Well, Now I Feel Like an Ass

So no sooner do I make my previous post than I notice this story about a multi-product label line which attempts to both turn a profit for the retailers that develop and sell its products and contribute to AIDS relief in Africa. Of course, Bono is involved. Looks like I might be stepping into a GAP for the first time in a couple years, come October 13th.

Some might see this as a simple image improver for the companies involved. It's interesting to read the comments from Bobby Shriver (yes, another relative of the Kennedys):

“Gap in the beginning couldn’t understand how they were going to make money,” Mr. Shriver said. “They wanted to do a T-shirt and give us all the money. But, we want them to make money. We don’t want anyone to be thinking, ‘I’m not making money on this thing,’ because then we failed. We want people buying houses in the Hamptons based on this because, if that happens, this thing is sustainable.”

It is sustainability that is the key and that makes Red worth supporting. It isn't some little one-off knick-knack that you buy to wear and show off how "socially conscious" you are (like what this became); it's an attempt to create an ongoing stream of revenue from a relatively (barring private donations, which certainly do add up) untapped source.

There are those who might argue that the efforts of Red are just that; a means for Western, insulated consumers to demonstrate a social conscience and soothe their guilty consciences - "Oh, I'm not at fault, I buy Red, I do everything I can!" This is possibly true. It is also true that newborn children don't deserve to come into the world afflicted with a disease (well, virus/syndrome - I don't know what the difference is, but I'm sure there is one and that it's somewhat of a technical, medical nature) they did nothing to earn, and can do nothing to change. Given that terrible alternative, I think I can deal with looking like a sellout dweeb.

Since I'm on a news kick, check out this story about British soldiers debunking the US government's contention that Iran is feeding the Iraqi insurgency arms and equipment. Hey, wow - yet another "known known" being postulated by the US government which there's no physical evidence for (anyone else remember Cheney making all those comments about how they knew there were Iraq-Al Quaida links? Or the ones about all the WMD they had? Or the one about the insurgency being in it's "final throes"?) Granted, I wouldn't trust the Iraqi border guards as far as I could throw them, and I'm sure it's a massive amount of desert out there, but you'd think the Brits would at least find some trace, if something was going on out there.

One last thing, since - again, given the tenor of my previous post - I find this amazing. Pretty much in my lifetime, look what's happened. If the IRA as a cohesive military force can be eliminated and then brought into a legitimate political process, then maybe there really is hope for the other war-torn areas of the world.