Obama ignores the biggest war in the world, in Africa!

In the 2008 debates between McCain and Obama, both basically ignored the question about the Congo, which is the biggest war since WW2. Here is what Obama had to say about it:

"But understand that there's a lot of cruelty around the world. We're not going to be able to be everywhere all the time." Barack Obama

Over 5 million people have died. Women are raped. People are displaced. Villages are destroyed. Why?

Remember the movie "Blood Diamond"? Well this war is over the precious resources to make our electronic devices, especially the past ten years for laptops and:

CELL-PHONES!

www.independent.co.uk...

agonist.org...

humanrights.change.org...

So, they ignore the Congo. Obama being half-African does not seem to care much about his father's native continent. This war is still going on by the way, and doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon.

For those who claim Africa is over-populated anyway, this claim is simply NOT true.

www.currentconcerns.ch...

"The Democratic Republic of the Congo can feed all Africa and the countries of the European Union"

But this is true without cutting down the forests. All of the abandoned farms from displacement could be farmed again, and feed all of Africa.

The world is still a very wild place. Look at some National Geographic links:

news.nationalgeographic.com...

Gorillas are still being found in large numbers in the wild parts of the Congo.

news.nationalgeographic.com...

Tribes are being found still "un-contacted" with the modern world.

Of course, if you saw my links, one mentions the future of bio-fuels. Keeping the Congo/African population down will help to control the surviving population into growing our bio-fuels, and the anarchy will make sure our cell-phones & electronics are still affordable:

www.guardian.co.uk...

And yet, this is all largely ignored by the mainstream media. You hear of a few Palestinians or Israelis being killed, or about Iraq & Afghanistan, but rarely of the BIGGEST war in the world.

An Iran war is likely coming soon. I've heard even the next week, but no matter what it won't be as big of a war as what's been going on in the Congo for the past ten years.

My contract for my cell-phone ended, and I can get a new cell-phone for free, but I'm not going to. It may be the cell-phone that killed and/or raped a village of innocent Africans.

Appreciate your electronics. People died for them.

I consider myself well-informed but I knew none of this.
our information media is totally US / Eurocentric; we are told virtually nothing about what happens south of the equator; sadly, very little of our lives are affected by that part of the world.

Here are a couple other links:

womensenews.org...

That is more about the Congo, specifically the widespread rape.

news.nationalgeographic.com...

That's another National Geographic link showing the world is not as over-populated as most think, and most of the world is still wild.

reply to post by bettermakings


Excellent thread and great links. It's hard to know what to think of Africa and why we don't go there and help people. I guess cell-phones are not a finite resource, so not so important enough for our governments to respond?

Almost all of Africa is in a real bad state because of civil wars, poverty, hunger, corruption, HIV. It is so sad and it hardly even makes mainstream news here in Europe, considering that we are so much closer....but it's all still a world away. Their leaders live like kings in palaces, while the people starve and are raped and pillaged. Maybe because the problem is SO huge, they don't even know where to start? It can't be financially worth it for our governments to get involved, as it all comes down to money at the end of the day, huh?

Just a few thoughts, I don't know what the answer is, but this is a very interesting subject, thanks for posting.

It's sad that the media is ignoring, but I think it's a good thing that Obama is ignoring it. What can we even do about it? Why should we even do anything about it? Why do we have to be everyone's deus ex machina? Sure they need some help, but we aren't exactly in the best shape either. What would we do? Donate money that would never even reach the people in need? Initiate some half-assed invasion and get our asses kicked like we always seem to do these days?

Isn't Africa mostly about Civil Wars?

Isn't that really their own internal problems?

Don't get me wrong - - - there are horrors going on there that are an absolute insult to mankind.

But - - when does our government get involved in Civil wars (without other reasons)?

I am no expert on politics or history. But I don't think from a political (not humanitarian) position - - - this is something we would interfere with.

reply to post by bettermakings

And yet, this is all largely ignored by the mainstream media. You hear of a few Palestinians or Israelis being killed, or about Iraq & Afghanistan, but rarely of the BIGGEST war in the world.

Thanks for the informative topic, bettermarkings.

It's only a matter of time.

reply to post by SubPop79


A solution could start with knowing where our resources come from. We don't need to "send money" there, but there should be some sort of "Fair-Trade-Certified" way of obtaining minerals we use on a daily basis.

I'd pay an extra 10% on electronics if I knew they were created in more legitimate ways.

From a Political position - - do we go into Mexico and try to solve their problems?

Other then areas - such as drugs coming across the border - that affects us?

This is a good and rarely talked about topic. I did some research into this after watching Blood Diamond and it is a very sad and disturbing situation.

There are horrible things going on over there like autocannibalism where the militia soldiers cut flesh from their living victim and force them to eat it.

The rape of women is also out of control a term was coined called re-rape. It is when a woman is raped, re-raped, and re-raped again.

Males are being executed in vast numbers and the female population is larger than the male population which was not the case 10 years ago.

When it comes down to why does nobody help? Answers over the years have been along the lines that we need to work in our own backyard before we help Africa but we all know that is a load of bullocks.

Just like everything else wrong with the world this entire situation is driven by greed and profits from all sides.

Money is the whole reason that the world keeps turning. Not love, not nobility, not even reproduction...just money.

This is the whole point. We in the West don't get involved unless it affects our government's pockets. The West has historically pillaged Africa's resources whilst giving very little in return. We're happy to take their cheap diamonds and metals, but that's it. It's a one way relationship.

It has been said that if Africa was not so corrupt, it would be the richest continent in the world by far because of their natural resources.

I went looking for more recent information on this subject,

Law calls for Congo minerals to be conflict-free
Deeper in new financial regulations is provision to verify source of products
August 13, 2010|By Julia Love, Tribune Washington Bureau

articles.chicagotribune.com...

While the sprawling financial overhaul legislation signed by President Barack Obama last month was aimed primarily at Wall Street, a little-noticed provision is causing concern among some in Congo, 10,000 miles away, and predictions that the well-intentioned effort may backfire.

The new law requires publicly traded companies to disclose annually whether cell phones, laptop computers and countless other products contain tin, tantalum, tungsten or gold from Congo or surrounding countries and, if so, what they are doing to determine whether the minerals come from sources that fund armed conflict.

One of the Congo's top economic activities is the production of minerals used in the manufacture of such items. But the trade is also a key source of revenue for the armed groups that have killed more than 5 million since 1998 and often control or collect fees from mines.

Laura Seay, an assistant professor of political science at Morehouse College who conducts research in Congo, said Congolese citizens have asked her why the international community is focusing on the mineral trade. In a conflict driven by disputes over land rights and citizenship, an economic measure cannot fully stem the bloodshed, she said.

"I think we've diverted attention from the real issue by focusing on trade," she said. "You wouldn't have to have 5 million people die if the solution were this obvious."

immigration issues rear their head again.

What does the American Empire stand to gain from helping the congo? Nothing. Without order, the diamonds are practically free. And with our entire monetary system in the US being a farce and based on perpetual debt, the last thing America wants to compromise is real assets. Just one assertion among many others I'm positive can be made.

Let's make one thing clear:

AMERICA IS NOT INTO PEACE KEEPING.
America is in the terrorism game. Africa doesn't show any successful defiance against the US Hegemony so realistically they are #ed. They have nothing for us or against us. America therefor, couldn't care either way. They are in other words # out of luck. You couldn't get help from the British or the French unless you tickled their underside just right back before the US was ever around, but the same thing is happening in the US today. As far as what nations ARE assisting in this endeavor however?

It's too bad that all most American's know about the Congo is killer apes in a badly adapted Michael Crichton Film. But is anyone surprised? That's what ya call disinfo. No surprises there .

Originally posted by qualitygossip
This is the whole point. We in the West don't get involved unless it affects our government's pockets. The West has historically pillaged Africa's resources whilst giving very little in return. We're happy to take their cheap diamonds and metals, but that's it. It's a one way relationship.

It has been said that if Africa was not so corrupt, it would be the richest continent in the world by far because of their natural resources.

Who is WE?

WE the government.
WE the corporations.
WE the consumer.

-

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by qualitygossip
This is the whole point. We in the West don't get involved unless it affects our government's pockets. The West has historically pillaged Africa's resources whilst giving very little in return. We're happy to take their cheap diamonds and metals, but that's it. It's a one way relationship.

It has been said that if Africa was not so corrupt, it would be the richest continent in the world by far because of their natural resources.

Who is WE?

WE the government.
WE the corporations.
WE the consumer.

-

I'm pretty sure qualitygossip means washington and the corporations and banks. If not then let me clarify. Because the normal people are kept oblivious to most of this. As long as things are safe at home, things are safe everywhere ... Well at least when you're surrounded by two non-threatening nations, and water, it's easy for things to appear safe. Until someone who disapproves blows up your world trade center, then people look and say hey wait a second. What did we do wrong> That would be the practice that has been in routine for quite some time for a vast majority of the citizenry. That being said, I don't think their involvement in these atrocities taking place in Africa are anything other than an uninitiated sponsor to the bloodshed. Many people even see what's going on but are then crippled when they find out they are powerless, or their voice gets drowned out by the the clones that spew the rhetoric produced from propaganda tailored to fit their lives as comfortably and make them less able to question it, so when it comes time for someone to present them with the alternative... They scoff, call them nuts, or refer them to Glen Beck (or Rush Limburger). Idiots, pure autonomous idiots. They're not to blame, they are much the victims too. And I'm sure the US opponents know full well how mind-manipulated it's citizenry is. But what can be done about it?

The problem is in the leadership of this nation, it's not for world-peace, it's for world dominance. Of course the people, even the dumb saps that join the armed forces, think they're working for peace and democracy. If they only knew they were dying so the rich bankers and capitalists that run this nation could assess more global dominance while maintaining their staying power nationally, there would be an uprising. But we're suppressed, from the cradle to the grave. So leave WE the people out of this, it is THEY.

Here's an idea, and it's a radical one, I know but here goes: how about...wait for it...SOME OTHER COUNTRY DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT! OMG! What? A war America isn't involved in? Is that even legal?!

America is HEMORRHAGING money and lives from the 3 wars we're fighting already. It's time for someone else to step up and fight someone else's war.

Originally posted by Quaght
Here's an idea, and it's a radical one, I know but here goes: how about...wait for it...SOME OTHER COUNTRY DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT! OMG! What? A war America isn't involved in? Is that even legal?!

Some people here are just hoping the USA gets involved so they can start blaming them for attacking yet another country!

And what is the UN doing about it?...... the same as always.

I guess Barry Obama wants to keep his homeland safe for now.Not to worry though, I am sure Africa will feel the sting of TPTB eventually.