Why 'making friends out of potential enemies is smarter than defending
yourself against them'. Senate testimony, video and text.
Testimony to the the US Senate Committee last week on the need for increased
spending assistance to help Africa fight poverty, AIDS and other infectuous
diseases that have spread rapidly throughout the continent.
'Senators, I spend a lot of time in this country. Maybe too much for your
liking. I spend a lot of time in buses. At truck stops. In town halls. In
church halls. I do all this, and I'm not even running for office.
But you know what's amazing? Everywhere I go, I see very much the same
thing. I see the same compassion for people who live half a world away. I
see the same concern about events beyond these borders. And, increasingly, I
see the same conviction that we can and we must join together to stop the
scourge of AIDS and poverty. Americans are thinking big...'
DATA are carrying video clips of Bono's testimony and his answers to
questions from the subcommittee, along with a pdf of the entire speech. And
very moving testimony too from Agnes Nyamayarwo, Uganda nurse and HIV
positive who traveled with Bono during the Heart of America tour.
www.data.orgMeanwhile U2log.com carry a great piece by U2 fan and Jubilee USA activist
Abbey Fisher who attended the hearing.
'I volunteer for Jubilee USA Network, a continuation of the Jubilee 2000
movement, part of a worldwide campaign to cancel debts of countries in the
Global South (Third World or developing countries). Debts of these countries
are far from being completely canceled. Debt is a large stumbling block for
countries fighting AIDS epidemics, poverty, lack of education, unsafe water,
unfair trade relationships, and so many other social and economic problems.
Through my involvement with Jubilee, I have learned much about the global
AIDS pandemic. All of these issues are interrelated, and I believe they
should be addressed as such. ...'
More here
u2log.com