Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Thursday May 21 2020, @02:53AM   Printer-friendly
from the WORLD-health-organization dept.

Trump threatens to take US out of WHO entirely and stop all funding:

In a letter to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Trump alleged that "the repeated missteps by you and your organization in responding to the pandemic have been extremely costly for the world" and that the WHO must "demonstrate independence from China."

"[I]f the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization," Trump wrote. "I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance an organization that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America's interests."

Trump posted the letter on Twitter, writing, "It is self-explanatory!"

Trump has repeatedly denied any responsibility for COVID-19 spreading in America and said on April 14 that the US would temporarily halt funding the WHO until his administration completed a review of the group's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump's letter yesterday said that "review has confirmed many of the serious concerns I raised last month and identified others that the World Health Organization should have addressed, especially the World Health Organization's alarming lack of independence from the People's Republic of China."

[...] Trump's letter then lists a series of claims, the first being that the WHO "consistently ignored credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan in early December 2019 or even earlier, including reports from the Lancet medical journal."

The Lancet quickly issued a response explaining that Trump is wrong. "This statement is factually incorrect," The Lancet said. "The Lancet published no report in December, 2019, referring to a virus or outbreak in Wuhan or anywhere else in China." The Lancet's first reports on the topic were published on January 24, 2020 the statement said.

[...] Trump's letter yesterday said, "Throughout this crisis, the World Health Organization has been curiously insistent on praising China for its alleged 'transparency.'" Trump's letter did not mention that Trump himself praised China for its "transparency" on January 24 or that Trump repeatedly praised China for its coronavirus response throughout February.

[...] Health experts say Trump's travel ban had little effect on the pandemic's spread. Trump continued to downplay the virus's severity by comparing it to the flu as late as March 24, nearly two months after the WHO declared a global health emergency. Trump has also fought state governors over their cautious approaches to reopening the economy.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @03:47PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @03:47PM (#997418)

    There's tons of posts hating on the president. Fine. I get that.
    But why are we completely ignoring that the WHO openly advocated for the exact opposite of what it should be doing? For example, condemning the US on restricting travel. You all might think the president is terrible, but I for one support pulling funding from an organization that advocates for the exact opposite of what it should be doing. Don't like it? Go spew some nonsense about illegally impeaching the president with 0 evidence - you sound more and more like sheep all the time as you get in line with whatever the media tells you to think.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   0  
       Flamebait=1, Underrated=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Flamebait' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   0  
  • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @04:12PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @04:12PM (#997427)

    Because the President deserves every bit of ridicule he gets, and then some.
    Because trying to achieve reform by cutting off funding is a dick move.
    Because the world does need an organization to help coordinate worldwide health efforts, and the US does not deserve to lead it currently.
    Because America First is a dumbass strategy over any significant length of time.
    Because the impeachment was not illegal.
    Because there was plenty of evidence to impeach the President but his political party would rather ignore that.
    Because there was even more evidence Trump could have been impeached on but the opposite party would rather ignore that.
    Because Donald Trump is more of a threat to world health than Tedros.
    Because Trump's followers are far more sheep-like than his opposition. If it were otherwise Trump would already be out of office - he has a minority of popularity still in at least a 5 to 4 margin.
    Because the current enforcement of US travel policy has everything to do with punishment and nothing to do with containment.
    Because there is no evidence that the United States cutting off travel from China only, when it did, did anything to slow the spread of Coronavirus - it was already loose and growing.
    Because all Tedros said was that public health policy should be determined on evidence-based grounds. There was no evidence for what Trump did being effective, then or now.

    That's enough for the moment, I think.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @05:09PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @05:09PM (#997444)
      "Because trying to achieve reform by cutting off funding is a dick move." - If I have an employee spitting in to the food of customers. I cut off his funding. It's the exact opposite of what they should be doing.
      I love how you didn't debate you weren't a sheep, all you argued was the opposition was "more sheep-like". I listed to the arguments to impeach the president. 100% hear-say and repeatedly saying the same thing over and over again, but no evidence. His impeachment would have opened the doors for EVERY president afterwards to go through an impeachment process because the losing party felt like it. "Because the current enforcement of US travel policy has everything to do with punishment and nothing to do with containment." What or who are we punishing? Ourselves? You would advocate for no travel restrictions during a pandemic? Just like the WHO? "Because there is no evidence that the United States cutting off travel from China only, when it did, did anything to slow the spread of Coronavirus - it was already loose and growing." We might as well open up the whole country and get this economy going again, eh? Travel restrictions are pretty much worthless at this point, according to you. "Because America First is a dumbass strategy over any significant length of time." 'America First' is EXACTLY what we've been all along. It's part of what has made us into a powerful nation in a short period of time. If the US wasn't first, in our own country, we might have Hillary as president, selling us to global trade agreements designed to screw anyone not in upper-classes on a global scale. Give me the Republican kool-aid. I'd rather have sanity and work through problems than put up with the double-minded, double-speak, wishy-washy, "anything the president does is wrong and evil and nazi because I don't like him" attitude coming from today's liberals and democrats.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @06:08PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @06:08PM (#997476)

        I listed to the arguments to impeach the president. 100% hear-say and repeatedly saying the same thing over and over again

        Obviously you did not.

        The main aspect of the impeachment was Trump's coercing Ukraine into investigating his political opponen by withholding already approved funding. We know he did this, even their redacted copy of the pone transcript showed it. Of course we don't hear you howling for the unredacted transcript because you bought the propaganda that it was all hearsay with no evidence.

        You magars are just so dumb, at least when it comes to your brainwashed topics.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @10:29PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @10:29PM (#997624)

        Deary dear, looks like I struck a nerve...

        Your food analogy is completely wrong. Not in the least because the WHO is not an employee of the United States. But, generally, if you are looking for change you work with the one you want a change in. The WHO wasn't spitting in anyone's food. The WHO doesn't need to be fired. And the WHO will continue to exist, even if the United States alienates itself from it - which is why this course of action is dirt stupid.

        No, I didn't say I wasn't a sheep. I believe that both being an individual and being a part of a community is important. But being part of a community also means accepting those who are different from you. Just how exactly has Trump shown he's accepting of difference? Not said. Shown. My experience is that Trump supporters are far more likely to blindly accept what Trump says as Gospel than Clinton or Biden or even Sanders supporters do. Sorry to state my belief but yes I will restate it: Trump supporters are the sheep.

        As the above AC posts, there was ample evidence that the President attempted to use his office to have his chief political rival investigated by a foreign power, and involving his personal lawyer who had no appointment or commission from the government as well as diplomats whose portfolios had nothing to do with Ukraine. He did so in a way that he has NOT done for any other known individual, which pretty much takes away the, "that's what he's supposed to do," defense. (Quite aside from the fact that it's not the business of the Chief Executive to do so - that's the AG's job when not politically motivated.) Not hear-say, but Trump's own words sanitized in a memorialization of a conversation condemned him. He was more interested in getting Biden investigated than to supply needed material assistance to Ukraine against potential Russian incursion. He is easily more impeachable over emoluments, but the reality is the Democrat party would find Pence a much more formidable opponent. He has been, and is now, taking revenge on anyone who questions his narrative - his purging of the ranks of Inspectors General should likewise warrant close scrutiny as to whether that is impeachable. And yes, any President who abuses the power of his office to try and persecute his political opponent should be impeached. Any political party that has credible information that the President has betrayed his oath of office should bring impeachment proceedings.

        Who was being penalized? China, of course. No, I think a travel ban or restrictions might have slowed the virus. If it were worldwide. Or if there was a full two week quarantine on any person arriving. Or quarantine in which testing was done on the person on arrival and then again whatever number of days necessary to show whether the person is in fact positive (which is almost always sooner than symptoms start to show). However, the United States still waited six weeks after stopping Chinese travel to stop EU travel. Long after we were aware that COVID was spreading through Europe. Why the difference in time? However, once it was within our borders it was going to spread. Now: What's your evidence that a travel ban stops a virus? Not shelter-in-place orders, but that the ban stops a virus. No, you can't use common sense and you must use evidence. Because that's what was being stated by WHO: What was the evidence? There is negative evidence that closing of borders does not stop disease, because people will still come through. So what's the positive evidence? (And yes, we will soon know whether or not the travel ban really affected the viral spread rate).

        We will know, very soon, what the impact stay at home orders have achieved. Such restrictions seem to have been helpful. Such restrictions, though, have been enacted as public health measures, not as political revenge. And that's the point when it is public health in charge: Every action taken will be later scrutinized, analyzed, and decisions made as to what could have been done better. But Trump can never be wrong or admit error. That's dangerous at any time, but especially so in matters of science. What Trump is about is trying to deflect and shift blame, plain and simple. Not fix something. Because Trump can never be wrong, to himself, and cannot stand to have his actions scrutinized negatively.

        No, America First is not what we've been all along. Going back to at least World War II, if not World War I, if not the American Revolution, there has been recognition that we are in fact dependent on the rest of the world as it is dependent upon us. That mutual need has only grown, every year and every decade. Only an idiot thinks we can abandon our commitments in the rest of the world and expect to survive.

        As for the rest of your invective, yes, the President is in fact stupid. He is an idiot and he many are trying to mitigate the damage he is doing since he has taken office. Yes, your willingness to "drink the Republican Kool Aid," shows how much of a sheep you are. And yes, the President is doing his damndest to stir up the population to hate the Mexicans, the Chinese, and the Iranians in the finest traditions of Adolf Hitler stirring up the Nazis against the Jews. He does nothing but spread fear and ignorance, but it sure makes the white boys feel more secure about themselves, don't it? Good luck to you. The rest of us will evolve.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @04:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @04:13PM (#997428)

    I didn't vote for Trump, but I can see that the first pandemic was not COVID-19, but TDS.
    Trump Derangement Syndrome takes perfectly fine brains and renders them mush by repeated episodes of self-induced inflammation that doesn't end unless exposure to Trump is removed. Even then, the outlook for recovery of normal brain function is poor. Paranoia, loss of memory, and self-aggrandizement may be permanent.