CANCELLING THE DEBT: Over the weekend, the world's wealthiest countries agreed to write off more than $40 billion of African debt. The deal, struck by finance ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations, would wipe out the debts owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries immediately and up to 38 in total, most of which are in Africa. The debt cancellation deal covers debts to international lending agencies such as the World Bank, African Development Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Obviously, Dubya and the US are under incredible international pressure, because they had said just last week that Africa wasn't really on the agenda what with that pesky, unlawful war we started still raging in Iraq. What Dubya hasn't promised is what the ONE campaign is encouraging: giving one percent to developing nations like Africa to assist in education and AIDS prevention.

As the national media continues to look deeper into the Downing Street memo and the human rights abuses at Gitmo (I bet Time won't be retracting its latest story), Dubya is facing a political shitstorm. His numbers are already in the toilet. All we need is a good courtesy flush.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm not so sure that Time magazine article is a real smoking gun like you lefties want it to be. Its a log on one of the terrorists who planned to hijack the plans on 9-11. They should have gotten all the information out of him they coudl and then shot him in the head.
Collin Kelley said…
You're right Mr. or Ms. Anonymous. It's probably not THE smoking gun, but just one of the little tiny ones leading up to the big flaming cannon.

Sure, this guy was going to be on one of the hijacked planes and if that's the case, he probably should be punished. But my gut feeling is this terror suspect isn't the only one being tortured at Gitmo and the other secret US camps around the world.

And of course Herr Cheney believes ain't a damn thing wrong at Gitmo. Just read this:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/13/gitmo.cheney/index.html
David Herrle said…
Regardless of personal politics and where one stands on foreign aid, anonymous and others need to seriously consider the future possibility of a *series* of "Gitmos" being used for a broader range of "combatants," "subversives," and "extremists."

Political "threats" can be justified by frightened or spiteful masses as easily as physical ones - depending on the circumstances, the programme, and 'ganda effectiveness. (That can stem from "lefties" or "righties." PC-police or nationalists or whatever. The political see-saw will shift, and the NEXT ruling band will abuse their power.)

Many currently unlikely folks might be facing the bullet in the head someday.

Heed Eric Hoffer's wise words:
"...since the genuine man of words can never wholeheartedly and for long suppress his critical faculty, he is inevitably cast into the role of heretic...he is likely to end up wither a shunned recluse or in exile or facing a firing squad."

-D.
David Herrle said…
in the hoffer quote: should be "either" instead of "wither." sorry.

-D.
Collin Kelley said…
What disturbs me is that the US is holding all these "detainees" and has been since 2001 and they've never been charged with a crime. Many of them were rounded up in Afghanistan and Iraq, I believe, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's shameful.

Popular Posts