Zimbabwe -- Cathy Buckle -- Why bother?

Cathy Buckle ^ | January 31, 2004 | Cathy Buckle

[Clive]

-

[Byron_the_Aussie]

A brave woman, to chronicle the tyrant's evil. But I fear for her safety, Clive.

[TYVets]

My guess, it is going to get worse.

The Second Amendment was written for deer hunters.

[CDHart]

I don't understand why she doesn't leave --

Carolyn

[cyborg]

It's her home. She's not leaving for the same reasons people didn't leave a lot of other places under turmoil.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

And where is the UN? Where is Randall Robinson and the Trans Africa crew? Where is Jesse Jackson? Where is Al Sharpton? Where is Jimma Carter? Where is Desmond Tutu? Where is ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, Fox, NYT, Boston Globe, LA Times, WP?

Guess they're all waiting for the pictures of the bloated bodies to develop.

[Publius6961]

There were thousands of people traveling to protest the old conditions and make sure that "self-determination" was the most important thing. Africa for Africans. Then Aficans need to be a particular color. Then chaos.

Where are all those people now? When 2/3 of the country are like helpless pets, waiting for the relief agencies to feed them?

[MSSC6644]

The only blame lies with our government. Those same laws that they created to stop white Zimbabweans from growing food, they can use against black farmers and plot holders who do not support them.

Today's report made me even more aware of the power of a government gone mad. When will citizens here understand that "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." When will citizens here reject the cult of personality and recognize, yes, it can happen here.

[oilfieldtrash]

I happen to be a fan of News 24 from South Africa and couldnt help noticing talk of land reform in S. Africa. I love to look at the real estate listings in property24( I cant believe how cheap real estate is in SA. Sometimes I gaze at the farm listings for fun. A month ago, there was 10 listings, but suddenly I checked the other day and there was 23 pages.

Are south african farmers trying to get rid of their farms before they are taken over and are in a rush to sell them?

[Clive]

"... Where is Desmond Tutu?" ...

In fairness, Tutu should be excluded from your list.

He is highly critical of Mugabe and his government and he has slammed Mugabe's apologists for their condonation of tyranny.

See this article, posted by Blam: Archbishop Tutu 'baffled' by Mugabe apologists

[Clive]

Are south african farmers trying to get rid of their farms before they are taken over and are in a rush to sell them?

If I were in their shoes, I would be quietly liquidating assets and moving capital out of Southern Africa.

I am sure that Afrikaaners are seeing South Africa's future writ large in Zimbabe.

They have seen the destruction of Zim agriculture and they are seeing the volkerwanderung that is taking place, spreading out from the locus of the farm worker displacements to displacements throughout Zimbabwe and impacting on the economy of South Africa.

They have seen Mbeki's failure to protest the farm invasions, including the invasion of farms owned by South Africans and his condonation of thuggery, rape and murder.

They have seen farm invasions in Namibia and South Africa which, although not presently condoned by government, are at least incited by politicians.

They have seen literate and influential blacks cheering on Mugabe's antics, hailing him as another Chaka.

Zimbabwe is at most 2 decades ahead of South Africa (JanL says one decade).

If Tutu should die or should cease to be influential, the events will accelerate as he is providing a moral brake.

[GeronL]

I still have that whispering in the back of my mind.... Rwanda...

[GeronL]

Foreign aid will just encourage it to continue and stopping foreign aid will harm the poor.... tough love?

[Clive]

"I still have that whispering in the back of my mind.... Rwanda..."

So do I.

I expect that the victims will be mostly Ndebele.

The old animosities are still present and in a Zimbabwe with a Shona majority the Ndebele make every bit as good scapegoats as did the Tutsi in Rwanda and the Jews in Germany.

[GeronL]

Did anyone ever make a documentary about what happened in Rwanda or do they not want to embarrass Kofi and Clinton?

I'd call it Red Machete: Genocide in Rwanda of course it looks like someone might have to make one called The Starving of Zimbabwe too.

Its really depressing to see the world ignore such terrorism when we supposedly are at war with it.

[cyborg]

I wonder if people care all that much. It is depressing, I agree.

[Lurker]

Sorry, I have lost all respect for this woman.

She's got evil knocking at her door, and she's writing letters instead of killing people.

Pathetic.

L

[cyborg]

what?

[Lurker]

She's wasting her time writing articles instead of knocking off the monsters who've seized control of her country.

She shouldn't be tapping on a keyboard. She should be exercising her trigger finger.

L