01 Aug 2016
Ethiopia: The Volcano, the Beast and the Tiger
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy Beware what you wish for, you may get it… Meles Zenawi, the late thugmaster of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF) used to taunt the opposition that if they don’t like his rule they can go into the bush and
29 Jul 2016
I Am With Her → Hillary Rodham Clinton
I am with Hillary Rodham Clinton now! I was with Bernie Sanders. I explained how I felt the Bern back in February 2016. Bernie is with Hillary now. All the way. Bernie’s very last words in his convention speech were: “Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her
25 Jul 2016
Cry Havoc! And Unleash the Dogs of War at the Republican Convention?: Deconstructing Donald Trump’s Dog Whistles
In “Julius Caesar”, Shakespeare speaking in the character of Mark Antony warned about the looming civil war that is likely to paralyze Italy following the death of Caesar: … And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice Cry ‘Havoc,’ and
17 Jul 2016
Beware the Spectre Haunting America!
A spectre is haunting America- the spectre of Trumpism. Just days after two rogue policemen executed two African American citizens and a lone gunman assassinated 5 Dallas police officers and wounded 7 more, Donald Trump attempted to politicize the tragedy by calling himself the “law and order candidate”. Trump proclaimed: We must maintain law and order
10 Jul 2016
“Hate Begets Hate; Violence Begets Violence” and Lawlessness Begets Anarchy
This past week Americans underwent a trial by fire in their souls. Americans are mourning. Americans are in shock. Americans are in soul-searching agony. We witnessed the cold-blooded execution of two African American citizens by two rogue police officers. I want to underscore: Rogue police officers. We witnessed the cold-blooded assassination of 5 police officers
04 Jul 2016
A Tribute to the Declaration of Independence — 1776
The old saying is, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Well, this is my sincerest expression of flattery to the American Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress (which managed the American revolution and set a course for independence) adopted the Declaration of Independence (more appropriately, issued a call to
30 Jun 2016
Why Diaspora Ethiopians Must Engage in Human Rights Advocacy
“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Elie Wiesel Lately, I have been talking to some young Ethiopian Diaspora activists in the U.S. about their views on the human rights situation in Ethiopia. The consistent response I have gotten is a question: “Why
26 Jun 2016
Does (the Horn of) Africa Have Hope?
In April 2014, I wrote a commentary entitled, “Is there Any Hope for Africa?” I wrote that commentary despairing over the endless man-made disasters in Africa over the past couple of decades. In April 2014, the Central African Republic (CAR) was in the throes of a deadly ethno-religious cleansing campaign. In April 2014, South Sudan, Africa’s
24 Jun 2016
Affirmative Action Must Be Affirmative Inclusion
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Fischer v. Texas that the University of Texas at Austin (UTA) program which considered race, among many other factors, in undergraduate admissions is constitutional. The outcome of the Fisher case was in great doubt in December 2015 when I wrote a commentary entitled, “The Soft Bigotry and Hard Hubris
19 Jun 2016
Ethiopia-Eritrea Wargames of Mass Distraction?
De ja vu: Haven’t we seen that movie (circus) before? In April 2011, I wrote a commentary about the T-TPLF’s art of war by mass distraction. The T-TPLF (Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front), the ruling regime in Ethiopia, is a terrorist organization listed in the Global Terrorism Database. In April 2011, the late TPLF thugmaster Meles Zenawi