Dear Trumpers, Wildmen, Militias and you famous Deplorables. This blog’s for you.
A couple days ago Kenya’s Daniel arap Moi died. I watched a lot of people like Moi in my 50 years in Africa. As an outsider I can tell you something about them. Just like as a nonTrumper I can tell you something about Trump. You might want to read this.
Jacob Zuma’s seven years as South Africa’s president was one scandal after another and constantly indecent. His nepotistic appointments led to random deregulation that has actually caused escalating power outages and food shortages. His potbelly of corruption despoils the word “emoluments” and now finally South Africans want to bring him to justice.
And they can’t find him.
If you believe that there is too much immigration into the United States, then Friday’s announcement imposing additional immigration restraints on six countries including Nigeria and Tanzania looks reasonable.
But the reasons given by Homeland Security are not reasonable, they’re nonsense. The halfwits in the Trump administration are learning the ropes. They’re becoming just as politically agile as any of the reptile predecessors they promised to sweep away.
You’re probably reading this on Facebook. Well if so, buckle up. Time’s are a changin’.
I can tell from the stirrings on the African continent, grossed up by European sentiment first started in Ireland, that serious social media regulation is on the way.
So I wanted to write a blog this morning about all the African leaders who lied, making comparisons with Trump of course. Couldn’t come up with much, actually. Dictators generally don’t have to lie.
Walifundisha sisi na macho yet yamefungwa. Tulipowafungua, walikuwa na ardhi na tulikuwa na Biblia.
Moments of human greatness often come in speeches. They lose a little each time they’re replayed or recounted from one person to another or translated through languages, because each language has a unique tonality, syntax and onomatopoeia – an unique style for their own unique talk.
Party power controls democracy. Elections make the final decisions but to get onto the ballot you have to go through the party.
Independents have a slightly greater shot in America where primary elections aren’t closed exclusively to registered party nominees but it’s rare in America that an “independent” who caucuses as a Democrat is challenged by a Democrat in the primary.
Five days after Solemaini was killed the UN Security council convened a special meeting for the escalating terrorism in Africa’s Sahel.
Speaker after speaker noted how terrorists are winning military conflicts in the region and that basically, the UN had to beef up its military peace-keepers in the area.
Then came the U.S.’ turn to speak.
Empowered by their greater morality, three of Africa’s most important countries are giving America the finger.
Last year was different as small and developing countries in particular seemed to kowtow to Trump’s self-styled Mother Superior attitude towards them. But the killing of Solemaini seems to have broken that spell.
Something bad is happening and Africa is the bellwether. A couple specific events that I’ve chosen to discuss below in Kenya and Nigeria suggest security is failing or at least being so stressed it’s not working well.
And these events are but a drop in the ocean of what must be happening throughout Africa, likely the world. Something bad is happening.
Not so long ago I was lazily swinging in a hammock in Manda Bay. My son and his girlfriend were blithely watching the sunset over the island from their open verandah above me. Yesterday, terrorists blew up that place, now an American air base.
Readers of my blog won’t be surprised there’s an American air base in Kenya, since I’ve been writing critically about American troops in the area for nearly a decade. But what happened Sunday is a perfect example of American policy unweaving all over the place. We’re unscrewing the lid on terrorism.
The long Christmas holiday in America starts soon and goes right through next week because of the day-of-the-week that Christmas lands. It’s one of the biggest end-of-the-year travel periods in decades because of this as well.
But somehow it doesn’t feel like a holiday this year. People are still spending like crazy in an economy that to me is all smoke and mirrors, but all over the world dissatisfaction with their lives is only growing. You know the list. America’s on top.
Listening to her, you wouldn’t believe that Charlize Theron is South African. Her English is near perfect Americana and her experience in South Africa before coming to the United States in her twenties is also near perfect Americana.
I’ve often used South African comparisons as harbingers of what will happen, here. So has Theron, the star in the movie, Bombshell. None in Hollywood have the life experience that Ms. Theron has to play this role.
Everybody knows what they don’t want, but no one is sure about what they want. That’s the news from the U.K. and South Africa and Washington, today, and it doesn’t bode well.
When Boris’ landslide was assured late last night, the committee expected to vote impeachment adjourned. The South African Rand jumped a healthy 2% on cynicism that the rich, developed world doesn’t have a clue about what it’s doing.
Monday Kenyan Amos Wako was denied entry into the US by Mike Pompei, US Secretary of State. Reason: corruption.
Wako was Kenya’s Attorney General, today a Senator. Among his many alleged offenses: using his powers as Attorney General to stifle his political opponents. Makes me wonder: Sen. D. Trump from the Great State of Alabama? He does have a property there, right?