” Do I think it is wrong to be concerned about Aids/HIV? Certainly not, but I don’t believe for a minute it is needed now during this emergency.”
And neither do they.
Which is why they note that the
appeal for 28 million dollars is to “meet extraordinary needs of women and youth in the three worst-hit countries over the next six months”
They are not however running around the disaster area tonight handing out free condoms.
As they note their immediate priority is focused on obstetric resources.
“if you believe this outfit is spending money on “just say no to sex†lectures I suggest doing a little research and learn of their similar programs in Africa. They are handing out condoms, pure and simple.”
Handing out condoms is more likely to be of use than some spurious abstinence lectures.
I am so incredibly scared that we have someone so puerile at State that they ape Micheal Freaking Savage. Turd World? These are diplomats?
For pete’s sake, you don’t think maybe infrastructure of all sorts was damaged in the tsunami? You are treating this like the HIV prevention is the be-all and end-all of the funding, which is laughably false. Your hatred has driven you palpably insane.
Kenny “Which is why they note that the appeal for 28 million dollars is to “meet extraordinary needs of women and youth in the three worst-hit countries over the next six monthsâ€Â
And why would they claim the Maldives as one of the three worst hit. According to the latest reports the Maldives suffered 82 dead, with 26 missing and is actually number 6 on the list.
So tell my why did they select that country.. no wait, don’t bother I know. Because the UNFPA had pre-existing operations in the Maldives (as your link notes). Nothing wrong in of itself, but it is more than a little disingenious to claim it as being one of the “three worst-hit countries.” If they were so dammed concerned about AIDS/HIV wouldn’t it be more productive to help those countries that have 5 and 6 figure casualty counts? Obviously not in “their world.”
Note to “Carpeicthus” Actually this is “palpably insane. And it’s not the first time, the same UN BS continues in the Sudan, Rwanda, and Kosovo.
Hey, I don’t think the UN is some pseudo-Utopian emodiment of international justice. There’s plenty of corruption, incompetency and, occasionally, true moral degeneracy. However, it’s just as easy to point to examples of these things in the United States’ foreign policy activities over the last half century. Does the fact that we were, are and will continue to be in bed with some of the most disgustingly brutal dictators in the world elicit similarly passionate condemnation of the United States from you? Do you think organizations like ANSWER are correct when they claim that the accumulation of these various evils makes the United States a net negative in the world, devoutly to be opposed? Is it legitimate to view everything the United States does in the world through a prism of such antipathy?
I’m guessing your answer to those questions is no, and rightly so, yet you have no qualms about reversing those standards completely when it comes to the UN. Face it Kate – the sentiments expressed in that article you so approvingly posted simply represent the flip side of the Far Left’s extremist views. Neither is correct; neither is responsible, and frankly, neither is respectable.
marc
” And why would they claim the Maldives as one of the three worst hit”
Because they mean those countries whose health infrastructure was worst hit ?
No doubt the UN has serious flaws, just like any large orginization. But I can’t help but think that all the shrieking about the evil UN is just a bait & switch to take attention off of the failures of the Bush admin.
Perhaps if we had our own house in order we would be in a better position to critique others.
It might be enlightening for you defend-the-UN folks if you’d quit wasting time on this comments thread and just go read.
http://diplomadic.blogspot.com/2005/01/unbearable.html
Who needs news releases when you can get accounts in the first person?
Kate,
Are you as outraged about the vultures who lunch at the Four Seasons while they figure out how to profit off of the carnage in Iraq?
That would be who, precisely? Iranians? Jordanians? The Baathist spending the profits from the oil-for-food program to target Iraqis?
Or are you speaking of the French, the Canadians who had conflicts of interest up to their eye-balls through PetrofinaElf? But you already knew that.
To get back to the “reproductive emergency” debate, I would direct you to this link from UNFPA.
UNFPA:
and this quote:
“Free condoms are among the first reproductive health supplies to reach people caught in a crisis situation. They are in demand to prevent both unwanted pregnancy and STIs including HIV/AIDS, and are the first step towards restoring family planning services.”
“Once a situation stabilizes, condom distribution and coverage need to be coordinated among government suppliers, the private sector and possibly social marketing programmes.”
This is good too:
link
The allegedly defective condom shipment is an example of why the UNFPA should receive no funding from the U.S. government, Mosher said.
“This is an organization that has a $35 [per plate] breakfast so they can decide how to distribute a condom worth 3 and half cents. The level of waste, inefficiency and bureaucracy is well known, but the United Nations bureaucracy really takes the cake,” Mosher said.
Right Kate, no Americans are profiting from the suffering in Iraq.
Do you really live in a fantasy world, or are you just trying to whip up hatred of other countries to take the spotlight off of the blood on our hands?