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Best,
Tracey

Your are one of the few breath of fresh air of Sierra Leoneans who are looking at this thing objectively.

Foday Sanko and Bukari were the disgruntled S/Leoneans who plotted the War. They would have as well used Guinea to come to Sierra Leone if Guniea had any political conflict as Liberia did at the time or if the could speak french to communicate effectively. Relax, let call a spade a spade. Tell is out of this issue.

What I said was not meant to be insultive but rather educative. I think practicing things the right way everyday you do it only makes you better. If you practice incorrect grammar and nobody tells you, well you are going to write with incorrect grammar. I would hope for all my African brothers and sisters to seek this perfection for themselves as well. If it is not your ultimate goal to spell,write and speak correct grammar; that is your prerogative. If I see wrong I will point it out and correct it b/c it only makes that person better. I’m not doing it to flaunt my educational status. That is irrelevant.

Finally I am not accusing Charles Taylor of being a criminal that is what the court is for. I am however accusing him of posessing evil thoughts and intentions as far as Liberia and Sierra Leone are concerned. His actions do not prove otherwise. Again if you can name one (JUST ONE) positive contribution Charles Taylor had in Liberia & the West African region as a whole (including Sierra Leone), then we can debate the nature of his intentions. As for now we only have his actions…GOD will be the ultimate judge of him, Blair, Bush, Mobutu, Saddam, Osama bin Laden, Hitler, etc. and all the other alleged evil minds of our world!

It is unfortunate that we cannot open our eyes a little bit more and see that we are STILL NOT handling our own business in the right way as a country. Like one person said Liberians need to start washing their dirty clothes inside. To further elaborate on this point, calling an election process fair according to some Western standard “The Carter Center” is still ascribing yourself to a Western Standard. We as Africans should not need a Western power to come in and tell us whether or not our elections were fair or not to begin with.
Having moral education and ethical enterprise should be reason enough for Africans to draw their own conclusions on the fairness and unfairness of an election. We should be smart enough to devise our own rubric. To allow Western interpretation of a system they are not even well-versed in themselves to set the standard for what we as Africans aspire to is poor mentally and morally on our part. We need to face that ugly fact.
Nobody is talking about the validity of Bush and Blair’s involvement in Iraq. I was simply saying that at the time they chose to get involved in so called “killing of innocent lives” in Iraq they had enough international clout to do so. They too were invited by the few Iraqi visionaries and revolutionaries who hated Saddam. Keyword being they were INVITED by a small few who wanted to change the status quo. Not to mention, the imperialist goals in monopolizing on Iraqi oil interests. We are not calling their actions fair either. We are not even calling them just. I am just saying that Bush and Blair both were international giants and superpowers enough to understand why THEY in particular would be CALLED UPON to fight the Iraqis war. In the case of both Liberia and Sierra Leone who was Mr. Taylor to say that he should even be CALLED UPON to represent ANYBODY. What kind of nation was he leading and what kind of success rates were documented to show that he was good enough of a leader to be CALLED UPON to mitigate a situation?? NONE Bush and Blair were presidents and heads of state of America! Upset Iraqi citizens CALLED UPON them.

Taylor’s track record at the time at which he was quote on quote “CALLED UPON” to represent righteousness was unrighteous. 14 years of civil war, a son who embezzled tons of funds overseas and known as the most torturous of all during the war is currently serving his time…Name one major contribution Taylor brought to Liberia and the West African Region and then we can debate the validity of this persona he is trying to create and perpetuate on the witness stand. Wake up Africans, we do not need America or even the Hague to tell us when something is not right. We can do that ourselves. If you tell me that people being terrorized for 15 years are in the right mind to vote against a cruel power mongrel like Taylor?; you are lying to yourself or perhaps you haven’t been traumatized ever in life. What should have happened before those elections was a complete divulgence similar to what the TRC is doing of all things done wrong during the war. People’s testimonies. Individuals should have been heard out. These were a tortured people, running away from war isnt easy. Most just wanted it to stop. Yet you are attacking me for calling this election unfair in the same breath that you are justifying its fairness by some Western Standard. Quite honestly, you must rethink your own ideology. Then you must judge Africa by an African ideology that doesn’t somehow include strong men but strong institutions. Then and only then will you see how Taylor truly failed at his attempt to build a strong institution. If indeed that was his true intent, considering the millions of money he siphoned off to international accounts before stepping down as “21st president, it doesn’t seem he was trying to make Liberia prosperous but instead make himself and those who supported him wealthy. This is NOT how you lead a nation. This makes you a poor poor leader with rich rich pockets, something way too many African leaders have gotten away with for far too long.

Look my people. As much as I alone with thousands of others would like to see Taylor tried, I would like to also see all the others involved, and not just from Liberia and Sierra Leone but those other countries around us that allowed the borders to be used to support wars in West Africa.

The fact that only Taylor and not all the other leaders that should be on trial, makes this whole case a symbolic one, and as we know symbols are meant to send a message or serve as reminders, but the question is whose message and reminders are they, Africans ( in this case Liberians) or Westerns?

Look, I think as Liberian we need to start caring about our own issues, respecting our dignity (washing our dirty clothes inside), and start dealing with issues based on our laws and statutes, because this is what other countries do.

I agree with Mr. Landers comment that the ”International community and the so-called super power to immediately drop the charges against Charles Taylor,” Because the actual case is now Politically Motivated, and that changes its value and meaning.

I would also agree with Mr. Darku comment when he said ”I can’t say more the trial of Charles Taylor is misplaced.” And this is also because Charles Taylor should be on Trial for what he did to the Liberian people, and not for what appened in Sierralone.