Actual events hidden. Feelings redirected

Today, Scott Burgess reports on omissions in the G8 meeting coverage – specifically that The Guardian and The Independent are giving short shrift to anything the US President says. There are even references to the us being a “G1”, and calling the meeting the “G7” summit.

«After two billion viewers watch Live 8's call for action on Africa... Bush says: I put US interests first

Stunned readers, aghast at the selfish actions of a democratically elected leader putting the interests of his own people above those of other nations, are soon given the specifics of the President's breathtakingly offensive statement:

"The president will adopt a stance starkly at odds with the idealism professed by the performers at Saturday's Live 8 concerts around the world and their television audience of 2 billion. "'I go to the G8 not really trying to make [Tony Blair] look bad or good; but I go to the G8 with an agenda that I think is best for our country.'"

Readers have to wait quite a bit longer to see any actual reference to Bush policy vis-a-vis Africa - but it's there, near the end of the column, just past the cartoon of the smirking President behind a sign reading "G1", that's placed next to another, much smaller one bearing the legend "G7" (Geddit? It's to show that Bush won't, like, work with the other G7...):

"Mr Bush also said that the rich world had an "obligation" to make trade fairer, but made it clear he would not slash farming
subsidies unless the European Union did the same.
"He said America was 'leading the world when it comes to helping Africa', despite the fact that it gives only 0.2% of its GDP in overseas aid - well below the UN's 0.7% target."

And that's it - the only part of today's main story that even mentions, much less actually repeats (and barely so), any of the President's comments concerning either trade or aid policy, doing so in a fashion that very definitely implies intransigence.»

So WATCHING a concert is AID? Since WHEN?
The only sentiment left from Live Aid was pretty typical: all I can remember is that the Philadelphia Police were significantly nicer than the audience, and that I was canoodling with some chick from South Philly. Etheopians still starved until their civil war piped down.

The BBC has been supporting the “ignorance” argument on the environmental front – having one guest “expert” after another stating right out that the US shouldn’t really bother with advanced technology, but needed to reduce GHG output at any and all costs (while Europe’s output goes UP,) and that India and China needed to do nothing. So too was the argument that the UN was the only reasonable entity in the universe. I suppose this has something to do with the fact that the EU will permanently maintain 25 votes, with 2 on the UNSC.

Reasonable must mean that a European is in charge regardless of his disinvolvement, moral posturing, and lack of realism, while we mere wogs in the rest of the world look at them in awe for what they FEEEEEEL.

The implication is of American stinginess and stupidity, and that the rest of the world is a basketcase in need of Euro-management, and Nestle and Parma groceries. It’s little more than a bad case of Euro-penis envy and emotional bullying.

«Actual dollar contributions reveal that the U.S. is the world’s largest donor. The OECD calculates U.S. development assistance (based on bilateral assistance, humanitarian assistance, and contributions to multilateral institutions like the International Development Association of the World Bank) in 2003 at $16.2 billion—more than double the amount given by France, Germany, or any other European nation.[2] Japan is second at $8.9 billion.

Private aid is ignored. These numbers do not include private assistance. This is not a major factor for most other nations because private charity is not large in most countries. It is a gigantic oversight when calculating America’s aid ratio, however, because the U.S. Agency for International Development estimated that private assistance was $33.6 billion in 2000.[3] Therefore, the calculations upon which Egelund based his criticism severely shortchange the generosity of the United States.»

So the question is when is Government Aid giving by the choice and generosity of the people? It isn’t. It NEVER is, as much as anyone would like to salve their pangs of personal guilt over.
Euro-über-gutmenschen: if you really mean it, reach down into your pockets and give of yourself, not your neighbor’s pockets.

Meanwhile the irony in this lovefest is abundant:

«In London, where there were 205,000 at Live8, the biggest clean-up ever seen in the park was being completed. Officials said Live8 generated enough rubbish to fill 72 dustcarts - the equivalent of 10 days' litter.»

No problem there, right? Just demand a cleaner world from Chimpy W. Hitlerburton
Doctor, heal thyself.