Saturday, June 17, 2006
please take a look...
at this post on nations in crisis. it is an important piece of the puzzle of the world that we need to take seriously because these are the folks we share our planet with- and may be potential terrorists in making. poverty breeds desperation. desperation can be exploited by fanatics- religious and otherwise. something to keep in mind.
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5 comments:
This problem is disturbing. Before I visited Southeast Asia, I had never encountered true slums. When I finally encountered that kind of poverty, it was incredible.
At the same time, I think we overstate the link to terrorism. Certainly, these slums are recruitment centers for warlords and some terrorist organizations (I am thinking specifically the Palestinian territories), but many of the Islamists are middle class, at least in the Middle East.
I tend to think that the real problem is ending authoritarian rule and poverty in these countries (primarily, African and Asian nations) so that there will not be popular support for anti-American groups in general.
i agree.
I read an article in the paper recently about this. I agree that something must be done. When people are worried about survival on a daily basis-meaning finding food and shelter-it is probably difficult to be too concerned about your government, and the fascists move right in.
I also think that the U.S. needs to be realistic about birth control and encourage other religious entities to do the same. I hope I am not offending anyone, but the Catholic Church especially needs to stop interfering with the distribution of birth control. Preventing abortions starts with preventing unplanned pregancies.
The slums provide the armies, not the leadership of Islamism.
I don't agree with the Catholic church about contraception, at the same time the Neo-Malthusian lowering birth rate is a diversionary solution. There needs to be a redistribution of wealth.
Good discussion.
the catholic church and other christian churches and religious groups need to have less say in government. you want to have 6 or 8 kids in america- well, that's a hell of a lot different than having them in africa or other developing nations. we have wealth and abundance in this country that is taken for granted- and these folks have more money than sense. contraceptives not only save from unwanted pregnancies- but aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. like it or not- abstinence doesn't work. nice sentiment but does not work in reality. if you offend someone- than so be it. better to have someone offended and save a life than to preach the stupidity of abstinence only- and lose hundreds.
i understand what you are saying renegade- about the rise of religious fanatics- i see a parallel between the middle class religious wingnuts here and the fanatical zealots in the middle east and elsewhere.
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