Saturday, April 3, 2010

Some Things Are Just Unbelievable

Today, to mark the 50th anniversary of Senegal’s independence, the president of Senegal unveiled this statue:



It is 164 feet tall, about the height of the Statue of Liberty, made from copper. It cost $20 million to build.

Where, you might ask, did Senegal – average annual income of $1,700, 48% unemployment rate, 54% of population below poverty line – get the money to pay for this monument?

That’s the really great part. It didn’t cost them a dime. It was paid for in full.

BY NORTH KOREA.

In exchange for the money to build the statue, North Korea received a piece of Senegalese land, Abrassart said.

... North Korean official Kim Yong Nam “expressed belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would grow stronger in various fields in the future, too,” according to KCNA.
North Korea – average annual income: $1,800, military size: 1.1 million, nuclear weapons stockpile: 8 (estimated) – knows something about building statues.



Fun fact: North Korea ranks 188 in average annual income, while Senegal ranks 191.

Now the really rich bit. The icing on the cake. The coup de grace. The unveiling ceremony was attended by the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
“This renaissance statue is a powerful idea from a powerful mind,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson in remarks to the crowd of hundreds waving flags at the foot of the lighted monument. “This is dedicated to the journey of our ancestors, enslaved but not slaves.”

Good to know Jesse’s still standing up for the oppressed of the world.

No, I am not making any of this up.

Heaven help us.

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