“If only armies could fight famine.”
This was the segue between two news stories on one of Canada’s private broadcasters, CTV, a couple days ago. These words were spoken in that practised, low and authoritative “anchor voice” by the carefully coiffed and dramatically rueful news anchor. The first story was about Canadian soldiers returning from Afghanistan. The second was about the famine in East Africa.
Here’s a big news flash that didn’t make the broadcast: they can. Armies can fight famine. There's no reason why troops around the world could not be dropping massive quantities of food, water and medical supplies right this minute to the hundreds of thousands of people starving to death in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and other African nations including Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.
Instead, Somalia is one of the six countries currently being bombed by the United States.
This famine has not come as a surprise. Many areas have not had rain for two years. Food has been scarce for two years. This was a long time coming, and the failure to act at every possible juncture up to this point is what has pushed it to the verge of catastrophe. It’s the lack of direct action from our so-called leaders that has allowed people to slip into misery and hell and starvation, and it’s a continued lack of action that is causing people to die.
And instead of direct action (Aries) now, we have the mainstream media manufacturing a reality for the viewing public where the hands of the Armed Forces and those who give their orders are tied, where nothing can be done in time.
It’s the same manufactured helplessness that is worked up after all humanitarian crises these days, and it’s false.
Armies can fight famine. Armies can get food and water to starving people. But it takes strong will and decisive action, and those handing down their orders choose not to deploy them in these ways. This is the Plutonic point that needs to be driven home for the viewing public. As long as the mainstream public swallows the story that there is nothing that can be done, nothing will be done.
Asteroid of agriculture, grains and fertility of the Earth Ceres is stationing retrograde (July 26) at zero Aries - that very potent first degree of the zodiac. It just passed through the anaretic (29th) degree of Pisces – related to the cyclical famines and plagues brought down on and allowed to happen to humanity. Ceres will be back in Pisces August 10 until January 19.
Ceres on the first degree of Aries requires direct action. Move. Take action. Do something effective. Hit your mark. It requires quick decisions and basic actions to get the food to the people. In Aries (soldiers), it requires an army.
But Ceres in Aries is square Pluto in Capricorn right now within Cardinal Grand Cross formation. Pluto in Capricorn relates to the rotten-to-the-core corruption of our hierarchical power structures. It relates to a top-heavy bureaucracy so bloated, dysfunctional and out of touch that quick, direct, effective actions (Aries) are just not a product of its machinations.
The hierarchies (Capricorn) are deadly (Pluto) in their illegitimacy.
Instead of food and water drops, the mainstream media broadcasts news of Canada’s useless "International Co-Operation Minister" Bev Oda making a useless official visit to Kenya complete with useless photo ops and useless clichéd statements spoken into the cameras.
Oda spent her time announcing the $50 million aid package that will ostensibly show up sometime while starving children take their last breaths.
The failure of leadership is so extreme it has taken on an Orwellian flavour as the propagandists on the nightly news continue to prop up its authority, manufacturing a reality that holds nothing and no one accountable.
13 comments:
In due time we will all be held accountable for allowing our fellow humans to die so miserably while we have so much. Africa is a land rich with minerals and it ranks first/second in quantity of world reserves of bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate roch, platinum group metals, zirconium and of course gold mining is Africa's main mining resource. (Wikipedia)
Seems like a no brainer to me.
Honestly there are days when I'm ashamed to be human.
I think it's a mistake to blame humanity as a whole for lack of action at a monied leadership level. Willful ignorance and silent complicity are problems, to be sure, but the people don't control the infrastructures that are failing right now.
True, we don't control the infrastructures but we did put them into place with our silent complicity and ignorance as you so eloquently say. And that is why you write your blog Willow. You are sounding the alarm loud and clear so that we all fall out of ignorance and complacency and wake up to the reality of our dying planet. You're doing a good job. Hope I'll be around when it does happen.
I caught the the latest news story on the East African situation this evening on NBC.com. The network is running a site (follow link, if it's permitted) detailing the Canadian effort and challenge to it's citizens for matching contribution efforts. Similarly, Americans also have the ability to assist financially, too, through various organizations.
The cruelty factor in all of this however, are the Somalian militants blocking any aide.
Link –
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43872711
Melissa, yes, there is money being collected, but it's not the direct action that will head off the deaths right now, if you know what I mean. It's a collection plate going around too late with too much bureaucracy involved. Similar to what happened (and continues to happen) with Haiti. It will do some good, but it will not help the people dying now. It's the trickle down effect versus direct aid.
One problem is that the United States is bombing Somalia, so it's a bit problematic for that country to accept aid from the West at the same time. This is the "we're here to help/we're here to take over your strategic resources" thing that's used so often, so the military actions of the U.S. and its allies cloud the humanitarian relief efforts. There are other countries being affected besides Somalia where direct aid could be applied, but the focus is on Somalia for strategic reasons. Manufacturing consent for what is going down there by the U.S. "militants."
It's complex, to be sure. The only point I was making with the post is that armies CAN be deployed to help immediately and directly in these cases if the will is there. If aircraft can drop bombs, they can drop food and water. But the "our hands are tied" thing is being pushed by the mainstream media pretty hard right now while promoting the same old channels that haven't really gotten the job done in the past.
I have also read in the media about the corruption at top levels of the aid agencies; i.e. that of all the money collected for relief they use 80-90% of it for executive salaries and "administration." This makes me (and a lot of others) angry, because between this bullshit and the militants who won't allow the aid through without bribes, not much of our money goes to provide food for the people who need it. Many people in the west are tired of contributing to these fat cats!
Something also needs to be done to provide sane government and infrastructure in these African countries so they develop self-reliance. Ever since I was born, there has been continual calls for aid in these countries, which is not good for them or for us. Theirs is a rich land, but it seems they are not able to help themselves.
True, here we have plenty. But we don't like throwing it away either. If they are going to send in the military, send them with food and supplies.
The Somali pirates and the other Islamic nations could also assist their fellow nations, but I haven't heard anything about them donating aid: they are too busy building hotels and attractions in Dubai! As usual, the west is vilified as "infidels" and yet they want us to "ride to the rescue."
The people themselves are too malnourished and weak to rise up against these creeps that hold their country hostage. They deserve our compassion and assistance.
Now, how do we actually get them some aid without the charities or the warlords taking it?
hi friend - yes, there is plenty enough food for the entire world so that no one goes hungry - studied this in IDS - crisis are man-made, even natural disasters - and what happens with Aid is that it becomes a complicated political toy - as will many countries now, will sacrifice their own people as they mostly have military economies - no war, no money, no food, etc. Also, the media reporting does not help - a crisis alarm has been sounded, what are we to do - probably most specifically, to require systemic change/structures that are long term especially due to 2 yrs. of drought! This could have been prepared for and why is it only now, in our radar? - to have this disaster get to this point, where millions of mostly children, perish - this is completely unacceptable. At a loss for words!
Anonymous (7:24) mentions the unwillingness of the west to throw their plenty away.
What about those of us who cannot afford to throw our plenty away, because we're barely making ends meet ourselves, and our emotions are being toyed with yet again by politicians and propoganda?
This is such a cruel and manipulative game. And it's not the first time it's been played, unfortunately.
It seems no one is accepting food/care packages either. At least not that I've found so far while searching around. Sending clothing is apparently not a good idea according to some, because it interferes with fabric businesses and the livelihoods of people in Africa, but this is irrelevant.
I thought about partnering with whatever food corporation or school (even City Hall) hereabouts I could, see if we could send food and necessities over, in one huge effort. One care package from me ain't gonna cut it, you know? The involvement of more people would, except who would I/we send stuff to? People around the world are starving or dying or barely surviving on buns and porridge, and there's no address. There are only charities which offer aide that may or may not be received, and some of those charities have just been making suckers out of people for years.
I really hate this. This... all this needs to change.
But the "our hands are tied" thing is being pushed by the mainstream media pretty hard right now while promoting the same old channels that haven't really gotten the job done in the past. - Willow
THIS says it all.
The Road To Hell is an incredible book about aid agencies like US Aid - but this also creates an epidemic of cynicism rather than active engagement and solutions - it is ALL so manipulated with layers and layers of power, corruption, complicity, colonialist legacies ! ugh!
It's true that many, many people here in the west are also struggling to make ends meet and don't have the means to share because they are so strapped financially themselves. It is important to provide for ourselves first. Our North American countries are in economic crisis right now.
I, too, find it appalling that we are manipulated emotionally by the media and charities to provide aid when our own families are dealing with financial stresses, and it's uncertain if our aid will reach the people who need it. Who of us really wants to see the Africans die of starvation?
In the Comments section of most news articles, there is a sense of frustration from people wanting to help, but knowing that the money won't likely be used to provide food, or if it is, that the food won't be distributed to the starving population.
There is also the sense that these countries need to learn to use their ample resources to look after themselves. How can the rest of the world help them if the power-mongers won't allow it? And how can we help them rid themselves of these slave masters? Why won't the other Islamic countries help their own people?
Most people are humanitarian and more than willing to provide assistance in a crisis. But when the crisis is perpetual, we feel as if we are being asked to support a welfare state, which makes us feel ashamed and guilty for not helping, and yet angry that our support isn't doing the job.
What bothers me the most is that none of this is necessary. It is all political. And it seriously needs to change before we will have balance on the planet.
I wonder if this whole set of circumstances isn't just about the corrupt natures of political power structures and deliberate confusion of purpose.
One thing I know intimately about the military is that soldiers are brainwashed from top to bottom.
But in the past 20 years or so they are actively,extensively, chemically brainwashed. Most military personnel are on some form of anti-depressant, calming med, sleep med, ADHD med,vitamin supplement shots, appetite control med, etc.
The point I'm trying to make(libra rising sorry) is that the corruption of the government leaders could be so pervasive that soldiers are being literally chemically enslaved(psych meds,sleep meds,pain meds etc)and are not properly aware of their larger duties.
The soldiers that are aware of their duties and are not being allowed to perform them are then silenced in the media and abroad by their respective leaders.
Which transit brings an undeniable highly visible smack of clarity?
Oh, most definitely. I'm looking primarily at the top of the hierarchical power structure here. The primary direction/course of action is not set at the level of the soldiers or even at the level of the top military brass. They're all just "following orders" - which has its own set of problems, of course. The real power players are not members of the military, as far as I can tell.
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