Dear Irish Hippies (live 8)

Silence yourselves.

On the communist news network we hear perhaps one of the greatest fits of ego in a long time

(CNN) -- Bob Geldof, the Irish rocker who is organizing Live 8, said Thursday that this weekend's concerts in 10 cities across the globe will be the "final push" in getting the world's richest leaders to come to the aid of impoverished Africa.

In an interview with CNN, Geldof said the goal of doubling aid for Africa by 2010 to $25 billion -- laid out by the Commission for Africa, which is being spearheaded by British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- has nearly been met.

Just $2 billion short of the goal, Geldof said he hopes G8 leaders will pledge the funds at next week's summit in Scotland.

"We're almost there," he said. "We're within $2 billion. I think we can knock that off in Gleneagles."

"I've been on the phone with Bono and we're going, 'Is this happening?' Live 8 ... is actually the final push now. It's no longer the startup engine."

But me... I am in another boat entirely, another planet and sadly my planet seems to be earth and so to is Eric Alterman's

but I just figured out that Live 8 is not raising any money for famine relief or malaria cures or AIDS treatment in Africa. It is just designed to “pressure” G8 countries into doing what’s right. Thing is, guys, the G8 doesn’t, (and shouldn’t) care what Madonna, Elton John, U2, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, R.E.M., Coldplay, Bjork, Sting, Dido, Justin Timberlake, Green Day, Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Celine Dion, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill think about anything, particularly if they won’t put their own riches where their big mouths are. (Ditto Pitt, George Clooney, Will Smith, Natalie Portman and Salma Hayek.) I am in favor of harnessing the power of celebrity for global good but where’s the good in this? Good God, this is a moral crime. All that money available just for the asking—all those lives that could be saved by people who won’t miss the money--and these guys won’t even bother to ask? They won’t even allow charities to canvass the audience. Turns out the concert is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING but moral vanity, and the exploitation of starving, sick Africans, by pampered, rich as**oles and their self-interested corporate sponsors rather than their potential salvation.

Yep. I came out against the Irish hippie in his move to try to shut down E-bay's sales of scalped tickets to live 8. Some one should get some money on this so why not some one who is -gasp- poor. Ya know actually make something positive happen other then a bunch of celebrities dancing around going "Yippie we did it."

West Africa is starting to tap into their oil reserves in a big way.. this is why the G8 countries now care about getting Africa right.

So *I* intend to boycott Live-8 and anything remotely Live-8 related tommorrow and I encourage everyone online to do the same