[Normal4me]

Move to where the food is. Doesn't take a lot of common sense to figure that out now does it?

[Billy_bob_bob]

It's called "compassion fatigue". It works like this.

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "You poor person. Let me send you some food".

(Two weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "Umm, OK, here's some more food. Now straighten out your country and help yourself!"

(Four weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Stupid Westerner: "Didn't we just go through this? Alright, here's still some more food. Now fix up your mess and stop bothering me!"

(Six weeks later)

African: "Help me! I'm starving! I need help!"
Not so stupid Westerner: "Forget it. You're a basket case. You've exhausted my compassion, my reserves and my patience. I could care less about you at this point. In fact, you'd be doing us all a favor by dying, so die already and shut up!"
African: "Hatemonger!"

And so it goes....

[AngrySpud]

"The musician and activist praised the United States."

Well, who else is gonna do it. Africa is Africa's problem, and by default, Europe's. Half the European countries had African colonies at one time or another. It should be up to Europe, not the US. Europe can purchase our grain and ship it to Africa.

[Random Access]

They need zipper locks more than they need food.

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

-"Pity About Africa..."--

[Prodigal Son]

This is almost nostalgic in a way don't you think? A return to those tender and innocent years when a celebrity being an activist merely meant they were concerned about starvation in the Third World.

*Sigh* I think I actually miss those days.

[quebecois]

Why do folks automatically dump on western nations whenever there is trouble somewhere? Why doesn't he accuse the pacific rim nations of "neglecting" ethiopia? What about the rest of africa? Are they doing anything to help ethiopia? Are the Latin American nations there doing anything?

These guilt-mongerers always come after the white middle class (I guess because history has taught them that we are gullible enough to fall for it).

[jim_trent]

I can remember back in the 1950's in grade school that they were collecting pennies for the starving in Ethiopia. And there have been many more times inbetween then and now.

Perhaps if they were not more interested in civil war, communism, and other unproductive pastimes, they would be able to feed themselves.

[xrp]

How come Ethiopia has enough money to buy tanks, planes and guns for constantly fighting Eritrea, but cannot buy food?