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    <title>Forward Thinking</title>
    <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/list.php?7</link>
    <description><![CDATA[What will Jamaica be 50 Years from now - Economically, Politically, Socially, Culturally and Spiritually?]]></description>
    <language>EN</language>
    <pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:14:05 -0400</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:14:05 -0400</lastBuildDate>
    <category>Forward Thinking</category>
    <generator>Phorum 5.1.23</generator>
    <ttl>600</ttl>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178787#msg-178787</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I will never say Jamaica is a lost cause. There is always hope, things might be bad, but we most not loose hope.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178787#msg-178787</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:14:05 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>JLP blames politics for Tredegar killings</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178780,178780#msg-178780</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/JLP-blames-politics-on-Tredegar-killings

I can't believe in this day and age people in Jamaica are still killing people because they support a different political party. 

Politicians should be certain before they make these kind of accusations. This could cause retaliation, resulting in an escalation of violence.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178780,178780#msg-178780</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:32:50 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: why do you believe</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178624,178778#msg-178778</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[My problem with the believers is not the fact that they believe, it's the fact that the think that they are superior because they believe blindly in something.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178624,178778#msg-178778</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:10:14 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: blacks conscious people marrying white</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178777#msg-178777</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Ignorance is bliss, isn't it.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178777#msg-178777</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:08:11 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>blacks conscious people marrying white</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178772#msg-178772</link>
      <author>Slagosh</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Good Thread. Good Observations. I think its better to shut up than talk more about black conciousness when infact you are in the opposite! Many black people are living in denial about their skin colour, they just can't accpet their skin colour especially Black Women! Or Men are like that, just that they can't &quot;make it&quot; to the white woman?

I have also noticed that SOME people of mixed blood, are identifying themselves alongside whitis forgetting their African roots. This is so despite them declaring publicly that they are BLACK! Just to decieve people.

Jeremiah 13:23]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178772#msg-178772</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:08:03 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: IMF &amp; World Bank help or hindrance?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178211,178769#msg-178769</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM1Rq4Q3qYY&amp;feature=related]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178211,178769#msg-178769</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:05:14 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>blacks conscious people marrying white</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178768#msg-178768</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[TRUE 
Its not about hating Europeans, but about loving Afrikans and Afrikaness. So a black conscious individual marry out of his race is a contradiction, but in cases of love may well be worth it. Finding love among whites does not equate to not loving Afrika and Afrikans....Contradiction and rejection not the same  - 
 
Neither can we deny the actions or inactions of whites through-out the ordeal that is black oppression. Most were only too willing a participant, knowingly or unknowingly.
 
Racism is based on ones appearance, This oppression Afrikans experience is not a matter of choice(an intellectual execise) but rest on his skin being black(biological inheritance)which is undeniable and inescapable which act as a  ligitimizing agent for the execise of racism, the extent to which it is express is directly related to how dark or light a hue of black.
That being the case for Afrikans Skin color takes on an inordinate importance in places where racism exist. This peculiar situation is not experience by whites, for most whites it is choice as to whether or not skin is important.
Hence it becomes an affront to most conscious thinking black, that an Afrikan who espouses Afrikan conscious, would belie this by not being a living example of Black harmony, beauty,  Love and acceptance of things Afrikan. To marry white will being seen as a rejection of black and appear discordant.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178768,178768#msg-178768</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:55:42 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178747#msg-178747</link>
      <author>Slagosh</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The political landscape in Jamaica is a cause for concern! The youths are angry, The elders are angry, Eervyone is angry, unemployment, corruption, organized crime, juvenile deliquency, local authorities turning a blind eye to the poor situation and to the welfare of the very same people who appointed them to power, more school drop outs, &quot;forced&quot; gangsterism! Guns blazing left right and centre as if we are in Brazil! The opposition, or the current govt dont seem to have ways in arverting the current cancerous situation bedeveling the once beautiful nation. Dudus extradition has made matters worse! Talk of a state at WAR with itself! I hope this is no Rwanda, Sudan, DRC.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178747#msg-178747</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 11:36:23 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Fraud Fraud Shark Tourist shipline</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177296,178707#msg-178707</link>
      <author>samuelpoon</author>
      <description><![CDATA[hye everyone,

I happen to get this page and ran through quickly..
I should consider myself very lucky for not falling into this fraud peoples trap as I was told to do the same by this lady as they did to others..
here after i am completely gonna ignore their mails..
I am just wondering why cant canada government do something about these people..i mean this is really bad for the country reputation....!!!!!!

Is there any reliable website where I can search for a genuine job offers in canada????

with regards,
samuel..]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177296,178707#msg-178707</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:38:49 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178687#msg-178687</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Of course not....
Jamaica has much promise, and the recent ability of the PNP to have paid off the IMF and not have any dealings with them for nearly 20yrs, was once thought impossible in some circles, is a major victory and its implications should not be overlooked. The youths and the people of Jamaica needs to know and understand the global political situation and the role we are being forced to play in it.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178687#msg-178687</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:03:11 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178643#msg-178643</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Hope springs eternal, but it's pretty bad in Ja. New Leadership will emerge to change the downward trajectory]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178643#msg-178643</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:53:29 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178642#msg-178642</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[There is always hope. Keep it alive.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178642#msg-178642</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:52:26 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Blacks inferior says ...Dingwall</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177862,178634#msg-178634</link>
      <author>Dexter</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I don't think the reason Africans were enslaved by the Europeans was due to Europeans being biologically superior to the &quot;black&quot; Afican. I think Europeans were a more predatory group whereas I believe the Africans were relatively peaceful group. Also the fact the Africans valued the tribe over all else, while Europeans were more aware of themslves a seperate race. 
The typical African, it appears, viewed anyone outside of his/her tribe the same, whether Arab, European or another black African. While even though the English saw some difference between themselves and say the French, they viewed the African as a totally different species, inferior even. The Africans' entrenched tribal instincts probably prevented them from realizing these rather pale skinned people were a totally different animal (based on intentions, that is)from the neighboring, dark skinned people. 
While the pale visitors viewed the dark skinned natives as one separate group, different and lower on the evolutionary scale than Europeans, the African tribes viewed them as the same as any other native tribe, it would seem. This would explain why the tribes unwittingly aided and abbetted the Europeans in their relentless drive to enslave the natives and destroy the native society with such gusto..They-Africans- likley had never seen a group of humans as destructive and predatory as the pale skinned visitors turned out to be. 
This entrenched tribalistic behaviour among Africans led to their ultimate destruction as a cohesive society. It is evident in the slaves' descendants in America today, where they are only too willing to divide themselves into groups, seen in the 'east coast, west coast' monikers in Hip Hop culture. These monikers of black American tribalism even led to the death of two of the genres most popular stars, Tupak Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. That was how seriously the various factions took the tribal concept. 
Same is evident in Jamaica where over the years, the people have found various ways to seperate themselves. When Manley and Busta' came along, the entrenched tribal DNA manifested itself as the &quot;labourite&quot; and &quot;socialist&quot; camps. We all know where that led and continues to lead us. Now we have two dancehall entertainers who seem to be at odds with each other, which usually occurs from competition. The followers have again formed two camps, one &quot;gully&quot;, the other &quot;gaza&quot;. Reminescent of the East Coast, West Coast tribes in HIP HOP a few years back. Hopefully it doesn't have the same ending..hopefully.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177862,178634#msg-178634</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:18:23 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>why do you believe</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178624,178624#msg-178624</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.
- Autobiography of Mark Twain]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178624,178624#msg-178624</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:46:38 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: A Few thoughts on christianity</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178522,178614#msg-178614</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The Whole god thing is a myth, the sooner mankind realizes this the better humanity will be, after thousands of years human beings  continue promulgate theories that was forwarded when cavemen were trying make sense of the world they were living in.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178522,178614#msg-178614</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:44:48 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Gang politics 'over' in Jamaica</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177811,178606#msg-178606</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Great news]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177811,178606#msg-178606</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:52:47 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: IMMEDIATE RELEASE...........July 19, 2007</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177352,178605#msg-178605</link>
      <author>liftalee</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Dude, it must have taken you days to write this.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,177352,178605#msg-178605</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:51:35 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Whats happening in Haiti....here a primer.</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178540,178540#msg-178540</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbPgqgmGbQ&amp;feature=channel]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178540,178540#msg-178540</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:21:31 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Few thoughts on christianity</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178522,178522#msg-178522</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Dear Believer:

Print this and leave copies at the door of your church.

I do not accept the Bible as God’s word because it contains thousand of errors and contradictions that can not be solved, only rationalized. I refuse to accept Jesus as my personal saviour, for his behaviour and teachings often expose one who should be escaped and not worshipped. Christians should be “open to reason” (James 3:17 RSV), that we should “reason together” (Isaiah 1:18) and “he who hates correction will die” (Proverbs 15:10) to understand my perspective that the bible has MANY shortcomings.

1. According to your Bible I am to believe that human kind is sinful because Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge. Why are we being punished for the original sin? After all, they ate the forbidden fruit, we didn’t. Reason would lead one to say it’s their problem, not ours. Even the bible contradicts itself by claiming in Deuteronomy 24:16, “children shall not be punished for the sins of their fathers.”

2. We are told that the Bible has no scientific errors and is utterly perfect/protected, yet it says the bat is a bird (Leviticus 11:13 &amp; 19), hares chew the cud (Leviticus 11:5-6), and some fowl (Leviticus 11:20-21) and insects (Leviticus 11:22-23) have four legs.

3. Heaven is supposed to be a perfect place. It is of course, the place you strive for and name “salvation”. Yet, it experienced a war (Revelation 12:7). How can there be a war in a perfect place and if it happened before why couldn’t it happen again? Why would I want to go to a place in which war can occur? That’s exactly what I’m trying to escape, aren’t you?

4. We are told salvation is obtained by faith alone (John 3:18 &amp; 36) and then the Bible claims that it is repentance that shall save us (2 Peter 3:9) yet Jesus told a man to follow the Commandments-Matthew 19:16-1 8 (saving by works)-if he wanted eternal life. So which way is it and how do you know your belief is the correct one?

5. According to the text there are 29 cities listed in Joshua 15:21-32. One need only count them to see that biblical math is not to be trusted. The total is 36.

6. Surely you don’t believe Ecclesiastes 1:9 RSV (“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun”)? How many cities had an atomic bomb dropped on them prior to 1945, and how many people walked on the moon before 1969?

7. If the Bible is our moral guide, then how can it make pornographic statements such as: “...they may eat their own dung and drink their own piss with you” (2 Kings 18:27)? Also consult Numbers 31 where a whole tribe of people, including the elderly and children are slaughtered. The only survivors were the virginal women, who were later raped by the “just and perfect” Moses and his men. Is that what you want your children reading on Sunday?

8. If God created everything, (Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 3:9, Revelation 4:11 &amp; John 1:3), then he did create the world’s evil (Isaiah 45:7, Lamentations 3:38). Thus, he is responsible. Any being who could create situations such as rape, death, malnutrition, disease, molestation and murder is certainly not fit for worship.

9. For justice to exist, punishment must fit the crime. No matter how many bad deeds one commits in this world, there is a limit. Yet, hell’s punishment is infinitely greater. It’s eternal. Shouldn’t a sinner suffer until remorse is felt and the crime is atoned for? What “justice” is there in infinite damnation?

10. Jesus said, “whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). Yet, he himself did so repeatedly, as Matthew 27:19, Luke 11:40 &amp; 12:20 show. Shouldn’t he be in danger of hell too? Jesus also told us to “Love your enemies; bless them that curse you,&quot; but ignored his own advice by repeatedly denouncing his opposition. Matthew 12:34 (“0 generation of vipers”), and Matthew 23 :27 (“... hypocrites... ye are like unto whited sepulchres.“) are excellent examples of hypocrisy. If Jesus himself is a sinner by his own admission then surely he can not be the “perfect lamb of god”.

11. Except those of biased Christian writers, there isn’t one writing outside the Bible in all of ancient history that clearly refers to Jesus of Nazareth. The decision to dedicate my life to a deity requires at least one shred of conclusive evidence. Your lord knows non believers exist as a result of this, yet he makes no attempt to supply proof. How can the bible claim god wants all in heaven if he doesn’t make efforts to ensure that we all believe in him?

12. Paul says Christianity lives or dies on the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). Yet Jesus made many promises concerning his return during the lifetime of his then followers. (Matthew 16:28: “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”. Matthew 23:36, 24:34, Mark.9:1, 13:30, Luke 9:27, 21:32 &amp; John 21:22) None of these prophecies have come true. Does this not make Jesus a false prophet? If so wouldn’t that make Christianity invalid?

13. I find the idea that a man had to die for my sins revolting. If God was truly omnipotent he could have simply forgiven us. What kind of deity, would execute one child in order to forgive others? Modern society would call an individual like this sadistic, insane and cruel. Surely, you would not worship a child killer, why do you expect me to? Would you find a judge worthy of the title who would allow my child to be executed in lieu of my sins?

14. John 14:12 states a follower in Jesus can perform any of his works and do it even greater. If you continue to insist I believe in Jesus, it is only fair I may ask of you to show just how strong your faith is. After all, you would be my “mentor” in Christ. I’m not a believer as of yet, but surely you are. Would you mind perhaps resurrecting a dead relative or walking on water?

15. Okay, obviously you didn’t do number 14 and backed out with the “this is metaphorical” excuse. Surely you can try Mark 16:17-1 8 which says believers can drink “any deadly thing” and “it shall not hurt” them. But I don’t think you would be naive enough to drink any arsenic offered. Perhaps I’m wrong and you would be willing to test the Book’s veracity-”lay it on the line” so to speak?

16. All right, so now you have backed out of two of my questions. I’m starting to think you don’t really care about my salvation as much as you claim. Well, unlike your Jehovah, I shall be kind and offer a third chance at redemption. Consider Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6:30 “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” Perhaps, if you emptied your wallet and “give of thee” I may seriously ponder accepting Jesus as my saviour. 



&quot;We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing, all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.&quot; Gene Roddenberry  

&quot;There is no god higher than truth&quot; Gandhi.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178522,178522#msg-178522</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:34:23 -0500</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: White privilege</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178470,178471#msg-178471</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[If yu still confused

If you grow up in Hawaii (isn't that our 5oth state?) raised by 
your grandparents, you're &quot;exotic, different.&quot; 

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, and shooting/murdering 
wildlife 
for 
sport from an airplane, you are a quintessential American story. 

If your name is Barack you couldn't be a regular American. Name 
your kids 
Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick. 

If you graduate from Harvard law School then you are unstable but 
if you 
attend 5 different small colleges -including the University of Hawaii 

before graduating, you're well grounded. 

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the 
first 
black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration 
drive 
that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional 
Law 
professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district 
with 
over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health 
and 
Human 
Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate 
representing 
a 
state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on 
the 
Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's 
Affairs 
committees, you don't have any real leadership experience. 

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the 
city 
council 
and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 
months 
as 
the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're 
qualified 
to 
become the country's second highest ranking executive. 

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while 
raising 2 
beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a 
real 
Christian. 

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left 
your 
disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a 
Christian. 

If you advocate the teaching of responsible, age appropriate sex 
education, 
including how to help little children escape from sex offenders and 
child 
molestors, you are eroding the fiber of society. 

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no 
other 
option in sex education in your state's school system while your 
unwed 
teen 
daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible. 

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in 
a 
prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city 
community, 
then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values 
don't represent 
America 's. If you're husband is nicknamed &quot;First 
Dude,&quot; with at 
least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't 
register to 
vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the 
secession of Alaska from the USA , your family is extremely admirable. 

If you devote your life to making our country a better place for 
all 
Americans, not just a privileged few, then you are not for change. But 
if 
you are under investigation for getting people fired because they 
can't 
get 
along with your family, then you are a candidate with 
&quot;integrity.&quot;]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178470,178471#msg-178471</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:14:59 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>White privilege</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178470,178470#msg-178470</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help. 

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because &quot;every family has challenges,&quot; even as black and Latino families with similar &quot;challenges&quot; are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay. 

White privilege is when you can call yourself a &quot;****in' redneck,&quot; like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll &quot;kick their ****in' ass,&quot; and talk about how you like to &quot;shoot nuts&quot; for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to 
be) rather than a thug. 

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action. 

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're &quot;untested.&quot; 

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words &quot;under God&quot; in the pledge of allegiance because &quot;if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me,&quot; and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the &quot;under God&quot; part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals. 

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. 

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was &quot;Alaska first,&quot; and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful. 

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18- month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist. 

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a &quot;second look.&quot; 

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt. 

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America. 

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a &quot;trick question,&quot; while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced. 

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a &quot;light&quot; burden.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178470,178470#msg-178470</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:10:50 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Zimbabwe's faultering economy and the IMF</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178456,178460#msg-178460</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[LOOK AT HIS FROZEN ACCOUNTS.

[Federal Register: August 1, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 149)]
[Notices]
[Page 45101-45102]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au08-134]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of Foreign Assets Control


Additional Designations Pursuant to New Zimbabwe Executive Order
Signed by President Bush on July 25, 2008 ``Blocking Property of
Additional Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in
Zimbabwe'' (the ``Order'')

AGENCY: Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control
(``OFAC'') is publishing the names of seventeen newly-designated
entities and one individual whose property and interests in property
are blocked pursuant to the Order.

DATES: The designation by the Director of OFAC of the seventeen
entities and one individual identified in this notice, pursuant to the
Order is effective July 25, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Assistant Director, Compliance
Outreach &amp; Implementation, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department
of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (Treasury Annex),
Washington, DC 20220, Tel.: 202/622-2490.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic and Facsimile Availability

Information about this designation and additional information
concerning OFAC are available from OFAC's Web site (http://
www.treas.gov/ofac) or via

[[Page 45102]]

facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on-demand service, Tel.: 202/622-0077.

Background

On July 25, 2008, the President issued a new Executive Order with
respect to Zimbabwe pursuant to, inter alia, the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-06). In the Order, the
President took additional steps with respect to the national emergency
declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 7, 2003, and relied upon for
additional steps taken in Executive Order 13391 of November 22, 2005,
in order to address the continued political repression and the
undermining of democratic processes and institutions in Zimbabwe.
Section 1 of the Order blocks, with certain exceptions, all
property, and interests in property, that are in, or hereafter come
within, the United States or the possession or control of United States
persons for persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in
consultation with the Secretary of State, to satisfy any of the
criteria set forth in subparagraphs (a)(i) through (a)(vii) of Section
1. On July 25, 2008, the Director of OFAC designated, pursuant to one
or more of the criteria set forth in subparagraphs (a)(i) through
(a)(vii) of Section 1 of the Order, the following seventeen entities
and one individual, whose names have been added to the list of
Specially Designated Nationals and whose property and interests in
property are blocked, pursuant to the Order:

Entities

1. AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT BANK OF ZIMBABWE (a.k.a. AGRIBANK; a.k.a.
AGRICULTURAL BANK OF ZIMBABWE), Box 369, Harare, Zimbabwe; 15th Floor,
Hurudza House, 14-16 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No.
263-4-774426; Fax No. 263-4-774556 [ZIMBABWE]
2. COMOIL (PVT) LTD, 2nd Floor, Travel Plaza, 29 Mazoe St., Box CY2234,
Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe; Block D, Emerald Hill Office P, Emerald
Park, Harare, Zimbabwe [ZIMBABWE]
3. DIVINE HOMES (PVT) LTD (a.k.a. DIVINE HOMES), 12 Meredith Drive,
Eastlea, Harare, Zimbabwe; 31 Kensington, Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe;
Shop 6, Hillside Shopping Center, Harare, Zimbabwe [ZIMBABWE]
4. FAMBA SAFARIS, P.O. Box CH273, Chisipite, Harare, Zimbabwe; 4
Wayhill Lane, Umwisdale, Harare, Zimbabwe [ZIMBABWE]
5. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF ZIMBABWE LTD (a.k.a.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF ZIMBABWE), P.O. Box CY1431,
Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe; 93 Park Lane, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone 263-
4-794805; Fax No. 263-4-250385 [ZIMBABWE]
6. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF ZIMBABWE (a.k.a. ZIMBABWE
DEVELOPMENT BANK), P.O. Box 1720, Harare, Zimbabwe; ZDB House, 99
Rotten Row, Harare, Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-
7501718; Fax No. 263-4-7744225 [ZIMBABWE]
7. INTERMARKET HOLDINGS LIMITED, 10th Floor ZB House, 46 Speke Avenue,
P.O. Box 3198, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-751168; Fax No. 263-4-
251029 [ZIMBABWE]
8. MINERALS MARKETING CORPORATION OF ZIMBABWE (a.k.a. MMCZ), 90 Mutare
Road, Harare, Zimbabwe; P.O. Box 2628, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-
4-486946; Fax No. 263-4-487261 [ZIMBABWE]
9. ORYX NATURAL RESOURCES (a.k.a. ORYX DIAMONDS; a.k.a. ORYX DIAMONDS
(PTY) LTD; a.k.a. ORYX DIAMONDS LTD.; a.k.a. ORYX ZIMCON (PVT)
LIMITED), Bank of Nova Scotia Bldg., Fourth Floor, George Town, Grand
Cayman, Cayman Islands; 3, Victor Darcy Close, Borrowdale, Harare,
Zimbabwe; S Drive, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Parc
Nicol Offices, Bldg. 6, 301, William Nicol Drive, Bryanston, Gauteng
2021, South Africa; Alexander Forbes Building, Windhoek, Namibia;
Bermuda [ZIMBABWE]
10. OSLEG (a.k.a. OPERATION SOVEREIGN LEGITIMACY; a.k.a. OSLEG (PVT.)
LTD.; a.k.a. OSLEG ENTERPRISES; a.k.a. OSLEG MINES; a.k.a. OSLEG MINING
AND EXPLORATION; a.k.a. OSLEG VENTURES), Lonhoro House, Union Avenue,
Harare, Zimbabwe [ZIMBABWE]
11. SCOTFIN LIMITED, 10th Floor ZB House, 46 Speke Avenue, P.O. Box
3198, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-751168; Fax No. 263-4-251029
[ZIMBABWE]
12. ZB BANK LIMITED (a.k.a. ZB BANK; a.k.a. ZBCL; a.k.a. ZIMBABWE
BANKING CORPORATION LIMITED; a.k.a. ZIMBANK), Zimbank House, Cnr. 1st
Street/Speke Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe; P.O. Box 3198, Harare, Zimbabwe;
Phone No. 263-4-751168; Fax No. 263-4-757497 [ZIMBABWE]
13. ZB FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED (a.k.a. FINHOLD; a.k.a. WWW.ZB.CO.ZW;
a.k.a. ZIMBABWE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED), 10th Floor ZB House, 46
Speke Avenue, P.O. Box 3198, Harare, Zimbabwe; National ID No. 1278/89
(Zimbabwe); Phone No. 263-4-751168; Fax No. 263-4-251029 [ZIMBABWE]
14. ZB HOLDINGS LIMITED, 10th Floor ZB House, 46 Speke Avenue, P.O. Box
3198, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-751168; Fax No. 263-4-251029
[ZIMBABWE]
15. ZIMBABWE IRON AND STEEL COMPANY (a.k.a. ZISCO; a.k.a. ZISCOSTEEL),
Private Bag 2, Redcliff Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-55-62401; Fax
No. 263-55-68666 [ZIMBABWE]
16. ZIMBABWE MINING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (a.k.a. ZIMBABWE MINING
DEVELOPMENT CORP.; a.k.a. ZMDC), MMCZ Building, 90 Mutare Rd., Harare,
Zimbabwe; P.O. Box 4101, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-487014; Fax
No. 263-4-487022 [ZIMBABWE]
17. ZIMRE HOLDINGS LIMITED (a.k.a. WWW.ZHL.CO.ZW; a.k.a. ZIMRE), 9th
Floor, Zimre Centre, Cnr. Leopold Takawira/Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, P.O.
Box 4839, Harare, Zimbabwe; Phone No. 263-4-772963; Fax No. 263-4-
772972 [ZIMBABWE]

Individual

1. AL-SHANFARI, Thamer Bin Said Ahmed (a.k.a. AL SHANFARI, SHEIKH
THAMER; a.k.a. AL SHANFARI, Thamer; a.k.a. AL SHANFARI, Thamer Said
Ahmed; a.k.a. AL-SHANFARI, Thamer Bin Saeed; a.k.a. AL-SHANFARI, Thamer
Said Ahmed; a.k.a. SHANFARI, Thamer), P.O. Box 18, Ruwi 112, Oman; DOB
3 Jan 1968; citizen Oman; nationality Oman; Passport 00000999 (Oman);
alt. Passport 3253 (Oman); Chairman &amp; Managing Director, Oryx Group and
Oryx Natural Resources (individual) [ZIMBABWE]

Dated: July 25, 2008.
Virginia R. Canter,
Acting Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.
[FR Doc. E8-17647 Filed 7-31-08; 8:45 am]]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178456,178460#msg-178460</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:14:43 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Zimbabwe's faultering economy and the IMF</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178456,178456#msg-178456</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[quote]1. Does prohibiting the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor from travelling to Australia, New Zealand and other countries to enter into business discussions with Zimbabweans in the Diaspora not have a negative economic impact on Zimbabwe? 


http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/jamaica/florida.htm
As an aside, we note RBTT’s determined efforts to reverse this trend with its own high profile recruitment of executive talent from the Caribbean diaspora. As usual RBTT leads, because I firmly do believe that we are at the stage where the healthy growth of Caribbean capital markets is contingent on the industry’s massive recruitment of very specialised and experienced talent from abroad.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-11-12/bussguardian26.html
Because you do not know does not mean it doesnt happen.

[quote]No the Zimbabwe governments economic policies have meant that the IMF and World bank won't lend to them. Remember Zimbabwe is in arrears to both these organisations. 

It is not normally the policy of the IMF or World bank to lend to countries in which arreas are owed. Certainly these organisations won't lend money unless a viable and prudent economic plan is being followed. Has the Zimbabwe government actually implemented such a plan?[/quote]

There was a time when the management of the economy in Zimbabwe was highly regarded in Western circles. Throughout its first decade of independence, Zimbabwe's economy grew at an average of 4 percent per year, and substantial gains were made in education and health. Zimbabwe was handling its finances well, and between 1985 and 1989 had cut its debt-service ratio in half. (6) However, the demise of socialism in Europe resulted in an inhospitable environment for nations charting an independent course, and Zimbabwe felt compelled by Western demands to liberalize its economy. In January 1991, Zimbabwe adopted its Economic Structural Adjustment Program (ESAP), designed primarily by the World Bank. The program called for the usual prescription of actions advocated by Western financial institutions, including privatization, deregulation, a reduction of government expenditures on social needs, and deficit cutting. User fees were instituted for health and education, and food subsidies were eliminated. Measures protecting local industry from foreign competition were also withdrawn. 

     The impact was immediate. While pleasing for Western investors, the result was a disaster for the people of Zimbabwe. According to one study, the poorest households in Harare saw their income drop over 12 percent in the year from 1991 to 1992 alone, while real wages in the country plunged by a third over the life of the program. Falling income levels forced people to spend a greater percentage of their income on food, and second-hand clothes were imported to compensate for the inability of most of Zimbabwe's citizens to purchase new clothing. A 1994 survey in Harare found that 90 percent of those interviewed felt that ESAP had adversely affected their lives. The rise in food prices was seen as a major problem by 64 percent of respondents, while many indicated that they were forced to reduce their food intake. ESAP resulted in mass layoffs and crippled the job market so that many were unable to find any employment at all. In the communal areas, the rise in fertilizer prices meant that subsistence farmers were no longer able to fertilize their land, resulting in lower yields. ESAP also mandated the elimination of price controls, allowing those shop owners in communal area who were free of competition to mark prices up dramatically. In 1995, the IMF cut funding to the program when it felt that Zimbabwe wasn't cutting its budget and laying off civil service employees fast enough. Furthermore, the IMF complained, the pace of privatization wasn't rapid enough. But implementation of ESAP was quite fast enough for the people of Zimbabwe. By 1995, over one third of Zimbabwe's citizens could not afford a basic food basket, shelter and clothing. From 1991 to 1995, Zimbabwe experienced a sharp deindustrialization, as manufacturing output fell 40 percent. (7) According to an economic writer from the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), &quot;There is a general consensus among the people of Zimbabwe that ESAP has driven many families into poverty. The program only benefited a privileged minority at the expense of the underprivileged majority.&quot; (8) As intended by Western financial institutions, one could argue.

http://www.swans.com/library/art8/elich004.html


The legislation
The sanctions are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) of the US treasury department. Ofac says the sanctions prohibit people from the US or anyone in the US from engaging in any transaction with any person, entity or organisation undermining democratic institutions and processes in Zimbabwe. 

This also precludes anyone on the designated nationals' list or immediate family members of these designated individuals from engaging in these activities.

Prohibited transactions include exports, imports, trade brokering, financing and facilitation, as well as most financial transactions. 

The regulations define US as: &quot;Any US citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organised under the laws of the US or any jurisdiction within the US (including foreign branches), or any person in the US.&quot; 

Zidera specifically mentions international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the IFC, the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund. 

Amsco, which is registered in the Netherlands but has its operational headquarters in Johannesburg, lists the African Development Bank as one of its shareholders. 


http://www.mg.co.za/printformat/single/2008-07-26-un-assists-mujurus-venture


[quote]The international credit market is not blocked from Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe government is free to raise capital from whoever it sees fit. The problem is the country is so bankrupt it is a bad credit risk and therefore commercial banks won't lend to it. This is not the Wests fault.[/quote]

Thats a lie:-

(c) MULTILATERAL FINANCING RESTRICTION- Until the President makes the certification described in subsection (d), and except as may be required to meet basic human needs or for good governance, the Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director to each international financial institution to oppose and vote against-- 

(1) any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe; or 

(2) any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the United States or any international financial institution

http://www.theorator.com/bills107/s494.html

Neither is Zimbabwe free to go to these countries for AID without the west using it power maliciously against Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe economic situation is caused and maintained by the west.


[quote]You seem tot think it is the right of government individuals to visit any country they want whenever they want for whatever they want. This is not the case. Visits must follow diplomatic protocols and are governed by the relationship between the two nations involved. Just as I would not expect the President of Georgia to be welcome in Russia, (and vice versa), neither should you expect your so called elected representatives to be able to come and go in the West as they see fit. [/quote]

Not true, if the country is hosting an international event of which the persona non grata is a participating member of said event then an exemption is usually made.


[quote]Please do provide some actual evidence on the trade front. I forget who the biggest trading partners of Zimbabwe are again.[/quote]

The west.

[quote]

Donor grants fell from about US$140 million a year in the 1990s to about US$40 million (€30 million) last year. Foreign direct investment went down from about US$100 million (€72 million) a year in the 1990s to about US$20 million (€14.5 million) year since 2000.[/quote]

Again with the entitlement mentality. DO YOU NOT REALISE THAT ZIMBAWE DOES NOT HAVE aN AUTOMATIC RIGHT TO AIDFROM THE WEST?!![/quote]

Aid should not be used for political reason.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178456,178456#msg-178456</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:56:07 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Imports crucial to the survival of Jamaicans</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178253,178269#msg-178269</link>
      <author>Deelighted</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Jamaica do produce some rice (St Elizabeth and Clarendon) but not enough.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178253,178269#msg-178269</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:22:15 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Imports crucial to the survival of Jamaicans</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178253,178253#msg-178253</link>
      <author>Henry</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The following quote from (see Gleaner article below) Mr Samuda underlines one of the things that is wrong with Jamaica. Imports such as rice, that we do not produce, are considered crucial to Jamaicans survival. (Not to mention that saltfish, a feature of our national dish, we do not produce)

&quot;We are taking the appropriate steps to import rice from the United States in the first instance (and) this applies to every product that we regard as being crucial to the survival of the Jamaican people, especially the most vulnerable in the country,&quot; Samuda said.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080425/business/business2.html

I have been saying for years though that woe be unto a country that cannot feed itself. This over-reliance on imported food will put Jamaica at a disadvantage and at the mercy of the international suppliers. For what will happen when supplies are cut? Shortage that will lead to starvation? In recent times we have learnt that rice is being rationed in countries like America as a result of producers in Asian countries reducing export production in order to keep prices low so that their own people can afford it. Therefore as supplies in the international market are reduced the costs are driven up through the principles of supply and demand. What then? Should we continue to embark on a strategy of importing our staple food when such reliance is not guaranteed and especially since we have the means by which to we can produce our own food?]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178253,178253#msg-178253</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:23:53 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: IMF &amp; World Bank help or hindrance?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178211,178248#msg-178248</link>
      <author>Henry</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Frankster,


The IMF and World Bank do not help poor countries but rather they are a hindrance to their development. These institutions were set up to establish &quot;post-colonial&quot; control over the developing world (Third World). The IMF and World Bank facilitate the &quot;international mafias&quot; to continue to maintain control over their territories which were &quot;guaranteed&quot; under the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles sets out how Africa and the rest of the third world would be shared amongst the colonial powers. The IMF and World Bank therefore helps to ensure how the benefits accruing from these territories would be realised throught the institution of debt instruments. What these institutions have done is to impose debt on the developing world - debts that they are unable to repay because of the high interest rates - under the guise that this is necessary in order for them to develop. The reality though is that these countries can never develop if they continue to service the debts because an income acrruing from development initiatives goes straight back to repaying the debt rather than to sustain development. Hence you have countries like Jamaica disbursing two-thirds of its annual budget towards debt servicing - a budget that had to be facilitated by even more borrowing to help meet recurrent expenditure. These institutions done help poor countries but rather leech on them.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178211,178248#msg-178248</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:35:24 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178247#msg-178247</link>
      <author>Henry</author>
      <description><![CDATA[As I pointed out in my previous post, Jamaica of late has been experiencing higher rates of inflation as a result of higher prices for goods (and services). Many, particularly those that are uninformed and at the grass roots level blame this on the change of government without actually taking into consideration happenings on the global scene. In recent years, for example, soaring demand and constrained supply of oil has driven up prices to somewhat detrimental effects on the world economy. Such demand has been driven by countries like China that requires vasts amounts of energy to sustain and continue to grow their burgeoning economy. The result of oil prices spiralling upwards means that the costs of imports will rise as a result of increased production cost in the countries in which they are produced and increased transportation costs to deliver those goods to Jamaica. These increased cost will then be borne on the consumer. Contrary to what the consumer believes then, Mr Golding's JLP government can hardly be blamed for rising costs in consumer goods.

Within this example lies one of the serious problems with Jamaica as a whole. Uninformed consumers are unable to see the linkages between rising costs at local level and events on the global level and as such are unable to make informed decisions about spending habits. Within this construct therefore I will attempt to take a cursory look at the question which was initially posed as to whether Jamaica was indeed a lost cause. I will say then that Jamaica is a lost cause only if they do not take an introspective look at themselves and seek to devise and implement radical/revolutionary strategies to redefine themselves. This must necessarily be done if we are to promote a path to sustainable economic development. It would prove a futile task to promote sustainable economic growth and development without a shared sense of nationalism. A serious lack of a sense of nationalism is most evident when we see consumers having a false sense of perception in the belief that imported goods are superior to that of locally produced goods. However, if we were to take lessons from the likes of Thomas Sankara (late president of Burkina Faso) who believed that &quot;we&quot; should, &quot;produce what we need and consume what we produced&quot; then we would go a far way to combat some of the negative effects of the unstable global economy at present. It is therefore expedient that we develop our human capital by educating the populace and instilling in them a sense of nationalism to believe in, buy into and support &quot;brand Jamaica&quot; to the collective upliftment and betterment of our people. In this way our people would not need to be languishing in the sidelines and wonder what Patterson, Simpson-Miller, or Golding is doing to our beloved country, why food prices and other consumables are increasing and why the country is &quot;going to hell in a hand basket.&quot; They would instead be actively invovled in promoting the development of the country having a more optimistic vision of a brighter tomorrow.

What then, is Jamaica a lost cause? No! Not if we keep hope alive!]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178247#msg-178247</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:56:46 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Thomas Sankara Speaks</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178246,178246#msg-178246</link>
      <author>Henry</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Jamaica and the wider Caribbean could learn a lot of lessons from this man. Qoute from the article below:

&quot;Let’s produce in Africa, transform in Africa, consume in Africa. Produce what we need and consume what we produce, in place of importing it. 

Burkina Faso has come to show you the cotton produced in Burkina Faso, woven in Burkina Faso, sewn in Burkina Faso to clothe the Burkinabč. My delegation and I were clothed by our weavers, our peasants. Not a single thread comes from Europe or America. [Applause] I’m not here to put on a fashion show; I simply want to say that we should undertake to live as Africans. It is the only way to live free and to live in dignity.&quot; 





Those who exploit Africa
and Europe are the same’ 
First time in English: Thomas Sankara
on canceling Third World debt
 
The speech excerpted below was given in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at a conference of member states of the Organization of African Unity on July 29, 1987, by Thomas Sankara, the leader of a 1983-87 revolution in Burkina Faso (see front page article). In it, Sankara proposes a broad campaign to win support among working people in Africa and in the imperialist world for cancellation of the Third World debt. The speech is one of five items never before published in English that will appear in expanded editions of Thomas Sankara Speaks, to be published early October. Copyright © 2007 by Pathfinder Press, reprinted by permission. 
BY THOMAS SANKARA  
Mr. President;
Heads of delegations: 

I would like at this moment for us to take up the other question that plagues us, the question of the debt, the question of Africa’s economic situation. As much as peace, resolving this is an important condition for our survival… . 

We believe analysis of the debt should begin with its roots. The roots of the debt go back to the beginning of colonialism. Those who lent us the money were those who colonized us. They were the same people who ran our states and our economies. It was the colonizers who put Africa into debt to the financiers—their brothers and cousins. This debt has nothing to do with us. That’s why we cannot pay it. 

The debt is another form of neocolonialism, one in which the colonialists have transformed themselves into technical assistants. Actually, it would be more accurate to say technical assassins. They’re the ones who advised us on sources of financing, on underwriters of loans. As if there were men whose loans are enough to create development in other people’s countries. These underwriters were recommended to us, suggested to us. They gave us enticing financial documents and presentations. We took on loans of fifty years, sixty years, and even longer. That is, we were led to commit our peoples for fifty years and more. 

The debt in its present form is a cleverly organized reconquest of Africa under which our growth and development are regulated by stages and norms totally alien to us. It is a reconquest that turns each of us into a financial slave—or just plain slave—of those who had the opportunity, the craftiness, the deceitfulness to invest funds in our countries that we are obliged to repay. Some tell us to pay the debt. This is not a moral question. Paying or not paying is not a question of so-called honor at all. 

Mr. President: 

We listened to and applauded the prime minister of Norway when she spoke right here. She said, and she’s a European, that the debt as a whole cannot be repaid. I just want to develop her remarks further by saying that none of the debt can be repaid. The debt cannot be repaid, first of all, because, if we don’t pay, the lenders won’t die. Of that you can be sure. On the other hand, if we do pay, we are the ones who will die. Of that you can be equally sure. Those who led us into debt were gambling, as if they were in a casino. As long as they were winning, there was no problem. Now that they’re losing their bets, they demand repayment. There is talk of a crisis. No, Mr. President. They gambled. They lost. Those are the rules of the game. Life goes on. [Applause] 

We cannot repay the debt because we have nothing to pay it with. We cannot repay the debt because it’s not our responsibility. We cannot repay the debt because, on the contrary, the others owe us something that the greatest riches can never repay—a debt of blood… . 

When people talk to us today about economic crisis, they forget to mention that the crisis didn’t appear overnight. It has been with us for a long time, and it will deepen more and more as the popular masses become increasingly aware of their rights in face of the exploiters. 

There is a crisis today because the masses refuse to allow wealth to be concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. There is a crisis because a few individuals hold colossal sums of money in foreign banks—enough to develop Africa. There is a crisis because in face of these individual fortunes, whose owners we can name, the popular masses refuse to live in ghettos and slums. There is a crisis because people everywhere refuse to stay in Soweto when Johannesburg is directly opposite them. That is, there is struggle, and the deepening of this struggle leads to worries among the holders of financial power. 

They ask us today to collaborate in the search for stability. Stability to the benefit of the holders of financial power. Stability to the detriment of the popular masses. No, we can’t be accomplices in this. No, we can’t go along with those who suck the blood of our peoples and who live off the sweat of our peoples. We can’t go along with their murderous ventures. 

Mr. President: 

We hear talk of clubs—the Club of Rome, the Club of Paris, the Club of Everywhere. We hear talk of the Group of Five, of Seven, of the Group of Ten, perhaps the Group of One Hundred. Who knows what else? It’s normal that we too have our own club, our own group. Starting today, let’s make Addis Ababa a similar seat, the center from which will come a breath of fresh air, the Club of Addis Ababa. We have the duty to create the united front of Addis Ababa against the debt. This is the only way we can say today that, by refusing to pay, we’re not setting out on a course of war but, on the contrary, a fraternal course of explaining the facts as they are. 

What’s more, the popular masses of Europe are not opposed to the popular masses of Africa. Those who want to exploit Africa are the same ones as those who exploit Europe. We have a common enemy. Our Club of Addis Ababa must tell both sides that the debt cannot be paid. When we say the debt cannot be paid we are in no way against morality, dignity, or respect for one’s word. It’s our view that we don’t have the same morals as the other side. The rich and the poor don’t share the same morals. The Bible and the Koran can’t serve in the same way those who exploit the people and those who are exploited. There will have to be two editions of the Bible and two editions of the Koran. [Applause] 

We can’t accept their morals. We can’t accept their talking to us about dignity. We can’t accept their talking to us about the merits of those who pay and about a loss of confidence in those who don’t pay. On the contrary, we must explain that it’s normal these days to favor the view that the richest people are the biggest thieves. A poor man who steals commits no more than larceny, a petty crime, just to survive, out of necessity. The rich are the ones who rob the tax revenue and customs duties. They are the ones who exploit the people. 

Mr. President: 

My proposal does not aim simply to provoke or to create a spectacle. I am trying to say what each of us thinks and hopes for. Who here doesn’t want to see the debt written off, pure and simple? Anyone who doesn’t want that can leave, take his plane, and go directly to the World Bank to pay it off. [Applause] … 

Mr. President: 

This is not a provocation. I hope you can very wisely offer us solutions. I hope our conference sees the necessity of stating clearly that we cannot pay the debt. Not in a warmongering or warlike spirit. This is to avoid our going off to be killed one at a time. If Burkina Faso alone were to refuse to pay the debt, I wouldn’t be at the next conference. On the other hand, with the support of all, which I greatly need [Applause], with the support of all, we can avoid paying. And if we can avoid paying, we can devote our meager resources to our development. 

I would like to close by saying that when we tell countries we’re not going to pay the debt, we can assure them that what is saved won’t be spent on prestige projects. We don’t want any more of those. What is saved will be used for development. In particular we will avoid going into debt to buy arms. Because an African country that buys arms can only be doing so to use them against an African country. What African country here can arm itself to defend against the nuclear bomb? No country is capable of that, from the best armed to the least armed. Every time an African country buys a weapon, it’s for use against another African country. It’s not for use against a European country. It’s not for use against an Asian country. So in preparing the resolution on the debt we must also find a solution to the question of armaments… . 

We can also use Africa’s immense latent resources to develop the continent, because our soil and subsoil are rich. We have the means to do that and we have an immense market, a vast market from north to south, east to west. We have sufficient intellectual capacities to create technology and science, or at least to adopt it wherever we find it. 

Mr. President: 

Let’s assemble this united front of Addis Ababa against the debt. Let’s organize so that beginning in Addis Ababa we make the decision to limit the arms race between weak and poor countries. The clubs and swords we buy are of no use. Let’s make sure that the African market is a market for Africans. Let’s produce in Africa, transform in Africa, consume in Africa. Produce what we need and consume what we produce, in place of importing it. 

Burkina Faso has come to show you the cotton produced in Burkina Faso, woven in Burkina Faso, sewn in Burkina Faso to clothe the Burkinabč. My delegation and I were clothed by our weavers, our peasants. Not a single thread comes from Europe or America. [Applause] I’m not here to put on a fashion show; I simply want to say that we should undertake to live as Africans. It is the only way to live free and to live in dignity. 

Thank you, Mr. President. 

Homeland or death, we will win! 

[Ovation]

http://themilitant.com/2007/7134/713456.html]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178246,178246#msg-178246</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:12:59 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Is Jamaica a lost cause?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178241#msg-178241</link>
      <author>Henry</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Somone once described Jamaica in a poem as &quot;paradise lost&quot;. Is Jamaica really a lost cause? With Bruce Golding winning the election this was met with much optimism as it constituted a changing of the guards from the PNP who were in power for the last 20 years or so. Not that I am a JLP supporter but Jamaica rightly needed a change but with rising costs in the wake of Goldings assent to the &quot;throne&quot; what next for Jamaica? Can anyone see a bright future for Jamaica? With the promise of an international recession and world growth slowing down, this does not bode well on the horizon for Jamaica. Where do we go from here? Any takers?]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178241,178241#msg-178241</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:28:53 -0400</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Re: Questioning Africom Intentions?</title>
      <link>http://www.mekwitalk.net/read.php?7,178229,178230#msg-178230</link>
      <author>frankster</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The U.S. Attempts to Tighten Its Grip on Africa
Wednesday, 20 February 2008

by Horace Campbell

George Bush's foray into Africa revealed both U.S. intentions to militarize the continent and the limits of American coercive power in the current global environment. Bush scaled down his visit to five &quot;safe&quot; countries where his millions of dollars in &quot;aid&quot; would be warmly received, while avoiding nations where U.S. policies are unpopular. Oil lies at the heart of the U.S. thrust in Africa, the source of &quot;more petroleum to the USA than the Middle East.&quot; Washington's plans for a headquarters on the continent for its African military command (Africom) have been frustrated by resistance from major players in the region, notably South Africa, Nigeria and Angola. But a full-blown, proxy offensive is underway in the Horn of Africa, where the U.S. foments and &quot;fabricates&quot; a war on terror. &quot;Those who support real cooperation, solidarity and anti-racism must oppose the US Africa command.&quot;

The U.S. Attempts to Tighten Its Grip on Africa
by Horace Campbell


&quot;It is urgent that peace activists who want reconstruction and transformation in Africa oppose plans for remilitarization of Africa.&quot;

One year after the announcement that the United States government was going to accelerate the militarization of Africa, President George Bush has embarked on a journey to Africa to coerce African societies to align themselves with the neo-conservative agenda of the present US administration. President George Bush was scheduled to visit five African countries between February 15 -21: Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda and Tanzania. George Bush is a lame-duck President who cannot visit real global players so this visit to Africa is an effort to shore up the credentials of the neo-liberal forces in Africa while promoting the conservative ideas of abstinence as the basis of the fight against the HIV-AIDS pandemic.


Exactly one year ago, in February 2007, President Bush announced that the Defense Department would create a new Africa Command to coordinate U.S. government interests on the continent. Under this plan all governmental agencies of the US would fall under the military, i.e, USAID, State Department, US Department of Energy, Treasury, and Department of Education etc. Already within the US academic community, the interests of the Pentagon has been placed before all other interests.


&quot;Why is a lame duck President seeking to gain more support in Africa?&quot;
In pursuance of the plans for the militarization of Africa, the US Department of Defense announced the appointment of General William &quot;Kip&quot; Ward (an African American) as head of this new Military command. On September 28, 2007, Ward was confirmed as the head of this new imperial military structure and on October 1 2007, the new command was launched in Stuttgart, Germany. The major question that is being posed by African peace activists and by concerned citizens is, why now? Why is a lame duck President seeking to gain more support in Africa?


One answer may lay in the diminished power of the United States in the aftermath of the fiasco in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will maintain in this reflection that it is urgent that peace activists who want reconstruction and transformation in Africa oppose the plans for the remilitarization of Africa under the guise of fighting terrorism in Africa.

Why Now?

At the end of World War II the United States had emerged as a leading political, economic and military force in world politics. It was in this period when the US established unified military command structures such as the European Command, the Pacific Command, the Southern Command, the Northern Command, and Central Command. Each command covers an area of responsibility (AOR). When this command structure was being refined, Africa was an after thought in so far as the United States had relegated the exploitation of Africa to the former European colonial exploiters. Hence, Africa fell under the European Command with its headquarters in Germany. Africa had not been included in the geographic combatant commands in so far as it was expected that France, Britain, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal and other colonial powers would retain military forces to guarantee western &quot;interests&quot; in Africa. The collapse of the Portuguese colonial forces in Mozambique, Angola, Guinea and Sao Tome and the collapse of the white racist military forces in Rhodesia gradually led to a rethinking by the US military. During this period the US had labeled all African freedom fighters as terrorists. When the US was allied with Osama Bin Laden and Jonas Savimbi, Nelson Mandela had been branded a terrorist.

Central Command

After the Iranian revolution in 1978-1979, the US established the Central Command. CENTCOM, based in Florida, USA was responsible for the US military activities in East Africa and the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia and the Sudan). The Pacific Command based in Hawaii was responsible for the Comoros, Diego Garcia, Madagascar and Mauritius. Added to these commands in six continents are the logistical command structures such as the Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), Space Command (SPACECOM), the Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Transport Command (TRANSCOM).

At the end of the era of formal apartheid, the US military had established the Africa Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) with the goal of supporting humanitarianism and ending genocide. It was this same US government that had lobbied the United Nations to withdraw troops from Rwanda in the midst of the fastest genocide in Africa. Two years later, the US supported the militarist forces in Burundi even while publicly renouncing the genocidal violence and the war in Burundi.

&quot;Presently Africa supplies more petroleum to the USA than the Middle East.&quot;

Throughout this period, the US military had been cautious about involvement in Africa in the aftermath of the experience in Mogadishu/Somalia in 1993. This caution changed after the events of September 2001. In the next year the USA updated its ACRI &quot;plans&quot; to organize the African Contingency Operations Training Assistance (ACOTA). Under ACOTA, African troops were supposed to be provided with offensive military weaponry, including rifles, machine guns, and mortars. The Africa Regional Peacekeeping Program (ARP) was also established in order to equip, train, and support troops from selected African countries that are involved in &quot;peacekeeping&quot; operations. Additionally, the US government launched a Pan Sahel anti-terrorism initiative (later called Trans Sahara Counter Terror Initiative). Behind these grand mutations lay one clear fact. The USA wanted to control the oil resources from Africa. Presently Africa supplies more petroleum to the USA than the Middle East and US corporations wanted the US military to guarantee the dominance of US oil conglomerates.

Exposing US militarism and the failures in the Middle East

After launching two major wars from the United States Central Command, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq pointed to the reality that high technology weapons cannot guarantee military superiority in battles. It was in the face of the quagmire that the US faced in Iraq that the United States government announced the formation of a new command structure called, Africom.

What did we learn from the visit of George Bush to the Middle East in January 2008? Even the friends and allies of the USA (such as the leadership of Saudi Arabia and Egypt) warned that the US could not get anywhere as long as the issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestine does not end. And, lo and behold, the people of Gaza took matters in their hands a few days after the visit of Bush to Egypt to bring home to the world the reality that there can be no peace in Palestine when there is illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands along with the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestine. By breaking out of the blockade of Israel and breaking through the walls that divided Gaza from Egypt, the citizens of Gaza were literally breaking the silence in the international community over the crimes against the peoples of Palestine. In the process these citizens placed the Egyptian leadership on the defensive and clarified the true alliance between Israel, Egypt and the United States. In the face of the protracted struggles of the Palestinian peoples, the future of US domination in the Middle East remains unclear, hence the political leadership in the USA is seeking new bases of support in Africa to base US troops and to strengthen the US oil corporations. In other parts of North Africa there are leaders who proclaim support for the rights of the self determination of the peoples of Palestine yet, covertly and overtly work with the government of the USA.


&quot;The USA is seeking new bases of support in Africa to base US troops and to strengthen the US oil corporations.&quot;
The governments of Morocco and Algeria, in particular, stand out as military allies of the USA while posturing that they oppose Israeli occupation. The government of Algeria is an accomplice in fabricating terrorism in the Sahel in order to justify its military alliance with the USA. Similarly, the government of Libya projects itself as a progressive government but is seeking to ingratiate itself with the neo-conservative forces in Washington. Both Algeria and Libya are important producers of petroleum and natural gas.

African Oil - The real objective

The invasion of Iraq, the instability on the border between Turkey and Iraq (with the threat of a Turkish invasion of Iraq), the stalemate over the future of Lebanon and the continued struggles for self determination in Palestine has sharpened the contradictions between imperialism and the peoples of the Middle East. In the face of this situation there are scholars who have argued and presented evidence that the government of the United States has been &quot;fabricating terrorism&quot; in Africa. This fabrication of terrorism carries with it racial stereotypes to support US military action in Africa. The hypocrisy of the US government in this region is manifest in the fact that while there is a major campaign against genocide and against genocidal violence in Darfur, the government of the USA cooperates with the government of the Sudan on the grounds of &quot;intelligence sharing to fight terrorism.&quot; It is in the Sudan where the neo-conservatives are stoking the fires of war in order to get access to the oil resources of the Sudan.

Under the guise of fighting terrorism the government of the US has been involved in many illegal activities such as kidnapping citizens in the so called extraordinary rendition.

Challenging the European Union and China in Africa

The changed realities in the Middle East and in Africa have been accompanied by a new activist posture of China in Africa. Outmaneuvered in Asia by China and challenged by the rising democratic forces in Latin America, the spaces for the accumulation of capital by US capitalists are dwindling.

&quot;There is only one area of the world where the US imperialists will have free rein. Africa.&quot;

In the past, when there was a crisis such as the period after the Vietnam War, the USA could transfer the crisis to other countries via the IMF. But the European Union has challenged this calculus and created the Euro as an alternative to the US dollar.


It will not be possible for the IMF to transfer the crisis to Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East or Latin America. This means that there is only one area of the world where the US imperialists will have free rein. This is in Africa. It is also in Africa where there is a movement against the economic terrorism of neo-liberalism and the unjust conditionalities of the IMF and World Bank.

African responses

Thus far the majority of African states have refused to host the Africa Command. Despite the aggressive military and diplomatic efforts by the US government, not even the closest &quot;partners' of the imperialists have supported this call for the Africa Command. There is only one state (Liberia) that has openly called for the basing of the US Africa command on African soil. Though the United States has 5,458 distinct and discreet military installations around the world there are pressures from the military-industrial and oil complex for the USA to have more effective resources in Africa to defend US capitalism.

For the past twenty years the US government had been building political assets in Kenya to pave the way for &quot;security cooperation.&quot; Kenya would have been one of the stops on this visit but the political struggles in Kenya made it impossible for George Bush to visit Kenya. It is this country that has participated in the so called extra-ordinary rendition.

More than 90 persons were captured with apparent U.S. involvement after they fled fighting in Somalia. The prisoners were rendered on a plane chartered by the Kenyan government into secret detention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

&quot;Kenya would have been one of the stops on this visit but the political struggles in Kenya made it impossible.&quot;

Uganda would have been another stop on the visit, but the continued war in the North and the clear dictatorial character of the Museveni government made this stop undesirable.


One other undesirable ally is Ethiopia. The government of Meles Zenawi has joined in the efforts to fabricate terrorism in Somalia and has invaded Somalia. Yet, despite this alliance, Bush and the planners in Washington did not deem it safe for Bush to visit Ethiopia.


Bush could not go to South Africa at this time because Jacob Zuma is the President of the ANC. He could not go to Nigeria because the Nigerians are opposed to the so-called war on terror. So Bush had to find a country where he could go to. The US settled on Tanzania and Rwanda.


In West Africa, the US President scheduled Benin, Liberia and Ghana. It will be the task of the political activists and democratic forces in these societies to demonstrate against the US and the plans for Africom in West Africa.

Peace loving citizens must oppose the militarization of Africa

In 1980 when the US Central Command was being debated the citizens of the Middle East and North Africa did not sufficiently engage the full meaning of this new military structure. After the militarization of the Middle East, five major wars and millions dead, it is urgent that peace activists oppose the plans to bring Africa closer into this arc of warfare.

The quest for peace in Africa has been sharpened by the crude materialism of the present period and the intensified exploitation of Africans in the era of plunder and looting. Contemporary looting is hidden behind the discourses of liberalization, privatization, the freedom of markets and the Global war on terror. Racist images of war and &quot;anarchy&quot; and &quot;failed states&quot; are mobilized by the international media to justify the launch of the US military command structure for Africa. Those who support real cooperation, solidarity and anti-racism must oppose the US Africa command.

We should remember the statement of the columnist of the New York Times, Thomas Friedman who had written, &quot;The hidden hand of the market will never work without the hidden fist - McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies is called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.&quot;

Horace Campbell is Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University. To become a Friend of the Congo, phone 1-888-584-6510 and visit http://friendsofthecongo.org/action/index.php.]]></description>
      <category>Forward Thinking</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:11:35 -0400</pubDate>
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