Still Sick, Getting Better
Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:00:00 GMT
Russmo.com -
School Vouchers - cartoon commentary on why private schools should
eschew school vouchers. Hehe.
# Jim Peron in Ideas on Liberty - The Facts about World Hunger - if you don't badly misuse statistics to prove otherwise, world hunger has decreased. And pouring money and/or food at the problem won't solve it.
The headline was not quite accurate. The FAO report, "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003," covers undernourishment in the developing world only from base years 1990-1992 to 1999-2001. The results can depend on how that time frame is examined. During the full period, the number of undernourished dropped both in raw terms, from 816.6 million to 797.9 million, and in percentage terms, from 20 percent to 17 percent. But if the period is divided into halves, a slightly different picture emerges. The raw number of undernourished dropped to 779.7 million in the first half, but then increased to 797.9 million in the second. The increase in the second half is less than the decrease in the first half, meaning that over the whole period the raw number still declined by 18.7 million. During that same period, the population of the developing world increased by a massive 662.2 million. Thus within a ten-year period, about 681 million additional people were being fed.
...
It quickly becomes clear that world hunger today is not caused by a strain on the planet or an inability to produce food, as many environmentalists have contended. Hunger today is primarily a politically induced problem. As FAO director general Jacques Diouf says, "Bluntly stated, the problem is not so much a lack of food as a lack of political will."
Hunger is routinely caused by bad economic policies or armed political conflict. The cessation of conflict in Angola brought undernourishment rates down from 61 to 49 percent. In Mozambique the end of the civil war saw a decline from 69 to 53 percent. In contrast, the continuing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased the rate from 31 to 75 percent. The FAO report noted: "Eight countries suffered [food] emergencies during 15 or more years during 1986-2003. War or civil strife was a major factor in all eight."
# Edgar J. Steele - How George Bush Made Me into a Liberal Love Slave - still too much about "America's Zionist masters" for my taste, but I like his conclusion:
This time, vote like your life depends upon it. It does, you know, more than at any other time. Vote against both Bush and Kerry. There are other candidates. A lot of people like Ralph Nader, and with good reason. Myself? I'm voting for the Constitution Party's Michael Peroutka. Why? Because the Constitution Party best mirrors my political outlook.
Mind you, nobody comes close to being ideal, in my book. For example, if I were suddenly made America's ruler, I would immediately bring home every single American serviceman, then cut the Federal government to 10% its current size, prosecute virtually every current Federal officeholder and lobbyist in Washington, prohibit enforcement of all racial preferences, pardon all political prisoners, cut off diplomatic relations with, and financial support of, Israel, cancel the UN's building lease and eliminate the Federal Reserve Bank. Then, after a good night's sleep, I would really get to work...
Now, that's the way I want a Presidential candidate to talk!
# TaxableIncome.net - Testimony of Larken Rose (target) Offered to Grand Jury (on 8/3/04) - Mr. Rose was finally given a chance to testify before the Grand Jury that is being asked by the FBI and DOJ to indict him. This is a pretty good summary of his case, and not too long-winded.
