Blaming evil America

Anything that goes wrong in the world somehow becomes the fault of evil Americans. When the extent of death and destruction caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami became known, environmentalists blamed global warming - which, of course, as everyone knows, is largely the fault of the United States.

Never mind there's not an iota of scientific evidence to suggest any link between global climate and earthquakes. It's Americans driving those SUVs that caused up to 150,000 deaths in Asia. A lot of people, especially if they hate America, believe this junk science.

America-bashers, at home and abroad, also are loath to give the United States credit for the $350 million so far - not including tens of millions more in military rescue aid - that the government has given to tsunami humanitarian relief. Stingy, and too slow in coming are familiar complaints; President Bush failed to grasp and respond to the enormity of the situation in a timely fashion.

Blaming the evil Americans first also is rampant in large parts of the Arab world, where it's widely believed the United States knew of the tsunami but did not warn the affected nations to undermine Islam.

Yet it's American efforts, including hundreds of millions in private aid that's not even counted officially, that's saving the most lives. And what are Islamic countries contributing, besides hate-America propaganda? Almost nothing.

Iran has coughed up less than $1 million. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates - the wealthiest Arab nations - combined have sent less that $100 million. Syria donated nothing; Libya, $2 million. Talk about stingy. Muslim nations have contributed less to the relief of their fellow Muslims, even on a per-capita basis, than at least eight democracies. Credit Japan with contributing $500 million.

This is why it's important that those who are recipients of relief know where it's coming from - to counter all the anti-American, anti-democratic propaganda. If we don't blow our horn, who will? Certainly not al-Jazeera or the United Nations.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan actually was upset that President Bush is spearheading a coalition of the willing, including India and Australia, to bring relief to tsunami-struck nations. But after the oil-for-food scam -where tens of billions in aid that was supposed to go to Iraq's suffering citizenry instead wound up in the pockets of Saddam Hussein and a bunch of U.N. bureaucrats - Bush was absolutely right not to trust the United Nations with relief dollars.

Our advice to private givers is to donate through established U.S. agencies, not the United Nations, which is not to be trusted.