Posted on 11/29/2005 3:53:53 PM PST by Clive
Put a cork in it, Bono.
Bono, the Irish rocker -- lead singer of U2 -- and Make Poverty History activist, has intruded into Canadian politics and feels "crushed" and "disappointed" that his onetime buddy, Prime Minister Paul Martin, won't commit 0.7% of our GDP to the economic sinkhole that is Africa.
Heck, Bono even thinks Martin deserves to be punished in the election being called today -- for disappointing him. What cheek. What audacity.
What is it about big-shot entertainers that they think they are more important than they are and that they know better than the rest of us, and exude a fabricated moral superiority that is as tiresome as it is nonsensical?
During the Ethiopian famine of the mid-1980s, we had to endure Bob Geldof's indignant posturing, pedantic lecturing and moral harassment to raise money for the starving -- tolerable, perhaps, if it had succeeded, but fatuous because it failed wretchedly.
Live Aid concerts became the flavour of the times and made fans and donors feel good but did precious little for the victims of famine, who were also victims of Ethiopia's homicidal Marxist tyrant Col. Mengistu.
Mengistu now resides in Zimbabwe, where soulmate Robert Mugabe is Southern Africa's version of Joseph Stalin.
Aid to Ethiopia went first to the army fighting (and losing) in rebellious Eritrea and Tigray provinces. As well as plundering incoming aid, Mengistu charged duty on it. Geldof's humanitarianism achieved little more than a knighthood for himself.
Bono seems an updated version of Sir Bob. Admittedly, Paul Martin sought to exploit Bono's influence and popularity and now it has boomeranged.
Still, Bono's reaction and election predictions are pretentious, even for a rock star.
How dare he bitch about how Martin should spend money the government extorts from us taxpayers?
While aid and investment (by the U.S.) rescued Europe after World War II, and aid (and local initiative) made Taiwan and South Korea economically powerful, foreign aid has been little short of catastrophic for Africa.
At its worst (and most basic) foreign aid increases dependency and deters initiative, and breeds corruption.
Africa is replete with regimes that have used foreign aid to divert domestic money into weapons, repression, Swiss bank accounts.
Foreign aid has helped entrench dictators and discouraged democratic evolution and self-reliance.
Eritrea's President Isaias Afewerki recognized this when his country won independence from Ethiopia in 1993, after 32 years of war. He forbade unlimited foreign aid on grounds that it created disunity, provoked corruption and inhibited self-reliance.
As one of Africa's poorest countries, Eritrea has tried to use foreign aid sensibly and responsibly, and is right to encourage self-sufficiency.
If Bono wants to get involved in this Canadian election campaign, maybe he should examine how Canada's foreign aid over the years has been abused, misused, wasted -- despite some successes.
It's not the 0.7% GDP commitment that is important, but where the aid is directed and dispersed.
A case can be made that we should be helping countries that embody the values that we, as a people, reflect. Throwing money at Africa has mostly been worse than waste, and has hurt the very people we want to help.
At one time, we defended giving aid to virtually every poor country in the world, no matter how tyrannical some rulers were. Classic do-good folly -- soft hearts, soft heads. We even forgave debts owed by Mugabe's Zimbabwe.
Many Canadians (if not Bono himself) felt "crushed" by that lunatic gesture of Jean Chretien's, which even Martin wouldn't replicate.
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I read someplace today that Bono forgot his favorite hat when he went on vacation, so he paid first class airfare to have it flown to him in Italy.
A guy who can fly his hat to Italy first class could probably buy everybody in Africa burgers, fries and a Coke for a couple of months.
"Fabricated moral superiority, thy name is Bono."
Man, that's perfect. :)
Can this author write something about Sean Penn, too? Please, Oh, Pretty Please? ;)
All together now: What's the difference between the sounds of one hand clapping and my heart breaking over Bono?
Then again, I don't find Bono particularly entertaining, so just shut up.
More like, Bonehead !
Isn`t it scary when someone gets a little rich and famous they suddenly become an expert in everything.
methinks bobo overlooks the welfare circle. you can continue to contribute, (just like like horses, prepared to continue to eat hay delivered to them when there is fresh grass nearby) feed their dependancy and destroy their self sufficiency.
~~ i know ~~he's right, we should all send more money to mugabe.
where did marxism meet its objectives? through the equity of poverty? doubt he feels it
Similar to politicians.
For a while there it looked like only the Irish government was going to give Bono the cold shoulder. Perhaps the world is growing tired of Bono as its self appointed leader!
He can't hold a tune in a bucket. Even "New Year's Day" sounded like some 14-yo whining as loud as possible. Why anyone EVER liked U-2 was and is beyond me.
But Bono is going to save the World! < /a bit of sarcasm there >
Bono sticking his nose in Canadian affairs!!
Give that man a Nobel Prize, he is clearly qualified. < sarcasm on >
A trip down Memory Lane ...
http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/u2-recover-bonos-hat/2005/07/06/1120329481809.html
U2 recover Bono's hat
U2 won a court case today to recover singer and activist Bono's Stetson hat and a pair of trousers taken by their former stylist in 1987.
The rock band, who opened Saturday's Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, said they took Lola Cashman to court on a point of principle rather than for the estimated 5,000 euro ($A8,000) value of the goods.
Bono's iconic hat, a pair of black trousers, a green sweatshirt and a pair of metal hooped earrings were taken without permission during the group's Joshua Tree tour.
I'm sure the favorite hat had a favorite Irish lassie wearing it while sitting in the first class seat!
He might get his brain back yet.....
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