Comments on: Ode to timidity – the Ethiopian experience

By: Clouding Fog

Clouding Fog — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:31:15 +0000

I meant to type Monday, August 20, 2012. Thank you for the correction and please forgive the double posting.

By: Clouding Fog

Clouding Fog — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:30:28 +0000

I meant to type Monday, August 20, 2012. Thank you.

By: Clouding Fog

Clouding Fog — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:29:54 +0000

Excellent writing! The only thing that has my head reaching to the sky for answers is this: Knowing that Meles died in either late July or early August as stated here, why are they reporting his death as if it took place on Monday, August 13, 2012? Please help me understand this foggy thought.

By: Pragmatic

Pragmatic — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:21:02 +0000

In countries that experienced the Arab Spring and whose former dictators were propped up by aid money, there hasn’t been any significant changes happening after the fall of the dictatorships. It’s true that Egyptians elected a President, but the military junta has more power than the President thanks to military aid the junta continues to receive. The same goes for all the other countries in North Africa. Toppling a dictator and holding democratic elections don’t mean a thing if there aren’t any plans to free the nation from aid dependency that has been the root cause of all problems.

Lets not forget that Hitler and Mussolini each came to power through democracy. Democracies do not always make societies more civil — but they do always mercilessly expose the health of the societies in which they operate. In sub-Saharan Africa democracy has weakened institutions and services in most countries, and elections have been manipulated to restore dictatorship in others. The lesson to draw is not that dictatorship is good and democracy bad, but that democracy emerges successfully only as a capstone to other social and economic achievements. It’s never too early to plan ahead.

By: Mom

Mom — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:16:55 +0000

You said it all. Our hopes, dreams and faith shall live. We shall be free as one people one Nation under God with love and respect to one another in our beloved Ethiopia.
May God bless Ethiopia and the people.
Thank you. And God bless you.

By: Tselote Tesemma

Tselote Tesemma — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 00:12:02 +0000

Thank you Brother Yilma. You said it all. I know we all will die one day and I am not celebrating death like some people say. But I am in peace since the guy will not hurt any human being again. Beka Aleke!

By: Abesha

Abesha — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:07:02 +0000

I say a great moving article for all of us to (ignore spelling and grammar errors and) keep in mind as we move forward with hope and rage.
Stop looking for a leader. Stop blaming Burtukan and Siye for joining school at such a high time. Because we are one of them. They did theirs, have we done ours? I say, first step is let ESAT translate and transmit this article for it to reach most of us. Then let’s organize peaceful struggle steps to be communicated to our people through facebook. For example: step 1, every Christian Ethiopian starting next Friday evening, goes to church and conducts a hand stretching to God program as the Muslim brothers are doing. After the service is done, let’s hold a 10 minutes of hand stretching program. And continues after every evening sessions. Ethiopian Muslims will continue what they’ve been doing. Let it be a fashion. Let’s see if Abune Paulos will ban evening prayer sessions. Let’s see if Federal Police will apprehend hand stretching prayers. I promise you, then, those hands will not fold back without our questions answered.

By: RT48

RT48 — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:21:29 +0000

They are not only planning state burrial for their PM but they are planning a new ethnic regime because they believe that we pose no threat to their existence. They are doing what they have to do go on ruling. It is out job to do what we have to overthrow them on the day of Meles’ burrial? We decide if they should keep ruling or dismantle their ethnic dictatorship. It is all about us, not them.