http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD3p_g2jXh8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWizWYZtGbI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdxugg9Q18o

McCain has been very weak on these attacks and Palin has largely incited them.

Remember when McCain talked down a supporter who said Obama was a muslim – McCain said he was not a Muslim he is a “good man”

Regards the one drop comment – I was merely providing the historical context I am not sure how this constitutes “whinging”.

There are a number of ways we can respond to racism – pretending nobody cares is unfortunately not one of them. There are unfortunately too many people in this world who do and base their decision making on race.

I wholeheartedly agree with your last statement

Rgds

As to the “one drop rule” I suggest you might want to stop whining about policies that were last seen before Ian Smith took over what was to become Zimbabwe. Racism exists in the United States, it always has and it always will. People of all races engage in it. As they do in every country in the world. Our best hope is that they will become fewer and milder as time goes by. In most cases persons of mixed race in America define themselves by appearance. And mostly, no one cares.

I hope that no one imposes on Zimbabwe , or any other country, a government that does not reflect its people. I hope the SADC talks provide a path to a democratic and responsive government in Zimbabwe. In this we can agree if in little else. I wish you and Zimbabwe nothing but the best but if you or the country does something I feel is unwise I will say so. I would never dream of imposing my opinion on you but I will state it. I expect you to do no less.

With best regards,
Ken Hahn

Regarding slavery – slavery was legal in America from the early 1600′s. Just because the entity we now know as the USA did not exist then does not mean that slavery didn’t. Also the fact that other people engaged in slavery in no way excuses America’s participation. Yes i do commend America for trying to overcome this legacy and that was my point in mentioning it.

Regards Obama’s race, America broadly speaking employs the “One drop” rule meaning that if you have one drop of black lood in you you are black. This was done to discourage race mixig basically by saying if your kid is black he or she will lose wll the priveleges of being white so don’t do it. Most of the rest of the world uses Coloured or Mulato status which basically acknowledges mixed heritage.

Finally my point in the article was to state that Zimbabweans should not allow SADC to impose a government upon them. They or rather we should be afforded the right to choose who we want to lead us just like Americans are. I look forward to the day when race or tribe or liberation war credentials have less influence on our decisions in Zim and we move away from election by negotiation.

Your equating Abu Ghraib with Guantanamo is not only factually incorrect but totally offensive. Abu Ghraib was shameful and any right thinking person condemns the actions there. The US military reported AG to the press and began prosecutions before the story became the current cause of the American media. No group of illegal combatants in history has been treated as well as those confined at Gitmo. Realistically and legally, those who ended up there could have been summarily shot at capture. Would you prefer that? No one has ever granted full legal rights to legal enemy combatants but we are told that it’s an atrocity to confine, in very comfortable circumstances, people who are by the standards of the Geneva Conventions war criminals.

If another attack, like that of 9/11/2001 happens and Obama responds with less vigor than Bush, he will have a very short and miserable Presidency. And after he is gone, the attackers will be paid back. With interest.

It is rather ironic, but Bush took a pretty strong stance on Zimbabwe. Axis of evil speach etc…plus those dreaded pesky “sanctions”. I don’t quite see the Democrat adminsitration paying much interest to Zimbabwe. So Ken, I agree, even though I think Bush was a disaster throughout his term (apart from Iraq**) he was actually pretty strong on Zimbabwe.

**he got rid of a dictator!…I can’t call for regime change in one country and then moan about it actually happening in another…Just the fact he was Bush..and the reasons for Iraq war were very dubious and aftermath of Abu Ghraib/Guantanamo were shameful.

From my perspective the system worked pretty well. There were irregularities in Florida as there always are in an election as large and complex as this.

In favor of the Democrats:
Palm Beach County had really terrible ballots that probably cost Vice President Gore some votes. Miami-Dade County had issues which are to be expect in large cities. More poor and minority citizens were affected by the problems in the four Counties the Democrats wanted to recount.

In favor of the Republicans:
Both Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County were run by Democrats. The President, Bill Clinton was a Democrat. Local Democratic officials had done their best to suppress the military absentee ballots. The networks called the State for Gore before the polls closed in the western part of Florida, which coincidentally is the most Republican part of the State. A recount of the whole State might have actually produced a greater Republican majority. The Florida Supreme Court ignored Florida law in backing the Democratic position.

As an American, I ask you why Florida is important to people in other countries? I would really like to know.

Quoting Ken Hahn –
My only point is that there are many people in the United States who support a free and democratic Zimbabwe who did not support Senator Obama.

An opinion piece that supports one candidate more than another is always going to win claps from readers who also like that candidate. In this country, dislike for Mugabe’s treatment of Zimbabwe crosses all political differences.

I am nit-picking, but I don’t get why Obama is ‘black’ when he is 50% ‘white’? I think its better for ‘race issues’ if he was judged as a man and a person, and not a black guy. Did this ever come up in America?

Also, if most black Americans voted for Obama, can we describe them as racist because they wouldn’t vote for the white man? I am sure that if most white people voted only for McCain and nearly none for Obama then this would have been held up as evidence of racism. I am not the only one among my friends who has these questions by the way. We all need to stop being ‘black’ / ‘white’ and be people instead.

The only thing that I was watching for was the Florida thing when Bush was first elected. I did not care who got elected because both men seem to be sensible enough but I wanted to see an election with no partisan manipulations going on. I was still in Zimbabwe when Florida happened. People being killed and farms invaded and elections rigged here. I felt so disappointed and let down by Florida. I think I will watch every American election remembering Florida. I am interested to know if Americans ever understood how big a deal that was for countries like ours?

I doubt seriously that any American President can do much to help the people of Zimbabwe. Mugabe is anti US and if the MDC is also, our influence for progress is nonexistent. Any overt act by any American government, whether headed by George Bush or Barack Obama would be denounced by all sides as a form of colonialism. The US government can offer only moral support and I doubt that a President Obama could offer more than President Bush.

I can only pray that liberty and peace come to Zimbabwe and that they do not come at the cost of hatred of the United States. My country has may flaws but it has generous people and an optimism that freedom will eventually prevail. If you do not let Senator Obama’s charisma blind you, you will find that all sides in the US are with you. We only ask, that when commenting on US politics, you remember that you have friends in all factions.

All the best to you

As to the race question … I personally can’t see how the colour of Mr Obama’s skin will be an advantage to the Zimbabwe situation. Nearly all of our senior opposition figures are black, of African descent – Zimbabwean descent even – and it has no positive impact on Mugabe. Tsvangirai has been called a ‘tea-boy’ because he doesn’t toe the Dictator’s line. I expect Mr Obama will be similarly attacked should he ever speak out on behalf of all Zimbabweans.

Mugabe is not a fan of anyone who expresses negative views about him or his party. White leaders are called ‘imperialists’ or ‘colonisers’. I’m guessing the rude term ‘Uncle Tom’ will be reserved for Mr Obama, his skin colour dictating the terms of the insult. Mugabe is good at that.

Hope

Zimbabwe deserves better than it has. It’s best chance to get better is to stop believing the myths that only in the West did slavery exist. Africans have been enslaved by Asians, Arabs and above all else other Africans. Bulawayo: You seem to think that the 300 years in America ( of which only 89 years was in the independent US ) is much worse than 1400 years of Arab or thousands of years of African tribal slavery. Sorry, slavery has been endemic in human affairs for a long time. At least America is trying to overcome the heritage.

If taken to its logical conclusion, one could say with some conviction, that Mugabe and his regime, aided and abetted by the majority of the SADC, is to all intents and purposes now nothing more than an enemy occupying force in his own country. Bizarre, but true.