General Chat

This time its Somalia.

War & Famine
Just seen the news re this.
I am just now waiting for yet another appeal for help.
This government of ours will put thier hands in our pockets again to bail them out.
OK thats fine in principal but what about getting thier own house in order first. LOOK after the poor of this country first then if there is enough left then help those that need it.



I am waiting with baited breath for your answers/replies

go for it

Pablo

It seems never ending, and some of the countries have only their govmnts to blame, warring between themselves. We are not the largest country in the world but all seem to come to us with their problems. How many would help us in time of trouble? Every time we get more refugees and our land is disappearing under concrete. I despair of the future sometimes. Maybe this down turn in the housing market will put a stop to some of it. How can we afford homes for refugees when we cant house our own young people. Jean

It's so easy to say 'charity begins at home', but we are fortunate in this country. We rarely experience extreme weather or natural disasters, our shops are bulging with goods from all over the world, nobody SHOULD have to go hungry, we can vote how we please (or not at all) without fear of reprisal, we don't answer to a dictator, and we have clean drinking water on tap. Isn't it easy to take it all for granted? I give to charity as I please and where I think it will be most effective.

Shiela I also give to charity as and when I see fit, but my point as has been recieved by others is that as soon as there is a disaster overseas then this government spends our hard earned taxes to bail out another country.

All I am saying is that the government of this country (whatever coulour they wear: red, blue, green or yellow) should help the poor and needy here before spending it overseas.

Paul

keeping strictly to the famine relief needed urgently.

If thousands here were dying of starvation I would agree with you..................but we are fortunate to live in a country where there is more than enough food for everyone.

I can't begin to imagine what hell those people are going through, can you imagine your child crying for food and having none to give them...........or so thirsty that the only way to stop the thirst is to give them dirty water that could kill them?

Sorry....................but we can't just say "we have problems too, so get on with it" can we?

Rita...............most of these people have no access to doctors, so how on earth are they supposed to get contraceptives?

Only a few weeks ago, a child died of starvation in 21st century Britain.

But, while this tragedy must have affected all who heard of it, there is a much greater, even cataclysmic, tragedy happening at every hour of every day in the developing world. Thousands, not just little ones but people of all ages, die of starvation & malnutrition.

This should not take away from the shocking nature of what happened in our own country. If that awful event can concentrate our minds on the extent of this problem, then some good may yet come out of it.

Don't hold your breath though.

The people are the ones starving...............through no fault of their own.

We need to put compassion for fellow humans above politics .............I don't know the answers and doubt there are any cast-iron solutions, but cannot join in with the argument that we in Britain are worse off than those starving families.

Pablo,

If I got into a discussion about Africa and the African way more likely then not it would turn into a big argument with a lot of ruffled feathers...

Politics is and always will be above human compassion as far as the African way of life is concerned.

Once again I shall point out that if you belong to the wrong ethnical African group, your life is not worth a penny.

So very sad but also true...

Lindy who loves Africa.

You are all right its our reasoning and humantarian intelligence that sets us above all other living species to help out when there is a world crisis and bomb the hell out of another country.

I am waiting for Zimbabwe to enter a similar famine.

There are too many people and too few human beings.

I spoke with a friend today (yes believe it or not I do have some).
Althought our thoughts on this matter differed somewhat he stated that they may not have money for food/humanitarian aid but they always have money for guns and ammunition, to keep the poorest people down.

SORRY FOLKS

BUT I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK AFTER

OUR OWN OAPS

BEFORE WE GIVE ABOARD

WELL THAT WOULD MY PRIORITY

Well, as an OAP myself, my worry is not for myself, believe it or not, most of us old un's manage not at all badly compared to the young families. I give to medical charities and those who cannot help themselves, but a lot of what goes on on Africa is caused by the people themselves and their tribal warfare, and we seem to be always called on to pick up the pieces.I do not wish to see anyone suffer unnecessarily, but I cant see myself sitting quietly under such oppressive regimes, nor many of the people I know. We need to encourage the opposition with more help in most cases, and with more education for the downtrodden. Education is agreat leveller. Jean