Al Franken can’t say he didn’t know!
A letter from an Ethiopian Human Rights Activist:
We were trying to see if Al Franken would ask Jimmy Carter why our ex-president was supporting a government that has committed genocide, and now stands being accused of rigging elections?
Maybe it came up in private conversations, because it didn’t come out in the interview.
Last week, when Al Franken was in Atlanta, he interviewed Jimmy Carter. Mr. Carter who “Worships the Prince of Peace” and “Not the Prince of Preemptive War” (big applause) was asked about the current American standing in the world,
“Another thing that concerns me so much is our almost abandonment of being the nation that raises high the banner of human rights. We have abandoned the championship of human rights.” (big applause.)
This from Jimmy Carter, the man who just handed our country over to a dictator!
But maybe Jimmy Carter has his reasons for not speaking out against Meles Zenawi.
Former US President Jimmy Carter smiles while being welcomed by Ethiopian National Electoral Board director Kemal Bedri (L) at the Ethiopian National Election Board in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Ethiomedia)
Jimmy and Meles hit it off well in 1994:
Visiting Ethiopia in 1994, Jimmy Carter took Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on a tour of places where Borlaug’s ideas could be tested, and won Zenawi’s support for an extension-service campaign to aid farmers.
In fact, Jimmy Carter has a long history and friendship with Meles Zenawi that started many years ago:
Ethiopia is a special case for us. In 1994, Rosalynn and I took Prime Minister Meles Zenawi out to see some of our test plots. He became extremely excited and launched a massive government program based precisely on our crop production techniques.
(1997) We met Prime Minister Meles near Awassa the second day, and I rode back to Addis with him. We never stopped talking for 3.5 hours about a wide range of subjects, including U.S.-Ethiopian relations, which Meles considers good now that a controversy over C-130s is being resolved. We discussed a list of reported human rights violations (he acknowledges that many exist but are being corrected)…
The Carter Center is making plans for five public health education centers (he said that Ethiopia will furnish the funds we can’t raise). We also discussed problems among private agriculture businesses as they try to compete with those run by the ruling party, and the need for a rapid expansion of Quality Protein Maize production (a corn that is, in effect, a complete food). I found him interested in a possible news media project with our Center and Duke University similar to those we’ve done among the former Soviet states.
Jimmy and Meles hit it off!
Back in May Jimmy gave his seal of approval on an election the EU would not certify.
After the election in Ethiopia and after Jimmy Carter had flown back to the states, several hundred Ethiopians took to the streets to protest for democracy. Police opened fire on crowds in Addis Ababa in June, killing at least 37 people and heralding a massive crackdown on the opposition. Fresh violence erupted on Tuesday, November 8, 2005, leaving at least 46 people dead.
And, now a video report has been released that shows the horror of the protesters in Ethiopia that was overlooked by the international community.
THIS VIDEO IS HERE FROM CHANNEL 4 ON THE VIOLENT PROTESTS IN ETHIOPIA.
The students scream “Save Us!” as they are being carted away!
While Cindy Sheehan’s few protesters showed up in Crawford at Thanksgiving…
Hundreds of Ethiopian protesters march through Crawford, Texas, chanting ‘God bless America’ and urging President George W. Bush to end support for the government in Addis Ababa. (AFP)
“The election process demonstrated significant advances in Ethiopia’s democratization process, including most importantly the introduction of a more competitive electoral process,” Carter said Thursday night during his visit to Ethiopia.
Carter said problem areas included the handling of complaints of electoral violations and repeat voting.
“It is up to the opposition parties to decide either to join or boycott the parliament,” Carter said.
And, after student protesters were killed in May, Jimmy tells the Ethiopians, “these things happen!”:
On Sept. 15, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter urged the African country’s opposition parties to drop their protest, saying, “There have always been abnormalities in elections including in my own country, the United States. My hope is opposition party members would take their seats in parliament and ensure that voters’ interests are represented.”
The situation is getting more violent in Ethiopia:
One man who had endured 19 days of almost constant beatings at the hands of Ethiopia’s security forces is Dereje. ‘The federal police beat us with batons and big sticks,’ he said. ‘A man was shot in his leg, but he got no medication. People lost their eyes and had their feet smashed. Many people were suffering there.’
He was referring to Dedesa camp, a former military base, in the far west of Ethiopia, where thousands of detainees have been dumped in recent weeks as part of a massive ! and unprecedented crackdown by Ethiopian security forces.
But, the Ethiopians now know who they need to turn to.
And, the Ethiopians now know who has abandoned them in America.
Let’s hope that there are still people left in the country who will listen to their cries for help!
