Whatever Happened to Mynamar?

[Bruzilla]

I posed a question about a month ago about what the real impact of the Mynamar government's refusal of foreign aid would really mean, and I can't help but notice that none of the dire predictions of aid agencies and politicians seems to have come true. It's become a foregone conclusion that following such a catastrophe that thousands will die of dysentary brought on by contaminated drinking water. All the media folks reported horriffic stories about how the number of people who died in the storm will be nothing compared to the number who die afterwards from disease and dysentary if foreign aid doesn't get in there! I wondered at the time if these allegations were true or just a means for aid agencies to justify their budgets.

Well, here we are a month later, and where are the reports of hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting from disease and dysentary? I haven't heard a one. A month ago the whole population was at imminent risk of death if all those tons of relief supplies didn't get in, but it looks like these folks, who didn't have much in the way of sanitary conditions before the storm, managed to get through it all just fine on their own.

Looks like they knew how to take care of themselves pretty well, quite the contrast from New Orleans. Makes you wonder which country really is better developed.

 

[AK-74me]

I posed a question about a month ago about what the real impact of the Mynamar government's refusal of foreign aid would really mean, and I can't help but notice that none of the dire predictions of aid agencies and politicians seems to have come true. It's become a foregone conclusion that following such a catastrophe that thousands will die of dysentary brought on by contaminated drinking water. All the media folks reported horriffic stories about how the number of people who died in the storm will be nothing compared to the number who die afterwards from disease and dysentary if foreign aid doesn't get in there! I wondered at the time if these allegations were true or just a means for aid agencies to justify their budgets.

Well, here we are a month later, and where are the reports of hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting from disease and dysentary? I haven't heard a one. A month ago the whole population was at imminent risk of death if all those tons of relief supllies didn't get in, but it looks like these folks, who didn't have much in the way of sanitary conditions before the storm, managed to get through it all just fine on their own.

Looks like they knew how to take care of themselves pretty well, quite the contrast from New Orleans. Makes you wonder which country really is better developed.

Well you have people that live in conditions that aren't much different from 100's of years ago on one hand and then you have a protected class that hasn't survived on their own since birth on the other.

Seems pretty easy to figure out which ones would fair better to me.

 

[Bruzilla]

Well you have people that live in conditions that aren't much different from 100's of years ago on one hand and then you have a protected class that hasn't survived on their own since birth on the other.

Seems pretty easy to figure out which ones would fair better to me.

That's what I thought. Based on all the ramshackle huts these folks lived in, I thought the concept of boiling water before drinking it would have been SOP for them for centuries. But of course to some folks, there's just no way anyone can survive without the enlightened do-gooders rushing in there to play mommy and save the poor from themselves.

I'm sorry for all the suffering out there, but I'm glad that a government finally had the balls to say "thanks, but we'll take care of it" and show these aid agencies to be the fundraising frauds they are.

 

[MMDad]

I posed a question about a month ago about what the real impact of the Mynamar government's refusal of foreign aid would really mean, and I can't help but notice that none of the dire predictions of aid agencies and politicians seems to have come true. It's become a foregone conclusion that following such a catastrophe that thousands will die of dysentary brought on by contaminated drinking water. All the media folks reported horriffic stories about how the number of people who died in the storm will be nothing compared to the number who die afterwards from disease and dysentary if foreign aid doesn't get in there! I wondered at the time if these allegations were true or just a means for aid agencies to justify their budgets.

Well, here we are a month later, and where are the reports of hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting from disease and dysentary? I haven't heard a one. A month ago the whole population was at imminent risk of death if all those tons of relief supplies didn't get in, but it looks like these folks, who didn't have much in the way of sanitary conditions before the storm, managed to get through it all just fine on their own.

Looks like they knew how to take care of themselves pretty well, quite the contrast from New Orleans. Makes you wonder which country really is better developed.

I don't know where you're getting your news from, but there is no rosy picture of healthy, well-fed cyclone survivors in Myanmar. Their government has refused access to the disaster areas. They refuse to release numbers. They are just now allowing outsiders in to determine what still needs to be done. People are still dying of the effects of that cyclone.

The news is there if you care to read it. It just isn't on the front page any more.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

I posed a question about a month ago about what the real impact of the Mynamar government's refusal of foreign aid would really mean, and I can't help but notice that none of the dire predictions of aid agencies and politicians seems to have come true. It's become a foregone conclusion that following such a catastrophe that thousands will die of dysentary brought on by contaminated drinking water. All the media folks reported horriffic stories about how the number of people who died in the storm will be nothing compared to the number who die afterwards from disease and dysentary if foreign aid doesn't get in there! I wondered at the time if these allegations were true or just a means for aid agencies to justify their budgets.

Well, here we are a month later, and where are the reports of hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting from disease and dysentary? I haven't heard a one. A month ago the whole population was at imminent risk of death if all those tons of relief supplies didn't get in, but it looks like these folks, who didn't have much in the way of sanitary conditions before the storm, managed to get through it all just fine on their own.

Looks like they knew how to take care of themselves pretty well, quite the contrast from New Orleans. Makes you wonder which country really is better developed.

There's actually still a lot of problems for the people out there. Huge risk of TB. The government did get their act together and allow in some relief agencies, as well as the UN. And there are food supply shortages.

You just aren't hearing about it because you get your news from the American media, where the latest celebirty that gets knocked up is headline news and stories like Myanmar are totally unimportant.

 

[MMDad]

I'm sorry for all the suffering out there, but I'm glad that a government finally had the balls to say "thanks, but we'll take care of it" and show these aid agencies to be the fundraising frauds they are.

That isn't what happened, and is not what is happening. 18 of their citizens were jailed because they went to a UN office to say they have not received any help at all. Their government is not handling it.

 

[MMDad]

You just aren't hearing about it because you get your news from the American media,

The American media is reporting it. You just have to get past the Nascar stories to see it.

 

[Bruzilla]

I don't know where you're getting your news from, but there is no rosy picture of healthy, well-fed cyclone survivors in Myanmar. Their government has refused access to the disaster areas. They refuse to release numbers. They are just now allowing outsiders in to determine what still needs to be done. People are still dying of the effects of that cyclone.

The news is there if you care to read it. It just isn't on the front page any more.

Actually I don't think there were many stories about rosy pictures of healthy, well-fed, folks in Myanmar before the storm either. Looks like most of these folks have been living a pretty primative existence long before Mother Nature tore things up don't ya' think?

As for releasing numbers, the only media that got restricted after the storm was ours. The Brits, French, and others were able to get in, and able to thwart attempts by the government to control information. Don't you think these folks would be equally inventive at getting us shocking video of hundreds of thousands of corpses of people who died from dysentary piled up?

Are people still dying? Probably, but are they dropping like flies the way all the relief agencies predicted they would? No, and that's my point. We've been conditioned to take it for granted that if these folks don't get into an area, that all the survivors are doomed!!! And that's proving to not be the case, which is why the story isn't on the front page anymore.

 

[Bruzilla]

There's actually still a lot of problems for the people out there. Huge risk of TB. The government did get their act together and allow in some relief agencies, as well as the UN. And there are food supply shortages.

You just aren't hearing about it because you get your news from the American media, where the latest celebirty that gets knocked up is headline news and stories like Myanmar are totally unimportant.

And that's my point... risk. The first thing we hear about after an event like this is all about risk. "There's a huge risk of dysentary!, "There's a huge risk of cholera!", "There's a huge risk of TB!" But is there really a risk, or is this just a lot of hype? We've never been able to see that in the past because most governments just take it for accepted fact and that's the end of the debate. Mynamar offers a first glance at what really happens when a storm hits and people are left to their own devices to survive.

Have there been deaths? Yes. Are there outbreaks of disease and shortages of food? Certainly. But are they anywhere near the scale that the "Risk" merchants were screeching about? No. These folks have been dealing with poor living conditions, disease, and dirty water for centuries. They know how to survive in those conditions without the need for a Nanny State to hold their hands.

But hey... if there's a story in the foreign press that confirms all the risks that were all over the media a month ago, please feel free to point it out.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Actually I don't think there were many stories about rosy pictures of healthy, well-fed, folks in Myanmar before the storm either. Looks like most of these folks have been living a pretty primative existence long before Mother Nature tore things up don't ya' think?

As for releasing numbers, the only media that got restricted after the storm was ours. The Brits, French, and others were able to get in, and able to thwart attempts by the government to control information. Don't you think these folks would be equally inventive at getting us shocking video of hundreds of thousands of corpses of people who died from dysentary piled up?

Are people still dying? Probably, but are they dropping like flies the way all the relief agencies predicted they would? No, and that's my point. We've been conditioned to take it for granted that if these folks don't get into an area, that all the survivors are doomed!!! And that's proving to not be the case, which is why the story isn't on the front page anymore.

But, in this country, it's a big deal when 10 people die in a hurricane. Look at how many people survive the aftermath of devastating hurricanes here. Charley? Andrew? Ivan?

The only people making a big deal out of New Orleans is New Orleans. They feel they are entitled to a free handout from the fellow taxpayers while they don't even attempt to look for jobs. Look at all the surrounding areas. Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, Waveland. Two years later, they're thriving areas again. Those areas are more affordable than ever, and their economies are booming. The LSM doesn't want you to know that. They just want you to think that Big Bad Bush is being meam to Katrina victims and all the Katrina victims will live happily ever after once we elect Messiah Obama.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Bookmark...

But hey... if there's a story in the foreign press that confirms all the risks that were all over the media a month ago, please feel free to point it out.

... Reuters AlertNet - Homepage. YW.

 

[Bruzilla]

That isn't what happened, and is not what is happening. 18 of their citizens were jailed because they went to a UN office to say they have not received any help at all. Their government is not handling it.

In who's opinion? There are a lot of folks who say the US Government didn't handle Katrina well. How many folks in New Orleans died of thirst? How many died of starvation? How many died of disease? Zero. We have people who don't get a bottle of mineral water for an hour and all of a sudden it's a life or death situation because they were thirsty. So by what scale do we judge the reaction of the Mynamar government?

Can you imagine what would happen in the United States if after a natural disaster we had teams from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran all showing up uninvited at the airports saying "you guys don't know what you're doing. Get out of the way and we'll take care of it!" we would tell them to get the F out, which is exactly what the Mynamar government did. If we would never tolerate any foreign country, particularly one that we find objectionable, coming in and telling us how we should be doing things, why should they?

Here's the real deal: relief organizations employ a lot people, and these people have to get paid just like any other company. These organizations have bills to pay, just like any other organization. And all that money comes from donations. You donate a dollar, the organization keeps part of it to pay their salaries, and the rest goes to buy stuff for relief operations. But what happens if that stuff doesn't get used? You get warehouses full of vacines, bottled water, clean clothes, MREs, and other emergency needs, and before long your donors are asking why you need more money to buy supplies when you've got warehouses full of them? And what happens when the donors stop donating? You don't have to worry about being short on supplies, but you do have to worry about that money you use to pay the bills. So to keep the salaries paid and the lights on, you need to keep the bucks coming in, and the only way to do that is to show a need to keep refreshing the inventory. So you make sure that anytime a disaster hits, you get the media to hype all sorts of risks, fears, and worries about all the terrible things that are certain to happen if those relief supplies don't get there ASAP.

This time we got the hype, but not the supplies, and it's looking like the reality of what happens in disaster situations isn't measuring up to the hype that makes the relief organizations their money.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

What's this I see? Bruzilla defending communism?

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

How many folks in New Orleans died of thirst? How many died of starvation? How many died of disease? Zero.

 

[jetmonkey]

They'll always be Burma to me.

 

[Lugnut]

They aren't Americans.

There are more than enough people right here in THIS country that need help. I don't give a flying #### for anybody else. As far as I'm concerned charity organizations can do what they want with their funds, but US Government "aid" to other countries should be limited to advice.

Whoops, was that not a nice thing to say?

 

[Bruzilla]

... Reuters AlertNet - Homepage. YW.

Okay... I clicked on your link, and on the Myanmar Special Coverage link that was the only place I saw Myanmar listed. I then clicked on the Myanmar News Desk link, and got the following: Breaking News: No results found. Hmm... and the reason you directed me to this site was what???

There was also an Aid Agency News Feeds: Two stories found. The first was a propoganda piece from HelpAge international that provided the brilliant insight that "Older people often lack the energy and mobility to travel long distances in order get the medical care they need. Health conditions associated with old age such as arthritis and rheumatism also require specific treatment. For many older people, these Mobile Medical Units are the only source of healthcare available." No mention of cholera, dysentary, TB, etc. The other story is a piece by Action By Churches Together (ACT) that details all the work they are doing... but again, there's no mention of widespread famine and disease.

But wait! Doing some more digging, I find a story that for some reason is under a Breaking News title even though the Breaking News section of the Myanmar Special Coverage area is still showing "No results found." The story is Reuters AlertNet - MYANMAR: Coping with cyclone trauma

And what does it say? "On 10 June, the health cluster, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), reported that its disease early warning system had detected 685 cases of acute respiratory infections, 117 cases of bloody diarrhoea, and three cases of dengue fever.

While a high number of cases of dengue fever is normal for this region at this time of year, greater numbers are expected this year given the living conditions after the cyclone, WHO said." Funny they don't mention how many cases of these conditions were usually seen before the storm. Where are all the reports of hundreds of thousands dying from cholera, dysentary, TB, starvation! Didn't anyone explain to these people that they must live up to the hype by dying?

 

[Bruzilla]

Oh really? How many folks died from these in New Orleans?

 

[Bruzilla]

They aren't Americans.

There are more than enough people right here in THIS country that need help. I don't give a flying #### for anybody else. As far as I'm concerned charity organizations can do what they want with their funds, but US Government "aid" to other countries should be limited to advice.

Whoops, was that not a nice thing to say?

I was watching reports on FNC yesterday from people who were caught up in the recent midwest floods, and I heard a couple of folks saying the Red Cross had blown them off and weren't doing much to help. Funny that all these aid groups will do a full court press... transport jets, food, medical care, housing, etc. for foreign disaters, but showing up with a water truck and some soup seems to be the best ROI most Americans can expect.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Oh really? How many folks died from these in New Orleans?

Gee Bru, you like to look stuff up. So, look it up. New Orleans Convention Center. Look it up. Flooding wasn't the only cause of death.

As far as long term disease, we are only beginning to see the health problems caused by 9-11. What makes you think we'd know the full scale health impact of Katrina by now?