May 20, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:Nat Hentoff lets loose with
Nat Hentoff lets loose with this savage indictment of Nick Kristof for saying that Sudanese slave redemptions are a scam. Hentoff says that there's no evidence this is so, and posts considerable evidence to the contrary.
However, it should be considered that the Christian groups who are buying ("redeeming") slaves are almost certainly increasing the market for new ones. Similar efforts by abolitionists here in the 1830's - 1850's freed slaves -- but also increased the profits of the rogue slavers who continued to traffic in fresh slaves from Africa, even though this was illegal.
Of course, what else can you do? Unless you go into Sudan en masse and institute some serious regime change, it's the only option these groups have. A tragic necessity, perhaps -- but it's not beyond the pale to ask whether it hurts more than it helps.
Posted by Jane Galt at May 20, 2002 11:38 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links"); ?>