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A letter from Zimbabwe.

andybob

Well-known member
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:18:01 -0500

Dear Family and Friends,

Within half a kilometre of a main army barracks and in view of a steady stream of traffic and hundreds of people, a man lay next to a main road leading to the Harare airport this week. Barefoot, painfully thin and with thick, unkempt hair the man lay unmoving on the verge, his feet protruding into the busy road. Standing on the opposite side of the road four men in army camouflage stood hitch- hiking, choosing not to see the man lying a few steps away from them. Is this what Zimbabwean authorities did not want the former UN Secretary General and former US President to see on a planned 2 day humanitarian assessment visit? Is this why these two respected Elders were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



Outside banks, building societies and post offices the crowds of people trying to withdraw their own money have grown to multiple thousands. Many people have resorted to sleeping outside the banks in order to be near the front of the queues where they can only withdraw five hundred thousand dollars a day - enough to buy one mouthful of a single cornish pasty being sold at a local bakery this week. Two and a half million dollars was the price tag for this simple take away snack - five days of queuing at the bank to buy one meal for one person. Is this what the authorities in Zimbabwe did not want Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter to see? Is this why they were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



On a seventy kilometre stretch of road through what used to be prime agricultural land on the way to the capital city, there is silence and desolation as roadside farms lie unploughed and unplanted while the country remains barren of seed and fertilizer. Even as the rains fall on the land and the ground turns springy underfoot, the weeds are sprouting but not the food. The lushest crop I saw in 70 kilometres was grass being carefully manicured on a golf course. Is this what the authorities did not want Mr Annan and Mr Carter to see and why they were denied visas?



In supermarkets, the majority of which are not allowed to trade in US dollars, the shelves are empty. There are no staple goods, no dairy products, no confectionary, no fast foods, no tinned or bottled products, nothing to eat at all. From all over the country there are first hand reports of people barely surviving by eating roots, wild berries, beetles and insects. Is this what the world's respected Elders were not supposed to see and why they were denied visas to come into Zimbabwe ?



Hospitals without disposable gloves, medicines, drips, bandages or disinfectant. Nurses who cannot afford to come to work. Toilets and taps without water. A growing cholera outbreak in all areas of the country with 300 people already dead. Raw sewage flowing in the streets of high density areas. Dustbins which have not been collected in urban residential suburbs since July in my home town. Men, women and children collecting water in bowls and buckets from swampy streams and murky pools. No soap to buy in the shops so no chance of preventing the spread of cholera by washing your hands with soap and water. Is this what Mr Annan, Mr Carter and Mrs Machel might have seen had they been granted visas to see for themselves the humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Zimbabwe?



We hope that the Elders will not give up on Zimbabwe , even though there is no welcome mat at our doorstep.Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy.

©Copyright cathy buckle 22 November 2008.

www.cathybuckle.com . To subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter or for information on my books, please write to:
[email protected]
 

Mrs.Greg

Well-known member
andybob....what can we do to help? How can we get some of these medical supplies into Zimbabwe??Just soap even...this is heartbreaking. Here we worry about the poor Auto industry that gouged us for yrs,now going under and your countries facing no food,water,medical supplies.........


:cry: :cry:
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
Mrs.Greg said:
andybob....what can we do to help? How can we get some of these medical supplies into Zimbabwe??Just soap even...this is heartbreaking. Here we worry about the poor Auto industry that gouged us for yrs,now going under and your countries facing no food,water,medical supplies.........


:cry: :cry:

How did the Auto industry Gouge you guys? Just curious?

I am assuming you are having auto industry problems in Canada also since you said "Here"?
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
aplusmnt said:
Mrs.Greg said:
andybob....what can we do to help? How can we get some of these medical supplies into Zimbabwe??Just soap even...this is heartbreaking. Here we worry about the poor Auto industry that gouged us for yrs,now going under and your countries facing no food,water,medical supplies.........


:cry: :cry:

How did the Auto industry Gouge you guys? Just curious?

I am assuming you are having auto industry problems in Canada also since you said "Here"?

Stay on topic, AHole..................... :roll: :roll:
 

MsSage

Well-known member
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 12 June 2008 – Last week, the authorities here banned non-governmental organizations from distributing aid throughout the country. For many Zimbabweans already suffering from food shortages and rampant inflation, the lack of aid could prove disastrous.



Sorry there is not much that can be done for them untill the govenment changes this ruling.
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
aplusmnt said:
Mrs.Greg said:
andybob....what can we do to help? How can we get some of these medical supplies into Zimbabwe??Just soap even...this is heartbreaking. Here we worry about the poor Auto industry that gouged us for yrs,now going under and your countries facing no food,water,medical supplies.........


:cry: :cry:

How did the Auto industry Gouge you guys? Just curious?

I am assuming you are having auto industry problems in Canada also since you said "Here"?

Stay on topic, AHole..................... :roll: :roll:

I am, that is part of Mrs. Greg's comment, what I am suppose to ignore it because you wish? :?

Besides since when have your or anyone been concerned about staying on topic on a thread? :roll:
 

hopalong

Well-known member
aplusmnt said:
kolanuraven said:
aplusmnt said:
How did the Auto industry Gouge you guys? Just curious?

I am assuming you are having auto industry problems in Canada also since you said "Here"?

Stay on topic, AHole..................... :roll: :roll:[/quote]

I am, that is part of Mrs. Greg's comment, what I am suppose to ignore it because you wish? :?

Besides since when have your or anyone been concerned about staying on topic on a thread? :roll:

Kolo only plays by her rules, she chagnes topics faster that her hot flashes occur :D :D :D
 

jigs

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
[ Stay on topic, AHole..................... :roll: :roll:


let me translate that for you Aplus......


kind sir, I humbly request that you keep to the topic at hand. while you scatter the topic towards the economic woes of Canadas auto industry, Zimbabaweeuns are in dire trouble.
it is more important to get medicine and food and water to these war torn people that the rest of the world has ignored than getting the auto industry to build more trucks to haul more beer to the hockey pucks up north.

please sit with me on the viranda and sip some sweet tea as we ponder the best direction to which we can tackle these two problems.
again sir, I ask you stay focused. stay on topic, and ignore bossy southern jesebels like myself.




pretty sure that is what old sweet talkin Kola was trying to say....she means well, it just sounds like she is a bitch
 

alice

Well-known member
Andybob,

That is horrific. I'm so sorry...my prayers are with you and your family and friends. Wish there was more I could do...

Alice
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
Women like KooKoo are EXACTLY why men look in other countries for a spouse. I refused to settle for less than what I wanted. Being on the Asian diet, I knew what I wanted and looked for in a woman, and that is exactly what I got. Not only is she a wonderful wife, mother, and cook who owns her own business, etc. ..............I have the privilege of waking up next to a brown goddess every morning. 8)

Life is good. :D

Daddy always told me life is too short to spend it married to a witch.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Sometimes when our kids are actually all at home at meal time (rarely) I just bask in knowing that we have got all of our needs met. I often wondered what it must be like to be a daddy and not being able to put food on the table for our kids.

And I thank God for what he has given us. Did you ever stop to think that you had no choice in where you were born? Haiti anyone? Zimbabwe? Sri Lanka? Darfur? Maybe we should all re-read andybob's post and then go over to kris's post about what you are thankful for.
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
jigs said:
kolanuraven said:
[ Stay on topic, AHole..................... :roll: :roll:


let me translate that for you Aplus......


kind sir, I humbly request that you keep to the topic at hand. while you scatter the topic towards the economic woes of Canadas auto industry, Zimbabaweeuns are in dire trouble.
it is more important to get medicine and food and water to these war torn people that the rest of the world has ignored than getting the auto industry to build more trucks to haul more beer to the hockey pucks up north.

please sit with me on the viranda and sip some sweet tea as we ponder the best direction to which we can tackle these two problems.
again sir, I ask you stay focused. stay on topic, and ignore bossy southern jesebels like myself.




pretty sure that is what old sweet talkin Kola was trying to say....she means well, it just sounds like she is a bitch

Now that makes perfect sense to me! If kolan could only articulate herself in such a manner she could get what she wants!

Sorry for going off topic! :(
 

Broke Cowboy

Well-known member
andybob said:
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:18:01 -0500

Dear Family and Friends,

Within half a kilometre of a main army barracks and in view of a steady stream of traffic and hundreds of people, a man lay next to a main road leading to the Harare airport this week. Barefoot, painfully thin and with thick, unkempt hair the man lay unmoving on the verge, his feet protruding into the busy road. Standing on the opposite side of the road four men in army camouflage stood hitch- hiking, choosing not to see the man lying a few steps away from them. Is this what Zimbabwean authorities did not want the former UN Secretary General and former US President to see on a planned 2 day humanitarian assessment visit? Is this why these two respected Elders were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



Outside banks, building societies and post offices the crowds of people trying to withdraw their own money have grown to multiple thousands. Many people have resorted to sleeping outside the banks in order to be near the front of the queues where they can only withdraw five hundred thousand dollars a day - enough to buy one mouthful of a single cornish pasty being sold at a local bakery this week. Two and a half million dollars was the price tag for this simple take away snack - five days of queuing at the bank to buy one meal for one person. Is this what the authorities in Zimbabwe did not want Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter to see? Is this why they were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



On a seventy kilometre stretch of road through what used to be prime agricultural land on the way to the capital city, there is silence and desolation as roadside farms lie unploughed and unplanted while the country remains barren of seed and fertilizer. Even as the rains fall on the land and the ground turns springy underfoot, the weeds are sprouting but not the food. The lushest crop I saw in 70 kilometres was grass being carefully manicured on a golf course. Is this what the authorities did not want Mr Annan and Mr Carter to see and why they were denied visas?



In supermarkets, the majority of which are not allowed to trade in US dollars, the shelves are empty. There are no staple goods, no dairy products, no confectionary, no fast foods, no tinned or bottled products, nothing to eat at all. From all over the country there are first hand reports of people barely surviving by eating roots, wild berries, beetles and insects. Is this what the world's respected Elders were not supposed to see and why they were denied visas to come into Zimbabwe ?



Hospitals without disposable gloves, medicines, drips, bandages or disinfectant. Nurses who cannot afford to come to work. Toilets and taps without water. A growing cholera outbreak in all areas of the country with 300 people already dead. Raw sewage flowing in the streets of high density areas. Dustbins which have not been collected in urban residential suburbs since July in my home town. Men, women and children collecting water in bowls and buckets from swampy streams and murky pools. No soap to buy in the shops so no chance of preventing the spread of cholera by washing your hands with soap and water. Is this what Mr Annan, Mr Carter and Mrs Machel might have seen had they been granted visas to see for themselves the humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Zimbabwe?



We hope that the Elders will not give up on Zimbabwe , even though there is no welcome mat at our doorstep.Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy.

©Copyright cathy buckle 22 November 2008.

www.cathybuckle.com . To subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter or for information on my books, please write to:
[email protected]

There are many injustices in the world.

All of Africa is an ancient civilization.

Billions have been spent on this continent - aide for those who suffer.

Much - if not most - of it ends up in the pockets of despot leaders. I have seen this personally.

The leaders tend to rail against white injustice, western religion and western success as if it were something that is evil.

Tribe before flag in most of the continent has placed the entire continent in turmoil since time immemorial.

Assisting one faction only makes ememies of the other - there is no cohesiveness or spirit of co-operation - only hate between tribes.

And religion - muslim against Christian has begun to make things even worse - and lets not forget slavery - which is not decreasing - in fact it is increasing.

Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zim and the beat goes on - nothing has changed.

I would not want to set foot in South Africa either.

And most of those nations find it easy to blame anyone white, or anyone from a western nation. Everything has become the fault of others.

They want aide but will only use it as a weapon against their own people - simply because they are of a different tribe.

Sob stories like this can be found all over the world - usually self generated - and I have had the honour [sic] of seeing it.

Cathy Buckle writes a good story - pulls at the heart - but does not paint a true picture of life in Africa - she left out corruption and the intentional disrespect for life in general.

I am tired of people laying the guilt trip on us - with fancy words and carefully posed pictures.

I would never spend another dime on that continent until they - THEY - get their own house in order.

Never - f***ng ever!!

Keep the money at home. We are far better off staying out until they sort out their own problems.

BC
 

NMRANCHER

Well-known member
Broke Cowboy said:
andybob said:
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:18:01 -0500

Dear Family and Friends,

Within half a kilometre of a main army barracks and in view of a steady stream of traffic and hundreds of people, a man lay next to a main road leading to the Harare airport this week. Barefoot, painfully thin and with thick, unkempt hair the man lay unmoving on the verge, his feet protruding into the busy road. Standing on the opposite side of the road four men in army camouflage stood hitch- hiking, choosing not to see the man lying a few steps away from them. Is this what Zimbabwean authorities did not want the former UN Secretary General and former US President to see on a planned 2 day humanitarian assessment visit? Is this why these two respected Elders were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



Outside banks, building societies and post offices the crowds of people trying to withdraw their own money have grown to multiple thousands. Many people have resorted to sleeping outside the banks in order to be near the front of the queues where they can only withdraw five hundred thousand dollars a day - enough to buy one mouthful of a single cornish pasty being sold at a local bakery this week. Two and a half million dollars was the price tag for this simple take away snack - five days of queuing at the bank to buy one meal for one person. Is this what the authorities in Zimbabwe did not want Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter to see? Is this why they were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe ?



On a seventy kilometre stretch of road through what used to be prime agricultural land on the way to the capital city, there is silence and desolation as roadside farms lie unploughed and unplanted while the country remains barren of seed and fertilizer. Even as the rains fall on the land and the ground turns springy underfoot, the weeds are sprouting but not the food. The lushest crop I saw in 70 kilometres was grass being carefully manicured on a golf course. Is this what the authorities did not want Mr Annan and Mr Carter to see and why they were denied visas?



In supermarkets, the majority of which are not allowed to trade in US dollars, the shelves are empty. There are no staple goods, no dairy products, no confectionary, no fast foods, no tinned or bottled products, nothing to eat at all. From all over the country there are first hand reports of people barely surviving by eating roots, wild berries, beetles and insects. Is this what the world's respected Elders were not supposed to see and why they were denied visas to come into Zimbabwe ?



Hospitals without disposable gloves, medicines, drips, bandages or disinfectant. Nurses who cannot afford to come to work. Toilets and taps without water. A growing cholera outbreak in all areas of the country with 300 people already dead. Raw sewage flowing in the streets of high density areas. Dustbins which have not been collected in urban residential suburbs since July in my home town. Men, women and children collecting water in bowls and buckets from swampy streams and murky pools. No soap to buy in the shops so no chance of preventing the spread of cholera by washing your hands with soap and water. Is this what Mr Annan, Mr Carter and Mrs Machel might have seen had they been granted visas to see for themselves the humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Zimbabwe?



We hope that the Elders will not give up on Zimbabwe , even though there is no welcome mat at our doorstep.Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy.

©Copyright cathy buckle 22 November 2008.

www.cathybuckle.com . To subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter or for information on my books, please write to:
[email protected]

There are many injustices in the world.

All of Africa is an ancient civilization.

Billions have been spent on this continent - aide for those who suffer.

Much - if not most - of it ends up in the pockets of despot leaders. I have seen this personally.

The leaders tend to rail against white injustice, western religion and western success as if it were something that is evil.

Tribe before flag in most of the continent has placed the entire continent in turmoil since time immemorial.

Assisting one faction only makes ememies of the other - there is no cohesiveness or spirit of co-operation - only hate between tribes.

And religion - muslim against Christian has begun to make things even worse - and lets not forget slavery - which is not decreasing - in fact it is increasing.

Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zim and the beat goes on - nothing has changed.

I would not want to set foot in South Africa either.

And most of those nations find it easy to blame anyone white, or anyone from a western nation. Everything has become the fault of others.

They want aide but will only use it as a weapon against their own people - simply because they are of a different tribe.

Sob stories like this can be found all over the world - usually self generated - and I have had the honour [sic] of seeing it.

Cathy Buckle writes a good story - pulls at the heart - but does not paint a true picture of life in Africa - she left out corruption and the intentional disrespect for life in general.

I am tired of people laying the guilt trip on us - with fancy words and carefully posed pictures.

I would never spend another dime on that continent until they - THEY - get their own house in order.

Never - f***ng ever!!

Keep the money at home. We are far better off staying out until they sort out their own problems.

BC

BC,........Never truer words written. I happened to be in the Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Rhwanda, and South Africa in 93-94. It was bad then. Before the elections SA was a great place to visit. You could almost feel safe. But like I said you hit the nail on the head.
 

andybob

Well-known member
I posted this letter for the interest of those who follow some of the events in Zim, as Ms age has stated, the NGO's are only allowed to distribute aid to pro-Government areas and politicise the distribution, thus making it impossible for them to operate, some are not trusted by Mugabe as they financed his terrorist organisation in the 70's so he believes they are now supporting present day anti government organisations. Mrs Greg, we have many organisations getting food and some medical supplies to pensioners, ex military/police, orphans and several other vulnerable people, our transporters are volunteers who know how to get around the police roadblocks etc. I thought this would be of , as when Jimmy Carter was president, he was Mugabe's greatest ally and was instrumental in paving the way to his being recognised as a legitimate "nationalist" leader, but it now seems the friendship is not reciprocated.
I agree that handouts are not the answer to Africa's problems, but if the same pressure was brought to bear on the despotic dictators, that was used against the stable governments that receded them, especially arms embargoes, more progress could be made, instead it is all P.C. rhetoric and a fear that any action will be construed as racist.'
Mrs Greg here is an example of one food distribution charity for pensioners, all are monitored by our association to keep out scammers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf_iHtuW5qU
 

Broke Cowboy

Well-known member
andybob said:
if the same pressure was brought to bear on the despotic dictators, that was used against the stable governments that receded them, especially arms embargoes, more progress could be made,

How true, but you must remember, those stable governments were held in check by their people - forcing them to NOT fight the bad guy at the bad guy level.

Maintaining that "higher plain" was their downfall.

It is easier to over throw a stabele government that lives by the rules than that of a despot - because the despot does not give a damn about the rules.

Perhaps the U.S. of A. needs to re-examine how it fights the bad guys.

BC
 
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