Maybe it's not humanitarian aid in general we should be against, but aid as we practice it.
To be effective, we need to have two aspects: the short term "feed the people" plan and the long-term "build up the soil and arable land" plan. Otherwise, we're just keeping the people at starvation level and making them dependent on us. Just my .02. Judith > I agree with some of your points. Humanitarian Aid during period of extreme > and temporary hardship (flood, war, etc) are one thing, but sustained aid > destroys the country's ability to rebuild itself. The US claims to be the > champion of the free market system, yet by supplying free food, supplies, > whatever to countries, we are preventing them from rebuilding their own > internal systems that should be filling that need. Farmers have to reason > to grow crops if their competition is a truckload of free food up the road. > > Also, if the land is inhospitable, and there's no place to grow crops, how > the hell did those people live there before the "humanitarian aid" arrived? > If a desert is claiming previously fertile land than I'm sorry, but those > people need to adapt or move. > > I see this as being somewhat similar to forest fires and firefighting. > Forest fires are supposed to happen every now and then. If we disturb the > balance by fighting them back for a hundred years or so, then when they > finally do happen, they are huge and out of control. > > No, it's always not as simple as this, but in many ways, it is. > > -Cameron > > -------------------- > Cameron Childress > elliptIQ Inc. > p.770.460.1035.232 > f.770.460.0963 > -- > http://www.neighborware.com > America's Leading Community Network Software > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Gary P. McNeel, Jr. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 12:45 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: RE: Support for starving people.... was The Anti Terrorism > > Act.. > > > > > > I was involved in US led humanitarian relief missions to Mali in the early > > 80's, while in the Air Force. While it was sad, and I wanted to > > help, I left > > feeling differently about "humanitarian aid". Over the years that > > has grown. > > Many of you know I am a bit left of center on many issues, so maybe this a > > different thing for me. I am opposed to many of the continuing > > humanitarian > > aid efforts that we support. Before you crucify me, let me explain. > > > > When I was there I saw many things. I saw dead people in the > > streets of the > > capitol, Bamako. I said starving men, women and children. But what I also > > saw was a population run amok. There are just too many people for the > > resources. Tribal communities had disintegrated. Is this a result of > > imperialism and colonization in the late 1800's and early 1900's? Almost > > surely. > > > > What I also saw was a barely subsistence level of living. The > > will to create > > offspring is unimaginably strong, propagation of the species and > > your kin is > > incredible. There were women with newborn babies who looked so frail I was > > amazed they could give birth. I began, 15 years ago mind you, to > > think that > > just supplying food was not the answer. Many places in the world > > have little > > or no arable land. Only about 6% is economically arable The rest is water, > > mountains, deserts or forests. A tidy chunk of that arable land happens to > > exist in the US Midwest, so why end up with a lot of low protein, > > high fiber > > food stuffs left over, which we export. Famine where I was was rampant at > > the time. No rain in years. The sub-Saharan desert is creeping south. Gao > > was a three-day sand storm. The country is filled with ragged trees. It is > > in hospitable to humans in most senses of the word. Yet we keep > > sending just > > enough food to keep these people alive and making offspring. I had a > > Scientific American (or was it Journal of Higher Ed) article that had > > correlated twenty years of studies. The gist is that food production does > > increase to meet the needs of the population, the population increases if > > there is food. That seems simple enough. > > > > For example: When the prey populations (the food source) on the Serengeti > > decrease, predators decrease (the eaters of the food). However, > > if you have > > less predators (the eaters), the prey increase (the food source) > > until they > > in turn have eaten all the grass, trees, etc. (their food > > source), at which > > point the population diminish. This is how there is an equilibrium > > established. We humans, with agriculture on a vast scale, have changed > > (surprise) and upset the equilibrium. > > > > In tribal, non-agrarian communities there is almost never what we would > > think of as famine or hunger. They keep in balance. We think we can just > > spend more money, grow more food and everything will be okay. > > Only it won't. > > Afghanistan is no different. There are just too many people and not enough > > resources in the region. > > > > How would I suggest we fix this? Hmmm. That is tough. Seeing dead > > people and > > mothers with bloated babies was heart wrenching. I wanted to help. It left > > an indelible impression on me. But the answer, I feel, is not in sending > > food. There must be some form of birth control or regulation of > > populations. > > Nature has done that for millions of years. When food was scarce you had > > less children, the energy levels just were not there and the people new > > there was no handout coming. We have upset it. I am not > > advocating stopping > > all shipments, just a gradual change in policy. Bush came in and passed a > > bill stopping federal dollars for groups that teach planned parenting or > > abortion. Only, that seems to me to be so short sited when faced with such > > long-term problems. This, to me, is unforgivable and grossly > > lacking in any > > forethought. It was tied to a religious view, not a natural view, of the > > world. > > > > As I have seen so often here, just my .02 cents worth (which is really > > worthless, unless you are in a third world country). > > > > -Gary > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Mark Stewart [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 7:54 AM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: RE: The Anti Terrorism Act.. > > > > > > > > > PLEASE NOT THE "STARVING CHILDREN IN AFRICA BULL****" Have you ever been > > > to Africa? Have you ever seen the children? Do you know how much aid the > > > US gives to "starving" countries? I do! I've been there - Kenya, > > > Somalia, Eritrea. But in the end, we can only do so much. It really > > > comes down to the strong will survive. And war has nothing to do with > > > this. It's not one or the other. Sometimes it's both. > > > > > > But hey, it's your opinion. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Benjamin Falloon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 5:15 PM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: Re: The Anti Terrorism Act.. > > > > > > > > > In my oppinion being proud of your country is why makes wars possible. > > > I think maybe concern for staving children in Africa is more > > > constructive > > > than national pride, but that's just my oppinion. > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Raymond Camden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 7:06 AM > > > Subject: RE: The Anti Terrorism Act.. > > > > > > > > > > > I don't understand the opinions of a lot of Americans.... > > > > > Americans seem to have a major superiority complex. All this > > > > > talk about 'heroes 'war' and patriotic ramble. Anyone could > > > > > be forgiven for thinking America was not a lot different from > > > > > other empires of the past like ancient Rome etc... Seems to > > > > > me Americans believe their life is more valuable than the > > > > > lives of other humans around the globe. > > > > > > > > Why is it that other countries are allowed to be proud of themselves, > > > > but when we are, it's a supiority complex? I happen to think America > > > is > > > > the best country in the world. Does that mean I'm crazy or feel that > > > I'm > > > > superior? No, it just means I'm proud of my country. Sure, I'm biased. > > > > Don't tell me the French don't think France is the best, or the > > > Germans, > > > > etc, etc. > > > > > > > > > I'm struck by the American media as well. If only the average > > > > > American could see the media from an outside perspective an > > > > > realise how much america (and by way of cultural imperialism, > > > > > the rest of the world) is being completely propagandised > > > > > (like I have never seen as extreme before). The whole good > > > > > and evil debate. You know how many people GW pissed off when > > > > > he used the word 'crusade' in his rhetoric? How offensive > > > > > must that have been to people of the Islamic faith (given > > > > > > > > That's too bad. So, let me get this straight... because of the > > > Crusades, > > > > we can't use the word "crusade" any more? That's almost as bad as the > > > > people complaining about the "Infinite Justice" code word. Give me a > > > > break. > > > > > > > > > history). Maybe our so called advanced civilisation really > > > > > isn't that different from the dark ages of the crusades... We > > > > > don't read anymore, we are incapable of forming independent > > > > > opinions, all we do is consume (which is the measure of our > > > > > worth) and we boil complex international politics down to > > > > > simple binaries philosophies because we are incapable of > > > > > seeing a more complex reality in which we aren't as innocent > > > > > as we make ourselves out to be. In short, we are reactionary > > > > > and are motivated by our emotions (fuelled by the media which > > > > > feeds on our fear). I really think that the so called > > > > > american 'way of life' is just a guise for maintaining > > > > > western luxuries at the expense of the rest of the world. > > > > > > > > Now here you have some good points. I do think people too often take > > > the > > > > easy way out... ie, it's simpler to take the media's news w/o > > > > questioning it fully. I'd be willing to bet, however, that this has > > > been > > > > a human frailty in all cultures... well, those cultures that were > > > > powerful and rich, which we are ... I'm not saying that makes us > > > better, > > > > I'm just saying that this has an impact on how we see the world. > > > > > > > > -RC > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
