Re: Click...

snowman wrote:
> Here's what the farmers of Ghana think of Free Trade and Live8:
>
> http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/breaking_news/12018433.htm
>
> btw - as with most online newspapers, you will need a username/pass to
view
> the article. You can use the following:
> username: bgates@xxxxxxxxxxx
> password: password

The "fact checking" here is either incompetent or is _maliciously_
presenting a false account...

An extract from the "article" you've referred people to above:

"'Consumers in Ghana getting cheap food is kind of a sick joke, really,'
said Andrew Pendelton, an organizer for Christian Aid, the charitable arm of
British mainstream Protestant churches that has championed the cause of
Ghana's poultry producers.

Christian Aid has organized protests in which demonstrators dressed in
chicken outfits greet the British prime minister at public events."

Giving the impression that Christian Aid think the MPH campaign is a bad
thing and are campaigning against it?

As we can see here on their official website, they _SUPPORT_ the protests:
http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/campaign/index.htm

Here, on the "Make Poverty History" website, under the "Who We Are" section
that lists all the organisations in the _COALITION_ (to which the
"celebrities" are only a "face" to the MPH campaign) that is running the
campaign, you will find "Christian Aid" listed half-way down:
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/whoweare/members-c.shtml

So, they don't only support it, they are part of the coalition that
_STARTED_ the campaign...

And on the following page, where Christian Aid's _ACTUAL_ stance on this
explained, we can clearly see that the name of the Christian Aid spokesman
is Andrew PenDLEton, NOT the reported Andrew PenDELton of the "Philly.com"
article...

http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/news/media/pressrel/040121p.htm

"'Some of those shouting the loudest about their corporate virtues are also
among those inflicting continuing damage on communities where they work -
particularly poor communities,' says Andrew Pendleton, senior policy officer
at Christian Aid"
[ From Christian Aid's website, with their _REAL_ stance against CORPORATE
IRRESPONSIBILITY, _NOT_ against the "Make Poverty History" campaign or that
"trade justice" is something they oppose whatsoever ]

Christian Aid's "protest" with the chicken suits was for the _DAVOS_
conference and was fronting a campaign about _CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY_,
_NOT_ against the "Make Poverty History" campaign...asking _FOR_ "trade
justice", _NOT_ opposing it whatsoever...

And was part of their "adopt-a-chicken" campaign, where they argued the
point that "give someone an egg, they eat for a day; Adopt a chicken and the
chicken can give them eggs throughout its life"...as can be seen here (on
Christian Aid's _OWN_ website):

http://www.christianaidconnect.org/pooled/articles/BF_EVENTART/view.asp?Q=BF
_EVENTART_159008

This article presents a _HALF-TRUTH_ in order to project a _LIE_ in the
guise of "fact"...

Christian Aid _DID_ dress up as chickens...BUT, it was _NOT_ for the reasons
stated...it was _NOT_ a protest "against fair trade" or the aims of "Make
Poverty History"...because, as I Hope I've clearly now shown, "Christian
Aid" are _PART_ of the MPH campaign...

The article doesn't even spell the name of the Christian Aid co-ordinator
correctly...I have tried to locate the quote attributed to Andrew Pendelton
or Andrew Pendleton reported _anywhere else_ and the search has come up
completely _BLANK_ (couldn't really be an "exclusive" for Philly.com either,
as if they'd met this Andrew Pendleton in person for interview, how could
they get the spelling of his name wrong? Journalists - good journalists -
are all trained to _ASK_ the spelling of your name, if there's any "spelling
issues" with it)...

It is taking a smattering of half-truth and using it to present a _LIE_...

Christian Aid's own website (and the "Make Poverty History" website listing
Christian Aid as an active member of their coalition _running_ the campaign)
proves this, I think...

I am British and I am a Christian...I know "Christian Aid" well...and this
instantly set "alarm bells" ringing...it did NOT sound right coming from
them (and in copying the list of those behind the MPH campaign for that
other post, I was sure that I had directly _seen_ their name in the list)...

And what an absurd article anyway!

So, we should not introduce "fair trade" (by the way, this article, person
who posts anonymously as "snowman", contradicts what you were saying
elsewhere that there is no "unfair trade" on our side but all on Africa's
side...now you stand by an article which _SAYS THE COMPLETE
OPPOSITE_...first rule of _LYING_, snowman: Remain consistent)...because -
get this - cheap food, by which Africans stop dying, would "inconvenience"
_ONE_ poultry farmer, who's been getting rich out of the current status
quo...

By the way, _DON'T_ think that this is "news"...I've seen this "poultry
farmer" pushed out to make this anti-fair-trade point on the news...and he
is a wealthy and healthy man, by all appearances, that doesn't want his
_LONE_ "make money out of the poverty" scheme to have to face "fair trade"
because he makes all his money out of the fact that the trade _ISN'T_
fair...

>From the same article you quote:
"Ghanaians can pay more than $3 per pound for locally grown rice. (The
average U.S. price last month for white, long-grain rice was 55.2 cents per
pound.)"

But - wait a minute - they pay _MORE_ now? And the "terrible evil" is that
they would have to _PAY LESS_...which means more people could afford to eat?
Which means less people dying in poverty?

And this is why we _SHOULDN'T_ change the status quo, to allow them to keep
on dying?

Who tells us this? Why totally and completely unnamed "advocacy groups",
whoever the hell they are...and it doesn't even say what they "advocate":

"While those subsidies result in cheap imports for countries such as Ghana,
advocacy groups say the trade-off of lost jobs is not worth it."

Which "advocacy groups"? Those named in the article are:

Christian Aid - which, despite the _FALSE_ reporting of their position, are
a _MEMBER_ of the "Make Poverty History" coalition and _SUPPORT_ the
campaign (their website tells you how to get to the G8 to protest, for
pity's sake!!)...

Oxfam are also mentioned in the article...but they are also a _MEMBER_ of
the "Make Poverty History" coalition and _SUPPORT_ the campaign...

Who are they talking about that "advocates" not getting rid of unfair trade?

Kenneth Quartey? Ah, yes...that Ghanan farmer with the totally non-Ghanan
name..."Kenneth" "Quartey"...sound particularly African to you? Who is
Kenneth Quartey? This _LONE_ man who's selling chickens at _HIGH PRICES_
that other Ghanans can't afford?

Well, we're supposedly not going to have "fair trade" because of this _ONE_
man, losing his "sell chickens at _HIGH PRICES_" monopoly...so, who is he
exactly?

This is Mr.Quartey right here:
http://www.africaleadership.net/fellows/ghana.htm

If you move down the page, you will see that he is a member of this "Africa
Leadership Initiative"...and it talks about his "poulty farm" and being
Ghanan, so it is the same man...

Right, let us find out what "Africa Leadership Initiative" is all about,
yes?

Here's their page which explains who they are:
http://www.africaleadership.net/about/overview.htm

I quote:
"But high among them is the fact that many African countries lack a broadly
shared vision of the future that effectively melds the demands of
GLOBALIZATION with local values."

Further on:
"to understand the challenges they face as participants in a rapidly
GLOBALIZING society,"

That's all very odd stuff...weren't we supposed to not introduce "fair
trade" in order to help "poor" Mr.Quartey not "suffer" from exactly the
_THREAT OF GLOBALISATION_?

Mr.Kenneth Quartey - with his not-particularly-African sounding name - also
seems very much to understand the extreme poverty of his fellow Africans:

"Mr. Quartey graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.Sc. in
Animal Science in 1983", we're told...interesting how someone who's in such
"poverty" is able to afford going to America to graduate, isn't it?

"Today, Sydals is the 3rd largest poultry farm in the country, with over
100,000 birds, and is one of the most modern and mechanized"...ah, so he
learnt all about the American way to do "business" whilst studying in
America...

Doesn't sound like the "poor farmer" they want us to believe he is...it
sounds more like someone who's been _TAKING ADVANTAGE_ of the poverty -
while he himself is _NOT POOR_ at all, as he has this big business and
wasn't even poor beforehand, because he happily went off to study in
America - and unfair trade...

"Mr. Quartey is an avid polo player and has captained the Ghanaian polo team
on several occasions."...ah, yes, the "Sport of Kings" is what us British
call Polo...because, you see, to play Polo, you need a horse and a
mallet...every player must be in possession of a _HORSE_, in order to play
this "Sport of Kings"...

He can afford to "breed horses and livestock, as a passion"? This man is so
poor that he can actually have animals _FOR PLEASURE_, without any kind of
profit being made on them...just for his own personal "passion"?

He's sounding very poor so far, isn't he?

"Kenneth cannot resist a good argument"; Ah, well...that completely explains
why he's the man to grab when you want an African to support the _BUSINESS
AIMS_ of the Western world...why, you grab the African with the big business
he's made out of exploiting the poverty, who likes to "keep horses" so he
can play his favourite sport "polo" - with all the other rich Africans who
can afford to keep horses solely for the pleasure of them and for playing
polo (workhorses are big hefty beasts - terrible for sports - and a
completely different breed to the slender racehorse-like horse really needed
to play this game) - and then he "likes a good argument"...

So, the basic point of this "article" - if we can call it that...it does
have at least one blatant _LIE_ in it that I've discovered - is that we
shouldn't do anything about the poverty and stopping people dying to
death...because it may "inconvenience" this rich, polo-playing Ghanan with
his "most mechanised industry" (e.g. this guy runs the African equilavent of
an AGRI-BUSINESS, not a "small poor local farmer") that he has competition,
when he was doing so well to _EXPLOIT THE MISERY_ to make himself even more
rich?

And, note, he went to study in Nebraska _BEFORE_ he started his
business...thus, his family could hardly have been in "poverty" _BEFOREHAND_
either...

I don't know about where you live...but if there was a man who'd travelled
so far to get an American education, who then set up his "most modern and
mechanized" agri-business with over 100,000 birds...to form the 3rd largest
poultry farm in the entire country...and then also has stables full of
horses that are purely for his "passion" of horses and playing Polo
matches...

If such a man were not in Ghana but plonked right here - in the Western
world - with such things...then he'd be _VERY RICH_ by _OUR_ standards, let
alone African ones...if he was right here - in the First World - then what
he has would make him a _VERY RICH_ man...

And the basic concept here is that we don't give the majority of Africans
the opportunity to have cheap food...affordable food that stops them
dying...because we don't want to "inconvenience" this American-educated
_RICH MAN_ with his "most modern and mechanised" poultry farm
agri-business...as, well, if he has "competition" that doesn't _EXPLOIT_ the
situation to make far, far too much money, then he might only be able to
afford keeping 8 polo-playing horses, rather than 24 in luxurious stables...

It's to be expected...many businesses around the world _THRIVE_ on the
poverty, misery and death in Africa...that is why the continent is _KEPT_ in
this condition...it means the people can be used as _SLAVES_...it means that
a $1 million is so stupidly large an amount of money, you can buy the right
to _PLUNDER_ their resources...you can buy arms to supply the dictator for
his war, which means he'll look the other way as you _RAPE_ the resources
and people of the country for big, big profits...

The "Make Poverty History" campaign was _BOUND_ to annoy _RICH_ people
who've been getting even _MORE RICH_ on the status quo...so, this is just
their _BLACK PROPOGANDA_ to put people off supporting the cause...

We know who Mr.Kenneth Quartey is from that website...

But who exactly are _YOU_, anonymously posting "snowman"? Why are you so
eager? Who exactly do _YOU_ work for? Someone who also _EXPLOITS_ the
situation?

Or are you just easily _SUCKERED_?

You read the article and you accepted it at face value...you did not check
that what it reports about Christian Aid is simply an _OUTRIGHT LIE_ (as
Christian Aid's own website, as well as their participation on the "Make
Poverty History" website clearly shows)...you did not find out who this
"Mr.Kenneth Quartey" actually was...a man who is NOT quite the "poor local
farmer" they are trying to make you believe he is...

And, even then, even by the article's _OWN RATIONALE_, this action _WOULD_
produce cheap food going to Africa, if the "trade rules" were changed...the
article _CONFIRMS THIS_ and just tries to make out that "Christian Aid"
think this is a bad thing (which is an _OUTRIGHT LIE_, as their website
advocates how people can _GO UP TO THE G8 TO PROTEST_!!)...and that it would
be bad for Mr.Kenneth Quartey...who, on further investigation of who he is,
is NOT the "poor local farmer" that they want you to believe he is...indeed,
he might be African by birth, but he appears completely Western in his
education, in his rich family able to send him to get his Western education,
comes back to Africa to use Western ways to become even more rich, so that
he can spend time on his "hobby" of playing polo, "the Sport of Kings"...a
man who, if he were not in Africa, but right here in the Western world,
would be considered _RICH_ by our standards of living...how many of us could
afford a big stable full of horses, just for our "passion" of playing Polo?
And the website makes very clear that the horses _ARE_ only for his
"passion"...these are NOT workhorses whatsoever (anyway, the type of
workhorse good for doing work, is a completely different type of horse to
the more "racehorse" slender horse, that's good at running and jumping)...

Mr.Quartey who is a member of a political group of rich African business
people, who want to tell African leaders what to do to keep _THEM_
rich...because they seek to integrate "GLOBALIZATION" (strange, the article
suggests it's that same globalisation which would be a "problem" for
Africa?) with themselves to make their businesses rich...

We are also told of "advocacy groups" that say this is a terrible
thing...these "advocacy groups" are _NOT_ actually named anywhere in the
article...this doesn't allow these assertions to be verified...which is
important because everyone else - except Mr.Quartey - named in the article
_CAN_ be verified...and Christian Aid and Oxfam _ARE_ part of the "Make
Poverty History" campaign...indeed, these various charities and NGOs formed
a _COALITION_ to do something about this problem...and the only part "pop
stars" and "celebrities" play in this is to _DRAW ATTENTION_ and _BRING
AWARENESS_ to the campaign...

Snowman, you've either been _SUCKERED_ by articles like this one which
provide _HALF-TRUTHS_, _LIES_ and unsubstantiated "sources" which they don't
name...and the people they do report on are NOT the "poor local farmers"
that the article tries to make you believe...or you're maliciously spreading
this "propoganda" because there's personal motivation...do the people you
work for exploit Africa or something?

If you're not "suckered" - because this article is clearly NONSENSE, with
half-truths, twisted words, lies and the bizzarest logic I've ever seen
("lifting unfair trade would be a terrible and evil thing because it would
make food cheap and affordable that people could finally afford not to
die!") - then you're unintentionally spreading "racist propoganda", as Annie
found such "comfort" and "solice" and "recognition" in your arguments
(because racists do push this, as they _WANT_ to see "niggers" kept down and
dying: Its their "rightful place")...

I mean, think about that...when you make your points, snowman, only an
unashamed racist finds comfort in your argument...and the "evidence" you
supply in this "article" falls apart at the slightest touch of
_VERIFICATION_ of what it says...and, quite frankly, it's a bloody bizzare
why to argue against "fair trade" I've ever seen: Yes, it'll make food
cheaper and this is a "bad thing" because one very rich American-educated
Captain-of-the-polo-team would-be-considered-rich-by-our-standards man would
be annoyed that his "modern and mechanised" agri-business would actually
have some competition...we should let people die, so as not to disturb this
man's riches? What does he pay his workers? Now, _THAT_ would be interesting
to see...does the polo-playing rich man who argues against cheaper food for
his fellow dying Africans pay his workers anything more than _SLAVE WAGES_?
And what are his profit margins, I wonder...

Oh, wait...it's in the article: "Our incomes in Ghana are quite low", says
Richard Osei-Tuffour...who sells chickens...so, yeah, he _ISN'T_ paying them
well...

And this logic, if we are to believe it, then extends as equally to
us...Walmart owns one of the large supermarket chains here in the
UK...should we - EXACT SAME LOGIC - stop American businesses coming into the
UK? Con Agra - a massive meat producer, supplying McDonald's and others - is
an American agri-business (who has had many a "health scare" in its produce
and even a few "cover ups" of those problems, so that concerns about health
didn't ruin their profits)...should the rest of the world - we are NOT as
rich as you Americans, you know, anywhere in the world - "ban" American
multi-nationals coming into our countries too? Because if we don't, then, as
the article contends, we'd have this "dependency issue"...in fact, Tesco is
owned by an Israeli (who, in fact, is a _CRIMINAL_ here in the UK - was
engaged in illegal "property deals" - and, thus, cannot return and stays in
Israel...oh, what "good blue-blood stock" our new "Kings and Queens" are
made of, eh?)...Walmart's swallowed one of them up...let me check...yeah,
Walmart took over Asda...and Con Agra supply McDonald's...there's a TERRIBLE
"dependency issue" here for the UK...

If we are to follow the "logic" of the article, then the UK should
immediately kick out and prohibit anymore American businesses coming
in...and, yes, the French and Germans and everyone else should too, on the
same logic...

Our countries don't believe such things...BUT...BUT...if you are contending
that the "logic" of this article is sound, then we should immediately kick
out American businesses for having the exact same effect on us...

No, no...I understand...when it comes to profit-making, "double standards"
abound...

Of course this _ONE MAN_ - Kenneth Quartey - isn't going to like "fair
trade"...it'll spoil his little "exploitation" business that makes him very
rich and able to "assert influence" on the nearest dictator or two...

Nevermind, you've always got your racist friends to comfort you, snowman...

While, in my corner, are not just Christian Aid and Oxfam...but all those
multitude of organisations listed in my other post (_HUNDREDS_ of charities,
NGOs and similar)...plus, yeah, a few "pop stars"...the former President of
South Africa, who was jailed as a "terrorist" for decades for fighting
another "white oppression" of Apartheid (Nelson Mandela, a former President
of South Africa, is "unaware" of African politics? While you know so much
better from reading "black propoganda" articles like this, which are easliy
shown to be _LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH_, when not using clever
"half-truths"...okay, what-ever)...

Also, by the way, Blair has committed to it...Gordon Brown (our treasury guy
and second-in-charge) made a _PASSIONATE SPEECH_ against the
"hypocrisy"...and Bush and Blair have _ALREADY AGREED_ on _DEBT
CANCELLATION_ and _MORE AID_ ("fair trade" is not yet agreed)., that they
will _BOTH_ take at least their agreement into the G8 talks...those two of
the G8 have _ALREADY_ been convinced of the argument...Blair happily sits
right next to Bob Geldof, while he makes the case...

You have one "article" which is full of lies and distortions...the backing
of a racist...and the "backwards argument" that we shouldn't do a single
thing about poverty in Africa because of all the "dictatorships"...except,
of course, how many _RICH_ nations have dictators (there are a few but not
too many, eh?)? You've never considered that you've got this arse backwards?
That _BECAUSE_ the people live in such poverty, it's so damn easy to take
over that country as "dictator"...as the people are too worried about, you
know, not dropping dead from starvation, that one rich, well-fed dictator
can easily take control and start wars...if they weren't in poverty, then
the dictators couldn't rule so easily, if at all...

Nevermind, I know...you're convinced of the first thing you heard - probably
spread by racists and business interests that _EXPLOIT_ the situation as it
currently is - as being "the truth" and won't change your mind no matter how
much is presented to the contrary...two out of eight - a quarter - of the G8
leaders have _ALREADY AGREED_...there are hundreds of charities and NGOs
backing and supporting this...now, you might think Nelson Mandela is a
"*** terrorist", as the whites used to do, but, surely, as a former
President of South Africa that previously had spent years in jail for
fighting Apartheid, he can't really be accused of "not understanding African
politics"...

Also, you went to the effort of registering a false account so that everyone
else could see this supposed "article"? That's a lot of effort...very beyond
the usual around here...you seem almost _too eager_ to argue the opposite
case...what is your "interest" here? What's the "agenda", snowman? Were you
really shocked when a racist backed you or...?

Beth :|


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