Yankee Go Home! (and take me with you)

I actually have a couple of blogs that I’ve been working on but haven’t been able to complete—and then this comes along, and I just can’t help myself.

Here’s the link (would someone please tell me how to do hyperlinks?):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/indonesiaquakeusislam

I guess first of all I’ve got to say that I like to point out absurdity in real life, if only for my own sanity. When something that makes no sense comes along, it sort of helps me take my hands out of the air after I’ve thrown them up and close my dropped jaw and makes me really sit down and try to think something through from another’s position.

And yes, it strikes me as absurd that Muslims in Asia are complaining about US aid. But after living here on The Moon for nearly two years, it really doesn’t surprise me.

It’s absurd because others are complaining that the US isn’t helping enough with the Indian Ocean tsunami of ’04, or the Pakistani earthquake of ’05, or now the Indonesian earthquake of ’06. We’re not giving them enough—and we’ve got so much, so why can’t we share?

Now I agree with those who’ve said we haven’t done enough. We haven’t. But I would also add that no nation or individual has done “enough”; we should have done more to help.

But to those who are “cynical” of US aid, like Mr. Matin Rahimi of Afghanistan, I just want to know what would you like us to do? If we help, you accuse us of propaganda and occupation. If we don’t help, you accuse us of indifference and selfishness.

Maybe it’s entirely accurate to say that we want to win brownie points by giving out aid. The US doesn’t have the greatest of reputations in the Muslim world— Muslims (of course, not all Muslims, but only some) routinely chant “Death to America” after they leave Friday prayer at the Mosque. Some Muslims really won’t be happy until America—The Great Satan—is “wiped off the map” along with Israel and several other European countries. Some, not all, I agree. Some.

The case is that we want friends! We want allies in the Muslim world! We want Muslims who can tell other Muslims not to fly jets into towers or shoot up an American embassy. So let it be the case that some of our motivation in helping the Muslim world is because we want peace.

And maybe somewhere in our American hearts of darkness we may just want to help suffering people. Somewhere. Maybe.

Thoughts?