Bill O'Reilly at it again
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Dexterdidit
Katiedot
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Bill O'Reilly at it again
Sheesh, some idiots just can't be stopped, can they?
From VC Star
O'Reilly: Show me the money, Haiti
Posted January 21, 2011
So now we’re back to Ground Zero, literally. A few weeks after the attacks on 9/11, actor George Clooney and a bunch of celebrities fronted a telethon to raise money for the families of the victims. It was a well-intentioned project that raised about $150 million.
Unfortunately, the distribution of the money was somewhat chaotic, and I led the charge to have the celebrities pressure the charities to be more transparent about where the funds were going.
Clooney took umbrage at my request, and a big controversy ensued.
Now we have the charity debacle in Haiti. A year after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people, more than a million Haitians are still living in the streets. This despite the fact that the United States alone has sent almost $2 billion to that nation. Another $10 billion has been pledged by other countries, but it is impossible to track that money.
The brutal truth is that no one knows where much of the aid designated to help the Haitians is. There is absolutely no transparency and little accountability.
Dozens of brand-new donated trucks sit idle at the Port-au-Prince airport because the Haitian government wants thousands of dollars in “import duties” before it will allow the trucks to transport vital goods to the suffering people. That’s just one example of the madness going on.
Presidents Clinton and Bush the Younger headed up the private relief effort in America, which raised $53 million for Haiti. In the middle of a wicked recession, Americans gave their hard-earned money to help people they will never meet.
I asked Bush if he knows why there has been so little progress in Haiti even after so much money has poured in there. He said he does not know.
Clinton will not even answer my questions, despite the fact that he has been deeply involved with Haiti for years. We have called the “Clinton Initiative” many times, and they say they have distributed tens of millions of dollars to help the Haitian people and can provide documents to back that up. But, again, once the cash arrives in Port-au-Prince, darkness descends.
The moral question is this: Should good people continue to send money to a place that has been corrupt for eons?
The scenes this week of Baby Doc Duvalier, the gangster former dictator of Haiti, returning to his country after an exile in France is symbolic of the problem.
Despite all the good intentions in the world, Haiti remains a place of squalor and hopelessness. Nothing seems to get better.
I would like to see Clinton and Bush demand accountability from the Haitian government right now. These guys should go on television and call some people out. Clinton, in particular, knows what’s going on, and he has a responsibility to let all of us know.
It is easy to ask for money. It is much more difficult to see that it is honestly spent.
— Bill O’Reilly is a veteran news anchor, host of Fox News show “The O’Reilly Factor” and author of the book “Who’s Looking Out For You?”
Katiedot- Admin
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Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
Again. I can see why Clinton and Bush are ignoring him. It takes time and alot has to do with red tape etc. Maybe Bill should go to Haiti and see for himself? Lysa Heslov is or has left this week for there maybe she can give an update?
Dexterdidit- Achieving total Clooney-dom
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Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
O'Reilly would never do anything on his own. He just likes to sit there and point fingers at others. If he really was worried about it - he would be in Haiti
bunny- Learning to love George Clooney
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Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
Dex and Bunny, you are totally right. But O'Reilly is right too in this case. He's not saying that the corruption lies with the fundraisers, but with the Haitian gov't. True.
Unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do without ousting their whole system, in the middle of rebuilding and a cholera epidemic. Sad.
Unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do without ousting their whole system, in the middle of rebuilding and a cholera epidemic. Sad.
PigLove- Shooting hoops with George Clooney
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Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
And does he realize how much has been done? Has be been to Haiti himself or chatted with friends who have been there?
Yes, it IS the Haitian government who holds things up in ports. I am part of a group that raises money and sends teams to Haiti all the time. Just as recently as December, we raised over 60,000 specifically to build houses for Haitians still living in tents. A house cost $4000 because it would never pass for a house here in US. We are sending a team of people to Haiti in the spring to help build at least some of the houses. Why such a long wait for them to go? Because some materials have to be shipped from US, then locals have to "negotiate" with customs officials.
I really wonder if O'Reilly EVER uses his hands to help build houses in New Orleans (not everyone there has a house yet either) OR to help find or purify water in the Caribbean or Africa OR goes to cook food a local food kitchen OR even drops a bag of food off there. So many needy people in the world. So much that needs to be done. I wish someone would ask him what he's doing to help any needy situation in the world.
All O'Reilly seems to do is run his mouth.
Yes, it IS the Haitian government who holds things up in ports. I am part of a group that raises money and sends teams to Haiti all the time. Just as recently as December, we raised over 60,000 specifically to build houses for Haitians still living in tents. A house cost $4000 because it would never pass for a house here in US. We are sending a team of people to Haiti in the spring to help build at least some of the houses. Why such a long wait for them to go? Because some materials have to be shipped from US, then locals have to "negotiate" with customs officials.
I really wonder if O'Reilly EVER uses his hands to help build houses in New Orleans (not everyone there has a house yet either) OR to help find or purify water in the Caribbean or Africa OR goes to cook food a local food kitchen OR even drops a bag of food off there. So many needy people in the world. So much that needs to be done. I wish someone would ask him what he's doing to help any needy situation in the world.
All O'Reilly seems to do is run his mouth.
Guest- Guest
Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
Ada, you don't know the warmness that just flooded my heart! Thank you for being you!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: Bill O'Reilly at it again
All O'Reilly seems to do is run his mouth. .
Great points Ada and I agree especially with the above. This is ALL about him trying to still be in the right when he first criticized George and it backfired on him. O'Reilly is like a dog with a bone...he isn't going to EVER let it go because he feels that he was unjustly criticized by everyone in the media, when they all sided with George's handling of Haiti and called O'Reilly out for being a DO NOTHING himself personally. He has nothing to add to the conversation but negative energy. He's a complete waste of time.
Lighterside- Super clooney-astic fantastic
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