Are you as sad as I am?

The article’s heading was “Republicans Plan Cuts in Foreign Aid”, written by Anna Willard. I really wasn’t surprised that the Republicans plan to slash foreign aid that should have gone towards debt-relief for countries hit by the last tsunami, international peace-keeping operations and reconstruction in Afghanistan.


This is in addition to President Bush setting up an alternate group to coordinate relief efforts to the Asian tsunami victims. Why set up another entity when the UN is perfectly capable of coordinating the relief efforts, I wonder? This is the same president that has withheld $34 million earmarked for the United Nations Population Fund, the entity that implements programs to improve reproductive health, stabilize population growth and enhance the status of women. The story is that they do not preach abstinence but instead promote the use of contraceptives. Another reason is that there was a rumor that the agency was involved in forced abortions and sterilization in China. The fact-finding team sent to China determined that there was no truth to this story, yet the money is still being withheld.

The saying goes that no man is an island. Well, no country is, either. I still refuse to believe that the majority of Americans have the same myopic view that what happens around the rest of the world doesn’t affect the US.

I’m sad that I’m no longer surprised when I hear that there’s an American President that doesn’t care if millions of children die of AIDS and starvation, I’m sad that it’s no longer shocking to hear that the nation’s Attorney General advocates torture, I’m sad that “Hotel Rwanda” , a brilliantly understated movie that shines light on the genocidal atrocities committed by one tribe against another (tantamount to the same level of devastation wrought on the Jews during the Holocaust) was over-looked by the Oscars, even sadder that we’re all pretending like the Darfur crisis is over. I still contend that the song, “Million Voices” by Wyclef Jean, written for Hotel Rwanda’s soundtrack deserved an Oscar nomination along with the other songs that were nominated. I dare you to listen to it and not be moved. I’m happy about the way that everybody clamored to assist the Asian tsunami victims, but saddened that no one mentioned providing any aid to the African tsunami victims.

What can I say? I’m saddened by many things, yet hopeful still. I’m disillusioned about so many things, but strangely optimistic that the human race will redeem itself one of these days. It has to.