Food riots, anti-U.S. protests erupt in Somalia

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | May 7, 2008 | Jonathan Adams

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The best way to help Africa is to quit helping Africa.

I wish we would. Looks like things are only getting worse instead of improving.

[vpintheak]

That’s what I mean. Moochers continue to be moochers because someone somewhere is always willing to “help” them out. If no one helps them out when they are lazy bums,they will be forced to sink or swim.

[Alter Kaker]

Are they feeding themselves? I started hating that loathsome country after seeing what they did to our soldiers. Let 'em starve, let 'em riot. It's their country, let 'em destroy it.

You seem to be under the impression that my views w/re to Somalia have anything to do with altruism. They don't. If Somalis destroy their country, that becomes a problem for the US. Sooner or later, and the information I've seen suggests it'll be sooner, the Ethiopians are going to withdraw.

Then what?

The US needs to find an alternative to the Islamists. The provisional government ain't it. US policy has been miserably counter-productive of late. We don't need to turn Mogadishu into Paris, but we do need to stop Mogadishu from becoming the next Kandahar. And that's where it's headed, 15 minutes after the Ethiopians leave.

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If no one helps them out when they are lazy bums,they will be forced to sink or swim.

If their past is any indication - they'll sink.

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You seem to be under the impression that my views w/re to Somalia have anything to do with altruism.

You've said in a couple of post that the ICU was a viable option in that country, it is not. They have connections to al qaeda. That should end any viability that you think they have.

The US needs to find an alternative to the Islamists.

Ann Coulter had a good alternative.

Paris is being over-ran with radical youts, burning cars and no go zones for non-muslims. They won't be satisfied until france is a Mogadishu.

You can't reason with radical islamist and al qaeda, you can only destroy them.

[Alter Kaker]

You've said in a couple of post that the ICU was a viable option in that country, it is not.

I did not use the word "viable," that's your word. I said they were a credible alternative in the eyes of the public, not from the perspective of the United States.

That's precisely the problem: given a choice between the Provisional Government / Ethiopia and the Islamic Courts Union, the majority of Somalis, and the vast majority of Mogadishu residents, will opt for the ICU.

The US needs to find a credible alternative to the ICU, because otherwise, they'll take over the second the Ethiopians leave.

[Alter Kaker]

Ann Coulter had a good alternative.

Well, ok, you go off to Mogadishu and report back on your missionary efforts.

I'll stay right here and look at reality-based options.