Niger President Denies Famine

[sintax]

Niger president denies famine

Staff and agencies
Wednesday August 10, 2005



The president of Niger has denied reports that the country is facing a famine, saying his people "look well-fed".

President Mamdou Tandja admitted that a devastating locust invasion and poor rains had created a food shortage, but said that was not unusual for Niger or the entire Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

"We are experiencing, like all the countries in the Sahel, a food crisis due to the poor harvest and the locust attacks of 2004," Mr Tandja said during an interview with the BBC yesterday. "The people of Niger look well-fed, as you can see."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/famine/story/0,12128,1546215,00.html

[iconoclastic cat]

1. But his daughter just sent me an email. She wants my back account number.

I'll get rich! And quick!

[quaoar]

2. I think you are confusing Niger with Nigeria

Nigeria being the most corrupt country on the planet.

Sounds like the president of Niger is as out of touch with reality as Bush.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Oh, that's right. I forgot. All apologies to Niger.

[Kipling]

4. Sadly, in a way he's almost right.

This famine is niether endemic to Niger, nor particularly unusual. It is a little worse, but the Sahel countries have problems like this every single year thanks to locusts and desertification. While it's ridiculous to claim that "people are well-fed", niether is what's going on such a far remove from normality.

[KeepItReal]

12. No f*ckin way is he right. Watch BBC news and tell me if those dying kids

...look well-fed to you.

The BBC has been covering this topic alot and aid workers were pleading for more assistance.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4696149.stm

[Kipling]

13. I did say it was ridiculous to say that.

However, I also said that conditions this terrible are not particularly unusual in the Sahel zone - it's a matter of degree. And in a few years time, they'll be almost permanent: the whole area will be part of the Sahara and nothing, not even weeds, will ever grow there again.

[mom cat]

5. I'm sure that the people in his circles DO look well fed.

[Darranar]

6. The President of Niger is a liar. n/t

[seemslikeadream]

7. Starve them to death, not a new tactic

[sintax]

8. What/where/whom

As regards the image. Tell me more about it please.

The poor, the needy, the hungry, the tired, the homeless.

[seemslikeadream]

9. Hey there sintax

Take a look at the bridge behind them. I know that was quite along time ago but I kinda got memories handed down to me.

STARVE THEM OFF THE LAND


:hi:

[sintax]

10. The potato famine as myth

It was not a "famine" it was imperial theft by the Brits of necessary foodstuff that led to the mass starvation. i know you know that but just wanted to put it into the ether.

Peace

:hi:

[seemslikeadream]

11. Irish people were only ALLOWED to eat potatoes

Famine
by
Sinead O'Connor

"Famine"
Universal Mother Album

OK, I want to talk about Ireland
Specifically I want to talk about the "famine"
About the fact that there never really was one
There was no "famine"
See Irish people were only ALLOWED to eat potatoes
All of the other food
Meat fish vegetables
Were stipped out of the country under armed guard
To England while the Irish people starved
And then on the middle of all this
They gave us money not to teach our children Irish
And so we lost our history
And this is what I think is still hurting me

See we're like a child that's been battered
Has to drive itself out of it's head because it's fightened
Still feels all the painful feelings
But they lose contact with the memory

And this leads to massive self-destruction
ALCOHOLISM DRUG ADICTION
All desperate attempts at running
And in it's worst form
Becomes actual killing

And if there ever is gonna be healing
There has to be remembering
And then grieving
So that there then can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding

An American army regulation
Says you mustn't kill more than 10% of a nation
'Cos to do so causes permanent "psychological damage"
It's not permanent but they didn't know that
Anyway during the supposed "famine"
We lost a lot more than 10% of a nation
Through deaths on land or on ships of emigration
But what finally broke us was not starvation
BUT IT'S USE IN THE CONTROLLING OF OUR EDUCATION
Schools go on about "Black 47"
On and on about "The terrible "famine""
But what they don't say is in truth
There really never was one

So let's take a look shall we
The highest statistics of child abuse in the EEC
And we say we're a Christian country
But we've lost contact with our history
See we used to worship God as a mother
We're sufferin from POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Look at all our old men in the pubs
Look at all our young people on drugs
We used to worship God as a mother
Now look at what we're doing to each other
We've even made killers of ourselves
The most child-like trusting people in the Universe
And this is what's wrong with us
Our history books THE PARENT FIGURES lied to us

I see the Irish
As a race like a child
That got itself bashed in the face
And if there ever is gonna be healing
There has to be remembering
And then grieving
So that there then can be FORGIVING
There has to be KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING

[Kipling]

14. There was a potato famine, but it shouldn't have killed so many.

As shown by what happened in Scotland. Exact same famine, but not nearly as much dying. One of the worst moments of British history, IMHO. Alongside the Boer concentration camps and treatment of the Aborigines in Australia.

[seemslikeadream]

16. Imperial Theft of the Brits

STARVE THEM OFF THE LAND




oldest trick in the book

[Miss Chybil]

15. What? Did this guy just hire Rove, or something?

I knew Rove could possibly be looking for work soon, but I didn't realize how fast he could really move. I always thought Turdblossoms were rather sluggish creatures.