Al Mariam’s Commentaries

They said Ethio-Angelinos are apolitical, depoliticized and disengaged from politics. It stings a little when it is said by former Ethio-Angelinos: “When it comes to Ethiopian politics, Los Angeles is rarely mentioned. It is a city with the second or third largest number of Ethiopians, but it is a place where the least political activity…

Thank you all for coming this afternoon. And thank you Seattle Ethiopian Millennium Celebration Committee for inviting us to join you here today. And Happy Ethiopian New Year to all of you! It is a great honor and privilege for me to be here with you today. This is my third time to be back…

I wish you were there! How I wish you were there! It was the 9th of September. A day I will always remember. A glorious day when Dulles Airport became Bole Airport, for 3 hours. Dulles was awash in the green, yellow and red. It was a day of joyous celebration. It was a day…

Dinkenesh (Lucy) in Houston with Diamonds? We call her Dinkenesh. They call her “Lucy”. But what’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Shakespeare. But Lucy is one of a kind. She is unlike any other hominid fossil ever found. She is the most complete hominid skeleton of…

August 22, 2007 Mr. Gary Klein, Esq.DLA PiperFederal Affairs and Legislative Practice Group1200 Nineteenth Street, NWWashington, DC 20036-2412 BY E-MAIL AND FAXDear Mr. Klein: I write this letter to challenge recent statements that you have personally made in a radio interview, and other statements made by your firm on behalf of your client the “Government…

“If they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.” Note to the reader: The following analysis may appear be a bit long for the casual reader of internet (blog) literature. I am told that “people do not read long political analysis” (and perhaps even short ones as Prof….

Ato Seye Abraha was a former defense minister in Zenawi’s regime. He was “convicted” on “corruption charges” in 2002, along with other officials. Informed sources say his “conviction” had the usual fabrication stamp all over it: “Made in Kangaroo Kourt.”[2] In the interview he gave to the Voice of America (VOA) Amharic program immediately following…

In the history of all great nations, there comes a moment when the people must make a choice that will define them in their own time, vindicate the enormous sacrifices of their ancestors and enable them to bequeath an enduring legacy for generations yet unborn. They are often forced to make that choice by arrogant…

Thank you Kinijit-Oakland Support Chapter for organizing this Town Hall Meeting and for inviting me to speak on the second anniversary of the May, 2005 elections in Ethiopia. And thanks to all of you who have taken the time to attend this event. I am happy to be here at Samuel Merritt College. And it…