A lie can travel half way around the world while truth is still putting on its shoes

Mark Twain

As they tried to dignify American hunger by calling it ‘food insecurity’ now they are trying to justify the death penalty by hanging, by requesting that it be done with dignity. How does one put a noose around the neck of another to later pull the plug in order to snuff life out of him or her, by snapping his or her neck? According to the English dictionary, dignity is described as a “quality or state of being worthy, honored or esteemed” How does one hang another human being in a dignified manner? Where does the dignity lie? Is it perhaps in the shock or in the guilt felt by some after the fact?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Associated Press Writer JUSTIN BERGMAN wrote on Wed Jan 24 that: “U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in a report released Wednesday that another war could break out between feuding neighbors Ethiopia and Eritrea if progress is not urgently made on a stalled peace process.”

No wonder the new Secretary General’s nomination and election went uncontested and without a hitch! America had found her ideal man again, and he does not seem to have lost much time to show where his loyalties lie. He first approved the illegal attack on Somalia, when the United Nations’ charter, which he is supposed to uphold, clearly forbids such preemptive attacks on another nation; and now he is parroting his predecessor’s mantra by predicting another war between Eritrea and her southern neighbor, while at the same time urging Eritrea to pull back “hundreds of troops and heavy military equipment it has near the frontier”

The last time Eritrea pulled back her troops in good faith, for the sake of peace, it cost her the lives of many, many of her children. It was done during the 1998-2000 war, under the advisement of the so-called arbitrators. But as soon as the unsuspecting Eritrean soldiers pulled back the shameless, lawless, undependable and irresponsible woyane, who were supposed to have stayed put, breached the agreement and came forward killing many unsuspecting Eritreans who were only withdrawing for the sake of peace having trusted the arbitrators, who later were to claim them victors. And now, after repeated wishful predictions of an imminent new war, and constant threats from the UN security council of reducing the number of peacekeepers, they are again asking for Eritrean troops withdrawal so as to throw open the gates for the unprincipled woyane to come through without a problem. Well, as the saying goes: “fool me once and shame on you, fool me twice and shame on me”

How does vigilance and border security become a hindrance to demarcating the borders once and for all? Where is the logic in asking a nation which is constantly being threatened and falsely accused, and where pretexts to attack her were being woven every day, like the Somalia case fabrication of the presence of Eritrean troops in Somalia to, by proxy, fight off the woyane? We have recently even been informed through Ethiopian army defectors that they were instructed “to kill Somali soldiers resembling Eritreans in a bid to justify the regime's false accusation alleging Eritrean involvement in the Somali war and present this concocted information to the Americans posted in Somalia.” Such subtle belligerence should be enough justification for building up troops in defence of the nation and particularly the people who, as witnessed in today’s cowardly recent wars, seem to be the main targets. If they cannot find the soldiers, then they take it out on the unarmed civilians.

With our enemies and their allies at our front door sniffing around for trouble, we need to do something as a people. I hope my fellow Eritreans all around the world have heeded my plea to swarm the atmosphere with our positive thoughts for the protection of our nation and her people. Remember it is the simplest thing we can do for our country. Surely, Eritreans must, at one time or another, during a 24 hours period, think and worry over the Eritrean situation at least once. The only difference now is that, the thoughts, instead of fear and worry, be turned to positive thoughts, and if possible, that we synchronize these powerful thoughts. Another thing I would like to make clear is that, we do not have to stop doing whatever it is that we are doing, or sit down if we happen to be standing, or close our eyes, clasp our hands and look up at the heavens. None of these things. All we have to do is to, at a certain time, for a few seconds, shift our positive thoughts, on the map of Eritrea and its security and well being. That is all! Our unity has served us well in the past, and it should serve us towards this humble endeavor too. Let us do it!

With truth, honor, courage and the determination and dedication of her children as her only weapons, Eritrea will always prevail

January 29, 2007