5- No Longer at Ease
Remember-No Longer at Ease? It is one of the jewels of African literature. The very title of the book sums up the ‘State of the Union’ at this point in our collective lives. Not to mention how the protagonist ended up being irredeemably corrupt.
Ethiopians do have inexhaustible capacity to love one another. We have seen this on numerous occasions…the one that remained seared on my mind’s canvas was the way we mourned the loss of Ato Meles. Counter to the lies regularly being churned out by propaganda machineries on both sides, folks have little problem with the reigning ideology of the incumbent either…except perhaps for the hyphenated elite Ethiopians. The current problem has a much practical and close to heart itching…resisting the making and the reign of the News Class.
6-The Art of Compromise
When we were pre College kids we were taught that politics is the ultimate art of compromise. I am ever so glad EPRDF truly believes that the old Hellenic principle holds true for all times and everywhere. That is why it is trying to engage the opposition. I applaud the endeavor but at the end of the day, folks want to know-whatever came out of all these ‘engagements’? See, it is not delivering.
7-Don’t Trust No Body
If you assume the captioned is a line from some ghetto rap lyrics, you are wrong. It is the sad pathetic state of some of the top leadership’s cheap mentality. I have reason to believe it is one of the calibrating factors used during the ‘tilk gemgam’ of the big shots. I assume a good number of them had pleaded ‘mea culpa’ to the charge, yet they aren’t budging an inch. EPRDF’s largesse knows no limit when it comes to its members.
8- Hence-the Ivory Tower Syndrome
The recent protest did catch EPRDF unawares. But almost everybody else was privy to it. What does this say about ‘the government of the people by the people’? You see, a virtual iron wall stands towering between the bulk of the society and the leadership. They have unwittingly perched themselves up in the proverbial Ivory Tower and are missed out in the definitive issues holding premium currency at this time.
9- Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is a Joke
This is by way of signing out on gentler note. May be not, I mean, Dana R. is chairman of the house committee of foreign affairs and to read him write such outrageous, ill informed, unknowledgeable babble about how Eritrea is the shining city on the mountain and Afewerki is the Moses like leader behind whom 4.5 million Eritrean file out of poverty, disease, illiteracy and enlightenment is laughable. Shame on you, Sir…you should have googled to find out the sad fates of Eritreans who meet their ends in the unforgiving deserts of Sahara and Sinai, the filthy waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean before publishing the article…I don’t know may be you just lent your name to a press release from the PFDJ.
10-God Bless

The making of the News Class, a` la EPRDF…
1-The Banquet
The ravenous appetites of the Kremlin comrades is something all ‘insiders’ narrate with horror. At the Kremlin and the Dachas there used be such endless extravagant banquet where the Comrades dine and wine round the clock while reviewing reports like the famine in the Ukraine. Those weren’t any ordinary comrades. They had inspired mankind; they had literally shaped the world the way one would carve a Halloween pumpkin. They had given their young lives for great noble causes yet… they degenerated in to regular buffoons hopelessly hooked on to filthy decadent luxury…what a contributor to TOL recently wrote about the life style of the hard partying, pot smoking children of the nouveau riche in Addis is reminiscent of the sad fate of those comrades and their children.
2-A Sponsored Family Vacation in the Riviera
While the multitude is languishing in the gutters of Addis, folks were mad the nouveau riches should party hard so very close by…lo and behold…the Attorney General, Getachew Amabaye, is telling us- the true crème de la crème of our society actually vacation at recreational hot spots around world...
No wonder vociferous spontaneous blind rage fueled protests flare up every now and then. These aren’t ordinary protests…most of the time they are muted bone chilling rage boiling inside the gut of the multitude. I don’t think they have anything to do with the Constitution or EPRDF per se-for the most part at least.
3- Policy of Appeasement
EPRDF never goes down without a fight. Boy, it sure gives the crudest, cruelest fight anybody could imagine but it knows when to pull back its tentacles, too. I don’t think a 10 billion birr handout was proposed by the Plan Commission as strategic jobs creating revolving fund a couple of years ago. I don’t believe EPRDF had a clearly articulated and thoroughly debated and resolved language agenda to make Oromifa a federal language until pushed to the corner…I don’t think the Premier would have proudly declared half Internal Revenue officers were dead wrong doing tax return basic math, had folks taken all the insult and injustice ‘in great stride’ and went to business as usual. These are virtual battle fields where EPRDF settled for ‘no terms but unconditional surrender.’
The thing is there is no way a government could keep cheating its way out of trouble by trying to constantly appease the people… ‘cos there isn’t just enough will or dough to give away just like that…appeasement never ever propelled a cause except deferring the inevitable doom.

4-Hanging tight on to the posh life style
This is no longer some kind of drawn out war between EPRDF and the opposition ‘cos there is no such thing as a legitimate opposition in Ethiopia. This is more like the War of the Roses; yes, this is no longer rectifying some misdeeds in the course of carrying out duties under the unquestioned commitment and dedication to a life of public service. The spirit of ‘public service up to and including martyrdom’ that inspired millions and sent tens of thousands to their graves in their prime is effectively substituted by the pursuit of luxury money could buy…so the struggle basically has degenerated in to a class struggle between the haves and the have not…

That is what I have always been saying. Don’t be easily fazed by conflicts and never freak out every time someone fails to echo back your own private opinion. Instead, try to resolve them and you are sure to win over solely on the strength of your better alternative or end up striking a win- win compromise.
Folks who try to come across as more Catholic than the Pope kinda tend to leave the Pontiff in mid stream. True opponents are the ones who walk the gauntlet with him. You know why? Because they share a common superlative goal and mission! Remember what Meles did in the immediate aftermath of 20 Ginbot 1983? He publicly debated one of the notoriously vocal opponents of the Front- Prof Mesfin W/M…
So what is it gonna be?
I am not exactly a Milovan Djilas fan, chiefly ‘cos Quislings and political snitches kinda give me the creep. I mean they loot and blunder in a spirit of total camaraderie for years going and suddenly ‘break free’ when the going gets tough and try to come across as this mellow, all sweet, saintly ‘man of the people’ martyr. There is such a thing as honor, not to mention taking responsibility individually and collectively for all the good and the bad. In Ethiopia a new type of opposition genre is gaining momentum- I would rather call them ‘Political Plea Bargainers.’ Their God Father is of course, Major Dawit W/Giorgis, a true son of his father-like a father like a son. But these Bargainers much as they disgust us, they are invaluable information treasure troves.
So I beg not be unfairly judged if my view’s sources could be rerouted back to them to a certain extent.
All the same Djilas is truly different; he wasn’t exactly a snitch either. He did serve a term and he was truly committed to cleanse his conscience. Besides, he was a superb academic in his own right. His book the New Class demystified socialism much more the Gulag Archipelago or the translation and publication of Khrushchev’s memoire- by that Clinton’s chum Strobe Talbot- did combined.
Like I always say, for as long as we all share one superseding common interest-to see our beloved country in one piece and in peace, secured and prosperous, I truly believe we can talk about anything for the common good.
The making of the News Class, a` la EPRDF…

Only if you begin to gauge the level of ‘combinations of addictions’ that has rendered the youth incapable of pursuing its enduring goals in life would you realize the significance of this prize.
The kudos goes to Tigrean Regional State Administrations. Youth addiction in Ethiopia is a recurring problem that needs to be engaged head on. Seeing high schools kids lit up is indeed a sobering experience, fellas!
What makes smoking particularly harrowing in Ethiopia is the ‘Khat’ combination. Khat is a funny drug-not a mild one, contrary to conventional truth-trust me it is a hard drug that makes you sail on a dream chariot all the way from Addis to New York in one stretch. Remember Ethiopian Air Lines one time promotional catch phrase-to America in one stretch. It is just like that.
Then comes the inevitable cold turkey effect. It is pay- up time and the poor fella needs to chew on the grass to beat the withdrawal. It goes full circle just like that, why beer boozing is ten times better….

Missing Ato Meles…a few reasons why
1-In Africa, if you don’t agree with someone and just the same end up respecting him…he gotta be an extraordinary person. And if he happens to be a leader of an old, dexterous, populous, complex poor country like Ethiopia, he gotta be an enduring transformational icon indeed.
2-Ato Meles didn’t just rule/lead us for the most part of our adult lives; he inspired, amused and entertained us. He explained presumably hard nut economic dilemmas in a way our grandmothers would understand. Remember the cranky, small boat of an economy safely tethered to an anchor in a village stream, when monstrous tsunami is rocking the high seas? That was hilarious.
3-He was able to break free from all sorts of ‘impregnable’ capsules an African politician (particularly an Ethiopian politician on both sides of the aisle) is bottled up in by will or necessity. Most EPRDFites suffer from this measly disgusting ailment. Their idea of serving the Nation is isolating, emasculating and liquidating non EPRDFites. You see, we were beginning to see a statesman of a Meles independently of EPRDF when he passed on unexpectedly.
4- At the end of the day, a Zenawi stood towering above a Tegaru, a singular firebrand sailed above ‘yemender poletika’…the great thing is… intimidated that they are, stupid as they might appear folks knew it all along except for a bunch die hard fringe elements.
5-He would have stood towering even above EPRDF, if he had lived a couple of more years. He would.

God Bless.

The GERD is indeed a true litmus paper to filter out those with a sinister ulterior motive counter to seeing a peaceful, developed and prosperous homeland. This is a true rallying banner. I totally understand the frustrations of the general public and its disillusion with the ruling coalition…yes, folks do wonder why the ruling coalition is decaying from within out- in its own words. But it is natural, if you think about it, from since time immemorial it has been noted absolute power corrupts…and remember a giant will always end up with a colossus clay feet.
But that doesn’t mean the Front doesn’t have party level dreams to chase. It got a whole bunch of ‘em… the GERD being one ultra dream that rises above the Front’s horizon. It is our own Space Program of sorts. In the 60’s the CCCP and the US pursued space programs as a matter of being or otherwise. Nations do need to define a common ‘dream to pursue’. EPRDF will ever be at loggerheads with the people for as long as it fails to define and share a common dream with us above and beyond an enduring party program. If it is going to remain an alpha party(yes, I said that on purpose, it ain’t just a dominant one, it is an alpha party all right and it ain’t no secret) it needs as a matter of salivation a viable, comprehensible, close to heart DREAM to share with us common dust folks.
Fellas, don’t you get it? Originally, America was nothing but a vast open land that hosted estranged European dreamers…may be it still is. We need a common dream to survive as a Nation.

It always baffles us and it will continue to baffle us on no end why the government of EPRDF couldn’t weed out corruption
Question
1-At Bahr Dar Semhal Meles echoed the common dustman’s fear, sense of ever being intimidated and ultimate questions…perhaps for a reason. She knows what she knows…she sure does… but just the same when her Dad passed on, the outpouring sense of loss suffered by the dustman wasn’t any less than hers…so she might have believed she owed it to us. Bless her… all the time she was speaking, I was listening to what she wasn’t actually saying but unmistakably implying-the FDRE government is sliding in to a collision course with massive boulder of reality check…prone to degenerate in to a fearful system of willful indulgence and instrument of subjection on account of the simultaneous parallel government that at its best tries to herd the flock to the pasture…for how long does it continue riding both rails?
2-Sadly and may be inevitably, corruption has gone mainstream under EPRDF’s watch and it says quite a lot about the spirit of governance…anyway whom is it kidding accusing hapless unfortunate fellers that make it slightly uncomfortable by leveling gross accusations like-lack of acceptable attitude, rent seeking frame of mind etc…systematically ever alienating, denigrating and liquidating the common dustman, starving his kids, condemning ‘em to eke out a miserable living suspended between life and death …for how long? Thank God, the oppositions are such a bunch of mad rabbles and bedlam inmates; otherwise EPRDF has long been inviting them to take over…
3- I read the Constitution, I listen to the news bulletins, I read the ‘dreams’ of EPRDF and I am ever baffled at ‘the manning’ of the hierarchy…and it just occurred to me- true EPRDFites are actually ten league away from the Front…looks like to us, this country belongs to all of us in equal measure…constant meandering, harassing and intimidating always had a boomerang effect quadrupled in the process…seriously, few believe there is any alternative, viable meaningful disciplined and organized force to keep the peace and the Nation together but that doesn’t give the Front a carte blanche license to soil itself like this…
4-Anyway, we keep our fingers crossed and keep up our hope to see better days…you know why? I will tell you why-there are still capable, honest, committed, trustworthy and unsoiled members of the Front, if we help ‘em they are capable of doing the right thing and deliver on the promises…
5-God Bless…

I think the trend is pretty defined and visible and I don’t like it…tax isn’t just about collecting money to pursue and finance development goals. It has got a VERY SYMBOLIC importance.
The power to tax goes deeper in to the meaning and significance of Sovereignty…had Britain got the common sense and wisdom to represent the American Colonies in the House of Commons, we wouldn’t have the Boston tea party and July 4 after all…and here, too, we have our lesson in history dating back to the middle ages… to pay tax is synonymous with the will to submit…and refusing to pay tax is tantamount to taking to arms-it is almost a seditious crime I tell ya!
Minister Chane was slightly wrong to assume it doesn’t work across the board. Tax got a much deeper beautiful concept than collecting money. You see if a street peddler pays 2 cents on a birr and at the end of the fiscal year Internal Revenue collects from him just under eight hundred birr, his contribution to the National coffer is as much and as good as the half billion paid or required from the MIDROC Group per annum…
Anyway, I am glad to hear the bulk of the protesters are having it just right-We want to pay but only our square fair share!
That is a great leap of faith…and I believe those bent on arson have absolutely nothing to do with the levy…
God Bless!

Jesus, this creeps me out real bad…it is almost surreal I tell ya…it is like reliving a nightmarish dream over and over again. A bunch of hooligans will always do or try to do some outrageous stuff like this…that is why law enforcement is in place to begin with. I wish you were to treat this for what it really is-an isolated criminal endeavor…
Question
1-How is ANDM said to have colluded with the hooligans when members of the leadership were the prime and principal targets of the unfortunate incidents?
2-How come the respective regional governments are not handling this strictly as a matter of law enforcement?
3-How could the leadership so recklessly ‘sit’ in conference as if they are ‘answering’ for the follies of a bunch of mean spirited merchants of chaos?
4-We owe the sustained and continued security and relative peace of the Nation to the incredibly efficient machine of centralism perfected by Front’s hierarchy. Like it or hate it that is the truth. I hate to think the alterative scenario of the consequences of ‘weakened’ centralism…so, are we really in such comfy position to gamble away our precious sense of security?
5-You are not gonna believe this but this peace and security we all cherish and take for granted is built on such flimsily coordinated tender tendons that it almost looks like an illusion and it takes just a careless speech by a prominent personage to bring down the blighted house of cards…beware a quarter of a century’s labour might be lost over a night at the snap of the finger…
5-Ever heard the saying governing isn’t a popularity contest? See, that was what had made the Balkans lend a name to a crisis called Balkanization…so, I am asking, are the bosses metaphorizing in to solid populist political ‘teen heart throbs’?
6-God Bless

Recently the Pope did something extraordinary out of total desperation. He broke with tradition and addressed " Vietato Lamentarsi" to keep out 'the Constant Wailers'. It was an advice posted at the door of the Pontiff for those with good sense about them to take good heed of it. It is Italian and in a nutshell it tells folks to quit whining and break free from the vice like grip of this infernal victim mentality…
Stop it for the love of God! We have had enough of all these ‘historical enemies’ long tales. We don’t have any! In case you forgot that is the bedrock of the FDRE foreign policy projections.
All I know is how little the world knows and how little it cares about us. We talk tough, we posture, we go on saber rattling but few take note of us. Didn’t you hear what Nikki Haley had said about us at the UN after the report on the State of Famine in the Horn was released to the August body? “Shame on you!” …and that was exactly what the late Premier Meles Zenawi had said-shame on us!
Sir, I have had the pleasure to read your posts here but this one is not so in good taste. It is like you are angling to make enemies everywhere, you even managed to find one in Uganda! The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might not be that friendly but it ain’t one to bother us with exception. The Philippines and Indonesia have much to fear from it than we do.