Response to Commenters

A similar version of this commentary had been posted in response to the article "Kenya Sees Spike in Obama Administration-Funded Projects." I decided to highlight this comment as a stand-alone post to emphasize my sincere appreciation of the many responses to the article, including those critical of my decision to edit the piece -- a decision I stand by, for the reasons stated below.

Thank you all for your very thoughtful comments -- especially the angry ones in response to removing the "former home nation" comment. Seriously. Please keep in mind that my removal of that reference was simply a way of attempting to stay as neutral as possible; in other words, reporting the facts about the project was infinitely more critical than alluding to the otherwise factually accurate point about Obama's Kenyan heritage. This was not a glossing over of that fact. This was not a "sanitizing" of the facts. It was a sincere effort to avoid the realm of opinion and to stay within the realm of true reporting.

For the few whom I pissed off by doing that -- those who threatened to never visit this site again -- I hope you will reconsider. I am a journalist, not a commentator. Believe me: It is very difficult to restrain myself from shouting, "Look at this shit!" when my research consistently leads to these and even more egregiously astounding expenditures.

Indeed, despite irritating a few people with my editorial note, I am even more committed to just reporting the facts and avoiding editorializing. You readers do not need me to think for you; clearly, you are able to make sense of the facts and consequently make your own inferences about the bigger picture. Keep coming back.

-- Steve Peacock, editor, founder, U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor investigative reporter.

Comments

[Steve Peacock]

At the very least, programs such as the ones administered by USTDA require U.S. industry participation and therefore one may argue that such benefits "trickle down" to U.S. citizens. But must the "welder and the waitress" be taxed to facilitate the success of the wealthy business owner, to borrow a phrase from a conservative think-tank?

USAID appears to offer, at times, genuine humanitarian assistance; on the other hand, under the Bush II Administration, the agency's decades-long policy of being detached from U.S. military policy abruptly was changed when USAID began deploying liaisons to each of the DoD combatant commands to better coordinate efforts. So, the humanitarian facade largely became just that -- a facade.

[Chewy]

Thanks for trying to be fair and factual. The U.S. Government doesn't give money away to any foreign countries, there are always strings attached. Beleive me we will get something out of it.