Monday, September 22, 2014

The United Nations protests will not be derailed

United Nations Building
Sidi Sanneh 
The carefully-crafted display of acrimonious bickering on radio is just one more reminder that "The Struggle" still has, and will continue to have, its share of knuckleheads who will go to anything length for attention and self aggrandizement. 

We've seen this movie before, especially on the eve of every protest march.  Remember the so-called 'spy lady' from Atlanta during the Washington protests who was accused of 'breaching the inner sanctum of The Struggles intelligence super structure?  She turned out to be a woman with serious personal issues and challenges.

On the eve of the New York protest, the straw men are CORDEG, a government-in-exile and about a member of the planning committee of the New York contingent.  The role of CORDEG and the formation of a government-in-exile are not germane to the occasion which is simply to assemble and demonstrate against a vicious dictatorship at home.  

So those who've noticed the trend, and are rightly treating yesterday's display as yet another silly season's sinister prank, have opted to continue to focus their individual and/or collective energies in chalking up gains, however small, while leaving the whiners to do what they do best, whine. The grown-ups will continue to make full account of themselves while realizing this is not in sprint race but a marathon where strategy and the art of energy conservation are two of the most prized commodities.  Let the bloviators bloviate.  The rest have better things to do.    

For example, the Raleigh folks are ready and so are the DC folks to make a significant showing.  The folks in Atlanta will not be outdone. The host, New York folks, will, no doubt, step up to the occasion.  No one should be distracted from the immediate task at hand.  You will notice that once it has been successfully disposed of, victory laps will be performed not by those who did the heavy lifting but by those who spewed the hottest air.

On an equally positive note, we've learned from authoritative sources that those taking part in this year's UN protest will be larger in number than previous ones because The Gambians will be joined by Sierra Leonean and Congolese protesters.  If success is based on numbers alone, there's every indication that victory is already to those Gambians and other other Africans who plan to protest in New York this weekend.

However, because of last year's humiliating treatment of the Gambian dictator by dissidents, security around the United Nations venue and the hotels occupied by Jammeh and other presidents will be extremely tight.  

As a result, protesters will find maneuvering one's way around the extra barricades that are strategically positioned to be a very challenging exercise.  Good luck to protesters from the New York, Washington DC, Providence, Wilmington, Hartford, Boston and Atlanta areas.