2am-after Live8

   Three days later, and the Live8 buzz is starting to recede, leaving only a question: will any good actually come of it? I understand that 26 million people, worldwide, signed an online petition. (At least, that's what organisers say. Bob Geldof having claimed that over three billion people watched the concerts, I suspect the size of the petition may be somewhat exaggerated as well.)
   And even if it isn't, what of it? What weight do you think the G8 leaders will give to a petition signed by approximately one half of one percent of the world's population? What weight will these world leaders give to the concerns of a group of bleeding hearts and artists?
   Likely, none. The simple fact is, the issue is far more complex than Bob Geldof and Bono would have you believe. Forgiving the debt to many African countries does not equate to helping their starving masses in any way. It is simply forgiving the debt to the governments of those countries, most of whom did not use the money for the benefit of their people in the first place.
   Misappropriation of first world aid and assistance is rampant in Africa. African Presidents sit in marble halls, like Kings, while their people die of disease and hunger. Any forgiveness of debt on the part of the G8 nations must be accompanied by the termination of all future financial assistance, unless safeguards can be put in place to ensure the money gets used as advertised. Said safeguards do not consist of, "we really, really promise to use the money properly this time."