Just when you want to diss Angelina for helicoptering in to a charity event promoting environmentally friendly homes for New Orleans flood victims, she goes and wastes more fossil fuel flying to Iraq for another worthy cause. Angelina is in Iraq visiting with refugees on the Syrian border who have been displaced by the war. She spent hours with Iraqi refugees and hopes to bring awareness to the desperate need for humanitarian aid there.

The actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, 32, flew from New York to Syria on Monday. In Damascus, she visited a UNHCR registration center and spend hours talking to Iraqi refugees in their homes.

Tuesday’s journey took her to Iraq to meet with 1,200 refugees camped out in a makeshift outpost at the border, because they are unable to leave the country. She also witnessed dozens of Iraqis crossing into Syria.

“I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners,” Jolie said in a statement. “My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq.”

Following her Tuesday meeting with those at the Al Waleed camp in the war-torn nation, Jolie said, “It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate abut Iraq’s future includes plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face.”

[People.com]

Maybe if we never bombed the shit out of their country and occupied it under false pretenses then we wouldn’t need emaciated actresses to go over there to draw attention to the displaced people, because their homes, infrastructure, and lives would have gone on as they did before. Not perfect or anything, but certainly not the level of death and poverty that’s been inflicted on them.

Angelina Jolie is not my favorite person, but when she lends her support to such good causes I do admire her. You know that tomorrow The Sun or The Daily Mail or both are going to be report that she’s about to adopt an Iraqi orphan. There will probably be a quote from a supposed witness who claims to have seen her bonding with a little kid and looking at him longingly or something.

If you would like to lend support to the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, you can donate online via their website.