Posted on 06/07/2007 4:01:44 AM PDT by Clive
Give Bono, the Irish rocker, credit; he has stuck with his campaign to help Africa for more than a decade. Most celebrity activists get caught up in a fashionable cause, fly in for a photo op, then quickly lose interest. But not the lead singer of U2. He has been consistent in his work on debt, poverty, AIDS, trade and women's rights on the Dark Continent.
But that doesn't mean Stephen Harper must drop everything at the current G8 summit to meet the pop star. While Bono's Africa work may be more sincere and serious than other celebrities' work on other issues, his regular appearances at summits of world leaders are disruptive and self-serving. He seems to believe that because of his popular appeal in the music business and the righteousness of his cause, he has a right to demand leaders carve out time for him so he might lobby them on his pet projects, prove his own importance and demonstrate the depth of his compassion for the world to see.
In our celebrity-mad age, there will no doubt be those who charge that our Prime Minister is callous toward the plight of Africa because he is unwilling to make time to be button-holed by a rich musician riding a hobby horse. The proof of Mr. Harper's concern for Africa, though, will not be in how much "face time" he takes with superstars, but in how much practical help his government dedicates to the region.
Besides, reports out of Germany (where the G8 meetings are being held this week), claim Mr. Harper is spending his time shuttling between the American and Russian camps. The Russians are angry at U.S. ballistic missile defence plans, and our Prime Minister is trying to prevent a resurgence of the Cold War by brokering an understanding between the two sides.
As pressing as Africa's many crises are, we commend Mr. Harper's for choosing to head off another arms race rather than glad-hand with a famous cause-pleader.
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“Give Bono, the Irish rocker, credit; he has stuck with his campaign to help Africa for more than a decade.”
Sure helped. A slaughter in Rwanda and now a slaughter in Darfur. Maybe Bono should try something else.
LOL.
If he keeps helping, millions more could be killed.
How’s this for chutzpah — a rich foreigner moves his music publishing company to the Netherlands to avoid Irish tax burdens while, at the same time, demanding that American taxpayers fund his pet cause.
He's a damn good liberal. It makes him feel better about himself to help people with other peoples money.
I love that story about Bono at one of his concerts...between songs he starts clapping every few seconds. Then tells his audience that every time he claps his hands, another child dies in Africa. So someone shouts out "Well stop clapping then, ya bloody @#$%^*&!"
I don't know if it's true or not, but it's a classic line for sure!
Two years ago, when my husband and I were visiting NYC, one of his client’s surprised us with tickets to a sold out U2 concert. I think I deserve an Academy Award for my performance as a happy person at that concert.
The whole concert was one big Bash USA/Bush political rally with pleas for donations and a few songs thrown in. I’m sure someone is being paid some nice administration fees to collect and distribute all those donations that he begs for at concerts. I have a feeling that Bono profits from his ‘charity work’.
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