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F R I D A Y , A U G U S T 0 5 , 2 0 0 5George Bush's Culture Of Death Continuesby Michael in New York on
8/05/2005 02:33:00 AMThe world poured out its heart during the brief moment thetsunami captured our attention. But the slow-motion disasterof hunger -- which can be predicted months in advance --leaves us cold. Money spent early on could save a lot morelives a lot more cheaply. But Bush ignored the nightmare inNiger.International aid officials and charity workers here say thatthe world's dilatory reaction to Niger's woes is hard toexcuse. Some of them also say that Niger's miseries thisyear are merely a worsened version of its perennial ones -and that until Niger addresses its problems of primitivefarming, primitive health care and primitive socialconditions, infants will continue to die unnoticed in numbersthat dwarf any hunger emergency.......they are pushing the death rate for small children evenhigher than Niger's customary one-in-four level, and killingoff the livestock upon which the nation's nomads depend.How many people need aid depends on the yardstick used.About 1.2 million of Niger's 3.6 million rural farmers andherders are described as "extremely vulnerable" to foodshortages and in need of food aid, according to anassessment of Niger's crisis conducted four months ago bythe United Nations, major charities and Niger's government.Of those, about 874,000 urgently need free food, the latestassessment concluded late last month, and that numbercould rise until the harvest is completed in October....Among others, the United Nations World Food Program andDoctors Without Borders sounded alarms, and Niger'sgovernment, with World Food Program approval, quicklyasked donors to give Niger 71,000 tons of food aidand $3 million for the 400,000 most vulnerablefarmers and herders.By May, it had received fewer than 7,000 tons of foodand one $323,000 donation, from Luxembourg....The charity has angrily accused governments of allowingchildren to die, albeit not intentionally, so that the freemarket in grain would not be disrupted.Three million dollars could have made a crucial early difference.Three million dollars and some of the food we let rot in silos to propup prices and undercut other African farmers. That isn't even bigenough to qualify as an accounting error for the US. So big businesstrumps starving babies. And Bush does nothing. Some "culture oflife."
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© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
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8/05/2005 02:33:00 AMThe world poured out its heart during the brief moment thetsunami captured our attention. But the slow-motion disasterof hunger -- which can be predicted months in advance --leaves us cold. Money spent early on could save a lot morelives a lot more cheaply. But Bush ignored the nightmare inNiger.International aid officials and charity workers here say thatthe world's dilatory reaction to Niger's woes is hard toexcuse. Some of them also say that Niger's miseries thisyear are merely a worsened version of its perennial ones -and that until Niger addresses its problems of primitivefarming, primitive health care and primitive socialconditions, infants will continue to die unnoticed in numbersthat dwarf any hunger emergency.......they are pushing the death rate for small children evenhigher than Niger's customary one-in-four level, and killingoff the livestock upon which the nation's nomads depend.How many people need aid depends on the yardstick used.About 1.2 million of Niger's 3.6 million rural farmers andherders are described as "extremely vulnerable" to foodshortages and in need of food aid, according to anassessment of Niger's crisis conducted four months ago bythe United Nations, major charities and Niger's government.Of those, about 874,000 urgently need free food, the latestassessment concluded late last month, and that numbercould rise until the harvest is completed in October....Among others, the United Nations World Food Program andDoctors Without Borders sounded alarms, and Niger'sgovernment, with World Food Program approval, quicklyasked donors to give Niger 71,000 tons of food aidand $3 million for the 400,000 most vulnerablefarmers and herders.By May, it had received fewer than 7,000 tons of foodand one $323,000 donation, from Luxembourg....The charity has angrily accused governments of allowingchildren to die, albeit not intentionally, so that the freemarket in grain would not be disrupted.Three million dollars could have made a crucial early difference.Three million dollars and some of the food we let rot in silos to propup prices and undercut other African farmers. That isn't even bigenough to qualify as an accounting error for the US. So big businesstrumps starving babies. And Bush does nothing. Some "culture oflife."
HuffPost PoliticsMichael Shaw: Reading the Pictures: As If This PutsBirthers To Bedt - click for full size Seeing isbelieving? via RJ Eskow. Stewart escalates....28 minutes ago
FiredoglakeLate Late Night FDL: Holiday Road - LindsayBuckingham - Holiday Road. I'm not headed toWallyworld but I am on the road tonight, headeddown to the San Francisco Bay Area for themeetup this...1 hour ago
Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Tonight's RescueRangers are noddem, Elise, jlms qkw, taylormattd,Shayera, and joyful with vcmvo2 editing.* Thediaries up for rescue are: - *Vikin...2 hours ago
Crooks and LiarsOpen Thread - Just a little something re the birtherthing. Open thread below...2 hours ago
EschatonLate Night - Go Electric.2 hours agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S
Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T VEnd Deadlock? Yes With ISVoters select one issue: lawmakers must resolve it or be replacedIssueSelection.org
Next 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
1 of 57/24/09 11:22 AM
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Massive brawl in SouthKorean parliament
Mormons may havesecretly baptized
Medieval helpdesk withEnglish subtitles
The Taco Bell dog hasdied
In honor of SenatorDeMintAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
2 of 57/24/09 11:22 AM
Walker ReportSimple Test ToDetermine If Conrad'sCo-ops Are Worthless2 hours agoEzra KleinTab Dump7 hours agoWonk RoomNewt Gingrich’s ‘JobsFirst’ Plan Puts TheWealthy AndCorporations First9 hours agoHealth BeatIf We’re Able to StopObama On This . . . . ItWill Break Him9 hours agoDaily DoseObama Talks HealthCare With Post's Hiatt10 hours agoG AY P O L I T I C S
Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S
Blog RSS
AMERICAblog TV RSS
Twitter RSSTwitter Feed
Get the blog by email:
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Top AdAdvertise in this spot.H E A LT H C A R ER E F O R MAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
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AMERICAblog
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SearchS E N D U S T I P S &C O M M E N T Samericablog@starpower.netB L O G A R C H I V E
Blog ArchiveS I T E S W E L I K EAir America RadioAlan Colmes' blogAri Melber (The Nation)Ben SmithBicycleMark's blog &podcastBilericoBradBlogBring It OnCarrie FisherCrooks and LiarsDailyKosDan Savage's "Slog"Daou ReportDemocratic UndergroundEschatonEzra KleinFire Dog LakeFiveThirtyEight.comFreeway BloggerThe Gavel (SpeakerPelosi's blog)Good As YouGlenn GreenwaldHoly Bullies and HeadlessMonstersHuffington PostHullabaloo (Digby)Jack and Jill PoliticsJed ReportJesus' GeneralKenneth in the 212Margaret and HelenMatthew GrossMedia MattersMike Signorile's "The Gist"MudflatsMyDDOpen LeftPlum LinePolitical Punch (JakeTapper)Political WirePolitics 1Pop SurfingProgressive Blog DigestQueers UnitedRawStoryRex WocknerRude PunditSmirking ChimpTalk LeftTappedTaylor MarshThink ProgressTowleRoadVetVoice.comWashington NoteWayneBesen.comWonketteWorth Repeating
N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews
P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$
Recurring monthlydonation$
Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S
Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors
A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
4 of 57/24/09 11:22 AM
© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Georg...http://www.americablog.com/2005/08/george-bushs-culture-of-...
5 of 57/24/09 11:22 AM