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What Nobody Wants To Know About Somalia And Why; And What That Means

Fri, 10/03/2008 - 09:07 — Winter

A huge war crime -- a massive crime against humanity -- is going on right now in Somalia, courtesy of (but only indirectly traceable to) the Bush administration and Washington's bipartisan power elite. But, aside from Chris Floyd and a few other internet madmen, nobody knows -- or even wants to know -- much about it.

What's happening? And why doesn't anybody want to know? These are troubling questions for anyone who cares about the soul of America, and even more troubling for anyone who's beginning to suspect that America has no soul at all.

If you don't want to read any more, don't click here.

Comments

Fri, 10/03/2008 - 10:48 — ICGREEN1 (not verified)

Somalia

At least one party in Canada is on the case, but they aren't blaming America. They need to read Chris Floyd and Winter Patriot aloud in Parliament or on the Canadian TV election debates. That means blaming Bush. That means, by neocon extension, blaming Harper. Harper could easily get back in with a majority, for much the same reasons that WP just listed for people not wanting to read about Somalia. When would be a good time to tell people what neocons really are? After they have majority or before?

Good for the Green party, but it's not enough:

Start quote.
OTTAWA – The Green Party today called for immediate and decisive federal government action to assist the victims of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in south-central Somalia.

“Canada cannot continue to look the other way as this crisis escalates towards catastrophe,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “If the government can find billions of dollars to cut the GST, then it should be able to provide help to the desperate people of Somalia.”
End Quote.

Fri, 10/03/2008 - 14:46 — Bob in Prague
Bob in Prague's picture

Are Americans really that stoopid?

Hey WP, I really don't think Americans are stoopid at all, I just think they're ignorant and complacent, a lethal cocktail. Whether we can teach them in time to stave off Armageddon is quite another matter. Too bad so much time has been frittered away...

Best wishes to all WP blog readers, as well as, of course, our gracious host!

Bob in Prague

Sat, 10/04/2008 - 15:04 — Anonymous (not verified)

Ignoring Somalia

WP,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I will pay more attention to this from now forward.

Chris Floyd is a brilliant writer and astute observer of the world.

But I have stopped reading him entirely, to my own personal loss, without a doubt. Every thing I have ever read of his is negative - as if we were already living in one of the rings of hell. To me he unjustly demonizes all of humanity living in the western world. There's simply a point where a person has had enough. Or can't take any more. Or a point at which it would be unproductive to take on any more. There comes a time when a person has to do something constructive to effect change in a way in which they might reasonably make a difference. Reading another blog post by Chris Floyd is not, for me personally, one of those things. If anything, it makes me despair more - makes me more unable to imagine constructive action.

As to why it is easier to pass over a post about the atrocity in Somalia, I don't think it is because Americans are stupid. As in all of the other current events, the media is not reporting this accurately, or in proportion to its seriousness. And the actions of US forces are apparently covert, or simply, "an operation", not a war, unlike our interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I also think we have been conditioned to think of atrocities in Africa, and Ethiopia in particular, as something beyond anyone's control. We've been conditioned to believe any horror occurring in Ethiopia is caused by famine or uncontrollable natural disasters.

Anyway, thanks for this post and all of your other work. I will pay more attention to the news about Somalia.

Mon, 10/06/2008 - 19:17 — Winter

some difficult points

I apologize for taking so long to reply to this comment. You've made some difficult points, and I don't mean to argue with you, especially since I can see you're in distress; but perhaps I can offer a somewhat different point of view on a couple of points, and who knows? it might even prove helpful.

First, I'm not sure I agree with you when you say that not reading Chris Floyd anymore is your "own personal loss". It may be that not reading him is a net gain for you. If you find reading him debilitating then you shouldn't do it -- you should take a break instead. (And maybe you shouldn't even be reading me!)

On the other hand, there's a head-space you can get into (and I know it well because I've been in it a lot lately) where knowledge (no matter how awful) is empowering, rather than the opposite. If you can get yourself to that space, you'll find a lot of strength you didn't know you had, and then you may find Chris to be a powerful ally.

Just my two (conflicting) cents' worth ... don't spend 'em all in the same place!

Tue, 10/07/2008 - 12:29 — Anonymous (not verified)

WP, Thanks for your reply.

WP,

Thanks for your reply. I came back here after seeing your latest post posted on infowars.com. AJ is also pretty bleak, but he always combines the gloom with a "call to arms". He is often very inspiring.

I sense in your writing very real concern - and while you don't overtly try to get others to take action, it seems you have a real patriotic concern with the fate of the nation.

I agree with you about the "net gain". If we can all find that net gain individually, we might possibly together offset the tremendous loss.

Sun, 10/05/2008 - 04:20 — DRL (not verified)

Africa

Another author who is studiously ignored is Keith Harmon Snow, who has been writing about Africa for years. His website: http://www.allthingspass.com/, doesn't seem to be loading today [Oct 5], but Snow's articles are easy enough to find elsewhere. He's also been interviewed by Bonnie Faulkner, of Guns and Butter, in a very informative series of interviews, all of which can be found on line.

It is *very* disturbing, indeed, when one realizes the extent to which 'Western' powers, in general, and the US / UK in particular, are behind the unspeakable violence all across the African continent. The funding, arming and goading of local proxies gives the US plausible deniability, and the American population, if it hears of the conflicts at all, is led conclude that the Africans are simply violent people ... And so, Africans continue to be massacred by the millions, for the sake of European and North American control of the continent's vast mineral wealth and hydrocarbons [to the exclusion of Russia and China, naturally].

I couldn't agree more with WP. It's a disgrace that most remain totally ignorant of what is going on in Africa and who is benefitting.

Three cheers to Chris Floyd and Keith Snow for their lonely struggle to bring this information to the public.

Sun, 10/05/2008 - 16:44 — Winter

thank you very much

I had never heard of Keith Harmon Snow but I will pay attention to his site ... which is now up, by the way

http://www.allthingspass.com/

Wed, 10/08/2008 - 02:05 — Don Smith

Newspeak?

I paraphrase Orwell- something to the effect that if one knew the truth, though all the world said it was not so, that one was not mad.
As to knowledge being empowerment, I must agree.
I think that the social ramifications of knowing the criminal actions done in the name of the state are more to blame for emotional discomfort than the "depressing" contents of WP, Floyd, Silber and Snow.
As to always being negative, not so, there are many posts celebrating the arts and decent people over the years- it's simply that the death of millions, the poisoning of the present and future with radioactive waste, the destruction of the worlds' ecosystem do not lend themselves to feelgood writing.
To accept that the "leaders" do not really give a damn about humanity and focus their existence upon the narcissistic pursuit of place and "power"is a tough insight shift.
Further, to see that the whole Kibuki of popular politics is a sideshow, presented by bloody killers in pursuit of wealth and control, having little true purchase upon social directions is a very harsh disconnect.
When people are able to not participate in the deadly games, be it with general strikes, tax revolt, or whatever, then the road may brighten a bit.
I do not advocate violence, as the state has the heavy artillery, beyond that, few ethical systems are likely to result from more bloodshed.

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