Fools
I believe there's some credence to the old saying "It takes one to know one." So, I'll refrain from calling anybody a fool in this post.
Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, has been charged with crimes against humanity by a U.N. backed war crimes tribunal. More specifically, he is charged with directing soldiers to hack off arms, legs, ears, and lips of civilians. He is also accused of using children as soldiers, and other heinous crimes I don't feel like describing at the moment.
Mr. Taylor holds an economics degree from an American university. He was trained in guerilla warfare in Libya. He escaped from a U.S. prison by using a hacksaw, and knotted bed sheets. No ... really. Then he returned to West Africa, orchestrated a coup, and became President of Liberia. So I think it's safe to assume the guy has a brain and is willing to use a gun. I think we can also assume that he isn't fond of prison, and is willing to take steps to avoid being there. While we're at it, let's admit that he's politically savvy, and has a knack for mobilizing people.
Last week, Nigeria finally agreed to bring his asylum there to an end, and hand him over at the request of Liberia's current president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Ok, here's the funny part. Well, actually it's not funny. It's so ... frikkin sad I could just ... vomit.
Last weekend, Nigeria said that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was free to send agents to take Mr. Taylor back to Liberia.
President Johnson-Sirleaf said that would be unwise, as Mr. Taylor's presence in Liberia could destabilize the region. She suggested that he be sent to Sierra Leone, where the war crimes tribunal sits.
Nigeria said that Mr. Taylor was not a prisoner in Nigeria, and would not be taken into "custody" by the Nigerian government.
One official involved in the process said that the matter of how to transport Mr. Taylor to Sierra Leone would be figured out in "two or three days."
Ok ... so you see where this is going, right? I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I could see that Mr. Taylor wasn't about to suffer any serious consequences as a result of Nigeria's decision to end his asylee status.
As of today, nobody knows the whereabouts of Charles Taylor. He has "disappeared."
Nigerian Information Minister Frank Nweke said that Nigeria's President Olesugun Obasanjo was "shocked" to learn of Mr. Taylor's disappearance. Shocked? Yeah, shocked. Shocked.
A college educated, guerilla trained, escaped convict who is wanted for crimes against humanity disappeared when his asylee status was revoked without placing him under guard. And it was publicly stated that the situation would be worked out in "two or three days." Read: "Run, Charles, run!! You've got at least 36 hours to pack your bags. Here's a hacksaw, and a few extra sheets just in case you need them."
Olesegun Obasanjo was "shocked." Nigeria's Information Minister has got to be kidding. No, probably not. That was his official statement.
I wonder if he takes us all for fools. Sometimes it takes one to know one.
Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, has been charged with crimes against humanity by a U.N. backed war crimes tribunal. More specifically, he is charged with directing soldiers to hack off arms, legs, ears, and lips of civilians. He is also accused of using children as soldiers, and other heinous crimes I don't feel like describing at the moment.
Mr. Taylor holds an economics degree from an American university. He was trained in guerilla warfare in Libya. He escaped from a U.S. prison by using a hacksaw, and knotted bed sheets. No ... really. Then he returned to West Africa, orchestrated a coup, and became President of Liberia. So I think it's safe to assume the guy has a brain and is willing to use a gun. I think we can also assume that he isn't fond of prison, and is willing to take steps to avoid being there. While we're at it, let's admit that he's politically savvy, and has a knack for mobilizing people.
Last week, Nigeria finally agreed to bring his asylum there to an end, and hand him over at the request of Liberia's current president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Ok, here's the funny part. Well, actually it's not funny. It's so ... frikkin sad I could just ... vomit.
Last weekend, Nigeria said that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was free to send agents to take Mr. Taylor back to Liberia.
President Johnson-Sirleaf said that would be unwise, as Mr. Taylor's presence in Liberia could destabilize the region. She suggested that he be sent to Sierra Leone, where the war crimes tribunal sits.
Nigeria said that Mr. Taylor was not a prisoner in Nigeria, and would not be taken into "custody" by the Nigerian government.
One official involved in the process said that the matter of how to transport Mr. Taylor to Sierra Leone would be figured out in "two or three days."
Ok ... so you see where this is going, right? I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I could see that Mr. Taylor wasn't about to suffer any serious consequences as a result of Nigeria's decision to end his asylee status.
As of today, nobody knows the whereabouts of Charles Taylor. He has "disappeared."
Nigerian Information Minister Frank Nweke said that Nigeria's President Olesugun Obasanjo was "shocked" to learn of Mr. Taylor's disappearance. Shocked? Yeah, shocked. Shocked.
A college educated, guerilla trained, escaped convict who is wanted for crimes against humanity disappeared when his asylee status was revoked without placing him under guard. And it was publicly stated that the situation would be worked out in "two or three days." Read: "Run, Charles, run!! You've got at least 36 hours to pack your bags. Here's a hacksaw, and a few extra sheets just in case you need them."
Olesegun Obasanjo was "shocked." Nigeria's Information Minister has got to be kidding. No, probably not. That was his official statement.
I wonder if he takes us all for fools. Sometimes it takes one to know one.
posted by Wordsmyth at
1:17 AM
3 Comments:
Insomnia is my companion today. I just checked the news, and Reuters reports that Mr. Taylor has been arrested near the border of Cameroon.
Makes World Policing sound good for a change.
World policing can work if done by intergovernmental orgs like the U.N. Sometimes.
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