My Tribute to the Late Senator Jim Inhofe, Ethiopia’s Friend in Need, Indeed!

Ethiopia has far too many implacable enemies, some snake in the grass frenemies and very few friends.

Ethiopia just lost her most courageous, steadfast and unapologetic friend, defender and champion in the US Government.

Jim Mountain Inhofe, the late senior senator from Oklahoma, was Ethiopia’s best friend in the US Senate until he retired in 2023.

Before he retired, he worried about the long knives of the Bli-Den (Blinken-Biden) administration that will be coming after Ethiopia in his absence in the Senate.

He had on various occasions used a Senate parliamentary procedure known as “hold” to prevent certain legislation drafted against Ethiopia by the diabolical democ rats from reaching the Senate floor for debate and vote.

Inhofe was a staunch conservative Republican. The democ rats and their brethren lunatic fringe on the left mocked, tarred and feathered him as “climate change denier.” He was also their favorite villain in the American culture wars.

But for Ethiopia, Jim Inhofe, the Okie from Musgokee, was just fine and dandy.

When the chips were down, and Ethiopia faced the wrath of the mighty and evil Bli-Den (Blinken-Biden) administration, Inhofe defended her with single-minded resoluteness. In effect, he declared, “I shall not be moved when Ethiopia comes under attack.  Just like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved.”

When Susan Rice, The Princess of Darkness Herself, and Samantha Power (USAID), The Queen of Beggars, lined up their forces behind TPLF Army of Thugs, Inhofe pulled out his sword of righteous indignation and proclaimed the following to the American people and the world.

It was a speech for the ages to be preserved in the annals of Ethiopian history.

No American leader ever stood up and defended Ethiopia when Ethiopia stood alone to suffer the slings and arrows of the wicked Bli-Den and Obama administrations.

When the TPLF lobbyists lobbed their artillery shells of lies, damned lies and disinformation from Capitol Hill against Ethiopia following the TPLF terrorist war that began in November 2020, 99 U.S. Senators abandoned Ethiopia and took cover in silence or lined up with the terrorists.

But Jim Inhofe stood alone, spoke loud and stood with and did right by Ethiopia.

Jim spoke truth loud and proud to the Bli-Den administration.

The Ethiopian Government wants nothing more than peaceful resolution of the conflict in Tigray… The [U.S. sanction] action puts the terrorist organization, the TPLF, that is a terrorist organization, on equal status with our Ethiopian Government. That is unacceptable. It is wrong. It is outrageous.

When Ethiopia faced withering attacks and her fair-weather friends in the Senate circled their wagons to protect the TPLF terrorists, Jim stood alone in the Senate chamber holding the red, white and blue in his right hand and green, yellow, red, in his left.

Jim Inhofe loved Ethiopia.

He had visited Ethiopia 19 different times since 2005.

He was a man of faith. He understood Ethiopia managed to weather the storm of international intrigues concocted by her enemies because of her peoples’ prayers and divine intervention and protection.

Jim  celebrated his 62 wedding anniversary with his wife Kay in Ethiopia.

In contrast, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, an African American, first elected in 2013 has never has never set foot in Ethiopia, not even once!

But the hypocrite Booker pretended to be a defender of Ethiopian human rights co-sponsoring legislation (S. Res 97) to impose crippling sanctions on Ethiopia.

“Brother” (Pastor) Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the second African American in the US Senate, did not stand with Ethiopia. Brother Senator Preacherman found it “it is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.”

Our “brothers” in the Senate did not stand with Ethiopia.

But Jim Inhofe, our brother-in-need and hard times, did come hell or high water!

Brother Jim Inhofe found it easier to live defending Ethiopia than preach ten empty sermons about Africa.

Suffice it to say Ethiopians forgive their enemies but will forever remember their names.

Jim Inhofe, the Okie from Muskogee, was born in America but his heart came from Ethiopia.

Ethiopia was his country just as much as it is mine. I am Ethiopian American. Jim Inhofe was American Ethiopian.

Jim has proven beyond a shadow of doubt he has a special place in his heart for Ethiopia.

Jim is the grandfather of a child born in Ethiopia.

It is written, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”

I pray Jim is received in Paradise with trumpets.

Jim’s love for Ethiopia was special.

He loved the people of Ethiopia. He appreciated Ethiopian history and culture. He always affirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to peace and diplomacy.

Jim has an Ethiopian granddaughter, but he is Ethiopia’s American son.

On a very personal note, I met Senator Inhofe in 2007. That was barely 2 years after the 2005 elections and the Meles Massacres following that election. I must confess the Meles Massacres were the defining moment that propelled me to join the peaceful struggle against the TPLF thugs.

The post- Meles Massacre days were times that tried men’s souls, to paraphrase Tom Paine’s first line from his pamphlet “The Crisis.”

The crisis in Ethiopia was that the TPLF thugs were on a killing spree. Deathly afraid of losing their power and filled with hateful arrogance and certain of their invincibility, the TPLF thugs followed a scorched earth policy in trying to reaffirm their ethnic and political supremacy.

During his October 2007 visit to Ethiopia, Jim had made some comments which to me sounded like an endorsement and support for the TPLF regime.

I responded to his comments harshly. I organized protests in front of his district office in Oklahoma City. I also organized telephone call-ins and letter writing campaigns to his office in Capitol Hill.

But as they say, “time heals all wounds” and as I got to know him more, I felt he had the best of intentions for Ethiopia.

What more can I say about a near and dear friend of Ethiopia. The Okie from Musgokee is now the Okie from Ethiopia.

Jim’s body is buried in Oklahoma but his heart shall live in Ethiopia forever.

Borrowing from Pericles’ Oration, I say farewell to Jim Mountain Inhofe:

In short, I say that as a nation we Ethiopians are a proud and independent people. I doubt if America can produce a leader, who, where he has only himself to depend upon, has stood with and for Ethiopia in so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility as being Ethiopia’s native son.”

THANK YOU, Farewell, So Long Jim Mountain Inhofe, Ethiopia’s Friend in need, indeed.

 SEMPER FI ETHIOPIA (Always Faithful to Ethiopia!)