> Michael Lorrey wrote:
>
> > Mark Miloscia wrote:
> >
> > > There is no doubt in my mind that most people would drop whatever they are doing
> > > and fly to Ethiopia or picket the US Capitol, do what ever it takes, and try to rescue
> > > their spouse or sibling or parent or offspring if they were one of those starving
> > > statistics. Most people would think it strange (irresponsible even) if I mentioned
> > > that my wife was "...dying in some Ethopian hell-hole. Darn those Warlords, it's their
> > > fault. Oh, by the way, did you see those Knicks last night, blew another game..." I
> > > bet Ethiopia would be hip-deep in Marines if Hillary C. was lost somewhere in-country.
> >
> > That is the point. Since nobody we know is stuck there, and we didn't have anything to do
> > with creating the situation, its none of my business at this point.
> >
>
> The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches me that one day I may need some unknown person's
> help. Besides with the technology and power which will soon be available to the average postal
> worker ;-) wouldn't we all stand a better chance of living if 100% of the world was looking out
> for our survival vs some lesser amount?. I wonder if a study (game theory) was done to see
> which attitude was more benefical to survival?
Ever hear of the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."?
> > If the people there want my help, they should a) ask for it,
>
> Sometimes they are unable or not allowed or just ignorant.
A man cannot be freed by someone else, he must free himself.
> > b) have something to offer in return for my help,
>
> You would get at least that person's undying love, admiration, and respect (and mine too).
In the chinese language, there are supposedly a couple dozen words to describe varying levels of
gratitude. In the ideograms for each one contains symbols that also imply varying levels of
resentment.
"I swear by my life and my love of life that I will nor live for the sake of another man, nor ask
that he live for mine."
>
> > Instead, these people refuse our help until things are royally screwed up, and then beg for
> > our help. When we come in and perform political/economic triage to fix things, they start
> > protesting, bombing, and demanding we leave. Seems too many people don't like the saying
> > "Be careful what you ask for, you might get it".
>
> I agree. People who are screwed up, usually don't change their behavior.
Then what the hell is your point? I'll be damned if I'm gonna help anyone who isn't willing to help
themselves. You're writing a prescription for welfare codependency here.
To quote Mr. Jim Peron of Johannesburg:
> I received your email regarding hunger in Africa. I think I'm the only
> person on the list actually living in Africa so I would like to
> contribute something.
>
> Donations of food or money will do almost nothing to alleviate hunger in
> Africa. The problems are not problems of production or distribution but
> politics. Ethiopia is one of the richest nations in the world in
> agricultural terms. Yet the famine there was political induced. The
> Marxist regime confiscated food and used it in areas where they had
> support. The food was confiscated from areas which didn't support the
> Marxists. And it was in these areas that people starved. Food aid sent
> to Ethiopia was, to a very large degree, off loaded in the capital and
> used by the government.
>
> In Zimbabwe the Marxist regime of Mugabe is now confiscating the most
> productive farms in the country simply on the basis of the race of the
> owners. These farms, each of which feed thousands, will be turned into
> small subsistance plots feeding only a fraction of that number.
>
> African governments are fond of requiring farmers to sell all their
> crops to the governmment at super low prices (in the name of feeding the
> people). The food is then resold on the world market at the higher
> market prices and the profit kept in Swiss bank accounts of the petty
> dictators who run the country.
>
> In other countries where the governments are slightly less authoritarian
> and corrupt food aid does get distributed. The result of all this free
> food is that local farmers are put out of business. The only way they
> can stay in business is selling their products at a profit which is
> impossible when their competition is free food. Decades of aid have
> destroyed local farming.
>
Get it through your head that it isn't something we can do anything about unless the people of
those countries rise up and get rid of the hoodlums in charge who purposefully create these
situations. Hunger in Africa is not about droughts and starving innocent people, its about tyrants
using well meaning liberal morons as puppets to extort money out of westerners through guilt, while
at the same time violating the laws of war to fight internal insurgencies.
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ mailto:retroman@together.net Inventor of the Lorrey Drive MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering ------------------------------------------------------------ How many fnords did you see before breakfast today?