www.Thirteen.org -

Women in Ethiopia devastated by childbirth injuries

“A Walk to Beautiful” tells the stories of rural women who make their way to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, seeking treatment for obstetric fistula, a life-shattering complication of childbirth that was once common in the pre-industrial United States but that is now relegated to the poorest regions of the world.

Women with small pelvises, whether through malnutrition, overwork, or because they married too young, are most at risk, since there is often not room for the baby to emerge during birth. The result can be an obstructed labor that may last up to 10 days, a stillborn child, and a trauma-induced hole, or fistula, in the vaginal wall that produces chronic incontinence.

The women profiled in “A Walk to Beautiful” are treated as virtual lepers in their villages, where they are shunned by family and made to live alone. One women admits to contemplating suicide.

Through chance they learn that there are other women who share their affliction, and that the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital exists to help them — if they can manage to walk for hours to the nearest road, find public transport to the capital, and then search out the hospital in a strange and forbidding city.

A stark difference between Ethiopia (my country) and a place like the U.S. is the value given to historical figures. Let me confess and say, i know more about President Nixon than i do about, let’s say, Emperor of Ethiopia Tewodros.

It must have been in one of the elementary calsses, probably the 5th or 6th grade, that i was first introduced to Ethiopian history and in particular the leaders of my nation. And the lesson stops there. A brief description of each leaders, followed by a brief description of their role in Ethiopian history.

I am sure there are printed books that detail their life, but it was not something that you could easily find laying around in your house or at a book store, for that matter. And if you do, you must be the lucky few whose parents happen to be a history buff.

I realized the difference in how history is thought, in Ethiopia and as it is in the U.S., once i arrived in the U.S.

Not that all Americans are keenly aware of their historical figures, but in America the slightest attention to the news or elections will teach you a great deal on how Americans (the leaders) have been inspired by some given leader in the past.

They always seem to refer to a great leader from the past that has inspired them by a speech, ideology or something. Anything.

It is fascinating to me how little we know about our past leaders. How less an importance a leader in the past is given. How a leader is basically erased from history and the history books. I must tell you, i have learned more about the leaders of my nation in the Wekipidia, then i have in any history book in my elementary school years.

And to find myself reading about this leaders, that i have never heard of anyone refer back to with a sense of pride, and reading about their pride in their country -not to mention the enemies they have faced and fought back - has engulfed me with mixed feelings of belonging, regret, and rediscovery.

In the past, i could hardly name 5 past Ethiopian leaders. But now i am proud to say that i know enough of them, but most importantly, i am keenly aware of the important role they have played in Ethiopian history.

Ironic how my interest in the U.S. History helped me to go back and learn my own history.

Hillary clinton recently said her fight to stand until the end of time is some sort of message to all women that, ‘they shouldn’t give up so easily?’

Ok, that’s a good one and i can see how it could sound uplifting to all women.

But, are you not the same Hillary who said you are not interested in the gender politicking. The Hillary who took offense evrytime the word ‘woman’ came up earlier in your campaign? Assuming that you are being belittled?

My advice:

Stick to your gun and make up your mind. The very emtions that you are showcasing in the dwindling days of your campaign is what scared the folks from the get-go. The very folks that keep asking the question, “are women ready for a position like the Presidency of The United States?”

If anything, you are letting down the very women that you once have made proud. A gracious loser, is ironically, one of the traits a true winner shows when the moment to call it quits comes.

You have fought a hard fight that your voters would be proud of. You have nothing to prove. You have done what you could with what you had to work with.

A young black, smart, charming and inspirational kid called Obama, had come on the block to sing in a different tune. And unfortunately people liked it. Does that make you a loser?

Well, it makes you yesterday’s news and song. But you can be a classic song, if you choose to leave without making things blood ugly. If you do that, people from time to time might choose to look back on your historical run for the Presidency, and say, “Wow! She had paved the road for many young girls”

And maybe you could live long enough to see a woman President being sworn in and attributing her dreams to YOU (Hillary). Now that’s priceless.

Political corruption, social instability, inflation, illiteracy, and continuous danger of war. Those are some of the things that comes to my mind when i think about my nation. Ethiopia for all its resources (both human and material), has failed miserably.

We are at a critical juncture.

We are at a moment and time where a small mistake like an abrupt war with a neighboring country could endanger our future. I, for one, focus on the heavy population of Ethiopians in diaspora whom i share the blame with for sitting around doing nothing.

There isn’t anything that can be backed by a factual assertion that Ethiopians- in diaspora- has done for their country. Nothing whatsoever.

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? For all the brains and experience and the little money we can give, we have chosen to be layabouts. It takes such a heavy lifting of words to criticize my fellow country folks. But we are what we are.

Here is the distinction between my argument and so many others that disagree with my pointed, and sometimes blunt views or choice of words. There is what we call a PROBLEM, and there is what we call a SOLUTION.

I am a firm believer of discussing a problem in order to locate the solution, but to discuss a problem as a means for finding an exit way is objectionable. In that way, you could say i am a maverick, and it doesn’t bother me to take the unpopular stand away from my country folks.

Reform and change through out history has not been easy to bring about. It is even that much harder to bring about any type of change in a country that seems to be endlessly run by thuggish leaders.

Does that mean change is improbable? NO.

Does that mean change is impossible? NO.

But is it hard? Indeed.

The motivation an Ethiopian individual needs, to do all that he personally can, is right there in his/her country. You look at the despair and hopelessness that faces the majority of the population, and you wonder to yourself, ”when would all this stop?”

 If you want to know the answer, “it would stop whenever we decide to do something about it collectively”.

It would take a monumental effort that can seem daunting when you look ahead to the work that needs to be done.

Change and reform will take an effort that will decapitate so many people’s vision just by the mere thought of what lies ahead. But those who can overcome that will only be able to do so by having the driving force that is greater than any other, “The Undying Love For Ones country”.

I am proud of my Ethiopian culture. But there is also times when i feel that our culture is a gift and a curse. The curse being our lack of rallying behind one of our own. And this is specially true to those in diaspora.

We all have to find a cause that we are passionate about and take the time to create groups, organizations etc. to further our cause. Some of us lose families to curable and treatable diseases. It doesn’t hurt to raise awareness to the rest  of the world, if you can’t afford to help financially. Most of us can’t do anything individually, and that’s why we MUST unite and create a network that is lasting and time insensitive.

People shouldn’t die from Malaria, hunger, or grow with malnutrition.

 No one can speak for Ethiopians better than an Ethiopian.

I say, forget all about the politics of it all. Leave the politcians to be politicians, even though they undermine and hamper our efforts. We have to learn to think of them as just an obstacle on the road. We have to roll over them like a steam roller.

We can’t be stopped when we speak in unity. But unity is what we lack. And that’s where i feel my people failed it nation and as a result we failed as a nation.

Habesha folks are focused on their own future and good - the catalyst to failure as a society.

A human voice is much stronger than any gun shot, even when it’s a whisper.

The verdict is in. Obama wins North Carolina embarrassingly for Mrs. Clinton. And Indiana? Call it a tie. Why? After all the effort by both the national news media and the Clinton campiagn, comparing Obama’s judgment to those of his pator’s, Americans yesterday spoke loudly by choosing him clearly to be their choice for the democratic nomination.

Only in America would you see a story such as Obama’s. I honestly feel for Hillary, and the Clintons. It’s unfortunate they have chosen this time in history to run for the highest office on the land.

Little did they know a skinny, black, and charming politician would do what most believed to be, until now, the unthinkable.

You can try to make his pastor’s words his, but in the end it only hurt YOU and made his pastor a household name, thanks to you and the cable networks. Americans have been through this before. All the dirt throwing and avoiding the issues that matter in their daily life.

Only this time, this one time, in history, they had their eyes open more than any other time in recent memory.

It is unfair, and unethical, to lose a primary in every category and yet out of desperation to try to tell the people who voted they don’t matter, by choosing to strike a deal with your super delegate friends. So what do the people do? They vote for Obama overwhelmingly. Once again, making it even harder for you to present your case to your politician friends that you call -superdelegates.

As far as your case goes, telling the superdelegates that Obama cannot withstand the the Republican attack machine in the general election? As of yesterday that was rebuked.

He had shown that after three weeks of vigorous attempt to make him what he isn’t (Pastor Wright), he can withstand any storm.

Imagine this Mrs. Clinton.

Obama had gone head-to-head against the most powerful plitical family this country has to provide (The Clintons), and had shown the world that when you dream big dreams anything is possible.

Now you tell me, do you think he would have a hard time beating an old and beat up politician like John McCain? You know that’s not true, but i understand your inability to grasp what the American really want. And if i were you, i would be confused as to just what happened.

You guys are the Clintons. You are winners. Losing is not in your vocabulary. But, you are not invincible.

Heroes are made over super powers like you. There comes a time when change is inevitable. No Clinton power could ever remain immune to that.

You have accomplished a great deal and the Presidency could have only been the icing on the cake for your long and devoted career. I, sometimes, think you have been treated unfairly. But i take a comfort in knowing that, all the unfairness had not come from your competitor Obama. It has come from the very people that has built you just to tear you down and showcase their next “Lab Work”.

You can do the following, in order to have any future.

1. You can gracefully bow out
2. You can say you are proud of what you, along with Senator Obama, have accomplished for the Democratic party and their record turn out of new and invigorated voters.
3. And finally you can make a hero out of yourself by conceding to Obama, and making a speech on how greatful you are to all your supporters and being a part of a time in history where a woman is considered to be a viable candidate for the highest office this land has to offer. You have achieved what most thought was not possible in the near future - and that is, A WOMAN CAN GIVE ANY MAN A RUN FOR HIS MONEY FOR ANY POSITION, given the chance and the opportunity.

So with that said, there is one thing we know is true and will not work in the general election - Obama Is Not Wright.

And if you don’t know, now you know!

A blogger fights with another. I recently received a message from a regular reader of my blog in my personal email. This gentleman started  with his appreciation of my blog and the issues i talk about.

The message with my reader went back and forth for quite some time, actually for about 2 months. Here’s a gentleman who was born and raised in Europe, and married to an Ethiopian woman with whom he shares 3 kids.

The talk had, at times, turned into a heated debate where we both felt strongly about our views but yet remained respectful towards each other’s views.

We talked about so many issues, but the issue of aid to poor nations stood out the most. He happens to be a person who doesn’t believe in hand-outs. So i was forced to ask him, “why not help, if you can?”

Giving to those who are less fortunate is the greatest calling of humanity, in my opinion. And my friend ranted about all the money that was dumped into African nations for decades and how it hadn’t gotten Africa out of its misery.

Basically, he was saying we have nothing to show for all the help we had gotten so far. And that, maybe, we are not worthy of all the help we get. If anything, Africa had proven to be a failure, he says.

Now, i love to analyze someone’s statement and the root cause of his argument. And i believe in order to explain to him in a language he understands, i had to fully grasp his point of view from his stance.

Then, i carefully over time worked him back to one simple fact that would remain true. And that an african problem is his problem, if not his, it would be his kids or grand kids problem. If he and his folks think the African issue will not come back to haunt them, well odds are stacked against him.

With the 21st century and the war against terrorism, we have learned a cruciall lesson that a problem on the other end of the world can no longer be ignored. That’s the very reason why the U.S. has boots in Iraq and Afghanistan. So ignoring us is not going to help much.

But this is where my friend failed miserably - he failed to ask questions. He failed to ask questions about his own government and the effort they have put forth to tackle the Africa Dilemma.

Africa is a continent with a vast and complex problem. It needs more than funneling millions of dollars through organizations that are bureaucratic and have never failed to seize on their catastrophic strategy of solving the African issue.

Your money is not enough for us. We neeed assistance and a true one at that. We want you to pour your heart, energy and advanced technology into our continent, if your real intention is to help us.

Invest all your resources to analyze our situation by coming to our homes and walking a day in the life of an African. You can’t expect to solve our problems from the comfort of your chair from somewhere in distant Europe or U.S.

If you expect a society in which the majority is illiterate to do what it can’t, then you should do what you haven’t so far.

And that is - To Give Until It Hurts.

Trust me, only then would you see a true change in Africa. Until then don’t consider what you have done so far . . . giving. It is an insult to all people who think.

Discrimination in it s every form can be found within any society. But Ethnic discrimination is the worst of them all. And Ethiopians are not immune from this disease. Ethnic discrimination in Ethiopia has existed since the beginning of time.

For a country who is made up of at least 70 ethnic groups, Ethiopia has been the poster boy for ethnic discrimination.

What drove me to write this? The dilemma that faces Ethiopians as people and Ethiopia as a nation.

In 1993, the EPRDF has implemented ethnic based federalism. A plan crafted with the help of Washington, and was designed to devide and conquer the people of Ethiopia.

It is striking to realize that some part of our society had gladly accepted the plan to form their own nation (state) based on their ethnicity, culture and so forth. I will not name any ethnic groups here as my personal opinion is irrelevant compared to the big picture and problem that faces Ethiopians.

When the EPRDF introduced this form of running the government, i was not for it. But i must admit the genius of the Meles regime. They have taken advantage of a serious problem that has faced Ethiopia for the longest but was ignored by its people or its elected leaders.

We have the Oromo, the Amhara, the Gurage, the Tigrayans and all the others looking down on each other for as long as they have all existed. Am i lying here? I don’t think so.

Ethiopia is a nation where all the question that faces it today is solvable, BUT we have so far chosen to turn a blind eye to our problems and expect it to solve itself. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in your culture or language but raising an eye brow when you come across someone who speaks in a different language is a disease that needs tackling YESTERDAY.

The Meles regime had shown us we are a weak society and we have ourselves to blame. They have shown us that devide and conquer works, they had shown us that we are our ethnic group before we are Ethiopians.

Do you think this was created by Meles? If you do, you are yet to wake up. Meles and his gang has taken advantage of what has already existed for centuries.

The U.S. is a country under one flag. They are the United Sates of America, when we are the Devided States of Ethiopia.

So many Ethnic groups have their own tough questions that they ask themselves. Some ask why Amarigna is the chosen language of Ethiopians? Why is it we have Amraigna as our national language when we are made up of more than 70 ethnic groups? Ask yourslef, “Is it a valid question?”

I believe it is. I believe this was the work of certain ‘power groups’ in the past. When the whole education system for the last 50 plus years was designed to be taught in Amarigna, the Tigrayans may have a valid question when they say, “They are better when they learn in Tigrigna”, which is their spoken language.

And you can see how a certain ethnic group could feel injustice by somewhat little but overlooked issues as the above example.

No ethnic groups should be allowed to push an agenda based on the need of its ethnic group.

We are Ethiopians before we claim to be any ethnic group. I have been astounded by the many groups that the Ethiopians in diaspora seem to form. There are all this groups that stands for the causes of The Ogaden, The Oromia and Etc.

Ask yourself, “Do these folks have any one government to blame for their chosen isolation?”

I, personally, don’t think so. You can’t blame any given government for your devision, when you have a deeply rooted pride in your ethnic group. A pride that is worth nothing.

We all should rally behind our nation before we rally behind any ethnic group. Meles and Co. would be toppled some day, but Ethiopians will still have the problem of Ethnic Devision and Ethnic Discrimination.

And that’s the only fact that will remain to be true, unless we address it now without going to the finger-pointing.

We can blame this-ethnic-group or that-government for our problems, but i am afraid that will not lead us in finding the solution that we so desperately need and deserve as a nation.

In order to move forward and welcome our better days, we ought to tackle our problem of ethnic devision and discrimination with one voice as one people.

32.7% of Ethiopians are literate. No let me take it back because that doesn’t show the true picture.

67.30% of Ethiopians are illiterate. Now, THAT shows the true picture. And education is the foundation for everything. It all starts with picking up that  first book. With that said watch why Yohannes Gebregeorgis has been chosen as a CNN Hero.

One person, delivering books, and changing the lives of tens of thousand’s of kids. It makes you wonder what we are doing as a nation to help our youth.

President Kennedy said it perfectly: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”

With that said, watch Mr. Gebregeorgis and why he is a person we should all emulate.

I have been a fan of Prof. Sachs for the longest. Personally, i find him to be an inspiration, but more importantly here is a guy who had made it his life-time goal to fight for the very poor and the difficult isuues that face them on a daily basis like hunger, disease, and illiteracy.

For those of you who have never heard of Prof. Jeffrey Sachs - He is the author of the fascinting book The End Of Poverty, He is also known for his work with international agencies on problems of poverty reduction, debt cancellation, and disease control — especially HIV/AIDS, for the developing world.

He advocated distribution of free insecticide-treated bed nets to combat malaria. He is the only academic to have been repeatedly ranked among the world’s most influential people by Time magazine.

Here is his interview with Riz Khan.

Why is the price of gas sky high? I honestly can’t can tell you that it is all because of the threat that rich Arab countries face with alternative fuel.

Yes alternative fuel.

Fuel from corn, fuel from this and that. Maybe who knows fuel from Injera one day. But this is all a game. Arab nations control the output of oil, simple. If they choose to do so, they can pump as many barrels of oil as they wish in a single day. But they don’t want to do that.

Not when a close friend like the United States is publicly voicing their support for an alternative fuel. Shoot who wouldn’t want to be independent? The American politicians are finally tired of lying to their constituents by not telling them they can’t force rich Arab nations with oil to produce more of it.

So what does a nation like a Saudi does? They stick it to the people by producing less than they are capable and maximizing profit.

They make the money tha they could have made tomorrow by producing less today. Why? Because tomorrow is no longer guaranteed. Alternative fuel is the new phenomenon.

And once America starts producing its own fuel via alternative methods, then maybe it will see nations like Saudi Arabia for what they really are - True Enemies. Terrorists are born in Saudi. But we can’t shoot a single bullet in Saudi’s direction because of the power that comes with a nation that has a “Black Gold” or “Oil”.

Abesha Bunna Bet - is the name of this blog. It is weird, to say the least, to write about it. But i was forced to do this over recent comments that some people choose to leave.

I can go on down the list about the crazy comments that i seem to get. Some personal attacks. Some who can’t handle the truth. And some who are outright offended when i criticize certain things about my culture or my people.

 But i also come across equal number of people who i love to engage in a debate. They are smart, articulate and very much well reasoned.

Abesha Bunna Bet is not -

1. a place to leave your daily anger and frustrations.
2. a place to tell me to ‘kiss your behind’. After all, it is my house. Build your own house and run in it wild.
3. a place where you can come and tell me what i should say and should not say. Listen to yourself, you just might find it that you sound like a dictator. This is not the place for it. I can name few places where you can easily qualify for such a role.
4. And if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Let us cook and serve you with a three course meal. And yes, you must eat your salad last.
5. Finally, this is not a place where you can play ‘inka salamta’ with others who can logically differ with you.

Well, that says it all. It wasn’t too hard, was it?

Very simple. It is an Abesha Bunna Bet, not an ‘Abesha Tornnet Bet’.

That’s a question a gentleman asked me on a recent conversation. I can see his passion about the environment he lives in and i can respect his effort to help protect it.

But what gets me fuming is when these so-called environmentalists try to preach to me about the environment and how i am harming it, or how i am not doing enough to protect our environment.

Give me a break.

I am old school when it comes to the environment. First of all, the moment you open your mouth to preach to me about the environment i have muted you. It is so boring. I don’t know if it’s just me, but who cares. Certain things bore me.

I mean i was handed this world by the ones before me, and whatever they have given me i will use. In fact, i will use the heck out of it.

This environment issue is all a joke - a big fat joke.

And i will tell you what it is.

Al Gore and the Co. had made this scary movie (no pun intended) on how we must act now to protect out environment or else - i guess we will all what, die? I guess. I know this, Al Gore and his couple of buddies, by doing that sort of documentary, had accomplished one two things. He got uber rich. and he polluted the environment more by juggling back and forth via a private jet.

All this environment thing is like the religion Scientology that everybody in Hollywood seems to follow. For those of you who don’t know wat Scientology is - your guess is as good as mine. It is some kind of religion that Hollywood actors like Tom Cruise made famous by adopting it as their religion of choice. Whatever.

Do not tell me jack about the environment unless you get rid off poverty, AIDS, malaria, and illiteracy. I am too smart for this “green” and “world earth day” bull crap.

Green - is just a color. And World Earth Day is every day.

What, tomorrow you’re going to tell me what i should stop eating. Or are you going to tell me Levi’s jeans is bad for the environment and should be on my “doing my part” to protect my environment list.

I wonder if it ever crossed Al Gore’s mind that there isn’t a documentary nearly as successful about poverty as there is about the “Environment”. But hey the world we live in is too real. Al Gore will hang out with his elite scientists buddies who will have no idea what poverty is, but will have a lot to say about “our environment”.

Go screw yourself with that luxury worry of yours. Yes i said it. It is a luxury and less urgent issue to talk about when kids are dying in the millions around the world from lack of food.

As far as i am concerned i like learning abot new things and listening to people talk about some things that is educational to my little brain, but i am not so un-realistic as these folks either.

They have a term for people like the environmentalists who worry about some bull crap, we call them - “Out Of Touch”.

Is there such thing as crime of the century?

 If there is, for me, the recent news about an Austrian guy who raped his own daughter in the basement of his home will fit the description of ‘crime of the century’. He fathered and grandfathered these kids.

But it doesn’t stop at raping. This father raped his daughter, she gave bitrh to to 3 of his kids and his kids have never seen the sun light - never. Now THAT is crime of the century.

Talk about ‘hell on Earth’, this is it. This kids were born into absolute hell. His son of 18 years and the other 2 had never seen the sunlight.  Are you kidding me? I just can’t comprehend how someone can be that cruel.

Now what type of punishment fits his crime? I think God himself will shake his head when he comes across this guy on ‘Judgment Day’.

Just absolutely horrendous.

For those of you who missed on the news about this ‘knuckle head’, you can read it here.

Just like the rest of the world, i was shocked to learn about the recent unthinkable and heineous crime committed by Ethiopian soldiers inside a mosque in Somalia. Ethiopian soldiers have been for the longest accused of crimes like rape, torture and of course killings of innocent people.

But this recent development, where Ethiopian soldiers were accused of killing 21 people INSIDE a mosque in Somalia, tops it all.

This is a clear evidence of lack of responsibility and accountability. These soldiers are not scared of anything and are free to act as they please. If some soldier who had lost his mind decides to rape a grand mother, the least he is worried about is being brought to justice.

With such a freedom of do-what-you-please, the worst is yet to come in my opinion. I shutter at the the thought of soldiers marching in a house-of-God and spilling blood. I have never ever been ashamed of being an ethiopian, but this is the closest i have ever come to it.

Sure, these thugs don’t represent all the law abiding, God fearing and religious chiristians and muslims in Ethiopia. Nor does the terrorists who smear the names of all good Muslims, yet they still managed to damage the Islam religion.

Therefore, it is critical to have these gangsters punished to the full extent of the law. We have reached the tipping point by these recent action, and it is time that Meles explains and takes responsibility.

For how long are you going to deny every thing that is bad Mr. Zenawi? Your soldiers has marred the reputation of your presidency and has shamed us all as Ethiopians. You have perfectly followed the foot steps of your pre-decessor.

I don’t give a damn if you’re scared of admitting to the world media the actions of your soldiers, but make sure you take responsiblity. It is time to man-up. As much as you talk about your accomplishments, the failures are yours too whether you fess up or not.

Shame on you Ethiopian soldiers. Shame on you. You have managed to pull of the unthinkable. Now what? It will take generations to undo what you have done. This will not be forgotten in the minds of many Somalis, you wait and see.

Hundred’s of thousands have died in the darfur region and an equal number of people have suffered pain beyond description. You would think the world including the u.s. have learned a lesson from the Rwanda debacle, but to the contrary.

China is a major trade partner of Sudan and has played a trivial role in pressuring the Sudanese government and its draconian actions in Darfur. Just recently an envoy of China, Liu Guijin, has said activists are wrong in linking the Drafur issue with the Olympics.

Of course, like so many others who ignored us, it’s hard to expect for China to relate to Africa’s pain. Recently, Hillary Clinton had mentioned that President Bush shouldn’t attend the opening ceremony of the China olympics as a sign to show his disapproval of Chinese reluctance to pressure the Sudan government into submission.

What?

Are you serious? Africans (kids, moms, dads) are dying left and right and the best you can do is “BOYCOTT”.

Boycott? Kiss my black ass for those who don’t understand what it is like to have a loved one shot in the middle of the desert and not have the opportunity to bury their bodies. Not knowing what had happened to your loved one, and waking up every morning to some type of miracle to have your loved one be on the other end of the phone to tell you “he/she had made it”, is certainly not a way to live.

To all the leaders of civilized nations, on behalf of all Afrcans, i spit on your face.

Imagine for a second - Never Mind. Just boycott. Go ahead and boycott.

Go ahead and let our Arican brothers and sisters die while your boycott. Just think for a second, did you ever think that all of these would come back to haunt you? And when the day that Africans realize that they have a common enemy somewhere across the ocean, what would you do? You certainly can’t fight that war.

Wake up so-called civilized nations. Invest in african kids and save their precious gift of “life”. They will be thankful, and if you believe in God, he might pay you back for your good deed. africa’s future is every one’s future.

The self admitted 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is being represented by a U.S. Naval Officer lawyer. Here is a man who had engineered the 9/11 attack, as he says “from A-Z”, and now the U.S. is spending all its resources available to have this man convicted in the court of law.

Now where in the world would anyone get such a treatment? Every breath this guy takes is a gift from the U.S.

But it just goes to show that this is the only land in the world that such a thing is even conceivable. America through all its short comings is still a place where most would like to belong.

I know - i know -

Do not write me trying to tell me any different. You can point to - a case here and a case there - to justify your point of view about why America is completely the opposite of what i say it is, but in the end you’re just fooling yourself and you’re full of it.

Let me ask you, what is the alternative to America as a super power? Russia? Pakistan? Cuba? or Sudan? Take your pick.

If any of the above had a chance to be a super power of any kind, your clock would turned back at least 3 or 4 decades. You will be watching a black and white tv on your horse back. And cell phones would be only possible in your wild dreams.

And in any other part of the world, a coward like Khalid Sheik Mohammed, would be hanged and get pissed on at best. He would suffer a death that would be so slow that he would feel as if he has been killed twice.

Pick a 9/11 victim family and allow him to execute the guy in any way he/she chooses. The guy does not represent what Islam or any other religion preaches.

With every breath he is granted by america, i am sure he is thiking “this dumb Americans, they don’t even have the nerve to kill me”. I wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed? would Mr. Coward wait for the justice system to work?

In The U.S.

Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. Presidential Libraries preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

So why don’t we have Presidential Libraries in Ethiopia? And if we had them what would the public learn from them?

Pretty much a lot of violence.

Presidential Libraries could educate the public in an unforgettable fashion. The experience to walk into one and see for yourself a file bearing your President’s signature on a historical and landmark decision is a life time experience.

It would take a great deal of courage for any African leader to have his own Presidential Library. Displaying documentation and artifacts that are both good and bad can be a tough pill to swallow. But the bigger picture is the public would learn from both their leaders’ success and failures.

And most importantly from the failures. That would help the next generation of leaders not to go back to the failed tactics and decisions that their predecessors have made.

Most of all, Presidential Libraries are there forever. It is an intimate way of teaching the generations to come about the leaders that have come and passed in their nation. And what each leader had accomplished for his country.

I am an Ethiopian, but i could hardly go back and name all leaders of my nation. I think i would have a hard time to name more than 7 without messing up on their chronological order.

That’s why i believe Ethiopia should be open to such type of intimacy between the people and their Presidents. Let’s take all the important artifacts in our different museums and build a Presidential Library for each of the leaders in the past. Menilik’s artifacts should go to Menilik’s Presidential Library and Hailesilssie’s artifacts and documnets should go to Hailesilassie’s Presidential Library, and so on.

However barbaric and miserable most Ethiopian leaders might have been, our children could learn a great deal from their short comings then they could from their measly achievements.

Presidency equals power. And power is something every African politician desperately needs and gets addicted to. That’s why so-called democratic elections in Africa are at the least Un-Democratic. Therefore Ethiopia is not immune from such type of un-democratic elections.

The fact is, Ethiopia will once again find itself in a historical election in 2010. Only this time the 2010 presidential elections of Ethiopia will be more historical than any in the country’s history.

Ethiopia’s near and long term success hangs, more than any other time,  on the outcome of this historical election. And people around the world will be keenly interested in Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s exit, as this term would serve as his last. Would he hand power to one of his puppets? Would he still be interested in seeking some type of position that would allow him to make executive decisions, as it is the case with Russia and Putin’s thirst for power? Or would he gracefully leave and let the political system that he so much bragged about do the work?

As we all know, Ethiopia’s 2005 election and its aftermath was far from a democratic one. In parts of the country, election results and/or votes had been rigged. Opposition party leaders were threatened and has been put in jail over trumped up charges.

Premier Zenawi, who was once praised as ‘the next generation of African leaders’ by Tony Blair, had chosen to play dirty politics in the 2005 election.

And the so-called opposition groups, mainly KINIJIT (CUD), had been equally disastrous in their judgment and lack of loyalty to the people that were willing to die for their bogus and self-fulfilling ambitions.

And the current fight between Kinijit political members further magnifies their fraud political group.

Since Mr. Zenawi is no longer eligible to run for another term and with the opposition party in shambles, who’s going to be the next leader of Ethiopia?

Most people have no clue as to how this is going to unfold and who the primary candidates would be. And for this very reason the 2010 Ethiopian Election would be one destined for the history books.

The group (EPRDF), led by Mr. Zenawi, is certain to groom one of their own from within to challenge any opposition that might arise from now until the election.

The question is, who would be the opposition party this time around? Who would it consist? Would the opposition be fictionally created by some power hungry groups or would it be a legitimate group that would finally promise Ethiopians a trustworthy leader? Better yet, after the 2005 election debacle, would the people care to even vote?

The uncertainty and expectation is undoubtedly huge. And that’s why the 2010 Ethiopian Presidential Election would be much more important than any other election in the history of our nation.

Change is good and must be welcomed. But a bad change (or another dictator) can turn back Ethiopia’s clock 20 or 30 years, and the change we seek must be one that we deserve. Thus it must be the right change.

On the other hand, a brilliantly orchestrated, peaceful and democratic election can change the fate of, approximately, 80 million people. Realistically speaking, all of that is a wishful thinking.

When all is said and done, the 2010 election’s outcome would be one that would be remembered for fraud, accusations, blame, violence, and bloodshed.

The people of my nation would once again feel like worthless citizens whose vote is nothing but a waste of time and life, for the unlucky ones. We can’t expect to have a peaceful and historical election with out laying the required foundation today that would guarantee such a result.

We must start discussing our future today. If anyone or party is going to participate in the 2010 election, you must take the time now to know your people and the issues that matters to their family. We don’t want you to promise anything that you can’t deliver. As it is we have believed so many of you frauds, and we’ve been let down one too many time.

And for the people, we must be very careful when we participate in our politics. We have to be aware of the many hungry groups that are nothing but ‘full of false promises’.

The 2010 Ethiopian presidential Election will no doubt be of great importance for our people and the rest of the world. The rest of the world would have interest in this outcome, as a crisis in Ethiopia can very much create a chaos through out the African Horn.

Let’s take the case in the U.S. The government taxes its businesses and people and then tax money is used to build numerous public infrastructures.

You can see many evidence of how tax money is being spent, and wisely at that. Tax money can be seen being spent on building schools, highways, hospitals as well as pay for public servants like police and the fire department.

But in Ethiopia tax money is used for i-don’t-know-what.. I was born and raised in a small city in Ethiopia. Growing up, i have never seen a single new school or hospital or a a road being built.

Ethiopia is one of the African nations that receives aid and assistance from the world bank and other western nations.

Yet with all that aid plus the taxes Ethiopians pay, we seem to be struggling year in and year out. Where does all that money go? Last i checked, the prime responsibility of a government is its people.

The amount of money that seems to disappear is a staggering sum. Where is it all going? Are our parliament leader just figure-heads that just occupy and fill out their assigned seats??

Why do they lack the chutzpah to ask for accounting of all our tax money? These people are elected by their constituents to represent them and to ask the tough questions on their behalf.

Where is the accountability?

How is a city, like the one i was raised in, unable to have a single new public school in more than quarter a century? The roads are the same. The conditions of the hospitals are only getting worse. The economy is in shambles. Police is corrupt. And our leaders are anything but leaders.

If i was to honestly answer as to where our tax money had so far gone, i would say it has been spent in useless wars and some of it can be found in off-shore accounts of our corrupt leaders.

I can’t bear the thought of Ethiopians having to starve while corrupt officials are sending their children to private schools.

I recently read a press release that Ethiopians living in Pennsylvania are participating in the primaries to be held in their state. Supposedly, groups of Ethiopians were taking the time to phone Ethio-Americans in living in that state.

The calls were being made to encourage them to vote for Obama.

I took away 2 things from that press release.

1. Now, more than ever, i realized that the Obama craze is for real and that it is a force to be reckoned with. There is one thing that this guy has in abundance - “the ability to inspire others”. People who could care less about politics in the past are now inspired to do something about the politics of this nation. Obama does not only inspire others, but his message seems to hit home faster than you can say ‘Obama’. And more than any other politician in history, he has the ability to unite any divide and transcend age, race and gender.
2. Something else hit me hard. Ethiopians being encouraged to vote for Obama.

I have always been wary of popular figures. Nothing is wrong with being popular, but sometimes it can sway your decision making.

Nothing is more dangerous than people who vote with their heart and not their mind. After reading the press release, i was left to wonder if Ethio-Americans were going to participate in this primary due to ‘Obama’ or ‘the issues’.

If Ethio-Americans vote based on the prior, then we have a problem guys. I am very familiar with the reality of race in America. It is no secret that most blacks, including Ethiopians, would rather see one of their own making history.

But you should never choose race over good judgment. That is the main ingredient for disaster.

As a society, in the end, we are left with answering to our conscience. We can’t afford to be a society that overlooks substance and facts. And if everything that i have read in that press release comes to fruition, when it is all said and done, we would have overwhelmingly voted for Obama. And that would have made us a society that is blinded by popularity.

Never been to Pennsylvania myself, but from my understanding of the press release there are enough Ethiopians in the state to shift the outcome of the primaries in that state in Obama’s favor.

I have yet to see a group of Ethiopians strongly supporting and rallying behind Hillary. What? Do all Ethiopians detest Hillary? You know that can’t be true.

And that has forced me to ask myself some tough questions. and that is - “As a society are we lacking behind so far that we could easily be manipulated?”

The fact is we know better than that.

Ethiopians. We are not a bunch of herds that needs direction. We can not be told by any group (Ethiopians or not) who to vote for with out being told why. And the ‘why’ should be answered by our individual research, and not by folks who wish to take advantage of us based on heritage. Just because i speak your language doesn’t give you the right to tell me who to vote for with out you bothering to take the time to explain why.

Even though, i am elated to see my fellow country men participate in the U.S. political system, i am afraid to tell you that what i read on that press release is a very dangerous way of taking part in politics.

I know you can’t help it but be pulled by the Obama magnet. He is a guy i personally marvel. He is an eloquent speaker, inspiring and sensationally smart.

But if we MUST vote, his message would need to make sense to us Ethiopians.

We ought to vote with our mind and not our heart. When we do that, we would have accomplished something we can be proud of.

We are a passionate and smart bunch. Our good days is ahead of us. If we make smart decisions, we would be even more powerful in the political system of this nation.

We can’t achieve a strong voice if we vote uniformly. That would make us susceptible to abuse and we would be taken advantage of. When we say something, it must mean something. If that’s the case, we would be a voice that politicians would seek and want to hear from.

With that said, go and vote. But forget taking part in history by voting for ‘ a black guy’ or ‘a woman’. That doesn’t affect us. Dig into the issues of each candidate.

The issues that matter to us.

And that’s my last word - - -

What say you?

How do two people who call themselves cousins disagree on so much and so often? I have for the longest believed Eritrea has one of the worst leaders in the world. Not that i am saying Premier Meles of Ethiopia is an angel, but the Eritrean leader on a different level of dictatorship on his own.

Isayas Afeworki of Eritrea runs his nation with an aboslute dictatorship and tyranny.

Eritrea is a nation with no constitution and Isayas Afeworki serves as the President of Eritrea with no limitations to his term. In layman terms, Isayas would like to be the leader of Eritrea for life or until he chooses to retire.

Here is a man who isolated his nation and its people from the outside world and thinks of himself as doing his people a service for doing so. He has also managed, with his counterpart in Ethiopia, to isolate Eritreans from Ethiopia.

This is a fact: Yes i am an Ethiopian. But my lack of respect for Mr. Afeworki does not stem from me being an Ethiopia. Not at all.

With that said, i have no respect for the Eritrean leader and i detest his numerous mental collapse and horrible judgments.

For a poor nation, he had so far managed to assemble a large  military by the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, who are ready to fire on a moments notice. By large these are young men and women.

He had made it a goal of his to kill Ethiopians where-ever he finds them, as seems to be the case in Somalia. He has provided both material and military support to the Somali terrorist groups.

While he is killing Ethiopians, his people and nation are one bad decision away from going under the water. I am never one to talk down my Eritrean brothers and sisters, but i get furious every time i hear an Eritrean defend the action of this tyrant. It can’t be possible that this idiot has the power to convince anyone. I don’t see it. Just look at your nation and ask yourself ‘if as a nation you could do better?’

A leader like Mr. Afeworki that can’t imagine himself without power is a dictator by default.

So why should Ethiopia let this lunatic allow to kill its soldiers? He had already showed, in Somalia, the distance he is willing to travel to kill an Ethiopian. We also know his unstable psyche.

So what is Ethiopia waiting for? Should we not grab this ‘mad man’ from Asmara. We have the military might to go after anyone we choose. But, for some crazy reason, it is easy for us to invade a sovereign nation like Somalia, but Eritrea? Oh no we have to wait until they do something draconian for us to even think of using our military, as our Premier indicated.

Mr. Zenawi, as far as i am concerned, your enemy is located to the North. I am afraid your compass had directed you to the wrong direction. But even worse your enemy has come to your current location of Somalia and had made fun of you by killing your soldiers that, by the way, you don’t care about.

Sir, if i am the leader of my nation and anyone kills the most honorable of its people (my military men and women) , then someone would be held accountable.

Conventional wisdom would tell you to not fight your neighbors as you would only embarrass yourself and your nation.

But if you must - if you MUST - go to war and put the lives of your people on the line, you must head North. Just march through Eritrea and head to Asmara and grab that bastard out of his comfort of his palace.

No Ethiopian soldier should be killed in a direct or indirect way (which is the case in Somalia).

I don’t advocate war.  I don’t believe wars solve anything in the end. But i don’t also enjoy to sit and watch when a country has waged a secret war on Ethiopia, which i believe to be the case with Eritrea killing Ethiopians in Somalia.

But this is politics. Mr. Zenawi can’t imagine Eritrea’s blood on his hands while 400, 000 Somalians in refuge camps is jsut business-as-usual for him.

You have it all wrong. You can’t chase an enemy that you don’t see as you have in Somalia. If you want to play ball with the big boys, then Eritrea’s leader is really waiting to see what you are made of.

So are you up to the task?

You read the headline right? What did you think of it? Well when i first read the headline and before i read the article, i didnt know what to make out of it.

But once i read the article, i had mixed feelings about the author. I thought he raised great questions and makes some valid accusations, his insistence on what Europeans should to Ethiopia with a disregard to the people is simply blind and stupid. The accusations he makes against the government is fine with me, but any action by Europeans and the outside world that would endanger the peoples lives is even more dangerous than the action the writer of this articles accuses of the Ethiopian government.

Enough said, Here is the story,

Why Europe Cannot Tolerate the Existence of ´Ethiopia´

Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

March 30, 2008

At the moment Europe tries to present viable projects of cooperation and partnership with various countries in the Middle East and Africa, the worst replica of Neo-Nazi Germany survives in the Horn of Africa, plunging various local nations to inhuman tyranny, unprecedented deprivation, total poverty, and utmost starvation.

The ominous tribal tyranny represents ca. 17 – 18% of the country´s population (namely the Monophysitic Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians), and threatens the global security by radicalizing a great number of African Muslim nations, who cannot possibly accept the perpetuation of a racist regime in their lands.

Under monarchical (Menelik to Haile Selassie), communist (Mengistu) or pseudo–republican (Meles Zenawi) mask, Abyssinia (fallaciously re-baptized as ´Ethiopia´) pursued severely racist and definitely genocidal policies against a multitude of nations, namely the Somalis (Ogadenis included), the Oromos, the Afars, the Sidamas, the Anuak, the Shekachos, the Kaffas, the Agaws, the Kambatas, the Wolayitas, and others.

The racist and genocidal cynicism of the Abyssinian butchery has not stopped, even for a second, over the span of 150 years. It is revealed through the following practices:

1. Extensive massacres of subjugated peoples

2. Slave trade

3. Total prohibition of the use and the study of the languages of the subjugated peoples

4. Grave disrespect for the religious systems adopted by the subjugated peoples, and abhorrent desecration of their holy places and shrines

5. Imposition of education exclusively in Abyssinian languages (Amharic and Tigrinya)

6. Expropriation of the natural resources and lands that belonged to the subjugated peoples

7. Enforced installation of illegal Amhara and Tigray settlers in the occupied territories

8. Selection of a small number of volunteering traitors among the subjugated nations, who are customarily promoted to “representatives” of the invaded lands in the so-called local administration and the central government (in exchange of material goods and better conditions of daily life)

9. Overwhelming discrimination against all the subjugated nations who have been ceaselessly misrepresented at the level of the central administration, the state machine, the army, and the corps diplomatique

10. Ulcerous, revengeful policies toward all those who rejected the Amhara – Tigray tyranny, involving extrajudicial killings, long imprisonment, cruel torture practices, and total lack of tolerance in any aspect

11. Prohibition of any publication in languages other than Amharic and Tigrinya. This measure has been prolonged until today with the exception of Somali and Oromo languages, which have been recently allowed, under condition that the texts printed straightforwardly oppose the general and overwhelming desire of all the Oromos and all the Ogadeni Somalis for secession, freedom and national independence.

12. Totalitarian imposition of a perversely and discriminatorily falsified version of Eastern African History as State Dogma of Amhara / Tigray Supremacy that compared with the Nazi theories makes of Hitler´s doctrine a modest and moderate system.

Europe cannot accept that trivialized forms of barbarism, racism and absolute darkness are diffused from the so-called universities of ´Ethiopia´.

Europe cannot tolerate the prevalence of the racist theory of one ´Ethiopian´ nation, as this idea demonstrates clearly the Neo-Nazi identity of the Abyssinian elites.

Europe cannot allow the subjugated nations of Neo-Nazi ´Ethiopia´ be fallaciously represented by their cruel invaders, who want to exterminate them, or by selected (by the invaders and therefore totally unrepresentative) traitors, who just for little money misrepresent their nations to please their masters.

Remove the unrepresentative ´Ethiopian´ embassies of inhuman tyranny!

Europe cannot accept on its soil the Neo-Nazi tumors of the ´Ethiopian´ embassies as their staff is composed (up to 90 to 95%) by representatives of the Monophysitic Amharas and Tigrays, who represent no more than 18% of the country´s total population.

When 82% of the country´s population – which is ethnically, linguistically, culturally and religiously very different from the rest – is represented at the level of the diplomatic offices of their own country by no more than 5% of the staff, one gets a clear idea that the embassies of the Hell ´Ethiopia´ sully, tarnish, dishonor, and discredit the European soil.

The sheer deterioration of the aforementioned situation, particularly in Ogaden, is an indication that the European Union must take action immediately.

The tribal thugs of Meles Zenawi, impersonating the ´national´ army of ´Ethiopia´ perform abhorrent acts, breaching even the codes of cannibalistic societies. They rape Ogadeni women, kill them and throw their dead bodies to feed hyenas; they kill indiscriminately anyone they like in the streets of the towns of Ogaden.

The criminal state of ´Ethiopia´ is Ogaden´s most passionate enemy, as the Neo-Nazi gangsters of the Zenawi administration and their iconic opposition, Kinijit, want to evacuate the entire Ogadeni population (ca 5.5 million people) and keep Ogaden´s landmass under control in order to exploit the oil-rich soil.

Worse than Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein, Meles Zenawi prevents humanitarian help from reaching the needy Ogadenis, having also imposed a trade embargo to Ogaden in order to intentionally provoke generalized starvation and massive extinction of the Ogadeni population. This act alone identifies Meles Zenawi as the world´s most wanted gangster and his administration and tribe as threat to the Mankind.

Intentional Genocide through Dehydration

I will publish here an excerpt from a petition handed over by the Ogaden Communities in Europe to Mr. Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, during the demonstration of the Somali Ogaden Diaspora in front of the European Council, Brussels, on Mars 28th 2008.

This excerpt bears witness to intentional, premeditated, and predetermined acts of Genocide carried out by the tyrannical and racist government of ´Ethiopia´; the European Union should form its African policy in the light of this text, and the evidence therein contained. The petition excerpt reads as follows:

“The latest victim of Ethiopian criminal act is the community of Wayla-lagu-xidh. On the 16th of March 2008, the Ethiopian army brought army water tankers and pumped the water from the last artificial Water reservoir (Barkad) in the village. The water reservoir was owned by a man called Dayib Abdi Omar. After filling their water tankers they pumped the rest of the water to the field nearby. The villagers including children and vulnerable elders were left waterless. The nearest water point to the area is about 20 miles in Nus-dariq where there is an Ethiopian army garrison under their control.

This monstrous act committed at the height of the Jilal dry season where there is an active famine is intended to punish the villagers for refusing to bring militias to fight the ONLF. The Irony of this act is demonstrated by the fact that this same government declared a few weeks ago that it needed four million US dollars in order to alleviate the water shortage in the Ogaden rural communities due to the extended dry season”.

Instant European Reactions Against the Criminal, Neo-Nazi State ´Ethiopia´

European Union´s top instances should deliberate on the issue and immediately from a Humanitarian Committee to investigate the issue onsite.

The European Union should recognize the Ogaden National Liberation Front as the only rightful representative of the Ogadeni Somali Nation.

The European Union should degrade the level of the ´Ethiopian´ pseudo-embassies, denounce their lack of representativity, and consult with all the separatist and secessionist movements and liberation fronts of all the other tyrannized nations of ´Ethiopia´.

The European Union should demand immediate and uncontrolled access to any place in Ogaden for all the world´s NGOs and humanitarian agencies.

In case of ´Ethiopian´ disagreement, the European Union closely working with America should propose, obtain and implement a UN Security Council resolution providing for

1. total embargo on ´Ethiopia´,

2. immediate retreat of all forces loyal to the ´Ethiopian´ government from Ogaden,

3. subsequent deployment of UN – AU forces throughout Ogaden, and

4. free referendum for secession – national independence.

The gangster state ´Ethiopia´ must be decomposed and broken down to ten pieces, and all the oppressed nations that have been held captive therein must be liberated.

There you have it. He seems utterly blind in his view when he talks about Ethiopia with out differentiating the people from the government.