AFRICOM or AFRICARE

Steve and Vanessa Lopez

Starting in September 2008 the U.S. Department of Defense's Africa Command (AFRICOM) will be operational. AFRICOM's mission is to promote U.S. strategic objectives by working with 53 African states and regional organizations to help strengthen stability and security in the region through improved security capability and military professionalism.

In an excerpt from a speech made in 1933, Major General Smedley Butler, U.S. Marine Corps said, "I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested". You can read the rest here: http://www.nowars.org/?p=10

In 2008 will AFRICOM be helping to make the continent safe for Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland, Chevron, Firestone Bridgestone, and others as part of promoting U.S. strategic objectives? They seem to have become one in the same as corporate strategic objectives.

Two particularly egregious examples are - - Bridgestone Firestone operates a million-acre plantation in Liberia, where workers make $3.38 per day - that's U.S. dollars. Young children often have to help their parents in order to meet quotas. Dr. William F. Schulz of Amnesty International reported in 2005 that the exploitation of oil in the Niger Delta continues to result in deprivation, injustice, and violence. To read more click here:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGUSA20051103001

Security forces are allowed to kill and raze communities with impunity. Amnesty International reported that soldiers from Nigeria's Joint Task Force fired on protesters from Ugborodo at Chevron's Nigeria's Escravos oil terminal. One man was killed and 30 demonstrators were injured.

The U.S. is the richest country in the world, yet we still hear people say "we can't support the rest of the world". We don't think the rest of the world is asking for the U.S. to support them. However, U.S. foreign policy and that of the European colonial powers has had devastating affects throughout the world. We don't think the rest of the worlds expects, nor wants the U.S. to support them. However, we do believe that the rest of the world expects the U.S. and European powers to take responsibility for their actions (the crusades, conquest, and colonialism), and to act fairly in their dealings with other countries.

Instead of spending $75.5 million on AFRICOM, why not spend $75.5 million on AFRICARE? We could provide clean drinking water and food. We could fund infrastructure improvements by building schools, hospitals and road improvements. We could provide much needed debt relief. We could provide grants or small loan programs to help people start small businesses. We could provide HIV drugs, immunizations, and basic health care needs. With AMERICARE the U.S. could effectively spread Democracy, instead of just talking about it.