04 Jan 2005 American Stinginess and U.N. Uselessness

Ed Haislmaier sent over this link to an opinion piece by Mark Steyn about the tsunami.

Sample line:

But the waters recede and the familiar contours of the political landscape re-emerge – in this case, the need to fit everything to the Great Universal Theory of the age, that whatever happens, the real issue is the rottenness of America.

Another sample:

If America were to emulate Ireland and Norway, there’d be a lot more dead Indonesians and Sri Lankans.

And:

So American personnel in American planes and American ships will deliver American food and American medicine and implement an American relief plan, but it’s still a “UN-led effort.” That seems to be enough for Kofi. His “moral authority” is intact, and Guardian columnists and Telegraph readers can still bash the Yanks for their stinginess. Everybody’s happy.

Remind me: Why are we in the U.N?