Bad BAd BAD news in Zimbabwe, again.

A day or so ago, the main presidential opposition contender was detained for several hours, being told that there's a prohibition on campaigning, even though the so-called run-off election is only a few weeks away.

And here's a report from AP i think: U.S. and European Embassy officials out on a fact-finding investigation into political violence targeting opposition supporters was itself attacked and a U.S. Embassy official was reportedly beaten. Apparently, they are still being held!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080605/ap_on_re_af/zimbabwe

The election is widely believed to have bee won by the opposition but the official electoral commission held the results for a month or so even though they were supposed to give the results in a few days or weeks.

Following in the footsteps of Kenya!

These "electoral commissioners" assets should be frozen and Mugabe ought t be charged with war crimes.

"Wiretaps up, terrorism prosecutions down"
http://government.zdnet.com/?p=3805

So a new drug bust in San Diego netting something on the order of 75 students...

Manhattan's statistics show NYC to be one of the pot-bust capitals of the world...

Incarceration rates in the U.S.A. are the highest in the world, topping even those of China's, and the main culprit is the drug war, our jails filled with non-violent offenders, busted for a joint...

And we all know that jail is the graduate school for criminal activity - one of its most famous graduates? the Medellín Cartel.

None of the top contenders even allow the word decriminalization cross their lips, although most lawmakers KNOW that the drug war is a bust.

Poor John Q. So tired that s/he needs blogs to sleep in.

In the meantime, Zimbabwean opposition rallies, southern African states appear to finally be paying attention, and Mugabe is probably figuring out how to freak the opposition out so badly that they go away. Or how to co-opt them.

Oh I get it, Mr. Q: All Z's, No W.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CBGMW86u1Qk

Ministry's on their final tour. Catch 'em if you can.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........................

You're absolutely right Sir, people tend to think that what the U.S. Congress does or chooses not to do regarding the international community doesn't mean much, this is due to the lack of media coverage which in America tends to translate to lack of importance, a very sad reality and one that doesn't look to have any hope of improvement. Thanks for calling out the liar.

Hate to quote myself but: "It will be interesting to see the eventual result of comments like these from the ruling party: Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga dismissed the fears of violence as "a lot of nonsense." "Zimbabwe held a very peaceful election. There was no violence, nobody was killed," he told Sky Television."

Now this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080420/ts_af...votesafricaviolence

More lies

Mugabe once was a great liberator and a great man, but as with just about everyone, power corrupts, and all he seems to care about is clinging to power, and more than likely, escaping criminal prosecution.

What's unconscionable is how many people have turned a blind eye, from South Africa's Mbeki to apparently some in the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus.

Reminds me of former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley-Braun's blind eye to the killings in Nigeria. A good thing happened when she was nailed for corruption. And to top it off, she runs for President during the last election cycle. Hence her place of honor on the cover of our CD, LIES.

Back to Zimbabwe, just curious, wasn't Mugabe thought of once as a hero and liberator? What does the opposition propose to fix the horrible economic situation there?

Just a test

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Some Ecuadorean defenders just got the Goldman Environmental Prize for their environmental defense against Chevron, and Chevron apparently went on PR overdrive.

so back to BIII's question,

here's a link to the U.S. Embassy in Harare, where you can see their statements on the situation.

http://harare.usembassy.gov/

Don't know the answer to BIII's question. My guess is that the official US line is against Mugabe. My guess is that in this case, my position might be close to that of the U.S. Government.

More on continuing violence in Zimbabwe. This is going from grim to grimmer:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080408/ap_on_.../zimbabwe_elections

Who is the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe? Any comments from their office?

It will be interesting to see the eventual result of comments like these from the ruling party: Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga dismissed the fears of violence as "a lot of nonsense." "Zimbabwe held a very peaceful election. There was no violence, nobody was killed," he told Sky Television.

Continuing bad news in Zimbabwe.

The opposition was barred from entering the courts to lodge a suit to force the electoral commission to issue its results.

What is it with these electoral commissions?

The assets of commissioners who engage in electoral fraud should be frozen and visas for entry anywhere suspended! We could start with the commissioner in Kenya who to this day has no regrets about the debacle he oversaw, triggering the worst violence in recent history.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080405/ap_on_.../zimbabwe_elections

WHO'S A PATRIOT?

    In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines. In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
 
The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.. . .
 
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
 
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
 
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.
 
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.


LAWRENCE KORB AND IAN MOSS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ope...03,0,92000.story>;