Global Humanitarian Council - another floundered Botkin venture

[Columbia]

http://globalhumanitariancouncil.org/

I haven’t seen anything on this posted here. The website focuses on African humanitarian outreach, though “humanitarian” is the last way I’d describe the Botkins. They discuss making and deploying Ebola preparedness kits to help African families “self-isolate” and prevent Ebola spread. They said they’d do pilot trials in 2015; somehow I don’t think those actually happened, though I do kind of want to email them and ask for their methodology and outcomes. And see if they even know what p-values are.

It seems to be linked to their failed attempt to civilize South Sudan, back before they realized that there’s far more to that country’s challenges than a few copies of So Much More can fix:

http://battleforcivilization.com/home

(My favorite quote from the Battle for Civilization website:

Great Question Number Three: 

But can Africans who have been subjugated through the domination of colonial tyrants, Islamic slave traders, pagan witch doctors, Marxist lords of bribery, and tribal customs of laziness rise above centuries of poverty and primitivism to discover the disciplines of a work ethic and community governance?

Answer: 

Yes. Africans are made in the image of God, and His sanctifying work in their lives can equip them to undertake great enterprises with vigor, character, and Christian discipline. This is true for tribal descendants of the same Sudanese tribes who govern South Sudan. This is true even in the tedious work of farming, which is the bedrock of any nation-building experiment.)

It seems that while the Botkins are not particularly good at reforming culture, they are especially good at letting projects peter out: Western Conservatory, the Botkinettes’ site, Isaac’s Navigating History projects, Battle for Civilization, Global Humanitarian Council. Am I forgetting any others?

[Howl]

2 hours ago, Columbia said:

This is true even in the tedious work of farming, which is the bedrock of any nation-building experiment.

Hmmmm, I don't recall that the Bots spend a lot of time toiling in their fields.  I guess it's much too tedious and better suited for more common folk.  

Quote

......Marxist lords of bribery, and tribal customs of laziness rise above centuries of poverty and primitivism to discover the disciplines of a work ethic and community governance?

FFS, what a bunch of condescending, pompous, arrogant, tedious claptrap. 

[nelliebelle1197]

OOOOOOKAYYYY. So what does a duck biologist know about ebola?

 

[DomWackTroll]

It seems odd to me that they (well, Geoff) would use the word "humanitarian." It's so... secular? 

[Marian the Librarian]

Projectus interruptus, a hallmark of the Botkin brand.

Let's not forget Geoff's scheme to make Isaac the Prime Minister of New Zealand. While son #1 toils away in little brother Lucas' holster-making sweatshop, time's a wastin'!

[Pecansforeveryone]

Holy, fucking, fuck! "Tribal customs of laziness?!?!" They said that right out loud, didnt they. I kind of think that tribes that had customs of laziness went extinct pretty quickly, laziness not being conducive to survival in a nitty-gritty world. These fluff, headed ninnies. They fawn over medieval royalty, the embodiment of idle rich, aka lazy asses, yet call ancient cultures lazy, ohkkk, then. 

[dripcurl]

11 minutes ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

Holy, fucking, fuck! "Tribal customs of laziness?!?!" They said that right out loud, didnt they. I kind of think that tribes that had customs of laziness went extinct pretty quickly, laziness not being conducive to survival in a nitty-gritty world. These fluff, headed ninnies. They fawn over medieval royalty, the embodiment of idle rich, aka lazy asses, yet call ancient cultures lazy, ohkkk, then. 

Whoa! I didn’t even notice that until you pointed it out, as I was so shocked thag they called out colonialism that my eyes totally skipped over the subversive racism! 

 

What they are (were) saying is that the original colonizers weren’t Reformed enough, so now they’re stepping in. This is analogous to that horrific 6 part series the sisters did on #MeToo - they hid the victim-blaming within a confusingpy complicated word salad that seemed to at first advocate for victims and call out the oppressors. 

 

Hey Botkins, what if God predestined the Africans to be oppressed? Did he also predestine you to attempt to fix all of that? How does that make sense?

[LurkerOverThePond]

The Botkins really love pompous names for their various failures: Global Humanitarian Council (sounds like a UN agency!), Battle for Civilization (actually sounds like a computer game), and my very favorite Western Conservatory of the Arts And Sciences (like a prestigious old university). And, after all their political aspirations and family filled with movie composers, they pretty much all work in the same sweatshop making holsters and obsessing about guns. 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

On their "what we do" page:

Quote

Preventative health care

Infectious disease management

Ebola containment and mitigation protocols

Medical and emergency aid on a daily basis

Agricultural training and farm coordination to serve as the foundations of basic nutrition and new free market economies

Orphan care

Early childhood health and education

Entrepreneurial free-market economic training

Micro lending bank operations to seed the free market

The publication of agricultural sustainability innovations

The creation of new centers of agricultural sustainability

If they are actually "doing" even one of those things I'd be shocked. This sounds like some sort of tax scam, honestly.

[Hane]

@LurkerOverThePond, the good old “Western Conservatory”—aka e-commerce web page. Being a horrible person, I once emailed the Botkins to ask about tuition rates and housing at the “Conservatory.” Shockingly enough, I got no reply.

And their Great White Father Saves the Ignorant Natives lingo? There. Are. No. Words.

[LurkerOverThePond]

23 minutes ago, Hane said:

@LurkerOverThePond, the good old “Western Conservatory”—aka e-commerce web page. Being a horrible person, I once emailed the Botkins to ask about tuition rates and housing at the “Conservatory.” Shockingly enough, I got no reply.

 I just fell in love with you   This reminds me of the good old days of BRADRICK! Disaster Relief, when a FJer (was it @twin2?) regularly sent requests of help to Peter for various problems she had 

[Granwych]

15 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

OOOOOOKAYYYY. So what does a duck biologist know about ebola?

 

I doubt he knows much about ducks either.

[Columbia]

4 hours ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

On their "what we do" page:

If they are actually "doing" even one of those things I'd be shocked. This sounds like some sort of tax scam, honestly.

If these were the goals of an actual, well run, sustainable, well overseen organization I would love to work with them. Since it's the Botkins, and I doubt they know anything about international development, I can only be grateful that this project of theirs seems to have been completely forgotten.

Their focus on "early childhood health and education" reminded me of this gem, also from the Battle for Civilization website:

Quote

Great Question Number Two:

Can a primitive people broken by war and harassed by hunger embrace such advanced principles of family discipleship, community growth and free-market economics?

Answer:

Yes. We were humbled by the daring faith of men who said, in summary, “Brothers, what should we do? We are ready to do whatever we must do to make our nation Christian, beginning with our family life.” Local church pastors are determined to organize and motivate the men, and the local school superintendent is willing to turn the entire educational operation toward home education and family business in the pursuit of a vibrant local economy and the reuniting of families.

http://battleforcivilization.com/events/summary

Bolding mine.

It didn't take a lot of Googling to find out that only 27% of S. Sudan's population, 15 years old and older, is literate: 19% of women, and 35% of men. That statistic alone says everything you need to know about rates of secondary education and college completion. The majority of South Sudanese are in no position to home educate their children because they themselves can not even read. I have no idea what kind of hairbrained idea Geoff was contemplating when he suggested turning S. Sudan's education system into one of homeschooling; even the Botkins, who believe so strongly that if you can read you can teach yourself anything, must be able to put two and two together. Unless, of course, they didn't do any research into countrywide demographics before they left. That wouldn't surprise me at all.

It's like reading a modern day version of the Poisonwood Bible. The current unrest and violence in South Sudan are horrible, but at least they're also serving to keep the Botkins and their ilk out.

[Howl]

The issues about Sudan prompted me to recall an incident related to Brad Phillips (Tool's brother?) about stealing a documentary master related to the persecution of Christians in Sudan in the late 90s: Sudan, the Hidden Holocaust. 

Just wondering about early-ish Vision Forum focus on Sudan and what's become of Brad Phillips, but that might be enough for another topic entirely.

[Marian the Librarian]

I think the "Global Humanitarian Council" and "Battle for Civilization" sites are both several years old. And I agree that it's highly likely they both served as tax schemes of some kind. 

Note that Noah Botkin (youngest son) is the contact person on the former. I'm imagining the thinking behind this: "Let's see, Isaac is going to be Prime Minister of New Zealand...Benjamin has his music...Lucas makes holsters and shoot-em-up videos...Anna Sofia and Elizabeth do SoMuchMore...hey, kids, let's give Noah a project, too!"

The language in Geoff's bloviatory, walks-on-water bio on the GHC site astounds:

Quote

Geoffrey Botkin is the founder of The Global Humanitarian Council. He’s a 30-year veteran of direct-response initiatives to the poor and disadvantaged and has become an innovator for the creative deployment of philanthropic resources. His chief areas of study have been history and political economy, and he lectures regularly on innovative nation-building strategies and the foundations of civil society. A strong advocate of stable family life, he has devoted much of his life to the study of the nuclear family and its influence on cultures both primitive and advanced. He served in Washington for twelve years as high-level political consultant, and devotes much of his schedule today to the pressing issues of educational reform worldwide as an advisor to The Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences. He is currently developing strategies for the extended humanitarian work that will precede the port calls of the Maritime Medical Mission, and provide sensitive and effective follow-up to its influential visits to dozens of needy nations. He holds dual citizenship in the US and New Zealand, and is well-acquainted with the politics and unique challenges of the Pacific rim and ASEAN nations.

And let's not overlook Monsieur Le Tool's laudatory praise of Geoff on the Battle for Civ site!

Quote

 

“The need for this project could not be greater. Botkin combines watertight, visionary thinking with aesthetic power. ‘The Battle for Civilization’ will contain ideas and concepts that could change the present course of American history. Perhaps no man is more qualified to bring this panoramic worldview message of hope to the 21st century Church than Geoffrey Botkin.”

Douglas W. Phillips, Esq.

President, The Vision Forum

 

(Written, no doubt, while taking a break from his many European burlesque adventures.)

[snickerz]

Snickerz is not a duck biologist, and sadly does not hold a hoity-toity fake title for a fake humanitarian council. But Snickerz is a huge proponent of Kiva.org, giving microloans to impoverished people worldwide. Snickerz has given over 200 loans to people in various African countries to help them climb out of poverty. What have the Botkins ACTUALLY DONE to help ANYONE but themselves???????????????? Hmmm????????????? Oh, that's right, NOTHING.

[nickelodeon]

Holy white savior complexes and delusions of grandeur!

[lilah]

On 7/31/2018 at 10:01 PM, Marian the Librarian said:

Projectus interruptus, a hallmark of the Botkin brand.

Let's not forget Geoff's scheme to make Isaac the Prime Minister of New Zealand. While son #1 toils away in little brother Lucas' holster-making sweatshop, time's a wastin'!

3

They do a good job of making legimate looking websites for projects they abandon a few months later. 

 

Also it is a huge pet peeve of mine when people refer to Africans as one country or one monolithic culture. Africa is a continent. It has 55 countries, incredible cultural diversity. 

[MamaJunebug]

13 hours ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

The Botkins really love pompous names for their various failures: Global Humanitarian Council (sounds like a UN agency!), Battle for Civilization (actually sounds like a computer game), and my very favorite Western Conservatory of the Arts And Sciences (like a prestigious old university). And, after all their political aspirations and family filled with movie composers, they pretty much all work in the same sweatshop making holsters and obsessing about guns. 

And “Global Humanitarian Council” has such a Scientologistical sound to it, don’t it?! Right up/down there with the “Citizens Conmission For Human Rights” and other travesties of double-spoken illusions of respectability!.

[acheronbeach]

Marxist lord of bribery sounds like a post count.  I love it... it's that classic Botkin bloviation, and we haven't had much of that lately.  T-Rex arms just doesn't entertain the way the classic Botkin "try to take over the world" projects used to.  

Thanks for making my night @Columbia!

[Howl]

"Marxist lord of bribery"  What does that even mean?

[NachosFlandersStyle]

The more I think about this the more preposterous it sounds. Any one item on their to-do list would make a huge project for a large, professional nonprofit. Micro-lending? Infectious disease management? "The creation of new centers of agricultural sustainability"? Governments and universities and NGOs coordinate for years and spend millions in money and manpower to make these things happen. But sure, I guess a half dozen self-taught idiots sitting around in Tennessee can just casually cross those things off the list one after the other without even getting their hands dirty.

Like, if you want to make it look like you're actually running an operational charity, at least try to aim for realism! Don't tell the IRS/ your donors/ whoever might be reading this on your resume "oh yeah, we're building a colony on mars right now. Real high-tech stuff, I was just there last week. No, it's just me and my dad on staff."

[Petronella]

5 minutes ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

The more I think about this the more preposterous it sounds. Any one item on their to-do list would make a huge project for a large, professional nonprofit. Micro-lending? Infectious disease management? "The creation of new centers of agricultural sustainability"? Governments and universities and NGOs coordinate for years and spend millions in money and manpower to make these things happen. But sure, I guess a half dozen self-taught idiots sitting around in Tennessee can just casually cross those things off the list one after the other without even getting their hands dirty.

Yes! Oh my goodness, so true!

Have they accepted donations on the basis of these false assertions?

1 hour ago, Howl said:

"Marxist lord of bribery"  What does that even mean?

I assume it means that socialism is appealing because it promises to give handouts.

[Columbia]

4 hours ago, Howl said:

"Marxist lord of bribery"  What does that even mean?

I have no idea. Perhaps they're referring to a lot of the first leaders of African countries once they got their independence. Perhaps someone like Mugabe or Mobutu? Perhaps it's simply a reference to the fact that a lot of transactions in various countries may require a "tip" in order to keep people from asking too many questions. Perhaps Geoff just wanted another reason to throw the word "Marxist" around; it is his favorite boogeyman.

I tried to give a donation to the Battle for Civilization website, and it brought me to a defunct page on the Western Conservatory website. The GHC simply wants you to contact them.

Another gem from the Global Humanitarian Council:
 

Quote

The Global Humanitarian Council is researching the timely possibility of using leased American military hardware to take advanced medical care and disaster relief to the world’s infectious disease hotspots. The proposed plan includes extended efforts to promote hunger relief, improved nutrition, capacity building, regional and national agricultural sustainability, women’s economic empowerment...

First: The Botkins don't believe that one should pursue a certain vocation all their life. They make this plainly clear in the homeschooling webinar they did a few years back. You have to be flexible and able to take on lots of different jobs and positions. I suppose that's all good and well if you want to be a jack of all trades, but they're talking about "advanced medical care." There's only one way you get good at that: if you dedicate your entire life to it and don't switch careers every few years because you want to stay "flexible." Nothing in their whole silly education system would allow one of their sons to become an epidemiologist, an HIV specialist, an expert in drug resistant TB, or an experienced public health program planner. To say nothing of the daughters. Which leads me to my next point...

Second: Women's economic empowerment? Who are you fooling, Geoff? There's no Etsy in Sierra Leone, no MLMs or essential oil distributors. The elctricity's pretty spotty and the internet is slow: no way to peddle MP3s and documentaries. Outside of the typically acceptable SAHD/SAHM money making schemes what would this even look like in a developing country? Additionally, economic development programs often focus on women because when women can control the household finances more money goes to food, clothing, medicine, and school fees. Is that really what you want, Geoff? A bunch of women making the financial decisions about the family? Think of how that would threaten the God-ordained hierarchy of the family, Geoff! How horrifying!

[smittykins]

I was thinking “women’s economic empowerment = get ‘em married off.”