Posted on 03/07/2010 9:51:34 AM PST by greyfoxx39
All are welcome Saturday 6th March 2010
Dear Family and Friends, They say that a picture speaks a thousand words and the one I picked up on the roadside this morning certainly did. I'm not generally in the habit of picking up litter on public roads but this was different. It was the remains of a poster that had been torn off a street light pole. From the scraps of bright coloured paper left clinging to a number of other poles, it was obvious that a line of the same posters had all been torn down recently. I had travelled along this road just the day before and the posters hadn't been there then so this had only just happened. Picking up the remains of the crumpled poster lying in the grass and turning it over, I knew immediately that the political turmoil in Zimbabwe is still a long way from being over.
The top third of the poster was gone but that didn't matter to me. I knew who the woman on the poster was and that the missing words must have been her name: Amai Susan Tsvangirai.
In the characteristic black, red and white colours synonymous with the MDC, the poster was advertising a commemorative gathering to be held at Glamis Stadium in Harare on Saturday 6th March to remember the life of Mrs Susan Tsvangirai, who died tragically in a car crash outside Banket exactly one year ago.
At the bottom of the poster in clear white lettering were the words: 'All Are Welcome,' a message that obviously didn't need to be advertised as a few minutes later I witnessed a number of trucks, crammed with people, streaming past on the nearby highway to Harare. The message 'All are Welcome' told a story in itself in a country where we aren't used to being invited but are more familiar with being threatened if we don't attend.
The wide smile on the face of the late Mrs Tsvangirai told another story - no anger, hatred or arrogance here. How refreshingly different and what a loss to our Prime Minister and to the nation.
I wondered why anyone would feel threatened enough by the posters to need to tear them down. The simple act of tearing down posters of people from different political parties, even commemorative posters, shows just how far away from democracy Zimbabwe still is. Tolerance of different beliefs, practices and people is as elusive as ever. That's a frightening reality at a time when all the talk is of elections - again.
It is looking increasingly likely that we are not going to get a new constitution before another election after all as both the MDC and Zanu PF have started talking about a new poll. At first we heard 2013 being mentioned, then 2012 but this week Mr Mugabe said there would be elections in 2011, with or without a new constitution.
If tearing down posters to remember the life of Mrs Tsvangirai is any indication, it's impossible to see how Zimbabwe will be ready to have a free and fair election without intolerance, intimidation and violence. An election where losers are forced to step down and winners are allowed to accept the people's choice and get on with rebuilding our country. Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy.
Qualia are about the size of finches; no meat on dem bones.
I don't intend to spend any more time trying to disprove your allegations about Buckle.
The only things I did find were a couple of FR threads on which there was one or two comments about her support of Mugabe, with no sources cited there either.
I really don't CARE if Buckle got sucked into the liberal-think nearly a decade ago...if you have any evidence that what she is reporting in her letters of happenings in Zim NOW is false, please post it.
My interest is in the parallels of what happened there and the players and motives for it and what is happening in the US today.
And I don't intend to do research for you - I'm quite certain she was a despicable mugabe-enabler. You don't want to find that out for yourself, fine.
if you have any evidence that what she is reporting in her letters of happenings in Zim NOW is false, please post it
Where on earth did you get the impression that I think zim is anything but a crap-hole? It sure wasn't from anything I posted.
If you put me on your ping list, please take me off - I don't think anything you have to say would be of any interest to me after all.
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Venezuela and South Africa and the US are on the same track, even though we have some distance between us and the broken trestle over the deep gorge.
I didn’t know she was still writing these.
Obviously if she came right out and smacked Mugabe in her column, it’d be the last I expect.
The “inclusive” government where the opposition has ZERO power.
I thought it was Cindy??
She believed the hype that one man one vote would lead to peaceful co-existance.
lol
Why they let her alone writing these columns? How does she continue to afford any internet access?
Those are good questions.
But she does give us more info about life and conditions in Zimbabwe than anyone else is doing.
Is staying in Zimbabwe her form of penitance? Because she feels so guilty?
I dunno.
Or maybe joe is right and its Clive
Possibly, but if I had to guess I'd say she's a "true believer"... she thinks that mugabe is an aberration, that the next ruler will be a "magic negro" much like our own president osama.
From what I remember of her background, her and her husband moved to Rhodesia not too long before white (right?) rule ended. They were apparently English liberals, coming to bring enlightenment to the redneck Rhodesians, much like how yankee liberals have moved to my beloved Confederacy to enlighten us backward hicks, thus ruining much of it (NC, Florida) in the process.
Her husband (ex?) did seem to be capable of learning however. Pretty sorry to leave a child (I think) behind though.
But the son also left when he got old enough to figure things out?
Don't know. I'm under the impression that he's still school age & with her, but may be wrong.
When I get a chance, maybe I'll do a little more research. Hate talking critically about someone when I know so little about them.
Now's not the time though. Still have several weeks of work to get done before I leave the office tonight.
Please put me on the ping list. Thanks.
It was Freeper Clive.
You have been added.
Yes,
Please put me on your ping list.
Thank you.
Done
Pls add me!
Your input would be appreciated.
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