Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: We are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many. But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before…
Author: Gainako
Cherno Njie was born 57 years ago in Banjul, in the small West African country of The Gambia. He came to the US some thirty years ago to pursue higher education in order to help his family live a better life and to pursue the American Dream. He attended Texas Tech University and later the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with a B.A. degree in Government with Special Honors. Mr. Njie is a loving husband and a devoted father of two – a son with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and an adorable…
By Mathew K Jallow Mali and Burkina Faso symbolize the new philosophical bend of the African Union and ECOWAS; playing catch-up with the popular political sentiments of Africa’s vast, dispirited population. But it is only a beginning, the microcosm of what the rest of Africa’s dictatorships could potentially face, yet it is worth celebrating, but with cautious optimism. The moral fortitude, which both institutions have demonstrated since the Mali military coup, is evidence of an unmistakable departure from the AU’s predecessor, the OAU’s revolting attachment to a regime of ineptitude and distraction from Africa’s miserable reality. The tethering of the…
Statement from Amnesty International of the ‘Mass Arrest in Gambia’ Gambian authorities should either charge or release family members of people suspected to be involved in December’s alleged failed coup, and grant them immediate access to lawyers, Amnesty International said today. According to Amnesty International’s information, Gambian law enforcement agencies including the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Presidential guard have arrested at least 30 people, including a 16-year-old boy, since the beginning of January. They are being detained without charge. Security forces have threatened to arrest anyone demanding the release or whereabouts of those arbitrarily detained. “The arrest and…
A man accused of Violating The “US Neutrality Act” Judging a man or woman from a single action or decision without a thorough understanding of the context and condition through which that action was taken could amount to a great injustice in who that person’s true character is and what kind of life he or she lives. It is therefore critical to fully comprehend the kind of human being, what kind of life, dedication and commitment that person has to his family, community and country. With a thorough examination of the person’s life and background one could firmly come…
By Dr. Samuel B Artley DMD. FAGD. Our great grandparents, grandparents, most of our parents and some of us today were raised and lived a life stuck in the ways of the dinosaurs; they stood by and watch events unfold. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs; they became extinct. Africa is much too versatile a survivor for extinction but rather it will be further marginalized into the position of a vestigial land should this prevailing trend in Nigeria be allowed to continue any further. These military interests of Africa would be best secured by African leadership, African…
Heroic Resistance: Heroes Don’t Die! By Yero Jallow Always remember your times’ heroes The gallant –Selfless, courageous and they don’t die Those that fought to liberate you From the clutches of tyranny To the injustices and political oppression. You are in the battlefield of conquest Face-to-face with a relentless enemy On your right side, a wounded comrade groans On your left side, another fallen comrade dead In front of you, the enemy still advances fiercely. In your memories, it is over with -defeat Then a re-assuring voice re-sharpened your courage Somewhere, somehow you…
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Twin Cities man is accused of helping plot the attempted overthrow of an African country’s government. Papa Faal of Brooklyn Center is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. The 46-year-old is accused of secretly shipping guns from Minnesota to his native country of The Gambia in West Africa. In a WCCO exclusive, his family says he was standing up for democracy, and should not be in custody. His family says Papa was living the American dream. He has two master’s degrees, and he’s working on his PhD. With a wife and 2-year-old daughter at…
By Demba Baldeh When the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon announced that he was sending a special representative to the West African State of the Gambia in the aftermath of the December 30th alleged failed coup to find out about the facts, many people especially Gambians welcomed the immediate action. The United Nations of recent has shown interest in the gross human rights situation in the Gambia after the country’s dismal failure at the UN Universal Period Review in Belgium late last November. The UN sent a special rapporteur to visit prisons and investigate the general welfare…
By Mathew K Jallow The brazen extrajudicial execution of ten military officers, in 1994, was only a sign of things to come. But, not even the deadly, primitive 2009 witch-hunting exercise, or the 2012 execution of twenty-six Mile 2 Prison inmates could inspire international action to challenge the violence perpetrated by Gambia’s terrorist military regime. Over the years, both regional and international indifference to Gambia’s dire human rights abuses have galvanized Gambians to coalesce around the theme of regime change in an effort to restore the rule of law by whatever means necessary. Without pressure from the international community,…