Where Massa Clinton At?

Here’s a copy of a letter I e-mailed last year to Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press in response to her September 2002 editorial “Nobody’s Like Bill [Clinton, that is]—Let’s Get Him Back.”

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Ms. Riley:

As for citizenship (by birth) and allegiance, I'm American. However, as for ethnicity, I'm half Kenyan. In the aftermath of the two terrorist attacks on the US Embassies in Africa, I expected then-President Clinton to hit hard and fast. After all, two sets of my people, American and Kenyan, had been brutally murdered and both countries had been attacked. In addition, thousands of Africans had been horribly maimed: legs, arms, genitals, eyes, were severed and these people had the prospect of horribly maimed lives set before them.

And surely, since these weren't the first terrorist attacks on the US/US assets, I felt sure that this president would take military steps to ensure that any more prospective terrorists would think twice before attacking the US in the future. I was sure that the so-dubbed "First Black President," best friend to Vernon Jordan, lover of black music, etc. would avenge the murders of his American countrymen and his adopted African brethren. I was wrong.

But surely, he would go after the mastermind of these attacks and all the others, Osama bin Laden! Now I find out, from one of former President Clinton's own officials, [Mansoor Ijaz] that bin Laden was offered to him on a silver platter by Sudan, and he refused to take him.

But surely, he would offer state-of-the-art medical attention and pensions to all of those Africans who lost livelihoods and aid to the families of the murdered. After all, these are our allies and the murdered and maimed were working alongside or for the Americans! Nothing from the "first Black President" but sincere-sounding words.

To paraphrase the words of King Solomon, pretty words hide a wicked heart. Or a cowardly one, for that matter. This man knew all the right words to say to black Americans. Knew all the fronts to put on. Knew all the frauds to perpetrate. And we bought the game, hook, line and sinker. But when push came to shove, he abandoned all Americans, black ones, white ones and all the other ones. He folded like the empty suit that he is.

It's hard for most people to say that they've been wrong about a person or a subject, and it took me some time to admit that I was wrong about William J. Clinton. But in the face of this man's inaction or bad decision making in the wake of the 1993 WTC attack, the Khobar Towers attack, the Somalia debacle, The US Embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing and, yes the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01--if OBL had been in custody, the latter would have been less likely to occur--I have no other choice but to say it again: I was wrong.

And so are you.

Cordially,

Juliette Ochieng

*****

BTW, I never got a response from Ms. Riley.

You’d think some people would have figured this out by now. The residents of Harlem lament the scarcity of the "first black president" at his highly-touted Harlem office. Apparently some are Cluebat Immune. Pitiful.

(Thanks to Little Tiny Lies, Inoperable Terran and to Marty for having the text of my letter on his blog)

UPDATE: Don't forget who's paying for this Harlem office.

(Thanks to CGHill)

Comments

[CGHill]

Remind me never, ever to piss you off. :)

[Marty]

That was over a year ago! I remember seeing the e-mail you sent me and thinking "Kick ass!"

And it was several months before you began gracing Blogdom with your musings.

You go!

[baldilocks]

Marty: my copy of the letter is on my old computer. Your posting of it when you did saved me a lot of time.

[Steve H.]

Clinton will never do anything for you. You're clearly too young for him.

Michael Jackson is the man to call.

[baldilocks]

It's more I'm likely too old for him, but thanks for the compliment. As for MJ, I'm too female for him.

::::barfing at the thought of letting either near me::::

[Greg Zywicki]

Any chance of you coming to Detroit and kicking
Rochelle's rear? She has the same mindset on
local issues, and probably more influence.

Fun city of detroit current event: After a few years of having the right to elect the school board taken from the citizens, the State and the new mayor have worked out a deal to return limited voting rights. "It's not fair," whine the whiners. "This plan gives us sham voting rights."

Apparently, continually electing incompetent lay-abouts who piss education money away on limousines and day trips is the Detroit ideal of legitimate voting rights.

[baldilocks]

Greg Z: Got a link?

[meep]

I was 18 in 1992 and voted for Clinton. I went to a rally for him at my college. I believed the words he said.

In 1996, I did not vote for him. I noticed that the man did not do anything other than promote himself.

Bleh. I, too, am not so proud as to deny that I was wrong about Clinton.

[baldilocks]

You figured it out quicker than I did, meep. And I'm, ahem, considerably older.

[Sharpshooter]

I just bookmarked this site, "Top Blogs I gotta visit frequently"

Read your take on Clintoon, and agree wholeheartedly. His non-action was more shameful than striving to DO something, and doing it wrong.

Stay with it, Amigo! We're at war, and I believe that blogs are ONE SET of trenches!

[lindenen]

From the NYTimes article abstract:

" Clinton has not been presence he was expected to be in Harlem, which was supposed to benefit from renaissance of sorts because of him, even though most residents seem to see that Clinton's office has been busy"

Oh good grief. Yes, Clinton was Harlem's own white messiah. Blech.

[Alex Bensky]

The benefit of having a sham school board is that it can do less harm than our city council. On the other hand, the council's sessions are on public access cable tv, and whenever I need a good laugh I watch it.

It's been said that in a democracy people get the government they deserve. As a Detroiter, I can only hope that's not true.

[foreign devil]

You've got Clinton, the absolute ICON of the left, down perfectly! He talked a great line. That's what everyone bought. Pity! Then along comes Bush who does what he says he's going to do and everyone 'hates and reviles him and say all manner of things about him, true and untrue' and people can't see how lucky they are to have him. I know--I'm Canadian and I just WISH we had a politician like Bush!

[RepJ]

Hey, Little Green Footballs just linked to you. Love the letter!