Living off rats to survive in Zimbabwe

[beyoku]

Rats for food 🙁
Look what we've been reduced to eating?" she said. "How can my children eat rats in a country that used to export food? This is a tragedy.

Robert Mugabe who is right about few things but wrong about most is not a stupid guy. He has like 8 real degrees including a 9th degree - "A Degree in Violence." His is another old bad African leader and its been time for him to go. All these old African Dictators who provide refuge for other commiters of crimes against humanity need to be taken out as soon as possible. Zimbabwe has had inflation over 1000% in the last year - oops i guess its still there.. And to think Zimbabwe used to export food to other African countries....What a shame. Although this is the poorest of the poor the only other place i have ever heard of people eating rats is China. I will taste just about any animal but pigeon and rodent. Maybe i will eat a capabara....

 

[zephyrprime]

Mugabe has wrecked his economy but what can we do about it? Invade and topple him? He used to be a popular dictator. The foolish policies that caused this problem were very popular with a lot of the populace. Basically what I'm saying is that what's happening is their own dang fault. We should send some food aid but that's all.

What needs to happen is the Zimbabweians need to wise up and overthrow that loser or elect someone else.

 

[yllus]

Unfortunately, as bad as Iraq or other parts of the Middle East are to invade and try to turn onto a positive path, Africa would be an order of magnitude worse. Even less natural resources and less of a skilled population to leverage. Unless the world fully commits to such a cause - say, one country at a time - there's no chance of such action being anything other than a complete disaster.

 

[daniel49]

African issues we dont care about. (w/ video)

El Presidente for life, seems I have heard that theme before on a different continent.
Well fortunate we have nothing to do with thier politics or it would be one more strike for Evil Americana.

 

[Tab]

You're right, we don't care. I don't live there and I don't want my tax dollars going there either.

 

[Craig234]

Ignorant Daniel, we have a hell of a lot to do with African politics and economics. We were determining some of the leaders there 50 years ago; for example, I've read an entire book on nothing but JFK's African policies as he decided who would have power. Before us, England had the continent largely colonized. Before that, millions of slaves taken...

Irresopnsible Daniel, *nothing* is the fault of the most power nation in the world to you. Nothing. You're an apologist and a denier of truth.

 

[theeedude]

Didn't they take away land from white farmers and redistribute it?
Talk about cutting off the nose to spite the face.
I guess white farmers were better than no farmers 😉

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: Tab
You're right, we don't care. I don't live there and I don't want my tax dollars going there either.

Are you refering to Zimbabwe or "Africa" in general?

 

[Tom]

"Look what we've been reduced to eating?" she said. "How can my children eat rats in a country that used to export food? "


why have children if all you've got to eat is rats ?

 

[eleison]

Originally posted by: Tom
"Look what we've been reduced to eating?" she said. "How can my children eat rats in a country that used to export food? "


why have children if all you've got to eat is rats ?

Sometimes I feel bad for these people.. but then sometimes I think: "hey, its your fault for electing the leaders... you make your bed, you lay on it"... remember these are the same people that ran the white farmers off the land... because as we all know, "white people" are evil... as a poster once said "cutting off the nose to spite the face"..

During the time when white farmers were forcibly removed, many of them were murderd... just thinking about it makes me mad.. yea, these are the same group of people that killed the farmers.. they can go f' themselves.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: Craig234
Ignorant Daniel, we have a hell of a lot to do with African politics and economics. We were determining some of the leaders there 50 years ago; for example, I've read an entire book on nothing but JFK's African policies as he decided who would have power. Before us, England had the continent largely colonized. Before that, millions of slaves taken...

Irresopnsible Daniel, *nothing* is the fault of the most power nation in the world to you. Nothing. You're an apologist and a denier of truth.

Then get off the damn internet, head over there and help. Stop complaining about others opinions.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: Craig234
Ignorant Daniel, we have a hell of a lot to do with African politics and economics. We were determining some of the leaders there 50 years ago; for example, I've read an entire book on nothing but JFK's African policies as he decided who would have power. Before us, England had the continent largely colonized. Before that, millions of slaves taken...

Irresopnsible Daniel, *nothing* is the fault of the most power nation in the world to you. Nothing. You're an apologist and a denier of truth.

Then get off the damn internet, head over there and help. Stop complaining about others opinions.

Oh you can expect a long winded response to this and how people like you who tell others to put up or shutup are stupid heads.

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: Tab
You're right, we don't care. I don't live there and I don't want my tax dollars going there either.

:thumbsup:

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: eleison

Originally posted by: Tom
"Look what we've been reduced to eating?" she said. "How can my children eat rats in a country that used to export food? "


why have children if all you've got to eat is rats ?

Sometimes I feel bad for these people.. but then sometimes I think: "hey, its your fault for electing the leaders... you make your bed, you lay on it"... remember these are the same people that ran the white farmers off the land... because as we all know, "white people" are evil... as a poster once said "cutting off the nose to spite the face"..

During the time when white farmers were forcibly removed, many of them were murderd... just thinking about it makes me mad.. yea, these are the same group of people that killed the farmers.. they can go f' themselves.

Not their fault.
Could be quite possible that most people are voting against Mugabe.

What makes you think all elections held are free and fair?

He's a dictator and can pretty much announce any election result as he sees fit whether its by stuffing ballot boxes or taking the opposition leader to court for treason all because he said "Mugabe must be removed from politics", which could mean anything.

 

[1EZduzit]

Yes, they used to export food. Here is a little history from wikki of what happened:

The drought in southern Africa, perhaps the worst of the century, affected Zimbabwe so severely that a national disaster was declared in 1992. The drought compounded the country's debt crisis.

Despite majority-rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land. Land redistribution reemerged as the vital issue beginning in 1999. In the aftermath of Mugabe's handling of the land reform, which involved the (often violent) seizure of land from various white property owners and its redistribution to blacks, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses and of election tampering in 2002. Later, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth. The compulsory land redistribution program in 2000 led to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In late 2006, the government announced it would tempororily stop issuing passports, as it could no longer afford the special paper used. Marriage certificates are also critically short in supply.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe

People like to bitch about farm subsidies, but it guarantees that the farmers have enough money to get the crops planted and we always have food to export. I'd be willing to bet that none of the farmers who got the land in Zimbabwe are doing without food and I'd also be willing to bet that food isn't cheap there. I also wouoldn't be surprised that the farmers are making as much (or nearly as much) as when they were an exporter and had a surplus of food.

Subsitance farming just isn't very efficeint.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: Craig234
Ignorant Daniel, we have a hell of a lot to do with African politics and economics. We were determining some of the leaders there 50 years ago; for example, I've read an entire book on nothing but JFK's African policies as he decided who would have power. Before us, England had the continent largely colonized. Before that, millions of slaves taken...

Irresopnsible Daniel, *nothing* is the fault of the most power nation in the world to you. Nothing. You're an apologist and a denier of truth.

Then get off the damn internet, head over there and help. Stop complaining about others opinions.

Oh you can expect a long winded response to this and how people like you who tell others to put up or shutup are stupid heads.

Genx: wrong again, like usual.

 

[BladeVenom]

The downslide began, critics say, in 2000 when the government crippled the country's prime commercial farms by running off white farmers and redistributing the land to Mugabe's cronies. At least a dozen white farmers were killed and dozens were injured and hospitalized.

If the genocide had been against blacks not whites, Zimbawbe would have been in the news everyday.

Why do we even send aid to these racist murders?

I'm rooting for the rats.

 

[beyoku]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
Yes, they used to export food. Here is a little history from wikki of what happened:

The drought in southern Africa, perhaps the worst of the century, affected Zimbabwe so severely that a national disaster was declared in 1992. The drought compounded the country's debt crisis.

Despite majority-rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land. Land redistribution reemerged as the vital issue beginning in 1999. In the aftermath of Mugabe's handling of the land reform, which involved the (often violent) seizure of land from various white property owners and its redistribution to blacks, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses and of election tampering in 2002. Later, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth. The compulsory land redistribution program in 2000 led to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In late 2006, the government announced it would tempororily stop issuing passports, as it could no longer afford the special paper used. Marriage certificates are also critically short in supply.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe

People like to bitch about farm subsidies, but it guarantees that the farmers have enough money to get the crops planted and we always have food to export. I'd be willing to bet that none of the farmers who got the land in Zimbabwe are doing without food and I'd also be willing to bet that food isn't cheap there. I also wouoldn't be surprised that the farmers are making as much (or nearly as much) as when they were an exporter and had a surplus of food.

Subsitance farming just isn't very efficeint.

Actually a lot of that land has gone unused,. If you read about that history of the country, land distribution was a very very big problem/issue. The way that Africans were distributed land and "moved" into plots in large groups to separate white from black.....Similar to aparthide is part of the problem. Whites only being 1 percent of the population had more than 70 percent of the land. At independence there had to be some type of redistribution. There were many ways in going about doing it. It started off good but then went foul. Mind you Zimbabwe has been attempting to address the land distribution issue for 10's of years. It didnt help that former colonial masters bailed out on white farmers : Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods - Wiki

And while farm subsidies may be all good for the US. Its not so good for other countries that have to import food when because its cheaper than buying local food. Or cant sell their goods on and international market. Go to Jamaica. On a resort, all food you eat or drink is imported from the US. Its actually cheaper than buying local - even when it comes to things like fruits and vegetables.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: beyoku

Actually a lot of that land has gone unused,. If you read about that history of the country, land distribution was a very very big problem/issue. The way that Africans were distributed land and "moved" into plots in large groups to separate white from black.....Similar to aparthide is part of the problem. Whites only being 1 percent of the population had more than 70 percent of the land. At independence there had to be some type of redistribution. There were many ways in going about doing it. It started off good but then went foul. Mind you Zimbabwe has been attempting to address the land distribution issue for 10's of years. It didnt help that former colonial masters bailed out on white farmers : Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods - Wiki

And while farm subsidies may be all good for the US. Its not so good for other countries that have to import food when because its cheaper than buying local food. Or cant sell their goods on and international market. Go to Jamaica. On a resort, all food you eat or drink is imported from the US. Its actually cheaper than buying local - even when it comes to things like fruits and vegetables.

Actually not having all their land used would support my argument for farm subsidies, don't you think? They used to export food, it was there main export.

About Jamica, I've never been there so I really know much about them, but I doubt they have enough available farmland to grow everything, they wouldn't be able be competetive if they tried. Concentrate on what you do best. Being such a small area, the climate probably isn't condusive for growing all types of crops either.

 

[beyoku]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

The downslide began, critics say, in 2000 when the government crippled the country's prime commercial farms by running off white farmers and redistributing the land to Mugabe's cronies. At least a dozen white farmers were killed and dozens were injured and hospitalized.

If the genocide had been against blacks not whites, Zimbawbe would have been in the news everyday.

Why do we even send aid to these racist murders?

I'm rooting for the rats.

Genocide? Are your serious?
Can you even spot Zimbabwe on a map?
Do you know how many Africans have died in Zimbabwe because of whites tying to force minority rule ,racism, and control within the last 50 years? And we are just talking about 1 country in African. You can see Congo were Whites were responsible for the death of ab
out 10 million people / half the population if you want to see genocide. People like him are considered heros because of what they have done in the past, fighting for independence. In fact they only won that in 1980. These 'countries' are not old in that sense.

I have never been an expert but you surly dont know about the basics of these peoples history or politics. Just comment on the rats.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: beyoku

Originally posted by: BladeVenom

The downslide began, critics say, in 2000 when the government crippled the country's prime commercial farms by running off white farmers and redistributing the land to Mugabe's cronies. At least a dozen white farmers were killed and dozens were injured and hospitalized.

If the genocide had been against blacks not whites, Zimbawbe would have been in the news everyday.

Why do we even send aid to these racist murders?

I'm rooting for the rats.

Genocide? Are your serious?
Can you even spot Zimbabwe on a map?
Do you know how many Africans have died in Zimbabwe because of whites tying to force minority rule ,racism, and control within the last 50 years? And we are just talking about 1 country in African. You can see Congo were Whites were responsible for the death of ab
out 10 million people / half the population if you want to see genocide. People like him are considered heros because of what they have done in the past, fighting for independence. In fact they only won that in 1980. These 'countries' are not old in that sense.

I have never been an expert but you surly dont know about the basics of these peoples history or politics. Just comment on the rats.

Is this more of the two wrongs make a right argument we often hear?

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: beyoku

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
Yes, they used to export food. Here is a little history from wikki of what happened:

The drought in southern Africa, perhaps the worst of the century, affected Zimbabwe so severely that a national disaster was declared in 1992. The drought compounded the country's debt crisis.

Despite majority-rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land. Land redistribution reemerged as the vital issue beginning in 1999. In the aftermath of Mugabe's handling of the land reform, which involved the (often violent) seizure of land from various white property owners and its redistribution to blacks, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses and of election tampering in 2002. Later, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth. The compulsory land redistribution program in 2000 led to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In late 2006, the government announced it would tempororily stop issuing passports, as it could no longer afford the special paper used. Marriage certificates are also critically short in supply.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe

People like to bitch about farm subsidies, but it guarantees that the farmers have enough money to get the crops planted and we always have food to export. I'd be willing to bet that none of the farmers who got the land in Zimbabwe are doing without food and I'd also be willing to bet that food isn't cheap there. I also wouoldn't be surprised that the farmers are making as much (or nearly as much) as when they were an exporter and had a surplus of food.

Subsitance farming just isn't very efficeint.

Actually a lot of that land has gone unused,. If you read about that history of the country, land distribution was a very very big problem/issue. The way that Africans were distributed land and "moved" into plots in large groups to separate white from black.....Similar to aparthide is part of the problem. Whites only being 1 percent of the population had more than 70 percent of the land. At independence there had to be some type of redistribution. There were many ways in going about doing it. It started off good but then went foul. Mind you Zimbabwe has been attempting to address the land distribution issue for 10's of years. It didnt help that former colonial masters bailed out on white farmers : Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods - Wiki

And while farm subsidies may be all good for the US. Its not so good for other countries that have to import food when because its cheaper than buying local food. Or cant sell their goods on and international market. Go to Jamaica. On a resort, all food you eat or drink is imported from the US. Its actually cheaper than buying local - even when it comes to things like fruits and vegetables.

Heh massive forced redistribution of wealth and we have famine, diesease, and death?
This sounds like a common story with these types of programs.

 

[Craig234]

Beyoku - good points.

You asked the wrong question though, with can he spot Zimbabwe on a map. Try, can he spot Africa on a map? His ilk doesn't care at all about the poeple there, regardless, even while they remain ignorant of the exploitation done to the countries for our benefit, such as nearly all of key minerals needed for for cell phones coming from there.

 

[beyoku]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: beyoku

Actually a lot of that land has gone unused,. If you read about that history of the country, land distribution was a very very big problem/issue. The way that Africans were distributed land and "moved" into plots in large groups to separate white from black.....Similar to aparthide is part of the problem. Whites only being 1 percent of the population had more than 70 percent of the land. At independence there had to be some type of redistribution. There were many ways in going about doing it. It started off good but then went foul. Mind you Zimbabwe has been attempting to address the land distribution issue for 10's of years. It didnt help that former colonial masters bailed out on white farmers : Great Britain despite promising to reimburse the white farmers refused to honor their promise, instead imposed economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has as led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods - Wiki

And while farm subsidies may be all good for the US. Its not so good for other countries that have to import food when because its cheaper than buying local food. Or cant sell their goods on and international market. Go to Jamaica. On a resort, all food you eat or drink is imported from the US. Its actually cheaper than buying local - even when it comes to things like fruits and vegetables.

Actually not having all their land used would support my argument for farm subsidies, don't you think? They used to export food, it was there main export.

About Jamica, I've never been there so I really know much about them, but I doubt they have enough available farmland to grow everything, they wouldn't be able be competitive if they tried. Concentrate on what you do best. Being such a small area, the climate probably isn't condusive for growing all types of crops either.

The climate is good for growing food like most tropical climates. I would generally think under hadly no circumstances would it be cheaper to import and buy imported food than it would be to buy local food from a grocery.(Then again, we import a lot of food.) But it is the case of American farmers getting subsidies and being able to undercut their price on an international market that makes an imported US head of lettuce 1.oo and a Local head of lettuce 2.oo (cut and dry example). IMF practices and international trade laws are also issues to why some countries are JUST SO POOR but that is a different discussion for a different day. In the end, no one should be too poor and be forced to eat rodents. One step lower than that i guess would be to see drawings of human body-parts on the market as shown in a North Korea documentary. I basically started the thread just for info on humanitarian crisis. Not why should our govt care but why should we humans care. No the US should not be "going and toppling" anyone. Its just a sad fact that so many of these issues are overlooked. And i have a hard time believing that most Americans really care about their welfare or the welfare of Iraqis even though we fake it. We go into a fake rage and act like we really care about what Saddam did to the Kurds but if you search the beard for "Darfur" you only get 3 threads 13 posts total and that is an Ongoing Genocide thats happening right now with 250 - 400k dead and 2 - 2.5 million people displaced. And this guy has had real links to OBL and Alqueda. Maybe when cars run on blood human life will be worth something.

 

[beyoku]

Originally posted by: eleison

Originally posted by: Tom
"Look what we've been reduced to eating?" she said. "How can my children eat rats in a country that used to export food? "


why have children if all you've got to eat is rats ?

Sometimes I feel bad for these people.. but then sometimes I think: "hey, its your fault for electing the leaders... you make your bed, you lay on it"... remember these are the same people that ran the white farmers off the land... because as we all know, "white people" are evil... as a poster once said "cutting off the nose to spite the face"..

During the time when white farmers were forcibly removed, many of them were murderd... just thinking about it makes me mad.. yea, these are the same group of people that killed the farmers.. they can go f' themselves.

I doubt the kids in the video stole any land or killed any white farmers.