“Evil” Corporations – Not Hollywood – Help Tsunami Victims
By Bonnie Chernin Rogoff (01/03/05)
As the death toll rises above 125,000 with countless injured, widowed and orphaned there has been a rush of aid and supplies to millions of the tsunami’s victims. Assistance came from a variety of “unlikely” sources, such as President Bush and large corporations, much to the chagrin of the liberal media and Hollywood elite. The network news bureaus and largely liberal entertainment industry have remained eerily silent regarding this devastating global crisis. Indeed, at this time of year most of the entertainers go on winter holiday to the slopes or sunny beaches. To date, they have ignored the crisis rather than help the relief efforts and lend their support for donations.
The vile and rotund Michael Moore is filming his docudrama “Sicko” on the so-called “evil” pharmaceutical industry. Moore will certainly omit the timely and generous contributions made by this altruistic industry sector. As of December 31, 2004 the following pharmaceutical giants have donated and/or pledged for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster relief effort:
• Pfizer Inc. $10 million cash and $25 million in drugs to relief agencies
• Merck & Co. $3 million in cash
• Both Abbott Laboratories and Johnson and Johnson have pledged $2 million in cash. Johnson and Johnson is also supplying needed medical supplies and drugs.
• Bristol Myers Squibb $1 million in cash and $4 Million in much needed anti-biotics.
• Roche Group and GlaxoSmithKline Plc will announce shortly their own disaster relief contributions.
Another past target of Moore’s vitriol is General Motors. GM just pledged over $2 million in cash, agreed to match employee donations and will provide vehicles to transport medical supplies and food to the stricken region.
The voices of the entertainment elite were energized against President Bush during the recent election campaign, but they have yet to respond this international emergency. Our “heartless” President raised the U.S. relief pledge ten fold in less than a week to a staggering $350 million. How long would it take to organize a Tsunami-Aid concert via Pay-Per-View to collect donations? By the time Bruce Springstein, Bono and the others return to the microphones, thousands more will die from starvation and disease. Activist actors such as Ben Affleck, Susan Sarandon, Al Franken, P. Diddy, and Barbra Streisand have not been heard from. Oh, and where is George Soros and his billions when you need him? Too busy distributing rolling paper and needles for addicts?
President Bush was roundly criticized by the media for failing to issue an immediate statement from his Crawford, Texas ranch regarding the devastation. However, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was given a free pass. Amidst this serious global catastrophe the Secretary General remained in Colorado on holiday for three additional days after the tsunami hit. When confronted by a Fox News reporter why it took him so long to return to UN headquarters, Kofi replied that he monitored the situation via the Internet while away. Perhaps the Secretary General was plotting with his son how to auction off the remaining Iraqi food-for-oil vouchers on e-Bay.
By contrast, President Bush was fully informed and actively working on a U.S. response to the crisis from his Crawford ranch. He appointed both Secretary of State Colin Powell and brother Governor Jeb Bush to lead America’s relief efforts. The President fully supports a European hosted Tsunami aid conference which probably will reduce the UN influence over the aid effort.
More disgusting than the personal failures of the entertainment industry to act is the ungrateful and obviously anti-Semitic response from the Sri Lanka’s government to Israel’s attempt to aid disaster victims. A lack of accommodations in Columbo and airport congestion was cited as Sri Lanka’s excuse for refusing an 150 man Israeli relief mission that included 60 members of the Israel Defense Forces. An uproar from Sri Lanka’s small but vocal Muslim community was cited as the true reason. To be fair, reports reaching the West cite individual Sri Lanka citizens providing food and shelter to stranded foreign tourists including Americans and for that we are grateful.
Special recognition should be afforded to Hong Kong entertainers, Jackie Chan, Chow-Yun-fat and tycoon Li Ka-shing for their generous assistance. Russian tennis star, Maria Sharapova donated $10,000 for Thailand disaster relief. She and Venus Williams are also providing moral support by participating in an exhibition match in Chiang Mai. Other major corporations deserving special recognition and thanks for their efforts include: Nike Inc., American Express, General Electric, First Data Corp., Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Exxon-Mobil, Citigroup, Marriott International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Kudos to the Catholic Relief Services for its generous pledge of $25 million for emergency relief and long-term programs.
Our prayers and thoughts are with all those impacted by this monumental natural disaster.
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