In a legitimate and timely appeal from Siam Sam for a children’s fund in Burma, Leon497 hauled down his pants and squeezed out a rejoinder for us to consider aid to Mexico instead, because:
Burma, my learned friend, is not Indonesia. It’s quite a way from Indonesia. Burma is in fact a Buddhist country, by and large. But even were Burma a Muslim country like Indonesia, the appeal to common humanity to help the children of one of the most oppressed peoples on earth, suffering the effects of a horrific natural disaster, should not fall on deaf Christian ears.
Also:
Hint: you buy supplies next door, in Thailand. This is how it works.
Thank goodness there are so many Christians who have managed to escape becoming complete dumbasses, working in secret under the threat of imprisonment, within Burma at the moment. I point you, dear friend, to Luke 10:25-37.
Still, the pitting is well earned. Leon497 could have started his own thread, or otherwise avoided shitting all over Siam Sam’s. At best, Leon497 is saying don’t give to this cause, give to my cause instead, and that’s bullshit.
Since I am the one who mentioned a complementary group in the other thread, I can answer this.
Not one cent of aid goes to the junta. Every red penny of it goes to the opposition tribes, the folks who are completely devoid of power. In the case of my group, the work is done in Burma, visa-less, without the knowledge of the government. I can’t be more specific then that for what I hope are obvious reasons.
And yes, they carry their supplies over from Thailand by foot as mentioned above.
OK, well let me clarify. First I was all done in that other thread, not trying to start a GD, which is where this thread ought to be and not the Pit, but I simply answered a question asked me. I had no cause I was promoting unlike other posters.
The idea I am against aid to Burma, where did that come from? Did anyone read my post, it said help those closer. Now for why, well turn it around. How much aid for Mexico comes from rich countries near Burma? There’s Japan. S. Korea and places like Australia and New Zealand and do you think many donate to Mexico relief there? Think about that. That is why I say handle things close to us first. That was my point, it was not that Burma should not be helped. But who but us will help the places near the USA if we don’t?
I am a bit concerned when they said we should not enter a thread for sale to say anything bad. So something is on a recall list and I can’t mention that? Suppose it is a laptop with a power pack that starts fires, I can’t mention it? Suppose it is a crib that is dangerous and I know a link to articles about it? Suppose it is just a model of computer with lots of bad reviews and I want to link to those?
Are they saying only praise can be given, that is how I read it because it would indeed be a “this widget sucks” kind of post. In the case of charity, suppose someone promotes one that elsewhere is called a scam, can you mention that? There are major issues once you end freedom of speech about products or charities.
I do agree not promoting your own is a good idea there and I didn’t, but I disagree saying something has a problem is wrong, if it does, especially if there are linkable articles. That does not help the membership at all.
I too was involved in an ad hoc Burmese aid program in 2008 after the cyclone, and this is exactly what my friends did. Directly sourced goods - medical supplies etc. - in Thailand and hauled them in over the borders on their person on a “tourist” visa. Many are still going in and out. And nor can I be more specific about that.
Leon497 I’ve just seen your response on preview. I’m afraid your position in your original post was nothing like what you’ve just posted here.
a. You threadshat, pure and simple.
b. You implied that we shouldn’t give aid to people who are not Christian, since in this amorphous non-Christian world, a Buddhist country might be (Muslim) terrorists.
If you’ve got a cause celebre nearer to the US, post your own fundraising thread - don’t shit all over someone else’s. And remember that not everyone on the SDMB lives in the US.
I was addressing the USA because the board is in Chicago, that ought be simple to understand. Yes, I agree if you do live near somewhere else that needs help, by all means give that help first near you.
Likewise I prefer Christian oriented families to give my aid to, that is my right to decide. You are welcome to help others first, that is your right. I feel a larger percent will become good upstanding people so want to help them first, and I will do so.
The board is in Chicago, but the internet is in the world.
While I think your preference for who you give aid to is pathetic and chauvinistic, and is a terrible advertisement for your religion, I acknowledge it is your right to hold it.
I dispute, however, that it is your right to fuck up a laudable fundraising request from someone close to the affected area.
Finally, I note you haven’t addressed or tried to defend the breathtakingly parochial ignorance you displayed by implying support for potential terrorism by donating aid to non-Christian countries. Be my guest.
Oh it’s not just that he doesn’t want people to give money to non-Christians. He also thinks that the aid workers in Burma might catch a scary Muslim disease or have accidents.
Jim, Well that one is so easy, see none of the Christian countries have been a problem regarding terror from their local native home born population, while all of the problem comes from the others, therefore aiding Christians is a lot safer bet to not end up aiding terror. It is just that simple. Come up with as many Christians doing terror to us as non-Christians and I will be glad to modify my position. There may be an occasional nut case, like Oklahoma had, but in the other places you have whole church groups and leaders planning terror and making announcements they want to do the terror. I want to help the other kind of folks.
What bothers me about Leon497’s suggestion about donating to Mexico is twofold, one are we sure we don’t need to help any people here in Chicago, where for the same money much more could be done because you do not have to pay transportation (and it is easier to find volunteers too) - after all, the SDMB is BASED IN CHICAGO. And the second that in such places as Mexico you may have to pay bribes and such to bad guys just to exist, plus theft at borders happens a lot too. So donated money may end up right in some mobsters pot since control is largely by such people there.
If we do need to leave Chicago, what about the greater Illinois area? So much easier to reach and there is much the same kind of problems to help, but at lower costs and you can come and go so much easier. Also most of the people you will be helping are from the United Methodist Church, or at least in a Methodist atmosphere, and not likely to ever be Catholics and bad guys like they can be in places like Mexico say.
Mexico being so far away and hard to get to, why do we forget those so much closer we could help more with the extra money it costs to go to Mexico? Helping Chicago does help the USA too much more so than helping Mexico would. Let’s fix stuff near us before going so far off.
ETA: Also, I’m sort of scared of “other” kind of people. You know what I mean.
You want to portray yourself as tolerant-but-biased? That charade ended when you actively campaigned against helping people of other religions. That’s bigotry - it’s pretty simple.
I agree, and yes I would prefer aid to Illinois over Mexico just for reasons you mention and I think that has always been clear, I just said if you must leave the country, then Mexico ought to be helped. Yes there is some bad graft there and I never plan to ever go there, but I was answering who to help if we must look elsewhere. Helping Chicago first is just fine with me.
I think everyone is bigoted for things they have found better in life than others, so yeah I see your point and am fine with it.