Say Anything Blog

You’re right about that, just like it’s not the neighbors job to pull you out of your burning house. Better wait for the fire department.

One thing a lot of people who make this argument tend to forget is that while America is the foremost proponent for good and justice in the world, we can’t do it alone.

If the UN weren’t an impotent and corrupt anachronism it might be useful in stopping some of this stuff.

The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

So in answer to the question of “why not Darfur”, I answer “why not indeed?”

Why not? Because it is not the job of the U.S. Government to improve the lives of Sudanese citizens.

The African Union sent soldiers there, I don’t know if they are there in numbers big enough to make a difference but they are there. If I am not mistaken I think Powell did call it a genocide.

Africa is tough, there is a problem in nearly every country that deserves attention. I have read that in some areas of war torn African countries, they are starting to form tribal governments. Maybe they should incorporate some of these tribal leaders into governments rather than military leaders. The tribal governments seemed to get along fine before colonization.

[...] Why Not Darfur? By Seth Williams on December 1, 2005 at 1:42 am [...]

Damn… you’ve made me dig up one of the uglier pieces I’ve ever written. Why not Darfur? Here’s why.

J.

I have advocated taking action in Africa since the ‘80s. The time to strike against these terrorist gangs was long ago, and we knew it when it passed. Dept. of State screwed the dog on the whole situation. So lets follow their brilliant leadership in Iraq. Oh. Thats right we did. Remember a happy little burg named Fallujah? Though apparently we can send shiploads of money, which does not appear to be working. Allowing the UN to run operations in Africa has really done the trick, maybe we should let them run everything. The die-off in Darfur has plateaued, the next major problem is going to be farther south and not centralized in Zimbabwe or eastern DRC. Geldof will have another concert, Angelina will cry for the cameras and nothing will be done again. Mary wept.

Mary wept indeed, if we can safely file this away as not a concern because the house burnings, rape, and killing has plateaued.

“Is it bad?”

“Sure, but it’s not getting worse...at least not on the TV it isn’t.”

Sad comentary on the state of human compassion, isn’t it 2H9?

Indeed. The “plateau” position is the official one put forth by the UN. That den of compassion on Turtle Bay. They have lowered the priority level for Sudan. The government in Khartoum has assured all guilty parties have been punished. Seeing the thousands of unburied dead left to the carrion eaters in the western plains region, the Khartoum government has punished those they feel are guilty. African Union forces have interceded to stop the Sudanese government,in the guise of the Janjaweed and Islamic Brotherhood, from killing more. The UN and EU have thrown roadblocks in their path, and have begun legal proceedings to reduce the numbers and operational scope of AU forces. Again, human compassion, indeed.

I belong to a denomination of christianity that has a long history of pacifism.  Our one denomination has split into three groups (roughly), and our group has really set aside pacifism as a personal decision, rather than an organized one.  We have a relief organization that has sent many supplies to the darfur region.  My Father-in-law pretty much summed it up after one of the reports by the organization at a recent conference.  “Maybe we should send them M-16s and ammo instead of blankets” really struck home with me.  I’m military myself, so I really thought it made sense to give them the means to fight back.

Chad, in ‘87 I worked in a central African country teaching basic military and counter-insurgency skills. 2 years later international aid agencies convinced them that"International Law” would protect them, they surrendered their ability to defend themselves. They are dead. Every child,woman,man,cow, and dog. Their villages were burned and their wells were poisoned, they were herded into the bush. Women raped, men executed, children marched off into slavery. Of a population of 10,000 in ‘87, not one single member of that tribe can be found. Not 1. My question is, where was the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, Louis Farakhan, Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton? Why does a redheaded, pale white redneck from south Mississippi care more about blacks in Africa than their own brothers do? There is a stumper for you.