How about this generational pic, in recompense for my error?
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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Newborn corpses, foetuses clog sewers weekly in Zimbabwe |
| 2006-02-21 |
| Socialism works. HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - The corpses of at least 20 newborn babies and foetuses are found each week in the sewers of Zimbabwe's capital, some having been flushed down toilets, Harare city authorities said, according to state media yesterday. Town Clerk Nomutsa Chideya said the babies' remains were found among a wide variety of waste and garbage cleared by city council workers unblocking sewers and drains in Harare. "Apart from upsetting the normal flow of waste, it is not right from a moral standpoint. Some of the things that are happening now are shocking," the state Herald, a government mouthpiece, reported Chideya as saying. Acute shortages of revenue and gasoline in the nation's worst economic crisis since independence in 1980 have crippled public utilities and garbage collection services across Zimbabwe. Hospital fees and charges for scarce medicines have soared. Church and charity groups blame economic hardships for an increase in illegal back-street abortions. Chideya said workers removed at least 20 tons of sand from sewers every day. Inflation is running at 613 per cent and many impoverished Zimbabweans, unable to afford cleaning materials or detergents, use sand to scour cooking pots and household dishes. Salt is also used as a substitute for toothpaste. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #36 Oh for phuechs sake, liten up and get a life. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-02-21 15:59 |
| #35 South Park needs to do an episode on Zimbabwe. |
| Posted by: bk 2006-02-21 10:35 |
| #34 Besoeker, it's time for you to check your disdain for other races at the door before entering Rantburg. You have now been warned openly, since more gentle feedback is being ignored. It is in indeed in a class with infacts in the dumpster as we see here in the states all to often. If they give birth to your own flesh and blood (or abort), and do not have the human decency to give the infant a proper burial or call someone who can, you are both lazy and WORTHLESS! I stand by my comment and would say further that "it is time" for you to stuff your continued allegations of "racisim" up your fat you know what! Making the use of the four letter werd "lazy" a 'holocaust denial' violation equivalent is simply thought policing communism. I am too old and have humped too far to listen to that kind of kak from someone who would not make the comment in a face off. RWV's comment is spot on by the way. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-02-21 11:07 |
| #33 Absolutely disgusting, the lazy buggers. From the earliest of times simple human dignity and sanitation dictated the burial of the dead, even if dug with a stick or bare hands. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-02-21 09:05 |
| #32 Quite a pedigree, lotp. Don't be too hard on besoeker. I don't think he's a troll; I think he's just had a hard week. He often makes sound, if harsh, sense. I remember something here (I think it was the Murtha foolishness) that caught me on a bad day and I wrote a frothing rant that had people calling for cleanup in the aisles. Later on I could see the wisdom in their opinion but it took a while to get back to the "I used to be disgusted but now I try to be amused" mindset. Hopefully that's what is going on with him. JMHO, with thanks to Elvis Costello ;-) |
| Posted by: mac 2006-02-21 22:59 |
| #31 So, in the big picture, what is to be done with cases like Zim-bob? Does the country have to go totally down the toilet, literally and figuratively, until Bob is removed by Zim's own citizens? Obviously, the UN will do nothing. Who makes the decision for regime change? Zimbabwe does not have a big pile of diamonds, platinum, copper, oil or some other resource that NA, Europe, or China wants, so there is no direct interest in regime change except humanitarian. So what happens? Do we feel bad and hope folks inside the country take out Bob, and let it go. It's like Somalia. It is a first class sh*thole. But who charges themselves with the authority to unf*ck the place? And we see the same slippery slope happening to South Africa. But is it in our interest to go in and rearrange their heads to stop this insanity? I guess that the bottom line comes down to how a situation affects our national interest. We certainly do not have the resources to take on the world. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-02-21 22:39 |
| #30 No one who ever stood the watch with the nuclear fire ever says "nuke 'em all." It's an easy thing to say when you don't know what it means, not so easy for those who do. It is a triumph of the American will that it has been over 60 years since nukes were used in anger. I can't begin to say how good it feels to see B2s dropping iron bombs and the Navy talking about converting boomers to launch conventional warheads. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-02-21 22:21 |
| #29 The rant is great but this post seems to be flawed. First the "state" run media is running this story? Why? The government/dictator would only let this out for a reason. You cant flush a Koran down the toilet let alone a baby, no matter how small. This story seems to fit in a propaganda attempt to get money for something and to pull on our hearts to do it. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2006-02-21 21:39 |
| #28 I've made this point before, but there is significant evidence that we will respond in a manner that is consistent with the attack that provokes the response. What we did to Japanese in WWII was horrific and beyond the scale of anything else done in wartime as far as the numbers of civilians killed per day or per raid. But those raids were done at the end of the war, after we had fought the Japanse soldiers to the death. It was the opinion of our leadership at the time that there was no alternative. Even so, they were extremeley concerned about the potential outcry from US citizens. If we are hit hard (nuke, etc.) we will respond with corresponding savagery. Until then, I seriously doubt you will see a total war response to any provocation. Yest I agree with LOTP and TW, we will get this done. I fear that it will get very, very ugly before it is over, but we will win. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2006-02-21 20:23 |
| #27 we will do what it takes to win, but coldly and calmly, not in the heat of anger. A good example of that is what happened to the clan that killed the SEALs downed in Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-02-21 19:18 |
| #26 I just realized how much a B2 looks like a southern tidal stingray. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-02-21 18:41 |
| #25 Sounds like a good sniper is needed.... Just sayin', 's all. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-02-21 17:34 |
| #24 There can't be much left to bomb in Zimbabwe, besides the presidential palace. Didn't Mugabe have the suburbs and part of the city pulled down? wxjames, that last was well said, in my opinion. But we didn't kill all the Japanese, either. Truman authorized using nuclear bombs to get their attention, so we wouldn't have to. Radical Islam has been warring against the West for a generation -- they've just now become overconfident enough to crow about it. Hopefully we won't have to go medieval on them -- but OldSpook said something a long time ago (I think when the contractors were murdered, then their burnt bodies hung from Fallujah bridge (can someone correct me on that?), when the rest of us were calling for the rubble to be bounced) along the lines of: we will do what it takes to win, but coldly and calmly, not in the heat of anger. That really impressed me, as you can see, even though I don't remember his exact words (and I don't know how to do a quick search to find them, darn it!). As I've hung out here, and read the words of people who actually know something about war and peace, and the waging thereof, I've become confident that we will win this one. We lost the battle of VietNam because we walked away; but we won the Cold War nonetheless. Likewise, after knowing y'all here, I have faith, bone deep, that we will win this Long War in the end. And I know that we will do what it takes along the way -- coldly and calmly. And without killing them all -- although if it takes too long, they may push us to killing most. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-02-21 17:22 |
| #23 Oops, saw B52 instead of what you actually wrote. How about this generational pic, in recompense for my error? |
| Posted by: .com 2006-02-21 17:06 |
| #22 LOL. Works for me. Need a PayPal contribution to help cover costs? Buffs carry a shitload, bro. ;-) |
| Posted by: .com 2006-02-21 16:47 |
| #21 Sorry .com. I'm all tapped out from splurging on cartooning supplies. Would a $1.99 laser pointer strapped to each JDAM suffice? |
| Posted by: ed 2006-02-21 16:43 |
| #20 Sounds indiscriminate to me, ed. Better put a laser kit on every one of those or you're over THE LINE, bubba. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-02-21 16:32 |
| #19 One loaded B2 from Diego Garcia can change the whole course Zimbabwe. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-02-21 16:10 |
| #18 If they all got lives they probably wouldn't have time or money to operate the website anymore. The software didn't come out of a box, the management and bandwidth isn't handled by some distant charitable organization... IF you want a soapbox, go contact a web hosting service on _your_ dime. Please. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-02-21 16:05 |
| #17 Just to add to the comments here: If seafarious and lotp hadn't poop-listed Besoeker, I would have. I'm tired of the racist nonsense. I'm more than ready, as Old Patriot notes, to defend me, mine, ours and yours with whatever violence is necessary. But I will not condemn whole peoples to death, I will not make sport of some poor guys stuck in a collapsed mine, and I will not support the 'nuke 'em all and let God sort them out' stuff. That's not me, and as far as I know, that's none of the moderators, including Fred. There are serious problems out there, and Rantburg can lead the way in discussing the solutions and offering high-quality snark. But we don't do racism here. And you can take dat to da bank. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-21 15:45 |
| #16 Maybe we could get some new stem cell lines....nevermind, too crass even for me. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-02-21 15:23 |
| #15 wxjames, trust me - I'm fully aware of the gathering storm. I've been watching it since doing business in the middle east in the mid-late 80s, including with the Israelis and the Saudis. And I know as well as nearly anyone here what we are facing. It's true that I am not in uniform - full military service was not a real option for a female when I was young. However, much of my family and my husband have been career military, many with combat experience, and my daily colleagues and close friends are mostly active duty or retired military today. They include people with recent experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places where our military action is lower-profile. But it is one thing to know what we face and another thing either to revel in it or to resort to hate- and scorn-filled dehumanization of people who are NOT our direct enemies. In the last 36 hours or so, Besoeker has managed to dismiss the basic humanity and worth both of Mexican miners trapped near death and of Zimbabweans caught in horrific circumstances. That goes way beyond being clear eyed about our world situation -- and it is part of a long pattern of occasional comments on his part here at Rantburg. I am not afraid of the coming conflict, if it must come, and while I have not been in combat myself I think I have a pretty good idea of what it might entail. Ground fighting? I've talked with many veterans of some of the most brutal fighting of the last century. To take an earlier conflict, my beloved god-father/uncle, for instance, whose light infantry bore the brunt of the elite German Nordwind special forces attack at Bastogne. Three weeks later when he was finally sent back for medical care he had earned a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars and 3 Purple Hearts - and he had taken out several German machinegun emplacements himself, with his squad dead around him. He was among the 40% of his regiment that survived those 3 weeks and he bears the costs of his physical injuries today, at age 85 - and the memories of what he did and saw done, as well. Air attacks? My father was a Naval aviation gunner. Survived having two ships sunk underneath him, had his plane shot down in the south pacific in WWII, came home in a body cast. Insurgencies? My cousin flew 2 engine prop recon planes in the treetops of Cambodia when we 'weren't in Cambodia'. If he had crashed or been shot down, he would have been disavowed. Nuclear? Another close cousin who commanded missile silos and whose marriage fell apart while he spent long shifts holding one of the two keys that would have launched massive death. Our daughter's godfather was an attack sub officer, chosen when Rickover himself interviewed and passed judgement on every potential commissioned officer in the nuclear-powered fleet. Space? My husband's work was in the highly classified unmanned space program. Draw your own conclusions. Special ops? I won't name names, but I know a few in the field. Genocide? On my father's side we lost 95% of our family and all our lands during the Russian revolution and under Stalin. 95%. It's precisely because I know EXACTLY what we may be facing that I do not embrace it eagerly, even as I recognize what we may be forced to do. No one should embrace it eagerly, because it will - do not kid yourself, it WILL - cost us part of our soul if it comes to that. As it may. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-02-21 14:27 |
| #14 lotp, I hope you read this. I can't speak for Besoeker, but I know that this situation of Islam vs. the modern world has taken a turn for the worse. Many people don't yet know that, but some are more prone to awaken early. I am convinced that radical Islam will force a clash of civilizations on a monumentous scale. We had a similar situation in WW2 against Japan. The Japanese were a national cult who believe that their emperor was a living God and therefore infalable. (a bit like Mohammed, but still alive) The Japanese were prepared to fight to the last man for their emperor/God. The immage of nuclear bombs wiping cities from the face of the earth, shocked the Japanese into belief in modern technology and doubt in the potence of their emperor. Following WW2, the Japanese became a model modern culture. A major surprise and delight to the west. Besoeker is aware of the collision course we are now on. So am I, and many others. When we act civilized, we pretend to be pulled into this collision. As we resist, we allow our boys in uniform to take the full impact of the enemy's hatred. The 'moderates' among Muslims will not act. The best we can hope for is that they will hide until the war is over. Watch what is happening in Nigeria. Step by step, Islam is taking Nigeria. Taking it's people, it's land, it's oil, until all of Nigeria answers to Allah. This is what the Japanese were doing in Asia Minor prior to WW2. But, they did it with marching armies. Our new enemy is too cowardly to dress the part. They sneek and bomb indiscriminately, killing bystanders, and while doing so, killing law and order. Besoeker sees this, even though you don't. He urges actions that you may some day resort to. Some people just read the waves ahead of the storm. Some of us are frustrated by the waiting. But, we are brothers, so we will wait for the rest to see the storm approaching. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-02-21 13:58 |
| #13 Mugabe is a classical example of the post-colonial African Curse : "One man, one vote ----- one time". As long as he and his party remain in control, Zim is doomed to a Cambodian death spiral. And now that Mbeki and the ANC have announced their intention to follow Zim down the drain, the whole of Southern Africa is in danger of collapse, civil war, and becoming the homebases of Al-Q and other terrorist organizations. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-02-21 13:19 |
| #12 Thanks, Seafarious. Besoeker has been poop-listed. That's not a step we take lightly, but only in the face of repeated provocation after requests from moderators to tone things down. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-02-21 11:59 |
| #11 Besoeker, the people of Zimbabwe are sytematically having their humanity stripped away by their own leadership. Every day the bulldozers come to knock down more homes and plow under the tiniest of vegetable gardens. They have no access to *anything*: no shelter, no food, no birth control, no medicine, NO F*ING SOAP to wash their hands. Don't you dare accuse them of laziness. And the same horror is about to be visited on South Africa, in the name of 'justice'. If you're smart, you'll apologize to lotp, who is absolutely more than capable of telling you these things to your face. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-02-21 11:54 |
| #10 Bob's gotta go. Now. It won't happen. The population is too beat down. There is no coherent and unified opposition. The intellectual and political elite won't oppose. Bob. Their concern is poverty, hunger and lack of health care for the citizens. They'd let Bob and his ilk run things forever if his government provided the basic necessities. They'd even ally with the Devil if it meant the people got fed. Oh, and the cricket team got to play out-of-country. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-02-21 11:19 |
| #9 Not to "pile on" on the abortion arguments, but I agree with RWV. However, this does signify the absolute worst in humanity, showing how Bob's literally flushed his country down the drain. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-02-21 10:59 |
| #8 Given the prevalence of abortion on demand in the WEst, who are we to cast the first stone. We just have better methods of disposing of the evidence. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-02-21 10:46 |
| #7 Mugabe has said that Zimbabwe would be a better place with only half as many people. This seems in line with his 5 year plan. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-02-21 10:45 |
| #6 This is heartbreaking. If there was ever any proof that the Zimbabweans feel hopeless about their country, this is it. But if you are looking for a big campaign on this, keep dreaming. The minute someone opens their yap, some pro-choice group is going to start screaming. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2006-02-21 10:43 |
| #5 Steve is right. I have acquaintances who lived in Rhodesia in the 70s and 80s. They are horrified by what the country has become. Besoeker, it's time for you to check your disdain for other races at the door before entering Rantburg. You have now been warned openly, since more gentle feedback is being ignored. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-02-21 09:57 |
| #4 Cecil is probably happy it hasn't his name any more. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-02-21 09:53 |
| #3 They aren't lazy. They're beaten down by a horrid dictatorship. YOU try living there and making sense of the place. Bob's gotta go. Now. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-21 09:49 |
| #2 It's symbolic of Bob's legacy. |
| Posted by: Spot 2006-02-21 08:22 |
| #1 This is horrid |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-02-21 07:43 |