Wow, this thread spiralled off topic quickly.
Here's some random thoughts on some of the things mentioned in here.
Comparing a terrorist attack in London to children dying in Africa of starvation is ridiculous. No, one group's lives are not more important than the other. The difference is that in Africa, this is an acknowledged problem that occurs continuously. It may not be 'right' but it is an accepted fact that this is happening, and is predictable. A handful of children will likely die over there by the time I've finished typing this post. The attack in London, and all other terrorist attacks, occur because a certain segment of the global population believes that in order for world leaders to pay attention to them, they must murder innocent people.
To look at it from the terrorist perspective, they feel that the western world in infringing on their territory. Some may even believe that anyone not of their religion is the enemy. In their eyes, the western world, and especially their leaders, are evil. They feel the only way to defeat this 'evil' is to blow them up. Compounding the issue is a belief system that dictates that to become a martyr for their cause will lead them to enlightenment in the next life. This isn't really what the Muslim religion is about, but those that belong to these terrorist groups interpret it this way.
There is so much hatred and anger from these people to us, and most of us cannot even see it. It goes much deeper than 'those evil terrorists'. What we really need is to try to form some kind of liason with them - to truly try to understand and show respect for what it is they dislike about us, and then to honestly attempt some kind of resolution. Without that first difficult step, there can be no end to this violence, and more innocent people such as those in London will die.
Apparently we here in Canada are the only country that Osama bin Laden mentioned by name a couple of years ago that has yet to experience any terrorist activity whatsoever. I'd say that means that the next time you hear al-Qaida and 'attack' in the news, it may possibly be here in Toronto, Montreal, or Ottawa. I certainly hope not, but it would be foolish to think the possibility is not there.
Back to Africa, I'm not sure how the western world can help the situation. Sure, national debts may have helped lead to the problems in the Third World, but it is not the only cause.
Many of these people live in arid, hostile environments. Clean water and sufficient food are daily problems. People cannot live long, healthy lives when the basic necessities of life are a struggle to obtain. Because there is no food or clean water, illness and starvation are constant threats to their livelihood. Kinda hard to develop a healthy economy when the people are dying of hunger.
Throwing money and food at them doesn't help either. There is so much political red tape involved, that most of the charitable donations given to these nations winds up making the leaders, and the other rich minority, even richer. Many of these leaders are corrupt, and the food and money hardly make it to the people that need it.
What's the answer? I have no idea.
Speaking as an anthropologist with a B.A. in the field, this is life. War, illness, and famine are the three main components of global population control. It has been this way since the beginning of civilization. Survival of the fittest, if you will. From a purely scientific point of view, these factors help from keeping the global population from becoming so large that the earth cannot sustain any of us. Innocent people must die so that the human species can survive as a whole. Borsk mentioned high birth rates in Africa. In any civilization, birth rates and death rates tend to balance out with each other, almost in a natural form of replenishing the population. The birth rate in Africa is so high for several reasons. There is a lack of education, and certainly a lack of birth control. These people reproduce because there really isn't much else to do with their time in most cases. What Borsk calls irresponsible is really ignorance.
Now, speaking as a human being, I wish that we could find a way to eliminate the three 'population control methods'.
I just have absolutely no answer to how it must be done. Blowing people up that don't fit in with your ideals in certainly not the answer...
Barada
