Africa and hunger - another kind of violence?

[suzer1013]

I may (or may not) have mentioned here my mission work for Sierra Leone, West Africa. I have a huge interest in Africa -- I grew up with it, and am not sure where it came from, but I've always had a passion about it.

Salon.com had an article the other day in which it mentioned an incredible statistic -- the money that we spend for five days of war in Iraq could feed 12 million people for three years. Five days! The money we spend alone on propaganda and advertising to support the Iraq war is obscene (and that's putting it mildly).

Is this not another kind of violence, of a very severe form? Spending our resources on (what I believe is) and unjust and unnecessary war, while continuing to virtually ignore Africa? I know Africa's problems vary by country and are incredibly complex. But what I see happening, generally, in the very poorest countries there, is a concerted effort by Muslim nations to provide aid, make converts, and eventually turn these countries into Islamic nations -- sometimes headed by militant regimes just as bad as the ones we are struggling with in the Middle East. I'm particularly worried about Somalia at the moment. In fact, a connection has been made with Al Qaeda and Sierra Leone -- Osama bin Laden converted much of his cash into conflict diamonds (or "blood" diamonds) just before 9/11, as he knew his accounts would be frozen after 9/11. (read the book "Blood Diamonds" -- a movie is also being made from the book)

It scares me, it depresses me. Even getting support from my former church while I still attended there was like pulling teeth. Raising money is like begging on the street for pennies. And billions of dollars a week are poured into Iraq. It makes me sick, it really does, as I've seen the effects of starvation and malnutrition first hand and nobody, especially our government, seems to care.

Didn't MLK, Jr. say something about poverty being a form of violence?

<getting off my soapbox>

Susan

[Zerbie]

I don't know about any quotations. But it is an enormous problem.

You've just described the priority-order of the powers that be. It is not just a little scary. It is terrifying to know that so much of the world is controlled by people who would rather kill thousands in war than use the same $ to fund poverty relief.

I believe we have the resources at our disposal to feed and care for the destitute, but that they are being funnelled into greed and destruction.

[BruceChris]

And yet respond Authentically to such violence? I think that the only honest thing to say is that this country bears great responsibility in matters like this. The culpability of our leaders is exceeded only by the ignorance and denial of the people who elected them.

Peace and Love, maybe more later, BruceChris