One reason your cellphone and computer communicate cheaply worldwide wirelessly is a tiny bit of mineral called coltan, that comes from the Congo. Big biz, backed by big govt, incite wars to secure access to this.
Right now we are bailing out that system.
In the video linked above, the videomaker calls for overseas businesses to make contracts with the government, not support warring factions.
A better system would be to to recognize natural law and property rights. We must repudiate the idea of "corporation." In USA corporations use legal protections to aggregate enough power to incite war for corporate aims. If we need coltan, let USA small businessmen buy it from Congolese small businessmen, and leave all government out of the transaction. In this way Congolese will benefit and the Congolese can sort out their own issues without USA interference.
The fascist elements in USA depend on their exploitation of overseas resources to maintain their power in USA. For our part we ought to defend the Congolese aspirations to the good, the true and the beautiful by disarming the USA multinationals and corporations. Make clear to our citizens they will get no support inciting war in teh Congo, and then let the Congolese deal with the Congo counterparts who make war among the Congolese.
Children in the Congo have had their arms hacked off in the struggle for access to get minerals for cell phones. It does not have to be that way. We might have to pay 75 cents more for a cell phone, but we can have our cell phones and Congolese children can have their limbs.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Coltan and Tantalum
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