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Jun-28-2008 15:09printcomments

Time to Take Down Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe

The United States calls foul, the British government allows the killer's henchmen to open bank accounts, and the UN is more than tolerant. So much for the war against terrorism.

Robert Mugabe is the dictator of Zimbabwe
Robert Mugabe is the dictator of Zimbabwe
Courtesy: geoconger.files.wordpress.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Problems in Zimbabwe under the dictator Robert Mugabe are out of hand and military commitments from the west are all tied up. Hope is scarce in this part of the world where Mugabe's henchmen this week broke a one-year old baby's legs in order to punish his father who opposed a Mugabe-friendly councilor in Zimbabwe.

The Times reported today that the baby, 11-month old Blessing Mabhena, was taken out of a bed and thrown down onto a hard floor with force as his mother, Agnes, hid from the thugs. She later said she was convinced that she was about to be murdered.

She reportedly heard them call for the child's death, by saying clearly, "Let’s kill the baby". That is when Blessing was thrown down onto a bare concrete floor. Doctors say the child may never be able to walk properly, and the boy is one of the youngest victims of atrocities so far, that are directed toward the opposition party "Movement for Democratic Change" in the run-up to last Friday’s rigged presidential election.

A History of Bloodshed and Disorganization

It isn't like the west doesn't have the goods on this African leader, and the word is out that he definitely fears being prosecuted for using his North-Korean trained 5th Brigade to kill more than 20,000 Ndebele civilians during the Gukurahundi ethnic massacres in 1987. Gukurahundi means "the early rain that washes away the chaff".

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe says that if and when it comes to power, the group will call for an international trial of the massacre. Most of the 20,000 killed were innocent civilians. They are only one set of Mugabe's victims.

Racism and Gay Bashing

Mugabe has been accused many times over the years, of having racist attitude towards white people. John Sentamu, a Uganda-born Archbishop of York in the United Kingdom, said Mugabe is, "the worst kind of racist dictator," for having "targeted the whites for their apparent riches".

But it isn't just race that seems to motivate the words and actions of this dictator. According to Wikipedia and several other sources, Mugabe's violent campaign against homosexuals has been waged for years. His seemingly impossible claim that prior to British colonization, the people of Zimbabwe did not engage in homosexual acts, is the centerpoint for his argument.

Mugabe first announced his major public condemnation of homosexuality in August of 1995, during the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in August 1995.

At the time, he told the audience that homosexuality: "...Degrades human dignity. It's unnatural and there is no question ever of allowing these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs. If dogs and pigs do not do it, why must human beings? We have our own culture, and we must re-dedicate ourselves to our traditional values that make us human beings... What we are being persuaded to accept is sub-animal behavior and we will never allow it here. If you see people parading themselves as lesbians and gays, arrest them and hand them over to the police!"

So white people and gay people are bad, but mass murder campaigns are OK? That sounds like a foolish perspective, and a deadly one. It also rings of attitudes and prejudices in America's southern and Bible Belt states. Of course the racism is different, but not the anti-homosexual fervor.

Once again, as in the case of Burma, America has its hands completely tied behind its back. Real, sincere world problems are almost unaddressed by the Bush Administration, as it continues to fight a tragic war in Iraq that was never called for, and watches casualty figures in Afghanistan surge right off the charts in recent weeks.

Our partner in crime, Great Britain, also has a bank that is allowing members of the criminal government of Zimbabwe under Mugabe to have bank accounts. This move from Barclays Bank is drawing huge amounts of criticism, and the bankers have worked hard to find a loophole that allows them to work with the criminals.

Barclays is flouting European Union sanctions on Zimbabwe by providing two of President Robert Mugabe’s most senior henchmen with bank accounts. The Times reports that both men are on a European Union blacklist, "that compels European-based financial institutions to freeze their bank accounts and have no dealings with them."

But Barclays has gotten around those sanctions with the argument that the rules do not apply to its 67%-owned Zimbabwean subsidiary because it was incorporated outside the EU.

The two henchmen are among those blamed for fixed Friday’s presidential election in favor of Mugabe, a total sham according to most sources. They are Elliot Manyika, minister without portfolio, who is a key figure in the recent violence, and Nicholas Goche, minister of public service, who is said to have masterminded attacks on white farmers.


Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Today, in addition to his role as a war correspondent in Afghanistan where he spent the winter of 2006/07, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators. Tim's coverage from Iraq that was set to begin in April has been delayed and may not take place until August, 2008. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com




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Dave June 29, 2008 6:12 am (Pacific time)

Good article. You did however miss one thing about all civilized countries. The greater majority of debt owed by us here in the UK, The United States and Canada is owed to Communist China via the banks such as HSBC and many many others. We can't afford to pay the monies back so the governments can't afford to be too pushy. Time to start re-investing in our own countries perhaps and get our backbones back in shape.


Vic June 29, 2008 12:05 am (Pacific time)

Once again...Right On, Tim !

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