days of our primaries
by Cameron Contois
Published: April 2, 2008
If you’ve been missing the media soap opera, Days of Our Primaries, tune into FOX News or MSNBC immediately. There’s been the Richardson betrayal of biblical proportions. There’s a crazy pastor rant that just won’t seem to go away (Honestly, I don’t get what the big deal is; Obama’s church looks more interesting than mine). The Friday cliffhanger: Will Obama wear a flag pin? Find out if he, in fact, does love America. Spoiler alert: his middle name is Hussein. Meanwhile, in Pine Valley, Hillary Kane dodges sniper bullets to heroically save orphans from being eaten by tigers. Across town, there’s the downfall of a mighty governor when his forbidden love affair with a hooker is revealed. Clinton and Obama’s fighting rivals that of the great Brady/DiMera feud (that’s a Days of Our Lives reference for those of you unfamiliar with daytime television). Tune in to CNN next week for all the drama.
And who could look away? I routinely find myself staying up late, listening to the endless babble of pundits, unable to turn off the television. Entertaining, yes, but deep down I know there must be real stories going on in the world that the media ignores in favor of this primary circus. A perfect example of this is the chaos in Somalia.
The BBC reports that 40 humanitarian agencies are warning of a catastrophe in Somalia if urgent action is not taken. Fighting between the interim government and insurgents has left an estimated two million people needing daily help to survive. The UN refugee agency’s Guillermo Bettocchi states the situation “continues to deteriorate by the day.” (26th March 2008. “Somalia fights prompt warning.” BBC News)
In Somalia, food prices are high; malnutrition runs rampant. Displaced citizens often face drought or flooding. Families are living in cramped shelters made from twigs and scraps of clothing. The United Nations estimates that 600,000 have been displaced from the capital, destined to live in these conditions. (6TH March 2008. “Somalia’s security nightmare.” BBC News)
The Somalia Islamic group al-Shabab has been attacking the capital and surrounding cities. This group is led by Aden Hashi Ayro, who is said to have been trained by al-Qaeda. The terrorist organization, meaning “the lads” in Somalia, comes from a youth and military that has been recruiting from Pakinstan, Yemen and other African countries. Unfortunately, its rumored al-Qaeda ties are making it more attractive to potential recruits. This militia routinely attacks towns, killing people and taking their arms and military vehicles. The United States has just added the al-Shabab to its list of foreign terrorist organizations. (21st March 2008. “Profile: Somalia’s Islamic ‘lads.’” BBC News)
Perhaps it would be more pertinent to report on what the potential presidential candidates would actually do to deal with this humanitarian crisis and less coverage on Obama’s church or Clinton’s war stories. Would Senator Clinton support or change current United Nations effort to help the people of Somalia? What would McCain do to deal with this newly recognized terrorist organization? I don’t know. But I do know that Obama doesn’t wear a flag pin and Bill Clinton is like Senator McCarthy.
With so many stories like that to report on, starving Somalia citizens will have to wait their turn for air time. As the media turns…
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