I have to say, 2004 was quite a year. Both very good and very bad. The worst of it, I think, was that Bush was reelected, which I view as the gravest threat to planet Earth, and to all of the life that lives upon it. And indeed, many people in nations around the world view Bush as the most dangerous person, far more deadly than that little maniac in North Korea, or Saddam Hussein.

Aside from that manmade disaster, nature was quite active. We saw a violent earthquake in Iran, there was a 6.6 earthquake off the coast of Honshu, Japan, in October (fortunately, minimal damage), Mt. St. Helen’s came back to life, and to end the year, four hurricanes hit the state of Florida, and a tragic earthquake/tsunami in Asia.

Despite Bush’s declaration that “major hostilities” ended in Iraq in May, 2003, the fighting has worsened and more Americans have died during the “ceasefire” than during the actual war. I guess that Bush didn’t realize that one doesn’t end a war by merely declaring it over–both sides have to agree. One side has to surrender, or at least, both agree on a stalemate. The Iraqis never surrendered, nor did they agree to end the war.

Other wars, many which have been ongoing for decades, continue. One bright spot in the recent disaster is that it has forced a cease-fire between rebels in Aceh and the Indonesian govt, and cooperation in Sri Lanka, between the central govt and the region under Tamil control.

So as the year comes to a close, let’s focus on not what has already passed, but on what kind of future we want to create. If at any time the peace of the whole global community seems out of reach, let us remind ourselves that peace is possible–one person at a time.

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Yes it’s true, the Bush administration has been so embarrassed by their stinginess that this am they announced that they are increasing their pledge to $350 million. Whether the money ever makes its way to South Asia is another story, but at least, the pledge is there.

How many tons of rice can $40 million buy? How many blankets? Bottles of water? Pay for additional health workers? Antibiotics? Tons of noodles? Tents?

And yet, that’s the estimate for the cost of Bush’s inauguration. No wonder the rest of the world sees Americans as squandering resources, and the epitomy of wastefulness.

So is the US really stingy? According to an article which appeared in the BBC, the US surely has not pledged anything of significance, based on our size and overall wealth. The breakdown is as follows:

World Bank $250m
UK $96m
EU $44m
US: $35m
Canada: $33m
Japan: $30m
Australia: $27m
France: $20.4m
Denmark: $15.6m
Saudi Arabia: $10m

Imagine that, the UK pledged nearly 3 times the amount of the US. Tiny Denmark, with a population of 5 million, pledged $15.6 million. No wonder Colin Powell felt obligated to “respond.”

Also interesting is the overall US attitude. Germany proposed, with backing from France, that a debt moratorium for some of the stricken countries be instituted immediately. Canada has announced its own unilateral moratorium. So what does the US have to say about that? According to the AFP news agency quoted Colin Powell as describing the German proposal as “interesting.” So what is that supposed to mean? But then, the Bush administration isn’t known for giving straight answers to the simplest question, so this proposition appears beyond their ability to respond to.

Image: courtesy of Stock.Xchng