BLAMING AMERICA AND AMERICA’S SACRIFICE TO SPREAD FREEDOM AND RELIEF TO VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION AND MISERY IN THE WORLD
I wonder why Americans allow the mainstream media (and I mean NY Times , Washington Post, L/A Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN) to control what American public should hear and think when these media sources have always proved to blame America in spite of all the sacrifices this country offers to bring peace and prosperity to the rest of the world. Facts always abound as to how the enemies of freedom have and still continue to benefit from America benevolence but still propagate the blaming of America on everything that goes wrong in the world. The case in point is that, the terrorists and Rogue Regimes are still making efforts to acquire more lethal weapons to pursue their goals of killing more innocent civilians and blame their deaths on America. The chaotic events of the past and present in many parts of the world have been confronted by every U.S. Governments (Republican or Democrat) to minimize this danger in the world.
Please read my attached article on “The impotency of the United Nations to Control WMD Proliferation Saddam’s Nuclear Program” which I wrote way back in 2002 and make your own informed judgment. The present serious danger facing the world is how the Democrats are beginning to side with the forces of “blame America first” attitude. I am a product of American Peace Corp Volunteers in Ghana in the mid and late 60’s. These young American men and women had left the comforts of their lifestyles in the United States to live in a different cultural and climatic environment to teach us in High Schools in Ghana. Their sacrifice enabled many Ghanaian students including myself to proceed to Universities in Ghana and in my case was fortunate to pursue my graduate studies here in the United States.
Ironically, it is so hard for Americans to understand the political divide in the news and world events. This divide is between America’s good intentions but cannot be perfect versus America being painted by her enemies as the source of evil and chaos in many parts of the world. As we read about the polls of anti-Americanism throughout the world, the bombing of American Embassies, the burning of American and Israeli flags in many Islamic capitals, we are never shown the daily lines at American Embassies in many of these countries queuing for Visa applications to come to United States. Such balancing of news would expose the hypocrisy of anti-Americanism in the world. Americans at times take their democratic freedom for granted to criticize themselves and their Governments without considering the implications of given moral support to the enemies who feel justified to hate America. The critics of America refuse to acknowledge the line between perfection and imperfection of pursuing good in the chaotic world of hate and ingratitude towards American people and their Government.
How much more should Americans sacrifice to the rest of the world except fold her arms and say enough is enough and let the rest of the world fend for themselves? Is this possible and if not when will the mainstream media hold the terrorists, the dictators and oppressive Governments of other countries accountable for the violence, misery, and Human Rights abuses. The same terrorist groups and Governments kill their innocent civilians, deny the basic freedoms and prosperity to their own citizens are the very ones who blame their plight on America. It is therefore unconscienable for American citizens, the Human Rights groups, Anti-War activists, the academia and the Mainstream media not being able to see the implications of blaming America to embold the actual perpetrators of violence and Human Rights abuses.
Felix A. Diawuoh
08/31/08
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Desiderata By MaxEhrmann
Go placid amid the noise and haste.
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others; even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their stories.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself to others,
you may become vain and bitter;
For always there will be greater and
lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievement as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is.
Many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the council of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune;
but do not distress yourself with these imaginings;
many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars,
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfortunately as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
Whatever you perceive him to be,
And whatever your aspirations in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace with your soul.
With all of its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Strife to be happy.
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others; even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their stories.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself to others,
you may become vain and bitter;
For always there will be greater and
lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievement as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is.
Many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the council of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune;
but do not distress yourself with these imaginings;
many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars,
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfortunately as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
Whatever you perceive him to be,
And whatever your aspirations in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace with your soul.
With all of its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Strife to be happy.
President George W, Bush First Anniverary Of Iraqi War Speech
Bush Marks Anniversary of Iraq War:Times Headlines-Bush Urges Unity on Terror:The Tyrant Is Gone but the Trauma Remains
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3 Moroccans Charged in Madrid Blasts; Police Find Ties to Al Qaeda
Criminal Case Against Aristide Planned in Haiti
more >
Following are President Bush's remarks today, as provided by the White House, regarding the war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism.
Good morning and thanks for coming. Laura and I are pleased to welcome you all to the White House. Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here. Members of my National Security Council are here, members of the administration, members of our armed forces, members of the United States Congress. Thank you for being here. Ladies and gentlemen. I particularly want to thank the members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here; thank the ambassadors for coming today.
We are representing 84 countries united against a common danger, and joined in a common purpose. We are the nations that have recognized the threat of terrorism, and we are the nations that will defeat that threat. Each of us has pledged before the world: We will never bow to the violence of a few. We will face this mortal danger, and we will overcome it together.
As we meet, violence and death at the hands of terrorists are still fresh in our memory. The people of Spain are burying their innocent dead. These men and women and children began their day in a great and peaceful city, yet lost their lives on a battlefield, murdered at random and without remorse. Americans saw the chaos and the grief, and the vigils and the funerals, and we have shared in the sorrow of the Spanish people. Ambassador Ruperez, please accept our deepest sympathy for the great loss that your country has suffered.
The murders in Madrid are a reminder that the civilized world is at war. And in this new kind of war, civilians find themselves suddenly on the front lines. In recent years, terrorists have struck from Spain, to Russia, to Israel, to East Africa, to Morocco, to the Philippines, and to America. They've targeted Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Yemen. They have attacked Muslims in Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. No nation or region is exempt from the terrorists' campaign of violence.
Each of these attacks on the innocent is a shock, and a tragedy, and a test of our will. Each attack is designed to demoralize our people and divide us from one another. And each attack must be answered, not only with sorrow, but with greater determination, deeper resolve, and bolder action against the killers. It is the interest of every country, and the duty of every government, to fight and destroy this threat to our people.
There is no dividing line -- there is a dividing line in our world, not between nations, and not between religions or cultures, but a dividing line separating two visions of justice and the value of life. On a tape claiming responsibility for the atrocities in Madrid, a man is heard to say, "We choose death, while you choose life." We don't know if this is the voice of the actual killers, but we do know it expresses the creed of the enemy. It is a mind set that rejoices in suicide, incites murder, and celebrates every death we mourn. And we who stand on the other side of the line must be equally clear and certain of our convictions. We do love live, the life given to us and to all. We believe in the values that uphold the dignity of life, tolerance, and freedom, and the right of conscience. And we know that this way of life is worth defending. There is no neutral ground -- no neutral ground -- in the fight between civilization and terror, because there is no neutral ground between good and evil, freedom and slavery, and life and death.
The war on terror is not a figure of speech. It is an inescapable calling of our generation. The terrorists are offended not merely by our policies -- they are offended by our existence as free nations. No concession will appease their hatred. No accommodation will satisfy their endless demands. Their ultimate ambitions are to control the peoples of the Middle East, and to blackmail the rest of the world with weapons of mass terror. There can be no separate peace with the terrorist enemy. Any sign of weakness or retreat simply validates terrorist violence, and invites more violence for all nations. The only certain way to protect our people is by early, united, and decisive action.
In this contest of will and purpose, not every nation joins every mission, or participates in the same way. Yet, every nation makes a vital contribution, and America is proud to stand with all of you as we pursue a broad strategy in the war against terror.
We are using every tool of finance, intelligence, law enforcement and military power to break terror networks, to deny them refuge, and to find their leaders. Over the past 30 months, we have frozen or seized nearly $200 million in assets of terror networks. We have captured or killed some two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders, as well as many of al Qaeda's associates countries like the United States, or Germany, or Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, or Thailand. We are taking the fight to al Qaeda allies, such as Ansar-al-Islam in Iraq, Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia, and Southeast Asia. Our coalition is sending an unmistakable message to the terrorists, including those who struck in Madrid: These killers will be tracked down and found, they will face their day of justice.
Our coalition is taking urgent action to stop the transfer of deadly weapon and materials. America and the nations of Australia, and France, and Germany, and Italy, and Japan, and the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and Norway have joined in the Proliferation Security Initiative all aimed to bind together, to interdict lethal materials transported by air or sea or land. Many governments have cooperated to expose and dismantle the network of A.Q. Khan, which sold nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. By all these efforts, we are determined to prevent catastrophic technologies from falling into the hands of an embittered few.
Our coalition is also confronting the dangerous combination of outlaw states, terrorist groups, and weapons of mass destruction. For years, the Taliban made Afghanistan the home base of al Qaeda. And so we gave the Taliban a choice: to abandon forever their support for terror, or face the destruction of their regime. Because the Taliban chose defiance, our coalition acted to remove this threat. And now the terror camps are closed, and the government of a free Afghanistan is represented here today as an active partner in the war on terror.
The people of Afghanistan are a world away from the nightmare of the Taliban. Citizens of Afghanistan have adopted a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women. The new Afghan army is becoming a vital force of stability in that country. Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the children of Afghanistan are back in school, boys and girls.
This progress is a tribute to the brave Afghan people, and to the efforts of many nations. NATO -- including forces from Canada, France, Germany, and other nations -- is leading the effort to provide security. Japan and Saudi Arabia have helped to complete the highway from Kabul to Kandahar, which is furthering commerce and unifying the country. Italy is working with Afghans to reform their legal system, and strengthening an independent judiciary. Three years ago, the people of Afghanistan were oppressed and isolated from the world by a terrorist regime. Today, that nation has a democratic government and many allies -- and all of us are proud to be friends of the Afghan people.
Many countries represented here today also acted to liberate the people of Iraq. One year ago, military forces of a strong coalition entered Iraq to enforce United Nations demands, to defend our security, and to liberate that country from the rule of a tyrant. For Iraq, it was a day of deliverance. For the nations of our coalition, it was the moment when years of demands and pledges turned to decisive action. Today, as Iraqis join the free peoples of the world, we mark a turning point for the Middle East, and a crucial advance for human liberty.
There have been disagreements in this matter, among old and valued friends. Those differences belong to the past. All of us can now agree that the fall of the Iraqi dictator has removed a source of violence, aggression, and instability in the Middle East. It's a good thing that the demands of the United Nations were enforced, not ignored with impunity. It is a good thing that years of illicit weapons development by the dictator have come to the end. It is a good thing that the Iraqi people are now receiving aid, instead of suffering under sanctions. And it is a good thing that the men and women across the Middle East, looking to Iraq, are getting a glimpse of what life in a free country can be like.
There are still violent thugs and murderers in Iraq, and we're dealing with them. But no one can argue that the Iraqi people would be better off with the thugs and murderers back in the palaces. Who would prefer that Saddam's torture chambers still be open? Who would wish that more mass graves were still being filled? Who would begrudge the Iraqi people their long-awaited liberation? On year after the armies of liberation arrived, every soldier who has fought, every aid worker who has served, every Iraqi who has joined in their country's defense can look with pride on a brave and historic achievement. They've served freedom's cause, and that is a privilege.
Today in Iraq, a British-led division is securing the southern city of Basra. Poland continues to lead a multinational division in south-central Iraq. Japan and the Republic of Korea -- of South Korea have made historic commitments of troops to help bring peace to Iraq. Special forces from El Salvador, Macedonia, and other nations are helping to find and defeat Baathist and terrorist killers. Military engineers from Kazakhstan have cleared more than a half a million explosive devices from Iraq. Turkey is helping to resupply coalition forces. All of these nations, and many others, are meeting their responsibilities to the people of Iraq.
Whatever their past views, every nation now has an interest in a free, successful, stable Iraq. And the terrorists understand their own interest in the fate of that country. For them, the connection between Iraq's future and the course of the war on terror is very clear. They understand that a free Iraq will be a devastating setback to their ambitions of tyranny over the Middle East. And they have made the failure of democracy in Iraq one of their primary objectives.
By attacking coalition forces -- by targeting innocent Iraqis and foreign civilians for murder -- the terrorists are trying to weaken our will. Instead of weakness, they're finding resolve. Not long ago, we intercepted a planning document being sent to leaders of al Qaeda by one of their associates, a man named Zarqawi. Along with the usual threats, he had a complaint: "Our enemy," said Zarqawi, "is growing stronger and his intelligence data are increasing day by day -- this is suffocation." Zarqawi is getting the idea. We will never turn over Iraq to terrorists who intend our own destruction. We will not fail the Iraqi people, who have placed their trust in us. Whatever it takes, we will fight and work to assure the success of freedom in Iraq.
Many coalition countries have sacrificed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the fallen soldiers and civilians are sons and daughters of Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We honor their courage, we pray for the comfort of their families. We will uphold the cause they served.
The rise of democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great step toward a goal of lasting importance to the world. We have set out to encourage reform and democracy in the greater Middle East as the alternatives to fanaticism, resentment, and terror. We've set out to break the cycle of bitterness and radicalism that has brought stagnation to a vital region, and destruction to cities in America and Europe and around the world. This task is historic, and difficult; this task is necessary and worthy of our efforts.
In the 1970s, the advance of democracy in Lisbon and Madrid inspired democratic change in Latin America. In the 1980s, the example of Poland ignited a fire of freedom in all of Eastern Europe. With Afghanistan and Iraq showing the way, we are confident that freedom will lift the sights and hopes of millions in the greater Middle East.
One man who believed in our cause was a Japanese diplomat named Katsuhiko Oku. He worked for the Coalition Provision Authority in Iraq. Mr. Oku was killed when his car was ambushed. In his diary he described his pride in the cause he had joined. "The free people of Iraq," he wrote, "are now making steady progress in reconstructing their country -- while also fighting against the threat of terrorism. We must join hands with the Iraqi people in their effort to prevent Iraq from falling into the hands of terrorists." This good, decent man concluded, "This is also our fight to defend freedom."
Ladies and gentlemen, this good man from Japan was right. The establishment of a free Iraq is our fight. The success of a free Afghanistan is our fight. The war on terror is our fight. All of us are called to share the blessings of liberty, and to be strong and steady in freedom's defense. It will surely be said of our times that we lived with great challenges. Let it also be said of our times that we understood our great duties, and met them in full.
May God bless our efforts.
March 21,2004
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
Article licensing and reprint optionsCopyright 2004 Los Angeles Times
By visiting this site, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy
Terms of Service.
Taiwan Election Proceeds Despite Assassination Try
3 Moroccans Charged in Madrid Blasts; Police Find Ties to Al Qaeda
Criminal Case Against Aristide Planned in Haiti
more >
Following are President Bush's remarks today, as provided by the White House, regarding the war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism.
Good morning and thanks for coming. Laura and I are pleased to welcome you all to the White House. Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here. Members of my National Security Council are here, members of the administration, members of our armed forces, members of the United States Congress. Thank you for being here. Ladies and gentlemen. I particularly want to thank the members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here; thank the ambassadors for coming today.
We are representing 84 countries united against a common danger, and joined in a common purpose. We are the nations that have recognized the threat of terrorism, and we are the nations that will defeat that threat. Each of us has pledged before the world: We will never bow to the violence of a few. We will face this mortal danger, and we will overcome it together.
As we meet, violence and death at the hands of terrorists are still fresh in our memory. The people of Spain are burying their innocent dead. These men and women and children began their day in a great and peaceful city, yet lost their lives on a battlefield, murdered at random and without remorse. Americans saw the chaos and the grief, and the vigils and the funerals, and we have shared in the sorrow of the Spanish people. Ambassador Ruperez, please accept our deepest sympathy for the great loss that your country has suffered.
The murders in Madrid are a reminder that the civilized world is at war. And in this new kind of war, civilians find themselves suddenly on the front lines. In recent years, terrorists have struck from Spain, to Russia, to Israel, to East Africa, to Morocco, to the Philippines, and to America. They've targeted Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Yemen. They have attacked Muslims in Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. No nation or region is exempt from the terrorists' campaign of violence.
Each of these attacks on the innocent is a shock, and a tragedy, and a test of our will. Each attack is designed to demoralize our people and divide us from one another. And each attack must be answered, not only with sorrow, but with greater determination, deeper resolve, and bolder action against the killers. It is the interest of every country, and the duty of every government, to fight and destroy this threat to our people.
There is no dividing line -- there is a dividing line in our world, not between nations, and not between religions or cultures, but a dividing line separating two visions of justice and the value of life. On a tape claiming responsibility for the atrocities in Madrid, a man is heard to say, "We choose death, while you choose life." We don't know if this is the voice of the actual killers, but we do know it expresses the creed of the enemy. It is a mind set that rejoices in suicide, incites murder, and celebrates every death we mourn. And we who stand on the other side of the line must be equally clear and certain of our convictions. We do love live, the life given to us and to all. We believe in the values that uphold the dignity of life, tolerance, and freedom, and the right of conscience. And we know that this way of life is worth defending. There is no neutral ground -- no neutral ground -- in the fight between civilization and terror, because there is no neutral ground between good and evil, freedom and slavery, and life and death.
The war on terror is not a figure of speech. It is an inescapable calling of our generation. The terrorists are offended not merely by our policies -- they are offended by our existence as free nations. No concession will appease their hatred. No accommodation will satisfy their endless demands. Their ultimate ambitions are to control the peoples of the Middle East, and to blackmail the rest of the world with weapons of mass terror. There can be no separate peace with the terrorist enemy. Any sign of weakness or retreat simply validates terrorist violence, and invites more violence for all nations. The only certain way to protect our people is by early, united, and decisive action.
In this contest of will and purpose, not every nation joins every mission, or participates in the same way. Yet, every nation makes a vital contribution, and America is proud to stand with all of you as we pursue a broad strategy in the war against terror.
We are using every tool of finance, intelligence, law enforcement and military power to break terror networks, to deny them refuge, and to find their leaders. Over the past 30 months, we have frozen or seized nearly $200 million in assets of terror networks. We have captured or killed some two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders, as well as many of al Qaeda's associates countries like the United States, or Germany, or Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia, or Thailand. We are taking the fight to al Qaeda allies, such as Ansar-al-Islam in Iraq, Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia, and Southeast Asia. Our coalition is sending an unmistakable message to the terrorists, including those who struck in Madrid: These killers will be tracked down and found, they will face their day of justice.
Our coalition is taking urgent action to stop the transfer of deadly weapon and materials. America and the nations of Australia, and France, and Germany, and Italy, and Japan, and the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and Norway have joined in the Proliferation Security Initiative all aimed to bind together, to interdict lethal materials transported by air or sea or land. Many governments have cooperated to expose and dismantle the network of A.Q. Khan, which sold nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. By all these efforts, we are determined to prevent catastrophic technologies from falling into the hands of an embittered few.
Our coalition is also confronting the dangerous combination of outlaw states, terrorist groups, and weapons of mass destruction. For years, the Taliban made Afghanistan the home base of al Qaeda. And so we gave the Taliban a choice: to abandon forever their support for terror, or face the destruction of their regime. Because the Taliban chose defiance, our coalition acted to remove this threat. And now the terror camps are closed, and the government of a free Afghanistan is represented here today as an active partner in the war on terror.
The people of Afghanistan are a world away from the nightmare of the Taliban. Citizens of Afghanistan have adopted a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women. The new Afghan army is becoming a vital force of stability in that country. Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the children of Afghanistan are back in school, boys and girls.
This progress is a tribute to the brave Afghan people, and to the efforts of many nations. NATO -- including forces from Canada, France, Germany, and other nations -- is leading the effort to provide security. Japan and Saudi Arabia have helped to complete the highway from Kabul to Kandahar, which is furthering commerce and unifying the country. Italy is working with Afghans to reform their legal system, and strengthening an independent judiciary. Three years ago, the people of Afghanistan were oppressed and isolated from the world by a terrorist regime. Today, that nation has a democratic government and many allies -- and all of us are proud to be friends of the Afghan people.
Many countries represented here today also acted to liberate the people of Iraq. One year ago, military forces of a strong coalition entered Iraq to enforce United Nations demands, to defend our security, and to liberate that country from the rule of a tyrant. For Iraq, it was a day of deliverance. For the nations of our coalition, it was the moment when years of demands and pledges turned to decisive action. Today, as Iraqis join the free peoples of the world, we mark a turning point for the Middle East, and a crucial advance for human liberty.
There have been disagreements in this matter, among old and valued friends. Those differences belong to the past. All of us can now agree that the fall of the Iraqi dictator has removed a source of violence, aggression, and instability in the Middle East. It's a good thing that the demands of the United Nations were enforced, not ignored with impunity. It is a good thing that years of illicit weapons development by the dictator have come to the end. It is a good thing that the Iraqi people are now receiving aid, instead of suffering under sanctions. And it is a good thing that the men and women across the Middle East, looking to Iraq, are getting a glimpse of what life in a free country can be like.
There are still violent thugs and murderers in Iraq, and we're dealing with them. But no one can argue that the Iraqi people would be better off with the thugs and murderers back in the palaces. Who would prefer that Saddam's torture chambers still be open? Who would wish that more mass graves were still being filled? Who would begrudge the Iraqi people their long-awaited liberation? On year after the armies of liberation arrived, every soldier who has fought, every aid worker who has served, every Iraqi who has joined in their country's defense can look with pride on a brave and historic achievement. They've served freedom's cause, and that is a privilege.
Today in Iraq, a British-led division is securing the southern city of Basra. Poland continues to lead a multinational division in south-central Iraq. Japan and the Republic of Korea -- of South Korea have made historic commitments of troops to help bring peace to Iraq. Special forces from El Salvador, Macedonia, and other nations are helping to find and defeat Baathist and terrorist killers. Military engineers from Kazakhstan have cleared more than a half a million explosive devices from Iraq. Turkey is helping to resupply coalition forces. All of these nations, and many others, are meeting their responsibilities to the people of Iraq.
Whatever their past views, every nation now has an interest in a free, successful, stable Iraq. And the terrorists understand their own interest in the fate of that country. For them, the connection between Iraq's future and the course of the war on terror is very clear. They understand that a free Iraq will be a devastating setback to their ambitions of tyranny over the Middle East. And they have made the failure of democracy in Iraq one of their primary objectives.
By attacking coalition forces -- by targeting innocent Iraqis and foreign civilians for murder -- the terrorists are trying to weaken our will. Instead of weakness, they're finding resolve. Not long ago, we intercepted a planning document being sent to leaders of al Qaeda by one of their associates, a man named Zarqawi. Along with the usual threats, he had a complaint: "Our enemy," said Zarqawi, "is growing stronger and his intelligence data are increasing day by day -- this is suffocation." Zarqawi is getting the idea. We will never turn over Iraq to terrorists who intend our own destruction. We will not fail the Iraqi people, who have placed their trust in us. Whatever it takes, we will fight and work to assure the success of freedom in Iraq.
Many coalition countries have sacrificed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the fallen soldiers and civilians are sons and daughters of Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We honor their courage, we pray for the comfort of their families. We will uphold the cause they served.
The rise of democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great step toward a goal of lasting importance to the world. We have set out to encourage reform and democracy in the greater Middle East as the alternatives to fanaticism, resentment, and terror. We've set out to break the cycle of bitterness and radicalism that has brought stagnation to a vital region, and destruction to cities in America and Europe and around the world. This task is historic, and difficult; this task is necessary and worthy of our efforts.
In the 1970s, the advance of democracy in Lisbon and Madrid inspired democratic change in Latin America. In the 1980s, the example of Poland ignited a fire of freedom in all of Eastern Europe. With Afghanistan and Iraq showing the way, we are confident that freedom will lift the sights and hopes of millions in the greater Middle East.
One man who believed in our cause was a Japanese diplomat named Katsuhiko Oku. He worked for the Coalition Provision Authority in Iraq. Mr. Oku was killed when his car was ambushed. In his diary he described his pride in the cause he had joined. "The free people of Iraq," he wrote, "are now making steady progress in reconstructing their country -- while also fighting against the threat of terrorism. We must join hands with the Iraqi people in their effort to prevent Iraq from falling into the hands of terrorists." This good, decent man concluded, "This is also our fight to defend freedom."
Ladies and gentlemen, this good man from Japan was right. The establishment of a free Iraq is our fight. The success of a free Afghanistan is our fight. The war on terror is our fight. All of us are called to share the blessings of liberty, and to be strong and steady in freedom's defense. It will surely be said of our times that we lived with great challenges. Let it also be said of our times that we understood our great duties, and met them in full.
May God bless our efforts.
March 21,2004
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
Article licensing and reprint optionsCopyright 2004 Los Angeles Times
By visiting this site, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy
Terms of Service.
Politics Of The AIDS Epidemic In Africa
ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT
ISSUE/EDITION Nr 359 - 01/01/1999
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
________________________________________
________________________________________
Congo RDC
A population threatened
________________________________________
by L. Kalonji, Congo RDC, November 1998
THEME = AIDS
INTRODUCTION
For more than ten years, AIDS has been carving its way through Congo RDC.
The disease results in eventual death for all who catch it, and is decimating the population
- at the moment there's no known cure
AIDS doesn't manifest any initial signs or symptoms of infection. Because of this, the virus spreads rapidly, sometimes without even being noticed or detected. AIDS has made major inroads among the population and the situation is causing great concern. The terrible reality is that AIDS is much more than a simple disease and a health problem. The epidemic has major repercussions on family life and the entire community; on the country's social and economic development.
Significant statistics
The Central Office of the National Committee For Fighting Against AIDS (BCC/AIDS) was established on 31 December 1996. At that time, there were 38,000 AIDS cases registered with the Central Office, but the number could have been as high as 120,000 cases. Today, the situation is even more catastrophic. According to the same report, AIDS attacks mainly the 20-40 years age group. These are the very people who should be making a positive contribution towards their country's social and economic well-being. It's frequently mothers and fathers, hence, the most useful and indeed, important people in any society, who disappear, stricken with AIDS, leaving their children behind as orphans.
The report states that in Kinshasa, in the 20-29 age group, there are three times more women affected than men; young women especially, are vulnerable. But within the 40-60 age group, there are many more men affected than women. Men aged 60 upwards are primarily affected by AIDS.
The fact is: AIDS is definitely advancing at a rapid pace among the population, particularly since the cut-backs in awareness campaigns broadcast over radio and television. The BCC/AIDS has issued the following projections: For the period 1997-1999: there will be anything from 225,000-450,000 new cases of AIDS. The same Office foresees that if nothing is done to reactivate and strengthen the fight against AIDS, there could be more than 3 million cases registered for the period 1998-2002. During the same period, it is projected that 380,000-520,000 people will have died from AIDS, and there might be as many as 900,000-1,200,000 children orphaned.
The disease spreads
The AIDS virus can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse, or by receiving contaminated blood. Ignorance is the main reason why the disease spreads. People are frequently not aware that they are running any danger. You often hear them say: "This disease comes from the sorcerers who give it to bewitched people; it's obviously not for me".
Poverty is another reason why AIDS spreads. To justify the risks they take, prostitutes have been heard to say: "AIDS kills in the same way as hunger, malaria or any other disease".
Also, the two wars we have experienced, contribute to the disease spreading. War brings with it such evils as women being raped and uncontrolled population movements, both resulting in all kinds of disease. Prostitution and drug-taking are all contributory factors furthering the pandemic.
In the long run, AIDS can only be prevented if accurate information about the disease is disseminated, so that behavioural attitudes can be changed. Hence the importance of education. The population must be made aware about AIDS-related issues and how the disease is transmitted. To inform and to prevent: these are the main weapons in the fight against AIDS, coming before any drug or vaccine.
Indeed, one BCC/AIDS official puts it this way: "Don't let's try to hide anything. AIDS is spreading rapidly and is having severe consequences wherever it strikes. There's only one way to fight it effectively, and that's by preventing it. We've got to know how to do this for the best". Prevention comes before information and education. And how does one prevent AIDS? By abstaining from sex, or if you are going to have sex, then use a condom. Avoid all unnecessary blood transfusions. Keep to one partner.
For a number of years, the government, through the intermediary of organisations established to fight AIDS, has done its best to inform the public about the importance of correct behavioural attitudes so as to avoid catching the disease. Radio, television, the Press, music and songs are all used in furthering aw-areness campaigns. Luambo Makadi (now deceased) is a well-known Congolese musician. Everyone knows his song: "Watch out for AIDS". In this song, Luambo wrote: "Watch out for AIDS. Control your body - I'm certainly controlling mine."
Other media techniques are used: comic strips, pamphlets, magazines, drama productions, slides, posters for use in local communities etc. In this context, the best known audio-visual presentation is most certainly "AIDS And The Family", produced by the National Committee For Fighting Against AIDS. The success (or otherwise) of "AIDS And The Family" has been monitored among different sections of the population and in various localities. The whole programme with its 42 well-chosen slides and informative commentary has met with enormous success among many groups.
Government - Churches - NGOs
The authorities have taken a whole series of measures to prevent AIDS spreading. Blood donors are screened before giving their blood; this is now usual practice in most hospitals. Hospitals have the necessary basic equipment adapted to the tropical climate, for carrying out the tests and determining those blood donors who are HIV-positive.
The health authorities have given clear and precise instructions that all hypodermic needles used in dispensaries must be properly sterilised.
The government has also encouraged a comprehensive research programme into AIDS. Congo RDC was the first African country to organise (in 1984) such a programme. The programme is still continuing in Kinshasa General Hospital; at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kinshasa; at the National Institute of Biomedical Research and at BCC/AIDS. Other countries such as the USA, France and Belgium enabled BCC/AIDS to establish a fund for its research work.
Let's face it. If individuals don't make any effort to prevent AIDS spreading, then no amount of effort by the authorities will have any success. Everyone must practice "safe sex" and avoid any behaviour likely to cause infection. Also, everyone must do their best to learn as much as possible about the way in which the disease is transmitted. They can then communicate this knowledge to their family, friends and neighbours.
The churches and the NGOs have an essential role to play in ensuring that the disease is curtailed. How do the churches do this? In addition to appropriate sermons and conferences, local churches organise meetings specifically dedicated to AIDS-related issues. The Catholic Church in particular has made a notable contribution with its service "Education for Life" establish by a Belgian nun, more than 20 years ago. This service provides young people and married couples with the help and guidance they may need.
As for NGOs and other organisations involved in the fight against AIDS, they are grouped in an umbrella organisation called: FORUM- AIDS. They organise awareness campaigns for specific target groups and care for those who are already ill with the disease. They don't have much in the way of funding for all this work and good will is not enough. There are presently 20 such associations - the most dynamic being "Women Plus" and the NGOs "AMO- Congo", "ALPHI Plus" and "PIAHO". All these organisations work to bring hope to those already ill with AIDS, and encourage them to live as full a life as possible. "Women Plus" has a Catholic section, (the diocesan CARITAS group), led by a widow, Mrs Mariane Djamba, whose members undertake to care for the sick and their families.
With those who are ill
Anyone HIV-positive needs a great deal of understanding, of support and of love. Daily contacts with such people give the carers the opportunity to show the sick, that someone is genuinely interested in their well-being, that someone really does love them. There's no need to be afraid of being next to them. Moreover, it seems that a psychological atmosphere of joy, peace and patience shown towards someone HIV-positive, can help the sick person fight against infection.
Sad to say, people with AIDS are left to fend for themselves. With their family's help, most try to go it alone. The same applies to orphans and widows. However, some organisations are doing their best to help AIDS victims and orphans whose parents have died from AIDS. But it's impossible to cater for all their needs. Funds are simply not available.
Let's take a look at one example: Father Paul Peeters is chaplain in Makala Sanatorium, Kinshasa and Kinshasa General Hospital. He's founded the organisation "Destitute and Abandoned Sick People" (MAI). MAI provides both spiritual and material care for those ill in hospital and at home. Members try to create an atmosphere, whereby the sick person can feel God's presence, and experience His consolation and hope. They encourage the sick to talk about their sufferings, their anxieties and their preoccupations. At the same time, they give appropriate advice concerning ways and means of improving and protecting their health. Material help, food and medicine are also provided.
More than two years ago, the various chaplains in Kinshasa's hospitals and clinics, together with the social services attached to these establishments, organised a series of training sessions for those who support the sick and who stay with them along the road of suffering. This is a real apostolate undertaken within the Church. Already, about fifty parishes in Kinshasa have groups of such people who are trained for this kind of apostolate. The carers minister to the sick at home, and then, when the disease progresses, continue to support their clients once they are admitted to hospital, bridging the gap between life at home and life in hospital.
False prophets and charlatans
AIDS exists in Congo and is obviously going to spread in the years to come. At the same time, there seems to be no immediate possibility of effective treatment. However, Congo's got an increasing number of traditional practitioners who pretend they've found a cure. From far and wide, both from home and abroad, people flock to these charlatans seeking help. Pastors of certain religious sects also say they can perform miracles and cure AIDS. All this does nothing to help those who are genuinely in need of help.
Everything said above leads to the clear conclusion that action must be taken at both a national and worldwide level. The Churches have an all-important role to play in facing up directly to the problems posed by AIDS in our midst.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
________________________________________
PeaceLink 1999 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement
ISSUE/EDITION Nr 359 - 01/01/1999
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
________________________________________
________________________________________
Congo RDC
A population threatened
________________________________________
by L. Kalonji, Congo RDC, November 1998
THEME = AIDS
INTRODUCTION
For more than ten years, AIDS has been carving its way through Congo RDC.
The disease results in eventual death for all who catch it, and is decimating the population
- at the moment there's no known cure
AIDS doesn't manifest any initial signs or symptoms of infection. Because of this, the virus spreads rapidly, sometimes without even being noticed or detected. AIDS has made major inroads among the population and the situation is causing great concern. The terrible reality is that AIDS is much more than a simple disease and a health problem. The epidemic has major repercussions on family life and the entire community; on the country's social and economic development.
Significant statistics
The Central Office of the National Committee For Fighting Against AIDS (BCC/AIDS) was established on 31 December 1996. At that time, there were 38,000 AIDS cases registered with the Central Office, but the number could have been as high as 120,000 cases. Today, the situation is even more catastrophic. According to the same report, AIDS attacks mainly the 20-40 years age group. These are the very people who should be making a positive contribution towards their country's social and economic well-being. It's frequently mothers and fathers, hence, the most useful and indeed, important people in any society, who disappear, stricken with AIDS, leaving their children behind as orphans.
The report states that in Kinshasa, in the 20-29 age group, there are three times more women affected than men; young women especially, are vulnerable. But within the 40-60 age group, there are many more men affected than women. Men aged 60 upwards are primarily affected by AIDS.
The fact is: AIDS is definitely advancing at a rapid pace among the population, particularly since the cut-backs in awareness campaigns broadcast over radio and television. The BCC/AIDS has issued the following projections: For the period 1997-1999: there will be anything from 225,000-450,000 new cases of AIDS. The same Office foresees that if nothing is done to reactivate and strengthen the fight against AIDS, there could be more than 3 million cases registered for the period 1998-2002. During the same period, it is projected that 380,000-520,000 people will have died from AIDS, and there might be as many as 900,000-1,200,000 children orphaned.
The disease spreads
The AIDS virus can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse, or by receiving contaminated blood. Ignorance is the main reason why the disease spreads. People are frequently not aware that they are running any danger. You often hear them say: "This disease comes from the sorcerers who give it to bewitched people; it's obviously not for me".
Poverty is another reason why AIDS spreads. To justify the risks they take, prostitutes have been heard to say: "AIDS kills in the same way as hunger, malaria or any other disease".
Also, the two wars we have experienced, contribute to the disease spreading. War brings with it such evils as women being raped and uncontrolled population movements, both resulting in all kinds of disease. Prostitution and drug-taking are all contributory factors furthering the pandemic.
In the long run, AIDS can only be prevented if accurate information about the disease is disseminated, so that behavioural attitudes can be changed. Hence the importance of education. The population must be made aware about AIDS-related issues and how the disease is transmitted. To inform and to prevent: these are the main weapons in the fight against AIDS, coming before any drug or vaccine.
Indeed, one BCC/AIDS official puts it this way: "Don't let's try to hide anything. AIDS is spreading rapidly and is having severe consequences wherever it strikes. There's only one way to fight it effectively, and that's by preventing it. We've got to know how to do this for the best". Prevention comes before information and education. And how does one prevent AIDS? By abstaining from sex, or if you are going to have sex, then use a condom. Avoid all unnecessary blood transfusions. Keep to one partner.
For a number of years, the government, through the intermediary of organisations established to fight AIDS, has done its best to inform the public about the importance of correct behavioural attitudes so as to avoid catching the disease. Radio, television, the Press, music and songs are all used in furthering aw-areness campaigns. Luambo Makadi (now deceased) is a well-known Congolese musician. Everyone knows his song: "Watch out for AIDS". In this song, Luambo wrote: "Watch out for AIDS. Control your body - I'm certainly controlling mine."
Other media techniques are used: comic strips, pamphlets, magazines, drama productions, slides, posters for use in local communities etc. In this context, the best known audio-visual presentation is most certainly "AIDS And The Family", produced by the National Committee For Fighting Against AIDS. The success (or otherwise) of "AIDS And The Family" has been monitored among different sections of the population and in various localities. The whole programme with its 42 well-chosen slides and informative commentary has met with enormous success among many groups.
Government - Churches - NGOs
The authorities have taken a whole series of measures to prevent AIDS spreading. Blood donors are screened before giving their blood; this is now usual practice in most hospitals. Hospitals have the necessary basic equipment adapted to the tropical climate, for carrying out the tests and determining those blood donors who are HIV-positive.
The health authorities have given clear and precise instructions that all hypodermic needles used in dispensaries must be properly sterilised.
The government has also encouraged a comprehensive research programme into AIDS. Congo RDC was the first African country to organise (in 1984) such a programme. The programme is still continuing in Kinshasa General Hospital; at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kinshasa; at the National Institute of Biomedical Research and at BCC/AIDS. Other countries such as the USA, France and Belgium enabled BCC/AIDS to establish a fund for its research work.
Let's face it. If individuals don't make any effort to prevent AIDS spreading, then no amount of effort by the authorities will have any success. Everyone must practice "safe sex" and avoid any behaviour likely to cause infection. Also, everyone must do their best to learn as much as possible about the way in which the disease is transmitted. They can then communicate this knowledge to their family, friends and neighbours.
The churches and the NGOs have an essential role to play in ensuring that the disease is curtailed. How do the churches do this? In addition to appropriate sermons and conferences, local churches organise meetings specifically dedicated to AIDS-related issues. The Catholic Church in particular has made a notable contribution with its service "Education for Life" establish by a Belgian nun, more than 20 years ago. This service provides young people and married couples with the help and guidance they may need.
As for NGOs and other organisations involved in the fight against AIDS, they are grouped in an umbrella organisation called: FORUM- AIDS. They organise awareness campaigns for specific target groups and care for those who are already ill with the disease. They don't have much in the way of funding for all this work and good will is not enough. There are presently 20 such associations - the most dynamic being "Women Plus" and the NGOs "AMO- Congo", "ALPHI Plus" and "PIAHO". All these organisations work to bring hope to those already ill with AIDS, and encourage them to live as full a life as possible. "Women Plus" has a Catholic section, (the diocesan CARITAS group), led by a widow, Mrs Mariane Djamba, whose members undertake to care for the sick and their families.
With those who are ill
Anyone HIV-positive needs a great deal of understanding, of support and of love. Daily contacts with such people give the carers the opportunity to show the sick, that someone is genuinely interested in their well-being, that someone really does love them. There's no need to be afraid of being next to them. Moreover, it seems that a psychological atmosphere of joy, peace and patience shown towards someone HIV-positive, can help the sick person fight against infection.
Sad to say, people with AIDS are left to fend for themselves. With their family's help, most try to go it alone. The same applies to orphans and widows. However, some organisations are doing their best to help AIDS victims and orphans whose parents have died from AIDS. But it's impossible to cater for all their needs. Funds are simply not available.
Let's take a look at one example: Father Paul Peeters is chaplain in Makala Sanatorium, Kinshasa and Kinshasa General Hospital. He's founded the organisation "Destitute and Abandoned Sick People" (MAI). MAI provides both spiritual and material care for those ill in hospital and at home. Members try to create an atmosphere, whereby the sick person can feel God's presence, and experience His consolation and hope. They encourage the sick to talk about their sufferings, their anxieties and their preoccupations. At the same time, they give appropriate advice concerning ways and means of improving and protecting their health. Material help, food and medicine are also provided.
More than two years ago, the various chaplains in Kinshasa's hospitals and clinics, together with the social services attached to these establishments, organised a series of training sessions for those who support the sick and who stay with them along the road of suffering. This is a real apostolate undertaken within the Church. Already, about fifty parishes in Kinshasa have groups of such people who are trained for this kind of apostolate. The carers minister to the sick at home, and then, when the disease progresses, continue to support their clients once they are admitted to hospital, bridging the gap between life at home and life in hospital.
False prophets and charlatans
AIDS exists in Congo and is obviously going to spread in the years to come. At the same time, there seems to be no immediate possibility of effective treatment. However, Congo's got an increasing number of traditional practitioners who pretend they've found a cure. From far and wide, both from home and abroad, people flock to these charlatans seeking help. Pastors of certain religious sects also say they can perform miracles and cure AIDS. All this does nothing to help those who are genuinely in need of help.
Everything said above leads to the clear conclusion that action must be taken at both a national and worldwide level. The Churches have an all-important role to play in facing up directly to the problems posed by AIDS in our midst.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
________________________________________
PeaceLink 1999 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement
Debate On Leadership Responsibility In Ghana
Dear Patriots,
Thank you for your common sense exchanges of views in the atmosphere of mutual respect. This is a breadth of fresh air in comparison with the exchanges at many of our other debating African forums. We are proud as Ghanaians today because we debated on many concerned issues affecting the governance and leadership responsibility of our country at a time when the mere expression of one's opinion could result in torture, imprisonment or even death. We had few "Khaki Boys" issuing Decrees to govern the whole country. I am not trying to point out things that we do not know as Ghanaians but just to underscore the importance of such debates. Some of you spent and are still spending your precious time and expertise to share your views with the fellow Ghanaians. Since our destiny as Nation lies in our own hands, such your efforts cannot be underestimated. Thank you all for the good job.
The issues of Chieftaincy institution can be only divisive if we think about it in terms of modern western style political government systems versus primitive, archaic, or feudal type of governance. The worse destruction of our Africa dignity and heritage is the acceptance by default through the untested premise of modernization of copying our colonial masters. In so doing our post-Independent African political leaders have only done the greatest injustice to our traditional values and our dignity as Africans in general and Ghanaians in particular. They have been paying lip service to the Chieftaincy institution while crippling the institution from evolving itself. You may wonder why we were taught in schools and colleges in Ghana about the checks and balances in foreign democratic governments, socialism and communism but never had a course in Chieftaincy except for those of us who had the privilege to be raised up from within the Chieftaincy institution itself. Check out the many lessons that can be learnt for our proverbs, metaphors and parables from our oral history and folk tales. Again, nobody is advocating that we copy everything in the past, but why deny our people the right to learn from their own traditions and culture?
What Kofi and George are saying today, are issues we should have addressed long time ago. Our people living in the cities, towns and villages in Ghana have been governed on daily basis according to their traditional and cultural values but lacked the democratic power to force their elite political leadership to acknowledge them. The same way as we had the Indirect Rule under the British Colonial Administration, the dual power structures of the traditional and political rule which at times conflicted with each other as to the people’s interest, still exist today. This is why I read Kofi's article on "The Dawn of Ghana Renaissance” with sense of gratitude and appreciation. Better be late than never, Kofi. The Black Star of Africa will continue to shine in Ghana as we are still dedicating our efforts to keeping the Star shining. My next article will focus on the Chieftaincy as a governing institution.
Felix Amankona Diawuoh
The Free Africa Foundation.
Colorado Springs, CO
03/16/08.
Thank you for your common sense exchanges of views in the atmosphere of mutual respect. This is a breadth of fresh air in comparison with the exchanges at many of our other debating African forums. We are proud as Ghanaians today because we debated on many concerned issues affecting the governance and leadership responsibility of our country at a time when the mere expression of one's opinion could result in torture, imprisonment or even death. We had few "Khaki Boys" issuing Decrees to govern the whole country. I am not trying to point out things that we do not know as Ghanaians but just to underscore the importance of such debates. Some of you spent and are still spending your precious time and expertise to share your views with the fellow Ghanaians. Since our destiny as Nation lies in our own hands, such your efforts cannot be underestimated. Thank you all for the good job.
The issues of Chieftaincy institution can be only divisive if we think about it in terms of modern western style political government systems versus primitive, archaic, or feudal type of governance. The worse destruction of our Africa dignity and heritage is the acceptance by default through the untested premise of modernization of copying our colonial masters. In so doing our post-Independent African political leaders have only done the greatest injustice to our traditional values and our dignity as Africans in general and Ghanaians in particular. They have been paying lip service to the Chieftaincy institution while crippling the institution from evolving itself. You may wonder why we were taught in schools and colleges in Ghana about the checks and balances in foreign democratic governments, socialism and communism but never had a course in Chieftaincy except for those of us who had the privilege to be raised up from within the Chieftaincy institution itself. Check out the many lessons that can be learnt for our proverbs, metaphors and parables from our oral history and folk tales. Again, nobody is advocating that we copy everything in the past, but why deny our people the right to learn from their own traditions and culture?
What Kofi and George are saying today, are issues we should have addressed long time ago. Our people living in the cities, towns and villages in Ghana have been governed on daily basis according to their traditional and cultural values but lacked the democratic power to force their elite political leadership to acknowledge them. The same way as we had the Indirect Rule under the British Colonial Administration, the dual power structures of the traditional and political rule which at times conflicted with each other as to the people’s interest, still exist today. This is why I read Kofi's article on "The Dawn of Ghana Renaissance” with sense of gratitude and appreciation. Better be late than never, Kofi. The Black Star of Africa will continue to shine in Ghana as we are still dedicating our efforts to keeping the Star shining. My next article will focus on the Chieftaincy as a governing institution.
Felix Amankona Diawuoh
The Free Africa Foundation.
Colorado Springs, CO
03/16/08.
Anti-Semitism-The Last Acceptable Predjudice'
Anti-Semitism-The Last Acceptable Predjudice'
Suzanne Fields (archive)
July 28, 2003 | printsf20030728.shtmlPrint
The "new" anti-Semitism is as virulent as ever, but it's often easy for Americans - Christian and Jew alike - not to notice.
Christians and Jews get along here. Evangelical Christians have become some of the best friends Jews have, and, for their part, most Jews are not as suspicious of Evangelical motives as they once were. Since the anti-Semites abroad regard America as the great Satan and Israel the little Satan, we all feel equal-opportunity hate.
Anti-Semitism is no longer the preserve of the Ku Klux Klan, the uneducated, the outcasts and the bigots of the night. The bigotries at home are nurtured now on the left, by domestic radicals allied with the usual suspects abroad. This is not easy for some of us to get used to.
Phyllis Chesler, a left-wing feminist, was a reluctant candidate to become a "professional Jew," as she puts it in The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It.
The role was thrust upon her by men and women she thought were her intellectual, emotional and social comrades in arms against injustice, but who took an irrational detour into vicious mendacity, spouting demented politically correct propaganda against Jews and Americans everywhere.
"I now find it necessary and sane to think tribally as well as internationally to think as an American and as a Jew who is concerned not only with justice for all but also with the survival of America and of the Jewish people," she writes. "Islamic reactionaries and Western intellectuals and progressives who may disagree on every other subject have agreed that Israel and America are the cause of all evil. Israel has fast become the Jew of the world - scorned, scapegoated, demonized and attacked."
Angry words, but amply documented. She shows how the new antiracist (so called) anti-Zionist shares a common hatred with the old anti-Semite. She won't separate anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism, but cuts to the core of obfuscation and hypocrisy, recalling how Martin Luther King, Jr. responded to a student who attacked Zionism: "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism."
She gets to the point of why Israel's enemies abroad, with no appreciation of the pluralism on which democracy thrives, hate America, too: "In many ways the state of Israel towers above its neighbors both morally, politically, and in terms of religious freedoms."
As a feminist, she's particularly outraged that many feminists have muted their criticism of Islamist misogyny, or how others are oblivious to their own self-interests. What could be more ludicrous, she asks, than to see grown men marching against Zionism behind a banner proclaiming "Queers for Palestine." Queer, indeed. If these men lived in an Islamic culture they would be harassed - or worse. Much worse.
Some of the enemies she identifies are familiar. Noam Chomsky, whose anti-Israel and anti-American books are best sellers on campus, catalogs the imperfections of American and Israeli democracies but forgives the total lack of democracy in Islamic countries. Edward Said, the "prestigious" professor of literature at Columbia University, compares the Palestinians under Israeli rule to the plight of the European Jews under the Third Reich.
What has emerged in the past decade is how the new anti-Semitism has become politically and psychologically respectable among western intellectual elites: "The American and European Left have made a marriage in hell with their Islamic terrorist counterparts."
The new anti-Semitism drips into the mainstream with surprising ease. Since she went to print, a popular columnist in The Observer, one of the most popular of Britain's liberal papers, piously announced that he would no longer even read letters to the editor about anti-Semitism if they were signed with Jewish names.
The Chicago Tribune, with several newspapers following its lead, only recently ran a particularly nasty political cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a stereotypical hooked nose and the Jewish star sewn on his jacket, staring down with pleasure as President Bush satisfies his greed by paving "the roadmap to peace" with dollar bills. (The Tribune apologized for failing to recognize the anti-Semitic slurs.)
The Belgian affiliate of Oxfam International, organized to fight poverty, posted a cartoon on its Web site depicting a slice of orange dripping with blood-red juice: "Israeli fruit tastes bitter. Say no to the occupation of Palestine. Don't buy any fruit from Israel." The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization," protested on its Web site with a reproduction of a Nazi poster from April 1933: "Germans! Protect yourselves! Don't buy from Jews!"
The new anti-Semitism passes unnoticed among those who should know better. Writes Phyllis Chesler: "In a politically correct, multicultural world, anti-Semitism is the last acceptable prejudice."
Even in America, the land of the free and the home of the bravest.
©2003 Tribune Media Services
Contact Suzanne Fields | Read Fields's biography
Suzanne Fields (archive)
July 28, 2003 | printsf20030728.shtmlPrint
The "new" anti-Semitism is as virulent as ever, but it's often easy for Americans - Christian and Jew alike - not to notice.
Christians and Jews get along here. Evangelical Christians have become some of the best friends Jews have, and, for their part, most Jews are not as suspicious of Evangelical motives as they once were. Since the anti-Semites abroad regard America as the great Satan and Israel the little Satan, we all feel equal-opportunity hate.
Anti-Semitism is no longer the preserve of the Ku Klux Klan, the uneducated, the outcasts and the bigots of the night. The bigotries at home are nurtured now on the left, by domestic radicals allied with the usual suspects abroad. This is not easy for some of us to get used to.
Phyllis Chesler, a left-wing feminist, was a reluctant candidate to become a "professional Jew," as she puts it in The New Anti-Semitism: The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It.
The role was thrust upon her by men and women she thought were her intellectual, emotional and social comrades in arms against injustice, but who took an irrational detour into vicious mendacity, spouting demented politically correct propaganda against Jews and Americans everywhere.
"I now find it necessary and sane to think tribally as well as internationally to think as an American and as a Jew who is concerned not only with justice for all but also with the survival of America and of the Jewish people," she writes. "Islamic reactionaries and Western intellectuals and progressives who may disagree on every other subject have agreed that Israel and America are the cause of all evil. Israel has fast become the Jew of the world - scorned, scapegoated, demonized and attacked."
Angry words, but amply documented. She shows how the new antiracist (so called) anti-Zionist shares a common hatred with the old anti-Semite. She won't separate anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism, but cuts to the core of obfuscation and hypocrisy, recalling how Martin Luther King, Jr. responded to a student who attacked Zionism: "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism."
She gets to the point of why Israel's enemies abroad, with no appreciation of the pluralism on which democracy thrives, hate America, too: "In many ways the state of Israel towers above its neighbors both morally, politically, and in terms of religious freedoms."
As a feminist, she's particularly outraged that many feminists have muted their criticism of Islamist misogyny, or how others are oblivious to their own self-interests. What could be more ludicrous, she asks, than to see grown men marching against Zionism behind a banner proclaiming "Queers for Palestine." Queer, indeed. If these men lived in an Islamic culture they would be harassed - or worse. Much worse.
Some of the enemies she identifies are familiar. Noam Chomsky, whose anti-Israel and anti-American books are best sellers on campus, catalogs the imperfections of American and Israeli democracies but forgives the total lack of democracy in Islamic countries. Edward Said, the "prestigious" professor of literature at Columbia University, compares the Palestinians under Israeli rule to the plight of the European Jews under the Third Reich.
What has emerged in the past decade is how the new anti-Semitism has become politically and psychologically respectable among western intellectual elites: "The American and European Left have made a marriage in hell with their Islamic terrorist counterparts."
The new anti-Semitism drips into the mainstream with surprising ease. Since she went to print, a popular columnist in The Observer, one of the most popular of Britain's liberal papers, piously announced that he would no longer even read letters to the editor about anti-Semitism if they were signed with Jewish names.
The Chicago Tribune, with several newspapers following its lead, only recently ran a particularly nasty political cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a stereotypical hooked nose and the Jewish star sewn on his jacket, staring down with pleasure as President Bush satisfies his greed by paving "the roadmap to peace" with dollar bills. (The Tribune apologized for failing to recognize the anti-Semitic slurs.)
The Belgian affiliate of Oxfam International, organized to fight poverty, posted a cartoon on its Web site depicting a slice of orange dripping with blood-red juice: "Israeli fruit tastes bitter. Say no to the occupation of Palestine. Don't buy any fruit from Israel." The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization," protested on its Web site with a reproduction of a Nazi poster from April 1933: "Germans! Protect yourselves! Don't buy from Jews!"
The new anti-Semitism passes unnoticed among those who should know better. Writes Phyllis Chesler: "In a politically correct, multicultural world, anti-Semitism is the last acceptable prejudice."
Even in America, the land of the free and the home of the bravest.
©2003 Tribune Media Services
Contact Suzanne Fields | Read Fields's biography
CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE A JOY TO KNOW
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AMANDA BRADLEY.
HOW TO BRIGHTEN A DAY
WITH HEART WARMING SMILES
AND WITH KIND WORDS THEY SAY,
PEOPLE WHO KNOW
HOW TO GENTLY IMPART
THE COMFORT IT TAKES
TO CHEER SOMEONE'S HEART,
PEOPLE WHO KNOW
HOW TO ALWAYS COME THROUGH
WHEN THERE'S ANYTHING
THEY CAN POSSIBLY DO,
PEOPLE WHO KNOW
HOW TO WILLINGLY SHARE
WHO KNOW HOW TO GIVE
AND WHO KNOW HOW TO CARE
WHO KNOW HOW TO LET
ALL THEIR WARM FEELINGS SHOW....
ARE PEOPLE THAT OTHERS
FEEL LUCKY TO KNOW .
AMANDA BRADLEY.
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