Al Mariam’s Commentaries
Alemayehu G. Mariam February 4, 2008 Academic Unfreedom in Ethiopian UniversitiesUniversities in democratic societies crank out legions of technorati, digerati and literati every year. But what do universities in police states produce? Hordes of ignorati? Welcome to higher education in the Land of Absurd-istan! In an incisive article posted on the web-based legal research service,…
Originally appeared in Ethiomedia Editorial | January 28, 2008 http://www.ethiomedia.com/access/honor_among_thieves.html Mwai KibakiMeles Zenawi There may be no honor among ordinary thieves, but it seems there is honor among those who steal elections. In a recent interview in the Guardian newspaper, Meles Zenawi defended the honor of his soulmate and co-religionist at the altar of election…
What Would Dr. King Say?Recently, there was a “tempest in a teapot” between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama over Dr. Martin Luther King’s role and contributions in the civil rights movement. Hilary said, “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took a President…
H.R. Here, H.R. There, H.R. Everywhere in Ethiopia!The truth is finally out! The H.R. in H.R. 2003 stands for Human Rights! H.R. has become the special code for the Ethiopian people whenever they want to talk about the rule of law and due process and freedom of expression and association. It has become their special…
The Crime of InnocenceIt is often said that truth is stranger than fiction. The grotesque prosecution of Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie is much stranger than the grim and chilling fictional story of Joseph K., in Franz Kafka’s The Trial. The first sentence in Kafka’s book reads, “Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph…
Last week, Meles Zenawi explained to his parliament that the U.S. Congress bundled H.R. 2003 (Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007) with the “wheat we beg from them” thinking that “it may be a good thing to tell us how to administer our affairs.” He added, “If this is what the U.S. Congress intended,…
Note to the reader: It was a year ago today, November 16, 2007, that Frehiwot Samuel, Woldemichael Meshesha and Mitiku Teshome briefed the United States Congress on the findings of their Inquiry Commission. Because of their extraordinary courage in revealing the truth to the world, we are here today to commemorate the victims of the…
Mission to America They came on a mission to America. It was mission blessed by the Ethiopian people. It was a simple mission: “Go share the gospel of democracy, freedom and human rights among Ethiopians in America. Thank them for all they have done for us, and tell them to keep hope alive. We shall…
Senator James Inhofe 453 Russell Senate Office BldgWashington, D.C. 20510 FAX: (202) 228-0380 Dear Senator Inhofe: I am writing to demand an apology for the racist, scurrilous, truculent, degrading, offensive and manifestly untruthful statements you made on the floor of the Senate on October 17, 2007. I. Ethiopians Demand An Apology For Your Racist, Slanderous…
“It is a great day for America! It’s a great day for Ethiopia!” Congressman Donald Payne Passage of H.R. 2003 on October 2, 2007 in the U.S. House of Representatives marked a great day for Ethiopia as did the lunar landing of Apollo 11 for humanity on July 20, 1969. When astronaut Neil Armstrong first…
