A Hard Post to Write/Read

OPRAH TEARS AUTHOR INTO ‘A MILLION LITTLE PIECES’ is the top story!

I have nothing against Oprah…well, who am I kidding, I have a lot against Oprah. But that is not the purpose of this post. I am constantly amazed by the national infatuation with the meaningless. As a follower of world events I have compiled my list of underreported and flat out ignored stories that I think people should be aware of. I warn you: This post may be long (I have not written it yet) and I will pull no punches. The topics will be hard and only underscore the meaninglessness of what happened on Oprah yesterday. So here they are, my top nine (feel free to add one if you want), in no particular order.

1. Africa- Africa has been called the “dark continent.” I would submit that the “forgotten continent” would be more appropriate. Without exception, every country on the continent has at least one major crisis that if left unchecked could end hundreds (the best case scenario) or even millions (worst case) of lives. I will not go into detail on each country (Although I would love to, feel free to ask about specific countries if you wish) but I will touch on a few of the worst cases. In all cases, remember that we are not talking about numbers these are fathers, mothers and children.
Sudan- In a fight between Arabs and Africans that dates back to the Ptolemy’s, Sudanese military and the Janjaweed militia have engaged in the systematic genocide of Africans. Lately their efforts have focused on the southwest province of Darfur.
Congo- 36,000 people die in this country every month according to the UN. This figure does not count those who are kidnapped, raped or sold into slavery.
Uganda- Despite making headway against the AIDS virus in the last few years, Uganda is fighting an insurgency in the north of the country against a group ironically calling itself the “Lords Resistance Army “(LRA). The LRA largely funds itself through robbery, kidnapping, and selling children into slavery. Thousands dead and missing
Cote d’Ivore- In the news this week because its warm civil war just went hot. Hundreds dead, thousands at stake.
Somalia-despite UN/US intervention in the early to mid 1990s. Somalia is still among the world’s most dangerous places. In many cases it is a kill or be killed type of existence. It is a base for both terrorists and piracy. There is a temporary government in place but it is largely viewed as a joke. Unknown amount of dead (estimated in the low millions since the 1990s)

2. The War in Afghanistan-Yes there is still a war going on there. Overshadowed by the larger conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan is a country in transition, albeit sometimes a violent transition. An increase in car bombings and suicide attacks in the south means that US and NATO forces are moving more heavily into that area. Headway is being made, no doubt, but the war here should not be forgotten.

3. North Korea- Almost all news about North Korea has been shut down by western governments. Despite the facts that the NK military would have to deliver it in a vintage WWI biplane, the fact that NK possesses nuclear weapons means that no one wants to talk bad about them. As a nation we are trying to keep them happy. This is in spite of the fact that Kim Jong Il, the despot leader of NK forced a famine on his country that is estimated to have killed 300,000 people, and that may be low balling it. Videos of public executions have been smuggled out of NK which show people being shot in the head for trying to leave the country, or for writing something bad about the “Dear Leader” of NK. Perhaps worst of all, NK runs several Nazi style concentration camps for those who disagree or were suspected of disagreeing with the government. It is unknown how many people have died in these camps or how many remain in them today. It is estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Can you imagine being silent about concentration camps. You don’t have to, we are already doing it. Satellite pictures of these camps can be found on globalsecurity.org

4. French Intelligence help-I love to mock the French as much as the next guy, probably more, but the help they are giving us in the War on Terror is awesome. Due to the fact that they have a large Muslim Immigrant populations as well as their history as a colonial power means that they have sources that we do not and they have been willing to share it. The Washington Post did a great article on this several weeks back. So, say "thank you" to Frenchy, even if he does smell.

5. International Slavery-despite the fact that slavery is almost universally denounced in the developed world, a blind eye is turned to the millions of mainly women and children sold into a lifetime of slavery. In many cases they are rounded up in rural areas where no one will notice and the shipped by boat to places where they can be sold for a good bit of money. Does that sound familiar? Also called by its more palatable name “human trafficking,” the slaves mostly come out of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caucuses and are largely sold into the Middle East, Russia and to pedophiles all over the world, including in the United States.

6. The GOOD news from Iraq- Every once in a while you hear something about this but it is so underreported. Schools that Saddam used to hide weapons in have been rebuilt by the US, complete with books and supplies. The vast majority of the country is relatively safe. Tremendous progress has been made throughout the country and we are learning new ways to fight every day. Elections have gone off great and public participation from all major groups was heavy, yet this is glossed over.

7. AIDS Pandemic-Yet another crisis that focuses largely on Africa and Asia. Because it is hardest hit in terms of people infected, Africa is often singled out in Pandemic discussions, but Southeast Asia (Thailand especially) is so bad that it has developed its own strain of the virus. Entire countries will lose their working class, plunging them backwards in terms of economic and social development. Lack of AIDS education has hampered many efforts to get the plague under control. In Africa, for example, rumors that having intercourse with a virgin would cure the disease led to a major problem of child rape and the subsequent infection of children.

8. The Sex Trade- A more specific version of slavery, this is not limited to any particular region. Women and children are sold as sex slaves all over the world. Dateline NBC did a special on the sex trade in America just a few weeks ago. It happens everywhere there are children without parents, where children roam the streets freely in developing countries.

9. Only People in the US and Britain (Western Governments) care if Bin Laden is alive or dead.-The media loves to harp on the fact that OBL has not been caught yet and that he was the one who attacked us, and while it is an exaggeration to say that nobody else would care about his death, it is also an exaggeration that we would be in any different of a situation if we had caught him yesterday. The terrorismwe are fighting is not something that is based on a loyalty to a particular figure or leader. It is based on something that the terrorists believe transcends each on eof them. The feel that they are just fighting the latest battle in a war that began hundreds of years ago That is not to say that catching him is not a priority, I am sure it is. By the way, he offered us a truce last week! Didn’t hear much about that. “Please don’t hurt me” doesn’t sound like someone who is winning the war.