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Who will the UN blame for Zimbabwe's crisis?
Zimbabwe Independent ^ | August 30, 2002 | Vin Suprynowicz

Posted on 08/30/2002 8:01:50 PM PDT by Clive

IT'S been almost a year since the United States pulled out of the United Nations conference against "racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" in Durban, South Africa.

Dominated by such renowned champions of human rights as Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, and Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflicka, the conference demonstrated - for those who hadn't already caught on - that "the UN has, in effect, become a union shop for the third world, most Islamic countries and the few remaining communist regimes", columnist Barbara Amiel noted at the time in London's Daily Telegraph.

In fact, the real two-part agenda of the conference was to condemn Israel for continuing to exist (which constitutes "racism" against the Arabs who have tried to conquer the tiny nation three times - or is it four, now - since 1948) and to demand reparations payable by Europe and America to Africa for the slave trade (which, of course, depended on the complicity of African sellers in the first place, and was ended by 19th century abolitionist movements based not in Africa, but in Europe and the United States.)

"It is ludicrous for countries that still practise xenophobic intolerance, from Zimbabwe to Syria, to condemn the West, which not only stopped such practices but provided the sole basis for the third world's idea that these things are wrong," Amiel noted. "If the first world hadn't discovered that xenophobia was bad, would the third world know it?"

But the crowning absurdity of the South African conference on "racism" had to be the stage it provided for Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe to address the topic "landlessness as a form of racism".

In keeping with the underlying theme that only rich folks from the first world can be "racists" what Mugabe clearly meant was that it was "racist" for farms in his country to continue under the ownership of white families whose ancestors settled and developed them more than a century ago, while the remedy for such "racism" was for Mugabe's thugs to seize them from the owners and "redistribute" them to his political cronies - who all happen to be black.

Well, Mugabe has now had a chance to put his widely applauded plan of racial justice into effect. How's it working out?

After more than two years of what is politely dubbed "political unrest", during which 186 Mugabe opponents (including 11 white farmers) were killed, the government finally targeted 95% of white-owned land for "redistribution", ordering 2,900 white farmers off their land in a first wave of mass evictions on August 8.

About 60% refused to comply, and nearly 200 have been arrested in the past week, facing fines and up to two years in jail for contesting the legality of their eviction orders. Despite government promises, most farmers received no compensation.

On Tuesday last week, Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa urged black settlers allocated land on contested farms to move onto them, despite the court challenges.

That statement and bail terms that forbid many arrested farmers from living on their land while awaiting trial indicate the fix is in: the bail conditions are "a prejudgment of the validity" of the eviction orders, warns David Hasluck, director of the Commercial Farmers Union, who represents the white farmers.

Many now plan to leave the country.

"We tried to coexist and cooperate but it didn't work," Roy Fuller (60) told Angus Shaw of Associated Press, recalling threats and intimidation from ruling party militants who have already occupied parts of his land in the Selous district for the past two years.

Fuller is abandoning his 2,900-acre farm - he will move to neighbouring South Africa to work on a vineyard. Sixty thousand dollars worth of tobacco in his fields will probably rot. His 130 head of beef and dairy cattle were moved to a neighbour's land, where: "They will have to be sold or slaughtered; there isn't enough grazing for them." The farm's 70 black employees and their families will eventually have to leave, whereupon they face "a gloomy fate", reports AP. "Local officials asked (Fuller) to pay them severance packages."

The land seizures have disrupted farm operations, causing widespread food shortages that relief groups say threaten half of Zimbabwe's 12.5 million people. Despite the shortage, white farmers are being forced to abandon crops - including irrigated wheat - that need constant attention, says Hasluck of the CFU.

"By the time they go to court throughout September, the crops will be dead, exacerbating an already critical food situation."

Which will bring more calls for African aid from the first world, of course.

And to what will the United Nations attribute blame for this developing crisis? They've already let the cat out of the bag, actually:"Drought".

Vin Suprynowicz is assistant editorial page editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: africawatch; zimbabwe
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1 posted on 08/30/2002 8:01:50 PM PDT by Clive
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To: *AfricaWatch; Cincinatus' Wife; sarcasm; Travis McGee; happygrl; Byron_the_Aussie; robnoel; ...
-
2 posted on 08/30/2002 8:02:28 PM PDT by Clive
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To: Clive
I am guilty.

I confess.

It is me - I did it - the American male.
3 posted on 08/30/2002 8:04:25 PM PDT by Jonathan
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To: Clive
Easy answer: President Bush.
4 posted on 08/30/2002 8:04:48 PM PDT by rintense
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To: rintense
Did you see the PBS Pablum hosted by drunken Bill Moyers?

Not only are we the villains in Zimb. but we are guilty for the smog in New Delhi, the logging in Brazil, and the fact that chocolate bars are not made in Gambia where they grow the cocoa.

WOW! We are so busy being evil how can we find time to destroy Saddam in 2 months?
5 posted on 08/30/2002 8:11:35 PM PDT by Jonathan
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To: Jonathan
True. I'm sure we can find the time in between flushing too many toilets and thinning some forests.
6 posted on 08/30/2002 8:18:29 PM PDT by rintense
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To: Jonathan
Haha... Bill Moyers is out of the drunk tank again?
Only a high school audio-visual class like PBS would air the fanatical left-wing screeds of that washed-up old clown.
7 posted on 08/30/2002 8:25:34 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Jonathan
LOL It's always our fault.
8 posted on 08/30/2002 9:02:02 PM PDT by brat
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To: Clive
You know, this is the perfect example of the differing philosophies of conservatism and liberalism.

The conservative understands the concept- "creation of wealth" and simply wants the gov't out of his life so he can get on with it.

The liberal cannot grasp "creation of wealth", the concept makes no sense to him. Economics is a zero sum game- wealth is static and must be appropriated in some form or another. Rich people by this logic must have seized their wealth from others and were it not for them hoarding it all to themselves- the rest of us might be enriched. Therefore their seized wealth must in turn be seized and "equitably redistributed". Then we will all be rich.

This is exactly what is happening in Zimbabwe. The lefties are getting their wish. Exactly the way they want it to happen- thus is it happening. In two years, since their theories must of course be correct- Zimbabwe will be a thriving society and laugher and singing will be heard from Mutare to Bulawayo.

Hold the lefties to it. When you argue with them about their political goals- the eventual seizure of wealth of the rich (or simply the slow extortion of taxation to fund social programs aka redistribution)- make them put their money where their mouth is. Have them place a bet on whether or not their system will work. If Zimbabwe succeeds they will get a nice sum, if Zimbabwe fails- they must give up liberalism and accept the facts of life, even if they don't properly understand them.

But they'll always go for their familiar "out"--- "Well, of course these types of fundamental changes could take generations to pay off. Of course this generation must view their hardships as a sacrifice for their grandchildren." They render (or hope to render) your argument moot by placing the bar of "mission accomplishment" to a point in time when this generation's critics will be in their graves. Capitalism enriches immediately. Freedom and the respect of private property produces gratification for today's people and puts food into the bellies of contemporary Africans- no need to wait for some future generation.

No excuses. Either their system works or it doesn't. If Mugabe can't deliver, I call on the liberals to admit that their philosophy is a farce and that if they can't grasp simple economic concepts to get the hell out of the policy making business. People should be uplifted by a philosophy- not enslaved forever by instilling a dependence on the government teat and certainly not run off their land and starved in the millions by it.

9 posted on 08/30/2002 9:04:18 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: Prodigal Son
laugher = laughter

I hate it when that happens

10 posted on 08/30/2002 9:06:05 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: Clive
Actually its the weather. The drought is cause by global warming for which the United States is the largest culprit especially since the US will not ratify Kyoto.
11 posted on 08/30/2002 9:56:23 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
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To: Clive
Whom will they blame? Tuvalu and their ludicrous lawsuit about why their 16 foot high island is sinking under the sea.
12 posted on 08/30/2002 9:58:18 PM PDT by RightWhale
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To: Clive
Is there a bridge there? Is there a beach there? Is there a boat there? Feel free to pile on.
It's the Kennedys!!!!!!
13 posted on 08/30/2002 10:01:34 PM PDT by chnsmok
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To: rintense
I wish they would have asked that dizzy dame some questions about flush toilets like:

1. How do flush toilets adversely affect the environment?

2. What's the alternative to flush toilets?

3. How would the alternative be more beneficial than flush toilets?

14 posted on 08/30/2002 10:10:50 PM PDT by mtg
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To: mtg
How dare you ask imtelligent questions of third world dictators!You must be a white racist to even question the wisdom of black supremacy!

To the purge foe you!!!

15 posted on 08/30/2002 10:41:42 PM PDT by sarasmom
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To: Clive
How could Mugabe, savior of "his" people be responsible for the arrival of the Four Horsemen?

Must be evil whites at the core of this devious plot.

Friends & fellow Americans! Thousands will starve, die of disease, or be butchered in the comming debacle.

Not even Hollywood could make this stuff up.

16 posted on 08/30/2002 10:58:21 PM PDT by Lobster 6
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To: Jonathan
It is me - I did it - the American male.

More precisely, the white, straight, patriotic, Bill of Rights defending American male.

17 posted on 08/30/2002 11:03:45 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Jack-A-Roe
Right-on... They have kicked out the very people who have been feeding them, all in the name of socailism/communism and the result is they are going to starve to death because or their own choice and actions.

I think Marie's words may be appropriate at this point... "let them eat cake!"
18 posted on 08/30/2002 11:38:01 PM PDT by Jmouse007
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To: Jmouse007
I say we offer these hardy, productive souls - the white farmers - American citizenship and begin rounding up and deporting the illegal Jihadists among us. Well, I can dream.
19 posted on 08/30/2002 11:51:07 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Jack-A-Roe
What if your hypothetical white, straight, etc. male is ALSO a Christian?

What does that make him?
20 posted on 08/31/2002 5:19:50 AM PDT by Jonathan
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