"ticked"?!? I prefer a more masculine term like... vexed.
I admit it, I am vexed.
I am not too "vexed about debt forgiveness. I have little sympathy for anyone who lends to crappy dictatorships. I DO have a problem with the lending in the first place. I doubt all this will actually do much good. Africa's problem is cultural and political.
We will see Europeans doing nothing and b*tching about the USA anyway. Calling us stingy and heartless.
Geldoff will love it. I am quite impressed with him. Not your typical damnfool with an opinion.
The problem in africa isnt just the tin pot dictatorships, many of these countries really have nothing. The Issue Geldof puts forward is one of plain old simple 'humanity'.
I see our old friend Mr Blair had to actually come over and ask for the money.
But if any country needed outside military intevention right now it's Zimbabwe... Maybe then the rest of the dictatorships would wake up a little.
lkbts, If we intervene in another place right now, the left will explode.
I have never really cared for this global warming thing either until I saw those pics that the UN have been showing today.. At first I thought it was a load of lame research my the europeans again - but it turns out to be the work of hundreds of US scientists - damn
They also claimed that in the countries where they've making a real effort to stop it, they've increased their economies because of all the new companies that have had to start up to deal with the problems.
It looks like the 'save the whale' bunch might just have a point after all.
Dont you just hate it when people prove their point... damn! (RWS no comments please LOL)
ahhhh bless'em
Simon, what the heck are you talking about?
Sorry, lost it for a minute there.
Sad eh? I was just having a grumble at lefties. I'm a little tired today.
well, go put your feet up and have some sweet tea sweetie...
Will we get a receipt for all this money? And how will they make sure it goes to the right place because they seem to fall down on that part normally.
Simon, I know what you mean. But look at it this way, it's science not lefties.
RWS you're a star - I think I will 
They will nitpick. Wasnt soon enough, only for political gain, if he really cared he would...
I'm not sure throwing more money is really helpful though, unless it can be assured it is used properly.
Yeah, Sparkle, I'm a little troubled to see 674 million of our taxpayer dollars given away, but not at Bush. Bush didn't lend it, Congress did.
As for Bush, he made a smart political play, buying a little capital on the world stage. Besides, how many conga-conga trees would you have to reposses to pay out that much money?
Bush is playing it smart. We will never see this loaned money again. The mistake was made when the loans were given. Stupid. All it did was prop up awful regimes.
lkbts: true, the problem is not just the tin pot dictatorships, its the lack of property rights, corruption, nepotism, high regulation and taxation, and internecine warfare. Dictatorships are the authors and inevitable result of these conditions. Ultimately the fate of Africa is in the hands of Africans.
Hi RWS,
Well done Bush. I mean it. Everything helps.
Nitpick: I dont believe you would have done it if Blair hadn't come personally to ask you to. Now go the rest of the way and do the rest of what Blair wants. You owe him. And it's the right thing to do.
(You said there would be a nitpick, Mark. You were right)
lkbts - here's a lefty who agrees Zimbabwe is a good place for an intervention. I say give the job to the Commonwealth of former British Empire Nations: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, India etc etc. Zimbabwe is (or was once, maybe they were kicked out) a member of that body too.
Regards, C
I pointed this out over two years ago (see the homepage link).
From a Washington Times quoting Live Aid Found Bob Geldorf:
The Dixie Chicks will be interested to learn that Live Aid founder Bob Geldof "shocked" the international aid community, as Reuters wrote yesterday, by praising President Bush as one of Africa's best friends in the fight against AIDS and famine.
"You'll think I'm off my trolley when I say this, but the Bush administration is the most radical - in a positive sense - in the approach to Africa since [John F.] Kennedy," Mr. Geldof said during a visit to famine-ravaged Ethiopia.
The Irish musician and activist said Mr. Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, might have talked passionately about Africa, but he did very little to help the continent.
Hi All,
You may be interested in how this is being reported "across the pond".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ameri...cas/
4071504.stm
"The $674m he announced is part of the US aid budget that had already been announced but had not yet been allocated to any country.
The money will now be spent on humanitarian emergencies in Africa, with $414m going to Ethiopia and Eritrea for immediate help in fighting hunger.
But the US has refused to agree to give 0.7% of its national income - the amount recommended by the United Nations - in international aid. "
Regards, C
Mark,
Mr. Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, might have talked passionately about Africa, but he did very little to help the continent.
Agreed.
Regards, C
BigDog, how about "peeved"? 'Peeved' is good.
"Nitpick: I dont believe you would have done it if Blair hadn't come personally to ask you to."
Of course not. That'd blow all preconceptions you have of him out of the water, wouldn't it? Remember, this is the President who gave, what, $1 billion to fight AIDS in Africa? (please correct my number if I'm wrong... my memory on the amount is fuzzy) This is hardly out of the ordinary for Bush.
But we can't go around complimenting him for doing something good, no no...
The U.N. has failed to kiss 100% of my nether regions, the amount recommended by me.
What?? What??? You mean the first black President didn't help Africa????
Cernig - I think it's really sweet and nice that a bunch of overpaid, underachieving, tax-exempt-living UNocrats are telling the gov't how they ought to spend my tax $$. You first Kofi. How about senior UN execs try flying coach until Africa is no longer a "crisis"? At least Geldorf made his money peddling a product folks actually wanted - Kofi and Krew never create anything but paperwork and trouble.
The UN is too much of an easy target, lets be honest if they had they kind of power we all htink the should have and were more ready to use it - who would we of had to fight first?
But! all things said - they're screwing me big time on a contract right now that should have started over a 2 months ago - but they want to send a survey team out just to check over a few things...
Yes, so it looks like they create work out of thin air while I sit and worry about rent LOL
You said: "Only us compassionate conservatives are on his side."
You forgot most Democrats too. That's a solid majority in total. I don't like W any more than most Dems do, but he has made a handful of good decisions, and this is one. It's difficult to give someone praise for one good thing when you feel that the person has done about a dozen bad things. That shouldn't shock you.
Erik, go read some lefty and/or dem blogs. They are hardly on his side.
When Bush made his grand announcement of “new” AIDS spending for Africa in his 2002 State of the Union address, the press and a number of lefties fawned over such compassion. For those who followed the story past the initial hoopla, it became clear there was a bait and switch going on. Much of the “new” funding was coming from switching funding from other African aid programs, e.g. aid to fight malaria. When Powell testified before Congress, he admitted that the new package would result in an annual increase in African aid of 4% whereas the normal annual increase had been 3%.
Lo and behold, the “new” funding was never fully funded and much of it was spent on abstinence only programs or shifted to Christian organizations and other Bush cronies (typical Bush patronage) which many “feet-on-the-ground” aid organizations felt was ineffectual to address the problems being faced. Indeed, in a May 27, 2005 report, the Global Policy Forum estimated that 80% of U.S. spending is actually phantom aid; something we are one of the world’s leaders in.
So excuse me if I don’t get all hot and bothered by Bush’s big PR play. Most of it is debt relief which the U.S. typically insists be offset by diverting cash set aside for loans by the World Bank (see the sleight of hand).
Brad Pitt, in his ABC interview last night, noted how much could be done in Africa for very little. I would encourage all — both right and left judging from this post — who think increased spending to aid Africa’s poor, starving, and strife and disease stricken populace to encourage true increases in spending rather than political window dressing and to give a little yourself.
Sparkle,
Your statement that "Bush is canceling all of the debt in the poorest of nations of Africa" is factually incorrect and you ought to retract it.
It also turns out that the $674 million is aid money that was already approved by Congress and not "new" money. Bush's spin on this, which you've blindly accepted, is disingenuous.
Macswain, I got it from the news.
But considering I don't take my foreign policy news from Brad Pitt, I can see why you would be disappointed. *snort*
You guys are just making me snarky now.
Sparkle,
Your link to FoxNews doesn't say what you said. In fact, as to Blair's call for the cancellation of all debt, the Fox report states: "The joint pledge on Tuesday stopped short of that goal." That's an absurd understatement further evidencing Fox's deceptive bias ... Bush, in fact, made no pledge at all to cancel the debt.
You've posted a false fact, been called on it and can't cite a single source supporting it. I agree that your foreign policy news doesn't come from Brad Pitt as it apparently comes from pure wishful thinking. In fact, without a correction or retraction I would venture to say that the statement becomes a lie.
From the AP yesterday:
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- African officials and aid workers said Wednesday they were encouraged that Washington and London had narrowed their differences on how much to increase debt relief and economic aid to the world's poorest continent.
President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair told a joint news conference in Washington on Tuesday they were working together on a plan to eliminate poor countries' debt. Blair said he hoped to have an agreement in time for the G-8 summit in July.
"We are encouraged by what is happening and that there will be movement on the aid and debt questions," said Bheki Khumalo, the spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nati...world-
headlines
It sounds to me like negotiations are still going on, but that there is clear agreement on debt relief.
A while ago I mentioned that one of the reasons the US is hated overseas is because of the effect that US culture has on foreign proud cultures.
I'm sat here watching a UK tv show on satellite that is interviewing Sir Bob Geldof. On asking him “Bob, you’ve travelled extensively across most of Africa, while there are many different cultures and languages – are there any similar interests within the youth of Africa?”
His answer “yes, they idolise David Beckham and listen constantly to Eminem and 50cent”…
Amazing eh?
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