21 | December | 2013 | Be a Seed for Change

U.S. Congress: Save lives by exempting Typhoon Haiyan victims from outdated food aid regulations

By Juanita Salvador-Burris

Chicago, Illinois

As a Filipino-American in Chicago, I have reeled in shock and helplessness as thousands of Filipinos in Haiyan-decimated Tacloban city, were shown hungry everyday sitting, crying, walking, with nowhere to go, without food, water, shelter, and medical care. After six days and reports of no aid arriving yet, I wrote seventeen friends in Manila seeking comfort as to why more aid has not reached those devastated by this natural disaster. They felt the same despair I did…“not enough aid reached the people in a timely manner.”

Like many others I am thankful for the generosity of my fellow Americans, many of whom have already donated millions to the relief effort. But I could never imagine that red-tape and outdated rules written by the US Congress could delay urgently needed relief from reaching the millions of people who desperately need humanitarian assistance.

So far, the UN has said $301 million is needed immediately to help victims of the typhoon. President Obama has already promised an initial pledge of $20 million to provide food, water and urgent medical care. But regulations, which require the vast majority of US food aid to be shipped from preferred growers in the US on preferred ships, could delay most US food aid from arriving for weeks or months.

These regulations, written in the 1950’s, require food to be shipped more than 11,000 nautical miles across the ocean even though there is ample food available much closer to the crisis in unaffected areas of the Philippines and countries like Thailand and Vietnam, usually at a lower price for taxpayers. The rules prevent aid agencies like the World Food Program from purchasing food from the closest and most cost effective sellers. Delays in delivering food could cost lives and red-tape costs tax dollars.

But Congress has the power to waive these regulations. In this urgent crisis in the Philippines please join me in calling on Congress to save lives now by exempting the Philippines emergency response from these outdated rules so humanitarian aid can reach suffering people when they need it most.

Just another rant from 2009

The summer of 2009, filled with what apparently was just the beginning of nasty Teapublican behavior ugly rhetoric and a whole lot of pollution spewing out of all their holes… I called it the summer of my discontent

I believe in the right to freedom of speech, I do not believe that the speech should invoke fear, hate, lies and death. Americans should not go overseas and speak ill of the President, no matter who is in office. The position of President should be held with great regard definitely not disrespected by any American while in other countries.

I am a person of colour (mixed decent) from a huge family who has had to live with the fear of being non-white while driving, walking, shopping etc. Fact is, people of colour live this way, and it is not right. In the year 2009, we were blessed to have our first person of colour (Bi-Racial) as our President. I do not know him personally, but he seems to be kind, gentle, calm, cool and definitely not an angry man and has had nothing but angry words, behavior, and hate spewed at him. It is disguised by some as freedom of speech, others as a fear of government take overs; most if not all attitudes exposed a fear of change and (republicans) definitely get it, don’t want it and caused a $24billion shut down to express it. The election in both 2008&2013 results showed a diverse group of say 53% voted for Obama as our next President. It is a worthy reminder to Republicans because they lack a sense of acceptance that these events actually took place. However, we all know Republicans met the same night Barack Obama took the office of President devising a plan a of attack which has turned out to be… obstruction. The last administration failed us in my view, my opinion and right to freedom of speech. I don’t think I am alone in that feeling but I don’t wish he(bush) were dead, or any ill will on any level to him(bush). Yet, the comments from the likes of Joe Wilson or a rush Limbaugh, g beck and so many members of Congress and or Conservatives has taken me back because I feel the hate right through the TV. The lies and the miss-information has reached an all-time peak, I found myself so irritated, I had to join the effort to fight back against the Teapublicans rhetoric . As some ex and current people in politics use our 24/7 news cycles as a platform to spread what they call “news” which sounds and feels like old style Southern propaganda, once laced with disrespectful language against the Office of the President has become an all-out assault. Yes, as a person of colour I am upset, compelled to respond to each tweet that even remotely sounds like racial hate, fear, and whatnot. I was repulsed, it was disrespectful, it was sad, and inappropriate. I ask Congress , where are the grownups, knowing Joe Wilson and his other Teapublican comrades had/have to be told this behavior was inappropriate, told to apologize is beyond my understanding of adult behavior. Yes, this is what the first amendment covers, yet, I would wager that given the right circumstance this gross misuse of our 1st amendment rights by the democratic party would be given the hammer until they apologized on national TV.

Oh wait, this is happening.

What we all heard spewed by righties back in 2009 continues in 2013 seemingly embodied by southern men acting in old style southern political tactics and if you know your history, understand it, it is clear enough. Then add that old cliché : what goes around comes around and its meaning (A person’s actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person-wiki) is definitely scary but we must all Stand Up Speak Out and fight against that old cliché becoming an ugly reality. The GOP shutdown was just the beginning of a train to derail what could be an improvement of American lives, yet ole’school politics would rather increase the casualties

Our President is a man who wants to put us back on track because some greedy fools derailed it.

The solutions to our economic problem should have nothing to do with the colour of our President’s skin. It should be about folks who saw the problem, wanted to change it in a bipartisan way and Barack won the office twice. Though Teapublicans decided, “Just say no” was a much better way to do the People’s business. We all know change is hard, it takes time and obviously a certain group of people have been led to believe that President Obama is not only taking us somewhere else that could be bad for America, they use heritage, his skin colour and edit his conversation to portray him as the “the other.” or worse

These claims are outrageous.

The President’s agenda seems simple to me. Maybe he is ahead of his time or at least the clock that Teapublicans are trying to push us all onto. Americans deserve a right to live a good life, afford health-care, a life where upward mobility is possible, a right to be all we can be – educated, a right to jobs for the 21st century and equal rights should be the norm not a political football.

During the summer of 2009, the path to prosperity or the lack thereof was being laid out right before our very eyes by folks like rep. Paul Ryan. I wonder why my fellow Professional Lefties did not see it then because we now have a Teapublican paper trail. I wonder if the PL knows how their members of Congress voted during President Obama’s 1st term, let alone the fact that a number of blue dogs sided with the extreme right. That was then and though most if not all bluedogs were voted out of office in 2010, members of the tea party not only replaced most but have done their best to make our Government look silly chaotic seemingly without compassion morality and more Wall Street than Main Street

Those in public service , take an oath to do no harm call themselves Public Servants, but if you take a hard look at how the Congress of 112th,2nd Session has acted lest we talk about the 113th Congress …

you would be feeling discontented too