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This Happened on Their Watch - First-World Governments and the Tsunami

I'm reposting this revised comment as a stand-alone message because it is seriously insane that trolls are now coming to the defense of those most powerful in the world who knew a tsunami was underway and made - effectively - no effort to warn people. If these governments with veto power and special privledges in the UN - the US, the EU, Japan - cannot warn others of impending disasters which they monitor worldwide, they cannot be trusted to warn their own people in times of disaster. They should be dismantled immediately and heads should roll.
Troll or apologist for authority statement: "In most parts of the nations that were hit by the tsunami, there is very poor communications equipment, and even though people tried to get the word out, news did not travel fast enough."

Gee, so these places that cater to rich EU tourists and accept Mastercard don't have telephones? How are they capable of processing the tourists' bills if they can't figure out who to call when a giant wave is coming? Do all of the tourist hotels have no TV or radio? Has no one in Southeast Asia used a CB radio?

Imagine if you knew an earthquake was going to hit California in one hour, but it was Sunday, so when you dialed the USGS, you got a message. Would you shrug and give up??? (I suppose if you work for the US government you might).

But give me a break. You'd call the newspapers, you'd call the police, you'd call a goddamm hospital and tell them to prepare for the wounded, if nothing else.

Granted, no one at the time could have known the extent. But many DID have enough experience, on both sides, to know the outcome. This is 2004, people, we have now reached GODDAMN MARS, for chrissakes, don't be fooled by those who try to claim ignorance. Remember FedEx? Remember credit cards? Remember the INTERNET?? Remember CELL PHONES?? Remember Newspapers? TV? Hotels?? GPS??

Southeast Asia is poor, but it is not the moon.

As someone on Indybay wrote, one of the beaches where many were killed is right across the street from a police station, from which someone could have literally taken a bullhorn and yelled warnings. Do the police stations not have telephones? Are there no TELEVISIONS??? If there is virtually no communications, then how did any tourists figure out how to go there? What do they pay with, coconuts? Are there no banks? How do they have a bus system if there are no communications? I did see buses turned over. It wouldn't have taken HI-TECH or SPECIAL SCIENTISTS to spread a very simple warning. Even over the bus radios, for godsakes.

Think about it. A SINGLE news broadcast could have reached millions instantly and propagated to those who COULD figure out how to warn those in the most remote regions. They'd have called their loved ones, at the very least, by phone.

Don't buy this BS from government cover-up trolls and those amongst us who cannot bear to know that authority is covering up and so must make excuses for them.

This happened on their watch, the watch of the first world governments, the same ones that operate a SPACE STATION, the Hubble Space Telescope, dozens of Nuclear Aircraft Carriers, worldwide GPS, military intranets, satellite phones, space weapons, etc., etc.

Maybe I'm wrong about all this. But if I am, there is something very very wrong in first world governments and a complete overhaul is necessary. If they cannot propagate a simple message to thousands of people but they can put spy satellites all over the sky, they cannot care for their own countries properly either.

Take a look and see who will now benefit.

And remember, who was the biggest threat to progress in Iraq, once we were in there? Remember, on Friday Dec. 26th, 2003 - the same day as this one - that an earthquake in IRAN killed 15k. What is the reason that Aceh is under seige?

Who will now benefit, as the war machine kicks into gear to distribute 'aid?'

homepage: homepage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3348613.stm

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members of the European Parliament want to know also 03.Jan.2005 18:01

repost

The lack of warning has drawn bitter accusations from some survivors of the disaster.

"Why didn't the people who monitor these things warn the Indian [Ocean] countries that a tsunami was about to hit them?" asked Nirj Deva, a British member of the European Parliament who was in Sri Lanka.

"Nobody was warned. All these people died unnecessarily," he said in an interview with the BBC. "I want some answers."


timing 03.Jan.2005 18:09

repost

"We wanted to try to do something, but without a plan in place then, it was not an effective way to issue a warning, or to have it acted upon," Dr. McCreery said. "There would have still been some time - not a lot of time, but some time - if there was something that could be done in Madagascar, or on the coast of Africa," he added.

The Canadian academic [Michel Chossudovsky of the University of Ottawa] finds the statement "inconsistent." The tidal wave, he argues, reached the East African coastline several hours after it reached The Maldives islands. According to news reports, Male, the capital of the Maldives was hit three hours after the earthquake, at approximately 4.00 GMT. By that time everybody around the world knew.


US had advance warning of tsunami: Canadian professor
By Khalid Hasan


here it comes! 03.Jan.2005 19:24

nice

interesting on the EU news! thanks, despite it being really buried in that article.

Some non-brain dead people still left, it seems in Europe. LA times no less, though that information is definitely buried under the red herring title of "Across the Globe, a Warning Sounded: [false!] Scientists in the Pacific thought [knew!] a deadly wave could be [was!] building in the Indian Ocean. But there was no system [lie!] in place to get the word out. [lie!]

A better title would be:

"Bush's U.S. State Department Takes the Fifth in Regards to Lack of Typical Earthquake Warning that Left Hundreds of Thousands Dead, and 5 Million Displaced"

i know why... 03.Jan.2005 19:55

empire slayer

it is clear from the numerous posts that "reader" really wants to push their belief that there was a global conspiracy to keep the people from being warned about the tsunami. i just don't buy it. i certainly agree that the governments could have done more, and i am certain that the u.s. government had early warning. but i don't believe that this is a conspiracy. the lack of notification is due to:

1. lack of early warning system for the indian ocean
2. very poor communication systems in the indian ocean countries
3. lack of clear "chain of command" systems and methods for distributing information
4. indian ocean's governments worry that a "false alarm" would hurt the tourist industry
5. general indifference to the lives of the southeast asian poor by the u.s.
6. general contempt towards the poor by ALL governments

this article gives some clear answers as to why there were no warnings:
 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jan2005/warn-j03.shtml

some people knew early, and they tried to notify others. but without a clear plan in place BEFORE a disaster strikes [and the indian ocean countries had NO PLAN], it is nearly impossible for a bureaucracy to act that fast.

before one goes around shouting about a conspiracy, remember this simple fact: the global capitalist system simply DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE POOR. the poor are only useful as cheap expendable labor. the indian ocean agencies that did get early warning were worried about affecting their valuable tourist industry [even though it is completely destroyed now], and it is not the job of the rest of the world's nations to be responsible for warning the citizens of other nations. one could argue, however, that the richer nations have a moral obligation towards the human family and the citizens of all nations. but if one believes that governments [especially the u.s.] actually care about life, they are sorely deceived [see my items # 5 & 6 above].

the tsunami has done one wonderful thing for the world. it has exposed some cold, hard truths about life on this planet, the global capitalist system, and the indifference of governments towards life. as a species, we must stop this illusion that any system of "authority" [god, government, business, etc...] is going to "save us". we can only save ourselves.

By George, There is intelligent life left on this planet yet! 03.Jan.2005 19:58

jonbro

glad to see someone out there still has survived this media blitz brain washing bs and is still able to think for themselves....your not wrong bud, just keep hanging on to your sanity..the rides gonna get a lil bumpy.
it may help to remember this,..the truth is stranger than fiction ; )

a test 03.Jan.2005 21:42

jujuju

Quick,

Youre a scientist in N. Alaska and a huge glacial damn is about to break free and flood a valley in rural China potentially killing tens to hundreds of thousands of residents. It will happen any second you are sure, and it will likely hit more and more populated towns with less and less impact as it goes.

Save as many people as you can.

GO!

Oh shit,,

who do you call...

seriously....

who do you call....

you pick up the phone....

and whats the number......

don't know...


well....there you go

ipso facto

Many questions 04.Jan.2005 07:15

TRY connecting the dots

Many questions:
1. US christians marching on to war to smash all "communist" or "socialist" movements in the world?
There has been some concerns lately that the communist movement in India and Indonesia has been
growing. (Not surprising as corporate globalization creates more despair among the poor...) This
is made evident by the States unilateraly declaring who will lead the relief effort. Why is
the Indonesian army taking over the distribution of world aid and not the UN or NGOs?

2. Depopulation has always been linked to the right wing who sees the poor as responsible for their
own poverty. With oil in the area, the US with their new HAARP technology could get two birds with
one stone. (HOOPs, three birds: reconstruction contracts. Capitalism needs to generate growth,
does it not?) And, let us not be naive: when the technology exists, it's going to be used. HAARP
is a new weapon of war. (See Dr. Rosalie Bertell's book: PLANET EARTH:THE NEWEST WEAPON OF WAR.)

3. To send both his brother Jeb and father to work on the relief program is a political move. Why them?
(Clinton is just a puppet on whom they have a lot of dirt.)

4. THis tragedy also favours Bush. His stolen elections is becoming more evident and a mass movement
is growing in the States to dethrone him. His apparent concern for these Muslims ("the uncivilized
as he has called them in the past) is to compensate for his mass slaughter in Iraq. (Subterfuge)

to jujujuju 05.Jan.2005 14:32

reader

You call your local news station and alert them.

You get online and type in China, news. You call whatever numbers you can find.

You get on the phone and talk to an operator that you need the US embassy in China.

You don't take another toke until you do something.

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