Obama Did What?

Why is it news that Big corporations have power, and have a strong level of control over government?
I would also like to know what Obama has done that is beyond what other politicians have not been able to accomplish..

Politics is a dirty business. I mean, seriously dirty. But it is just there are those few good ones, and those are ruined by the many who are dirty. It is hard to appreciate a field that I respect when everyday, there is something wrong with those who participate in that field.

Find the right catch phrase, and you are on the way to Capital Hill

Tonight I had an amusing conversation with my god-brother. For 15 years, he has so much insights. So if adult conversation fails, I am lucky to have a sharp minded that is willing to engage me-albeit reluctantly at times.
Like me, he seems to be tired of politics. And I can only hope for his sake that things will get better, because if I am tired of politics now, and he is also tired of them at his age..by the time he is 30, things might be ugly. (knock on wood) but lets hope there is no third world war.

Anyways, the conversation trailed to what it takes to be a politician. For Obama it was "we need change"- change we can believe in. That was it! Americans were sold. Then there is the word " maverick" for McCain, although he never really fully defined what it meant to be a maverick. It was even less of a pretty word when Sarah Palin was using it twenty times. Maybe just a bit annoying with the whole Change we can believe in. - Did anyone stop to think that maybe change is a slow process that would take more than one Obama to fix the mess of decades and decades of idle leadership?

What is the next phrase? Off shore drilling?
So if you have aspirations to be a politicians, its quiet easy. Learn the weaknesses of the people, and feed them empty promises, with one brilliant phrase- and you will have the world at your feet. (unless you are in Africa, in which case, you need to have a whole army protecting you if you were to live for more than two months)

Independece is such a pretty word

In a recent article by the NY Times, they featured Senegal's celebration of their independence 50 years later. The 50-year celebration is to be observed by all of France's former colonies. The bizarre news of all this is that well, the real celebrations are not taking place in Africa, but in France. "Leaders from Senegal, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mauritania, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Chad and Madagascar have all been invited to Paris to parade their troops along the Champs-Elysées on Bastille Day, the national holiday of their ex-colonial ruler." (Times)
Well, that is to say that still, it is not really about these African countries. France will be on the spotlight.

In the next four or so years, several other African countries will be following suit in celebrating a whole 50 years of independence. Countries like Senegal, in building a huge statue bronze, wish to bring about pan-Africanism or the wished African Renaissance. However, since Africa is free in word and not in deed, I wonder why they are spending good-earned money on frivolities that will end up in dust. The last fifty years have given little to celebrate about. Africa has been the epicenter of wars, famine, pestilences, and some very very bad leadership. The African is no better off than he was under the colonial rulers. The land is not his own, the food he produces is not enough to give him income, and the leaders he trusts to look out for his interests steal whatever little is left and puts it in an off-shore account. This is not to mention international players including governments that are in pretense of caring only to depress that African even more. And don't forget the corporations who use him as means of cheap labor. - yet, he is INDEPENDENT. ( There must be some other meaning of independence other than being able to navigate freely etc).

Indeed, other than being alive, and having been well endowed with complex nature and beauty, the African has little to celebrate as far as independence goes. -maybe being a live is enough reason to celebrate?- It it not a total catastrophe off course. There are things to be admired (otherwise, it would be rather depressing). There are cities that have been modernized and they seem to be working with some sort of efficiency. This is to say that it is not all gloom, but for the 90% that is rather dark, there needs to be solutions. Sadly, while it would be entertainingly pissy to blame all of Africa's problems on international players and the African leaders, the people are also to blame. It might be time to realize that Africa is not a monarchy, nor a family business. Africans have to take a stand, for the AU has miserably failed them. If the African man is to have something to celebrate about, it will be up to him make that happen.

Death of a State: Congo and its continued downward Spiral

From Freedom to History: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death

No title is more appropriate to describe the atrocities that took place in the Congo. The documentary is disturbing, and the facts shocking. It has been an accepted fact that King Leopold and the Belgians milked the Congo, and left a trail of dead bodies as the reward for all the hardships that the Congolese went through. What was not understood was the extent of the atrocities.

King Leopold convinced European powers that they had nothing to worry about when he acquired Congo. They believed Leopold’s statements of benevolence and to the end, he saw his actions as a way of bringing civilization to Africa. However, history tells of a different story. King Leopold, after fifty attempts finally got the Congo and it became his personal fief at the cost of the hands of the Africans. He used a garrison of soldiers some of them African, to enforce laws that would fill his treasury with money. The film clearly shows how the people of the Congo were King Leopold’s personal slaves. They were forced to work in harvesting rubber, and if they failed to meet the required minimum harvest, they were killed, their wives were raped, and their right hands cut off. These particular methods seemed to work as King Leopold became richer, as the natives died senseless, and were hacked into pieces. For these crimes, Leopold was never put to trial; the Congolese people never received retribution, as Belgium became richer as they became poorer.

Death to Democracy: The Assassination of Lumumba

Congo received Independence, and the world rejoice. The reign of Belgium was over, and the Congolese could look forward to a hopeful future. What they and their upcoming leader, Patrice Lumumba, did not realize was that Belgium and the rest of the super powers were not done with the country yet. Africans might have done the actual killing of Lumumba, but we know different. Lumumba had died the moment he refused to adhere to the ideals of the West. Lumumba’s crime was being too African and wanting change for his fellow citizens. His crime was not choosing to align with the US and Belgium, and to that he signed his death warrant.

Patrice Lumumba was assassinated, buried, exhumed, hacked into pieces, and then burned to un-recognition. What is disturbing is that those who did the killing, not only go on record, but they show no remorse for killing a leader that had been chosen by the people of the Congo. The Western powers chose a different leader who was much more eager to become their puppet, and after the “disappearance” of Lumumba, Mobutu became the new leader. As history shows, Mobutu stole from his people, repressed the Congolese economy and then eventually left the country to live in “exile” Could have things been better with Lumumba in power? We will never know, as that opportunity was taken away from us.

Forgive and FOrget? what happened to Truth and Justice?

I have to say I am FURIOUS! So today, let us get personal. I have chosen to be a Burundian first, before identifying myself as a Hutu-Something I am proud of. I love my country, I love the people, and I love that in our simplicity and our difficulties, we swim against the tide to find joy in the smallest of matters. However, until recent, I seem to have forgotten just how much it means to be a Hutu. I just finished reading two books by Burundians- both Tutsis.

And like the general narrative, they glorify Tutsis as the smart, more advanced victim to the more inferior Hutus_which by the way surprises me. How did the superior Tutsis become victims of the uneducated and more country bumpkins Hutus? That’s not my narrative- read the books and you will find that I am not off the mark here. You might have heard about them, and probably some of you have read them and celebrated the wonders of the stories told. But the more I read the books, I became furious! FURIOUS! Until then, I was okay with US-Supported murderers aka Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni. (I dare anyone to find the opposite)…then I can direct you to the History of RPF and then their direct involvement with US military...and their eventual plans and execution of assassination of presidents of Both Burundi and Rwanda. Am I wrong to be furious now…after so many years? Until now, I was not aware just exactly the extent of the falsified narrative that makes Hutus perpetrators and Tutsis the victims. Read the history, find the opposite. I sympathize with those who died at the hands of the Hutus ( I do not agree with them), but what about the Hutus who have been victims years before that, and continuously so?

How is it that we are allowing a murderer to be praised and admired for his "good work"? How do we allow a president who was part of the problem? Does that make sense to anyone else? Burundi and Rwanda are relatively small, and in the scheme of things, they command little respect, and have little to offer as far as resources go. What they do have is good coffee and good tea, and a good people who have suffered at the hands of manipulation by an elite.

Yes, that is the story of African political systems….but today; I am just angry, plain and simple. Angry that a man who killed more people than Idi Amin, is leading Rwanda. That a woman who lost her husband is being sought out as a murderer... all because her husband was president. More even so that the media see my ethnicity as a people of murderers. I am not saying we are innocent, but we have been victims and we continue to be victims all because there are some authors who have gotten hold of good press, and the US favors a murder. It’s not the first time, after all-Mugabe is still in power.

While I might be furious, angry, and all that pissy fit….I am not bitter. I walked past the bitterness, and now just dealing with the aftermath of that. Progress is sure in both Burundi and Rwanda-if the New York Times is reporting about Burundi’s nightlife rather than the dead bodies, the change in gvt, or refugees, then you can be sure that there is progress. There is hope from the ashes, but the hope should not be misplaced and interpreted as justice and truth. When media celebrates one ethnicity and praises murderers, then there is a problem. The Hutus in both Burundi and Rwanda deserve their day in court- not literally, but they do deserve a fair look at their victimization. Forgive, but do not forget where you came from, because it is the same mistakes of the past that will be repeated.

When are the Rights too much of a right?

I am all for rights. Free speech, freedom to associate, freedom freedom freedom! I like that. I like the ideal of it, but well, not the practice of it. I am sure that the tea party, the radicals, the liberals, all have their say in politics. However, there is such thing as “abusive of rights”. Personally I would draw the line at wishing the president’s death. Think I am pulling this off my air-brain, here is the site. Really? The excuse of those who join is that this is a joke, and that they have the freedom to say what they want. Is it just me, or is this not remotely funny!
I admit, this is coming from a selfish concern. I mean, I do care about what happens to Obama, but a much bigger issue, I simply do not want somewhere down the road someone to feel that it is right to wish my death just because of my opinions. No thank you….I do not fancy the idea of losing my life for my opinions. I like my life.
I have been raising this question since I started on this political field: Where has history shown that one man can change a nation? Forget all these “emperors” and Kings, and Hitler. They had a lot of help, to bring about the “good”(debatable) or “bad” change. Yes, Hitler might have been the man on the front, but behind him were Nazis...Queen Elizabeth might have been a virgin queen, but she had enough counselors and army to change history.
So what makes Obama different? First of all, he is a MAN, limited and not all powerful. Now if he could move mountains, split the seas into half, drain the oceans, command giants etc…there would be some hope. Unfortunately, this kind of power exist only in Greek Mythologies. Obama is not Zeus, nor is he Jason with the Argonauts, for Americans can never be as silent and obedient as the Argonauts.
Therefore, since Obama is not Zeus, nor Jesus, we can only hope that he does his best. There has never been one man who can change a nation in a year, not even four years for that matter. It has taken more than four years to bring about the mess, and it would take double the time to clean the mess out. Point of disclaimer: Obama never promised to clean up the mess in a year, nor four. He said it would take time and hard work. I gues people forget that part of the conversation.
There is a lesson to learn. We cannot assume that Obama is some kind of a god who would save the world from their problem. He might not be perfect... Infact, he is not perfect, but people joining groups wishing him to die is a bit extreme.- scratch that, it is ignorant, uncalled for and shows a level of close-mindedness that has caused a lot of problems in the world. They say that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it….seems like the statement is right. For we see history repeating itself and the only word I can think of is – SCARY!

The Politics of Food.....

Food Inc. has become the most popular film as far as food is concerned. There have been others, but I have not seen any documentary that has caused some upheaval. The film industry has always benefited from a dependency on the effectiveness of media. and I am seeing that happening as I listen to friends freak out about their food. There are undoubtedly other films that have been made telling the public that if you eat this and that, you will die. The good news, we are all destined to face that particular fate-death.
The way I view this whole situation, is the same way I view the big vs small government. The two are going to kick each other, until one of them wins. Everyone has an opinion. If there is anything controversial, there will be vast opinions.
Now if I wanted to have my voice heard, and get more people to buy my "organic" food, I would start by getting a socially conscious director. Aka Robert Kenner. I have nothing against the man, he makes good films, its just that, I doubt that the world needs another Michael Moore.

I have recently discovered my own amazement at people who are willing to change their lifestyles based on films and books. Before I get myself into too much hot water, let me state that I do admire these people...if for nothing else they put a lot of effort to make those changes. Additionally, I am a supporter of health, and anyone who seeks to be healthy is golden in my book. I think that total well being ie spiritually, mentally, physically, environmentally etc is important and for people to be truly happy, they have to achieve health in all those areas. Not everyone would agree with this, but to each his own.
My puzzlement has come from getting to a place where people have a choice of whether they can eat meat or not. Organic or not. I LOVE meat. Friends and family know of this fact, and maybe tease me a bit too much. But I have balanced that with a good dose of vegetables.
Anyways, what gets to me mostly is the the judgment that come along with the pursuit of vegetarianism. To be fair, these judgments are passed on without one being aware of it.
My first irk moment, is when I am being told the reasons why I should become a vegetarian. I am sure you've heard the classic one: Our bodies were not meant to consume meat. Now, I am a history junkie, so naturally, I want to know how it is that our bodies were not meant to consume meat...how come history shows man from the earliest times eating meat. I mean, these people were hunters and gatherers. and they ate ALOT of meat, and surprisingly they did not kee over and die. So forget all that old rubbish, people are sophisticated and need to improve themselves, and since they are better off...No Meat.
My other favorite argument, "We are the only animals that eat the product of the other animals".
First of all, it is offensive for those of us who enjoy chicken, cheese, milk, the goodness of desserts and the occasional steak. You might wander why it might be offensive....Well think about for a minute, think about it for a minute. You are indirectly telling those that are eating chemically induced muscled chicken that they are defiling their bodies. Second, that scientific notion that we are animals has ruined people really. Unless I am off this one, not very many people will enjoy being compared to a chimpanzee, or a squirrel. Thirdly, we (if we are animals) are not the only ones eating other animals or their by-product....Lions, tigers, bears oh my! I am sure if you walked over to any of these animals, they will gladly use you as an experiment to see if they liked eating other animals' by-products. But don't take my word for it.
It is good to aspire to be healthy, but we are looking for a BALANCE. Eliminating food groups from your diet, not so smart. Although again, that is purely a matter of opinion.
But lets go back to the original topic...FOOD INC.
I would like to have this film shown anywhere else but America. The difference between the West and the rest of the world is that the media has ALOT of influence on people's lifestyle. But again, I am skeptical of a lot of things. I keep imagining the faces of Europeans who are being told that they should give up their cheese because it is a by-product of another animal, or give up their steak and poulet. Oh and the Africans who can barely afford food, being told that they can't have the food they barely get because it is not organic. They would look at it exactly the same way I look at it...BONKERS!
Now referencing to a blog I wrote a while back on organic food trending, organic food is not a new thing. Africans have been doing it for a long time. But the politics and economic demands of the west dictated that subsidies become the norm of agricultural production. Therefore, this film is not a new revelation, but it reveals a deep seated struggle between government and small scale farmers.
To take such a film seriously and life changing, is like watching a Michael Moore film and taking it as the political gospel and basing one's lifestyle and beliefs on the writings of Ann Coulter or the ramblings of Rush Limbaugh. Being open minded is good, wanting to always improve one-self is an admirable goal. But changing a lifestyle all because food Inc. says so, or some "brilliant" writer says so is not rational nor smart. Like most of everything else in life- take it with a grain of salt.

Is Rush Limbaugh still in the Country?

I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica..
- Limbaugh

I have been waiting for it, and hoping for it. Well, the bill has passed, and I am wondering if Limbaugh has bought his ticket to leave the country. Costa Rica is waiting for him...although I don't know if he will be admitted in the country. Last time I heard, Costa Rica was not accepting political commentators who will spend their time there bashing their culture and government.
Maybe he should move to Somalia........

Health Care Bill...

Yes, I am a bit slow in the blogging process, but I figured that I needed to examine and read a bit of what I wanted to write about.
Tuesday, March 22nd 2010 is the day that Americans might not forget. Its more like we've been part of the history already.
The democrats, have gained status! They have now left the Jimmy Carter legacy behind...and they may be the FDR and JFK material.....
Did anyone care to look at the faces of the Democrat politicians when the Bill was being signed....priceless. Lets hope they can make advancements towards making this country as great as it claims to be.

Now to the most important part...>THE BILL
The most controversial issue is actually the cost. This bill is supposed to be costing about $940 billion over ten years. (I would say compared to how much deficit the US is already in, I say that much might be a piece of cake...well, that is if they stop spending money going to war.) A big plus to the 32 million who will be able to receive health care coverage.

According to CBO, a careful examination at the bill seems to advantageous for the American people as it would reduce the deficit by closely to $143 billion over these first ten years. and after that we are looking at a $1.2 trillion reduction.
As for the uninsured and self-employed, they would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges

As for who is paying....well, taxes off course. In particular, the medicare payroll tax, the excise tax, that should be enacted in 2018. Surprisingly, so will the tan tax. ( so thank you for all those who love to tan?)
As for the author's favorite- Insurance reform.

Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition. and in a couple of years (2014)...that will expand to the adults too. This is a celebration for the college kids, they can stay on their parents' insurance untill they are 26.
As for abortion, federal funds will not be paying for them unless it a case of rape, incest or it is to the best of the health of the mother.

Most importantly, unless one is poor, by 2014, everyone will have to purchase health insurance...otherwise, they will be fined something close to $625.

This does not seem like an evil plan, therefore, it is hard to imagine why the tea party or now as they are favorably called Tea baggers...protesting and causing mayhem..

BURUNDI GOES GREEN!

United States Breaks Ground on 100th Diplomatic Facility with the New Embassy Compound in Bujumbura, Burundi - US AFRICOM News

I might be the only one on this, but doesn't $137 million seem a bit much for a statement? This is what is it after all....a statement on conservation. This country, that is among the poorest of world. I mean, Somalia almost beats it in GDP....and Somalia, is a libertarian political mess.
81% live under the poverty line.....
and they are spending $137 million on a BUILDING....that would mean little to the people of Burundi.

To be fair...there is a silver-lining. This would indicate an improved relationship between Burundi and the US.

Is America turning to socialism? .....

This here was written by my uncle Steve..... might shed a bit of light

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility.

After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

I watched this while eating my breakfast inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and took my drugs which have been determined safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. I stopped by to deposit the mail I have to send out via the U.S. Postal Service.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums (yeah right) about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right.


By Steve Dean

I would not want his job....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/opinion/12brooks.html


This article reminded just how hard Washington politics are. I mean, here we are, pointing fingers on the president, and forgetting that he is just the face...the real culprits are on Capitol Hill.
Those are the ones people should be worrying about.
Those are the guys whose words no one should take at face value.

Ex Africa semper aliquid novi!

"SOMETHING NEW ALWAYS COMES OUT OF AFRICA!"
When these words were spoken, it was horror that came to the mind of the Europeans. It didn't help that those who came to plunder the continent opted to call the people savages, rather than a people who were intellectual, with advanced means of production. After all, if they were to say that Africans were not so primitive, it would make it harder to justify the plunder. yes, it can be supposed that its true. However, whenever people hear of Africa, there is no qualm about the pain, suffering, diseases and starving children. After all, National Geographic has been kind enough to show people the destitution of Africa.
No one can deny that this is indeed in existence.
However, people have not come to appreciate the complexity of Africa.
“The magic and romance of Africa still lives with us. From all walks of life, men and women of different nations have poured into Africa: to explore it, to conquer it, and to question it" (Rubadiri, 1964) Some succeeded in exploring and conquering Africa and if Kipling’s White Man’s Burden is any indication, the Europeans thought they were doing a great favor to the Africans by colonizing them. However, those who went there with questions have yet to get their answers. The African continent carries a mystery that is yet to be solved. For its vastness and beauty, Africa still houses the most under-served populations of the world. Africans certainly owe it to themselves to find a new path that will lead them to development. Whether this new path is termed as the African renaissance or a rebirth of African Socialism, Africans must seize the moment and turn inwards to rind within themselves the solutions to their problem (Martin, 1993)
Frantz Fanon was the one who said that "Each generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it” (Fanon, 1965, 206). It should be the mission of the present generation of Africans to revive Africa. They have been given a great start. All the authors of the different articles point to that specific truth. African centers will have to be built to focus on African studies. This will give rise to true scholarship of Africa’s history. The African Renaissance ultimately offers a new beginning for Africa. It is a way that Africans can revive their “values of creativity, generosity, communal spirit and hospitality” and to reinsert their pride and dignity. To achieve this, recapturing the African spirit is key. This spirit is on display in African culture, in the dances, in the magnificent architecture, and art. This spirit is ever present in the pyramids and sphinxes of Egypt, the stone buildings of Axum, the ruins of Carthage and Great Zimbabwe, the rock paintings of the San, the carvings of the Makonde and the stone sculptures of the Shona, just to name a few. It must be that when we hear the words Ex Africa semper aliquid novi!” (Something new always comes out of Africa), the world will think of glory and not horror.

I AM AN AFRICAN- Speech by Thabo Mbeki

I am an African.

I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.

My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope.

The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blooms of the citizens of the veld.

The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soil-coloured waters of the Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the theatre of our day.

At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito.

A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say - I am an African!

I owe my being to the Khoi and the San whose desolate souls haunt the great expanses of the beautiful Cape - they who fell victim to the most merciless genocide our native land has ever seen, they who were the first to lose their lives in the struggle to defend our freedom and dependence and they who, as a people, perished in the result.

Today, as a country, we keep an audible silence about these ancestors of the generations that live, fearful to admit the horror of a former deed, seeking to obliterate from our memories a cruel occurrence which, in its remembering, should teach us not and never to be inhuman again.

I am formed of the migrants who left Europe to find a new home on our native land. Whatever their own actions, they remain still, part of me.

In my veins courses the blood of the Malay slaves who came from the East. Their proud dignity informs my bearing, their culture a part of my essence. The stripes they bore on their bodies from the lash of the slave master are a reminder embossed on my consciousness of what should not be done.

I am the grandchild of the warrior men and women that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, the soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom.

My mind and my knowledge of myself is formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandhlwana to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and as the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert.

I am the grandchild who lays fresh flowers on the Boer graves at St Helena and the Bahamas, who sees in the mind's eye and suffers the suffering of a simple peasant folk, death, concentration camps, destroyed homesteads, a dream in ruins.

I am the child of Nongqause. I am he who made it possible to trade in the world markets in diamonds, in gold, in the same food for which my stomach yearns.

I come of those who were transported from India and China, whose being resided in the fact, solely, that they were able to provide physical labour, who taught me that we could both be at home and be foreign, who taught me that human existence itself demanded that freedom was a necessary condition for that human existence.

Being part of all these people, and in the knowledge that none dare contest that assertion, I shall claim that - I am an African.

I have seen our country torn asunder as these, all of whom are my people, engaged one another in a titanic battle, the one redress a wrong that had been caused by one to another and the other, to defend the indefensible.

I have seen what happens when one person has superiority of force over another, when the stronger appropriate to themselves the prerogative even to annul the injunction that God created all men and women in His image.

I know what if signifies when race and colour are used to determine who is human and who, sub-human.

I have seen the destruction of all sense of self-esteem, the consequent striving to be what one is not, simply to acquire some of the benefits which those who had improved themselves as masters had ensured that they enjoy.

I have experience of the situation in which race and colour is used to enrich some and impoverish the rest.

I have seen the corruption of minds and souls in the pursuit of an ignoble effort to perpetrate a veritable crime against humanity.

I have seen concrete expression of the denial of the dignity of a human being emanating from the conscious, systemic and systematic oppressive and repressive activities of other human beings.

There the victims parade with no mask to hide the brutish reality - the beggars, the prostitutes, the street children, those who seek solace in substance abuse, those who have to steal to assuage hunger, those who have to lose their sanity because to be sane is to invite pain.

Perhaps the worst among these, who are my people, are those who have learnt to kill for a wage. To these the extent of death is directly proportional to their personal welfare.

And so, like pawns in the service of demented souls, they kill in furtherance of the political violence in KwaZulu-Natal. They murder the innocent in the taxi wars.

They kill slowly or quickly in order to make profits from the illegal trade in narcotics. They are available for hire when husband wants to murder wife and wife, husband.

Among us prowl the products of our immoral and amoral past - killers who have no sense of the worth of human life, rapists who have absolute disdain for the women of our country, animals who would seek to benefit from the vulnerability of the children, the disabled and the old, the rapacious who brook no obstacle in their quest for self-enrichment.

All this I know and know to be true because I am an African!

Because of that, I am also able to state this fundamental truth that I am born of a people who are heroes and heroines.

I am born of a people who would not tolerate oppression.

I am of a nation that would not allow that fear of death, torture, imprisonment, exile or persecution should result in the perpetuation of injustice.

The great masses who are our mother and father will not permit that the behaviour of the few results in the description of our country and people as barbaric.

Patient because history is on their side, these masses do not despair because today the weather is bad. Nor do they turn triumphalist when, tomorrow, the sun shines.

Whatever the circumstances they have lived through and because of that experience, they are determined to define for themselves who they are and who they should be.

We are assembled here today to mark their victory in acquiring and exercising their right to formulate their own definition of what it means to be African.

The constitution whose adoption we celebrate constitutes and unequivocal statement that we refuse to accept that our Africanness shall be defined by our race, colour, gender of historical origins.

It is a firm assertion made by ourselves that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

It gives concrete expression to the sentiment we share as Africans, and will defend to the death, that the people shall govern.

It recognises the fact that the dignity of the individual is both an objective which society must pursue, and is a goal which cannot be separated from the material well-being of that individual.

It seeks to create the situation in which all our people shall be free from fear, including the fear of the oppression of one national group by another, the fear of the disempowerment of one social echelon by another, the fear of the use of state power to deny anybody their fundamental human rights and the fear of tyranny.

It aims to open the doors so that those who were disadvantaged can assume their place in society as equals with their fellow human beings without regard to colour, race, gender, age or geographic dispersal.

It provides the opportunity to enable each one and all to state their views, promote them, strive for their implementation in the process of governance without fear that a contrary view will be met with repression.

It creates a law-governed society which shall be inimical to arbitrary rule.

It enables the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means rather than resort to force.

It rejoices in the diversity of our people and creates the space for all of us voluntarily to define ourselves as one people.

As an African, this is an achievement of which I am proud, proud without reservation and proud without any feeling of conceit.

Our sense of elevation at this moment also derives from the fact that this magnificent product is the unique creation of African hands and African minds.

Bit it is also constitutes a tribute to our loss of vanity that we could, despite the temptation to treat ourselves as an exceptional fragment of humanity, draw on the accumulated experience and wisdom of all humankind, to define for ourselves what we want to be.

Together with the best in the world, we too are prone to pettiness, petulance, selfishness and short-sightedness.

But it seems to have happened that we looked at ourselves and said the time had come that we make a super-human effort to be other than human, to respond to the call to create for ourselves a glorious future, to remind ourselves of the Latin saying: Gloria est consequenda - Glory must be sought after!

Today it feels good to be an African.

It feels good that I can stand here as a South African and as a foot soldier of a titanic African army, the African National Congress, to say to all the parties represented here, to the millions who made an input into the processes we are concluding, to our outstanding compatriots who have presided over the birth of our founding document, to the negotiators who pitted their wits one against the other, to the unseen stars who shone unseen as the management and administration of the Constitutional Assembly, the advisers, experts and publicists, to the mass communication media, to our friends across the globe - congratulations and well done!

I am an African.

I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa.

The pain of the violent conflict that the peoples of Liberia, Somalia, the Sudan, Burundi and Algeria is a pain I also bear.

The dismal shame of poverty, suffering and human degradation of my continent is a blight that we share.

The blight on our happiness that derives from this and from our drift to the periphery of the ordering of human affairs leaves us in a persistent shadow of despair.

This is a savage road to which nobody should be condemned.

This thing that we have done today, in this small corner of a great continent that has contributed so decisively to the evolution of humanity says that Africa reaffirms that she is continuing her rise from the ashes.

Whatever the setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now!

Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace!

However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!

Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say - nothing can stop us now!

What about the other four fingers?

Once upon a time, there was a man who was walking around his land. Proud, and accomplished. Rich beyond measure, and while he did not realize fully his potential, he walked around content. A little bit later, he is joined by visitor from another land who walked with him taking in the riches of the land. Before he knew it, the man was pushed into a hole by the visitor. He yelled for help, for the visitor to help him...but to no vail. The visitor looked down at the man's struggle, and then looked around the man's land and started stealing from the Land. He even invited some of his friends to come and take what they can. The man in the hole already, fought to be released. He tried very hard, he shouted, and yelled. The visitors did enough to keep him alive. Gave him food, even introduced him to some new items. However, instead of the man trying to get out of the hole, he kept asking for help from the visitors, and having been pacified with shiny objects, he stayed in the hole, uncomfortable, but lacking a fight.

Okay so that is a novelty of fiction...but that is my view of African history. Harsh as it might be, I think that Africa has pointed fingers long enough.
The past is never to be forgotten, but it seems that African leaders and Africans have learned to use it as a clutch. There is one or two fingers pointing to Europe, and America....whichever direction, there is at least 3 fingers, sometimes four pointing back to Africa.
Why is it that Africans are expecting the world to save them, when they are not fighting to save themselves.
Being a young African, I have and will always say that the future of Africa is in the hands of Africans. It was Frantz Fanon who said that each generation has to discover it's mission, then fulfill or botch it.
This generation of Africans, well, it is time for them to rise. And short of revolutionary call....the young generation of Africans will have to start not taking No for answer, and push themselves into progress.
The first step, will be a mind of understanding and taking responsibility for ourselves. Pointing fingers does nothing but make you a victim.

I promise...there is a point

When Africans grew their own "organic foods" they were called primitive, but now, organic food is the "In" thing. When Africans walked nude, it was barbaric, and backwards; now, when others do it, by golly, it is called ART....oh not forgetting that it is "trendy"...oh, and when outsiders run planes into buildings it i...s "terrorism" but when an American does it, it is "emotional/crazy"

let me reiterate on those points.
Organic foods has become trendy now. Well so is living in nature and "being one" with nature. For those who pursue these endeavors, they are called the "trust fund" babies, mainly because California has become the land of those who want to become one with their natural habitats...(lets not mention that California fires are burning down)....so you have to wonder where they are going to commune with nature if it is a desert.
Then lets go back to where all this came from. Africa. African spiritualism called for the communing with ancestors, who were in essence, everywhere. This was the way of life. the Africans would seat under a baobab tree, because it was rather spiritual and respectful. The relationship between nature and man was that of give and take...which is how it should be.
However, the arrival of Europeans more or less shamed the people into stopping these practices, because they were "primitive". So should we be laughing now that these same practices that were shunned, are what are becoming trendy?
Organic food follows the same suit. ave you studied the history of pre-colonia and post-colonial africa?The gist of it is that after independance, africans were asked to "catch" up with the rest of the world. And to do so, the traditional means of agriculture were discouraged, and instead of using manure, farmers were more or else forced to used fertilizer because it encouraged the production of more food. now....we are back where we started. I wonder......should Africans be laughing now?

And one of my favorite if not funny subjects...social nudity. You go to California, or even in New york, and you find nudes on stage...and its ART. You go topless at a beach, and its sexy...you walk with two strings barely holding your unmentionables....and it is acceptable.
But when the Turkana in Kenya go bare...its primitive and to those who watch national Geographic...very interesting. My point is, art should be art. if Nude is art, it should not matter who is nude...as long as you are willing to accept the artistic measure of that.

That was a bit of international society ranting

We ARE the WORLD

IF palin Becomes President....

The Tea party.....

No one should have anything against a woman becoming president. Hilary Clinton would make a good picture in office...if she did not have a president who was formerly presidential. I can think of others who would make good women presidents. Condoleezza Rice, Madeleine Albright would be on the top of my lists. Off course there are others, but lets just say that Palin is not on that list. I imagine it would be a boost to the feminist movement if there was a woman in the Oval.
I do not hate Palin, infact, for her stands for her daughter, i respect her. However, She is not qualified, she is scary in her political views....and for goodness sake, she uses her hand as her speech reminder. The last one might be a bit rough, but a politician who needs to write things on her hand does not qualify. If she can't remember what she is fighting for, or whom she is fighting for, then its time to go.
The tea party is almost like her baby project. I admire the need of a third party in the political domination of Republicans and Democrats, however, the strong feelings of that this "tea Party" is a product of resentment for both parties might be supported by her biography that recently came out.

So I ask...what would happen if Palin became president?

Political Theater

Only in America......
I don't know if anyone was paying attention to the political dram between Republicans and Obama.
Honestly, the man has more guts. To go disturbing Republicans on their retreat-Gutsy.
Okay so it has taken me a while to blog about this, but given that I wanted to check the videos out myself, I wanted to hear the answers myself.

So yes, January 29, Obama went and as a matter of speaking "ruined" the Republican's vacation. In the process the "question and answer time" turned out to be a matter of Obama taking the Republicans to school. In a very impartial stand, it has to be said that Obama did his homework, and maybe explained the past legislatures better than those who signed the laws into being.
The good news is that no one stood up and yelled "You Lie"...at least not in those particular words.
Favorite words from the president:
“What happens is that you guys don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me,” Obama said. “The fact of the matter is, many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable with your own base, with your own party, because what you’ve been telling your constituents is, ‘This guy’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.’

No words were truer spoken!....

at the end...nada. Well, once again, the Republicans had managed to come out lacking in their political attempt to engage. Even after they had been satisfactorily answered....the republicans left the room with no change of heart.

It might be a bit presumptuous to say, but it is safe to assume that Americans are tired of the bickering. It is like having an old married couple bickering over their property that does not belong to them. it could be that Americans are hoping and some praying for true bipartisanship....

The State of the UNION

"The Union is strong...."
...Actually I wonder if there is any one president in American history that has not uttered those words in his state of the union.
Well, at least Obama had the good mind to preface it with , "Despite our hardships, our Union is strong"....Okay so we know this is not actually correct especially with the recent economic down pour. But to his credit, Obama had no choice but to make sure the Americans stayed calm. I mean, what was he supposed to say,..."I am sorry, but we are in big trouble! there is no unity, there is more debt to come...." Aka....GET A GRIP, OUR UNION IS NO STRONG, IT IS PARALYZED!
I imagine that would have not gone well with the citizens. and there would have been chaos. The kind of chaos that turn great nations into pulp.

The state of the union did not lack some drama, as Obama made both Republicans and Democrats uncomfortable. I was waiting and if wishing for another "You Lie" comment. Sadly, and gladly so, Alito had more sense than Wilson. Although, there were moment of Alito shaking his head and maybe muttering "not true". Oh well, all in a day's work.
He went into a Washington Reform speech where he kept circling around back to the senate. Basically calling Republican obstructionists and Democrats to stop being sissies or rather sophistically, to stop being Harvard elites with polo sweaters draped on their shoulders. I have to say I enjoyed watching both sides of the house squirming, and when they cheered they clapped together. Although Democrats had an advantage to the Republicans.
You know what was embarrassing? watching the Elites of this country looking bored out of their minds, and some either coming to the point of dozing off or yawning...ON CAMERA! yes, the great American House of Reps and Senate. Given that Reid is old, he couldn't help it but sleep. Maybe they need some fresh blood in the Senate after all.
Oh...and my favorite...McCain! He was caught sneering, and downright angry. I can't blame him. After all, his party was being blamed for the current over-extension of American troops and the money spent on wars that there was no business being involved. But maybe he is still wondering, why after a year, Obama is still blaming the Bush Admin. But then I wonder if people should not be aware that the problems that exist in America were not Obama's idea. He inherited a lot of crap, and it is going to take a lot more than just him to clean it up.
Here is the problem no one, even the democrats take Obama seriously. The Democrats do not respect him, and the republicans see no reason to cooperate with him. There are no ramifications pertaining to them when they say no and act like political jerks. Basically, Obama might very well be on his own. If for anything else, he might be able to shake things up a bit to a point of action...at least if the Alito situation might be any indication.

A point of interest: Fashion.
Did anyone notice how colorful the room was? I seriously thought people were going to church. Oh, and without calling the obvious out....did anyone notice who was wearing the colored suits. Well, I gues the highlight for me was Obama talking about his wife...briefly as it might have been, it was sweet....and I probably should end it here before I turn into a sentimental fool.