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[Schnauzer]

A blind beggar was standing on the corner of a busy street with his begging bowl in his hands, he was a regular feature in that locality and always came away with quite a tidy sum.

A thief, who had been observing him for some time, quietly approached and at the opportune moment , scooped the contents of the beggar's bowl and hastily departed.

The beggar cried out in distress and the thief, who had merely ran off a short distance, returned and enquired as to what the matter was, he offered the beggar a substantial amount of money when he was told of the incident that had just taken place.

The thief then assured the beggar that, henceforth, he would stand close to him and make sure that such an event would never occur again, the beggar was extremely grateful and accepted the friendship of the thief to such an extent that thereafter, the thief could rely on the daily 'Take' for his own sustenance and the beggar felt that he was fortunate to have met such an honest and humane person.

As time went by, the thief was able to undermine the confidence of the beggar to such an extent that the beggar became dependent upon the companionship and support of his 'Friend' the thief.


Such is the manner of 'Western Aid' to 'Third World Countries' and, in a small way it illustrates just how easily the unwary (or gullible) can be cajoled into thinking that an 'Evil' deed (or series of them) can be dressed to present a 'Noble' action.

I offer this example as an introduction to a more in-depth examination of the astuteness of those who provide 'Aid', hoping that in so doing, certain members (one in particular) might be better able to recognise 'Hypocrisy' even before it delivers a strong kick in the goolies!.

[CBBB]

yawn.......

[Schnauzer]

In an effort to rouse our 'Sleepy Friend' (Bugs Bunny) and at the same time introduce another rather famous 'American Invention', the abbreviation 'TANSTAAFL' which is code for "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" and is well known to us all in it's longer form I'm sure, I would like to now turn attention to the 'Farce' of Western Aid to the third world countries.

Given that 'TANSTAAFL' originated in the U.S.A. and that it's meaning is quite clear, how can one equate the possibility of there being such when the very words (and principle suggested by them) actually were adopted by a one time President of the U.S.A. ?.

In dealing with the poverty of other nations, it was (and is) the absolute duty of those entrusted with 'Foreign Policy' to ensure that any costs incurred from the distribution of 'AID' must be recouped from some other source.

Naturally, the easiest way is to set the 'Military Machine' in motion, more subtly, the age old method of 'A Handful of Beads' may be employed in order to extract the mineral resources of any nation fool enough (or naive enough) to grasp the hand of false friendship (as with the beggar) in the hope that the hand extended carries the same amount of integrity as the recipient of the hand.

Unfortunately, when one is in the company of rattlesnakes, one may heed the warning of it's rattle, were those in charge of 'Foreign Affairs' endowed with such warning signals, perhaps the world might be a little more peaceful.

Any FOOL would know that the originators of 'TANSTAAFL' would hardly be likely to change tack now, particularly when the actions of their murderous campaigners are on the rampage across the world.

Such a pity that other nations have also been sucked into the plot which disguises itself as 'Foreign Aid'. (IMHO) as ever.

[DANGAMAN]

Why is abbreviation such a large word?

[Schnauzer]

Why is abbreviation such a large word?

I think it probably has something to do with the fact that it contains 12 letters.

[ZoC]

Why is abbreviation such a large word?

same reason why there's no synonym for thesaurus...

[Filitsa]

In an effort to rouse our 'Sleepy Friend' (Bugs Bunny) and at the same time introduce another rather famous 'American Invention', the abbreviation 'TANSTAAFL' which is code for "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" and is well known to us all in it's longer form I'm sure, I would like to now turn attention to the 'Farce' of Western Aid to the third world countries.

Given that 'TANSTAAFL' originated in the U.S.A. and that it's meaning is quite clear, how can one equate the possibility of there being such when the very words (and principle suggested by them) actually were adopted by a one time President of the U.S.A. ?.

In dealing with the poverty of other nations, it was (and is) the absolute duty of those entrusted with 'Foreign Policy' to ensure that any costs incurred from the distribution of 'AID' must be recouped from some other source.

Naturally, the easiest way is to set the 'Military Machine' in motion, more subtly, the age old method of 'A Handful of Beads' may be employed in order to extract the mineral resources of any nation fool enough (or naive enough) to grasp the hand of false friendship (as with the beggar) in the hope that the hand extended carries the same amount of integrity as the recipient of the hand.

Unfortunately, when one is in the company of rattlesnakes, one may heed the warning of it's rattle, were those in charge of 'Foreign Affairs' endowed with such warning signals, perhaps the world might be a little more peaceful.

Any FOOL would know that the originators of 'TANSTAAFL' would hardly be likely to change tack now, particularly when the actions of their murderous campaigners are on the rampage across the world.

Such a pity that other nations have also been sucked into the plot which disguises itself as 'Foreign Aid'. (IMHO) as ever.

Schnauzer, who is this "one time President of the U.S.A. to whom you refer?

[Schnauzer]

In an effort to rouse our 'Sleepy Friend' (Bugs Bunny) and at the same time introduce another rather famous 'American Invention', the abbreviation 'TANSTAAFL' which is code for "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" and is well known to us all in it's longer form I'm sure, I would like to now turn attention to the 'Farce' of Western Aid to the third world countries.

Given that 'TANSTAAFL' originated in the U.S.A. and that it's meaning is quite clear, how can one equate the possibility of there being such when the very words (and principle suggested by them) actually were adopted by a one time President of the U.S.A. ?.

In dealing with the poverty of other nations, it was (and is) the absolute duty of those entrusted with 'Foreign Policy' to ensure that any costs incurred from the distribution of 'AID' must be recouped from some other source.

Naturally, the easiest way is to set the 'Military Machine' in motion, more subtly, the age old method of 'A Handful of Beads' may be employed in order to extract the mineral resources of any nation fool enough (or naive enough) to grasp the hand of false friendship (as with the beggar) in the hope that the hand extended carries the same amount of integrity as the recipient of the hand.

Unfortunately, when one is in the company of rattlesnakes, one may heed the warning of it's rattle, were those in charge of 'Foreign Affairs' endowed with such warning signals, perhaps the world might be a little more peaceful.

Any FOOL would know that the originators of 'TANSTAAFL' would hardly be likely to change tack now, particularly when the actions of their murderous campaigners are on the rampage across the world.

Such a pity that other nations have also been sucked into the plot which disguises itself as 'Foreign Aid'. (IMHO) as ever.

Schnauzer, who is this "one time President of the U.S.A. to whom you refer?

Given that the origin of the expression (or it's abbreviation) is in some doubt, it is nonetheless attributed (by some) to Henry A Wallace who was Vice President to both Franklin D Roosevelt and Harry S Truman.

It was during the latter President's term of office that the initial concept of 'Foreign Aid' was envisaged and was specifically aimed at relieving the hardships suffered by Europe as a result of WW2.

Harry S Truman had a great fear of Communism (we need not discuss the Marshall plan) and it is widely suggested that the 'Aid' was more to do with forming a closer relationship with Europe (thus avoiding the prospect of the Communists gaining a foothold) than to alleviate suffering.

The founding of Israel was also a significant post-war manoeuvre since it served two purposes.

However, the expense of such 'Aid', coupled with the desire to gain a strong foothold (Israel) in the Middle East, caused some consternation in the halls of power and I believe it was at that time that the term 'TANSTAAFL' found it's way into political jargon.

Subsequent to those times, the whole issue of 'Foreign Aid' has taken on new meanings, obviously it is the duty of ANY government to maintain a grip on expenditure, the recouping of the costs of such funds (or goods) expended in supply, distribution etc, MUST be of paramount importance lest the donor itself suffers the consequences of it's perceived generosity, in that sense, I believe that the term 'TANSTAAFL' (or significance of it) is now adopted by ALL Presidents (and perfectly understandable, if I may be so bold).

The trick IS, to create the illusion that you "Give something for nothing" when in fact you "Give nothing for something" and I think that just about fulfills my obligation to answer your question Filitsa.

Best Wishes...............Schnauzer.

[Filitsa]

You answered my question quite adequately, Schnauzer, as I had anticipated. However, it should be duly noted that Wallace believed, "If we can afford tremendous sums of money to win the war, we can afford to invest whatever amount it takes to win the peace." The press were all over this statement, for example:

"Mr. Wallace neglects the fact that such a thing as a 'free'
lunch never existed. Until man acquires the power of
creation, someone will always have to pay for a free lunch
(Lima News, 1942).

Consequently, the TANSTAFFL mnemonic is attributable not to Mr. Wallace but the press.

[Schnauzer]

You answered my question quite adequately, Schnauzer, as I had anticipated. However, it should be duly noted that Wallace believed, "If we can afford tremendous sums of money to win the war, we can afford to invest whatever amount it takes to win the peace." The press were all over this statement, for example:

"Mr. Wallace neglects the fact that such a thing as a 'free'
lunch never existed. Until man acquires the power of
creation, someone will always have to pay for a free lunch
(Lima News, 1942).

Consequently, the TANSTAFFL mnemonic is attributable not to Mr. Wallace but the press.

Thank you for your response Filitsa, I was quite unaware of Henry A Wallace's remark and do hope that my interpretation of events were not in any way misleading.

My intention when I created this thread, was to highlight the hypocrisy which (although concealed) very often accompanies 'Foreign Aid' as we have become accustomed to calling it, when in fact it has become something of a political tool used to gain an advantage in another territory.

The pity IS, that the ordinary folk who donate both goods and monies to various charities (in supreme good faith) are merely furnishing those charities (in many cases) with the means to pursue other objectives.

The fact that corruption and mishandling of the benefits intended for the victims of either natural or unnatural disasters is well known, does little to encourage regular subscription to such charities, the alternative (non support) is unfortunately unthinkable.

It's a cruel world.