December 14, 2002
GANGSTERS OF LOVE:
Up close with Somalia's warlords (BBC14 December, 2002)The infamous General Morgan can currently be found at a pokey hotel about 10 minutes' drive out of town.Clad in designer sunglasses and paramilitary top and trousers, this bald-headed warlord looks like he's strolled off the set of a Mad Max movie.
In real life he stands accused of murdering scores of innocent civilians during fighting in the Somaliland capital, Hargaisa.
Perhaps reading my thoughts, the general began to smile almost warmly and spent the next 15 minutes insisting that he's only ever killed in self-defence - and that was a long time ago.
"In fact", he went on, "I'm now more of a peacelord than a warlord."
Given this reassurance it seemed safe to ask him how he felt about being nicknamed "The Butcher of Hargaisa".
Considering that America turned tail and ran from these clowns after the Battle of the Black Sea, it's no wonder Osama thought we were ripe for the picking. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 14, 2002 10:34 AM
While generally I favor intervention around
the world, exporting Americanism, America's
greatest product, there are some places
where it was never worth the bother.
Somalia, where the people have not even
advanced to the concept of "hole in the ground,"
is the perfect example.
Some decades ago, do-gooders thought,
correctly, that Somalis would be better off
with at least some sanitary precautions. However,
since Somalis did not understand mechanisms,
they had to invent a fool-proof system.
So they did, but it turned out not to be
Somali-proof.
They built concrete privies, very simple Clivuses,
in the countryside. No moving parts. Nothing
that could be broken even with a sledgehammer.
After a time, they returned to see how the
privies were working. "We don't use them,"
the Somalis said. "They are broken."
How? wondered the do-gooders.
It turns out that it is the Somali custom to pass
the time while at stool by clicking two stones
together. When they were done, what did
they do with the stones?
Threw them in the privy, of course.
Some people are beyond help.
Kinda Lottish, don't you think?
Posted by: oj at December 15, 2002 9:33 PMJust a cultural comment here, as I have never heard the reference to 'The Battle of the Black Sea', nor do I expect to much.
The Ardennes Forest battle is simply known as 'The Battle of the Bulge' (Bulge, what bulge?? I know, but isn't almost every battle a bulge in the line at some point?)
Fifty years from now I have no doubt this will still be known as 'Black Hawk Down', and virtually all historians will likely refer to it that way.
Funny, but it also sounds kinda cool.