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May 15, 2008

OPEC looks the other way as inflation driven by oil prices causes food riots in Egypt

On the other hand, "The United States leads all donors at more than a $1 billion" given to the World Food Program.

Death to America! Wait-- save us, America! And then, you know, die. More on this story. "OPEC Stands Silent While Oil Prices Spark Food Riots In Neighboring Egypt," by Steve Harrigan for Fox News, May 14:

Despite being surrounded by petroleum-rich neighbors, Egypt is suffering the effects of record-high oil prices that have touched off deadly riots over the simplest of commodities: bread.

Somalia has also seen its share of food riots recently.

Since the beginning of April, at least 10 people have been stabbed to death while waiting in Cairo bread lines — others have died from exhaustion.
The crisis comes as the U.N.’s World Food Program appeals to member nations to contribute $750 million for aid to affected countries.
But as FOX News reported last week, internal documents from the WFP show a failure by OPEC nations to help out their Arab neighbor. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has committed to give zero dollars for 2008, while the United Arab Emirates has pledged just $50,000 — an amount several times less than impoverished nations like Bangladesh.
The United States leads all donors at more than a $1 billion.
Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, heavily subsidizes the sale of flour. Government flour sells for about $3 per 100 pounds. On the black market, however, that same bag can fetch $45.
Unlike other Arab nations awash in petrodollars, almost half of Egypt’s population gets by on less than $2 a day — and for an estimated 30 million people, bread means everything.
For now, the Army has been called out — to bake and distribute the bread.

Posted by Marisol at May 15, 2008 7:28 AM
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They want this to happen. They see biofuels in the future as a threat to their oil Jihad. Therefore, they want any use of biofuel outlawed, or looked upon as a terrible thing to do because you are starving poor people by doing so. IMO

Posted by: TS [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 8:31 AM

The Egyptians have always felt that the Saudis were just lucky Bedouins, but maybe it cuts both ways............

Still, Islam is supposed to create the perfect society.............maybe the Saudis are "misunderstanders" of Islam and don't realize that they are supposed to give alms to charity.

Yeah, that's what it is.

Posted by: tanstaafl [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 8:45 AM

Good to see this perspective finally reported on msm.

MORE . . .please.

Posted by: heroyalwhyness [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 8:49 AM

Oops! JW reported cold hard facts on this website. This is an insult to Islam you know. Just ask Mark Steyn.

Posted by: Sounder [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 9:34 AM

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Worse is the spike in corn, and corn products all over the world. Corn has risen over 240Pct.on the commodities market thanks to the decision to make it the choice for ethanol in America because of the strong corn lobby.

Why not switch grass? (no lobby)but 3 times cheaper, why not sugar beets? a crop that is heartier and grows good in tough climates and is used by Brazil in their flex engines.

This green machine that is being lead by the high priest of global warming Al Gore is going to raise the cost of food products all over the world and it is the poor who are already suffering the most. And sadly this is just the beginning until we dramatically reverse these distructive policies to our economy.

Thank you environmental wackos for no Anwar,no more Gulf drilling,no more refineries,no more nuclear plants,etc.

Posted by: Mackie [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 11:01 AM

This isn't a threat to oil, just the food supply. When I think of all the atrocities committed in the name of Greenism, which is the religion du jour, apparently, this will be right up there with rampaging forest fires (because of logging regulations banning the removal of dead wood on the forest floor. It seems the utopists aren't just in the Islamic fold, but in the environmentally retarded fold, as well.

Posted by: Jewel Atkins [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 11:22 AM

As usual the godless blasphemous materialist infidels kick in the bulk, and as usual in these contexts the hell-designated cartooning blasphemous Danes is among the most generous. The oil-soaked Saudis seems to concentrate on “soul food”, building grand mosques all around the world for the hungry.

2007 per capita contribution $1 or more:

24,59 Luxembourg
8,65 Norway
8,21 Ireland
8,08 Denmark
7,17 Sweden
6,20 Iceland
4,84 Finland
4,84 Canada
4,54 Netherlands
4,20 Switzerland
3,90 United States
3,00 Australia
2,91 Sudan, Gov. of South (pop. 19 m*)
2,74 Faroe Islands
1,79 Andorra
1,70 Belgium
1,25 Liechtenstein
1,19 New Zealand
1,10 United Kingdom

* Population est. for Sudan, Gov. of South according to Wikipedia is between 11 – 27 million.

Posted by: Engelbrekt [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 12:16 PM

Why not open ANWR and America can increase the donation to $2 billion a year, instead of one.

The U.S.goverment, American people, and our wallets will be the better and the World Food Organization will benefit doubley.

There would still be billions left over for futher alternative energy development and research. And even if it doesn't lower the price of fuel, it at least isn't en-riching our OPEC nations.

Posted by: alaskan1000 [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 1:05 PM

This is from 9 April

http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2008/04/let-them-eat-crude-oil.html

Posted by: InfidelK9 [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 1:17 PM

There is no love in Islam for its own people. Muslims gave poorly during the 2004 Tsunami where their own people died so tragically. This is yet another example where Christians give more to Muslims than Muslims give to themselves.

Aside from all the violence, this alone would be enough to make me embarrassed to be a Muslim. Islam is a bad joke and does not deliver on its theological promises.

Posted by: James Martel [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 5:00 PM

Time for the western nations to stop supporting our enemies.

I will no longer contribute to any relief effort that involves aid to a muslim country.

Feeding the same religion that will cut your throat is insanity.


Posted by: treehugger [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 15, 2008 6:47 PM

Send them nothing but excess pork rinds.

Why do our leaders want to feed those intent on devouring us?

Posted by: profitsbeard [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 16, 2008 1:39 AM

There is more at work here than a hike in oil prices.

High Muslim birthrate+ Islam-induced corruption and misrule + degradation of the environment + spending of enormous amounts of government money on weapons and ostentation instead of on growing food = famine.

Think about it: Muslim Egypt has to import wheat. Egypt - on the delta of the Nile. Egypt that was a cornucopia of food during the pre-Islamic period.

Read 'Legacy of Jihad'. Everywhere Islam conquers, over time it steadily degrades the natural and human resource base; conflict increases, people stop producing.

It's taken it a while to run Egypt into the ground - because this is *Egypt* after all, with the Nile. And there used to be more dhimmis. There was also a brief respite, under British rule.

Then Egypt went back under Islam. They threw out all their dhimmi Jews. Judenrein Egypt!

And down, down, down they go.

Posted by: dumbledoresarmy [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 16, 2008 10:41 PM

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