The global neoliberal regime will do well to review their history books - July, 1789, or February and October, 1917.

This time, it will be worldwide; "let them eat cake" will not be the appropriate response, and USAns will not be excused for their ignorance.

there has always been riots over food shortages/price increase..........they are just more frequent now and more widespread. why can't other countries help out? the beginning of the end?

And the idea that they must eat mud cakes to stave off hunger - and even these must be bought. It physically sickens me.

Right on USAn!--Food riots and roaming mobs behaving like a swarm of angry locusts seeking any and everything they might devour are coming to the US.

When the currency shrinks to nearly worthless, when the flow of petroleum slows to a trickle, and when the store shelves are empty, we will all sede how little we differ from those of the undeveloped world.

When things get really bad fat people and Mormons will be at the top of the list of those who will be "visited" by desperate and hungry people.

The solution is not heading for the hils and arming yourselves in some barricaded fortress--the solution is to right now start building and connecting with community.

Stop shopping, stop driving, stop overeating, stop watching (and being programmed by) commercial and "public" radio and
TV. You are going to have to give them up sooner or later anyway, right now is a great time to start.

Poet; you've got that about half correct. We've stopped all those activities, and we'll be connecting with the community when they start to riot with our AK-47's; Then we'll head to the hills.

One world; One dream.

A preview of things to come in our midst -- of the Long Emergency.

For a fictionalized modeling of the face of the future that may well be ours, see James Kunstler's brand new novel "World Made by Hand."

The real reason for "The Great Wall of Mexico?"

When have the Haitians not been rioting?

Ah, before European contact?

This true humanitarian crisis is just another effect of US intervention in affairs that are none of their business. As if the Hatian people don't suffer enough.. Thanks KEM and Treefrog for virtually kicking them while they're down.

If you or I were in their situation you'd be doing the same thing.

Ah Kem, blaming the victims - again.

We will see these food riots in our inner cities within 2 years.

That will definitely call for prexy McCain to implement Security Directive #51.

Haiti is the 1st only because of the extreme poverty enforced by corporations (we overthrow anybody who tries to help poor there.)

Just a matter of time as these riots work their way up the food chain.

Baffles me that none of this makes the news. Our media needs to unscrew themselves and take advantage of their first amendment rights.

Hey Kem Patrick, when it's your time to be compelled to riot by the pains in your belly, we'll remind you of that comment of yours above.

A man of great compassion, I see, that Kem.

Oh my God.....we don't have to travel to Africa to find total and utter devestation...Haiti is the most tragic country in the Western Hemisphere....Where is our humanity?

I feel completely worthless after reading this story! What can we/I do to change this situation?

It just never seems to end...

Compassion has nothing to do with it, evidently you don't know much about Haiti ~Eveningland~.

Their half ot the island is barren, mostly just wind blown dust, dirt and rocks. They cut down every single tree in their beautiful forests years ago. Most of the time for many years the entire country is a killing field.
I had to land there once to deliver medical supplies. I've been shot or fired at many times, hit once, but that four hours in Haiti was about the most frightening experience I ever had. Life ain't worth a half penny there.

So my commment, "when have they not been rioting" was appropriate. Now when we have OUR depression, probably within the year, we'll have the same situation here as the Haitians have had for decades. Our anarchy and rioting will commense and it will be fighting for food and fuel. It will be Katrina magnified 10,000 times and lots worse than Katrian ever was. I wan't degrading the Haitians, I was stating a fact.

Adam Smith described in "Wealth of Nations" how markets must be driven by demand in the society's better interests, otherwise markets become dysfunctional, unstable. The public is very capable of creating such quality demand and market stability when properly informed and charged with civic responsibility.

Volatility in markets today is the result of elite control over markets in complete violation of Adam Smith's (common sense) assumptions. Elites deny the public the ability to demand from the markets what is in the society's better interests. Instead, elites seize control of resource allocation and production, insert themselves as middlemen (speculators), manipulate demand by lying to the public, dangling carrots, and wielding sticks, and outright force demand through control of government spending. All of these corruptions are practiced with the most perverted enthusiasm in the US while the rest of the world, for the most part, shudders in disbelief.

Food shortages today result from middlemen (speculators) reactions to news of the blowback from the anti-social policies of the US and Chinese governments, and to a lesser extent others. The Chinese government is trying to build a "superpower" to challenge the US in the game of "king of the hill", and therefore follows the US government's lead in setting economic policy to drive economic growth at the expense of everything else.

The speculators know that the American people voted in 2000/2004 to enable a wild wild west zero-regulation speculator's orgy and they've indulged themselves predictably. These votes also provide unending chaos in the oil market as the war profiteers milk the American cow, also to the speculators' delight. More petro-gluttony opportunity was opened up with capitalist exploitation of the carbon crisis and biofuels, providing the speculators yet another channel to wreak their chaos.

Food security comes with land, water, and information rights for all. Information rights means the ability to switch off the propaganda, and maintain civic responsibility among the population. Local self-sufficiency, achieved through individual initiative, includes food security and keeps economic/political power local where it should be. With this power, the people demand and get what they need, so in the case of natural crop failure, the nearest surplus becomes available with least disturbance. This contrasts with the case of elite control of markets, which results in massive price inflation, violent conflict, famine/genocide.

note that the writer puts speculation in food stuffs last in the list of causes of the spikes. this in fact is the first and heaviest cause.

i suspect that the cubans are sitting pretty right now.

So are the Mormons and Eskimos.

One point ignored by the reporting on this story is that Haiti's government sends almost $1 million every week to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank- organizations set up to fight poverty. Much of that money is to repay loans given to the Duvaliers and other U.S.-supported dictatorships. For more, see http://www.ijdh.org/pdf/headline3-25-08.pdf and http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=6206f2ea34833d5535dba63ca962279a

KEM PATRICK Said on April 10th, 2008 12:24 pm: "When have the Haitians not been rioting?"

The answer to that question is simple... before everything changed in 1492 when the disgusting excuse for a human being Christopher Columbus brought death and misery to the "New World". Before that, Hispaniola was a beautiful, peaceful and tranquil place.

kloro said: "note that the writer puts speculation in food stuffs last in the list of causes of the spikes. this in fact is the first and heaviest cause."

Yes I agree with that assertion... The trading of commodities by "rich westerners" has driven the price up... why? Not because of any natural conditions, but because of the man made scourge of "economics"... these fat-assed 1st worlders buy and trade in commodities in order to make a few bucks... where as, it affects the cost of food for everyone. That and the fact that the price of oil is going through the roof because of US colonial adventures doesn't help any.

freethinker68 said: "Oh my God…..we don't have to travel to Africa to find total and utter devestation…"

You don't even have to leave your own country to find total desperation and hunger... look around you... every day, more than 12 million children in the United States alone go to bed hungry... In 12 states, 20% of the children live in households with "food insecurity".

The states with the highest rates of child food insecurity are Texas and New Mexico, where more than 24 percent of all children are at risk of hunger. The other states with child hunger rates above 20 percent are: California, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. Washington, D.C. also has a child food insecurity rate above 20 percent.

With soaring food prices, these numbers will only get higher... Yet your government spends billions on useless wars for profit and power... Just another example of how f*cked up the US really is.

By continuing to lower interest rates during a period of high inflation, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is providing cheap money to the same crooks that drove and profitted from the housing bubble.

Those crooks are using the low interest money to speculate on commodities like food and fuel to exacerbate already inflated prices.

The US electorate will likely vote for supply side economic policy again in 2008, just as they did in 2004, thereby creating ever-worsening financial conditions for 95% of US population and 99% of the world's population.

I read an article a few weeks ago about how all of the food sent there was rotting on the docks. No one could get it thru customs.

what a fucking mess....................i rarely swear, excuse me, but i'm so sick of all this GREEEEEEEEEED. it will be the demise of civilization. (if you can call it that any longer.) FREETHINKER68 asks 'what can we/i do to change this situation?' i think it's too late to do anything. we've had decades to help each other around the world but egos, stupidity, discrimination and fear have prevented this. it's such a shame. we could have had a beautiful planet. or am i naive?.......................

Poet writes:
Stop shopping, stop driving, stop overeating, stop watching (and being programmed by) commercial and "public" radio and
TV. You are going to have to give them up sooner or later anyway, right now is a great time to start.

You forgot Blogging. ;)

Kem Patrick 2:16 pm dixit:

"Life ain't worth a half penny there [in Haiti, that is]."

Is life cheap in Haiti (i.e., as in 'Haitians just don't value life'), or has it been cheapened by the usual suspect?

Since Kem got biographical, lemme give my two cents of life experience: I worked for years with Haitian people, and funny thing is they did not behave as though life was cheap for them.

This all reminds me of the scene in Soylent Green where they bring in scoops because the people start rioting because they cant deliver the food(soylent red or yellow) because they have skimmed all the plankton out of the oceans.

Dont worry though; we will have more food for the people of the world that has more protein and vitamins than Soylent red or soylent yellow.
Soylent Green is People!

Why hasnt anybody remade that movie? Way too important and unfortunately way too accurate.

Governments need to subsidize the retail end to promote subsistance during inflationary periods.Eliminating setaside programs and increasing buying of commodoties for people ,not export and energy programs.We have strategic oil reserves but no strategic food stocks,for ourselves or our trading partners.Food transportation industries should be exempt from fuel taxes if they limit thier profit margins. A subsidy on one end should be eliminated if it causes hunger on the other end.Food for people not profit. peas out and in! Remember that Government cheese?

The UN force costs way more per year than the cost to feed the Haitians per year.

Pull 'em out--food not bombs food not rubber bullets, food, not the neoliberal, neo con UN

why are these articles consistently leaving out the UNREST here in US due to this problem? is truckers going on strike NOT a desperate response to rising prices??? why are they being ignored. are not strikes a form of unrest??

Speculation has to be brought under control. The world has become a giant gambling casino for the rich, with the odds way stacked in their favor. And, when they still screw up, the American taxpayer is forced the bail them out (welfare for the rich).

Regarding Haiti specifically, there was a President Aristide who stood up for the downtrodden, who actually supported literacy, health care, and raising the minimum wage. But, that was too much for sweatshop owners (such as the company that made pajamas for Walmart) and their transnational business partners. There was some corruption in Aristide's administration (name me one w/out corruption); but, his real crime was placing the needs of the suffering vast majority over the imperative, in a neoliberal world, to make his country investor-friendly. So, because wasn't committed enough to the race to the bottom, the CIA and NED connived, along with France and Canada, to arm the criminal death squads, which enabled them to return from exile in the Dominican Republic, and thus commence a second coup.

Bill Clinton had restored Aristide to power after the first coup, only after, Aristide pledged to abide by a strict neoliberal regimine that hamstrung the Haitian president's plans to promote equality and dignity for Haiti's citizens.

This is all covered well in Democracy Now's archives.

A Canadian tee shirt/underwear company had sweatshops producing for them with very cheap labor. France was pissed because Haiti was asking France to pay a vast sum of money owed to Haiti, and Aristide was threatening to bomb France. ( true except for the bomb threat part ).

Permaculture
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html

We were told years ago that the greatest problem facing mankind is an ever increasing, unsustainable, population growth. The problems facing Haiti reflects this and, unless we take responsible actions to address it worldwide, food riots could eventually happen in every country.
These days, our greatest concern appears to be peak oil and global warming, but it is the increasing population that drives it, and we no longer seem to consider it a problem.

The bouregois elitism and even blatant racism, by "Kem", "glide" and a couple others sickens me too.

And Curmudgeon, you really need to do some traveling and update your geography. Most "inner cities" anymore from Harlem, to SE DC to even Southside Chicago have been or are being gentrified to rich, white, Yuppevilles. You would feel quite comfortable there.

I do belive a few here misunderstood me when I posted my first comment. Racism had nothing to do with it ~USAn~. ___ Haiti is and has been a very dangerous place to visit or live. It isn't the Haitian people, it's the governments the people have had to suffer under over many years.

There has been unrest and rioting, anarchy there off and on, mostly on, for years. The Haitians are just like people all over the world, we're ALL the same, with the same desires for our children.

Compare Haiti to the other half of the Dominican Republlic, the difference is rather like stepping out of a hell hole into a paradise. Corrupt Haitian officials have allowed the land to be destroyed, farming is nearly impossible there, graft and corruption are rampant just like it is now in OUR capitol.

As to life is not worth anthing? What I meant by that, it's very dangerous for anyone to be out at night in almost every area of Haiti, much like our Philly, Newark or Camden. A few can create fear in many. Most Americans have no idea of how many Haitians attempt to flee their country by boat.

There were thirty or more Haitian bus drivers who drove for the tour bus company I worked for a few years ago. The guys were great. they were honest, fun and most were fluent and read two or three languages and all said it was not safe to live in Haiti. The majority had family in Haiti and sent a good portion of their wages to them so they could survive until the day came when they could get out of there.

I think the food riots will really only strike home for the American Sheeple when they get to see the opening scene of 'The Running Man' for real.

You know the part... where US military helicopters open fire on protesters in LA when they refuse to disperse from the shopping malls. And there are political prisoners being held in concentration camps run by the government. And the average prole is drugged by 'reality' TV game shows that depict execution as a spor...

Oh damn...

Did you get the same shiver down your back that I did?

All we need to have that trashy movie be reality is the gunning down of US citizens...

Haiti is a basket case because a US style of government cannot work there, yet the US insists on it at the point of a gun. Better to let Haiti go socialist or we'll be building more walls to keep the Haitians in.

Ezeflyer- Be careful, son. Next thing you know, you will be saying that Cuba's government is acceptable and the US should end it's half-century long embargo...

Someone listed Cuba as among those who are sitting pretty during these food shortages - Yet, we could do well if we studied how they survived the 'Special Period' without riots and revolution and coups and intervention from the ever eager elephant to the North.

Partly is the very nature of the Socialist government, which controls both food and distribution of the basic food stuff. Rather then a upper-echelon pigging out because they could afford to, food was tightly rationed, and distributed according to need - The kids got the milk! Now that's a pretty basic concept.

The government also loosened the controls against farmers selling directly to the private market - Once they met their basic production goal, they were encouraged to grow extra vegetables and fruit to sell to their neighbors. Prices were controlled of course, to prevent the pigs from winning like they do in the Animal Farm.

And possibly the most important was, and is, the very real sense of community in Cuba. Rather then hoarding a windfall, the neighbors gather for a pot luck. A little like the Stone Soup fable, sharing half an onion and a carrot with a neighbor who has a couple of beets, while the neighborhood fisherman adds a couple of flounders or whatever.

Even now, the neighbors share and have meals together frequently. I enjoyed quite a few meals of rice, beans, banana fritos and chicken or whatever. Leftovers from a restaurant meal are appreciated, rather then sneered at - Imagine taking your doggy bag to a neighbor who might need it more the you do at the moment!

As Poet says, it is not too early to start building some good relationships with your neighbors. I'd imagine the day is coming when we will have a neighborhood carpool for grocery shopping etc. rather then separate cars.

Truth is, we've allowed ourselves to fall for the greed is good message that the Republicans and Wall Street have been pushing for 40 years. And it has been good for them. Now we are going to have to pony up to the bar tho and try to do right for a change.

Let'm eat ethanol.

We would love to help but we are currently busy spreading freedom and liberty in the Middle East.

Has anybody thought of doing a study into this biodiesel debacle?

I remember for years the environment movement (including myself) has been promoting and using biofuels but did anyone foresee the now obvious problems with widespread use and support for biofuels?

Are there other things that are being promoted as "good for the environment" that may also have bad unintended consequences?

Haiti is now the true picture of the end-result of the Libertarian Fools' Paradise of every man for himself alone. It is the archtpype of the Freidmanite NeoCon CorpoFascist anarchy-market world.

So, the Haitians' own biosphere is destroyed, Haiti's forests are denuded simply for today's cooking charcoal, and its animals killed by rampant individualized scavenging and uncaring indifference; people are exploited and turned into only a raw resource, uncared for, and undereducated; the future provision of the nation is consumed; and the 'government' is run by total gangster-corporate-style corruption.

Hey, isn't this the very Platform of the Republican Party of America? Along with no birth or population control? Along with the repression of women? Along with ultra-violence as a way of intimidation? Along with fear and greed and individual selfishness? Along with political gangs? Along with out-of-control police and domestic spying? Along with lies and hypocricy? Along with the meager national income totally in hock to the rich and to foreigners, via bonds and 'contracts', so the people are robbed of what little they have? Along with lawlessness and disrespect? Along with a tiny rich class and the rest of the population destitute, a hollowed-out nation with no middle class? Along with contempt for and destruction of the very environment needed for life itself?

Yeah, I'm sure this is the Republican Party Platform!

Haiti is a sad lesson on the results of the NeoCons' laissez-faire, wild 'free' market capitalism that they wish to spread around the world (Dubya's "free-dumb"- which of course is 'just another word for nuthin-left-to-lose'... you have the freedom to die). There is no benign socially-responsive and responsible government, no impartial uncorruptible law, no care for the environment, no cooperation except by corruption. It looks as though Haiti is being run secretly by the current Republican Administration, like in Iraq... oops, it is!

Welcome to the REAL 21st Century. Avant-garde Haiti, the first Neo-Post-Modern Nation.

Speculation has to be brought under control. The world has become a giant gambling casino for the rich, with the odds way stacked in their favor. And, when they still screw up, the American taxpayer is forced the bail them out (welfare for the rich).

--You are correct, the whole system of greed, corruption, and exploitation must collapse, as it is beginning to now under its own weight. The more we resist it individually and collectively, the worse it will be.

Without a widespread spiritual awakening for humanity, where ego no longer rules, self-destruction can be the only outcome. There is the individual will (ego) and the cosmic Will. Cosmic Will is revealed to us through essence, where there is attention and awareness. It is sometimes called intuition.

Many do not realize that all psychological suffering is the result of unconsciously resisting cosmic Will--or what Its essence within us really longs for; some might say, what our 'hearts' deep down really want.

Egoic will by nature is always at odds with cosmic Will; it embodies the 'dark side' of human nature, which presently dominates mankind. That is why as long as we seek solutions to human problems within the egoic sphere (where any means, including war and killing justify the ends), mankind will continue to spiral downward, and worldwide suffering will only increase, as it is now.

The intelligence in nature is part of this cosmic Will, and its essence is order and harmony. We are peculiar creatures in that, unlike other creatures, we were given the ability to think and be aware of ourselves as part of nature. Eckart Tolle wrote in Stillness Speaks:

"Through you nature becomes aware of itself. Nature has been waiting for you, as it were, for millions of years."

Unfortunately, for us, the flip side of this self-awareness is ego, which squelches out the awareness of our eternal essence, or unity with cosmic or natural Will. At birth we are alive with essence and natural wonder and slowly lose it as we are taught (conditioned) to compare and compete with one another, and worry over our body image and other such nonsense.

So-called self-esteem is just ego-identity that we label positive or negative, and is really just an artifact of inattention; essence never compares itself in that way because it is already whole and complete. Like Super Tramp's Logical Song, the essence within us is gradually drowned out--and we forget we ever had it, or that there is a completely different way to live. Life then becomes a never ending rat's nest of problems and concerns (ego secretly loves unnecessary complications and entanglements because without them it would dissolve). Instead of being taught how to be free inwardly, we are taught to live in fear, and that suffering must be accepted like a thorn in one's toe. And, of course, this is reflected collectivelly, as well.

Many have spoken about these things, especially J. Krishnamurti who said that mankind was/is on the brink of disaster and catastrophe, where only an 'inner revolution' can save it. He said our dilemma can be likened to those watching a big fire, while we sit and argue over the color of the hair of the man who set the fire, rather than bringing water to put it out. The 'water' here being freedom from fear and ego-identity.

Some good movies that point to this are "Peaceful Warrior," and the "Celestine Prophecy." The Matrix is also a good one. If we awaken individually, that cannot help but transform the world around us, and awaken AUTHENTIC compassion in others as well.

Best wishes to all those on the path. :)

WOW! you guys are amazing. First yes Kem patrick I understood your first comment instantly. Is it because I am from Montreal and had live with a lot of Haitian people being coworker and being my friends, I don't know. Anyhow, we all know about papa doc and baby doc and the tonton macout if my spelling is right. Who was suporting that regime I don't know but I have my doubt. More recently we have seen Clinton trying to solved the issue and frankly I thing he got scared and didn't know what to do, so he let it go astray hoping that it will be solved by itself. It almost did with Aristide but again some profit was in the way for a few rich people and it went back to chaos. So the next thing is to let people have true election by the people for the people. If its a marxist country that come out of it so be it. it is not our business.

And for you Galen reprimending easyflyer hope you are more thoughtful than that. I don't know much about Cuba but it is certainly not your business. The revolution over there happend because of people like you, selfish and imperialistic. Hope this country will become more social democrat.

What is this drivel about Cuba being self-sufficient? Cuba is among the least food sufficient of any advanced country in Latin America. It has to import over 80% of its rice - mostly from the Dominican Republic and the US. It buys enormous quantities of rice, wheat, chickens, pork and eggs from the US...cash up front. Imagine being food dependent on your enemy...
Que locura!
Cuba has slowly shifted to export crops in citrus and guess who controls the largest citrus plantations in Cuba...the former head of the Israeli Mossad Rafael Eitan, whose second home is in Cuba. Fine kettle of fish! Cuba has the finest farm land in the entire Caribbean - and yet dreams of producing for an unstable export market in Europe in competition with Brazil and gives up its policy of national food security - for what? tourism?
It is almost as insane as the Philippines, the home of the famous International Rice Research Institute which developed miracle rice and has some of the best farmers and farm-lands in Asia - having turned the fields over to developers for golf courses and speculation and is now the largest importer of rice in the world...and cannot provide for its people. Que idiotez!
Oh and the Mexican peasants and small farmers who produced (with decades of government price support)the nation's rice, corn and beans...after NAFTA lost the Mexican government support, were bankrupted by the floods of US-subsidized grains imports, lost their lands to speculators and formed the great mass of landless labor migrating to the US - we are talking about some of the most experienced small fiercely independent farmers in the world on their communal ejido lands reduced to clandestine semi-slavery in the US.
And the workers food riots in Egypt were enormous...the reason there is a news blackout...Egypt is a repressive US client-regime, like the Philippines. The real neo-liberal model, the 'globalized' economy in all its glory.