Tsunami 2004 How to Get Away With Murder and Make Millions
The story you are about to read is not really true (see DISCLAIMER), but anyway the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
It's 1994, we're flying down to a meeting on the island country of Barbados. The meeting is being presented by the Nations United. We're on the way to a beautiful city called Bridgetown; it's old, rustic yet modern, and tropical. Capital city, no less, and a fishing village. The rain has just ended, and it smells like fish. We're staying at the hotel complex that has a clear pool and a wet bar.
My name is Morgan, a reporter for the New York Sun Post. They sent me here to cover this meeting because there is some concern being expressed in letters to the editor and on the internet that New York City may be in danger of a Super Tsunami
Incident that could be caused not by an earthquake as most tsunamis are, but rather by a landslide or mountain collapse across the ocean sending in gigantic waves that could inundate the entire East Coast.
I need to relax before and after unpacking head for the pool. It's not too crowded just three old men smoking cigars and drinking anisette. These men are representatives from some other island countries. They remind me of the "good old boys" from Texas, but no beer. Laughing out loud and blowing smoke. They speak perfect English and invite me to join them (I don't think they know I am a reporter). Soon our discussion leads to the reason we're all here.
"Tsunami's are so few why spend the money on a warning system." Says one man in a flowery tropical shirt and white shorts while asking a waiter for another drink.
The other, a heavy-set perfectly tanned gent dressed in a military uniform responds, "Even if there were a Tsunami it would just clear our coast of those shacks and make way for some resort hotels, so who needs a warning? We'll get rid of the riffraff and make way for progress."
The third man says, "Yeah, progress is what we need. Hell, I live up on a hill anyway. Tsunami/Psunami!"
I think to myself just what the hell are they talking about? Murder? If there are no warnings just think what could happen. Hundreds of people could die.
The Nations United has been after these countries for decades to pitch-in some money so that an early warning system for cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis could be established. Each time the delegates agree to a formal resolution for just that, but when it comes to acting on the resolution; nothing is ever, ever done.
The shirt man interjects, "We've been trying to move these fishermen out of there for years. We have people with much money who want to build casinos and hotels on our ocean front and finally we have an army and may do just that; move them out or shoot them out"
"Why? Why shoot them? If we wait long enough they will just be washed away, or blown away. Oh, I don't even know why I keep coming to these meetings. I guess it's good just to get away and relax." Says the third man. "Yeah, this is the life!" They all agreed, almost in unison.
My name is Morgan, a reporter for the New York Sun Post and that's just the beginning of this story of "How to Get Away with Murder and Make Millions"
Well that's how it went back in '94. Lots of talk about this and that. Educate the poor about AIDS, pollution and natural disasters that was the Resolution. Now I can look back. Now I can see something very wrong. I can see murder.
You see it's December 27, 2004 and reports of a great tsunami are just coming in over the wire. Hundreds of thousands of people are already dead and the toll is expected to keep rising. Hundreds of thousands of people murdered!
Update: January 20, 2005 the death toll has reached 265,000. This disaster is the worst in world history. There are more people dead in this disaster than in most wars. I'm wondering if I should write the murder mystery of the century? Who would believe me when I told them that only ten years earlier governments were planning murder?
Update: January 30, 2005 The Nations United announced plans to establish a worldwide tsunami warning system at a cost of 30 million dollars that will be in place by the end of this year for the immediately affected area and the remainder of the globe by next year. I thought is this the cost for 265,000 lives?
Update: February 20, 2005 relief efforts still continue. It is unimaginable; the devastation, disease, death. The Nations United said today that this Tsunamis
Catastrophe is a wake-up call to the world to fulfill its commitments to the poorest communities to eliminate or considerably reduce extreme poverty, malnutrition and lack of access to health and education.
Update: March 21, 2005 "The sheer scale and timing of this tsunami was Biblical in character." The Nations United Administrator and recently named Chief of Staff announced, "Clearly the basic lesson of this natural disaster and result is that the poor suffer most." "We have a very strong presence in all of the affected countries and our disaster teams were on the ground within one day. We will remain until our job is done."
Update: Some time in the future; Headline: "New Casinos and Hotels being built on Tsunami Cleared Land." Foreign leaders hail and greet the newcomers who have already spent billions of dollars constructing "tsunami save" structures on the barren shores where once fishing villages abounded. Once poor governments now have their treasuries filled with money and more keeps coming everyday.
…My name is Morgan, a reporter for the New York Sun Post. I wrote about the Tsunami Murders, but no one believed. Human lives for money. I wept.
DISCLAIMER: This story does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of eithermyself, my company, my friends, or my cat; don't quote me on that; don'tquote me on anything; all rights reserved; you may distribute this storyfreely but you may not make a profit from it*; terms are subject to changewithout notice; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; (I hope I didn't miss anything) *If you do make a profit please donate it all to Tsunami USA Red Cross Relief.
