Al Mariam’s Commentaries

The ancient Romans secured their cities with gates and walls against marauding barbarians. The Romans aimed to keep the “barbarians at the gate” out and fend off any attack. The modern day barbarians of press freedom secretly breached the “gates” of the Voice of America (VOA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2015. Teodros…

Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam’s latest Amharic  book, “Adafne: Fear and Failure”, is at once a lamentation on the decline and  decay of Ethiopian society from the corrosive effects of bad governance, tyrannical rule and moral corruption and a call to action for redemption. Prof. Mesfin taught geography at Haile Selassie University (Addis Ababa University). “Adafne” is…

Mesrak Gessesse I am now writing this as I just finished my annual mammogram and ultra sound testing for breast cancer. Exactly five years ago to the day on October 25, 2010, I wrote an article discussing my experiences after being diagnosed with breast cancer. (Please click here to read that article.) I now write…

It is a big international secret that Ethiopia today is in the middle of a Biblical famine. For the second time since 1984-85! Last week, the Global Post headlined an article posing the question: Ethiopia is facing its worst drought in 30 years. Can the government stop famine this time?   The “government” of Ethiopia…

Foreword to a “government-in-exile for Ethiopia” A few weeks ago, I gave an interview to an Ethiopian civic group on the topic of “government in exile” under international law. I was asked to comment on whether the idea and practice of “government in exile” is cognizable under international law. The implicit question was whether Ethiopians…

Lately, I have been talking about “Republunatics” and “Republooney Toons”. Some may feel I have been ragging too much on the Republicans and the Republican Party. Not to worry. I have much so more in store for the Democ-rats. But looking at the current crop of 17 (?) republican presidential candidates licking their chops for…

The last time I wrote about Republicans, I warned about Republunatics at the Gate. The White House Gate, that is. Now, I am issuing an APB for Republooney Toons in the house. The House of Representatives, that is. What in the world is happening in the Grand Old Party?  The Party of Abe Lincoln, that is. Long…

I will confess publicly. I envy the Ghanaians. When Barack Obama made his first trip Africa, he did not choose to go Nigeria, the country with the largest population and largest economy. He did not choose Nelson Mandela’s South Africa with the second largest economy on the continent. Obama did not choose Kenya, the birth…

  In April 2010, Army doctor  Lt. Col. Terry Lakin refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he believed President Barack Obama is not born in the United States and therefore constitutionally unfit to become U.S. President and  commander-in-chief. Lakin was court martialed, found guilty of  disobeying a lawful order, not deploying with his unit and…