Mandela: U.S. wants holocaust

[HeXp£Øi±]

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Former South African president Nelson Mandela has slammed the U.S. stance on Iraq, saying that "one power with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust."

Speaking at the International Women's Forum, Mandela said "if there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America."

Mandela said U.S. President George W. Bush covets the oil in Iraq "because Iraq produces 64 percent of the oil in the world. What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil." In fact Iraq contributes to only 5 percent of world oil exports.

The Bush administration is threatening military action if Iraq does not account for weapons of mass destruction and fully cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Receiving applause for his comments, Mandela said Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are "undermining" past work of the United Nations.

"They do not care. Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man?" said Mandela, referring to Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana.

Blair is expected to discuss the issue of Iraq when he meets with South African President Thabo Mbeki in London Saturday, a day after the British leader's meeting with Bush.

Mandela said he would support without reservation any action agreed upon by the United Nations against Iraq, which Bush and Blair say has weapons of mass destruction and is a sponsor of terror groups, including Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. (Full story)

Nobel Peace Laureate Mandela, 84, has spoken out many times against Bush's stance, and South Africa's close ties with Libya and Cuba irked Washington during Mandela's own presidency.

In reaction to Mandela's comments, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush was grateful to the many European leaders who "obviously think differently."

"The president will understand there are going to be people who are more comfortable doing nothing about a growing menace that could turn into a holocaust. He respects people who differ with him. He will do what he thinks is right and necessary to protect our country," Fleischer said.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/30/sprj.irq.mandela/index.html

 

[Professur]

Would you like to have this moved into Jerrek's Nelson Mandela thread?

 

[flavio]

Would you like to have this moved into Jerrek's Nelson Mandela thread?

Jerrek has no "innermost-character, feelings, or inclinations" from what he told us earlier so I support this one.

 

[catocom]

I don't like anybody that has a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[Squiggy]

Ah, the nobility of seeking peace thru eternal war.....

 

[Luis G]

"if there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America."

I like that.

 

[unclehobart]

Fine then... Not one more dime for any international fund, food aid, medicine, or relief agency. Goodbye UN. Goodbye NAFTA. Goodbye immigration... after all.. we don't want to taint anyone else with our bloody handiwork. All troops outside of embassy staff Marines shall be pulled to within US borders. Our billions upon billions have a much better use at home. Goodbye Korea. Goodbye Middle East. Goodbye Balkans. Lets see if the Belgians and French can prop up all of Africa civil war and AIDS for a change. Its not our damn problem ... but were sure seem to love paying others to spit in our face.

 

[PT]

Damn Unc. I don't think I've seen your patriotic side like that before, but I agree 110%. Just for a year or so, I'd love to see the US pull all foreign aid. Then just see how damn bad we really are.

 

[alex]

"They do not care. Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man?" said Mandela, referring to Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana.

Well, there ya go, got to play that race card somewhere

 

[unclehobart]

Its not that its a 'patriotic' reaction per se ... I just can't stand to see the US lumped in with the massively oppresive and currently active regimes, dictators, and overly cruel governing bodies of the modern day. It seems that some out there would love to try to make us seem like an ogre bowing to the will of McDonalds, Tyson Chicken, and some secret junta of Texas oil barons to divvy up the world for fun and profit. The people that would have you think we are in Iraq for the oil would have you believe that we went into Germany for the beer. They would have you believe that China and Afghanistan exectuing 100s by the day ... every day of the last 10 years somehow pales in comparison to the US cavalry annexing a portion of Oregon 2 generations outside of living memory. I don't care what nation or nationality anyone claims. Noone is without historical atrocities on their hands. Mandela and his cronies have comitted much more nastiness over the last decade than the US has in the last 3 decades. I don't recall the US being very big on mass riots with machettes killing our neighbors over a 20 year old cattle dispute. I don't recall the US going on campaigns of ethnic cleansing. I don't recall the US exectuing women for daring to to flash a little too much ankle in public. I don't recall the US exectuing religious minorities by the bushel when theyre considered a threat to the dictatorship/theocracy de jour.

 

[HomeLAN]

People have to have someone to bitch about. Since WW2, it's been the US. God knows their internal problems can't be their fault, and since we're the biggets boy on the block, we're convenient.

The sad thing is that so many otherwise logical people jump on this bandwagon so easily, even joyfully. Some post on this board.

I just remember something my Dad once told me. They can't bite you in the ass unless they're behind you.

 

[Shadowfax]

Fine then... Not one more dime for any international fund, food aid, medicine, or relief agency. Goodbye UN. Goodbye NAFTA. Goodbye immigration... after all.. we don't want to taint anyone else with our bloody handiwork. All troops outside of embassy staff Marines shall be pulled to within US borders. Our billions upon billions have a much better use at home. Goodbye Korea. Goodbye Middle East. Goodbye Balkans. Lets see if the Belgians and French can prop up all of Africa civil war and AIDS for a change. Its not our damn problem ... but were sure seem to love paying others to spit in our face.

bit overreacted on a statement done by Nelson Mandela, don't you think? or am i ill informed and has nelson mandela all of the sudden gained great powers which we have to take seriously?

 

[Luis G]

i think he reacted like that because of my post. I still think the same way.

Indeed, "Noone is without historical atrocities on their hands.", but yours are "unspeakable attrocities in the world".

Oh, and i don't like NAFTA either.

 

[Gonz]

*applauds Uncs reasoning & sentiment*

bit overreacted on a statement done by Nelson Mandela, don't you think? or am i ill informed and has nelson mandela all of the sudden gained great powers which we have to take seriously?

He is just another voice in the wildernesss of discontent. As Americans, we're used to getting spit upon by those who ask for and receive assistance from our tyranical & oppressive dictatorship. It's just, after awhile, enough is enough. If you hate us, fine, take care of it your own damned self, just don't be a backstabbing peon with nothing to add of value.

 

[Gonz]

unspeakable attrocities in the world

Oh please, do tell.

Here. let's add our attrocitites to Mexico to th elist:

$5 Million in U.S. Aid Pledged to Mexico for Wildfire Firefighting

Washington, May 20, 1998 -- The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is preparing to send aid to Mexico to help combat more than 1,000 wildfires. Plans are also in place to assist Honduras and Nicaragua. The Mexican fires are in remote areas, making it difficult to fight them.

U.S. program to aid hospitals in Mexico The $350,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development will arrive in the form of medical equipment at the Hospital General de Nogales.

Other Mexican hospitals along the Southwestern border will be in line for aid should the Nogales, Sonora, test succeed.

http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eataglance1.htm#aid

 

[Luis G]

Oh please, do tell.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki
Vietnam


And about money aid, do you really think 22million in one year (in 2002 according to that page) is too much? , it is appreciated indeed, but c'mon, you say it like it was such a big deal. Even Mexico gave away more money than that to Argentina in the last year.

 

[unclehobart]

Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved millions of Japanese lives and a few 100,000 American lives from an assured extra year of general warfare, bombing, suicide attacks, and starvation at the quick cost of about 150,000. 150,000 in comparison to roughly 4 million is mercy ... not an atrocity.

Insofar as Vietnam goes, France killed twice as many people as we did .. and the Japanese twice as many beyond that via starvation and executions during the WW2 occupation years. Granted, we had no decent reasons for being there in the first place... but our tactics were a great deal kinder than the Thai, Laotian, RNV, ARVN or Korean armies.

Do you have anything questionable to add that has happend within our lifetimes?

 

[Gonz]

Hiroshima, Nagasaki

Those bombs ended a war that killed more than 400,000 American soldiers & untold European soldiers AND civilians, as well as the inumerable Japanese. Hirohito(or if you prefer, his military) had no plans of backing down & we had enough. Would it have been better to continue fighting in the streets, jungles & sea's? It stopped more bloodshed than it caused. It was a sad day in mankinds history yet it yielded positive results, which are felt around the world still toady.

Vietnam

Political war, even the French were involved. Shouldn't have happened but no outlandish attrocitites.

 

[Squiggy]

I disagree with both ends of the spectrum in this thread...Guess that would make me kinda vulnerable if I posted...

 

[HeXp£Øi±]

I think Mandela made a serious mistake by making these comments. I wonder if they were politically motivated, not that it matters at this point. I agree Unc, i'd love to see the world evolve minus the past and future money and ethics of the US. Fuck'em. They want our money but not our input. It just doesn't work that way.