US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA48

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/PD (OHILTON); IIP/G/WHA; CA, PRM AND EB 
INFO IIP/T/ES 
STATE PASS AID FOR OFDA 
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOs 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, PREL, EAID, PGOV, MARR, KPAO, HO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON U.S. TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS, 
JANUARY 6, 2005 
 
 
1. Op-ed by Carlos A. Medina in Tegucigalpa-based liberal 
daily "La Tribuna" on 1/6, titled "The U.S. needs friends." 
"The world has come together to assist our fellow people in 
Asia, which has represented a commendable gesture of human 
solidarity." 
 
"Right after the tsunami, President Bush offered 25 million 
dollars in assistance but when some European countries gave 
two or three times as much and Japan offered 500 million 
dollars, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the U.S. 
would give 350 million dollars." 
 
"The American people are characterized by their 
aggressiveness and their humanity in times of need. 
However, the latter strength doesn't overcome the collective 
fierceness that may have made them great, but has caused 
them to be despised by the peoples of the world." 
 
"If the U.S. would spend a third of its war budget to help 
poor countries escape from underdevelopment through 
technological support or aid in health and education, the 
world would truly see it as a leader and a friend, not as a 
feared country others have to kneel down to in order to 
survive." 
 
"Most Hondurans, some because they have to and others 
because they have studied there, have a positive attitude 
toward the U.S., and that sign of friendship and admiration 
should be returned with respect and support to Honduras." 
 
"There's nothing more to say but to remind the people and 
government of the U.S. that their great country needs more 
friends, not more enemies, and that friends are made with 
true gestures of good will just as enemies can be created by 
extreme aggression that doesn't do [the Americans] any 
good." 
 
2. The San Pedro Sula-based liberal daily "Tiempo" published 
an untitled cartoon on 1/5 in which the U.S. is portrayed as 
an overweight Uncle Sam with two pipes going from his 
pockets.  On his right side, a pipe called "For the War" is 
constantly pumping dollar bills into his pockets and shows a 
large stack of bills set aside for this purpose.  On the 
other hand, on his left side, a pipe called "For Aid" has 
only three bills coming out and shows a person with his 
hands outstretched. 
 
Palmer