Nice article. Did the author really needed a click bait title? This story stands on its own. I was hoping not to see this cheap attention gathering tactic on thefp.com. Hopefully the author can unlearn this annoying approach seen in all other news site.
It sure sounds like the author has a bias against Apple. ALL mobile phones, tablets and desktops have essentially the same parts. Why single out one company? 🤔
Sausage making is bloody business and sometimes kids get caught in the grinder. Biden, Newsom, Pelosi, Schumer, AOC and The Squad think the price is right and don't mind making the sacrifice. In fact, they're all bold supporters early termination of as many children as possible.
Reform has to come internally, the people need to want it. We cannot and should not be the savior, as so many past interventions have taught us it invariable turns into a disaster. Hopefully a focus on this issue will bring about some sustainable solutions where the locals can take advantage of their natural resources to advance their society without endangering lives. To stop using their exports will probably mean the poorest don't earn their next meal, that is not a solution for the Congolese, it's just something to help us feel less guilt.
Are there enough children in Congo to supply minerals for all Gavin and Joe’s electric cars?
As an longtime resident of Africa, and a student of African history, this isn’t the first time the Congo was exploited to benefit western technologies and tastes. When it was the hobby nation of King Leopold of Belgium, peoples’ hands were cut off and smoked to preserve them as evidence that local Belgium commissioners were employing adequate discipline to get maximum ivory and rubber production from the people in his district. To the world’s credit, an international outrage caused Leopold to hand the Congo over to the Belgian government, a very modest improvement.
It’s past time to crackdown on those who gain so much from those who have so little. Mr. Newson and Mr. Biden, are your electric dreams worth the life of even a single child? If so, then your lives are worth nothing.
I dunno. Maybe it was in some parallel dimension, but I was sure I heard they'd reduced auto emissions by 70-90% and that working from home, efficient delivery systems and streaming data and media had reduced demand for driving anyway. IOW, American automobile use is not a major factor in the end of the earth through carbon-caused warming.
Also that the carbon output of China/India was multiples of what the US puts out, much as we all want to hammer the US as the source of all evil.
Maybe my facts are off, but it seems a real misdirection of resources to switch from internal combustion engines to electric. Overstated benefit, understated externalities.
Hi Jim, I've been to Monticello twice and it's one of those locations in the world that has tremendous presence. I really appreciate, and identify with, your account of your visits. I'm so sorry to hear it's being vandalized by America's domestic enemies.
We spent the last decades defending America against foreigners who may or may not have been our enemies, while here at home our domestic enemies attacked and have now largely subdued our Federal Government, many States and cities, and most of our key institutions.
Maybe there's some kind of political law at work that the great political theorists never got around to discovering and explaining.
Reminds me of the slave labor that built all those wonders in the mid east and no one wants to talk about it as hundreds of billions are in play. The sad reality is that unless someone organizes and unifies the area it will always be prey to exploitation.
We knew that our tech oligarchs were utter scumbags.
We just had no idea how utterly depraved they are.
Do we need smart phones and EVs? No we do not. Let's just stop lying to ourselves and treating our self-proclaimed "elites" as if they're special. Because they need to be spat upon not worshipped.
The Congo is a sad place. It could have been one of the wealthiest countries/areas in Africa. Instead it was used by Leopold II of Belgium as his private cash stash. He exploited the land and the people brutally. It is hard to wipe out a heritage like that.
My son lived in Kinshasa for a year. The situation in DCR is so much more complicated and nuanced than the author discusses. He reads like a sensationalist look-at-me do gooder with no real grasp of the international political and local economic realities of Congo. "The children!!" SMH; elites don't give a damn about "the children". (See: 1985 Live Aid Concert.)China has almost total control of the mining; and other international players, including the US and Russia, are constantly throwing in insurgents and gorilla groups to destabilize the region politically, with the end goal to gain a monopoly through regime change. It is extremely dangerous there; my son was a Marine and they were instructed never to travel alone in the city and were forbidden to go outside of it. The authors claim that he was able to interview and see all these people and mines is dubious at best. Lastly, there is a great deal of research being done in improving battery technology and battery life. The "smart people" are highly incentivized to achieve both goals. My take on that is that necessity is always the mother of invention, so in due time, amazing discoveries will be made in both areas. In the meantime, I'd like to ask the author one question; in 2023, if no one has made headway in this area already, and with trillions of dollars at stake, what could possibly change politically to make that happen? We already know the answer.
I’ve just changed the signature on my emails to read “Sent from my child labor and slave labor-produced IPhone.” I’m going to add a similar signature to the emails I send from my Apple Mac.
The current system of sourcing from China and Congo is totally unacceptable morally.
Thomas Jefferson, himself a slave owner, wrote in a moment of honesty about slavery, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”
It’s high time we American consumers wake up and take responsibility for the crimes our ruling class are committing in order to provide our comfort and convenience.
If anybody has any ideas about what to do please let me know.
Being actually honest about the morality involved is a strong beginning. As for what can actually be *done*, I'm reminded of a Police song from 40 years ago:
Hide my face in my hands
Shame wells in my throat
Our comfortable existence is reduced
to a shallow, meaningless party
Seems that when some innocents die
All we can offer them
is a page in some fucking magazine
Too many cell phones and not enough food
This what we've seen
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Sting has been as guilty as anyone of glamorous celebrity activism, but he nailed the situation pretty starkly with that song.
Oh please. Stop swallowing that leftist swill. As if Jefferson was the only slave owner in the world. Virtually every nation allowed slavery during Jefferson's life.
More important, as you correctly observe, how about nations today - including the barbaric Chinese communists - who practice slavery on a massive scale?
Bruce, it’s worth reading the article. There’s information I didn’t know and far from “swallowing Leftist swill” I know a fair bit about Jefferson. I was duped by an early example (1998) of ideologically driven researchers lying about “the science” regarding Jefferson’s DNA but back in the day, I still trusted scientific articles in journals that were still prestigious at the time. We’ve all learned our lesson since then.
I was stunned by this article—I was misled twenty five years ago by an early perversion of “the science” about Thomas Jefferson’s DNA; I also didn’t know about the Virginia law forbidding indebted estates to free their slaves, either.
Thank you for bringing this information to my attention!
You are quite welcome. I live about 50 miles from Mr. Jefferson's Home and until last year made one pilgrimage per year to go through the same tour again and again. And I always said a silent prayer as I walked down the mountain past his grave: "Help us."
But not now. Monticello has been invaded by the Woke mob; instead a discussion of the Rights of Man, the Declaration of Independence, numerous other writings, the inventions (major improvement on the plow and many others), we are now drowned in Sally Hemmings. Personally, I don't care if he took a bed-wench - as they were called - after the death of his wife. It was a different time, and the mark of an amateur historian is judging historical figures by contemporary social mores.
Make no mistake - the denigration, perversion, and erasure of history is right out of the communist playbook - and with the same intent. I'll have none of it.
Nice article. Did the author really needed a click bait title? This story stands on its own. I was hoping not to see this cheap attention gathering tactic on thefp.com. Hopefully the author can unlearn this annoying approach seen in all other news site.
It sure sounds like the author has a bias against Apple. ALL mobile phones, tablets and desktops have essentially the same parts. Why single out one company? 🤔
Exploitation and deceit are the salt and pepper of humanity.
Sausage making is bloody business and sometimes kids get caught in the grinder. Biden, Newsom, Pelosi, Schumer, AOC and The Squad think the price is right and don't mind making the sacrifice. In fact, they're all bold supporters early termination of as many children as possible.
Reform has to come internally, the people need to want it. We cannot and should not be the savior, as so many past interventions have taught us it invariable turns into a disaster. Hopefully a focus on this issue will bring about some sustainable solutions where the locals can take advantage of their natural resources to advance their society without endangering lives. To stop using their exports will probably mean the poorest don't earn their next meal, that is not a solution for the Congolese, it's just something to help us feel less guilt.
Are there enough children in Congo to supply minerals for all Gavin and Joe’s electric cars?
As an longtime resident of Africa, and a student of African history, this isn’t the first time the Congo was exploited to benefit western technologies and tastes. When it was the hobby nation of King Leopold of Belgium, peoples’ hands were cut off and smoked to preserve them as evidence that local Belgium commissioners were employing adequate discipline to get maximum ivory and rubber production from the people in his district. To the world’s credit, an international outrage caused Leopold to hand the Congo over to the Belgian government, a very modest improvement.
It’s past time to crackdown on those who gain so much from those who have so little. Mr. Newson and Mr. Biden, are your electric dreams worth the life of even a single child? If so, then your lives are worth nothing.
I dunno. Maybe it was in some parallel dimension, but I was sure I heard they'd reduced auto emissions by 70-90% and that working from home, efficient delivery systems and streaming data and media had reduced demand for driving anyway. IOW, American automobile use is not a major factor in the end of the earth through carbon-caused warming.
Also that the carbon output of China/India was multiples of what the US puts out, much as we all want to hammer the US as the source of all evil.
Maybe my facts are off, but it seems a real misdirection of resources to switch from internal combustion engines to electric. Overstated benefit, understated externalities.
Essential journalism. Thank you Free Press.
Hi Jim, I've been to Monticello twice and it's one of those locations in the world that has tremendous presence. I really appreciate, and identify with, your account of your visits. I'm so sorry to hear it's being vandalized by America's domestic enemies.
We spent the last decades defending America against foreigners who may or may not have been our enemies, while here at home our domestic enemies attacked and have now largely subdued our Federal Government, many States and cities, and most of our key institutions.
Maybe there's some kind of political law at work that the great political theorists never got around to discovering and explaining.
Reminds me of the slave labor that built all those wonders in the mid east and no one wants to talk about it as hundreds of billions are in play. The sad reality is that unless someone organizes and unifies the area it will always be prey to exploitation.
We knew that our tech oligarchs were utter scumbags.
We just had no idea how utterly depraved they are.
Do we need smart phones and EVs? No we do not. Let's just stop lying to ourselves and treating our self-proclaimed "elites" as if they're special. Because they need to be spat upon not worshipped.
OK people, we need to stop buying or using cell phones until this is fixed. Who wants to go first?
The Congo is a sad place. It could have been one of the wealthiest countries/areas in Africa. Instead it was used by Leopold II of Belgium as his private cash stash. He exploited the land and the people brutally. It is hard to wipe out a heritage like that.
“By fluke of birth, I was on the other side that”. That should compel everyone that is free. I know it does me.
Hard to avoid purchasing stuff made in China. Wish I could. Any suggestions? Great article.
I stopped buying things made in China in March 2020.
Here are some excellent resources (usalovelist is my personal favorite, they have Everything):
https://www.usalovelist.com/
https://madeinamericastore.com/
https://www.allamericanstore.us/
https://www.themadeinamericamovement.com/made-in-usa-companies/
https://www.okabashi.com/
https://www.citythreads.com/
greentoys.com
Thank you, Sally! Much appreciated.
My son lived in Kinshasa for a year. The situation in DCR is so much more complicated and nuanced than the author discusses. He reads like a sensationalist look-at-me do gooder with no real grasp of the international political and local economic realities of Congo. "The children!!" SMH; elites don't give a damn about "the children". (See: 1985 Live Aid Concert.)China has almost total control of the mining; and other international players, including the US and Russia, are constantly throwing in insurgents and gorilla groups to destabilize the region politically, with the end goal to gain a monopoly through regime change. It is extremely dangerous there; my son was a Marine and they were instructed never to travel alone in the city and were forbidden to go outside of it. The authors claim that he was able to interview and see all these people and mines is dubious at best. Lastly, there is a great deal of research being done in improving battery technology and battery life. The "smart people" are highly incentivized to achieve both goals. My take on that is that necessity is always the mother of invention, so in due time, amazing discoveries will be made in both areas. In the meantime, I'd like to ask the author one question; in 2023, if no one has made headway in this area already, and with trillions of dollars at stake, what could possibly change politically to make that happen? We already know the answer.
I’ve just changed the signature on my emails to read “Sent from my child labor and slave labor-produced IPhone.” I’m going to add a similar signature to the emails I send from my Apple Mac.
The current system of sourcing from China and Congo is totally unacceptable morally.
Thomas Jefferson, himself a slave owner, wrote in a moment of honesty about slavery, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”
It’s high time we American consumers wake up and take responsibility for the crimes our ruling class are committing in order to provide our comfort and convenience.
If anybody has any ideas about what to do please let me know.
Being actually honest about the morality involved is a strong beginning. As for what can actually be *done*, I'm reminded of a Police song from 40 years ago:
Hide my face in my hands
Shame wells in my throat
Our comfortable existence is reduced
to a shallow, meaningless party
Seems that when some innocents die
All we can offer them
is a page in some fucking magazine
Too many cell phones and not enough food
This what we've seen
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Driven to tears.
Sting has been as guilty as anyone of glamorous celebrity activism, but he nailed the situation pretty starkly with that song.
Oh please. Stop swallowing that leftist swill. As if Jefferson was the only slave owner in the world. Virtually every nation allowed slavery during Jefferson's life.
More important, as you correctly observe, how about nations today - including the barbaric Chinese communists - who practice slavery on a massive scale?
Bruce, it’s worth reading the article. There’s information I didn’t know and far from “swallowing Leftist swill” I know a fair bit about Jefferson. I was duped by an early example (1998) of ideologically driven researchers lying about “the science” regarding Jefferson’s DNA but back in the day, I still trusted scientific articles in journals that were still prestigious at the time. We’ve all learned our lesson since then.
I just read an interesting short article on Mr. Jefferson. After doing so, "Jefferson, himself a slave owner," took on a bit of a different light.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/04/thomas_jefferson_deserves_respect_from_all_americans.html
Thank you so much for posting this article! I never doubted Jefferson's character, but for those who did, this is eye-opening.
It should be required reading for Nicole Hannah-Jones, Ibram Kendi and the rest of their ilk, but I know that is wishful thinking...
Wow Jim—that’s a game-changer!
I was stunned by this article—I was misled twenty five years ago by an early perversion of “the science” about Thomas Jefferson’s DNA; I also didn’t know about the Virginia law forbidding indebted estates to free their slaves, either.
Thank you for bringing this information to my attention!
You are quite welcome. I live about 50 miles from Mr. Jefferson's Home and until last year made one pilgrimage per year to go through the same tour again and again. And I always said a silent prayer as I walked down the mountain past his grave: "Help us."
But not now. Monticello has been invaded by the Woke mob; instead a discussion of the Rights of Man, the Declaration of Independence, numerous other writings, the inventions (major improvement on the plow and many others), we are now drowned in Sally Hemmings. Personally, I don't care if he took a bed-wench - as they were called - after the death of his wife. It was a different time, and the mark of an amateur historian is judging historical figures by contemporary social mores.
Make no mistake - the denigration, perversion, and erasure of history is right out of the communist playbook - and with the same intent. I'll have none of it.
Thanks! I’ll check it out!