ChatterBank14 mins ago
What are you going to do about it?
8 Answers
Hello, I am in Addis now, I came back here by UN flight on friday.
I am really really tired, and have diarrhea and vomiting, I need a rest.
Kebri Dehar which is our field is amazing place!
They don't have enough water and food.
Now it is the end of dry season, they have a serious water problem.
What I feel durig 2 weeks is that they need food and water than medication.
I gave they medicine but there is no water to take medicine!
We drive a car to get to health post for about 2 hours, I saw a lot of animalsl camel, cow, goutsare ding because of lack of water and food!
You can imagine that many people died from starving, but they never go to health post, so we don't know..
Although There are a lot of things that we can do for them, we have to stop our mission for a while.
___________________________________________________________________________________
That is an email I received from a friend yesterday. The area is land disputed between Somalia and Ethiopia, Ethiopia are back by the United States of America. The Ethiopians have just pulled out the last doctor and the only witnesses. Our governments know about this. The is no water, no food, NONE and now no witnesses.
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN55130 8.html
I am really really tired, and have diarrhea and vomiting, I need a rest.
Kebri Dehar which is our field is amazing place!
They don't have enough water and food.
Now it is the end of dry season, they have a serious water problem.
What I feel durig 2 weeks is that they need food and water than medication.
I gave they medicine but there is no water to take medicine!
We drive a car to get to health post for about 2 hours, I saw a lot of animalsl camel, cow, goutsare ding because of lack of water and food!
You can imagine that many people died from starving, but they never go to health post, so we don't know..
Although There are a lot of things that we can do for them, we have to stop our mission for a while.
___________________________________________________________________________________
That is an email I received from a friend yesterday. The area is land disputed between Somalia and Ethiopia, Ethiopia are back by the United States of America. The Ethiopians have just pulled out the last doctor and the only witnesses. Our governments know about this. The is no water, no food, NONE and now no witnesses.
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN55130 8.html
Answers
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You ask what I am going to do about the plight of the wretched people you describe, skepticscott.
Well I personally am going to do absolutely nothing. Furthermore I hope (and this is a very vain hope indeed) that nobody else does anything in my name. In particular I do not want any of my hard earned spent on anything to do with this region of the world.
There are parts of Africa which are clearly not capable of sustaining human life without massive investment. The Somalia/Ethiopia region is one. There has been drought and famine there for as long as I can remember. The civil war � if that�s what it is - exacerbates the problems and also seems to have been going on for as long as I can remember.
It�s a tragic business, but then much of Africa is a tragedy. Yes, I know it is all the fault of European (particularly British) colonialist policies which saw the continent plundered and plunged into poverty. My belief is that much of the continent would not be as developed as it is today without those policies and the argument is wearing a bit thin. Many of the former colonies have regressed alarmingly since gaining their independence. Tribal differences still dominate their cultures and until these end there is no hope for their development.
Although Ethiopia is almost unique among African nations in not having been colonised it suffers the same problems as neighbouring Somalia which was, so the theory that colonialism is to blame does not quite stack up.
Until the African nations stop trying to blame their plight on Europeans and get their acts together nobody in their right mind (governments excepted - but their playing with other people's money) will invest in their future. Sorry, but that�s the way it is.
Cue the �bleeding hearts� who will tell me what an uncaring fascist I am!
Well I personally am going to do absolutely nothing. Furthermore I hope (and this is a very vain hope indeed) that nobody else does anything in my name. In particular I do not want any of my hard earned spent on anything to do with this region of the world.
There are parts of Africa which are clearly not capable of sustaining human life without massive investment. The Somalia/Ethiopia region is one. There has been drought and famine there for as long as I can remember. The civil war � if that�s what it is - exacerbates the problems and also seems to have been going on for as long as I can remember.
It�s a tragic business, but then much of Africa is a tragedy. Yes, I know it is all the fault of European (particularly British) colonialist policies which saw the continent plundered and plunged into poverty. My belief is that much of the continent would not be as developed as it is today without those policies and the argument is wearing a bit thin. Many of the former colonies have regressed alarmingly since gaining their independence. Tribal differences still dominate their cultures and until these end there is no hope for their development.
Although Ethiopia is almost unique among African nations in not having been colonised it suffers the same problems as neighbouring Somalia which was, so the theory that colonialism is to blame does not quite stack up.
Until the African nations stop trying to blame their plight on Europeans and get their acts together nobody in their right mind (governments excepted - but their playing with other people's money) will invest in their future. Sorry, but that�s the way it is.
Cue the �bleeding hearts� who will tell me what an uncaring fascist I am!
New Judge, why on earth would anyone do anything in �your name� who are you?
Your �hard earned� as you put it is doing a lot in this part of the world. Your tax dollars
are paying for the arms which the Ethiopian government is using to blockade food and water. So if you could only follow through on your own words and ensure than none of your �hard earned� is spent on anything to do with this region, then you would already be doing a lot.
It is not a problem of colonialism, World Bank, IMF, WTO, our political support for various factions at different times depending on our whim is what causes the problems.
Drought and crop failure is common in the region people have survive through trade. The problem is that food, grain and water is not getting through because your government is using your money to provide arms to prevent trade.
Hunger is being used as a weapon to clear 1.2 million people from a disputed region. 750,000 people have already moved, there remain only about 450,000 and one doctor.
Are you proposing mass migration and if so, to where and how are they to sustain themselves when food and water is being blockaded. Or are you advocating doing nothing and allow 450,000 to die. Will you lobby your government and tell them to stop using your tax dollar to provide arms which are being used to stop food and water supplies reaching people?
Oh, that�s right, you personally are going to do absolutely nothing. Well, absolutely nothing other than writing the piece you did in the hope of gaining some attention or notoriety. I suppose it takes allsorts.
Absolutely no one, not the people who are dying, not the charities, not the media, nor any government has asked you to do anything. Your government and the Ethiopian government don�t want you to know what is going on.
Your �hard earned� as you put it is doing a lot in this part of the world. Your tax dollars
are paying for the arms which the Ethiopian government is using to blockade food and water. So if you could only follow through on your own words and ensure than none of your �hard earned� is spent on anything to do with this region, then you would already be doing a lot.
It is not a problem of colonialism, World Bank, IMF, WTO, our political support for various factions at different times depending on our whim is what causes the problems.
Drought and crop failure is common in the region people have survive through trade. The problem is that food, grain and water is not getting through because your government is using your money to provide arms to prevent trade.
Hunger is being used as a weapon to clear 1.2 million people from a disputed region. 750,000 people have already moved, there remain only about 450,000 and one doctor.
Are you proposing mass migration and if so, to where and how are they to sustain themselves when food and water is being blockaded. Or are you advocating doing nothing and allow 450,000 to die. Will you lobby your government and tell them to stop using your tax dollar to provide arms which are being used to stop food and water supplies reaching people?
Oh, that�s right, you personally are going to do absolutely nothing. Well, absolutely nothing other than writing the piece you did in the hope of gaining some attention or notoriety. I suppose it takes allsorts.
Absolutely no one, not the people who are dying, not the charities, not the media, nor any government has asked you to do anything. Your government and the Ethiopian government don�t want you to know what is going on.
Firstly, skeptikscott, you asked all AB-ers what they were going to do about this particular problem. I thought in doing so that you wanted to know all views, rather than simply those of which you approve.
Secondly, I don�t pay anything in dollars, tax or otherwise. All my �hard-earned� is in sterling as I live in the UK. As far as I know (and I may be wrong, but I really don�t care) the UK government is not providing arms for Ethiopia. If it is, I really don�t see much point in pouring yet more money into the region trying to sustain the same people whom the arms bought in the first place are being used to wipe out.
I�m certainly not proposing mass migration or anything else. So long as those migrating do not end up in the UK I�m not particularly fussed. We already have large numbers of Ethiopians and Somalis here. Whilst many of them are very pleasant people it has been announced today that England is set to become the most crowded major nation in Europe so I don't think we can accommodate another 450,000.
In short, as I hope you have by now gathered, I don�t give a tinker�s cuss about the region. There are many far more pressing problems in the UK for me to lobby my government about.
Finally, you are quite correct � nobody has asked me to do anything and that�s precisely what I�m going to do. In fact, until you raised the issue it had not crossed my mind to even think about it.
But you did ask, so you must not be surprised to hear things you may not like.
Secondly, I don�t pay anything in dollars, tax or otherwise. All my �hard-earned� is in sterling as I live in the UK. As far as I know (and I may be wrong, but I really don�t care) the UK government is not providing arms for Ethiopia. If it is, I really don�t see much point in pouring yet more money into the region trying to sustain the same people whom the arms bought in the first place are being used to wipe out.
I�m certainly not proposing mass migration or anything else. So long as those migrating do not end up in the UK I�m not particularly fussed. We already have large numbers of Ethiopians and Somalis here. Whilst many of them are very pleasant people it has been announced today that England is set to become the most crowded major nation in Europe so I don't think we can accommodate another 450,000.
In short, as I hope you have by now gathered, I don�t give a tinker�s cuss about the region. There are many far more pressing problems in the UK for me to lobby my government about.
Finally, you are quite correct � nobody has asked me to do anything and that�s precisely what I�m going to do. In fact, until you raised the issue it had not crossed my mind to even think about it.
But you did ask, so you must not be surprised to hear things you may not like.
Of course I am interested to hear people views, if they have point, some thought, experience maybe even know what they are talking about, even when negative because they have been thought through. Of course I can�t condone completely ignorant views, but it is interesting how many there are.
The British provide covert support and logistics on the ground through the SAS, supported by a frigate, Nimrod and co-ordination through GCHQ. Covert, but not exactly secret. But as you say, you really don�t care. The food and water is available, at no cost to you, but the Ethiopian military, with US arms and British logistic support and training will not let it through. This is at cost to you, you are actually funding the deliberate blockading of food, water and grain. You just don�t know it. Are you saying you condone this, you don�t care. You are certainly not proposing migration, and you don�t support aid, so what are you in favor of? Starving 450,000 to death? �don�t give a tinkers toss� eh.
At least the people in Ethiopia are completely powerless, they can�t rise up against Apache helicopters, supported by AWAKS, missles and a freshly armed and trained military with training, logistical support, a small fleet of ships supporting their so called government who want to promote tourism in the North while committing genocide in the south with �our� tacit approval, well in your case, whole hearted support.
I wonder if you are conscious of which orifice you spout from or do you simply have such a blinkered, uneducated, inexperienced and unemotional life as to be completely unaware of the world in which you live in. They say ignorance is bliss. I suppose you think all the peace campaigners, from John Lennon to Terry Waite are wrong ?
The British provide covert support and logistics on the ground through the SAS, supported by a frigate, Nimrod and co-ordination through GCHQ. Covert, but not exactly secret. But as you say, you really don�t care. The food and water is available, at no cost to you, but the Ethiopian military, with US arms and British logistic support and training will not let it through. This is at cost to you, you are actually funding the deliberate blockading of food, water and grain. You just don�t know it. Are you saying you condone this, you don�t care. You are certainly not proposing migration, and you don�t support aid, so what are you in favor of? Starving 450,000 to death? �don�t give a tinkers toss� eh.
At least the people in Ethiopia are completely powerless, they can�t rise up against Apache helicopters, supported by AWAKS, missles and a freshly armed and trained military with training, logistical support, a small fleet of ships supporting their so called government who want to promote tourism in the North while committing genocide in the south with �our� tacit approval, well in your case, whole hearted support.
I wonder if you are conscious of which orifice you spout from or do you simply have such a blinkered, uneducated, inexperienced and unemotional life as to be completely unaware of the world in which you live in. They say ignorance is bliss. I suppose you think all the peace campaigners, from John Lennon to Terry Waite are wrong ?
War mongers, people using your money to corrupt other countries are doing so for their own profit, their own personal benefit and enrichment. In your name dropping bombs, laying landmines, turning people against each other, arming both sides and fighting proxy wars, than it would take to feed the world ten times over. Leave their home countries in tact and sustainable therefore negating the need for mass migration are right. Guess you must, you presumably vote for them, you contribute through you taxes and you have made it clear you will do absolutely nothing. Do you think Simon Mann was acting without the approval of our government? (there a rabbit hole, can you link the dots between Simon Mann and 7/7?)
Do you realize the cost of keeping a military ship off shore for a day is more than it cost to provide sustenance to half a million people for a year? Do you not wonder why the UN flight which flew the last doctor for 450,000 people out did not bother to bring food and water in?
As you don�t propose any solutions, sounds like you approve of the genocide and are prepared to do nothing while 450,000 people die.
Do you realize the cost of keeping a military ship off shore for a day is more than it cost to provide sustenance to half a million people for a year? Do you not wonder why the UN flight which flew the last doctor for 450,000 people out did not bother to bring food and water in?
As you don�t propose any solutions, sounds like you approve of the genocide and are prepared to do nothing while 450,000 people die.
Given that our global financial system is in meltdown, our national banks are spending your money to bail out the super rich, we have little or no industry, no resources, completely unable to sustain ourselves without trade, government and politicians, as corrupt as any third world nation working for their personal enrichment. Do you not think there is a slight possibility, that the mineral rich countries like Africa, the oil rich of the middle East and the gas rich Russians, might just get together with the industrial might of China and India and turn the tables on us? It is we who are unable to sustain ourselves, it is we who lack natural resources and in the very soon to come depression, it is you who will be looking to the newly rich nations of the world, China, Russia, India, The Middle East and Africa for aid. What do you think will happen then? Most predictions are that this will happen in our life time, with 20 years so your children will reap the benefits of your wisdom. Hey, you have even digitized your thoughts for eternity, I�m sure one day your kids will read this and feel an enormous sense of something, just not quite sure what, maybe in your next post you�d like to say.
Of course, you will be intelligent enough to know that every key stroke posted to a remote server is instantly copied to hundreds then thousands, and if you think Google is fast and cool at searching data and indentifying the source, you should see the stuff the Israeli and American military can do, I mean, even our own police force has some pretty cool software for tracking and identification.
I think you have absolutely no idea what is going on in the world
Of course, you will be intelligent enough to know that every key stroke posted to a remote server is instantly copied to hundreds then thousands, and if you think Google is fast and cool at searching data and indentifying the source, you should see the stuff the Israeli and American military can do, I mean, even our own police force has some pretty cool software for tracking and identification.
I think you have absolutely no idea what is going on in the world
I have far more idea of what is going on that you could imagine, scott.
The vital difference between you and me is that I realise my limitations and understand that I cannot save the world from its folly. I�m certainly not going to waste my life trying.
You need to seriously examine your logic. I�ve never intimated that I approve of genocide. But your logic suggests that I do because I am not prepared to do anything about it. Interesting.
We�re not all dealt with the same cards in this life and you must play the hand you have. I shan�t be visiting this thread again. You�ll say it�s because I don�t like to hear the truth. I�ll say that it�s because I cannot be doing with the ramblings of a paranoid nutcase.
Time will tell which of us is correct and there we must leave it. Meantime I�ll be having a nice time and you�ll be worrying yourself to death (if �they� don�t get to you first).
The vital difference between you and me is that I realise my limitations and understand that I cannot save the world from its folly. I�m certainly not going to waste my life trying.
You need to seriously examine your logic. I�ve never intimated that I approve of genocide. But your logic suggests that I do because I am not prepared to do anything about it. Interesting.
We�re not all dealt with the same cards in this life and you must play the hand you have. I shan�t be visiting this thread again. You�ll say it�s because I don�t like to hear the truth. I�ll say that it�s because I cannot be doing with the ramblings of a paranoid nutcase.
Time will tell which of us is correct and there we must leave it. Meantime I�ll be having a nice time and you�ll be worrying yourself to death (if �they� don�t get to you first).
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