Live 8 purpose a crock?

Well, why not jump into a shark infested tank head first. Live 8 is a set of concerts aimed at generating awareness about poverty in Africa. There can be no argument that Africa is wracked with poverty, disease and a whole host of other problems but how is raising awareness supposed to change any of that. Let's look at things at the core:

1. Let's start with the proceeds from the text message lottery that was held in England. To get into the lottery, the English people had to send a text message through their mobile phones. Each Message cost approximately $2.75. Now, the proceeds will go to pay for the expenses in throwing the concerts with the remainder (if any) going to school building projects in Africa. Good thought but what does it do about the supposed immediate problems this concert is to address. - http://www.live8live.com/tickets/index.shtml
2. Nowhere on the Live 8 site does it tell where the money from the ticket sales is going to be sent, donated or spent. Sorta odd for a charity not to tell where the money is going. http://www.live8live.com
3. Blindly giving aid helps nobody when there are no strings attached. Many, not all, of the governments within Africa are, how can I say this gently, corrupt. Sure there are some good apples but take for example Uganda has been waging war for years utilizing aid money received from the US. How will doubling aid help with this. To get the aid to the people it would need to go through some local government or at least have local government approval to be utilized. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4594865.stm
4. There is no information on who should oversee the distribution of the aid. Some would suggest the UN but that is another conversation for another time.
5. Debt relief. Give me a break. Name someone, I dare you, that isn't in debt at some level. Debt and the proper management of it can increase growth and overall wealth. If someone can't manage debt, would you want to reward them. I would think not, 'cause the lesson taught through such an action is that the debtor would never be responsible for the actions that put them there. Besides, the debt is on the local government and not the people.
6. Now for the most insensitive part - the AIDS pandemic. What does AIDS stand for. Hmmmmm.....Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. What is the key word there: acquired. Don't get me wrong, I truly feel sorry for those who get the disease through no fault of their own: medical procedures and sexual assaults. But, for those who get it the old fashioned way....Not so much. Preventing the disease is truly simple for most people...Quit trying to have children. When you see people dying because they like to knock boots it should send a signal. There is a choice involved here and when the choice is life or death, choose wrong and you get what you are asking for.
7. The children, I do feel sorry for. They are born into a situation which they have no say over. But think about what the parents are doing. They can't feed themselves but they keep pumping out children. Again, full sympathy for the Mother having a child due to an assault but for those who are having children the old fashioned way, no sympathy for those parents at all. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the can't feed self/can't feed children corollary.
8. Finally, the whole idea of awareness curing societies ills. For years there have been campaigns to raise awareness about the plight of Tibet. Bumper stickers, signs, ads in newspapers and a Free Tibet concert. Let me ask you this: Is Tibet any closer to freedom because you are aware of what is happening there? Some of you may be products of a government education (public school) so let me answer this question for you. NO!!! The original Live Aid concerts were supposed to raise awareness about poverty in Africa. Have things gotten any better there since then. Again for the government educated in the crowd - NO!!! Starting to see a pattern here.

So finally, here is the deal. Unless the concert can change local African governments, stop people from making choices which lead to their death or starvation, stop any assault which can cause a child to be born, teach the governments how to manage their debts, show the people and governments that they are living on a continent which is positively rich with natural resources, stop the wars and generally bring about a total culture change on the continent, then the whole effort is nothing but a party for celebrities to feel good about themselves.

Again, to show that this is nothing but a feel good party ask yourself one questions: Why is this concert even costing the organizers a dime to run. If the celebrities really felt that this is a worthwhile cause, one would think that they would get together and donate the money required to run the whole thing.

This message is for David Gilmore in particular with his comment about the US not giving enough as a percentage of GDP. You sir are worth over 250 million British Pounds (roughly 457 million dollars): How much of your fortune will you be donating to African charities this year?

Will I be watching the concert on TV? Without a doubt. Will I take a bathroom break each time some drone gets on about African Poverty? I think that would be a prime time for a BM. Will I be donating any money to the cause? No, they are already getting my money through the US government which takes it through taxation.