The Stopped Clock

Normally I avoid Obama speeches like the plague. The president’s need to be on TV every single day reminds me of an ex-boyfriend who thought he was so great, so much God’s gift to womanhood, that a girl couldn’t possibly be in her right mind for preferring another over him.

“Stop calling me!”

(One thing about Obama-on-TV-fatigue: I’m sometimes think that the inducement of it is intentional.)

However, the speech made during President Obama’s first trip to the African continent as president was bound to produce some items of interest even though I had to take a nap in the middle of reading it.

In parts of it, President Obama almost sounds like Milton Friedman in his praise of self-reliance and laissez-faire economics.

We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans. [SNIP]

Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron or a source of resources rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.” [SNIP]

No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.” [SNIP]

People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. [SNIP]

You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, and end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up.

To be honest, I don’t think that a person who was not President of the United States and a President of the United States who was not of African descent would be listened to with respect to a message of self-reliance. Oh, you think that’s not fair? Fairness has nothing to do with reality. As a matter of fact, the concept of “fairness” is what’s taking this country down as I type this.

Frankly, I’m not sure that the president believes his own words. Actually, I know that he does not believe his words. He proves that he doesn’t by providing yet more “aid” to the tune of $63 billion, in spite of what people like James Shikwati, Dambisa Moyo and Philip Ochieng say about what aid--read: global-scale welfare--has done to the initiative of Africans. And the fact that this American chief executive has, in six months, set in motion the nationalization of much of his own country’s economy resounding buries the praise and exhortation of freedom and self-reliance to the continent of his fathers. The president’s words in Ghana were merely that—‘just words.’ To Americans, that is.

But to the Africans? I wonder whether some countries and/or ethnic groups will heed these words and, perhaps, follow through on them. Because it really doesn’t matter whether President Obama means what he says to the Africans or not. What does matter is whether some group/nation on the continent believes that free markets, etc. will improve their lot. And what does matter is whether an African group/nation puts forth a sustained follow-through on those beliefs. It is, however, up to the various sets of Africans whether they want to institute positive change, if you’ll pardon the expression. Just because Barack Obama talks out the side of his neck doesn’t mean that his insincere words won’t save some someones. God uses whomever He wants.

Africans have been sitting on a goldmine for millennia. But as it turns out, they are also sitting on a breadbasket. Think of this every time you see the starving, disease ridden African children on TV.

The “dark” continent could become reborn. All they need to do is stop trying to dupe people into giving them their money via the Internet, stop having tribal wars, ignore the DDT and biotech food naysayers, depose the kleptocrats and....

Find a basis for the rule of law. One does exist, as we know.

Tangent: here’s a opinion about Europe and Africa and how the two continents have developed over the centuries.

Europe embraced Christianity and that, in my opinion, made many intellects and talents open to divine inspiration. That Europe squandered its blessing by lording it over the world and then turning on each other does nothing to diminish that blessing. However, I bet that Europe and Russia turning on the Jews in the early to twentieth century was the final straw for God. Now that continent’s decline proceeds apace.

Will America follow in Europe’s footsteps? Some believe that it already has. Spiritual laws apply.

(Thanks to Rae and to Instapundit)