aMALGAMATED tHOUGHT

• Calculated Nonsense

  Posted: January 19, 2008, 1:05 pm by M. Scott Phillips

  The ODM has reversed itself and is again calling for more protests. A bunch of people were killed in last week's 3 days of demonstrations, some at the hands of mobs and some by the police.
  
  Released to the media and shown extensively is a video of a policeman chasing two guys and shooting them, then kicking one while he is down. The video is gruesome. It is a testimony to the reality of these present demonstrations.
  
  The policeman in the video has been vilified by many. However, this is a knee-jerk reaction to a few seconds of horror. I have yet to read why the policeman was pursuing these men. The video does not include the transgression, if any, that these men had committed. Is it really difficult to imagine that these men had been engage in some nefarious act?
  
  The last 3 days of protests have had the desired effect sought after by the ODM: chaos, death and outrage - primarily by the donor community. The ODM's goal was to have sensational news bites that could be fed to the Europeans and Americans. They got some and now they want some more, therefore, more protestations for next week.
  
  "Killing fields" - the term has been pointedly used to describe police action, primarily to foment outrage, disparage the governement and fan the flames of chaos. The use of this term is outrageous, and calculated. Outright lies, masqarading as hyperbole, simply used to manipulate.
  
  The fact is that the vast majority of Kenyans simply want to go about their normal routines. The elections finished badly. The systems that allowed for the irregularities need to be fixed, but the remedies must follow the law and the constitution. Certainly, anarchy is not a way to fix an election gone bad.
  
  How can one return to normalcy in the face of a rigged election? Kenya did it for years and years and I don't know why there is such gnashing of teeth over doing the same in 2008. However, at this time, there is genuine hope that parliament can enact the changes necessary to run better elections next time. After all, many of the old gaurd were not reelected. Is this not a harbinger of positive change?
  
  The average Kenyan must rely upon himself. It has always been this way. The governement is not going to do anything, regardless who's president. Chaos is not going to help the average Kenyan. Destruction is not going to help the average Kenyan. The continued disruption of business is not going to help the average Kenyan. The suspension of foreign aid is not going to help the average Kenyan.
  
  Who is helped by chaos? Who wants distruction? Who is calling for a disruption of business? Who is calling for sanctions? These are the people who benefit, not 98% of the Kenyan people.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes