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09 Apr 03 - 10:33 PM (#930115) Subject: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: mg Who would go, if you were assured you would not die. Maybe have the usual discomforts of a war-torn place....parasites maybe, disease, heat stroke but nothing fatal. Work would be say in orphanages, food distribution centers etc. I would. I am not able to but I would if I could. mg |
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09 Apr 03 - 10:47 PM (#930127) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: Amos Mary: I am actually tempted. Anyone you know organizing a reconstruction effort? A |
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09 Apr 03 - 11:12 PM (#930140) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: mg I'll keep my ear open. Mercy Corps and Northwest Medical Teams come to mind for those with medical background but I don't know their policies or plans. mg |
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09 Apr 03 - 11:27 PM (#930151) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: Little Hawk One small comment here. No one can assure anyone else that they "will not die". There are many places I would strongly consider going to for various reasons, but Iraq is not near the top of the list at the moment...for those who would wish to go and help, well, you have my good wishes on that effort. - LH |
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10 Apr 03 - 12:02 AM (#930178) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: JedMarum I'm not looking for any assurances about safety or comfort - but I am looking for ways to go and help. I started with the military but the recruiters told me I was too old even for special skills 'variances.' Then I tried the USO, but they look for big name Hollywood folks - but that led me to the Armed Forces Entertainment organization. I've downloaded their app and I'll be sending it in tommorrow. Still, I might be better off driving a truck or something - but I don;t know how to look for those sort of jobs ... |
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10 Apr 03 - 12:51 AM (#930198) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: DougR Have you thought about checking into the Red Cross, Jed? DougR |
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10 Apr 03 - 01:28 AM (#930221) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: CarolC If I were in a position to do humanitarian service in a war torn country (which I am not for health reasons, among other things), I think I would go to the Palestinian Occupied Territories rather than Iraq. I think the Palestinians' need is much greater than that of the Iraqis. |
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10 Apr 03 - 02:36 AM (#930240) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: mg I would go to Palestine too...I should be retired by now but will probably never be...I would like to work in the orphanages..of either country, or any country. mg |
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10 Apr 03 - 02:53 AM (#930246) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: katlaughing Jed, call Halliburton.:-) Seriously, if you put "volunteers iraq restoration" in google and start looking through the hits, there are a few orgs. out there. One which is out of date, but might be a good place to start is here. Also, I noticed a Veterans for Peace project to fix Iraqi water problems from the last gulf war, so they might be another to look into, if one is a veteran. To answer your question, mary, even if I could, physically and emotionally, I'd rather start "at home" and do what I could here. kat |
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10 Apr 03 - 05:01 AM (#930276) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: Gurney On TV here in NZ, several Iraqi immigrants/escapers said that they were going back to help with the reconstruction. Others said they were happy that the allies (the name fits) had invaded. One said, tellingly, that he could now express his pro-invasion feelings for the first time "because his family wouldn't suffer." Buying them a truck and truckful might be the most sensitive course. I have wondered if anti-war protesters realise that they CAN protest because their forebears were willing to 'pick up the bundook' and make sure of it. Chris. |
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10 Apr 03 - 08:44 AM (#930357) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: artbrooks The UN tends to do this job well. Their up-to-date website on Iraq, which includes information on efforts being made by other agencies/entities, is here . |
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10 Apr 03 - 09:25 AM (#930385) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: *daylia* mg, I would if I could. I'm just not sure if my resources would be better spent at home, as kat said, or if my health would hold out in the heat of Iraq. I'm more conditioned for cold than heat ... Thanks for the link art. I've been looking into credible relief organizations to donate to or volunteer with over the last few days. Click here for another listing of humanitarian organizations providing emergency relief for the people of Iraq. I wondered about the World Bank being on that list though, as I've heard many conflicting reports about the supposed "help" that particular institution gives third world countries. Here's what veteran activist Starhawk has to say about it: "World Bank/IMF -- the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are sister institutions. Set up after World War II, originally to loan money for Europe's reconstruction, the World Bank found its loans weren't necessary because the Marshall Plan provided interest-free money. It turned to the Third World, where it has become notorious for making loans for huge, environmentally destructive projects that primarily benefit large transnational corporations. The Narmada Dam project in India which would displace hundreds of thousands of traditional farming families is a current example. The International Monetary Fund is primarily know for its imposition of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) on Third World countries. By the eighties, the less developed countries were finding that World Bank loans had not, in fact, stimulated their economies, and they were unable to pay the interest on their large international loans. The IMF stepped in, offering to loan more money to service the debts on outstanding loans, but imposing policies on the countries in question that required them to orient their economies to earning foreign exchange rather than providing for the needs of their people. They were to open their resources to foreign investment and cut programs in education, health care, or social welfare. The U.N. estimates that six million children a year die because of policies imposed by the IMF and World Bank." Finding credible relief organizations appears to be a piece of work! In the meantime, I intend to help War Child Canada, by buying their Peace Songs CD (all proceeds earmarked for the relief of Iraqi children) when it's released on April 15. I posted a thread about it a few days ago - and there's information at the link. Peace - daylia |
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10 Apr 03 - 09:56 AM (#930413) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: Amos This UN Info Page has more relevant info on it. A |
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10 Apr 03 - 10:12 AM (#930425) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: GUEST There are many, many countries in the world in need of liberation. Unfortunately, they don't have oil. My suggestion to those who want to help is to send money to the professionals already trained to do the work, and lobby the US Congress and Bush administration to allow the professionals in to do the work they have done so ably in other parts of the world in exactly the same circumstances. Those professionals ARE NOT US OIL COMPANIES AND THE US MILITARY!!! They are the professionals involved in the rebuilding efforts in Bosnia, East Timor, Afghanistan, etc. Get the Old World Order Warriors the hell out of Iraq, so the New World Warriors--led by the UN, can get in there and do their job. Anything we can do to make that happen is the very best thing we can do now for the Iraqi people. |
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10 Apr 03 - 03:28 PM (#930596) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: Amos Gee, Guest -- any details on these able outfits? Or are you just waving your arms again? A |
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10 Apr 03 - 04:26 PM (#930634) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: GUEST Amos, I just turned off CNN. The report I just finished watching was of the anarchy in Basra, where British troops have holed up. And I mean holed up literally. The camera followed an Iraqi business/community leader up to the very well insulated gate of well secured compound of some sort. The gate was high, had what looked to be like a bullet proof sort of covering hanging on it. A British soldier, obviously a grunt, finally opens the gate a crack--he is in full uniform, helmet, weapon in hand. He tells the Iraqi business/community leader, who has gone to the British troops to seek help in bringing the violence and looting under control because there is a vacuum without any police force. He is told that there is nothing the British troops are willing to do to stop the violence, because it isn't their mission to act as peacekeepers. Perhaps you have been living under a Mudcat rock for the last couple of decades, Amos. Have you never heard of UN peacekeepers? They are badly needed. Desperately needed. As the Brits have now made abundantly clear. Also, the UN & NGO humanitarian organizations need to be brought in, and the supply routes for humanitarian aid need to secured, and guarded by the Anglo American troops. |
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10 Apr 03 - 05:06 PM (#930659) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: wysiwyg Saw this phenomenon all the time in Red Cross-- volunteers of all sorts would come out of the woodwork, during or immediately after a crisis.... most organizations prefer their volunteers to get active BEFORE a crisis and get training, THEN be deployed.... otherwise it's a nightmare of good intentions. So what you CAN do, today, is contact your local Red Cross unit and get into their disaster services training classes, which are intersting and very cool. Deployment can be local, regional, national, or international, depending on your skills and your training and availability. Some people do this several times a year, and Red Cross supplies the travel tickets and lodging expenses for three-week deployments on major disasters. General training includes cultural sensitivity and practical skills, and then there is additional, on-deployment training and orientation when you arrive at your assignment, for whatever job you will do in the setting you've been sent to. Deployment also includes attention to the stress of the volunteers-- when you give so much to others, someone needs to be sure you're doing OK, too, or you come home in baaaaaaad shape. I'd have loved to have musicians on call for shelters-- the kids in them can go nuts, making the parents nuts.... There is a lot one can do, but GET TRAINED and THEN be ready! ~Susan |
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10 Apr 03 - 05:06 PM (#930660) Subject: RE: BS: Who would go to Iraq to help out? From: artbrooks The UN won't come in until all of the shooting is over. That applies to both the relief organizations and the peacekeepers. |