Guilt isn't solution to Africa's woes

We’ve tried charity, aid, loans, debt relief, international organizations, the U.N., the World Bank, peace forces, police forces, sympathy, threats, military involvement and disengagement. We’ve done it all. Everything, in fact, other than admit that if you really want to get something done properly than you have to do it yourself.

Until we accept that the only people who can help Africa are the Africans, then we will continue to patronize them.

We permit the rape and pillage of their ruling elites by doing business with them and by turning a blind eye to their misdemeanors. How can we even criticize Mugabe if we leave the beauty with his knighthood? It’s a silly little detail, but it speaks volumes of both them and us. The great democracies need to liberate Africans from their oppressors before anything else can be done. It won’t be easy and it may take decades. Remember, after all, Africa is big. But just think about this, it took Europe seven hundred years to get out of the Middle Ages.

An interesting read, but I'm still inclined to cut back on our monetary aid to Africa, as it only supports the dictators. Sending in our military would be futile, as there are too many warring factions to deal with. And who are we to say which "leader" is right? We've been wrong before and ended up supporting despots.

One thing not mentioned is the on-going war of Muslims against Christians. Having read elsewhere that Christians are a main target by Muslims in Africa, I have to wonder if religion is not a prime factor in these ongoing skirmishes.

Bush has already obligated the US taxpayers to an absurd amount of money to try and save Africa. Apparently, Bush didn't learn any of the lessons provided by a Texas predecesser to the WH - one Lyndon Baines Johnson. It was LBJ who started the War on Poverty with his Great Society initiative.

Today, 40 years later, "poverty" is still rampant in the US and the poor are still with us. Throwing money at Africa is the same as throwing the efforts of hard-working American taxpayers down the proverbial rat hole. If Bush, Blair and the other G8 leaders REALLY want to do something constructive in Africa, they will send in their combined militaries to root out the likes of Robert Mugabe and other African dictators, socialists and thieves who wreck their countries, starve and murder their people and then blame the rest of the world for their problems.

Africans need to put their tin cups away, stop begging and start investing in some form of constructive, productive enterprise that will bring their own continent out of poverty and onto the world's stage as a "player". Until they are able to do this on their own, I'm in favor of the G8 nations telling Africa to either "stuff it", or sending in the troops and initiating "regime change" all across the continent. If Bush is going to throw MY tax dollars into this rat hole, I want a say it how they are used.

Man will always have endless problems to deal with until he 1) destroys himself, or 2) "thine Kingdom come, they will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven." I'm banking on option number 2.

The greatest question of the 21st century is "how will God's Kingdom come to Earth." I believe strongly your going to find out before this decade is over.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.