Zimbabwe -- Cathy Buckle -- Men of God

This week the price of petrol went up by 91%. The announcement has been accepted with exhausted resignation by us all. It has done absolutely nothing for the availability of fuel and if you are lucky enough to find a queue the lines are endlessly long and still mean waiting for hours before being served.

Within days we expect the price of everything to rise dramatically. What this will do to our 208% inflation rate and the availability of food hardly bears thinking about. The government announced price freezes for everything imaginable last year so it seems most likely that our supermarket shelves will only get even emptier.

This clearly does not matter to our government who, on Friday, listed another 16 farms they intend to seize. There are now only an estimated 15% of Zimbabwe's original commercial farmers still left on their land trying to growing food for us.

While the country slowly starves, the World Food Programme this week announced that even the so called settler farmers now living on seized farms are starving and in need of food aid.

Every day now our obsession is with finding food, trying to survive and wondering how much longer we can go on like this. Each day is exhausting and utterly depressing and yet some brave people still find the courage to make a stand.

The world cup cricket matches continue to be played in Zimbabwe. Our two brave heroes, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga remain defiant and continue with their silent protest at the appalling chaos and suffering in the country.

With each match the two men have come under greater and greater attack for their courage and honesty. Olonga's cricket Club, Takashinga, expelled him from their membership. Both men were reprimanded by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and told to take off their black armbands. At the next game they wore white wristbands in a call for peace and were again hauled in by cricketing authorities. They were told to end their protest or risk being dropped from the selection. Both men refused and bravely play on.

During the match against Australia, Catholic Archbishop, Pius Ncube and 20 others wore black armbands and ribbons in the grounds and issued a press statement saying that they too mourned the death of democracy in Zimbabwe.

Our Catholic Archbishop has given us more than a little reason to feel proud in the last 3 years of his consistent outspokenness. He continues to risk his life by speaking out. On Thursday evening he held a service for victims of torture in Zimbabwe. A dozen people gave testimony about what had happened to them.

Police were in the Church and the following morning they visited Archbishop Ncube. He was cautioned by the Police and told not to bring politics into his Church. Asked on Short Wave Radio Africa if this warning would deter him, Archbishop Ncube said: "I cannot stop. As long as people are suffering I must speak out."

His example has given others in the church courage to speak out. On Friday morning 22 pastors and clergymen marched to Harare Police Headquarters. They carried a petition saying that the laws which forbid gatherings without police permission were impinging on people's right to the freedom of worship. Having phoned the Police and said that they were coming and why, the Pastors continued.

At Police Headquarters they were met by a vehicle filled with uniformed men. These policemen taunted the clergymen, condemning them for their position and promptly took 19 of them in for questioning. Six hours later they were released, two have to return on Monday for further questioning. We are outraged but can do nothing.

Now, more than ever before, there is not a shadow of doubt in anyone's minds that the tragedy in Zimbabwe is not about land or the colour of our skins, but simply about a party clinging to power.

I am delighted to be able to tell you that both "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears" have now arrived in Australia and can be sourced from John Reed Books at johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com. John has also kindly agreed to handle orders from people in New Zealand. Hopefully stocks will soon be in England too. If anyone can help with a distributor in America or Canada I would be most grateful for your help. The further we can get our desperate cry for help the better.

We have given up on looking to our neighbours in South Africa to even do us the human courtesy of admitting that people are suffering, dying, starving, rotting in prisons and being arrested for worshipping God. We know we are alone and I think that without your support, loving emails and wonderful letters and parcels I too would give up hope.

While the country slowly starves, the World Food Programme this week announced that even the so called settler farmers now living on seized farms are starving and in need of food aid.

Irony fails here.

Asked on Short Wave Radio Africa if this warning would deter him, Archbishop Ncube said: "I cannot stop. As long as people are suffering I must speak out."

The Church speaks out, along with the two brave cricket players.

How does one get parcels to Cathy?

How does one get parcels to Cathy?

I have asked this previously. Someone replied that she could best be helped by buying her book. However, what good will money from sales do if there is no food available to buy with that mone?.

If anyone finds an address (preferably email) to contact her, please notify me also.

On day the UN will come along, after the genocide is finished, and somehow blame the US for what they find. Mugabe's opponents truly have no friends. The world turns a blind eye on real crimes against humanity and Zimbabwe's neighbors, i.e. Namibia and South Africa are willing accomplices in the mass murders.

The US's old friend /sarcasm, Libya, gains influence and strength from supplying secret police and training while being paid in raw materials. It is likely that some of the stolen wealth from Zimbabwe is being used to fund international terrorism through Libya.

How many of us, being aware of the problem in Zimbabwe, do not speak out for this ravaged nation, and its suffering people? You will not find much of it in American papers, we are overwhelmed with the War on Terror, and Gulf War 2. How many Americans are oblivous to this problem? How many of us are contacting our senators and congressmen? How many of us are silent, wishing there was something that could be done? Wishing won't help these people. I am not judging, just asking if we each are willing to do something!

Maybe you agree. Wishing you well.

How many of us, being aware of the problem in Zimbabwe, do not speak out for this ravaged nation, and its suffering people?

Can't do that - - wouldn't look good.
It would look like "here comes whitey to the rescue", and Rhodesia doesn't want that, not after finally throwing out the evil white oppressors in 1980.

No, there's plenty of countries in Africa who can "come to the rescue" long before my tax dollars find their way to Zimbabwe. I think South Africa is still somewhat civilized (at least, for now) - - maybe they can help?

All of Africa is silent about Zimbabwe. S. Africa thinks that the illegally defeated opposition party is a bunch of cry babies... literally, saw that in one of their online papers.
The problem is not racial, but our papers would see it as payback for the white colonialists. The problem is political... all races are starving in Zimbabwe. Only Mugabe and his cronies are thriving.
Mugabe stole the last election, the world knows that. But, Chirac turns a blind eye, and shakes this man's hand. Oh, and Jimmy Carter, who always wants to study election reform in foreign nations, has said nothing. That's because Mugabe is closer related to communism than he wishes to believe. And, we know Jimmy Carter turns a blind eye to that.
The UN wants to throw food at the situation... and I think Britain has really helped with that.

In Zimbabwe, they have lost freedom of speech, freedom to fairly vote, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion is threatened. Mugabe and his cronies changed the constitution! The people didn't have a voice in that. The land redistribution scheme is LEGAL! I don't know what the SOLUTION is. I just think that as human beings, and fortunate Americans, educating people about these horrors, is a start. Maybe you agree with just that.

I don't know what the SOLUTION is. I just think that as human beings, and fortunate Americans, educating people about these horrors, is a start. Maybe you agree with just that.

I don't know what the solution is either, but I know what would be a good start - - the same Constitution that we have here in the US, with special emphasis on the First and Second Amendments. But ultimately, throwing food at the situation is a non-starter. The people of Zimbabwe must somehow find weapons and revolt. They can look to Romania as a model. The people there were able to get rid of Cseoucescu (sp?) and install a new government.

But do you understand why the situation in Zimbabwe is not being reported in the US? It is a simple matter of political correctness. Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, the New York Times, and the Washington Post will not DARE make a big deal out of the abyssmal failure and corruption of a black government, any black government, especially one which replaced an evil white colonial government. This is why they have ignored South Africa as well. All these liberals were beating their chests and quite proud of themselves when they were fighting apartheid, but once that battle was "won", South Africa quickly became yesterday's news. And South Africa will remain ignored for the next 10 or 15 years as it slowly devolves into the next Zimbabwe. Sorry, it is a tragedy, but that's the way it is and I don't like it any better than you do.

Regards,
LH

Oh, no, our liberal press does not want to point out the obvious failures in S. Africa and Zimbabwe. You are correct. And sadly, no one cares anymore about Africa. South Africa will soon be the next Zimbabwe, and the Ivory Coast is experiencing many of the same problems, there... kicking the French out. (I don't like the French, but...)

I found it astonishing when the president mentioned the huge financial package for fighting AIDS in Africa... his compassionate conservativism at work is wonderful. None of the liberal press seemed to notice that he was actively trying to change the AIDS crisis, Clinton only threw birth control at the situation, but didn't fix a damn thing.

I agree that the Zimbabweans should read our Declaration of Independence, and forcefully overthrow Mugabe out of office. Only revolution will remove him from power. I do think, however, that most Americans cannot understand why they do not do this. I find it puzzling, myself.

I also wonder about the call for democracy throughout the world. Bush mentioned this in his State of the Union speech. Our president mentioned that it is not just an American ideal, but one given by the creator.

I mean, if we stand for democracy, we are in a predicament. America cannot carry all of the world's problems on its back. How can we fix Zimbabwe, if we also have to fix Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran... etc? We will be busy in the Middle East for many years to come. And, in the meantime, Zimbabwe will diminish even more, and then possibly disappear, altogether? (Just teasing, but I don't know how long it will last!) Why doesn't the rest of the world DO SOMETHING. Oh, wait... I remember, they want us to PAY for everything!

Anyway, I have written my senators, my rep, and the Senate's Foreign Relations committee... all for naught, I know, but I don't know what else to do. I did order her books, btw. And no, she doesn't need money, necessarily. She needs a plane ticket and a new country to live in. But, she won't leave. Zimbabwe is home for her. Would I leave America? I don't know. Would you leave?

"I think South Africa is still somewhat civilized (at least for now) -- maybe they can help?"

I don't think so. South Africa is willingly aiding Mugabe. They will only help put a veneer of respectability on Mugabe's actions. They will not help to solve the problem in Zimbabwe. Further, SA, itself, is sliding toward the precipice of forced land redistribution through confication and internal warfare.

Food aid to Zimbabwe is also counterproductive since it is used as a weapon by Mugabe and distribution is controlled to assure that the food goes to government supporters only. Opposition members and towns are left to starve.

IMO, the only solution is armed rebellion by the Zimbabweans. Democracy has been perverted by Mugabe and the socalled "democratic" institutions in Zimbabwe such as the courts and elected representatives are only charades for a brutal dictator.

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