Niger...

This is my first non-sports post in awhile, but it retains some properties of the last few.

Niger is in trouble. Serious trouble. Their people are starving; their economy is non-existent, and the relief is slow. I watched Anderson Cooper last night go through clinics and shelters last night, and I watched kids whose ribs are their only defining characteristic.

I watched Anderson say, "these kids are hungry, but at least they're smiling."

What is so frustrating about this problem is the amount of money (on a larger scale) that would be needed to fix it. It's manageable. A million dollars would go a long, long way. If every American could give... well, we don't want to get into that line of thinking, because that idea could be applied to every problem. So let me say this. There are serious issues with the idea that signing petitions (Live 8) and complaining will get hungry people food. Hungry people need food, not ideas.

Apparently poor people don't need money, they need ideas... they need intellectual freedom and opportunity, not food.

How ridiculous. How hypocritical. You can't have someone think independently if they're too hungry to think.

And now these people are dying, at an even faster rate than before.

I'm sick of the idea that temporary solutions don't make a difference. I am. Because the fact is that while temporary solutions are only temporary, they are solutions nonetheless. Would it not have been better to have said, "We want to make a difference with Live 8. We want you to take action. We also need to put up a temporary dam against the endemic, pervasive poverty that is leading to death. Please donate if you can in any way."

This is our time for action. We can try to stop hunger personally. We can do what celebrities cannot.

You can donate to relief organizations through the links on the website. These are currently the best and most efficient ways to donate. Making a difference is of course not a prerequisite... it's just an idea. But ideas are worthless without action.