The Atlantic:
Don't Give to the Jewish National Fund
Dec 3 2010, 9:42 AM ET
Inevitably, the Jewish National Fund, which, among other things, plants forests in Israel, is asking for donations from Americans for its "Forest Fire Emergency Campaign," in response to the massive fire spreading across the Carmel mountains. But I'm not giving.
Israel's per capita GDP is nearly $30,000. Israel is a rich country. The fact that it doesn't possess adequate firefighting equipment is its own fault. The fact that the leadership of its fire service is incompetent is its own fault (you can read more about that here). At some point, the good-hearted Diaspora Jews who still think of Israel as a charity case are going to have to tell their cousins to learn to fully-fund basic services like firefighting if they want to be thought of as citizens of an advanced country.
There are a great many good causes in Israel that deserve help, and a great many causes here in America that deserve our help. It seems to me, however, that Israel's national fire service should be funded by Israel's government, not by the people of Boca Raton, Potomac and the Upper West Side.
My sympathy is with the people who lost their lives, their families, and those still in danger. It is not with a government that appears to be negligent. And I'm not going to contribute funds that might serve to paper-over the government's inadequacies.
8 comments:
Imagine such an article written against American charity to any other nation on Earth.
Fucking stunning.
Don't give to Israel because it is so incompetent, but keep giving money to the people in Gaza. /Sark off
Oh cripes, not Goldberg again. Hey Jeff, the previous post might give you a clue as to why Israel can use a few extra bucks to keep its fire-fighting apparatus on the cutting edge.
Does ANYBODY still read The Atlantic?
Greetings from Israel. Where do you get your info from,Fools-R-Us? Do you know what it costs us on a daily basis just to keep terrorists from murdering our women and children? Do you know how much it costs to build bullet proof buses just so people can go to work--or to build playgrounds filled with bomb shelters? Do you know what it costs to repair the damage of thousands of kassams and mortars fired at us--to say nothing of the suicide bombers, arsonists and just out and out attacks? And by the way, when the USA had it's big "flood" I seem to remember a lot of incompetence there--Yet how the people screamed worldwide for donations--and oh yes, we in Israel gave money to them. I am fed up of the world blaming us for every freaking thing that happens,and screams because a "Jewish" organization wants to help us to restore a natural forest! If the world would just let us live in our tiny strip of land without trying to rip it out from under us while sending billions to corrupt terrorists to pad their pockets, buy expensive cars and homes with, maybe we would not be having this conversation. Oh, and by the way, did you know that the only country in the middle east that Does Not have any arab refugee camps is Israel? That's because we dismantled the camps and gave them all citizenship, something that their arab brothers have refused to do from 1948 to this very day. So, yeah,our politicians f&#&%ed up in the fire-fighting department--but they will fix it--with or without your help.
If the Mexicans can ask the Americans if they needed help after Katrina (they did and the Yanquis needed the help), then we can asked the JOOOOZ if they need help in a jam. And it doesn't matter how much money they may have stuffed under the mattress. Neighbors help out each other out in times of need.
It's also worth pointing out that Israel's 'neighbors' aren't lifting a finger to help. Quite the opposite--they're most likely quietly reveling in the schadenfreude. Maybe the Atlantic zine should move to Damascus.
Hey, it's not us, MR posted a commentary by some idiot at The Atlantic. (I know, I did a double-take at first too.) We support you guys.
Well gee whiz, cannot Israel ask her kindly neighbors for some help.. Islam is a religion of Peace right? A good neighbor right? Interested in preserving life, liberty and a few Trees..need that shade to cool off occasionally.
(door slams shut), Awake I am...must have been a dream..
I'm sure the Atlantic writes something similar when it comes to Arabs ... "Why help the Arabs? Look at all the oil wealth and how much they, via a monopoly, extort from the rest of us! Let Arabs help Arabs, blah, blah, blah ..."
You didn't read that ... hmmmm, I must have dreamt it.
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