I was reading that some of these tsunami wracked towns are being besieged by
UN "dignitaries" all demanding tours and reports - and other places have
huge stockpiles of food just sitting with no means of delivery - As to
foreign aid India has said "thanks but no thanks"

Don't know what our final giving will be but perhaps others are falling prey
to what we frequently do i.e., the more money you spend on "foreign aid" the
better job you are doing...is a false assumption. How did Arafat accumulate
a minimum $900 million fortune - good investing? ;-)

Then at least one US Navy carrier has changed its mission to delivery and
helping the victims.

On a somewhat related matter I had bought the DVD of "Top Gun" and in the
Special Features section The Director Tom Scott was saying that during
filming on the Enterprise he wanted the captain to make a 180 degree turn
for the light and the captain refused saying it would cost $25,000 to do
so -  whereupon Scott wrote a check for $25,000 to the US Navy -  the
Captain made the turn and Scott got his shot. Wonder how much we (the
taxpayer) are paying the Navy to deliver the goods -

On the UN (here in the US) you will get as much disagreement over its
effectiveness - perhaps even its relevance - as Bush vs. Kerry - as for
myself realizing that with the "oil for food" program administered by the
UN - virtually none of the $21 billion (low estimate) made its way to the
intended recipients - how relevant is the UN anymore? To me anyway it has
become  nothing more than an amoral bureaucracy (Libya and the Sudan taking
turns heading the human rights commission) Of course there are many in the
US who will disagree with me.

At least one columnist here suggested that they move their headquarters from
NY (where high paid  diplomats seem to double park with impunity) to a place
like Port a Price Haiti where the diplomats can really see the problems of
the world ...

It started out as a good idea but like the League of Nations its day has
come and gone - IMHO of course...

Bill

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