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Offline asylumseeker

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R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« on: December 05, 2013, 04:03:29 PM »
...
« Last Edit: December 05, 2013, 04:10:07 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline FF

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Re: RIP NELSON MANDELA!!!!
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2013, 04:08:45 PM »
 :'(

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES

Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2013, 04:23:37 PM »
Celebration start... well done! :beermug:

Offline ZANDOLIE

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2013, 05:11:10 PM »
No words can really do justice in describing Mandela's impact on the world. Rest in peace, and take your place among the Giants of history.
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Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2013, 05:22:08 PM »
YNWA...

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Offline grimm01

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2013, 05:53:23 PM »
RIP to one of the giants of history.

I remember watching his release from jail live on CNN like it was yesterday.

Offline kaliman2006

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2013, 06:51:26 PM »
Grimm01, I remember watching his release from jail on CNN as well; I was too young to appreciate the full significance of the release, but I knew something momentus was going on at the time.

RIP to one of the great global icons, his legacy shall span many, many decades to come

Offline Socapro

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2013, 06:56:02 PM »
Nelson Mandela Dies At 95
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/unobY1Z2ACI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/unobY1Z2ACI</a>

Jeremy Schaap reflects on the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.
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Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2013, 07:56:06 PM »
I remember his release vividly... his very first stop in the United States was New York City... and specifically Brooklyn, and my school, Boys and Girls High School.  I was a senior at the time and had the pleasure of being interviewed by Gordon Elliott of FOX' Good Day New York.



The Mandela Visit; Mandela Gets an Emotional New York City Welcome (New York Times)


By JOHN KIFNER
Published: June 21, 1990


Nelson Mandela, the living symbol of resistance to South African apartheid, swept tired but triumphant yesterday into an emotional New York welcome.

During Mr. Mandela's first hours in the United States at the start of an eight-city visit, tens of thousands of people in the black Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York and Fort Greene lined the sidewalks, wildly cheering the honored guest's motorcade and brandishing clenched fists.

In lower Manhattan huge clumps of computer printouts tumbled to the streets of the financial district in place of ticker tape, made obsolete by electronics, in the city's traditional hero's greeting.

A Compelling Moment

''Apartheid is doomed,'' Mr. Mandela said at the end of brief, graceful remarks at a City Hall welcoming ceremony. ''South Africa will be free. The struggle continues.'' For the city's blacks it was a particularly compelling moment.

''I felt a blessing from God that I could be part of this,'' said Taraja Samuel, an administrator with the city's Board of Education, who took her 15-year-old son Taiye to the City Hall ceremony. ''I came of age in the 1960's, but the regret of my life is I never met Dr. King or Malcolm. I told my son today to be in the presence of Nelson Mandela was an honor.



 


''This makes me able to go back to the board, despite all the problems, and know that I can make a difference,'' she said. ''This man is an inspiration.''

Huge Security Operation

As Mr. Mandela praised David N. Dinkins as New York's first black Mayor, Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch, who managed Mr. Dinkins's campaign and played a major role in organizing Mr. Mandela's visit, wept in the row behind them.

The police estimated that 750,000 people saw Mr. Mandela at one point or another - 50,000 in Queens at Kennedy International Airport and along the route, 100,000 as he passed through Brooklyn, 400,000 along the ticker-tape parade and 200,000 in the ceremony at City Hall. Hundreds of thousands more saw the events broadcast live on local television.

Police helicopters flew overhead, and Mr. Mandela's 40-car motorcade bristling with police and State Department security officers was led by two dozen police motorcycles. As part of a huge security operation, traffic was frozen as the motorcade passed.

Concern About Health

As the day progressed, there was increasing concern for the health of Mr. Mandela, the deputy president of the African National Congress, who will turn 72 years of age next month and was released less than five months ago after 27 years in prison. He is in the midst of a six-week, 14-nation tour and at the beginning of a hastily arranged visit to the United States, where he is seeking financial support and the continuation of economic sanctions against the white regime in South Africa.

Last night, an exhausted Mr. Mandela canceled several scheduled events, including meetings with black journalists and exiled South Africans, and even the scaled-down, intimate family meal at Gracie Mansion that had replaced plans for a 22-person dinner went by the boards.

Roger Wilkins, the national coordinator of the trip, told journalists last night that the Dinkinses were eating downstairs while Mr. Mandela remained in the guest suite upstairs.

After the City Hall ceremonies, Mr. Wilkins said: ''It was clear he reached the limit where he should not be pushed. The man is tired.''

Earlier, Zwelakhe Sisulu, Mr. Mandela's press secretary and the director of information of the African National Congress, told reporters that Mr. Mandela was ''quite tired after such a hectic day.''

Mr. Wilkins had said at the earlier news briefing: ''The fact that we express our concerns doesn't mean we have a sick man on our hands. It just means that we are being realistic about a very strenuous program for a 71-year-old man.''

Two Hours Late

Mr. Mandela arrived from Canada almost two hours behind schedule yesterday morning in order to get extra rest, and by the end of the day he was visibly worn.

As Mr. Mandela rode up Broadway, he was encased in an odd vehicle immediately dubbed the ''Mandelamobile.'' A small bulletproof glass shelter with a peaked roof was built atop a police flatbed truck. Spotlights fixed to the corners of the roof give it an uncanny resemblance to a prison watchtower.

But all the security was virtually swept aside at one point as hundreds of excited black teen-agers surrounded the motorcade when it left Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, running, whooping and cheering alongside the cars. State Department security officers paled and their eyes widened at the sight.

Issue of U.S. Sanctions

The major political goal of Mr. Mandela's trip is to keep economic sanctions on South Africa in hope of creating pressure for greater social change. African National Congress leaders say they fear that the limited reforms instituted by the Government of President F. W. de Klerk could be used to justify a lifting of sanctions.

President Bush, who opposed sanctions, told reporters somewhat wistfully yesterday that he is precluded from removing any of the sanctions. Under the law enacted in 1986 over the veto of President Ronald Reagan, the sanctions may not be lifted until a series of specific conditions are met, and the Bush Administration acknowledges that has not yet happened.

''I can't lift the sanctions under existing U.S. law,'' Mr. Bush said at a news conference in Huntsville, Ala. But he said he intended to take the issue up with Mr. Mandela when they meet at the White House on Monday.

Show of Support

''I look forward to talking to Mr. Mandela about this,'' the President said. ''There are black leaders in South Africa that disagree with him on this question of sanctions.''

The President added that his Administration was looking for ways to demonstrate its support of Mr. de Klerk's Government.

''I'd like to find a way to show Mr. de Klerk that we, the United States, are grateful for this new approach that is having South Africa evolve to a much more open society and hopefully one day to one which is color blind in terms of participation in the political process,'' he said.

High School Visit Goes Forward

Mr. Mandela's red and white plane, a Canadian military transport, touched down just after 11:30 A.M. at Kennedy, A.M., where several hundred elected officials, community advocates, African National Congress members and supporters and journalists had been waiting for hours, most of them, it seemed, talking on cellular telephones.

Mr. Wilkins, the writer and educator who is running the American trip, called in the middle of the night, a senior aide to Mr. Dinkins said, to tell Harry Belafonte, the singer who is one of the main organizers here, that Mr. Mandela was tired and needed more rest. Mr. Wilkins said the African National Congress wanted to cancel the visit to Boys and Girls High School, the mayoral aide said, but Mr. Lynch, the Deputy Mayor, insisted that it go forward.

But Mr. Mandela appeared almost radiant as he stepped from the hatch of the airplane, a tall figure in a conservative gray suit, blue shirt and dark-patterned tie. He would soon be wearing a gold ''big apple'' pin in his lapel. Behind him, Winnie Mandela, wearing purple and white traditional African dress with a matching head wrap, raised a clenched fist.

'Child at Christmas'

''I saw astounded people; I saw euphoric people,'' Mr. Wilkins said at the end of the day. ''I saw a nearly 72-year-old man tired from a very emotional day. But when I was running by that security vehicle, I looked up, and the smile on his face was like a child at Christmas.''

A receiving line of about 50 dignitaries, including the Mayor and his wife, Joyce, and Govs. Mario M. Cuomo of New York and Jim Florio of New Jersey, was stretched along a red carpet to a speakers stand where the African National Congress's black, green and yellow flag stood along with city, state and American flags.

But Mr. Mandela first stooped down, his hands on his knees, and gave his undivided attention to two young girls, members of the African National Congress, who tied scarves in the group's colors, bandana style, around his and his wife's necks in greeting.

Then, moving with the dignified, almost regal bearing - he is a hereditary tribal chief - that he would maintain, Mr. Mandela took 10 minutes to work his way through the receiving line and then swept past the speakers stand to greet the crowd of several hundred supporters.

'Walk Together'

''It is a source of tremendous joy and strength for us, my wife, our delegation, to be received with such a rousing welcome by the people of the city,'' he said in brief remarks after being welcomed by the Mayor and both Governors.

''Join us in the international actions we are taking. The only way we can walk together on this difficult road is for you to insure that sanctions are applied,'' he added in what he said would be his main message throughout his visit.

Roadside crowds gradually swelled as Mr. Mandela's motorcade raced from Queens into predominantly black sections of Brooklyn, with schoolchildren neatly lined behind banners. People waved portraits of Mr. Mandela and posters or makeshift signs welcoming him.

But in the predominantly white communities of Howard Beach and Ozone Park, Queens, there were a few rude gestures, and one man with a video camera held his hand in front of the lens with a finger raised, so that the motorcade became the background for an obscene gesture.

Some 3,000 people, a predominantly black crowd, were waiting on the athletic field of Boys and Girls High on Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant when the motorcade arrived shortly after one o'clock. At times they seemed to be a sea of yellow signs that said ''Free South Africa,'' red-black-and- green liberation flags, dazzling multicolor headdresses of African and Caribbean design and T-shirts with Mr. Mandela's face.

''Mandela, Mandela,'' the crowd cheered, surging forward in the muggy sunlight as Mr. Mandela and his wife climbed the makeshift stage of an 18-wheel truck. ''Keep the pressure on.''

''We in South Africa have always known that we have loyal friends among the people of New York, but we have no idea that we were perceived with such love and warmth,'' Mr. Mandela said in a slow, deliberate voice, each word punching through the public address system. With little further ado, he began into an appeal to raise money to build schools in South Africa.

As the motorcade left, many in the crowd raced out of the schoolyard and into the streets, slowing the pace to a crawl. Many raced along with the cars on foot or on bicycles until they could speed up.

The sidewalk crowds swelled as the motorcade moved through Bedford-Stuyvesant, with welcoming banners like ''Forward to Victory'' stretched across Fulton Street.

The Parade Begins

Mr. Mandela paused briefly for lunch at the Coast Guard Station at the Battery and an almost obligatory photo opportunity with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Then he climbed into the odd-looking Mandelamobile for the ticker-tape parade.

As 3 P.M. approached, the crowd was beginning to thin along Broadway. People looked at their watches, stood on tiptoes and, where space and dress allowed, slumped to the curb to rest. Executives kicked their wingtips at the paper underfoot and secretaries moaned for their Nikes.

Then, in a wail of sirens and a shower of saved-up confetti, the motorcade appeared.

The canyon of tall buildings presented a strange sight. Instead of the familiar ticker tape of parades past, rectangles of paper floated down and the police and sanitation workers lining the streets had to kick through thick wads of computer printouts.

''It was worth waiting for,'' Henrietta Wilson, an officer's assistant at Chemical Bank, said as she rushed back toward the Battery to work. ''That was history.''

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/21/nyregion/the-mandela-visit-mandela-gets-an-emotional-new-york-city-welcome.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Offline MEP

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2013, 08:00:51 PM »
Amandla!!!!



Offline Pointman

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #10 on: December 06, 2013, 12:15:41 AM »
I cut my political teeth during the apartheid era and the struggle to end it.  I was jailed for tethering myself (along with others) to symbolic shanties on the campus of Johns Hopkins University back in the mid eighties. I spent a night in jail. It was nothing compared to the 27 years that Nelson Mandela spent behind bars. You have left a hugh void, but taught us so much. you will be missed. Hamba kahle tata.


« Last Edit: December 14, 2013, 07:53:37 PM by Pointman »
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Offline Pointman

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2013, 12:16:50 AM »
Trini to de bone; Pointman to de bone.

Offline sammy

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2013, 07:49:10 AM »
This is one man who could've gone in any country and be respected and loved.

P.S. I'm trying to remember the name of the song that the calypsonians got together and sung to raise aid for Africa. Anyone knows the name?
"Giving away something in charity does not cause any decrease in a person's wealth, but increases it instead. The person who adopt humility for the sake of Allah is exalted in ranks by Him".
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Offline daryn

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #13 on: December 06, 2013, 08:28:40 AM »
This is one man who could've gone in any country and be respected and loved.

P.S. I'm trying to remember the name of the song that the calypsonians got together and sung to raise aid for Africa. Anyone knows the name?

I believe you are talking about Now is the Time.

Offline weary1969

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2013, 11:33:44 AM »
RIP to one of the giants of history.

I remember watching his release from jail live on CNN like it was yesterday.


I was a 1st year UWI student on Mary Seacole Hall we raised a key knock some pots on J Block to announce Mandela was free. I was able to get close to the rope so I was to get a good look at him when he came to TNT.
Today you're the dog, tomorrow you're the hydrant - so be good to others - it comes back!"

Offline sammy

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #15 on: December 06, 2013, 12:20:10 PM »
This is one man who could've gone in any country and be respected and loved.

P.S. I'm trying to remember the name of the song that the calypsonians got together and sung to raise aid for Africa. Anyone knows the name?

I believe you are talking about Now is the Time.

thanks dude
"Giving away something in charity does not cause any decrease in a person's wealth, but increases it instead. The person who adopt humility for the sake of Allah is exalted in ranks by Him".
(Muslim)

Offline elan

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #16 on: December 06, 2013, 12:43:24 PM »
Nelson Mandela was on the US terrorist watch list up until 2008 ???       :cursing:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/blUSVALW_Z4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/blUSVALW_Z4</a>

Offline elan

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2013, 12:45:38 PM »
This morning I was listening to talk radio and they were comparing Mandela to MLK Jr. And they said that Mandela was allowed to live to a ripe old age, but MLK Jr. was cut down in his prime.

You think if Mandela was in the US he would have lived to do all the amazing and magnificent things that he did?
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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2013, 12:48:27 PM »
This death really bothering me as the world may never see such a person again (at least not in my lifetime). all these celebrities die and people morn them, but I never got caught up in those thing. I love Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson could do no wrong, yet even when they died I took those in stride, but this leaves an empty feeling. not to sure why or why so much.  :'(
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Offline Tallman

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2013, 12:55:14 PM »
This morning I was listening to talk radio and they were comparing Mandela to MLK Jr. And they said that Mandela was allowed to live to a ripe old age, but MLK Jr. was cut down in his prime.

You think if Mandela was in the US he would have lived to do all the amazing and magnificent things that he did?

Hardly likely. Somebody woulda try tuh out he light early o'clock.
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline MEP

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #20 on: December 06, 2013, 01:49:55 PM »
This death really bothering me as the world may never see such a person again (at least not in my lifetime). all these celebrities die and people morn them, but I never got caught up in those thing. I love Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson could do no wrong, yet even when they died I took those in stride, but this leaves an empty feeling. not to sure why or why so much.  :'(

I too was depressed and sad at first but then I was listening to BBC news and the reaction of South Africans toyi toying just served as a reminder that in both life and death he will always be transcendent

Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #21 on: December 06, 2013, 01:56:10 PM »
Posted this last night on FB and it's worth mentioning here too...

Quote
I was not blessed to meet Nelson Mandela in person and so I don't have any witty or insightful stories to share. I do have a very cherished memory however. Upon his release from prison in 1990, Madiba made the United States his very first destination, landing at John F. Kennedy lnternational airport. Through some political connections, it was decided that Mandela's first stop would be in Brooklyn New York, and at my high school specifically. Myself and two other classmates were selected by my late principal to be interviewed live by Gordon Elliot of Fox's Good Day New York.

Later on that day Mr. Mandela made his historic stop at my school greeted by a throng of 3000+ people crammed on to our football field. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Gov. Mario Cuomo and Mayor David Dinkins... along with many faceless young men and women who had little idea ofwhat lay before them, concerned mainly with survival on the streets of Bed-Stuy.

I was a high school senior at the time, and even though I did not know where my future lay, I knew enough to know that I would not fall victim to the streets lest it should break my mother's heart. My only desire therefore was to make her proud to let her know that all of her sacrifice was not in vain.

After that fateful day however, when Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in captivity, and could have gone anywhere in the world after being released, but who chose to come to the United States and to New York City, and to MY high school, a school of 4000 primarily black and Latino kids- I realized then the importance of reaching back and inspiring those most in need of inspiration.

I realized then that my goals though sincere, were perhaps too modest, that there was more that I should be aspiring to. That he would take time to come to our neighborhood and grace us with the honor of being his first hosts outside of captivity in South Africa when many other nations would've been happy to fete him in pomp and ceremony, that spoke of the depth of his character.

Character, honor and grace are more important than any office or social position. Dignity when confronted with life's challenges, being resolute in the face of despair, humility in the face of adulation, and an unshakable belief in who you are as an individual, no matter the external circumstances swirling about you. That was the lesson I took from his visit that day. It was a lesson, perhaps unintended on his part, but one that has stayed with me even to this day. God bless you good sir, and well done. May you find rest and comfort as you reunite with the ancestors, safe in the knowledge that your incomparable legacy lives on.

Let us all not lose sight of the potential for greatness within each of us, and our unique ability to inspire others.  Nelson Mandela has transitioned to a higher calling, but the legacy he left with us must be embraced and nurtured in each of our own hearts. His life was but a reminder of the inherent nobility that lies within us all, if only we choose to recognize and embrace it's beckoning.

Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #22 on: December 06, 2013, 02:14:02 PM »
"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #23 on: December 06, 2013, 03:10:48 PM »
A modern hero.

I never got to see Ghandi or MLK in action. But I did get to Mandela.

Like millions around the world, I was in awe of his humility and magnanimous nature.

I was well aware that at his age, I was privileged to see one of the last great 20th Century icons.

RIP Mr. Mandela. If only there were more like you.

VB
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Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #24 on: December 06, 2013, 03:52:25 PM »
Bloomberg just announced that my old high school will now be renamed The Nelson Mandela High School for Social Justice...

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #25 on: December 06, 2013, 04:10:48 PM »
I watched an ESPN 30 for 30 episode last night entitled "The 16th Man" narrated by Morgan Freeman. It's about the SA ruby team and how Mandella forgave them and what they stood for and became one of their biggest fans. Very touching!

The moral of the story is how sport has the power to change the world.

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« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 04:14:36 PM by soccerman »

Offline Bakes

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #26 on: December 06, 2013, 04:47:00 PM »
Invictus was a surprisingly good movie... easily downplayed and overlooked is what an important role his gesture of supporting the Springboks (traditionally only followed by whites) played in reuniting a still-healing country  :beermug:

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #27 on: December 06, 2013, 06:20:48 PM »
Remembering The Religious Right's Attacks On Nelson Mandela


The news today of Nelson Mandela’s passing is also time to reflect on the complicated relationship between Mandela and his anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC) with the US, which did not always support the anti-apartheid struggle. In fact, American conservatives lobbied the federal government in the 1980s to withhold support from the anti-apartheid movement.

President Reagan added the ANC to the US terrorism watch list, a designation not removed until 2008, and unsuccessfully vetoed sanctions against the apartheid regime. Many Republican lawmakers did break with the Reagan administration’s stance, but “all 21 [Senate] votes to sustain the veto were cast by Republicans.”

Mandela faced criticism from Republican leaders including Dick Cheney, who described Mandela’s ANC as a “terrorist organization,” and Jesse Helms, who “turned his back during Mandela’s visit to the U.S. Capitol.” Even in 1998, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly lumped Mandela together with notorious dictators.

The late Jerry Falwell urged [PDF] his supporters to write their congressmen and senators to tell them to oppose sanctions against the apartheid regime. “The liberal media has for too long suppressed the other side of the story in South Africa,” he said. “It is very important that we stay close enough to South Africa so that it does not fall prey to the clutches of Communism.”

“South Africa is torn by civil unrest, instigated primarily by Communist-sponsored people who are capitalizing on the many legitimate grievances created by apartheid, unemployment and policy confrontations,” Falwell continued.

Finally, we should, if possible, invest in South Africa, because this inevitably improves the standard of living for nonwhites there.

Now is not the time to turn our backs on South Africa. The world has witnessed the Soviets capture nation after nation. They have been particularly aggressive in Africa. South Africa must not be the next victim!
David John Marley notes in Pat Robertson: An American Life that Robertson criticized the ANC because it was “led by communists and was hostile to Israel” and “far too radical an element to ever work with,” while “his campaign literature made similar claims for the need to support the white government.”

The televangelist regularly spoke ill of Mandela’s group and his Christian Broadcasting Network ran segments critical of sanctions against the apartheid government as Congress debated sanctions.

In 1986 The 700 Club did a series of reports on South Africa and the white government’s struggle against the African National Congress. While many socially liberal religious leaders decried the apartheid regime, Robertson openly supported it because he felt that it was a bastion against communism. For Robertson, everything else was secondary to defeating what he saw as the enemies of God. Robertson sent a copy of The 700 Club program to Freedom Council’s Dick Thompson to have it forwarded to Pat Buchanan, who in turn promised to show it to the president. Reagan’s attitude toward South Africa was one of his most controversial foreign policy stands, and Robertson was one of Reagan’s few allies on the policy.
Sam Kleiner mentions that now-Sen. Jeff Flake, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff were also active in lobbying against the anti-apartheid movement:

Jack Abramoff, now a disgraced former lobbyist convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion, got much of his start from his work with South Africa. Abramoff visited the country following his term as National Chair of the College Republicans in 1983 and met with pro-apartheid student groups linked to the South Africa’s Bureau of Security Services. In 1986, he opened the International Freedom Foundation. Ostensibly a think tank, it was later revealed as a front group for the South African Army as part of “Operation Babushka” meant to undermine Nelson Mandela’s international approval. The group had over “30 young ideologues in offices on G Street in Washington, Johannesburg, London and Brussels” working on propaganda in support of the South African government.



Like Abramoff, GOP tax guru Grover Norquist became enamored with the conflict in South Africa and went there to extend his support. Norquist ran College Republicans from 1981 to 1983 and went to South Africa in 1985 for a “Youth for Freedom Conference” sponsored by South African businesses. While other college students, such as Barack Obama, had been active in anti-apartheid work, this conference was seeking to bring American and South African conservatives together to end that movement. In his speech there, Norquist said, “The left has no other issue [but apartheid] on campus. Economic issues are losers for them. There are no sexy Soviet colonies anymore.” A few months after the conference, Norquist went to Angola to work with Jonas Savimbi, the rebel leader that Abramoff valorized in his film. Norquist became a ghost-writer for Savimbi’s essay in Policy Review. When he returned to Washington, he was greeted in conservative circles as a “freedom fighter,” and he proudly placed an “I’d rather be killing commies” bumper sticker on his brief case.

A few years later and much further along in the anti-apartheid movement, a young Jeff Flake (now a senator from Arizona) became active in lobbying for South African mining interests in the late 1980s and early ’90s, after returning from his Mormon mission to South Africa. As a graduate student at Brigham Young University, he testified against an anti-apartheid resolution in the Utah State Senate and then became a lobbyist in Washington for Smoak, Shipley and Henry, a lobbying firm specializing in representing the South African mining industry. Flake went on to personally represent the Rossing Uranium plant in Namibia, which had been a major target of anti-apartheid activists for its discriminatory and unsafe practices.

Decades later, these Republican leaders would prefer not to have their adventures in South Africa mentioned. While Abramoff went down in a corruption scandal, Norquist went on to remake himself into a libertarian anti-tax activist, and Flake moved back to Arizona. The anti-communism that motivated the Republican allegiance to South Africa fizzled with the end of the Cold War, but the history of the Republican entanglement with South Africa remains one of the party’s darker episodes.

President Obama can proudly talk about how his first political act was in response to apartheid. While a few Republicans stood against apartheid, much of the Republican Party has nothing to offer about its position at the time but silence. I wouldn’t expect any reflections on apartheid from Abramoff, Flake or Norquist anytime soon.
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Offline Pointman

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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #28 on: December 06, 2013, 09:52:09 PM »
This death really bothering me as the world may never see such a person again (at least not in my lifetime). all these celebrities die and people morn them, but I never got caught up in those thing. I love Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson could do no wrong, yet even when they died I took those in stride, but this leaves an empty feeling. not to sure why or why so much.  :'(
I can definitely relate to this sentiment.
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Re: R.I.P. NELSON MANDELA!!!!!!!!!
« Reply #29 on: December 07, 2013, 10:05:26 AM »
This morning I was listening to talk radio and they were comparing Mandela to MLK Jr. And they said that Mandela was allowed to live to a ripe old age, but MLK Jr. was cut down in his prime.

You think if Mandela was in the US he would have lived to do all the amazing and magnificent things that he did?

Hardly likely. Somebody woulda try tuh out he light early o'clock.

Somebody? Yuh mean the powers that be!
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