French generosity in wake of Katrina

Peter Cartoon

Student
Peter Cartoon
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
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30
Take a look at what the Franch have managed to scrape up and donate to a city proud of it French heritage. see: http://www.info-france-usa.org/# and click on "related articles" that opens the pdf. You will note that all the significant donations (staff, equipment) are from NGOs like the Red Cross.

The Franch government has provided --

81 tents
240 tarps
1000 meals
1000 bars of soap
300 jerry cans
500 cooking kits
4 people for 5 days

I wanted to write to the French Embassy and suggest it may actually detract from the rescue effort to have to provide personnel to off-load the aircraft for such meager stock, and perhaps the money was beter spent caring for the grass at the American Cemetary in Normandy, but alas the stuff has arrived.

I just can't imagine that one of the most vibrant economies and cultures would deliberately insult another country at the expense of people's lives, but the French (IMHO) have done just that. Shame on them.
 
would you please take a look at the link in my original post it is from the French Foreign Ministry. Don't you think that is evidence enough?

Here is the statement from the French Foreign Ministry, if you want "evidence" then the court of public opinion finds them guilty. If you wish to appeal the verdict, please provide "evidence" that they plan to do more.

US/HURRICANE


I would like to give you some information on recent developments:


The Foreign Ministry has assigned more than a hundred employees in both Paris and the United States to this crisis. They are continuing their efforts to contact French nationals and assist them if need be. Among these employees is notably our crisis support team, reinforced by physicians and psychiatrists, which is conducting reconnaissance and rescue missions in the New Orleans area. Similar missions are being conducted in the affected parts of Mississippi and Alabama.

We are not aware of any French victims.

The system put in place has made it possible to contact, by phone or by Internet, several hundred people who were thought to be in the areas affected by the hurricane. These contacts were made through our consulates in the U.S. and the hotline set up in Paris, which has received 3,100 calls so far.

On the ground, 34 of our nationals were directly located and assisted by our consular services.

As for French aid to the American authorities, the two Casa aircraft that had left Martinique have landed in Little Rock; from there, supplies must be transported to the affected areas. In addition, the Beluga Airbus carrying 12.7 tons of humanitarian supplies is en route to Mobile, Alabama.
 
Peter Cartoon said:
Take a look at what the Franch have managed to scrape up and donate to a city proud of it French heritage. see: http://www.info-france-usa.org/# and click on "related articles" that opens the pdf. You will note that all the significant donations (staff, equipment) are from NGOs like the Red Cross.

The Franch government has provided --

81 tents
240 tarps
1000 meals
1000 bars of soap
300 jerry cans
500 cooking kits
4 people for 5 days

I wanted to write to the French Embassy and suggest it may actually detract from the rescue effort to have to provide personnel to off-load the aircraft for such meager stock, and perhaps the money was beter spent caring for the grass at the American Cemetary in Normandy, but alas the stuff has arrived.

I just can't imagine that one of the most vibrant economies and cultures would deliberately insult another country at the expense of people's lives, but the French (IMHO) have done just that. Shame on them.
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Lol...we actually gave you even less....But I think I will still ring our embassy and see if you specifically can be excluded from even our pathetically puny assistance now or in the future (if anything nasty should befall you).....
 
shemp said:
So the next time France is in trouble, we'll send them 1000 cases of beyond-expiration-date Spam.
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That they will store until the next time America needs help....


Australias aid adds up to about a buck twenty per taxpayer. What have you done with my $1.20? Not squandered it I hope.....
 
Before proceeding with the French bashing, lets take 2 seconds to google. From wikipedia:
Concrete help was refused by the USA at first, but on 2 September, Condolezza Rice said that the US authorities would assess the situation and contact French authorities accordingly. On September 4, US authorities formally required French assistance. France offered disaster relief stocks prepositionned in the Martinique (600 tents, around 1000 beds, 60 electrogenic groups, 3 pumps, 3 water purification stations, 1000 folding jerricanes and other material). A 35-man team of the Sécurité civile (Civil defence) from Guadeloupe and Martinique is ready, and a 60-man "catastrophe intervention" aeromobile detachment could be ferried from mainland in a short time. The Ministry of Defence offers 2 planes already in the zone and 6 more from mainland France, and two ship of the French Navy (probably the BATRAL Francis Garnier or Champlain, and the frigate Ventôse) and a 20-man medical team specialised in emergencies.
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Okay, now continue French bashing.
 
Concrete help was refused by the USA at first, but on 2 September, Condolezza Rice said that the US authorities would assess the situation and contact French authorities accordingly. On September 4, US authorities formally required French assistance. France offered disaster relief stocks prepositionned in the Martinique (600 tents, around 1000 beds, 60 electrogenic groups, 3 pumps, 3 water purification stations, 1000 folding jerricanes and other material). A 35-man team of the Sécurité civile (Civil defence) from Guadeloupe and Martinique is ready, and a 60-man "catastrophe intervention" aeromobile detachment could be ferried from mainland in a short time. The Ministry of Defence offers 2 planes already in the zone and 6 more from mainland France, and two ship of the French Navy (probably the BATRAL Francis Garnier or Champlain, and the frigate Ventôse) and a 20-man medical team specialised in emergencies.


LIES...LIES....LIES.... Mr Cartoons figures are the truth I tell you!!! The Truth!!!!
 
A+B=C

The figures I gave are from the French Government, see "provider" column in the PDF. The additional material is supplimented by NGOs that add up to the TOTAL that you correctly quote.

My comments are pointed at the French government, not the NGOs.
 
The Fool said:
Australias aid adds up to about a buck twenty per taxpayer. What have you done with my $1.20? Not squandered it I hope.....
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In my noble effort to recycle the alleged money from your alleged taxes I've spent mine on a bottle of Matilda Bay Premium :p Reminded me of the taste of Miller Draft, though... So yeah, I guess I wasted it. I should have gone with supporting the Deutschlanders. Gimme a dark bock any day. :p :p
 
Re: A+B=C

Peter Cartoon said:
The figures I gave are from the French Government, see "provider" column in the PDF. The additional material is supplimented by NGOs that add up to the TOTAL that you correctly quote.

My comments are pointed at the French government, not the NGOs.
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Yes, the "Ministry of Defence" is a well known NGO that goes around offering planes. And the "Navy" as well, only they offer warships.
 
Re: A+B=C

Peter Cartoon said:
The figures I gave are from the French Government, see "provider" column in the PDF. The additional material is supplimented by NGOs that add up to the TOTAL that you correctly quote.

My comments are pointed at the French government, not the NGOs.
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I share your outrage and am going to boycott something French...as soon as I can figure something out to boycott.....ummmmm, French bread? To be honest the last time I was offered anything remotely French it was from a girl on one of the street corners down near the docks...
 
Re: A+B=C

Peter Cartoon said:

My comments are pointed at the French government, not the NGOs.
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Donations are donations. The French donated through gov't and through NGO. Perhaps we're raking it in on the Red Cross. Ultimately, I don't care which pocket it comes from. Unless ... hey ... who took my money?

On the other hand ... Bangladesh has offered a million bucks. I haven't been there but do their people even have it as good as living in the Astrodome? Superdome? Doesn't matter - damn poor and sending a million. I'm definately sending money to to charity for them.

Jen
 
Re: Re: A+B=C

JenJen said:
Donations are donations. The French donated through gov't and through NGO. Perhaps we're raking it in on the Red Cross. Ultimately, I don't care which pocket it comes from. Unless ... hey ... who took my money?

On the other hand ... Bangladesh has offered a million bucks. I haven't been there but do their people even have it as good as living in the Astrodome? Superdome? Doesn't matter - damn poor and sending a million. I'm definately sending money to to charity for them.

Jen
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I'm sure Mr Cartoon will get around to those tight arsed Bangladeshis, have patience, we still have the French to finish with...
 
Re: Re: Re: A+B=C

The Fool said:
I'm sure Mr Cartoon will get around to those tight arsed Bangladeshis, have patience, we still have the French to finish with...
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The cynical side of me could go about looking to see how much is our money, anyway - just going through a roundabout system of foreign aid and grants and then donated back to us. (I'm including France, there). Instead, I think I'm just going to smile and say "thank you".

And, even if we do send Bangladesh a lot of money - I like 'em for this gesture.

I'll admit, though, the French seem much less sincere. Perhaps it's just the gov't, though.

Jen
 
Peter Cartoon said:
I just can't imagine that one of the most vibrant economies and cultures would deliberately insult another country at the expense of people's lives, but the French (IMHO) have done just that. Shame on them.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, but just how much emergency supplies do you think the US actually need to have shipped in from abroad?

ETA: Remember that emergency supplies are only sent when requested, and only what is requested is sent. This is to avoid overloading the transport infrastructure with supplies that are not needed. Have you any reason to believe that the US has actually requested more supplies from France than what she has provided?

ETA: Anyway, just to put France's contribution into perspective. Here is a list over national offers of aid.
 
Re: Re: Re: A+B=C

The Fool said:
I'm sure Mr Cartoon will get around to those tight arsed Bangladeshis, have patience, we still have the French to finish with...
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Fool, you will be forever enshrined in my memory for your bigotry. Bangladesh has every reason to know what the people of New Orleans are going through - except when it happens to them the casualties tend to be in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. It gets floods like these on a regular basis. It's one of the poorest countries around, and $1,000,000 is a lot of money to them. They could spend it on their own flood defences, but no, they've offered to help the US. I think that speaks volumes about their humanity - and not very much for yours.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: A+B=C

tim said:
Fool, you will be forever enshrined in my memory for your bigotry. Bangladesh has every reason to know what the people of New Orleans are going through - except when it happens to them the casualties tend to be in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. It gets floods like these on a regular basis. It's one of the poorest countries around, and $1,000,000 is a lot of money to them. They could spend it on their own flood defences, but no, they've offered to help the US. I think that speaks volumes about their humanity - and not very much for yours.
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It does speak volumes for your apparent inability to read sarcasm and jump to the worst possible conclusion.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: A+B=C

tim said:
Fool, you will be forever enshrined in my memory for your bigotry. (...)
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I'm pretty sure he meant it ironically.
EDIT
Oops, sorry, I hadn't seen Donks' answer. And yes, sarcasm is the better word.
 
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