bobbo, to the left of Obama says:

“Bunch of manipulating bastards preying on the ignorant.”

Translate that to Latin and you got a motto.

Here ya go: “e plural unum” (with a heavy dose of wage slavery)

So, the heart really does need to identify the “real issue” at work. In Congo, tribal warfare may be over gold, in South Africa over diamonds, but what of Sudan and Somalia? There it is religion and race but still breaking down along tribal lines. Is pure textual analysis sufficient to identify “TRIBAL” as the pragmatic issue at work or do we need to go deeper?

“Conflict Minerals” or “Tribal Work Product?” Child labor, prison labor, wage slaves–spot the effective differences that warrant distinction. Should the “free market” be left to work its magic or should it be manipulated so objectively to what end? Should something that can’t work be pursued anyway for the morality involved.

Lets make a venn diagram. Draw a big circle. Label it Everything. Done.

Misanthropic Scott says:

#1 – bobbo,

I hate being a naysayer, and I did buy dolphin safe tuna, and diamonds are but capitulation to the objectifying of men as wallets with dicks, but I don’t think buying conflict free minerals has a ghost of a chance to have any impact at all except to raise the price of consumer electronics while all these fungible unmarkable assets are sold in markets that don’t care.

Wouldn’t raising the price have the additional benefit of reducing unsustainable Consumerism?

Floyd says:

“Conflict Free”–so far as I know, even if countries and tribes don’t conflict, corporations will.

bobbo, not a student of the dismal science, but I am on a budget says:

#24–Scott==”Wouldn’t raising the price have the additional benefit of reducing unsustainable Consumerism?” //// Of course it would if the price rose that high enough to affect such purchasing decisions. I should have said “might” increase the price of consumer goods. The whole point of these FUNGIBLE resources is that as long as total demand somewhat matches total supply there should be no price impact at all. Just a feel good experience for those that buy labels and marketing programs. And not paradoxically, I could see the raw materials cost staying the same while the cost of the final product went up to cover the marketing costs, or the additional returns to stockholders/CEO for the cleverness of the false differentiation?

But your main point is wanting to reduce unsustainable consumerism? Why do you want to do that? There is an absolute tautology there. Consumerism is sustained at whatever level it occupies. Consume something at a lower rate and it seems to me that ultimately it still gets consumed or replaced by something else that is consumed? I don’t understand what goal/concept you are advancing other than a religious point trying to impose some artificial meaning on the universe.

Energy and matter are the same thing. Neither can be consumed, only changed in form.

If the universe “means” anything, it means unrestrained consumerism. Certainly its the only reality that means anything? Go forth and multiply==what else is that but a call to consumerism?

pedro says:

#25 So the fighting and the wars began with the intrusion of the white people on those regions, huh? They were all peace & quiet before. Are you for real?

justchecking says:

(Sorry, any solution to anything that involves Americans making do with less of anything is a nonstarter. That violates the fundemental purpose of the universe.)

I assume you posted this from your non-air-conditioned yurt using a hand cranked computer made with locally-obtained materials? I further assume you ate only locally grown produce for breakfast.

pedro says:

#33 So Dullas, you support the cuban embargo, right?

qb says:

BTW, batteries are much bigger problem.

Gildersleeve says:

I’m commenting on this with no prior knowledge of the topic. Why? Because I don’t have the patience to sit through a video. I’d rather read plain text, and get to the point in 1/3 the time. My hometown TV station’s website does this too – video only on some key topics. Cripes I’ll watch the news if I want to sit through a video.

So, what the hell is wrong in the Congo now?

sargasso_c says:

Not certain about that advertisement’s accuracy.