..although I'm sure Mary Anne is holding back her choice invectives at what on the surface appears to be racism or racist conjecture ;-)

The problem with humanitarian aid to these nations is exactly the blend of your point about collectivist regimes identifying themselves as socialists, and Lee's point about self-sustaining populations.

When we aid these nations but have no control over the distribution of goods and services or the ability to enforce justice - we are simply wasting taxpayer money and PROPAGATING and perhaps INCREASING misery.

Lee was obviously taught about the old man and the fish story. If you fish for a man, who is starving he will expect the fish and soon demand that you fish for him. He will take your fish and reject out of hand any insinuation or suggestion that perhaps he fish for himself now.

For centuries the African nations and the villages were curiousities - windows back into time on human evolution.

The death rates of these nations was staggering - but most died near birth.

Now the same death toll rings - but the people die at 16 or 12. Suffering much longer, living a life with an empty stomach.

Modern man has two choices - simply abandon them to their own fate and wait for them to have their own renaissance - or take over the regions, lock, stock and barrel and assimilate them into our culture as we did the slaves and their descendants.

The piecemeal doling out of aid has increased misery as a whole and only helped a very select few. It has helped support despots who had more material resources and medicines to control and then sell for weapons to subdue those who would overthrow such tyrants.

Yes, the west has handled these regions amazingly poorly.

Misguided humanitarianism is like giving a child money and then sending him to play out in the ghetto - where he will be turned into an addict or a pimp, by example.

These regions have no role models to speak of, their governments are shallow and they are the least humane to other humans of almost anyone on the earth.

Callous disregard for human life can be evidenced highest in Africa, India and China. Once populations increase beyond balance - humanity and human compassion decreases. Not surprisingly the education and literacy levels of these levels is horrible and exacerbates the problem.

The starving poor die in front of a food shop and the owners couldn't care less.

Sometimes the most compassionate thing to do - is to control and regulate the impulse to assist, as it will - as Lee pointed out - balance the populations over time allowing a more productive society and government to take root.

Our interference and humanitarian aid has wrecked the ecosystem and killed countless species of animals and rendered others almost extinct - all because of extending these walking deads life span by a dozen years.

It's truly horrendous actually.

SDAI-Tech1