are you kidding me?!?!?!

[alexs7000]

Ok so respect for Zambian government, at least back in 2002, pretty much zero. They actually got mad the United States because the food aid we were trying to give them was genetically modified. Ok so yes, we could have given them non genetically engineered food, but we didn't, so we're guilty of being dicks because we didn't give a starving

Comments

[elmerglue3000]

you wrote way to much, and obviously spent a little too much time frustrated about something, but i still couldnt find my self able to read the whole thing, so next time i suggest line breaks??

[alexs7000]

Hahahah, oh man I love a good rant. The only reason I wrote so much was to avoid writing Eric's paper....
You should read it though cause...I had fun deciding people were stupid.

in defense of zambia

[anonymous]

The Zambian government was making a stand against the genetically modified food and mainly the corporations and companies that produce them. When Biotech firm sell genetically modified food to Zambian farmers, they genetically insert a certain gene known as the Terminator gene. Basically these crops are very effective in surviving pests and stuff like that, but they won't reproduce or produce seeds of any sort. These biotech companies make a huge amount of money by making the farmers buy new seeds every year, driving profit margins insanely low, and turns almost all family farmers into nothing more than subsistence farmers. Another reason they don't want the food, is that free food completely undercuts their farming economy, because no one (especially poor ass farmers in africa) can compete with free food. The only way zambian farmers can compete with free food is by giving away their food, which sucks mega for them

Another thing

[anonymous]

Oh yeah and i forgot another point. The Zambian Government owes a fucking shitload of money to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Part of borrowing money from these institutions, is that you have to agree to them controlling certain major policies, most importantly all trade rules. The zambian government has virtually no control over all imports coming into their country, and are forced to accept everything. Their economy is constantly flooded by foreign food and commodities that ruin Zambian infrastucture and destroys their economy. Zambia has to continuously pay off their debts, but the interest rates are so high, that they have no way to ever pay those debts. Zambia used to have hundreds of clothing factories and were a major part of the economy till Salvation army and foreign companies started selling clothes for very cheap. There are now about 4 factories left in Zambia that produce clothing, all because douches flooded the market with cheap goods. To bring this all back into my point, Zambia does have control

Re: Another thing

[alexs7000]

I know all of this and the argument I am gonna stick with is:

Sucks for all the people who starve so Zambia can "stick it to the man".

Re: Another thing

[anonymous]

They are most likely going to die anyways, and the people that are not going to die will be the people with jobs. This denial of donations by the government was meant for people to consider the situation and raise awareness and pressure governments to abolish debt, or in someway control the biotech companies that are taking advantage of zambia (and not to have people criticize their decisions, who obviously don't undertand the entire situation). A job in zambia not only provides money for food, and education among other things, for a large family and possibly mulitple families, and is a constant form of income (as in always providing, unlike a food donation). A food donation is only a shitty short term solution to starvation that hurts long term solutions. Food donations will feed so many people for so long and then what? wait for another donation? because they already lost their job and are starving because of these donations. The Zambian Government were progressive thinkers and planned for the future, and went for a long term