Robert Friedman says: I'm not sure Bono deserved to be Time's 2005 person of the year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates), but he has done his homework on important but mind-numbing issues such as international debt in the developing world



"Theroux does make some reasonable points. Money alone won't solve Africa's problems unless it is accompanied by political reform within the continent and economic justice in the developed world's dealings with Africa's governments and people." Author Paul Theroux served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi in the 1960's.

Robert Friedman says: I'm not sure Bono deserved to be Time's 2005 person of the year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates), but he has done his homework on important but mind-numbing issues such as international debt in the developing world

Does Bono know best?
By ROBERT FRIEDMAN, Perspective Editor
Published January 8, 2006

I generally support the separation of stage and state. I don't want to hear John Ashcroft or Orrin Hatch sing, and I don't want to hear Barbra Streisand or Toby Keith expound on politics.

But some artists earn the right to be taken (relatively) seriously when they take a political stand. Way back when they were teenagers, Bono and U2 already were recording intelligent songs that went beyond the usual platitudes about war and peace, racism and religion. I'm not sure Bono deserved to be Time's 2005 person of the year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates), but he has done his homework on important but mind-numbing issues such as international debt in the developing world. And, when necessary, he has been willing to sublimate his ego to suck up to everyone from the pope to Jesse Helms when he felt he needed their help.

Yet something about Bono's humanitarian efforts - maybe the Geraldo-like preening and pomposity he can bring to them - drives some people crazy.

"There are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in a cowboy hat," Paul Theroux wrote in a recent New York Times column, "but I can't think of one at the moment."

Hmmm. What could be more annoying? Maybe a self-promoting travel writer's over-the-top complaints about Bono's charitable work?

Theroux does make some reasonable points. Money alone won't solve Africa's problems unless it is accompanied by political reform within the continent and economic justice in the developed world's dealings with Africa's governments and people.

But what would Theroux have Bono do? Organize a militia and overthrow the government of Burundi?

The recent Live 8 concerts, organized by Bob Geldof, Bono and other performers to publicize their push for reforms in G8 governments' policies on AIDS and poverty in the Third World, actually represented a relatively sophisticated understanding of geopolitics. They may not produce more tangible benefits than earlier, more naive charity efforts did, but they couldn't possibly be as "wasteful ... stupid and harmful" as Theroux claimed.

I agree with Theroux on this much: When I listen to music, I don't particularly care to be lectured about the war in Iraq or the plight of the family farm. U2's Pride (In the Name of Love) is a great song, but it would be great if it were about Martin St. Louis instead of Martin Luther King Jr. And its transcendent moment comes when Bono shuts up and the rhythm section kicks in.

At Live 8, the most memorable anthems were performed by a reunited Pink Floyd (Comfortably Numb) and a reunited Who, or at least a befuddled Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey (Won't Get Fooled Again). "The child is grown, the dream is gone" and "meet the new boss - same as the old boss" aren't exactly inspirational calls to action on behalf of starving Africans or anybody else.

So how seriously should be we taking Willie Nelson and Kinky (no relation) Friedman? I'm not jumping on the BioWillie bandwagon just yet. I admire Nelson's good intentions on issues from Farm Aid to alternative fuel, but I don't get the sense he is quite as well versed on current events as Bono is. Maybe it's the french fry fumes.

As for the Kinkster: He's much better qualified to be governor (but much less famous) than Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzenegger were when they were elected. (Whether he's better qualified than George W. Bush was when he first ran is arguable, but he has exactly as much experience in public office as Bush did.)

Kinky is a true son of Texas, a former Peace Corps volunteer with a genuine empathy for his state's neediest residents. His family's Echo Hill Ranch outside Kerrville has long been an oasis for troubled kids (as his nearby Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch is for stray and unwanted animals), and he (like Bush before him) speaks persuasively about issues such as education and immigration. Even some of Kinky's old songs with the Texas Jewboys were more serious than they first sounded. Ride 'Em, Jewboy is a tribute to victims of the Holocaust, and Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed posits a revisionist view of women's liberation.

Whether all that translates into a serious candidacy is uncertain. Kinky is raising a fair amount of money and doing well in the polls. Incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry is broadly unpopular, and the Democrats are in their usual disarray. On the other hand, Kinky has been known to introduce his old friend and traveling companion "Jewford" to political audiences as "very possibly the next first lady of the state of Texas." The state that gave us Tom DeLay and Dick Armey may not be ready for a serious candidate who doesn't take himself too seriously.

When this story was posted in January 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Top Stories: January 3, 2006 Tony Hall leaving ambassador's post 8 Dec Military aims to bolster language skills 2 Jan Isaiah Zagar rescuing Magic Garden 1 Jan Taylor Hackford won't produce J Lo in Carmen 31 Dec Rupert writes on militants' aid in Quake Zone 29 Dec Toledo bows on Military Human Rights Violations 29 Dec Tim Shriver supports movie "The Ringer" 26 Dec Josh Busby writes: How Healthy is the NPCA? 24 Dec Congressional Victory on Peace Corps/Military Option 22 Dec PC Fellows Nursing Program doubles at JHU 19 Dec PCVs team with Mexican scientists on water quality 17 Dec Farr denounces Pentagon spying at UCSC 17 Dec Jack Anderson dies at 83 17 Dec Theroux criticizes rock star badgering on Africa 15 Dec James Walsh opposes Maoist revolution in Nepal 15 Dec Scott Stossel appointed acting editor of "The Atlantic" 15 Dec Oklahoma has highest percentage increase in PCVs 15 Dec Sargent Shriver honored at JFK Library 13 Dec Blackwill says torture may be appropriate 13 Dec Bill Moyers for President? 13 Dec Kinky Friedman files papers to run for governor 8 Dec

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Military Option sparks concerns The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read our poll results. Latest: Congress passed a bill on December 22 including language to remove Peace Corps from the National Call to Service (NCS) military recruitment program

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Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

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PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9.

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Robert F. Kennedy - 80th anniversary of his birth "Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world which yields most painfully to change."

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Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now.

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'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here.

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PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted.

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The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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