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| Destruction in Alabama (L), and Gaza |
Each time disaster strikes somewhere inside the U.S., the Zionists who run Washington make a big show of rushing to provide assistance to the poor, poverty-stricken Gentiles whose A-frame homes, house trailers, and small businesses have been wrecked by the latest “aberration” of nature.
“I’ve never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking,” said Obama Friday while touring the state of Alabama—decimated by what was the worst tornado outbreak in at least 37 years, and maybe even the worst in history.
On Tuesday and Wednesday approximately 258 tornadoes, some up to a mile wide, hit not only Alabama, but also Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia, with some of the twisters traveling more than a hundred miles on the ground. The storms included a multiple-vortex tornado that hit Cullman County, Alabama, as well as one particularly massive funnel cloud, perhaps a mile wide, that rampaged through both the cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa and is estimated to have traveled some 180-225 miles altogether. At least 350 people were killed and thousands were left homeless.
Obama has authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to coordinate disaster relief efforts, and according to Reuters, “the president was eager to show that federal relief is on its way and that he is not taking the disaster lightly.” But how much help can these traumatized Americans realistically expect from their government?
FEMA is at best a band aid. In dispensing disaster assistance money, the agency authorizes up to $28,000 per household—not nearly enough for a family which has lost everything in a major storm or other catastrophe. Also, the words “up to” are particularly important, since the full $28,000 is not guaranteed to every household in every case. Sometimes it’s only a fraction of that. This money “is meant to help you with critical expenses that cannot be covered in other ways,” reads the official FEMA website. “This assistance is not intended to restore your damaged property to its condition before the disaster.”
Moreover, much of the help comes in the form of low interest loans—rather than outright grants. “While some housing assistance funds are available through our Individuals and Households Program, most disaster assistance from the federal government is in the form of loans administered by the Small Business Administration,” says the website.
FEMA comes under the Department of Homeland Security, which for the 2011 fiscal year submitted a budget of $56.3 billion. But the vast bulk of these funds were for security, terrorism prevention, and immigration enforcement. A relatively paltry $1.95 billion was earmarked to DHS’s Disaster Relief Fund. (see pdf document, FY 2011 Budget in Brief, Homeland Security, p. 10).
By contrast, the Obama administration requested $3 billion in foreign military financing for Israel for fiscal year 2011. This includes $2.75 billion for the purchase of 20 F-35 fighter planes as well as $205 million for up to ten “Iron Dome” batteries. (see pdf document, U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, by Jeremy Sharp, p. 1 ) Under the terms of this agreement, Israel is allowed to use approximately 25 percent of this aid to purchase military equipment from Israeli manufacturers—a benefit allowed to no other recipient of foreign aid. All other recipients must purchase from U.S. manufacturers. In addition, there are also other “hidden costs” involved in our unremitting support for the Zionist state. As Alison Weir wrote in 2008:
On top of this, Egypt and Jordan receive large sums of money (per capital about 1/20th of what Israel receives) to buy their cooperation with Israel; and Palestinians also receive our tax money (about 1/23rd of that to Israel), to repair infrastructure that Israeli forces have destroyed, to fund humanitarian projects required due to the destruction wrought by Israel’s military, and to convince Palestinian officials to take actions beneficial to Israel. These sums should also be included in expenditures on behalf of Israel.
When all these other considerations are factored in, the total cost of our support for Israel far exceeds the $3 billion per year tagged as “direct aid” to the Zionist state, and quite literally dwarfs the $1.95 billion allocated for Americans hit by tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Add to that the $3 trillion for wars fought on Israel’s behalf and the disparity becomes gigantic. It certainly shows where “our” government’s priorities lie.
Israeli settlement of Ariel, in the illegally-occupied West Bank
Worth keeping in mind, of course, is that the natural disasters we are witnessing seem to be hitting the country with ever increasing frequency these days. According to the Weather Channel, the month of April this year set a record, with a preliminary count of 453 tornadoes. This far exceeds the number recorded in previous years for the same month. Prior to 2011 the record was 267 tornadoes in April of 1974.
So high is this month’s twister count in fact that it is within range of the all-time record number of tornadoes ever recorded in a single month. That record—of 543 tornadoes—was set in May of 2003.
“There have been over 5,200 severe weather reports (tornadoes, hail, and high winds/wind damage) so far in April,” said the Weather Channel in a report updated on April 30. “On average, only about 3300 severe weather reports are tallied in an entire April nationwide.”
Just two weeks ago, on April 16, at least 60 tornadoes erupted in seven states, with 28 of those centered in North Carolina, which was by far the hardest hit state. It was the largest tornado outbreak in that state’s history, and approximately 4,700 people registered for disaster assistance. So how much money will they get? Roughly $2.8 million, according to the Fayetteville Observer—which would average out to a bit over $595.70 each.
Of course, the people of Alabama and North Carolina should count their blessings. At least the Zionists aren’t blockading their states and preventing building supplies from entering as they are in Gaza. Thank goodness for small favors.
Map of North Carolina showing where tornadoes hit on April 16
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian