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Party of Fiscal Responsibility Watch: The GOP's Phony Benghazi Probes Have Cost Millions

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Obdicut (Now with 2% less brain)3/26/2014 12:48:25 pm PDT

re: #113 palmerskiss

oh right - because telling someone to fuck right off is an answer to pointing out that this country is responsible for a war that was unneeded.

and that makes putin worse than bush.

ok.

no problem with perspective there - which is why your answer was so ad-hom.

Comparative ethics is basically pointless. The US also did a lot of things between 2000 and 2009 other than invade Iraq, like:

Federal Government: The United States government has allocated US$ 400,000 (GBP 200,000, EUR 300,000) to India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Officials are currently working on a USD 4m (GBP 2m) aid package to help the Red Cross. Also, the United States has dispatched disaster teams to aid the nations affected. The United States is also preparing an initial USD 15 million (GBP 8m) aid package for affected nations. An additional USD 20m (GBP 11m) has been offered as an emergency line of credit. On 31 December the aid was raised to USD 350m (GBP 190m, EUR 260m).
Military: The United States has dispatched numerous C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifters and ten C-130 Hercules tactical airlifters containing disaster supplies, nine P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft for search and rescue support, and several teams from the Departments of State and Defense to coordinate additional assistance. They are using Utapao Naval Air Base in Thailand as their regional hub.
Additionally, the United States has offered assistance from its troops stationed in Japan. USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group, which was in port in Hong Kong, was dispatched to the coast of Sumatra to provide support to the Indonesian province of Aceh. In addition, an Expeditionary Strike Group led by USS Bonhomme Richard, scheduled for a port call in Guam, were dispatched to render assistance.
A total of 48 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters are involved. Each ship can produce around 90,000 US gallons (340,000 L) of fresh water per day. The US Navy has also deployed the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed hospital ship (to be initially staffed to support 250 patient beds).[122] More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel are involved in the relief effort, Operation Unified Assistance.[123]
Private Sector: As of 10 January 2005 US based relief groups and non-governmental organisations reported having raised over USD 515m. One charity said online pledges were arriving at a rate of USD 100,000 an hour. Notable donors include American corporations; among them the Coca-Cola Company (USD 10m), Dow Chemical Company (USD 5m), The New York Stock Exchange Foundation (USD 1m), Microsoft Corporation (USD 3m), and Dell (USD 3m initial, up to USD 5m through employee fundraising).
Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb have provided medical supplies and drugs in addition to monetary assistance. Hollywood celebrities have also donated, including Steven Spielberg (USD 1.5m) and Sandra Bullock (USD 1m). Private citizens, communities and schools have also begun fundraising efforts and have contributed.
US President George W. Bush donated USD 16,000 from his personal funds; the city of Fargo, North Dakota gave USD 10,000 of taxpayer money; and motorists in Chattanooga, Tennessee have been allowed to donate money to the relief effort in place of paying for traffic citations.[124] President Bush also called for a nationwide fundraising drive, headed by former US Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and ordered American flags to fly at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the victims of the Indian Ocean Earthquake and the resulting Tsunamis”.[125]

Vs. Russia’s contribution:

Two transport planes of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations landed on Sri Lanka on 27 December carrying humanitarian aid. The planes were carrying 110 tents and 2200 blankets with a total weight of 25 tonnes, Russia also sent a rescue helicopter Bo-105, on board of which rescuers flew over the area of the calamity and searched for and evacuated people. One more plane was sent on 30 December with tents, drinking water, water cleaning stations and other humanitarian aid.[104] The town of Beslan, scene of the 2004 school hostage crisis, donated RUB 1m (USD 36,000) from the fund set up after the mass hostage-taking.[105] On 11 January Russia sent field hospital equipment to Indonesia. Nearly 150 tons of humanitarian aid were flown to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia from 27 December to 10 January. The humanitarian cargoes, part of them supplied by Belarus, include tents, blankets, bedding, water purification installations and flour.[106]

To actually compare the effect and influences of two entities as complex as the United States and the Russian Federation is basically impossible, but if you do want to do it, you need to include the good along with the bad.