Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Goverments fear Revolution of the hungry: Worsening Global conditions dictate we become "Selectionist" not Isolationist!




Amid mounting food crisis, governments fear revolution of the hungry By Bill Van Auken: Last week’s meetings in Washington of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Group of Seven were convened in the shadow of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. While Wall Street’s turmoil and the deepening credit crunch dominated discussions, leaders of the global financial institutions were forced to take note of the growing global food emergency, warning of the threat of widespread hunger and already emerging political instability. The seven major capitalist powers in the G-7—the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada—made virtually no mention of the global food crisis, referring in only one brief reference to the risk of “high oil and commodity prices.” Instead, they focused on the stability of the financial markets, promising measures to shore up investor confidence.
The IMF and World Bank, however, felt compelled to acknowledge the emerging worldwide catastrophe, in part because while these agencies are instruments of the main imperialist powers, they must posture as responsive to the needs of all countries. It would be too revealing for them to focus exclusively on the fate of major finance houses, while ignoring the fact that hundreds of millions across the planet are being threatened with starvation. More decisive, however, is the realization that this crisis confronting the most impoverished countries and poorest sections of the world’s population is threatening to unleash a revolution of the hungry that could topple governments across large parts of the world. Even as the IMF and World Bank were meeting, the government of Haiti was forced out in a no-confidence vote passed in response to several days of demonstrations and protests against rising food prices and hunger that swept all the country’s major cities. Clashes between protesters and United Nations occupation troops left at least five people dead and scores wounded and saw crowds attempt to storm the presidential palace.

Food prices in Haiti had risen on average by 40 percent in less than a year, with the cost of staples such as rice doubling.The same essential story has been repeated in country after country, from Africa to the Middle East, south Asia and Latin America. * In Bangladesh, on Saturday, some 20,000 textile workers took to the streets to denounce soaring food prices and demand higher wages. The price of rice in the country has doubled over the past year, threatening the workers, who earn a monthly salary of just $25, with hunger. Scores were injured in clashes with police, who used gunfire in an attempt to disperse the crowds. * In Egypt, protests by workers over food prices rocked the textile center of Mahalla al-Kobra, north of Cairo, for two days last week, with two people shot dead by security forces. Hundreds were arrested, and the government sent plainclothes police into the factories to force workers to work. Food prices in Egypt have risen by 40 percent in the past year.

* Unions and shopkeepers staged a two-day general strike in the West African nation of Burkina Faso last week to protest high prices. The strikers demanded a “significant and effective” cut in the price of rice and other staples. * Several hundred demonstrators marched on parliament in Phnom Penh, Cambodia April 6 to protest food price hikes. The cost of a kilogram of rice has risen to $1 in a country where the average income is barely 50 cents a day. Police armed with cattle prods broke up the protest. * Earlier this month, in the Ivory Coast, thousands marched on the home of President Laurent Gbagbo, chanting “we are hungry” and “life is too expensive, you are going to kill us.” The country has seen food prices soar by between 30 percent and 60 percent from one week to the next. Police broke up the protest with tear gas and batons, injuring over a dozen people. Similar demonstrations, strikes and clashes have taken place in Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Yemen, Ethiopia, and throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. With terrifying rapidity, hundreds of millions of people all over the planet have been confronted with the inability to obtain the basic necessities of life. The global capitalist market is dictating intolerable conditions for masses of people on every continent, provoking a worldwide eruption of class struggle. It is the concern that this struggle will spin out of control that found expression in the statements of concern issued by the IMF and World Bank leaders together with finance ministers and central bank chiefs gathered in Washington. Governments fear revolution of the hungry

Knowing that and as we discussed yesterday, the growing worsening environmental conditions around the world and the rapidly increasing natural disasters. Yesterdays Discussion on Disasters
Knowing we are feeding Myanmars military While they let their people starve

Knowing Spain's worst drought in decades forced the city of Barcelona to begin shipping in drinking water Tuesday in an unprecedented effort shipping 5 million Gallons of water and this is only a sign of what is happening around the world and of things to come.

Knowing our own middle class is being driven in increasing numbers to food pantries that are injcreasingly overwhelmed and may be hit by food rationing. Check out some of these dire stories

* I remember when the chief idiot was running to destroy the Nation and the world he accused Democrats of wanting to become Isolationist. With our infrastructure is being allowed to fail and we are increasingly overwhelmed by man made and natural Disasters right here at home I know we are not smart enough but it is time to hunker down and take care of ourselves first! Take care of our Allies Second! Thirdly take care of everyone else as we can. We must become "Selectionist" not Isolationist! This is still just beginning and it will not go away or just get better. We must adapt to make it successfuly through the future! This is just beginning folks be prepared!

James Joiner
Gardner Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com

8 comments:

PoliShifter said...

All of this is causing me to escape more and more via meaningless distractions.

It's all getting to be too much.

jmsjoin said...

shifter!
I hear you man! It is maddening because you see what is really going on here, in the middle east, and around the world, and how this is going to end up despite all the obvious lies, and it is sicking that the games merely continue. man stop the frigging wars and trying to help others and regroup and help America.
It drives me shit house! Betmo and Wease get it and are preparing. Wease is in good shape and Betmo sees reality but most others including my fiance, neighbors, and family, think I'm nuts. This fall really concerns me along with what is happening right now. Some people have to be hit with a truck!
My oldest son in Iraq just laughs at me but the others think I'm soft but it is just reality. Sit back and take a breather Bud! Nothing is going to change. Just relax. When all is said and done we are merely passengers. That makes me want to say more but I'll shut up! Just take care Bud!

Minnesotablue said...

Hunger is real. People have to eat in order to live and if the prices contimue to up and the food shortages continue I can see trouble ahead and I don't think I am being a alarmist. It is one thing to pay high prices for food but even worse having no food at all. I see news clips of the hunger and starvation around the planet and wonder how long it can go on.

jmsjoin said...

Minnesota
you're getting the idea and it is just beginning. Just remember the water wars, food wars, environmental crises, the forever5 wars, our failing infrastructure awe I'll shut up but it's just beginning.
Anyway it is quite maddening to see food stamp use up 40% since Bush, homeless dumping by big city Hospitals, unaffordable health care, you know the health care situation. we do not have enough equipment and our ER's can not handle a normal day. A crisis and we're on our own. Oil up $100 per Barrel since Bush that has to hit $5 per gallon and soon then things will really start moving. No there are no secrets or surprises here but I keep saying I will shut up so I better before I go on and on.

Larry said...

What we are seeing unfold is far more dire than anything of the Great Depression and it will end up being the devastation of the masses that we will not overcome.

jmsjoin said...

larry Buddy
You know damn well you are right! this is going to be cataclysmic but I still can't convince people as to the dire situation. Including the Relentless Liberal.
Put every event in the past here and around the world together and what is getting ready to happen is going to dwarf it! I just highlighted that for today.
I have to run out to the VA but I'll be back. Hope all is going well with the new site. Let me know when it is ready!

Weaseldog said...

I don't know that I'm in good shape. I'm in better shape than if I had done nothing at all.

My garden isn't big enough to feed my family, but if he hit a rough patch, we can find things to eat in a pinch.

I don't think we can adequately prepare for complete disasters, but we can prepare for periodic hardships. As I think this is the most likely worst case scenario for the short term, that is what I am preparing for.

Our beans are starting to produce. I tried purple podded pole beans this year, along with the Cherokees and others. A few were big enough to try. They are tasty.

We picked our second zucchini and we have a couple of artichokes about ready to pick.

It's raining today. I left the chicks out, with free run of the pen, I hope they are smart enough to get under cover. They have their adult feathers now and got themselves on top of the hen house last night. I left them, and this morning they looked fine.

The squash bugs are back, I gonna have to put a dent their population this weekend.

jmsjoin said...

Wease
You are a hell of a lot better prepared than most. Supplemental is the word Betmo was looking for.
You have a very good supplemental system in general. Sustainable takes a lot more effort and for most more concentration on something like potatoes, water, and Chickens.
Your garden sounds great! I had so many of zucchini one year I couldn't pick or give them away fast enough. That is when I started calling them the dreaded zucchini. Doesn't it make you wonder where those damn bugs are when you don't have a garden. They have radar! Take care,