Mike Koenecke wrote:
> On or about Sun, 16 Sep 2001 13:45:11 -0700, Gervase Markham
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> allegedly wrote:
>
>
>>People killed in WTC tragedy (approx.): 5,000
>>People who die every day of starvation: 24,000
>>Each of those deaths is more preventable than one caused by a terrorist.
>>So when does the Western World declare war on hunger, disease and poverty?
>>
>
> We did, remember? We declared the War on Poverty during Johnson's
> administration in the 1960's. After spending trillions on attempting
> to eradicate poverty through well-intentioned programs, we have made
> no progress whatsoever.
Perhaps that says that the US should have put more money into knowing
what do to before it did it. We've learnt a lot about what sort of aid
works best in the past 40 years.
> Some people might think this calls for questioning the effectiveness
> of the approach, but far be it from me to draw any conclusions.
The point is not that we should be throwing money at the world's
starving. The point is the acquisition of perspective. The US seems
happy to use a great deal of money, and give up a great deal of freedom,
to prevent the essentially unpreventable. Is that what should be
happening? And are the lives of the last 50,000 Bangladeshis to die in
their last flood worth so little in comparison?
I am not saying the WTC disaster wasn't tragic - it was. Hence the word "tragedy" in
the .sig. I feel everyone should be asking themselves hard questions about their
reactions to this. I know I am.
Gerv
--
People killed in WTC tragedy (approx.): 5,000
People who die every day of starvation: 24,000
Each of those deaths is more preventable than one caused by a terrorist.
So when does the Western World declare war on hunger, disease and poverty?
