In many corners of the world, America is seen and respected as the greatest nation in the world. That level of respect doesn’t come only from being a nuclear or military power. Nor does it only come from its high political standing on the world stage. The respect, particularly in isolated parts of the world, comes from its commitment and concern for helping and improving the welfare of easily forgotten and ignored people.
It comes from its work in alleviating the suffering of those facing food and water shortages, malnutrition, lack of disease detection and treatment resources, and lack of vital public health services. It comes from its humanitarian work to maintain human dignity by ensuring that people have access to basic needs while being treated with respect. America is respected worldwide as a compassionate nation because of the lives saved each year. It is this compassion as a nation that makes America great.
For years, according to PBS News reporting, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was the backbone of the humanitarian response in northeastern Nigeria, helping non-government organizations (NGOs) provide food, shelter, and healthcare to millions of people. Earlier this year, the Trump administration cut over 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance worldwide. Programs serving children were devastated. Globally, 50 percent of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40 percent of the supplies were produced in the United States, according to Shawn Baker, chief program officer at Helen Keller International and former chief nutritionist at USAID. Baker noted that the consequence could be 1 million children not receiving treatment for severe malnutrition. As a result, this could lead to 163,500 additional deaths per year. For Helen Keller International, its programs in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Nigeria have all been terminated.
How can America be so compassionate on one side and then so cruel on the other?
This high level of cruelty is not new. It gets contained at times, but now it is unleashed relentlessly thanks to the rise in political power of the MAGA base and its elected lawmakers. Therefore, we must see them for who they are. MAGA’s base today is mostly rural white men and women who are a modern-day extension of the Confederacy and Jim Crow philosophy. Philosophically, they are aligned with the same individuals who committed unimaginable horrors associated with Black massacres during the Reconstruction period. MAGA believers are aligned with people who tried to preserve slavery by way of secession and the Civil War. Please visit www.triceedneywire.com to read more.