Charlie Rose

Kenneth Johnson  04/10/2008 02:43 AM Report

As a young service member i'm so proud of Gen. Ward as a American the world is looking a little brighter.

Concerned  12/09/2007 06:43 PM Report

Just few days ago Europeans convened a meeting amongst all African leaders to mend fences in a bid to prevent China from gaining all the resources of Africa, so they can maintain their lavish lifestyle using African resources. Just few months ago China convened African leaders meeting, now its America's turn. Unfortunately, not all African governments are friends of America. America convinced Europe to give Africa up, and since then America failed to replace Europe's void. Instead Soviets and America competed for each and every African country attention. Some two decades ago Soviet Union melted away, and America had all the opportunity to mend fances with countries that used to be Soviet's favorites. Instead America followed Soviet's dissipation with myopic foreign policy. That has now come to bite hard with the rise of China and strong African negative feeling toward America's one sided policy. I can safely say with relative certainty that America threw away a golden opportunity. America need to change its silly one sided policy and look at the world with a larger and wider prism rather rather than thru narrow and myopic one. Sending AFRICOM can only overcompensate and push the Africans toward the other side, China or Europe. Almost all Africans see AFRICOM as a force sent to colonize them, countries with dictatorial rulers are going to benefit from the presence of AFRICOM, so long as they bend backwards to accomodate USSD's myopic and narrow foreign policy. But by in large majority of the people in Africa are going to resent AFRICOM's presence.

C. Watson  12/03/2007 09:48 AM Report

The U.S. and Europe want to maintain control of the resources of the African continent. The true purpose of AFRICOM is to prevent the rise of African leadership that will govern in the interests of the African masses. It is essentially a neocolonical expedition plain and simple.

C. Watson  12/03/2007 09:48 AM Report

The U.S. and Europe want to maintain control of the resources of the African continent. The true purpose of AFRICOM is to prevent the rise of African leadership that will govern in the interests of the African masses. It is essentially a neocolonical expedition plain and simple.

rev P E Adotey Addo  12/02/2007 03:46 PM Report

MY COMMENTS ARE IN THE STORY BELOW.THANK YOU

The Night Before Christmas: An African Christmas Story .

By Rev Peter E Adotey Addo .

It was the night before Christmas and I was very sad because my family life had been severely disrupted and I was sure that Christmas would never come. There was none of the usual joy and anticipation that I always felt during the Christmas season. I was eight years old but in the past few months I had grown a great deal. Before this year, I thought Christmas in my village came with many things. Christmas had always been for me one of the joyous religious festivals. It was the time for beautiful Christmas music on the streets, on radio, television, and every where. Christmas had always been a religious celebration and the church started preparing way back in November. We really felt that we were preparing for the birth of the baby Jesus. Christmas was the time when relatives and friends visited each other so there were always people traveling and visiting with great joy from all the different tribes. I always thought that was all Christmas was. Oh, how I wished I had some of the traditional food consumed at the Christmas Eve dinner and the Christmas Day dinner, I knew I could not taste the rice, chicken, goat, lamb, and fruits of various kinds. The houses were always decorated with beautiful paper ornaments. The children and all the young people loved to make and decorate their homes and schools with colorful crepe paper. All of us looked forward to the Christmas Eve Service at our church. After the service there would be a joyous possession through the streets. Everyone would be in a gala mood with local musicians in a Mardi Gras mood. Then on Christmas Day we all went back to church to read the scriptures and sing carols to remind us of the meaning of the blessed birth of the baby Jesus. We always thought that these were the things that meant Christmas. After the Christmas service young people received gifts of special chocolate, special cookies, and special crackers. Young people were told that the gifts come from Father Christmas, and this always meant Christmas for us. They also received new clothes and perhaps new pairs of shoes. Meanwhile throughout the celebration, everyone was greeted with the special greeting word, "Afishapa" meaning Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Oh how I wish that those memories were real tonight in order to bring us Christmas. However, this Christmas Eve things were different and I knew Christmas would nevercome. Every one was sad and desperate because of what happened last April when the so-called Army of Liberation attacked our village and took all the young boys and girls away.

Families were separated and some were murdered. We were forced to march and work for many miles without food. We were often hungry and we were given very little food.. There was very little food. The soldiers burned everything in our village and during our forced march we lost all sense of time and place. Miraculously we were able to get away from the soldiers during one rainy night. After several weeks in the tropical forest we made our way back to our burned out village. Most of us were sick, exhausted, and depressed. Most of the members of our families were no where to be found. We had no idea what day or time it was. This was the situation until my sick grandmother noticed the reddish and yellow flower we call, "Fire on the Mountain," blooming in the middle of the marketplace where the tree had stood for generations and had bloomed for generations at Christmas time. For some reason it had survived the fire that had engulfed the marketplace. I remembered how the nectar from this beautiful flower had always attracted insects making them drowsy enough to fall to the ground to become food for crows and lizards. We were surprised that the fire the soldiers started to burn the marketplace and the village did not destroy the "Fire on the Mountain" tree. What a miracle it was. Grandmother told us that it was almost Christmas because the flower was blooming. As far as she could remember this only occurred at Christmas time. My spirits were lifted perhaps for a few minutes as I saw the flower. Soon I became sad again. How could Christmas come without my parents and my village?

How could this be Christmas time when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, because since April we have not known any peace, only war and suffering. How could we celebrate as grandmother instructed us to do before she died. Those were the last words she spoke before she died last night. As I continued to think about past joyous Christmases and the present suffering, we heard the horn of a car and not just one horn but several cars approaching our village. At first we thought they were cars full of men with machine guns so we hid in the forest. To our surprise they were not and they did not have guns. They were just ordinary travelers. It seemed the bridge over the river near our village had been destroyed last April as the soldiers left our village. Since it was almost dusk and there were rumors that there were land mines on the roads, they did not want to take any chances. Their detour had led them straight to our village. When they saw us they were shocked and horrified at the suffering and the devastation all around us. Many of these travelers began to cry. They confirmed that tonight was really Christmas Eve. All of them were on their way to their villages to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. Now circumstances had brought them to our village at this time on this night before Christmas. They shared the little food they had with us. They even helped us to build a fire in the center of the marketplace to keep us warm. In the middle of all this, my sister became ill and could not stand up. A short time after we returned to our village my grandmother told me that my oldest sister was expecting a baby. My sister had been in a state of shock and speechless since we all escaped from the soldiers.

I was so afraid for my sister because we did not have any medical supplies and we were not near a hospital. Some of the travelers and the villagers removed their shirts and clothes to make a bed for my sister to lie near the fire we had made. On that fateful night my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. This called for a celebration, war or no war, Africans have to dance and we celebrated until the rooster crowed at 6 a.m. We sang Christmas songs. Every one sang in his or her own language. For the first time all the pain and agony of the past few months escaped. When morning finally came my sister was asked, "What are you going to name the baby"? Would you believe for the first time since our village was burned and all the young girls and boys were taken away, she spoke. She said, "His name is Gye Nyame, which means except God I fear none."

And so we celebrated Christmas that night. Christmas really did come to our village that night, but it did not come in the cars or with the travelers. It came in the birth of my nephew in the midst of our suffering. We saw hope in what this little child could do. This birth turned out to be the universal story of how bad things turned into universal hope, the hope we found in the Baby Jesus. A miracle occurred that night before Christmas and all of a sudden I knew we were not alone any more. Now I knew there was hope and I had learned that Christmas comes in spite of all circumstances. Christmas is always within us all. Christmas came even to our village that night.

Rev P E Adotey Addo

P O Box 13356,Greensboro NC 27415

336 375 5761 Fax 336 375 0068 Website: http://home.triad.rr.com/osofo/index.htm

Washington  11/19/2007 03:26 PM Report

The main test for AFRICOM is whether the interagency element will actually work, with State, DoD, USAID, the intelligence community, and other departments and agencies actually cooperating. Formal structure requires that the combatant commander (CoCom) has the proper resources and authorities. Informally, the political adviser (POLAD, or whatever is the civilian counterpart) and the CoCom have to display cooperative leadership. The president's attention is also necessary, otherwise the command will find its mission to be extremely ambiguous. If this president gives AFRICOM the necessary attention to be successful, will the next president do the same? There also seems to be a lack of thinking in terms of priorities on the issues AFRICOM will confront -- will these be State, DoD, or the President's priorities? If there is to be disagreement between State and DoD on priorities, how will the command coordinate with the Ambassadors and the Assistant Secretaries? From the CoCom-level and upwards in the chain of command, there will have to be agreement, especially between the SecState and SecDef. They are unlikely to agree on priorities if the President does not devote personal attention to Africa, which seems to be the least important region in terms of US national interests. General Ward will have to be extremely deft at navigating the politics of his position. He will have to put care and attention into his relationship with State, while following the orders of DoD. He would be wise to find friends in the NSC staff, the Executive staff, or the VP's office (although that would be precarious, give the VP's declining influence). I wish him luck.

Shaft  11/19/2007 03:22 PM Report

[QUOTE\

China pledges to help modernize Kenya army

Nairobi, Kenya: 19 November 2007: Chinese Defence Minister General Cao Gangcuan on Monday pledged to help Kenya modernize its armed forces during talks with President Mwai Kibaki, an official statement said.

Kibaki said the "support would not only improve the forces' ability to ensure security along the borders but also enhance Kenya's role in peacekeeping activities in Africa and beyond", the Presidency statement said.

It did not elaborate the nature of the support, which is in line with China's establishment of closer ties with African nations in the recent years.

Since 1979, officers from the Kenyan armed forces have been actively participating in several UN peacekeeping and peace support mission across the world.

Cao, also vice-chairperson of China's Central Military Commission, is scheduled to travel to Kuwait and finally Thailand. â?? AFP

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=325361&refe rrer=RSS

[/QUOTE\

AFRICOM finds it's first challenger in the Horn of Africa. China is coming to Africa in a style, first it was all about constructing stadiums and sports facilities then roads and getting mining, now its all about helping with military structures. This is what I call stylish approach, unlike the Americans who come to Africa empty handed and plant puppet regimes suitable to their foreign policy at the expense of the suffering of Africans. I have a small but important advice to America, it's better to send millionaires to Africa and improve your image first and then slowly creep up to the interest of the majority. Then slowly again, help out with medical cases along business opportunities and jobs. That way, you can establish the credibility and may last longer than China in Africa. Sending military might to the astonishment of poor Africans is not the solution to long term benefits of the two people, Africans and America's interest. Look how China is approaching the region that is now in the eye of many more rising muscles.

Russia's interest in that region is growing by lips and bounds, unlike its predecessor, the Soviet Union who offers nothing but ideology is this time they are buttering up to the interest of the majority, they are flirting with Eritrea at the same time courting Ethiopia, in case, if one does not work the other will. Meles is also looking afar to the rising power from the East of Europe. So, its better to lure Africans with jobs and self interest rather than state of the art military complex. Those kind of show offs are good for some one that understands what it takes to build such military might, to Africans what they want is shoe and food that will fill their tummies and their children tummies. Now China is extending help to Kenya, Russia is buttering up the two quarrelling neighbors, America is involved into war in Somalia and helping a dictator to stay longer in power against the wish of the majority. In a hindsight, both America's competitors are doing the right thing while America is doing the wrong thing in the Horn of Africa. Take a hint from Africans and take a lesson, not a single African country is happy AFRICOM is coming to Africa, except a staggering dictator whose hated by the majority of the people, Ethiopia's minority regime ruler Meles Zenawi and his protégé Somalis puppet Abdullahi Yusouf. America is on the wrong side of Africans and this forced friendship is not sustainable, it is not going to last long. I hope Americans who read this message will take some serious point across and deliver it to those that are sober and have America's best interest at heart. As far as the people who have put America on the wrong side in the Horn of Africa do not have America's best interest at heart.

Concerned African  11/17/2007 03:18 PM Report

Leave Africa alone, let it develop by itself. I thought the Republican Party believes in less giovernment control more individual responsibilities, whatever happened to that idea?

Africa does not want more control, what Africa wants is economic trade with anyone, preferably Asia and South East Asia. There has been trade relations between Africa and Asia, and South East Asia before there was Europe and America. Let that relation continue, AFRICOM should not stand on the way and be a hurdle to Africa's progress. After all America has gotten enough out of Africa, you robbed our people and brought them to America after killing so many and currently abusing them and denying them the right to grow. No African country makes tanks, guns, or explossives, but we have them in abundant in our continent of Africa. Ever since we got to know America and Europe we have only gained trouble nothing beneficial but trouble. It is time you let us go. We have nothing to trade with America at this point in our economic power history, so lets do trade with Asia and grow so we will have the capacity to do trade with America.

With respect to Oil, the world is looking for alternative to fossil. So we what we have is only good for developing countries, American Entrepnures and business community is well come to do use their dough and do business and benefit from African resources by employing Africans, other than that we would like American military and political entities to stay in America. AFRICOM should stay home in America, if we Africans need help we ask for it.

Cornell W. Rochester  11/16/2007 02:46 AM Report

The General said he does not speak any african languages has no degrees or special training in the different cultures of the Africans will not intervene with troops to stop slaughter so Charlie said what are you there for but to be a spy for Bush and Rumsfled. As a Afro-American he's a disgrace to the black race another Uncle Tom as least Gen.Coln Powell had enough Conscience to quit so he can at least sleep and night.

Yugo Pittman  11/15/2007 10:23 PM Report

I haven't seen the interview yet. However, from what I was told by a friend who did, and what I've read from the above comments, this is a very interesting story. If this country had the proper leadership and moral strength to conduct an operation for good,for a change, there could be a great new episode in African/American history.

Shaft  11/15/2007 04:08 PM Report

Consider AFRICOM as a vicious wounded animal coming back to claim it's prey from the scavengers feeding of AFRICOM'S kill. America was the main factor why Europeans left Africa from unlawful bondage, although it did not happen right-away, but slowly Africans come to the understanding that they are better off separating from their colonial pimps (Brits, French, Italians, Germans, and Belgians as well as Portugese). America with the military complex it built right after WWII convinced or twisted Europeans to releas Africa from bondage.

Now America's power seem to be declining slowly and surely. Much like her predecessors America will be requested to give up her winnings by a new global palyer, namely China. Much like the Europeans America too will re-coil back from African soil. But until that request is extended from China America will continue on searching what else is she going to be leaving to the new kid in the block flexing its muscle. AFRICOM is that instrument to be used to search for what America is leaving to her competition hoovering around Africa. At the same time postpone the mariage by switching regimes that are aware of the dynamics of global powershift and their horizons. AFROCOM'S main task will be making sure that aware Africans are subdued ahead of time so as to give America more life span.

Africans like America, America is a simbol of freedom and a land of opportunity. What Africans want is opportunity, unfortunately it has been almost 50 years since most of Africans attained freedom and independence from their European pimps. It has also been almost two decades since the fall of the Soviet impire that was a real competition against America. All this time Africans wanted to benefit from what America has to offer, there has been nothing but misery and hopelessness. Especially, since the fall of Communism America has been throwing around her weight lavishely and uncontrolably there were many African countries who were feeling comfy with two competing powers that started to get hurt after the fall of Communism.

Unlike that time, now there is only super power with two more powers rising, one Russia another wounded animal who seem to have healed well now and began flexing its muscle, and the other one is the undisputed sleeping giant - China. Although I cannot predict how long it will take for China to firmly grasp superpowerdom, but we all are feeling the influence year after year. For Africans who have been stepped on during the one superpower tenur, this is a welcome development. It seems the world works better with two opposing powers and everyone knows how to exploit the situation. But for the time being China is coming to Africa with business proposal - let's work together and benefit from what Africa has to offer. America did not extend that kind of offers to Africans. America viewed Africa another leech. Well, today Africa is gaining the respect it deserves from China and AFRICOM is designed to spoil it. As an African I reflect many people's concern, thank you for the offer but NO THANK YOU AMERICA. You have been an example to draw from for all of us and we have seen America's power in Africa for the last 50 years and in particular for the last 18 years.

With respect to General Ward, I have one thing to say; Just because he is black does not mean he is not going to harm Africa. It would have been nice if African Americans began to flock back to Africa and help re-organized Africa, but when they are sent by America, they only come to benefit America at the expense of Africans. As an African American Gen. Ward should understand that America has always been not so nice to black people, what makes him think that her intentions are any better this time around? Looking back into America's history, America has always exploited Africans. What is driving America to Africa is all about energy security for herlesf rather than looking for the interest of Africans humanitarian needs. Only Ethiopian dictator (Meles Zenawi)has accepted the mission of AFRICOM, because he has vested interest. His regime will fall flat face first the minute America leaves Ethiopia, which is the reason his regime oblige to invade Somalia. It does wonders to imagine that America is going to de her last battle frontier to remain global power player in African soil.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TutqFqv7QcY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SeT6BLw0ZlA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_CDUZWDRDk

NO TO AFRICOM.

TABS  11/15/2007 03:51 AM Report

It was obvious within 5 seconds of the interview with General Ward that by establishing an African command the US military is trying to stay ahead of the curve in Africa, before they are faced with a crash and burn situation. That said General Ward is well versed in bureaucratese, and said VERY little other than repeating 4 times a bureaucratic outline of what the "mission" is going to be.In other words no meat,no potatoes. Sorry Charlie a waste of time.

disagree conceptually  11/15/2007 01:34 AM Report

Despite his articulation and eloquence the overall mission sounds so conflicted and contrary to any image a military command's (of mainly civilian efforts?) message sends can't be beneficial to our already too jingoistic reputation. Civilians reporting to military sounds dangerous as well. Ask the Pakistanis. It has a titular air about it that screams 'fabricated boondoggle.' If so it's insulting to someone of his caliber. Surely he could be more effective elsewhere. Darfur's the only real African military adventure deserving attention, but not by us. His presence could well be construed as a Peacock command astride a paper tiger. They shoudn't do it to him, or the country. They're mixing missions unwisely. Signed by Rumsfeld? That ought to say it all!

Georgia  11/15/2007 01:29 AM Report

I caught something in this interview.

At one point Charlie tried to be PC and said to the General, "as an African American" in reference to his color making it easier for him to relate to Africa....The General very smoothly responded with "as an AMERICAN"

Nice, huh? That right there told me that I liked this General. Not only is he well spoken, intelligent and thoughtful but he doesn't have a chip on his shoulder about color. He wasn't going to take the easy way out that Charlie offered him saying yes, I was chosen because of my skin color.

The General said he had 36 years of experience and pointed to that and his ability to listen as the reason he was given the post.

Give me men like this General anyday.

Tony Haught  11/15/2007 12:03 AM Report

I am so very well impressed with Gen. Ward. He is a great man.