Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: ZetaNine on February 19, 2008, 09:37:39 AM
-
I found this to be quite interesting....not only the story itself..but the lack of press about this, and his other trips to africa...from media outlets world wide.
++++
KIGALI, RWANDA -- Bob Geldof has parachuted into the White House travel pool here in Rwanda, and will join us on the flight from Air Force One to Ghana tonight.
He's going to interview President Bush for Time magazine and several European outlets, such as Liberacion, about aid to Africa for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and business development.
Mr. Geldof is an Irish rock and roll singer and longtime social activist who has helped, along with U2 rocker Bono, raise awareness about need in Africa. His most well known achievement is organizing the Live Aid concert in 1985, which raised money for debt relief for poor African countries.
But Mr. Geldof has remained closely engaged with African affairs since then, and he spoke off the cuff to reporters today who were waiting for a press conference with Mr. Bush and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Mr. Geldof praised Mr. Bush for his work in delivering billions to fight disease and poverty in Africa, and blasted the U.S. press for ignoring the achievement.
Mr. Bush, said Mr. Geldof, "has done more than any other president so far."
"This is the triumph of American policy really," he said. "It was probably unexpected of the man. It was expected of the nation, but not of the man, but both rose to the occasion."
"What's in it for [Mr. Bush]? Absolutely nothing," Mr. Geldof said.
Mr. Geldof said that the president has failed "to articulate this to Americans" but said he is also "pissed off" at the press for their failure to report on this good news story.
"You guys didn't pay attention," Geldof said to a group of reporters from all the major newspapers.
Bush administration officials, incidentally, have also been quite displeased with some of the press coverage on this trip that they have viewed as overly negative and ignoring their achievements.
— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times
-
I don't care who you are but if you have both Bono and Bob Geldof in your office banging the table and demanding action, you'd better do it. Famously GWB had to tell Bono to shut up once in the oval office.:lol
Both Geldof and Bono have long campaigned to get Africa more in the news. But the topic is not sexy enough anymore.
Kudos to George and the USA.
-
I always thought GWB got good press whenever he would meet with Bono to discuss disease and AIDS relief for Africa. I don't blame the press for not harping on this one bright spot in an otherwise atrocious foreign policy.
-
otherwise atrocious foreign policy.
====
what about is has been atrocious? Seriously.....Im lookin for atrocious and if I disable media bs and liberal socialist hate I see a generally successful foreign policy. Are you sure your not just being tooled?
-
Originally posted by Mickey1992
I don't blame the press for not harping on this one bright spot in an otherwise atrocious foreign policy.
examples being?
I can think of one....not being tough enough with illegal aliens.
-
:: imagine the sound of crickets, here ::
-
[interrupt cricket chirping] Century long campaign against terror in the Middle East based on nothing but a desire to do so using WMDs and Al Queda ties as the excuse and costing billions of tax dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives. Not seeing "successful" in that. Sorry. [/interrupt cricket chirping]
-
Um, wouldn't a policy on illegal aliens be a domestic policy and not a foreign policy? (obligatory Arlo :D :rolleyes: :mad: :p :t thread ender)
-
I can think of one....not being tough enough with illegal aliens.
====
Thats more of an internal policy dont you think....and I seem to recall congress being the major stumbling block on illegal immigration. And McCain, but I don't recall the particulars.
-
Originally posted by DiabloTX
Um, wouldn't a policy on illegal aliens be a domestic policy and not a foreign policy? (obligatory Arlo :D :rolleyes: :mad: :p :t thread ender)
not in my opinion...especially in war time.
-
Originally posted by DiabloTX
Um, wouldn't a policy on illegal aliens be a domestic policy and not a foreign policy? (obligatory Arlo :D :rolleyes: :mad: :p :t thread ender)
Only if it was a domestic situation. (Which that is .... too - ala Colbertism). :D
-
Originally posted by ZetaNine
not in my opinion...especially in war time.
Opinion! Excellent! I can dig opinions. We all got them. :D
-
Originally posted by Arlo
[interrupt cricket chirping] Century long campaign against terror in the Middle East based on nothing but a desire to do so using WMDs and Al Queda ties as the excuse and costing billions of tax dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives. Not seeing "successful" in that. Sorry. [/interrupt cricket chirping]
were you around on 9-12 when bush told us we would go anywhere and everywhere to fight a pro-active...and not re-active war against al queda?
-
Originally posted by Arlo
Opinion! Excellent! I can dig opinions. We all got them. :D
someone else who still uses the term "dig"..... I like you already...politics aside.
-
Originally posted by ZetaNine
were you around on 9-12 when bush told us we would go anywhere and everywhere to fight a pro-active...and not re-active war against al queda?
I was around then and long before then. But I suspected he didn't know how and with time that suspician was confirmed. Were you there? :D
-
Originally posted by ZetaNine
someone else who still uses the term "dig"..... I like you already...politics aside.
I also use groovy. And likewise. :)
-
Originally posted by Arlo
Only if it was a domestic situation. (Which that is .... too - ala Colbertism). :D
Arlo says I'm right (and Yeager).
We win.
Thread over.
-
Gooooooooool! (goal) Goooooooooool! (goal) Gooooooooool! (goal)
:D
-
Still nothing compared to what is China doing down there. They are busy elevating some countries from 4th world to 3rd world status.
-
That's because the world is in love with chinese food.
-
Originally posted by DiabloTX
That's because the world is in love with chinese food.
Hard to argue with logic like that.
-
Hey .... those pics of the Chinese attendants for the party were sixties retro-licious and they were rather hottish! Wanna win me over politically? Get me a sixpack of those and don't torture or shoot me.
-
I've never really understood why don't Africans simply take care of Africa.
If they would put half the effort into being good farmers, good citizens, good statesmen, and good husbands as they do running around with machettes and AK-47's trying to be badazses, they would soon be able to wipe their own butts.
If there is a sunami, earth quake of some other extreme event outside of their control, by all means send in temporary relief and assistance. However I believe most of their problems are very much within their own control.
Africa is litterally dripping with resources. If they would grow up a little, they could achieve a standard of living equal or better to that of any in Europe. If they're not willing to do that, then any money we send over there with be completely wasted.
$0.02,
Wab
-
Originally posted by AKWabbit
I've never really understood why don't Africans simply take care of Africa.
If they would put half the effort into being good farmers, good citizens, good statesmen, and good husbands as they do running around with machettes and AK-47's trying to be badazses, they would soon be able to wipe their own butts.
If there is a sunami, earth quake of some other extreme event outside of their control, by all means send in temporary relief and assistance. However I believe most of their problems are very much within their own control.
Africa is litterally dripping with resources. If they would grow up a little, they could achieve a standard of living equal or better to that of any in Europe. If they're not willing to do that, then any money we send over there with be completely wasted.
$0.02,
Wab
I agree. We should cut off all funds to africa. Why should we help them when they won't help themselves?
I say it's time to put up or shut up. Either africa un-****s itself, or we allow it to **** itself into destruction.
-
I concur fellas. I remember as a little kid in the early 1960's collecting money every Halloween for unicef....with all the money going to africa....
what the Hell are they NOT doing over there?
-
Originally posted by ZetaNine
what the Hell are they NOT doing over there?
well they are NOT not having kids they can't feed or cloth ... birth control, ie sterilization should be on the short list for that country
-
I should think several large multi-nationals and one or two powerful governments like the current African political climate. It's a shame African leaders are too short sighted, stupid and/or greedy to really make a difference to their people's lives.
As for Geldoff; he's a pompous self-important salamander and failed rockstar who, except for one massively fortuitous stroke of luck, should have been pimping himself on 3rd rate reality 'celebrity' TV shows by now.
-
Originally posted by cpxxx
Famously GWB had to tell Bono to shut up once in the oval office.:lol
Bono always struck me as a pompous jerk. Just my impression.
-
Originally posted by Eagler
well they are NOT not having kids they can't feed or cloth ... birth control, ie sterilization should be on the short list for that country
they tried it.....true story.....
I remember reading this in the late 70's.... a group of international aid workers actually went over there to show them some birth control options....and they of course, among other things, brought over hundreds of boxes of rubbers.
to show them the "how to" method...they instructed the villagers on the use of rubbers by rolling them up on broom handles...
cut to a few years later...the same aid workers came back...and there was a massive population explosion...when the aid workers asked what created this...the villagers claimed that the rubbers did not work...and proceeded to take them into an area of the forrest with thousands of brooms with rubbers on the handles. true story.
-
Originally posted by AKWabbit
I've never really understood why don't Africans simply take care of Africa.
If they would put half the effort into being good farmers, good citizens, good statesmen, and good husbands as they do running around with machettes and AK-47's trying to be badazses, they would soon be able to wipe their own butts.
If there is a sunami, earth quake of some other extreme event outside of their control, by all means send in temporary relief and assistance. However I believe most of their problems are very much within their own control.
Africa is litterally dripping with resources. If they would grow up a little, they could achieve a standard of living equal or better to that of any in Europe. If they're not willing to do that, then any money we send over there with be completely wasted.
$0.02,
Wab
Read up about colonization and it's affects on Africa. I'm not saying the people of Africa share none of the blame, but France and England share large parts of the blame for what Africa has become.
-
...but France and England share large parts of the blame for what Africa has become.
As do the US and Russia, more recently.
Although, pre-colonial Africa wasn't exactly a basket of roses. Slavery, war and famine were ever-present back then. Europeans and Americans just showed them how to do it better.
-
Good article by Geldof.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1717934,00.html