Posted on 08/31/2005 10:09:41 AM PDT by quidnunc
London – If British Prime Minister Tony Blair had not been vacationing in the Caribbean yesterday, it seems a safe bet he would have announced to the world that Britain feels deep sympathy for its freshly wounded ally, the United States.
He might have been wrong.
In fact, to judge by the reaction of some Londoners yesterday to Katrina's rising death toll, Britons seem to feel the United States is overdrawn on sympathy.
In an online discussion group set up by The Guardian newspaper, for example, one man sneered that George W. Bush will "blame global warming, or 'ecological terrorism' for this extreme weather event." Another said the disaster will be all the worse because the National Guard, which so often helps in relief operations, "is in Iraq to provide for the comfort of U.S. occupation forces."
And there was much snickering over which wing nut televangelist will attribute the devastation of New Orleans to Genesis 6:13, in which God, about to flood the sinful Earth, tells Noah: "The end of all flesh is come before me … behold, I will destroy them with the Earth."
When bombers struck London's transport system on July 7, Mr. Bush stood respectfully behind Mr. Blair for a news conference at the G8 summit in Scotland. It was a pose that spoke to the special relationship the countries share as fiercely principled allies in an unpopular war.
In the days that followed, the floral tributes that piled up in Tavistock Square and King's Cross came in large part from tourists, especially Americans. The scene was much the same that day at the British embassy in Washington, D.C., where one man carried a sign saying, "Today We Are All British."
And yet yesterday, as London's afternoon tabloids told of 55 dead and counting — almost exactly the July 7 death toll — there was not a tribute to be found.
-snip-
Don't act like you expect the rest of the world to come rushing to our assistance. It's unseamly.
I'll cut the Brits some slack. They are a naturally caustic, sarcastic, and cynical bunch, even with regards to their own nation.
You really think America needs British food aid and medicine? Or the sympathy of Guardian readers?
"What was the British response to the tsunami? This should be no different."
Hmm, the US is getting what it deserves. Incredibly stupid and shortsighted of our allies. At the very least a spot of commiseration and a bit of 'Too bad, old chaps', would be kind. This blaming of the US for everything in the world that goes wrong is worse than stupid, but that's what happens when socialism rots your brain.
'...leftwing swine'. That's got a nice ring to it.
Do those who miss the sympathy the world had for us after 911 and want more after the hurricane suffer from Munchausen's Syndrome?
FWIW, I received several numerous e-mails from my British friends asking how I fared during Katrina's landfall in Florida; I also received several phone calls, even from Scotland.
You're both wrong, it was The Daily Mirror.
See the front page here:
No, but we've got a levee with a really big hole in it that needs plugging. Don't suppose you guys have any ideas? Seriously :)
"No its not. We have jerks in this country just like you have jerks in yours. "
Do your jerks work for newspapers like ours do???
:-)
Look, why do we need the world to help us?
We believe in self-reliance and bouncing back.
You are so right. It would be like looking at the New York Times to decide on what President Bush is really like if I came from another country. You're not going to get an unbiased opinion.
The Brits have and will always be our stauntest allies, and in turn, we will always be theirs. Like you said, we all have our "jerks" to contend with. Consider the source.
In a special case that like that, maybe. But what I'm hearing is a lot of whining but other countries aren't giving us enough "attention", like a four year old who just skinned his knee.
Grow up. We are the world's only superpower. We don't need help, we give help. Some of you whiners need to shave your legs and put on some panties.
"have a question for you, since you're evidently a Brit, if you don't mind- have you noticed any kind of reaction for your Muslim 'friends' on this yet?"
To be honest the discussion at my place of work today (muslims included - I live in Birmingham!) was more about the shock of the breakdown of law and order than the magnitude of the human tradgedy (which isn't really clear in the way the media are reporting it - there is little focus on casulties). It is very, very difficult to reconcile some of the pictures we've seen on TV with the image everyone has of American Society.
One other point: quidnunc, who posted this story, is an obsessed Brit-hater who trolls the British press for any story that makes the British look bad and posts them on freerepublic.
Not sure what he has against the Brits, but he apparently hates them 24 hours a day.
As Uncle Joe said, I'm para-phrasing, The United States isn't some third world banana republic...we don't need their help.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.