Meanwhile, today our friends at Refugees International are calling on President Bush to play a leading role in addressing the Iraqi refugee crisis by increasing the amount of U.S. assistance for Iraqi refugees to $290 million. This is less than one quarter of one percent (0.25%) of the amount spent on the military aspects of the war.Iraq is now the fastest growing refugee crisis worldwide, with more than four million Iraqis having been forced from their homes and thousands more following every day. This escalating emergency threatens recovery in Iraq and the stability of the entire region. The United States must act aggressively to improve regional and international security by making sure the necessary funds are provided to U.S. and UN agencies to protect the health and safety of Iraqi refugees.
With a single phone call, join thousands of Americans and make your voice heard. Help us convince President Bush that World Refugee Day is the perfect opportunity to announce his support for assisting Iraqi refugees.
Check out Refugees International's action center, where they have provided the White House comment line phone number, a simple script for what to say, and all the additional background info you need.
Picking up the phone may seem like a big effort but this is not going to take more than a minute of your time - you dial the number, leave a brief message, and that's it. It couldn't be easier. So don't wait. Take action now.
8 comments:
There it is again, a huge amount of money that's supposed to go to help fund something. Who controls this money and how does it get to those who need it? Does it end up getting spent on salaries for workers and all the trappings that go with that? What is it they call it, I think it's a boonswagle or maybe a bottomless pit.
Skeptic didn't even mention all the money that is outright being stolen. One individual pirated $750 million of aid money out of Iraq into his personal account in Jordan. I believe in aid but the controls must be tamper proof.
What is happening to the oil wells and oil money in Iraq?
I'll make the call in the hope that it will have purpose. After all, we have to do what we can and hope that there are people of honor and conscience distributing help where it's most needed.
I called in but I agree with the previous comments. We should give aid but only with checks and balances so the aid gets to those that need it, not the jihadist criminal swine.
You all are referring to money going to the Iraqi government, which indeed suffers from corruption and a mismanagement of funds. But the money we're proposing here is refugee assistance that would go to the UN and other NGOs providing shelter, health, nutrition, education and for other needs of desperate, displaced Iraqis. Some of the money would go to refugee host countries, such as Syria and Jordan, which are unable to cope with the millions of Iraqis suddenly in their midst.
As for "Jihadist criminal swine," I doubt many refugees are Jihadis. The Jihadis are going TO Iraq, not running away and living in squalor in refugee camps.
Here again, how do we know these countries will give aid to the refugees once they receive funds? Isn't there anyway we can make sure the money gets to the right organizations who will truly use it for the refugees? Who will be watching over this?
Any aid we are to give will get water down to some extent and there are always risks involved with contributing to those in need.
A healthy amount of skepticism should lead you to ask questions and follow through in holding the responsible officials accountable to see the results. However, I find it troubling that when human beings are in dire need that so many would rather use this excuse and look the other way.
If you don't try to make a difference, you'll never really know if you can...
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