Refugee camp in Cameroon for those fleeing Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria last September..
Matt Schiavenza at The Atlantic writes
Nigeria's Horror in Paris's Shadow—Why a 10-year-old suicide bomber isn't front-page news. An excerpt:
As many as a million people, joined by 40 world leaders, filled the streets of Paris on Sunday in solidarity after two separate terrorist attacks claimed 17 innocent lives last week. The day before, more than 3,000 miles to the south, a girl believed to be around 10 approached the entrance to a crowded market in Maiduguri, a city of some 1 million in Nigeria's Borno State. As a security guard inspected her, the girl detonated explosives strapped to her body, killing herself and at least 19 others. Dozens more were injured.
Saturday's suicide bombing elicited little coverage compared to the events in Paris, which have dominated headlines since last Wednesday's attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper. Why the slaughter of 17 innocents in France receives more attention than the death of roughly the same number of Nigerians is the kind of question that can result in accusations of indifference, racism, and media bias. But the contrast between the attacks in Paris and the suicide bombing in Maiduguri actually reveals something far more sinister: the ravages of state failure.
The main difference between France and Nigeria isn't that the public and the media care about one and not the other. It is, rather, that one country has an effective government and the other does not.
Boko Haram is waging a ruthless war throughout northeast Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. On Wednesday, Boko Haram militants laid siege to Baga, a city that has resisted them, setting fire to buildings and killing residents indiscriminately. Hundreds of people fled into Lake Chad and attempted to swim to a nearby island. Many drowned along the way. Those who didn't are now marooned without food and shelter and have no defense against the island's swarm of malarial mosquitos. The death toll in Baga reportedly exceeds 2,000. Some 20,000 others are now displaced. [...]
The main difference between France and Nigeria isn't that the public and the media care about one and not the other. It is, rather, that one country has an effective government and the other does not. The French may not be too fond of President Francois Hollande—his approval ratings last November had plungedto 12 percent—but he responded to his country's twin terror attacks with decisiveness. Not so Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan. Since assuming the presidency in 2010, Jonathan has done little to contain Boko Haram. The group emerged in 2002 and has consolidated control over an area larger than West Virginia. And it's gaining ground. Perversely, the seemingly routine nature of Nigeria's violence may have diminished the perception of its newsworthiness.
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 20x13—NBC head defends Donald Trump ... unless he were to 'cross the line':
I still have to wonder how much of a crapsack you have to be before a network like NBC would be done with you, but prominent conspiracy promoter Donald Trump will apparently remain in good standing:
“We live in this country where you can say anything you want as long as you are not harming other people,” NBC chief Bob Greenblatt said during the NBC TCA executive session. “He has his political belief system but I really don’t think what he’s doing in his personal life is going to corrupt what he’s doing on the show.” However, “if he becomes somehow hurtful and says or does things that cross a line, we would figure out what to do with that.” |
Keep in mind, the Hair Helmet of Wisdom was last seen promoting racist conspiracy theories and tweeting for revolution because Barack Obama had won reelection. That didn't cross any line, because freedomz, so I can only assume by "crossing the line" Greenblatt is talking about some sort of potential wardrobe malfunction.
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