Where was Rahm Emanuel as Israel attacked and murdered innocent people

"...why has the Netanyahu administration waited to commit its two most recent unconscionable acts in the full presence of a high level US official?

Dear friends,

The online newspaper article read, “Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed regret after at least nine people died when troops stormed ships trying to break the Gaza blockade. But he said soldiers had been defending themselves after they were ‘clubbed, beaten and stabbed’ ." Huh?

Get this. Israeli troops were sliding down ropes from a helicopter onto a ship full of civilians who were carrying humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, then these same rope-descending marauders began shooting firearms, and BiBi (Netanyahu) wonders why people resisted their massacre with only sticks and clubs. Go figure.

Meanwhile, Gerald Seib of the WSJ just wrote, “Two weeks ago, the president met with 37 Jewish Democrats in Congress and told them that he had spent more time one-on-one with Mr. Netanyahu than any other world leader, and that ties were solid. Geib follows by mentioning that “Israel apologized for embarrassing Vice President Joe Biden by announcing more East Jerusalem construction just as Mr. Biden was visiting.”

Excuse me, Mr. Geib. Where's Rahm Emanuel, Obama’ Chief of Staff who is the son of one of Israel's pioneers/invaders of Palestine? Wasn’t he in Israel, as the slaughter occurred? It was announced only a few days ago that he was. I wondered why he was there, when I first heard about it. Now this. By the way, is Mr. Emanuel looking for an apology too, as Biden was? If not, then why not? As a matter of fact, why hasn’t anyone from either the mainstream or “progressive” media been raising that point?

Additionally, where is the useless Black Caucus of the US Congress on this one? Are they in cahoots with the 37 Congress people with whom Obama bedded with recently, as mentioned above?

Moreover, why has the Netanyahu administration waited to commit its two most recent unconscionable acts in the full presence of a high level US official? Is there something wrong with this picture?

G. Djata Bumpus
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Sojourner Truth commemoration in Florence, Mass.

Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue 7th Annual
Celebration and Commemoration
Sunday, May 30, 2:00 p.m.
at the Corner of Park and Pine Streets
Florence, Massachusetts
Rain or shine (held at the nearby Florence Community Center in the event of rain)
Performers include:
Umoja Too Dance Ensemble
Heather Cohen
Stephany Marryshow of
Enchanted Circle Theater’s Sojourner’s Truth
Speakers include:
Scholarship Recipient Isabella Leo
Steve Strimer on the David Ruggles Center
Lilly Lombard on the Bean/Allard Farm
11:00 am: Walking Tour of Florence’s African American
Heritage Trail, starts at the Sojourner Truth Statue
www.davidrugglescenter.org
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Philly cop lies about being shot by "Black man"

"The latest scar caused by the black-man-did-it excuse was left to fester..."



Dear friends,

While this latest insult to the African American community by the Philadelphia Police Department seems “par for the course”, hopefully the protest held in response to it will finally make folks start moving towards community control of the force.

On the link below, award-winning journalist Jenice Armstrong was at the small rally. Historically, protests have usually begun with only a handful of people. Consequently, there’s no surprise that not a lot of people turned out. Still, those who attended were proud and determined to display their dignity for themselves and all of us.

All power to the people!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20100519_Jenice_Armstrong__Cop_s_lies_draw_few_protesters.html#axzz0oOMvAGCw
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Smith on the Supreme Court's recognition of Redemption for Youth

"A life without parole sentence improperly denies the juvenile offender a chance to demonstrate growth and maturity," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority."


Dear friends,

The US Supreme Court is not necessarily known for its fairness. However, just recently, they’ve made a decision that is encouraging about the future of that body.

On the link below, Elmer Smith tells us about the ramifications of the Court’s special decision to not hold juveniles accountable for life, for their crimes/mistakes. Hopefully, one day, that will happen for all inmates. Redemption is possible, after all. Yet, if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, who wins?

Besides, after either 30 or 40 years in prison, it seems unlikely for a person to do anything to ever land himself/herself in jail again? Moreover, we have to start making sure that second- and third-graders have enough love in their lives from the community, so that they try harder and stay in school. It starts way back there. As well, we need community, as opposed to “government” programs that address issues while folks are incarcerated, so that they will want to contribute, as opposed to destroy their communities, when they come back. Dig?

Below, here are a few ways that we can fight against the proliferation of the Crime Industry which robs African American people of so much of Our potentially productive energy and resources. They are:

1.) Free Buses To Prisons Program

Transport children to prisons for the explicit purpose of having reading lessons with their incarcerated parents. Dr. Seuss books and other “phonics” type of reading materials are a great way to start. Many of these folks who are incarcerated have only first- and second grade reading levels. By learning their phonics better and due to the fact that they are older than their children, thus more experienced in life, invariably, these "parents" will begin to read at a higher grade level, acquiring deeper comprehension as well as greater mental stamina. This means that they will gain new ideas, by reading more informative literature, instead of only consuming thoughts from people who, like them, are locked up as well and just as clueless about how to be productive citizens.

As stated above, many of the brothers in prison either cannot read or read only at first- or second grade levels. More help in the classrooms at the first- or second grade levels (and a relationship with a loving elder) may have kept them trying in school longer. Their children deserve a better chance than they had. Also, regarding females, sisters in prisons are often there because of some knucklehead males. Therefore, young girls too will also benefit from having a wider range of caring adults in their lives, whether those elders are incarcerated or not. Note: A dear friend of mine who lives in Florida has assured me that her state gives youngsters at the lower elementary level (2nd- and 3rd grades) statewide exams that help that state government decide how much additional prison space will be needed in future years, based upon how many youngsters fail the aforementioned exams. Imagine that! Did someone say, "Crime Industry"?

2.) Letters to Prisoners Program

Get people to be pen pals with inmates in area prisons. The main problem here will be that We need to make sure that inmates are not being selfish and engaging in deceitful behavior, in order to borrow money or get “favors” done on the outside. Telephone calls should be prohibited from being a way for inmates to connect with their pen pals. Incarcerated people should learn to write, if they know how to, so that they can think about why they are in that situation in the first place. A phone call does not require such reflection; people can just talk and feel good - then hang up.

3.) Convict Redemption Program

Get those convicted of either human or property damages - of any kind, to construct ways themselves to make up for their transgressions against their fellow community members. For example, as part of the “Buses” program, inmates who are not parents can still donate time to read and learn with young people.

Inmates must redeem themselves! Merely proclaiming belief in “God” or asking to be forgiven does nothing to repair the damage done. Besides, neither apology or cla”ims of religious loyalty has meaning, if the person has not repaired the damage that he or she caused. For example, people go to AA and NA meetings and hold what amounts to religious revival forums. Yet, as far as I know, not a single member of those groups has ever gone back to a victim and said, "Here's the $100 that I stole from you." Instead, that AA (Alcohol Anonyous) or NA (Narcotics Anonymous) person says, "Will you forgive me for what I did?...I believe in ‘God’ now." Well, guess what? Everyone on death row, conveniently - now - believes in “God”, after the fact. Moreover, no one can forgive anyone else. Rather, people must forgive themselves, then redeem themselves, by trying to undo the wrong committed against the victim. Otherwise, there is no justice. You just have a crook who has gotten away once more.

The three programs mentioned above are only some of the ways that the community can reach out to Our fallen brothers and sisters, in hopes that they will be appreciative for the love that the community has shown them, and, thus, return to the community as productive members.

One Love!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100519_Elmer_Smith__New_hope_for_juveniles_sentenced_to_life.html#axzz0oOFI15cq

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If Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is a a "lesbian", what will that mean?

"if Elena Kagan is a “lesbian”, considering her actions, people, particularly European Americans who claim to be “homosexual”, should feel as fortunate as many African Americans do about having Clarence Thomas on the nation’s highest judicial bench "

Dear friends,

The nonsense with which the government- and corporate-controlled media is riling people up, regarding Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan being a "lesbian" is a total red herring.

As the present Solicitor General, Kagan is nothing more than the watch dog for the proliferation of the Bush Administration’s reactionary policies towards civil liberties that are founded on falsehoods about the alleged “War in Terrorism”.

Consequently, at least to me, it is completely irrelevant how she satisfies herself sexually. Besides, no one ever wholly knows anyone else’s sexual habits or fantasies.

Moreover, it is dishonest for any person to claim a particular “sexual identity” outside of whether one is sexually liberated or sexually repressed. Most people fit somewhere in between, I can only imagine.

Still, what one does to relieve himself/herself of sexual tension has absolutely nothing to do with decisions that are made apart from sexual fulfillment, except for, perhaps, a prostitute of either gender (even then, sexual release is often not either the case or purpose.)

At any rate, if Elena Kagan is a “lesbian”, considering both her statements and actions as our Solicitor General, people, particularly European Americans who claim to be “homosexual”, should feel as fortunate as many African Americans do about having Clarence Thomas on the nation’s highest judicial bench – i.e., Uncle Thomas' appointment as a Supreme Court justice has been the antithesis of something of which be proud. n the link below is an interesting piece from the weekly Valley Advocate of Western Massachusetts.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
alleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=11751
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103 years of revealing inner powers...

"In light of negative issues like the Elena Kagan nomination, I'd like to share some positive info, as well..."
Dear friends,

In light of negative issues like the Elena Kagan nomination, I'd like to share some positive info, as well. Theefore, on the link below, you'll find a wonderful piece from the Philadelphia Daily News that just came out the other day. Enjoy!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/top_story/20100514_She_s_103__with_plenty_of_drive.html#axzz0nuYZCxuA
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Africa in pictures: 8 - 14 May 2010

Please click on the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8682472.stm
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Arizona's Politicians outdo themselves as White Supremacists

“State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed the bill for years, said he believes the Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.”

Dear friends,

Yesterday (5/12/10), the Associated Press headline read, “Arizona governor signs bill banning ethnic studies.”
If the recently-signed Immigration Bill by Governor Jan Brewer had you concerned about the resurrection of Jim Crow laws, have no fear. Brewer has just signed another bill into law that makes it illegal for any Arizona school district to offer courses that, as State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed the bill for years, said he believes: teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people… Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race.

Ouch!

I wonder what Horne thinks about the “ethnic chauvinism” (as he calls it) of official stories told in our school books, regarding Columbus’ voyage, much less landing on American soil, or the lie about the folks on the Mayflower coming here in the early-17th Century for religious freedom, or the roles of the Irish, Polish, Italian, German, or so many other people of European descent in relation to the aforementioned “Pilgrim” enterprise?

In any case, Horne continues: It's just like the old South, and it's long past time that we prohibited it.

Double “Ouch!!”

Imagine that. Horne’s concerned about Mexican American children so much that he “resents” them having a sense of self, identity-wise. There’s no law against his disapproval, of course. However, his is the same kind of drivel that “white” missionaries, historians, and “educators” have been using for generations, since the 19th Century, to “help” both Early American Natives and African Americans assimilate into the “mainstream” US citizenry. That is, in his own way, Horne and others like him are asking, “Why can’t we all be the same?”

Yet, sameness does not mean equality. In fact, why do we have to be the same in order to be considered equals? As a matter of fact, the idea of “sameness as being equal” is the intellectual basis upon which injustice and inequality flourish.

After all, for example, a person does not have to add numbers as quickly as you, run as fast as you, jump as high as you, lift as much weight as you, fist-fight as good as you, or have as much money as you, to be equal to you.

You are, in fact, equal, because you are both human individuals who have the exact same basic physical needs and you each understand that which you want to at a speed that is specific to you as individuals. That means also there is even an equality of intelligence among all people, in that context.

In other words, if you compare any individual with yourself, you will find: 1) You each require food and drink, in periodic intervals, or you will cease to exist in the form of a living being. 2) You each feel lonely and separate, as individual beings, even when you are sleeping beside someone. 3) No matter how few or many, you each have physical, mental, and emotional shortcomings. Every single person does. 4) You can each do well at one thing, but do poorly at some other activity. That is why you are equal to everyone, and everyone is equal to you.

Nevertheless, the descendants of immigrants like, for example, Polish Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Jews of various nationalities, and other European Americans have often started out by living in homogeneous communities; that is, segregated. However, they need not "integrate" in order to receive access to opportunity or responsibility with that opportunity. They merely have to claim that they are “white”. Neat trick.

Moreover, not only are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Early American Natives, and others expected to “integrate”, we are also expected to reject our non-European pasts, in doing so.

To be sure, the descendants of European immigrants who were mentioned above have relinquished their true historical and cultural identities to be “Americans”. Still, and oddly enough, for all of their opposition to “gay” marriage and non- European immigration, it’s interesting that these same people do not appreciate the strong history of homosexual culture in both European and North American history, as well as the incessant “illegal” immigration of folks from all over Europe to our country - to this day.

Finally, the notion that, “The measure signed Tuesday prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group.”, is clearly the language and legislation of colonial rulers.

G. Djata Bumpus


http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0512/arizona-governor-signs-bill-banning-ethnic-studies/
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Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black THeatre NYC event

National Black Theatre's House Band Bert Price on keyboard Olamide on guitar Brady Watt on bass guitar Jamal Hampton on drums


Join us as an audience member for this unique experience of discoveringnew untapped talent.

2031 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10035
BETWEEN 125TH AND 126TH STREETS
212-722-3800

Acknowledgements
This program is funded in part by:
Council Member Inez E. Dickens, 9th C.D., Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and your individual contributions.

presents
An Artist Showcase:
" Fertile Ground"
Thursday May 13, 2010
8pm-11pm $10.00
On this special evening,
YOU - the audience have an opportunity to witness ten new artists present original material

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE
"FERTILE GROUND" EXPERIENCE!
Click here to watch the video
To be one of the ten artists presenting original materialContact Bert Price at: http://us.mc1136.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=berttheproducer@gmail.com

VISIT US AT
http://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103383786839&s=6493&e=001cm7Sk4vWOHp0u_Z6VxAb9SKJTnvNFUSwS7pPbCckrg-LiixrvR-QmJXTZnie0PBNBPxExcTx_Zps1uJJK3W8DsAGKLtk6yvz-04PMHX-A73aYtSDWxXwGUNYhniCTZAA

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Patty Jackson remembers Lena Horne

Dear friends,

On the link below, through a couple of rare video interviews, Patty Jackson, America's foremost radio personality for both R & B as well as Classic Soul music, helps us recall the contributions of the great Lena Horne. Please enjoy!!!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.wdasfm.com/pages/pattyjackson.html

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Sandy Banks on Foster Care

"...after age four, NO child, regardless of skin color, has much chance that s/he will ever be adopted. This sudden and odd equality condemns all of the children who, for whatever reason, are orphaned in this country to spend their entire youth in the horrid foster care system."


Dear friends,

Lately, during our, currently, long distance phone calls, my oldest daughter (middle offspring) and I have been sharing ideas about the subjects of both child adoption and forster care. Through her research, she has found that from birth to four years old, when looking at the adoption rates of African American children, it goes like this: Light-skinned boys, then light-skinned girls, then dark-skinned girls, with dark-skinned boys going last.

Unfortunately, all four of those types of kids mentioned above are less likely to be adopted than, say, European American ("white"), Asian, or Latino children. However, after age four, NO child, regardless of skin color, has much chance that s/he will ever be adopted. This sudden and odd equality condemns all of the children who, for whatever reason, are orphaned in this country to spend their entire youth in the horrid foster care system.

On the link below, is an incredible piece by the incomparable Sandy Banks of the Los Angeles Times, that gives a professional as well as personal look at this far-too-neglected, but important topic.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus .
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/topstories/la-me-banks-20100501,0,6996,full.column

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Dr. Ndibe reminds us of Police Brutality in Nigeria from his own experiences

"My intervention earned the officers’ ire. They decreed that I alight from the bus. When my two colleagues tried to reason with the officers, they, too, were dragged down..."




">"Police brutality and Onovo’s challenge "
by Okey Ndibe (okeyndibe@gmail.com)

When Nigerians think about the disappointments of their perpetually infantile nation, they often focus narrowly on rigged elections and the abuses of their gluttonous public officials. These are, without question, serious symptoms of dysfunction.

Even so, I fear that we neglect to zero in on the way that police (and often military) brutality serves to remind Nigerians that they are serfs in their own country.

Any Nigerian who has had an unwelcome encounter with the Nigerian police – and that, I suspect, is most of us – can tell you that the experience is akin to being besieged by a horde of rabid hyena.

I know. More than twenty years ago, I was arrested in Onitsha (along with two of my journalist friends) just because we stood up for a young man who was slapped by a police officer – and then ordered to sit down on the wet ground (it had rained heavily). What was the young man’s offense?

We were all in the same bus (headed for Awka) when the police flagged it down and asked the driver to come down. The young man leaned out of the window and beckoned to one of the officers. “My father died,” he explained to the officers, “and I’m coming from Kano to go and make arrangements for his burial.” He then begged the officer to let us go.

“Shut up!” barked the officer, smacking him on the face.

“Why do you have to slap me?” the passenger asked.

“You want to know why?” the officer fumed. “Oya, come down!” As soon as the man got down, the officer pointed to the wet earth. “Quick, quick, sit down!” the officer instructed.

Outraged by this senseless humiliation of an innocent citizen, I asked the passenger not to sit in the wetness.

My intervention earned the officers’ ire. They decreed that I alight from the bus. When my two colleagues tried to reason with the officers, they, too, were dragged down. One of my colleagues began to scribble the name of one of the officers on a piece of paper. Another officer ran from behind and, with the butt of his gun, dealt a blow at my colleague’s hand, knocking down his pen and paper. With his boot, the officer then smashed both the pen and paper into the soggy earth.

At this point, the officers were so infuriated that they ordered other passengers in the vehicle to get down and look for other buses. Then they herded my two colleagues, the smacked man and me onto the bus. Three officers hopped in as well, and the driver was commanded to turn around and head for a police camp in a remote part of Onitsha. As we drove there, the three officers cursed and threatened us. He promised that, once at their camp, we’d be so beaten up that our mothers would not recognize us.

In the end, we had a lucky – “narrow” – escape. We were marched before a senior officer who sat on a stump in the early afternoon heat, his eyes bloodshot, attending to a large bottle of Guinness Stout. Our captors then proceeded to tell him a series of lies. They said they’d stopped our vehicle for a simple routine check, but that we then boasted that we were journalists, that we knew all the big men in the country, and that no police officer dared question our driver.

“Bastards!” screamed the senior officer, fixing his fiery eyes on us. But the officer must have sensed a calm in us, and so asked us to tell our own side of things. After we did, he asked if we were really journalists. We produced our ID cards – we were all members of the editorial board of National Concord. Shaken, the senior officer scolded his subordinates. He told them that we could write all of them, himself included, out of their jobs. He apologized to us, asked our hitherto exuberant arresters to apologize, and sent us on our way.

For us, it was an ambivalent moment. What if we were not journalists? What if we had not been “arraigned” before an officer who had a fear of the written word?

Since then, I’ve had many more run-ins with the police. In 2002, five police officers held me up at Oshodi for close to two hours. I was driving to a meeting at a newspaper house where I then wrote a weekly column – and ran into a terrible traffic snag at Oshodi. I was already on edge, trying to navigate between hordes of pedestrians crossing the highway, a colony of “okada” motorcyclists who respect no traffic rules, and other motorists when, suddenly, an officer stepped in front of my car and demanded that I pull up to the curb. After inspecting the documents of the Honda, he then told me he suspected the car was stolen. The car belonged to my father-in-law, and I knew he was not a thief. But the officer was not impressed. He accused me of being a thief – “since you’re operating a stolen vehicle.”

I asked to be taken to a police station if he believed I’d stolen the car. Instead of doing so, he and his four colleagues took turns painting the most dreadful portrait of what would happen to me if they took me to the station. I remained unrepentant: “If you think I stole this car,” I told them, “you have a duty to arrest me and take me to your station.”

The officers had a different game and outcome in mind. After detaining me at Oshodi for an hour and forty minutes, the most senior officer made his proposal. “Oya,” he said to me, “give us some money and go.” In a voice that tried to belie my anger, I told him that I would not part with a kobo of my money. “You accuse me of stealing a car, and you think I’d reward you with a bribe?”

The officer looked me up and down, his contempt raw and on the surface. Turning to his colleagues, he pointed to his head and said in a mocking tone, “Dis one dey craze. Make we leave am.”

Many – perhaps, most – other Nigerians have their own versions of horror stories with rogue police officers.

A headline in a Next edition of April 30 read: “Policemen brutalize Tribune reporter in Ondo”. The report is harrowing: “The Ondo State correspondent of the Nigerian Tribune, Yinka Oladoyinbo was Wednesday evening assaulted by men of the Okuta Elerinla Police Station, Akure, Ondo State, who thoroughly beat him up and detained him at the police station for four hours.” The fifteen officers who took part in the operation “dragged Mr. Oladoyinbo from his car and forcefully handcuffed him.” They also “dragged [him] on the floor before he was bundled into a police Hilux van.”

The Next report disclosed that the policemen “acted in a commando manner.” As they mauled the reporter, the officers “threatened to shoot any person who intervened”. Why was this citizen subjected to vigilante-like beating? The policemen, Next reported, “claimed that their Station Officer, Ayodeji Oyeyemi, was molested in the area.”

Current police Inspector General Ogbonna Onovo must serve notice to his subordinates that their job specification does not include assaulting Nigerian citizens at will. He should dismiss the officers who took part in beating Mr. Oladoyinbo.

Nigerians are daily beset by criminals – corrupt government officials who grow fat on public funds, armed robbers and scam gurus. There’s a lot of work for a well-trained, professionally sound police force to do. Unfortunately, the Nigerian police have established a reputation for incompetence, for harassing law-abiding citizens whilst letting criminals thrive, and for sheer brutality.

Mr. Onovo should outline measures to weed trigger-happy men from the police, to make service conditions more attractive, and to radically retrain officers to give them a deep sense of what’s meant by law enforcement.
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About what is the new Immigration Law in Arizona?

"...the real laugh is: much of the area where the greatest amount of “illegal” immigration has been occurring was actually called Mexico, only five or six generations ago."

Dear friends,

With all of the brouhaha going on about the new immigration law in Arizona, there now needs to be a new call for not just cooperation, but a united front made up of African Americans, Africans, Caribbeans, Latinos, Asians, and Early-American Native peoples, along with any just European Americans who support the liberation of humanity.

There were attempts to do that, especially from the late-Sixties to late-Eighties. However, changes, beginning with the Reagan administration, made social awareness, much less activism, more difficult, because the powers-that-be, as it were, gave up a few crumbs, in the form of trinkets and baubles as well as a new “pop culture” to the “masses”, so that the former could maintain its legitimacy, in light of bank scandals, the Iran/Contra debacle, financing the Israeli (which it still does) and Iraqi regimes as well as South Africa when it was more obviously apartheid than it is today, and so many other national and international misdeeds in which our government was - and continues to be -strongly involved.

Nonetheless, I’m willing to bet that there are far more illegal Irish, Russian, Italian, and Polish immigrants in this country than there are, say, Jamaicans and other Caribbean immigrants here, for example. Additionally, there may even be more of them than there are of Mexicam immigrants, as far as we know. Why don’t we ever here about those European folks? Where is the uproar about them? Moreover, the real laugh is: much of the area where the greatest amount of “illegal” immigration has been occurring was actually called Mexico, only five or six generations ago. Also, that means that the West Coast is actually more like the West Bank.

Finally, on the link below, you will find a piece that I saved for the occasion - since last December (2009), from the New York Times. It paints a more genuine picture of the
“immigration” issue.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/us/03immig.html?_r=1&hp
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Dr. Ndibe on the Death Penalty in Nigeria

"Who will execute condemned governors?"

by Okey Ndibe (okeyndibe@gmail.com)

Last week, whilst reading an essay and half-listening to the AIT’s news broadcast on my computer, I was so startled by an item in the broadcast that I dropped the essay and focused on the news. The startling news that compelled my attention was this: that, as a means of decongesting the prisons, Nigerian governors wanted to expedite the execution of condemned criminals.

I looked up in time to see Governor Theodore Orji of Abia speaking to reporters on the issue.

I wanted to write down Mr. Orji’s exact words, but couldn’t find a pen quickly enough. But the next day, the Tribune reported on the matter. In the words of the paper, “The National Economic Council (NEC), presided over by the Acting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, resolved that all condemned criminals should be executed, as the government explored ways to decongest the nation’s prisons.” It continued: “Briefing State House correspondents on the decision of the council after the meeting, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State revealed that the council was faced with the problem of those who had been condemned to death but were still kept in jail because the authorities had not mustered the courage to execute them. He said even though the state governors were not the ones to initiate the execution process, they were willing to obey the order by actually executing those found guilty of serious offences.”

Then the paper quoted the governor’s exact words: “The council was faced with the problem of those who committed capital offences and have been condemned to death, but are still living because perhaps the authorities have not mustered the courage to execute them and in considering that the governors were seen as not been very responsible for that, because the thing has to be initiated from the prison itself. It is when the recommendation comes to the governor that it can be implemented.” Mr. Orji then affirmed that “the governors are willing to obey this order by actually executing those who have been found guilty of crimes of murder, kidnapping and armed robbery, among others.”

The council, Governor Orji revealed, also “considered the people who are in detention.” He disclosed that “80 per cent of those who were in detention were awaiting trials and it was decided that efforts should be made to ensure that the prisons were decongested by looking into the cases of those people who are awaiting trials.” In a rare display of humane concern, the governor stated that “there is no basis for somebody who has not been convicted to be in prison for 10 years. So, the proper thing is to decongest the prison by looking at these cases and leaving them to go.”

Put quite simply, the governors’ prescription on executions struck me as crude, coarse and hypocritical. It amazed me that Nigerian governors would, without a sense of irony or shame, push for quickening the pace of executions of any criminals. For, truth be told, many serving and former governors as well as other government officials, are the nation’s biggest criminals. So, if governors must visit the subject of hastened executions, why didn’t they spend some time to create a protocol for executing those of their number who act as criminals-in-chief in their respective states?

Why not, indeed?

Two weeks ago, I commented on a sobering report by the Washington, DC-based Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on the phenomenon of illicit fund transfers by African leaders. The report revealed that African nations, led by Nigeria, illegally exported – and this was a conservative estimate – close to one trillion dollars between 1970 and 2008. Nigerians – those who are defined as “stakeholders” – led the way with $240.7 billion.

My question to Nigerian governors and other government officials: Who will execute you when you steal your people blind? Who will tie you to the stakes for exporting Nigeria’s cash to foreign banks and importing misery to your land? Pray, where’s your own executioner?

The timing of the governors’ statement on executions was intriguing. As I write, former Governor James Ibori of Delta is in hiding – perhaps in the deltaic creeks or even in a foreign country. Mr. Ibori is dead set against submitting himself to the EFCC. Ibori is once again being investigated for alleged acts of corruption and money laundering during the eight years he presided as governor.

How about the Halliburton bribe scandal that the Nigerian government appears determined to keep concealed? Several online and print media have reported that the names of four or five former presidents are on the list of Nigerians who took bribes to funnel contracts to Halliburton. Why didn’t the governors demand that the government prosecute these economic saboteurs and herd them off to jail for the rest of their lives – or execute them? Too many Nigerian public officials – presidents, governors, ministers, and local government councilors – are guilty of setting the tone of misery in their homeland. They gut the public treasury and cart away billions of dollars in looted funds to foreign banks. These official thieves create grave economic hopelessness, low wages, and serious unemployment. Their actions generate and fertilize such crimes as armed robbery and 419 scams.

That Nigeria has a prison congestion crisis is well known. Prisoners and detainees are kept in overcrowded prisons, whose conditions are fetid. There are, of course, many men and women who have been properly convicted. Sadly, there’s a scandal as well – that many detainees and convicts are innocent of any crimes. There are, simply, too many victims of a corrupt system tailored to perpetually incarcerate indigent suspects or to convict those who cannot afford to bribe law enforcement or to hire good lawyers.

Governor Orji and his fellow governors must know about this horrible fact of Nigeria’s penal system. They must know that many convicts, including those on death row, are absolutely innocent.

The answer to prison congestion, then, is not to go on a spree of execution. Instead, Nigeria should – in the short term – embark on an audit of its prison population to separate those who are there for provable crimes from those pulled in by corrupt police officers as well as serious lapses in the judicial system. In the long run, the nation should get serious about cracking down on the real villains – public officials, including governors – whose thieving expertise breeds other crimes. Until governors, serving and former, as well as other top officials are held to account for their unconscionable crimes, until their crimes are properly defined as capital in nature, Nigeria should not be in a hurry to start an execution bonanza.
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In memory of Harrison Ridley Jr.

"...for decades, both Harrison and I have always preferred the term African American - or Black - Classical Music for much of what is called jazz."

Dear friends,

It's always sad to learn about the passing of an old friend who you'd been meaning to coniact. Only a few days ago, I decided to stop vacillating and look up an old pal/colleague, using the Internet. His name is Harrison Ridley Jr. As far as I'm aware, there is/was no one with his outstanding wealth of scholarship, regarding both the history of the music idiom known as jazz, and its artists. (BTW, for decades, both Harrison and I have always preferred the term African American - or Black - Classical Music for much of what is called jazz.)

In any case, a tireless music historian and legendary radio personality who liked to be referred to as a “musicologist”, Harrison was a lifelong Philadelphian. Back in the Eighties, along with “Cousin Mary" (the namesake of Coltrane's classic number from the Giant Steps album), as well as the wife of the legendary drummer Philly Joe Jones and two other Philadelphia music notables, Arnold Boyd and saxophonist/teacher Lovette Hines, Harrison and I served as officers in a longtime jazz organization that was known as Trane Stop (founded by Boyd, and, obviously, named after the great John William Coltrane).

To think, I had planned on doing an interview for this blog with him. It would have been an incredible amount of wisdom to share. And while that will never happen now, unfortunately, still, on the link below, is some info about Harrison Ridley Jr.; he was truly a gentle giant, in so many ways. A very wonderful person, I’ll always remember his huge and constant smile.

"Love lives forever!" - Stevie Wonder

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrti/.artsmain/article/17/208/1472515/WRTI.Spotlight/WRTI.Remembers.Harrison.Ridley,.Jr./
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John-Hall attends a Tea Party

"Once you become involved with the freedoms that you have, you learn to love them. God bless the Founding Fathers!" said Republican James Jones, running for Congress in Bucks County, the only black candidate there. .."



Dear friends,

We've been hearing a lot about the Tea Party lately. I saw a television interview, about a week ago, where the organization's newly-elected president, an elderly British woman who came to the States some years back, talk about the aims of her group. Interestingly enough, the just mentioned Englishwoman seemed more proud of her native origin than being an "American".

Additionally, a quack named James Jones, an apparent incognegro, took the stage, at some point, during the Tea Party's recent Philadelphia rally. As one of my siblings and I have always maintained, "No matter how stupid some 'white' folks get, there is always, at least, one Black person who will join them, grinning all the while."

In any case, on the link below, one of North America's premier journalists, Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer, gives us an up close look at an afternoon with the "Teabaggers". Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/20100420_Annette_John-Hall__Beyond_the_pale__tea_and_little_sympathy.html
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International Women In Jazz Festival w/Nicki Mathis

NICKi MATHIS






NICKi MATHIS

International Women In Jazz Festival Friday 23 April 6pm

Nicki in IWJ Chorus, 7:30 pm
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Av @ E. 54, NYC
Tickets $25 day; 2-day discount $45 212.560-7553 www.intenationalwomeninjazz.com
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Dr. Ndibe on Ibori, Peter Odili, and Justice Buba

"Ibori, Peter Odili, and Justice Buba"
by Okey Ndibe (okeyndibe@gmail.com)


A week ago today, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it sought former Governor James Ibori (of Delta) to answer questions related to the alleged mismanagement of over N44 billion during his governorship tenure.

A day later, several newspapers and online forums reported that Justice I.N. Buba of the Federal High Court in Asaba had issued an injunction prohibiting Ibori’s arrest. In a report last Friday, NEXT stated that Buba had granted an “injunction restraining the EFCC and any other anti-crime agency ‘from arresting, harassing, intimidating, or attempting to arrest, harass, and/or intimidate the applicants (Mr. Ibori) in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.’”

My first reaction was one of incredulity. How could a judge – even if he earned his bench in Mars and practiced there – seek to permanently cuff the hands of law enforcement agents in order to detain them from doing their work? Would that not be a recipe for anarchy? Then my doubt gave way to recognition: Mr. Buba, I realized, had done it before.

He’s the man – lest we forget – who ordered that neither the EFCC nor other agents of the government should ever disturb the peace of Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State. At the time of this improbable reprieve, Odili – a medical doctor by training whose wife is a justice of the Court of Appeal – was the target of an ongoing investigation for corruption.

Today, Mr. Odili basks in the splendor of retirement in Abuja. A year ago or so, he treated himself to a lavish birthday party. His servile coterie flatters him with the title of “golden governor”; yet, Odili has been in no hurry to return and reside in the state where he allegedly gave surpassing leadership. In fact, since leaving office, he has been reluctant to make frequent trips to his home state.

Perhaps – just perhaps – Mr. Odili’s record as governor was clean, beyond reproach. Perhaps, he can easily account for every naira and asset that he owns. If so, why did he seek to be shielded from answering questions from investigators? Why did he go to extraordinary lengths to acquire immunity from investigation?

I am neither a lawyer nor a legal scholar, but my hunch is that few serious lawyers and students of the law would be proud of Justice Buba’s injunction prohibiting the questioning of Odili. The ruling, quite simply, doesn’t stand up to reason. It’s the kind of judgment that inspires cynical statements about the law and those who practice it.

This isn’t a case of Buba reviewing investigators’ evidence and concluding that it is too weak to warrant an ex-governor’s trial. Nor is it a case where a judge determined that investigators used illegal methods to incriminate an accused. No, Buba simply ruled that the very idea of investigating an ex-governor – one accused of fiddling with state funds – was not to be countenanced.

A nation that fosters the idea that some people are above the law cannot long hope to ward off the debilitating effect of pervasive lawlessness. Justice Buba’s gift of a permanent protective blanket to Odili represents such a grave threat to the notion of the rule of law that the Nigerian Bar Association should have strongly decried it. One wonders why Mrs. Waziri Farida, the current leader of the EFCC, did not retain lawyers to mount a vigorous appeal against Buba’s blunder of a verdict?

Taken to its logical conclusion, Buba’s verdict could only result in an absurdity. Imagine a situation where the leader of a feared armed robbery gang obtains a permanent injunction barring the police from ever arresting, detaining or questioning him – or other members of his group. What, then? Or where a serial rapist is granted a shield from interrogators. If an ex-governor, alleged to have betrayed the trust by corruptly enriching himself, must never be called to account, why should an accused armed robber or rapist be denied the same prerogatives?
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A National Black Theatre Event!!!

"AS PART OF IMMIGRANT HERITAGE WEEK
NBT'S THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM
IS OFFERING 2 FREE SHOWS!!!
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
APRIL 15 & 16, 2010" Read full post

More of Nicholas Kristof's falsehoods about African poverty

“As a matter of fact, even to this very day, it is the continuous exploitative behavior of Europeans and their offshoots in the Americas, by their maintaining the underdevelopment of Africa and other lands, including neo-colonialist South Africa, that lends to the creation of Mugabe and his ilk,..”

Dear friends,

There is a particular writer from the New York Times who is given a great deal of exposure as an “expert” on the plight of non-European peoples around the world. His name is Nicholas Kristof. To be sure, he knows more about us than we know about ourselves. By the way, he is the same person who insisted, after the recent tragedy in Haiti, that the answer to providing economic development to a new Haiti is to open up more sweat shops. Huh? (Apparently, he’s a friend of the Clintons and Bushes. Eh?)

Now Kristof wants the world to know the ease with which one can understand why Africa is “poor”, by explaining to us, “…a visit to Zimbabwe highlights perhaps the main reason: bad governance. The tyrannical, incompetent and corrupt rule of Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, has turned one of Africa’s most advanced countries into a shambles. “

Of course, not only does his “analysis” deny the process of exploitation and oppression of African peoples and others worldwide, as well, Kristof makes no mention here of the role of the C.I.A., for example, with its multi-billion dollars budget and absolute free reign without monitoring, that allows that “agency” to constantly work to destabilize governments around the world that don’t bend to the hegemony of both European and North American capitalism (e.g., the C.I.A., along with the soulless Israelis, recently assassinated an Iranian scientist as part of their expression of diplomacy in keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6868090.html ).
Additionally, what Kristof doesn’t talk about is: soon after independence, petty tribalisms and so forth - like "religious" squabbles, set in, and were, in fact, instigated by agents of the former colonial rulers. Moreover, as the great Walter Rodney taught us in his landmark book called “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” what continues to happen on the Mother continent stems from the aforementioned hegemony. Kristof acts as if non-Africans have no part in the problem. Besides, are the leaders of African nations any more exploitative than those of the US, for instance?

At any rate, unemployment in Africa, which was already rampant under colonialism, became even worse, because the formerly colonized "leaders" had no understanding of running industry. After all, while European rulers and others have and still do take raw materials from the African continent, they send the aforementioned materials overseas to places like Asia and Latin America where they are refined into consumable products. Also, when the colonizers “left”, those vindictive, alien marauders took everything that they "owned" with them (in many cases, they even took the light bulbs from the administrative offices that they had been forced to abandon).

That meant that, for many people, farming on a rather unsophisticated scale and petty merchantry would reign. People do have to eat and sustain themselves, after all. Hence, in that context, when it came/comes to government collection and expenditures, along with other matters, corruption necessarily followed/follows.

As a matter of fact, even to this very day, it is the continuous exploitative behavior of Europeans and their offshoots in the Americas, by their maintaining the underdevelopment of Africa and other lands, including neo-colonialist South Africa, that lends to the creation of Mugabe and his ilk, whether on the Mother continent of Africa or here in the Diaspora - and the rest of the world.

Finally, when is Kristof going to focus on misery, squalor, and ignorance in places like South Boston, Massachusetts, Dublin, Ireland, and a myriad of other places, both here and in Europe, where people who look like him suffer under corrupt politicians, greedy businesspeople, and such?

Nevertheless, below is the link to Kristof’s usual condescending, unconscionably racist venom with which the New York Times so proudly infests the world.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/opinion/11kristof.html?hp
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A few photos of how some Africans are faring these days (originally posted 10/16/08)

How about a brief journey through the continent of Africa, with its many cultural experiences?

Dear friends,

While the mainstream media in North America pays little attention to the Mother continent - Africa (outside of her misery), I like to, occasionally, keep viewers of this blog aware of Africa's many looks - and peoples. Please check out the small set of pics below, from BBC.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7664176.stm
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President Barack Obama invites President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to the White House

"Half of Obama’s heart may be Kenyan, but he is, when all is said and done, a quintessential American original. Given his cosmopolitan outlook, Obama is unquestionably more informed than his recent predecessors, about the poor places of the world, and more sympathetic to the plight of the world’s poor… "


"Goodluck Jonathan calls on Barack Obama"

By Okey Ndibe (okeyndibe@gmail.com)

Goodluck Jonathan gets his first strutting experience as “president” next week when he visits the U.S. at the invitation of President Barack Obama. How Jonathan handles himself, and the image he projects, will determine how seriously his American host takes him and the country he runs.

Umaru Yar’Adua set a poor tone when, during a visit at the White House in 2007, he acted like a child let loose in a candy shop. Eyes glimmering, he gushed to President George W. Bush that coming to America was the best day of his life.

It would serve Jonathan to avoid such callow exuberance. He better come properly briefed, and fully prepared, to articulate Nigeria’s take on the topics of discussion.

The two men, and their respective countries, have a large menu of bilateral issues to bite into. There are such issues as oil, terrorism, democracy, trade relations, anti-corruption measures, and Nigeria’s tense – and, it appears, worsening – sectarian divide.

It’s easy, in talking with Obama, to misread his ties to Africa – as the son of a Kenyan father – as an indication of deep sympathy for African causes. Half of Obama’s heart may be Kenyan, but he is, when all is said and done, a quintessential American original. Given his cosmopolitan outlook, Obama is unquestionably more informed than his recent predecessors, about the poor places of the world, and more sympathetic to the plight of the world’s poor.

Even so, his deepest loyalties lie – as they should – with America, and especially with America’s corporate giants, many of them with tentacles in Nigeria. It’s Jonathan’s place to recognize this fact, and to do his best to champion Nigeria’s economic interests as strongly as Obama pushes America’s interests.

Oil is at the center of America’s interest in Nigeria’s vicissitudes. With the rise of anti-American sentiments in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, U.S. authorities have made no secret of wishing to buy more of their crude oil from Nigeria.

That prospect means that the U.S. is attentive to Nigeria’s domestic stresses. There’s little doubt that Washington closely monitors both the deepening militarization of the oil-rich Niger Delta and the incessant outbreaks of religious violence in such places as Jos, Maiduguri, and Bauchi.

America is, in short, invested in easing the pressures that have caused sharp declines in Nigeria’s daily oil output. But Jonathan, who happens to hail from the Niger Delta, ought to convey to Obama that economic justice is key to reducing militancy. The Nigerian state and the oil companies have exploited the resources of the oil-producing delta.

It would be a mistake to imagine that Obama is less than enthusiastic about George Bush’s plan to establish an African Command. Should Obama try to sell the idea, Jonathan ought to unambiguously register Nigeria’s continuing opposition. At the very least, such a command would further undermine the sovereign will of African nations. At worst, it is likely to subordinate African nations, willy-nilly, to American control. Put bluntly, it is a recipe for re-colonization.
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In honor of Marvin Gaye's 70th year - some vintage videos

"What' goin' on?"


Dear friends,

I got the link to the videos below from the page of a Facebook friend, and thought it would be hip to share on this blog. Marvin, a love prophet, would have turned 70, just a few days ago. Moreover, his music will live on for a very long time.

Love is the weapon of the strong!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KC7uhMY9s

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Nicki Mathis - with Lynn Tracey - a truly dynamic duo of jazz

"This is a must-see act!"





Dear friends,

I've seen several great female jazz singers/perfomers, from Betty Carter to Nancy Wilson to Patti LaBelle, over the four decades-plus. Nicki Mathis is no less in their league. I mean that literally. Moreover, there are times when Nicki appears, locally, around western New England, in cities like Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA. Along with Lynn Tracey, an up-and-coming great in her own right, this duo is nothing short of top notch. Their shows are as good as any that you'll see at Birdland in NYC (and I've been to that famous club as both acustomer and an invited guest).

At any rate, I've been catching them, whenever they're doing a show anywhere near my area. I strongly suggest: if you want to have an incredible experience with real jazz music, from real players, check them out!

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************
NICKi MATHIS
Friday 23 April 6pm
International Women In Jazz Festival
Nicki in IWJ Chorus, 7:30 pm
St. Peter's Church, Lexington Av @ E. 54, NYC
Tickets $25 day; 2-day discount $45 212.560-7553
www.intenationalwomeninjazz.com
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Jen Armstrong on Student Loan Reform

"It has now been passed and signed by our president."

Dear friends,

Just last week, award-winning journalist Jen Armstrong of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote about a bill that was attached to the Health Care Reform bill being on the verge of passage itself. It has now been passed and signed by our president. Jen's prophetic piece is on the link below. Cheers!

G, Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20100323_Jenice_Armstrong__Student_loan_bill.html
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Elmer Smith reflects upon a special kind of longevity

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100319_Elmer_Smith__A_quiet_life_of_eventfulness__in_God_s_unchanging_hand.html
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Is there a connection between the US Federal Census and White Supremacy?

“…upon what basis does one believe that the aforementioned resources will be fairly distributed, if the manner in which folks describe themselves for the aforesaid distribution is unfair?”
Dear friends,

At least in town hall records around New England, immediately prior to Hitler’s ascent to power and for decades before that, Irish, Polish, and Italian citizens were, randomly, checked off as “race other than white”. Since then, the descendants of all of those three groups just mentioned are only considered “white”.

The federal census then, at least to me, seems to be used to justify the phony claim of being “white” that allows many citizens in our country to mean-spiritedly pit themselves against others who are labeled "non-white", while, simultaneously, the former group magically becomes an artificial “majority” group. Moreover, in an alleged “democracy” (defined by our government and other cultural institutions conveniently, but improperly, as “the rule of the majority”), such a claim (of being “white”) makes being “white” supreme.

Consequently, millions of citizens mull over the scores of categories for self-description, while millions more who are in the “white” category have little to do, in terms of describing themselves.

To be sure, the ancestors of the aforementioned “majority” group were not considered "white” in their homelands. Only economic factors distinguished them their fellows. As a matter of fact, that’s why their poor butts came here, from the git-go. After all, generally-speaking, aristocrats don’t leave their homelands. They have no reason to. Notwithstanding, ships were sent to Europe in order to bring millions of people here, when there were already millions of African Americans in the South who were forced into the plantation economy of "sharecropping", after the Reconstruction Era was ended by the US government itself, along with quasi-government agencies like the Ku Klux Klan.

Still, why use cultural descriptions for citizens when it pertains to people from places where the inhabitants have a skin color other than pale, but not use cultural descriptions for people who are of European descent? None of the ancestors of the three groups that were noted above even spoke the same language when they came to North America. That means that their cultural distinctions were just as prominent between themselves as Europeans, as they were/are between themselves and people of non-European descent. What’s wrong with this picture?

Furthermore, on our federal census forms, why is skin color the only reference for "whites", when for others it is, for example, African American, Asian, Latino, and so forth. Why can’t they be called European American, for instance? To that question, I often hear the objection, “But what’s the difference in calling yourself European American instead of “white”, if you’re still talking about the same people?” It’s an incredibly lame objection, but here’s my response, “Since there is an advantage to being ‘white’, because it makes you part of an artificial ‘majority’ group, in an alleged ‘democracy’, it is, disempowering to call yourself anything other than ‘white’ .” I mean, who wants to give up an illusion of power, especially since tens of millions of those who call themselves ‘white’ live far below the poverty level, and scores of millions more are only so many paychecks away from bankruptcy?

Additionally, if people stop calling themselves "white", then we will not need either affirmative action or any other special considerations for some citizens. But people do not want to stop calling themselves "white", because, again, it is disempowering to do so. That proves in and of itself that there is an advantage to being "white". So about what are all of the arguments against afirmative action?

Finally, the notion that resources are distributed based upon census figures ignores the mere reality of the outright thievery of corporations and their sycophantic politicians who use our tax dollars as a means to fill their own coffers. Besides, upon what basis does one believe that the aforementioned resources will be fairly distributed, if the manner in which folks describe themselves for the aforesaid distribution is unfair?
Ultimately, it becomes quite obvious that the most crucial result of the Federal Census is to legitimize White Supremacy )euphemistically-called "racism").

Let’s keep it real.

G. Djata Bunpus

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Dr..Ndibe recalls a truly religious man

The late Lamido and my father

By Okey Ndibe



With the death on March 13 of Aliyu Musdafa, the 11th Lamido of Adamawa, Nigeria strikes me as a slightly dimmer space. The death of this extraordinary Nigerian touched me – and my mother as well as four siblings – in a deeply personal way. We – on behalf of my late father – owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to this unusual traditional and religious leader. For us, his memory will remain a richly treasured and profoundly admirable one.

It was in Yola that my parents, Christopher Chidebe and Elizabeth Ofuchinyelu Ndibe, began their lives as a young couple. Father worked as a postal clerk in Jimeta, Yola, whilst Mother taught at Saint Theresa’s, a Catholic elementary school in the same town. Three of my four siblings as well as I were born in Yola.

My earliest memories are rooted in that quiescent town. We lived in a small brown-brick building called “Clerical Quarters,” a whispering distance from the post office where Father toiled. Looking back, I remember an oddly charmed life. There’s the tree in front of our flat under whose shade we played childhood games. I recall a bearded Hausa friend of my father’s. He was a lanky man who, in my recollection, always sported long flowing robes. Fascinated by his grey beard, I would perch on his lap whenever he came to visit and occupy myself by tugging at those lush, spongy tufts.

I remember, too, days when our father fetched his double-barrel gun and went out to the banks of River Benue to hunt. He would return, his hunting bag sagged with the weight of several guinea fowls. I recall days when our parents walked us to the courts where Father played tennis, his spare athlete’s body accentuated by his white sports outfit. Then there were sightseeing excursions to the banks of the river, or to clearings in the savanna where, with the sun irradiating the sky in the distance, bare-bodied young beat each other’s chests with sturdy sticks in a test of fitness for initiation into manhood.

It was for me – speaking from the perspective of a child – a beautiful, even magical time. Doubtless, my parents must have encountered some hard and harsh facts of daily life, but I was, like many children, oblivious to them. Life, for me, was idyllic.

Then things changed quickly. Snarls replaced the portraits of smiling faces. Anger usurped the bonhomie we were accustomed to. There were violent rumblings in streets where we once played with innocent abandon. Suddenly, our parents became wary when we wanted to play out in front of our flat. Gaiety disappeared from our lives. I was too young to put a name to my parents’ awkward silences and strange whispers, or the inexplicable absences of the adults and children who used to frequent our home – and who once welcomed us warmly to theirs. Unbeknown to me, the fetus of war was being nurtured in the womb of Nigeria’s history.

As the rumbles grew, my father decided that Mother and we, the children, should return to the safety of Amawbia – my paternal hometown which was then, in many ways, a strange address to me. I was then more a Yola boy; I had a richer grasp of Hausa than Igbo.

Despite our mother’s pleas, Father couldn’t flee Yola with the rest of his family. He was a conscientious employee, and the Federal Government had warned that civil servants who absconded would forfeit their posts. He stayed back in a Yola that convulsed with hate, a town where violence simmered, waiting for a trigger to explode and spew its murderous lava.

One day, Father and other postal workers – most of them Christians – were hard at work when a mob besieged them. Fear-stricken, he and his embattled colleagues barricaded themselves in. but their hiding place was far from an impregnable fortress. The mob, armed with cudgels, machetes, hammers and other tools, began to hack at the locked doors of the post office. It was a matter of time before the mob had the better of their quarry.

At the nick, when things looked gloomiest for my father and his cornered fellow workers, providence intervened on their side. Or, to be more accurate, the Lamido happened to be passing by. Spying the mob, he ordered his convoy to stop. After ascertaining the mob’s mission, the Lamido chastised and ordered them to disperse. He then conveyed my father and other postal clerks – men, mind you, who were mere moments away from certain death – to his palace. There, he gave them shelter and food for several weeks until the wave of orgiastic violence abated. He then arranged for Father and others to be boarded on the last ships to leave Yola for the south east.

When my father finally arrived in Amawbia, a scrawny shadow of his former vibrant self, it was as if he’d risen from the dead. Our mother had for months been in an inconsolable state, a woman paralyzed with the fear (verging on certainty) that some mindless merchants of death had killed her husband. Gunshots boomed and reverberated all over Amawbia as the town celebrated Father’s improbable return.

As I matured and learned this history, it struck me that – but for the Lamido’s vote for sanity and his insistence on the sanctity of life – my father would have been dead that distant afternoon in 1967. Instead, the Lamido – himself a relatively young man at the time – stepped into a grim situation and made a choice that was courageous and deeply heroic.

What moved the Lamido to be an agent of life and decency in a season ruled by death and unreason?

In July of 2008, I traveled to Yola to meet Mr. Musdafa in order to, one, express my family’s abiding gratitude for his uncommon act of kindness and, two, to satisfy my curiosity. It was my first visit to Yola since our flight in 1966 when I was hardly six. The town had changed significantly, but not so fundamentally as to nullify all my childhood memories.

I found the flat where we lived – and that tree in front of it, now twisted with age and much smaller than I remembered. Visiting the banks of the Benue where Father used to hunt, I saw kids diving in and out of the river and fishermen lounging in makeshift sheds, their boats abandoned in the languorous blaze of the noon heat. I visited Saint Theresa’s Church where our parents used to take us to mass. Inside, the old church was dim and derelict, a small forgotten structure now dominated by an imposing cathedral built nearby. I then went to see the now dilapidated school where Mother once taught.

The highlight was, of course, that meeting with the late Lamido. He ushered me into his sparse, clean reception room moments after my arrival was announced. He was a very tall, lean man with cropped white beards and lively eyes. There was not about him that fussy insistence on grandeur cultivated by many who occupy traditional offices. He seemed to project a moral gravitas much more than he exuded royal pomp. He was a man of quiet dignity whose carriage proclaimed the effortlessness of his deep humanity.

He insisted that he did nothing special in saving my father and other Christians. “As a true Muslim, I could not let allow the spilling of innocent blood.” He remembered that my parents had written a letter to thank him – but he was adamant that his action was a simple one.

A Nigeria beset by rising sectarian violence stands in need of citizens, Christians and Muslims, possessed of the late Lamido’s moral clarity, commitment to humanistic values, and deep nobility and conscience. My mother, siblings and I will ever treasure the colossus that was Alhaji Aliyu Musdafa who died a month shy of his 88th birthday. His legacy is rare, and will endure.
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Dr. Ndibe on Nigeria's most recent man-made disaster in Jos

"Nigeria chalked up another dubious record in infamy with the recent pre-dawn massacre of innocent men, women and children near Jos."




"Chronicle of innocence murdered"

by Okey Ndibe

Nigeria chalked up another dubious record in infamy with the recent pre-dawn massacre of innocent men, women and children near Jos. Reports of the bloodbath became a staple on radio and cable news broadcasts around the world, complete with macabre pictures of bloodied corpses, gaping mass graves, and disconsolate wailing women. These reports were also splashed on the front page of major international newspapers, including the New York Times.

Haiti and Chile are still reeling from the aftermath of devastating earthquakes, a natural disaster. Nigeria continues to be beset by man-manufactured crises and disasters.

In the age of the Internet, accounts and photos of the savage attack – which, in its use of machetes to dismember targets and bonfires to immolate many, came across as a mini version of the Rwandan genocide – seemed to be everywhere one turned. Scores of photos were forwarded to my e-mail addresses and posted to my facebook account.

Where I could, I deleted the photos. For there is, after all, something that’s deeply wounding to the psyche in peering at the monstrous work of the depraved and – one inescapably concluded – the deranged. To glimpse the pictures – and glimpse was all one managed, it being impossible to look – was to confront barbarity on a scale that caused one to shudder at the human capacity for evil.

I was not only appalled and horrified by the wantonness of the nocturnal attackers; my sensibility also recoiled from what, in my suspicion, is a growing appetite for gore and horror. This appetite is daily facilitated and fed by the Internet. Thanks to the communicative ease offered by the Internet, anybody can sit before a computer anywhere in the world and widely disseminate any information, complete with (often gory) photographs.

It’s true that, in many cases, these photographs serve to corroborate or lend dimensionality to written accounts of events. Yet, the raw, stark manner in which some grotesque photos are distributed leaves me worrying that we are in danger of losing our ability to flinch. I worry, besides, that our seeming fascination with gazing at extremely sickening photographs of callous acts – in this case, the Jos massacres – is bound to accelerate the erosion of our sense of the sacredness of human life.

That fear is real enough for me – which was why, once I heard and read about the latest episode of sectarian bloodbath in Jos, I tried my best not to linger over the pictures of victims. I’m not one to seek photographic authentication of dastardly acts. Yet, as I already hinted, it’s often impossible to avoid all the images thrown at you from multiple sources, known and unknown. In the case of the carnage in Jos, several well-meaning “facebook” friends must have thought they were doing me a favor by bombarding me with the horrific images. In order to delete them, one had, perforce, to glance at them.

In the process, two images from that photographic gallery of evil branded themselves on my mind. One photograph is of a mother and a baby – in all likelihood her child – lying side by side, both bodies burnt. It was as if their assailants wished to make them into human barbecues.

The other picture was just as haunting. It’s of a child, at most three years old, its skull gashed open to expose a reddened brain. Perhaps the deadly blow was struck with a machete or some other sharp instrument. The dead child has a thumb in its mouth; he or she must have been in deep sleep when the terrible blow was struck. That child’s posture – with a thumb frozen in the mouth – tells its own disturbing story. It spoke to me of the murder of innocence.

The immediate murderer is, of course, the man (or woman, perhaps?) who was so crazed as to take an axe to the skull of a sleeping, absolutely harmless and defenseless child. The perpetrator, whatever his or her grievance, cannot possibly produce any justification for snatching that child’s life.

But there’s also a sense – a deep sense at that – in which the thumb-sucking child as well as the charred mother and child indict the Nigerian state – a state run by vampires who “eat” the citizens’ flesh and “drink” their blood.

Truth be told, the recurrent spate of so-called religious violence in Nigeria is but a symptom of a nation that’s sabotaged every opportunity to achieve itself. Nigeria remains a discounted dream, a space run (and ruined) by (in)human parasites who suck the life out of their quarry, leaving the nation-space feeble and wobbly.

Those who sneaked upon the sleeping victims in a town near Jos and executed their murderous designs were – to some degree – proxies for a Nigeria that devalues its citizens’ lives. For despite the religious coating that served as ostensible motive, the attack was, at bottom, evidence of colossal dehumanization wrought by pervasive economic misery.

Nigeria might have nurtured that thumb-sucking child to grow up into a productive citizen. Perhaps the burnt woman was a suckling mother, a small trader who rose up daily and did what it took to provide food for her family, or a farmer whose produce gave her a means of sustenance and a way of meeting the world. But a Nigeria whose resources are looted by a few, whose police are too busy collecting bribes at roadside blocks to pay attention to the real task of law enforcement, whose bureaucrats spend their waking hours inventing novel ways to make the lives of their fellows harsher – that Nigeria betrayed the victims of our latest man-made disaster.

It is up to citizens to reclaim their lives by taking back their nation. The first step is to insist that their so-called nascent democracy learn to respect the wishes of the people in next year’s general elections. It should surprise no one that Nigerian “leaders” who usurp office and get away with it treat Nigerians as cattle or worse. It is only when the people establish their sovereign power that they can compel the state to respond to them as citizens – not fodder for senseless death.

(okeyndibe@gmail.com)
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Israel's latest insult to the world,and a story about 800 "settlers"

"The claim that Israel is the 'closest ally' of the US in the Middle East reminds me of the African proverb that goes: It's better to have an intelligent enemy than a dumb friend."

Dear friends,

With the recent announcement (March 10, 2010) by Israel to build an additional 1600 units for "settlers" in mostly Arab east Jerusalem, it should be obvious, even to those with the most infinitesimally small brains, that Israel, with its nuclear warheads, is nothing but a colonial power that is sponsored by the US government through the despicable likes of Senators Charles Schumer and Joe Lieberman and their ilk. Moreover, the claim that Israel is the "closest ally" of the US in the Middle East reminds me of the African proverb that goes: It's better to have an intelligent enemy than a dumb friend.

At any rate, as bloody and inhuman as the situation in Gaza is, there is a much wider story, regarding the plight of Palestinian people. On the link below is a piece that was written in 2008 that points to a problem that all Palestinians share, whether in Gaza or elsewhere.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://judaismandisrael.blogspot.com/2008/01/abomination-800-jewish-settlers-of.html
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Post-racial America?

"The adults in the church sanctuary were itching for a fight, eager to redress years of indignities absorbed growing up black in San Diego."

Dear friends,

A few weeks ago, I posted the link to an article about a noose being hung in a library on a California campus. Since then, Sandy Banks of the Los Angeles Times has written a thorough piece regarding the whole issue of racism on that whole campus just mentioned, and the valiant work of African American students to counter it (the aforementioned racism). Is it a surprise that incidents of racism have been getting more frequent and vicious, beginning with the successful campaign and now the presidency of Barack Obama? Meanwhile, there are those who still quite foolishly use the term “post-racial America". On the link below, at least to me, there is adequate information to refute that claim.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-banks6-2010mar06,0,6616905,full.column
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For Women's History Month should one be a Lady?

"...does being a lady call for her to surrender her integrity and ignore her divine inner powers of both intellectual and physical ability at her own expense, in order to benefit from a relationship, of whatever kind, with another person?"




Dear friends,

What is a lady? Is she a female who smiles and responds to an indignity - no matter how harsh, with grace and magnanimity? Moreover, does being a lady call for her to surrender her integrity and ignore her divine inner powers of both intellectual and physical ability, at her own expense, in order to benefit from a relationship, of whatever kind, with another person?

On the link below, a dear friend, award-winning journalist Jen Armstrong from the Philadelphia Daily News, gets into this topic, quite aptly. Enjoy!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20100203_Jenice_Armstrong___Lady__is_a_minefield.html
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Dr. Ndibe shows how time is running out for Goodluck Jonathan

"Jonathan and the end of a honeymoon"
By Okey Ndibe

Those handling Goodluck Jonathan better tell him that this week marks the end of the honeymoon phase of his “acting presidency.”
This week, Mr. Jonathan must demonstrate his awareness, first of his personal burden, and then of the Nigerian crisis. If he can’t find the spine to begin to serve the Nigerian people, then he should ask his speechwriters to compose one heck of a resignation letter for him. He should then submit it and get out of the way.

Jonathan, to be sure, is a creature of a difficult historical circumstance. In 2007, he and his principal, Umaru Yar’Adua, were imposed on Nigeria. Far from earning the electoral mandate of Nigerians, they – Yar’Adua and he – were foisted on Nigeria by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other elements.

Their chief sponsor, Obasanjo, could not have intended that the duo would deliver magnificent leadership. If anything, both Yar’Adua and Jonathan had exemplified gubernatorial mediocrity. In choosing them, then, a vindictive Obasanjo perhaps sought to punish Nigerians for daring to deny him his illicit desire for a third term.
Yar’Adua and Jonathan inspired low expectations, and performed worse. They could not transcend the crooked circumstances that tossed them into power.

With Yar’Adua hobbled by sickness, his “presidency” became little more than a residency in Aso Rock. Even at the best of health, the man merely occupied space, but remained incapable of making his presence felt in any positive manner.

Today, Turai Yar’Adua’s delusions notwithstanding, Umaru Yar’Adua is physically (and, in all likelihood, mentally) incapacitated to carry on the pretence of running Nigeria.
That circumstance has thrown up the prospect of Jonathan’s “acting presidency.” Nigerians have a right to wonder if Jonathan has what it takes to step into the role.

It is a measure of how desperate Nigerians are that some expect Jonathan to perform impressively. There’s nothing in the man’s political resume that suggests that he’s cut out for excellent leadership. Even so, history is replete with examples of men and women who managed, in defiance of the odds, to rise to momentous challenges. Nigerians are hoping – praying – that Jonathan would be one such accidental success story.

But let’s be fair: if Jonathan’s political skills are mediocre or average, he’s entitled to them. But he should, in that event, be fair to Nigerians by confessing that he doesn’t have what they expect – and that he wishes to de-commission himself as “acting president.”

This week is decisive.

Nigerians have watched with growing impatience and irritation as Jonathan appeared barely capable of chairing the weekly meetings of the cabinet. Last December, as Nigerian commuters were crippled by fuel shortage, Jonathan “ordered” that the ministers in the oil sector should not travel out of town on vacation. Mr. Rilwanu Lukman, who holds the main oil portfolio, skipped out of town, ignoring Jonathan’s directive. Why has Lukman not been fired?

Jonathan gives the impression of incessantly looking over his shoulder, afraid that the “forces” loyal to Turai and Umaru are out to get him. He runs the risk of allowing the fear of Turai to paralyze him. If he can’t overcome that fear, Jonathan might as well admit to his wimpy disposition, surrender what power he has, and leave the arena. If he stands pat, doing nothing, it will be a question of when, not if, the enemies he fears will pick him apart.

There’s work to do, and Jonathan’s best bet is to get cracking. For one, he ought to shape up the federal cabinet. There are too many ministers who don’t appear to understand the most elementary thing about their ministry – but who relish the sound of the pompous title of “honorable minister.” Given the shortness of his “tenure” – a year – Jonathan ought to fish for the most outstanding technocrats to help think up and implement solutions for Nigeria’s perennial infrastructural crises.

Nigerian roads are in a shambles. Nigerian schools are poorly funded and ill equipped. Nigeria’s healthcare is in a grim state. Erratic power supply remains a pervasive feature of Nigeria’s reality. Violent crime, especially armed robbery, festers. These problems did not crop up overnight, and they won’t be solved by the wave of a magic wand. But any focused leader, once who sets out to work instead of to steal, could make enough of a difference for Nigerians to notice. And Nigerians, long beset by disastrous leadership, deserve a break.

Jonathan must look into himself and discern if he has it in him. He’s never been known for stellar leadership, but the historical circumstances of his emergence as “acting president” are ripe for courageous performance.

A product of a shameful election, Jonathan has a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact by pushing credible electoral reform, not the half-baked, ineffectual brand that a hypocritical and self-serving Yar’Adua supported. He should indicate his readiness to champion passage of the key elements of the recommendations made by the Justice Muhammadu Uwais panel.

Before Jonathan can get to these substantive issues, he must, at minimum, steer the federal executive council to do the right thing by declaring Yar’Adua incapacitated. That should happen this week. Every Okoye, Musa and Adebayo knows that Mr. Yar’Adua is too gravely sick to be of help even to himself, much less to 150 million Nigerians.

This, I restate, is the week that Jonathan’s free pass will end. Henceforth, he must work to earn any goodwill. My hunch is that a Jonathan who can’t lead his colleagues to reach and express a commonsensical conclusion on Yar’Adua’s status is not worthy of being entrusted with running the complex organism called Nigeria – even in an acting capacity.
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