Home » Forums » Politics, General + Law(s)
11 votes

Obama sends Syria $155 Million: "Our aid reflects the commitment of the American people"

Submitted by go213mph on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 20:29
in

I don't know about you but this does not reflect my views as an American.

Statement by the President

For nearly two years, the Assad regime has waged a brutal war against the Syrian people—murdering innocent men, women and children, in their homes, in bread lines, and at universities.

In the face of this barbarism, the United States has joined with nations around the world in calling for an end to the Assad regime and a transition that leads to a peaceful, inclusive and democratic Syria, where the rights of all Syrians are protected. We’ve worked to isolate Assad and his regime; impose sanctions that starve the regime of funds; recognize the Syrian Opposition Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people; call for accountability for perpetrators of atrocities; and provide humanitarian relief to Syrians in need.

The relief we send doesn’t say “Made in America,” but make no mistake—our aid reflects the commitment of the American people. American aid means food and clean water for millions of Syrians. American aid means medicine and treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients in Damascus, Dar’a and Homs. It means immunizations for one million Syrian children. American aid means winter supplies for more than half a million people in Aleppo, Homs and Dayr az Zawr. And we’re working with allies and partners so that this aid reaches those in need.

Today, we’re taking another step. I’ve approved an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for people in Syria and refugees fleeing the violence. Here, I want to speak directly to the people of Syria. This new aid will mean more warm clothing for children and medicine for the elderly; flour and wheat for your families and blankets, boots and stoves for those huddled in damaged buildings. It will mean health care for victims of sexual violence and field hospitals for the wounded. Even as we work to end the violence against you, this aid will help address some of the immediate needs you face each day.

This new commitment will bring America’s total humanitarian aid to Syria to $365 million—making us the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. Today, I also call on the international community to do more to help these Syrians in need, and to contribute to the latest UN humanitarian appeal.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/29/statem...


Like this article? Get DP delivered to your inbox daily. Subscribe here:

E-mail address:  

»

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

OHHH the Irony of it all

Submitted by R-Hal CT on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 09:33.

So let me get this straight - as I am just a simpleton.

Assad is a ruthless dictator oppressing his people. His people are unable to fight back since they do not have weapons effective enough against the military. YOU want to take away our weapons, and we too are deprived of true counter military equipment(it is illegal to own body armor in CT).

You think giving a bunch of vaccines is "humanitarian". Those same vaccines are so humanitarian they are forced by law onto your own citizens.

No wonder I always have a headache- seems a lot of double speak.

Weird

Submitted by AmeriRock on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 03:59.

I dont remember committing to anything

—

Please delete my account Due to Mr.Nystom rewriting one of my post under my name.

LMFAO

Submitted by hotw on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 01:19.

"aid reflects the commitment of the American people."

he's right you know.

just the other day i was standing in line at CVS and a couple of strangers were having a conversation about how they wished the Obama admin would send more aid to Syrian rebels and work in conjunction with the Brits to train and arm them at the Turkish border region. They went on to exclaim that if need be they'd send their first born son to fight Assad to secure western neocolonialism. One of them put down a pack of contraceptives just so he could have another to send over later on saying, "By god! We MUST not lose the holy land to the Arabs- they already have Hollywood! We MUST guarantee the continuation of the petro-dollar recycling system and debt-slave monetary policies! I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR GOVERNMENT DAMMIT." To which the entire store broke out in hurrahs.

Oh thank you, comrade Obama. What a humanitarian you are.

not the peoples Barry.. A

Submitted by SIERRAHPBT on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 22:25.

not the peoples Barry.. A corrupt renegade government that is so far away from our founders intent that only hard times will restore.

—

Oh how I wonder, oh how I worry
And I would dearly like to know
How all this squander of earthly plunder
will leave us anything to show

it turns my stomach

Submitted by garnet on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 21:46.

to know that just small portions of that 365 million dollars would go a long way towards improving the lives of our own citizens. I don't have anything against the Syrians but what exactly is this money going to be used for and how much of it actually gets to the Syrian people and how much of the strife and destruction there is already our fault so we are somehow paying for it twice.

This reminds me of the California lottery where woo woo the schools were going to get so much stuff from the money made off the lottery.. No one I have asked over the years has a clue where all these millions actually go because the school situation seems to stay the same.

—

Garnet
Daughter of 1776 American Revolutionists

These urgings, these

Submitted by Brutus56 on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 21:08.

These urgings, these “humanitarian” pretenses, these hypocrisies, by the great powers to the smaller powers, remind me of what the English Richard Cobden said more than 150 years ago in a similar situation:

But what I wish now to express . . . [is] that the Italians should be left free to manage their own affairs; that they should be as secure from intervention—that they should enjoy the privilege of non-intervention in the management of their own affairs, just as entirely and as sacredly as the great Powers themselves. I know what is the excuse that is made by those great Powers for interfering in the affairs of Italy and the smaller States; they do it under the pretence of preserving order,—the hypocritical pretence, I have no hesitation in calling it. Do the great Powers preserve order themselves? . . . Do they preserve the earth from bloodshed? . . . I will face the chance of disorder. I say that if the Italians cannot settle their own affairs without falling into discord, why should not they be allowed even to carry on civil and domestic tumult, or even war itself, without any other Power pretending to take the advantage and entering their territory? . . .

Well, I say, that which you allow to the great Powers, allow to the smaller Powers; and I say this, not merely in the interest of those Powers themselves, but of humanity, for . . . there can be no chance of peace, and no prospect of any abatement of those vast military efforts that prevent the people from enjoying the fruits of their industry, until you have the principle of non-intervention recognised as applicable to every small State as sacredly as to a large one. . . .

But we all know that if the more powerful nations choose to send secret emissaries, and spend money in corrupting or debasing the least instructed part of the community, it will be very easy to produce disorders in those countries. . . . But, I say, if they should fall into disorder by such means, or because they have not within themselves for the moment the elements of self-government (and, God knows, it must be difficult to find them, with so little experience as they have had in such matters), that is no reason—it is a hypocritical pretence, it is no reason—why the stronger Powers of the Continent should go and interfere in their concerns. . . .

[W]hat would have become of us as a nation, if some great Power from the Continent, immediately that we fell into civil war or commotion, had planted a large permanent army on our shores, and had insisted on taking the power out of the hands of the people—the power to remove their grievances—the power to rescue themselves from disorder?. . . [I]f, instead of those contests . . . we had had a French army, or a Spanish army, or the two united, placed in the city of London to control our operations, to dictate to both parties? They might have preserved peace, but where would have been our liberties.

—

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium

I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality. - John Randolph of Roanoke

I DO NOT SANCTION THIS.

Submitted by pawnstorm12 on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 15:33.

NOR does the the U.S. Constitution.

—

"We have allowed our nation to be over-taxed, over-regulated, and overrun by bureaucrats. The founders would be ashamed of us for what we are putting up with."
-Ron Paul

Nation Building Loan. Like a

Submitted by Ulfilas on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 09:04.

Nation Building Loan.
Like a home loan, except it's not.

—

Southern Agrarian

Just think how the Syrians will love us now!

Submitted by George Strait on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 08:26.

I'm sure that 155 million dollars is enough to buy their hearts and minds. Finally, lasting peace in the Middle East! Why didn't anyone think of this sooner?

:(

—

Author of Shades of Thomas Paine, a common sense blog with a Libertarian slant.

http://shadesofthomaspaine.blogexec.com

Also author of Stick it to the Man!

http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Man-Richard-Moyer/dp/1484036417

Well, I suppose we have

Submitted by Blue Republic on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 23:52.

some obligation to help, considering how much
US' actions have contributed to creating a humanitarian
disaster there in the first place.

Using that "we" very loosely...

So arrogant

Submitted by Federal Farmer on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 23:07.

For him to presume to speak for me. What he should have said is "Our aid reflects the commitment of myself, Kerry, McCain, ect on dominating the Middle East."

Cyril's picture

Dude, you've got to admit...

Submitted by Cyril on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 22:36.

Dude, you've got to admit... This "man" (read: creature) is just...

... FORMIDABLE. UNIQUE.

"Our aid reflects the commitment of the American people."

(Seriously? Er... yes, I'm afraid. It's just a very "special" form of "commitment", though.)

Eat that, folks. Yes, don't be ashamed to throw up right after.

I, for one, WILL NOT blame you.

Because... as for:

C Y N I C A L

A R R O G A N C E

(in a statement of his)

...

I mean:

W O A ! ! !

OUTSTANDING OBAMARX.

—

My name's pronounced like "see real". Its root is "Lord".

"The demand of a great people is always at the scale of its most serious misfortunes." --De Gaulle

http://Laissez-Faire.Me/Liberty

can anyone remember reading about what happened

Submitted by anonymous10 on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 22:22.

when the us government gave blankets to the native americans?

National security interest

Submitted by Free Silver on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 23:27.

I know Obama likes to hand out money that Bernanke conjures out of thin air, but can someone explain how Syria is in the national security interest of the United States?

Syria is strategically important b/c it lies on the route of

Submitted by Ian56 on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 06:51.

or is close by to proposed oil & gas pipelines.
At least that it is how it is being sold.

The proposed gas pipeline from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.

The proposed oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Jordan or Israel.
This one has been on the drawing board since Rumsfeld was on Reagan's staff - about 1983!

With all the trouble being stirred up these pipelines are never going to get built.

Even after the invasion of Iraq and the pacification of Iraq with many billions of dollars in bribes to local tribal leaders, the American government is no closer to building their pipeline from Kirkuk to Jordan.

The real reason for conflict in Syria is to stir up trouble generally, recruit more Islamic Extremists and get public opinion more on board for more war and more military spending.

—

"In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all -- security, comfort, and freedom. When ... the freedom they wished for was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free."

Oh

Submitted by Free Silver on Wed, 01/30/2013 - 22:01.

Another reason to fund the military industrial complex.

I don't think that's in the national interest since we're broke.

I must NOT BE AMERICAN THEN...

Submitted by cdistasio on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 21:33.

If this aid reflects the commitment of the american people, then i must NOT be an american because it sures heck doesn't reflect my commitment to Syria which is NON EXISTENT to say the least!

I love how politicians say they are doing the will of the people... WHO THE HECK ARE THE PEOPLE they are talking about???? would love to know!

—

Love Liberty, be Vigilant

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Faith in God will prevail all things!

Just noticed there is a youtube of his speech today

Submitted by go213mph on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 21:10.

the comments are 100% against the aid. Most are down right hateful (as well they should be)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ0Sn02fcls&feature=player_em...

—

DENY CONSENT

jerk

Submitted by garnet on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 21:10.

I am fighting to keep my home, tooth and toenail and he sends money out of the country.. how about charity starting at home... I don't like to sound selfish but honestly... I could use some of that help!!

—

Garnet
Daughter of 1776 American Revolutionists

Just like Dr. Paul said:

Submitted by Tramp on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 21:28.

They take money from poor people in this country and give it to rich people in other countries.
Then the poor there never see a bit of it.
I spent some hours today with a real estate agent talking about selling my home because I just can't do it any longer and have no clue how this is going to work out. I'm old, handicapped, and quite frankly, somewhta scared.
But I intend to look on it as a new adventure and we'll see where it goes.

—

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love my country
I am appalled by my government

time for wars to end

Submitted by legalizeliberty on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 21:03.

and LOVE be the ruler of this planet.

—

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LibertyPoet
My website: http://www.libertypoet.com/
STAND WITH RAND 2016

Yuck!

Submitted by Lukapaka on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 20:56.

How about we feed some starving Americans!

(edit: I mean individuals. Instead of taxes, we use our wealth to help the needy through charity. I had to clarify before someone lectured me on the nanny-state and welfare, food assistance and such..)

i think it's okay to give it

Submitted by youjustgotpauled on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 21:58.

i think it's okay to give it to americans first before they hand it away to foreigners, after all, it's the peoples' money. just like with Dr. Paul and the congressional budget appropriations--the budget is already decided after taking the money from us, we deserve to get it back. even if they govt is not using the taxpayer money to fund foreign aid, they are still borrowing that money, which the taxpayers have to pay interest on anyway.

—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxvy9XyUtg