As the speech begins, African Twitter users are having fun translating Obama's trademark phrase, “Yes We Can” into different African languages. From Kenya, afromusing starts the trend with Swahili:

dnashong, originally from Ghana, shares more ways to say we can:

kaysha remarks upon Africa's need for a figure like Obama:

dnashong responds:

He then corrects himself to say “you know I should've said Africa's new leaders. I mean US!”

Malagasy lrakoto admits his excitement for Obama's reactions:

Although it goes without saying that non-U.S. citizens have a number of reasons for their interest in the U.S. elections, Trinidadian nplaughlin puts it best when he says:

Bahraini amiraalhussaini quips:

Finally, Nigerian kuikihoro seems disappointed that Obama's speech ended so quickly:

But this is not how some of my countrymen in Nigeria see him. He’s their brother; he’s black; he’ll save Africa!

One of those people is Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke, the Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Ndidi is the Chairman of the Africans for Obama 2008, a Nigeria-based pro-Obama group. Speaking in Lagos while inaugurating ‘Africans for Obama Presidency’ in June, she said, “the policies of Obama will have effect for Africa, not only the world, because he believes in Africa.”

On August 12, Ndidi and her friends held a fund raising dinner for Obama at the MUSON Center Lagos.

The price tag?

About $2,500 to 20,000USD per plate!

Their goal is to raise 100 million Naira (about 1 million USD) to mobilize the five million Africans in United States to support and vote for Obama in November.

There are many things wrong with this. Even if there are five million Africans with American voters registration cards, is it legal for a non-American pressure group to embark on political advocacy projects within America?

Was Ndidi and co aware of “The US Foreign Election Campaign Act (FECA) 1974?”

I don’t think so.

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly. It is also unlawful to help foreign nationals violate that ban or to solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations from them. Persons who knowingly and willfully engage in these activities may be subject to fines and/or imprisonment.

One thing is clear about most Nigerians, including our dear Ndidi: An obsession for foreign ready-made products. This obsession manifests in every facet of life in Nigeria. Now some have seen Obama as a prime object for that obsession.

Did Obama get to be the first American black presidential candidate because he had people like Ndidi supporting him?

Wouldn’t it be great if the Ndidis of Nigeria (and their rich friends) re-channel their obsessive energy toward something more practical and relevant to their immediate society?

Rather that obsessing over an ‘American Obama’, how about helping to create a local system that would produce a ‘Nigerian Obama’, say within the next five years?

His nomination is not only historical (being the first African-American) but also of crucial importance for democracy. He was able to cross the racial divide, and mobilize millions of younger voters yearning for change from old US policies that have lost touch with reality. Once again, the world is in a position to see the US in different light, and Obama should be particularly proud for playing a key role.

Mr. Obama’s ascent is not only because of his youth and background but also because he promises a radical departure from policies of the Bush administration. The United States of America is currently among the worst poorly rated countries, akin to Mugabe’s Zimbabwe and the failed State of Somalia - the only difference being its global economic influence and superpower status which is quickly eroding thanks to the emergence of alternative superpowers like the combined Asian Tigers and the larger European Union.

Africa, a continent once dismissed by Mr. Bush as “not fitting into the U.S national strategic interests”, has not gained much under the Bush administration. His last 5 day tour of the continent was just that, a tour through a region that doesn’t mean much to America. This was made clear in an interview with Bob Geldof aboard Air Force One en route to Ghana, back in February when President Bush said that he believed America was in an ideological struggle with extremism, people who prey on the hopeless - a situation which breeds terrorism. “That's why this trip is a mission undertaken with the deepest sense of humanity, because those other folks will just use vulnerable people (Africa) for evil. Like in Iraq.” Bush spoke of his mission to Africa.

Granted, some of Mr. Bush’s international policies especially those concerning Africa are appreciated despite their lopsided nature. For instance the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) largely touted as the best tool to nip the trade imbalance between the US and Africa. The dismantling of the Multi Fibre Agreement's world quota regime for textile and apparel trade in January 2005 reversed gains made due to increased competition from China and other developing countries outside Africa.

AGOA’s failure can be partly attributed to little African involvement in its preparation and the lack of understanding of why it was set up in the first place. Its design is meant to reward countries that do not engage in activities that undermine United States national security or its foreign policy interests and not international trade per se. If for example, America determines that an eligible sub-Saharan African country is not making continual progress in protecting American foreign policy, it will be stripped off its eligibility tag.

The US policies towards the Middle East a key player in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) have pushed global oil prices to dangerously destructive levels forcing the non oil producing countries especially in Africa to bear the brunt. This among other forces has slowed down global economy. There is surge in the price of basic commodities such food which has led to worldwide protest and increased suffering among the world’s poor. It’s a long chain of destruction whose source is America. It has lost global respect and trust under the Bush administration and needs radical surgery which can only be done by fresh untainted hands. Whoever succeeds President Bush should not loose his bearing given the clear road map ahead.

“We really want to showcase this success story so that we can energize the American people and people in high levels of government to understand this is not only an important partnership, but also an investment in even greater economic development and real opportunities, not only for people in Rwanda, but people in countries all through Africa.”- Senator Frist, US Republican Senator.

The cartoon, displayed on the front of the July 21, 2008 edition of the weekly news and culture magazine, depicted Obama in traditional African muslim dress and head wrap giving a “knuckle tap” to his wife, Michelle, who wears camouflage fatigues with a machine gun strapped to her shoulder. Behind the couple, a U.S. flag burns in the fireplace and a picture of Osama bin Laden adorns a wall.

Editors at the magazine claimed the cover was intended as satire. The presumptive Democratic nominee who will face Republican John McCain for the U.S. presidency said he was not bothered by the cartoon, but said it was insulting to Muslim Americans. A New Yorker reporter found he could not secure a seat on the Senator’s press plane to follow the Senator on his recent trip to the Middle East.

The New Yorker is generally viewed as one of the best magazines in the United States. However, Ian Scattergood, a British citizen living in Poland, wonders how the cartoon will affect regular voters.

This is all very well for the more sophisticated readers of The New Yorker but surely this will do nothing other than feed the fears of America’s less sophisticated voters who probably miss the satire completely and just take everything fed to them at face value. I can see why Obama might not like it although I think the ‘offensive’ tag is a little off. Still, he can hardly come out and say “I don’t like it because a lot of my less intelligent countrymen might not get the joke”. According to the article, a survey has suggested that 12% of Americans think Obama is a Muslim, so his worries are not exactly without foundation!

From Nigeria, Snazzy, in the blog Aijuswanarite, says the cartoon got the satire wrong.

I must say that the New Yorker Obama cartoon is beyond ridiculous, I mean are they effing kidding! As someone said, if they were saying that this was a portrait of right wing views, why didn't they have some republican (read McCain) think it in a bubble.

A Review of Cuban-American blogs.

If the New Yorker had placed Raúl Castro's picture over the mantel instead of Osama's or found some other way to insert him in the scene (perhaps trying to insert Obama), the cartoon would have been a graphic condensation of my own thought on the Manchurian couple. Of course, we know that artist Barry Blitt intended the cartoon as a lampoon of people like me, that is, clear-thinking people. But his efforts backfired because he got too close to the truth and violated the #1 rule at the New Yorker: “Cartoons Must Not Be Funny.”

This is a statement of fact that is valid not only in Nigeria, but pretty much across Africa. The following excerpts from Reuben’s articles even provide more contrast:

We saw the candidates going from state to state, city to city seeking the people’s support, begging for their votes. This or that candidate may have been endorsed by established figures in the American society, but there was no Godfather telling the Americans who to choose. In Nigeria, the party elders would have resolved the matter long ago by anointing a candidate.

If he had been a Nigerian politician seeking their support, those same Nigerians would have queued up in front of his house to ask for bribe, in exchange for their votes. Those super-delegates would have demanded cartons and lorry loads of money, knowing that they wield the power to tilt the balance. Indeed, here, even if Obama had won the vote and all the delegates, the leadership of the Democratic Party could have chosen to cancel the primaries and start afresh, or even introduce new rules that would exclude Obama or whoever they do not like. We have seen how the candidates engaged the electorate, here in Nigeria we have had cases of candidates emerging as winners of elections in which they never registered as aspirants.

In total Obama has spent just about three years as a Senator, and four years as Senator in the state of Illinois. He is just 46. If he had been a Nigerian, he would have been told to wait and allow older people to run. Obama has the gift of the gab. Here, he would have been told: “na grammar we go chop”. His insistence on change would have been pooh-poohed. His contemporaries out of sheer envy would have said: “is he the only one, who does he think he is?” And they would have struggled to pull him down even without being commissioned to do so by the opposition, or the Clintonites. In the last Presidential elections in Nigeria, Pat Utomi had wanted to be President. He shares a lot in common with Barack Obama. Well-educated, well-spoken, has a good grasp of issues and has demonstrated a passion for the common good over the years. He ran a vigorous campaign criss-crossing Nigeria on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but what was the main response to Utomi: “oh yes, he is a good candidate, but Nigeria is not ready for a good candidate yet.”

While losing sleep over the US Presidential primaries, Nigerians should ask themselves these questions: when will Nigeria be ready for a good candidate? When are we going to start running campaigns that are issues and merit driven. The energy, the enthusiasm that is being devoted to Obamamania by the Nigerian Middle class should now be translated into sustained advocacy for the growth of democracy in Nigeria. There are Nigerians who claim that they contributed money to the Obama campaign fund. The same persons will be reluctant to put their money where their heart is in Nigeria. Obama’s strongest message was one of possibility: Yes, we can. I will like to see young and old Nigerians stand up in the face of the rot in our lives and consider the option of change, unity and hope and say like Obama: yes, we can. It is through such faith that a Nigerian dream can be constructed.

On the web: The Barack Obama phenomenon (2)

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Organizers say the U.S. - Africa Business Summit 2008 will provide a platform for American investors and their African counterparts to forge partnerships.

Some say Africa is rapidly becoming the investment destination of the world.

Tunde Adetunji, the Nigerian-born American head of the African Heritage Foundation, the main event sponsor, says the conference will expose American entrepreneurs to Africa and the inherent opportunities that abound.

“Africa is the cradle of civilization, but little or nothing is known about the potential of Africa,” said Adetunji. “But with this particular conference and expo, it will now let more people know what areas they need to participate in the African economy. I am talking about what is needed in Africa now, in the area of transportation, the health care industry, power generation, the petroleum industry, clothing and apparel, food and beverages. We believe that this particular project will bridge the gap and build that bridge.”

The three-day ‘Bridging the Gap and Building the Bridge’ forum will include industry-specific sessions, networking opportunities, and panels. The 2008 summit will also feature a major trade exposition, where both African and U.S. participants will showcase their products, services and opportunities. Atlanta will also see the opening of its first African village.

The African Union is a co-sponsor and Tunde sees the initiative as one of the best opportunities to promote business and trade links between Africa and the United States.

“Since this is a conference and a project that is endorsed by the African Union, we envisage the participation of all the 54 African countries. We envisage private investors, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, export promotion councils, manufacturers; people that want to discover new grounds in the area of technology, manufacturing; decision-makers in the agro-allied to be present,” aded Adetunji. “I believe that with the exchange of views, exchange of ideas it would benefit both parties.”

With the passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA, the opportunities for American agribusinesses looking to enter or expand their presence in Africa are increasing.

AGOA has helped to boost two-way trade between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa by 17 percent from 2005 to 2006, reaching more than $70 billion, with growth both in U.S. exports and imports from the region. Total U.S. imports from Africa increased to $60 billion with U.S. exports to Africa increasing to $12 billion.

Written by Gilbert da Costa / VOA

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The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries agreed to a law that aims to stop the flow of electronic waste from being dumped in Africa and Asia. But Consumer International’s Luke Upchurch says this has not stopped the dumping of end-of-life electronics in what he described as large swathes of the developing world.

Consumers International carried out investigations in Nigeria and Ghana.

“We could have looked at other areas of the world but I think for us West Africa is an area which often falls foul of such unscrupulous behavior and its something which we wanted to highlight,” Upchurch said.

The report says of the hundreds of tons of obsolete computers, televisions and other household consumer electronics that arrive at ports in Ghana and Nigeria every month, as few as one in four of the imports are working. The rest, it says, are electronic waste, also known as e-waste, which often ends up on dumpsites.

Upchurch says the appliances are sent legally as working second-hand-use units even when the exporters are aware they are not working.

The arrival of flat-screen televisions and Thin Film Transistor monitors on consumer markets in the America and in Europe has set off a flood of old cathode-ray tube television sets spilling into Africa. In Accra and in Lagos, the report says, the change in European consumer habits is clearly visible as old-fashioned CRT television sets are lined up along the streets by their thousands.

In West Africa, refuse is often disposed of in fires. Waste collectors, mostly children, destroy the cathode ray tubes, and burn the wires and circuit boards inside, to get to metals such as copper, zinc, gold and other toxic materials, which they then sell.

Upchurch says this practice has a negative impact on the health of the waste collectors. He says respiratory illnesses are common in the areas and the toxins also find their way into water supplies.

“There are a lot of poisonous heavy toxic metals within the componentries of computers,” he said. “The health repercussions of burning the plastics and the toxics are having quite an effect on the health of the children in the area.”

The report urges tougher monitoring in exporting countries to ensure donated electronic goods are in working order when sent to developing countries.

Consumers International says obsolete electrical equipment should be disposed of or recycled in the country of origin, using environmentally sustainable methods as laid down by laws the countries have agreed to. Upchurch says 6.6 million tons of e-waste disappear to developing countries each year.

Written by Tendai Maphosa / VOA.
Image: Basel Action Network.

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“About 60 percent of Cameroonians I spoke to is in favor of having Barack Obama, an African American, to become the first black president. They hope that if he becomes the first black president of the world’s most powerful nation, the blacks would be proud of their color. The other 40 percent that I talked to they think that it is a Republican (party) ploy to get Hillary (Clinton) out of the way because Hillary could have been a tough competitor to (Senator) McCain because they say the Americans have what they call the redneck. They don’t think that the rednecks would want to vote a black man come November,” said Nkemayang Paul Foanyi, a newspaper publisher in Limbe, Cameroon.

From Kampala, reporter Grace Matsiko of the Daily Monitor, one of Uganda’s independent daily newspapers, said Ugandans received the historic news of Obama’s victory with a lot of enthusiasm to the point that some have already begun cashing in on the Obama euphoria.

“People feel that he is part of the changes in the global politics. But then they are probably cautious will he make it when the U.S. holds their election. Some people feel he’s too much of a populist. But this does not downplay their support for him. And surprisingly this afternoon I saw some people selling the Barack Obama posters. I think some people are trying to cash in on that excitement by printing Obama posters and selling them at something like half a dollar,” Matsiko said.

Joi Idam, assistant secretary of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Abuja Chapter said Nigerians received the news of Obama’s victory with joy and celebrated it as if Obama was the son of Nigeria.

“You will recall that Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. So we see it as a personal victory, and we believe that with a black man at the helm of the U.S. government, that would mean more aid, and that would affect Africa positively, and we are praying for him to win the general election,” Idam said.

Panu Panu from the Democratic Republic of Congo said Congolese are happy about Obama’s ascendancy but they were not sure how much difference Obama’s presidency would make in terms of U.S.- Africa relations.

“We believe here that it’s a good thing that an African American has a chance to be the next president of the U.S.A. It’s good for diversity in terms of the American society, but we are not sure that it’s going to change anything regarding American policy toward Africa because to change such a policy really goes beyond a powerful single person,” Panu Panu said.

By James Butty/VOA.

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Not everyone from Africa is pleased Barack Obama has become the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee for president. Red Star Coven, a South African living in Scotland, claims in his headline: Obama Sells Out:

On the day of his victory over Clinton, when people around the world are hoping the prospect of an Obama presidency will result in a saner US foreign policy, Barack Obama sells out and betrays the millions of people around the world who have been rooting for him.
Because although only Americans get to vote, the fate of the world rests on these elections.
And Obama has just come out in favour of Israel. Check it out:
Barack Obama has pledged unwavering support for Israel in his first foreign policy speech since declaring himself the Democratic nominee for president.
He told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a prominent Jewish lobby, Israel's security was “sacrosanct” and “non-negotiable”.
(For the record, I think the BBC is wrong to call Aipac a Jewish lobby. It's a lobby group for the Israeli state. Jewish and Zionist are not synonymous, and it's dangerous and dishonest to imply that they are.)

Africa wants to know, what will the possibility of a Barack Obama presidency bring to the continent? In the South African blog Cunkuri, the erudite Deon van Wyk argues that because he is such a young candidate, Obama has not been tainted by politics as usual. However, if elected, he’ll have to convince the middle class voters to get behind his program. For international relations, African leaders who have been tainted with corruption should begin worrying now.

Its unlikely that family connections with Africa will sway policy, but there is a significant moral dividend in placing the continent higher on the agenda. And although race should not matter, when you are an African-American candidate you are obliged to heed black history. The so-called “roots” issue is deeply ingrained in African-American culture. For Africa that's a long way from getting a leg up in terms of policy issues, however, Obama may just be the the kind of politician that can transcend the entrenched debate and take it to a new level. The presidential race will likely be dominated by domestic issues and the Iraq war, but the Republican machine doesn't fight fair and Obama will be examined like never before…and that will include his position on Africa.

The real question, of course, is what would Africa want from Obama should he be victorious in November? This doesn't appear to be a man that will give corrupt politicians a free pass, particularly if they're African. Frankly, it may well turn out to be a bit of a shock for the continent's league of dodgy leaders. So, progressive change agent meets the old guard; my money's on the young guy with the idealism. Common sense also dictates that Obama isn't going to hold with old style African politics, especially when he's clearly focused on overturning the same thing in his own country. That can only mean the writing's on the wall for every tin pot dictator and warlord still scarring the face of the mother continent.

This one has gumption:

In a blog called hottestgossip.co.za, how much politics do you think they write about? Apparently quite a bit. Here’s the wrap up on Barack Obama winning the Democratic nomination:

Mrs Clinton got her *** kicked to the curb!!!!!
Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House…
Congrats Obama we believe in you!!!

From African Loft, who’s caretaker, Ayo, is Nigerian, but residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, writes:

Barack Obama clinched victory Tuesday night in the Democratic presidential race, defeating Hillary Clinton after a marathon primary campaign and becoming the first black nominee for the White House in American history.
Mr. Obama, a 46-year-old rookie senator from Illinois, effectively wrapped up the nomination following a surge of endorsements from Democratic superdelegates and after receiving a clutch of ‘pledged delegates’ awarded after two final primaries in South Dakota and Montana.
“Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States,” Mr. Obama told supporters in St. Paul, Minn.
“America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past.”
But even as Mr. Obama proclaimed victory, Ms. Clinton did not concede defeat or acknowledge her rival had surpassed the 2,118 delegates needed to secure the nomination.
Instead she delivered a sometimes defiant, sometimes conciliatory speech that left Democrats guessing at her future plans.

As always, African Loft has a lively comment section. Here are a few:

From MISI:

Congrats, Obama! History is unfolding before us. Who could have guessed a black man will become the democratic nominee? This is New America indeed.

From John :

I stayed up late last night watching the coverage of this historic moment, realizing how fortunate I was to have witnessed it. Obama now stand among the biggies like MLK and JFK.
The clever media stunt of Hillary did not go unnoticed either. Several times during the discussion her name kept popping up, the fact that she did not concede defeat, and acknowledge the man Obama as the winner of the primaries.
Also, what up with the the “presumptive nominee”? Some folks just can’t see how a big-eared skinny name with a name like Barack Obama can beat the Clintons!

From Renegade Eye:

The line of people to hear Obama in St. Paul, at the Xcel Center, was a mile long. He packed the building, with 10,000 people outside.

No longer. In an attempt to get the votes counted and certified in Michigan’s and Florida’s Democratic primaries, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton compared her cause to the recent election (and post-election) travails in Zimbabwe. You may remember that each primary was invalidated by the Democratic Party because against policy, both states moved their primary dates forward. It is wrong, CBS’ Fernando Suarez quoted Clinton saying at a retirement center rally in Florida, when “people go through the motions of an election only to have them discarded and disregarded.”

“We’re seeing that right now in Zimbabwe,” Clinton explained. “Tragically, an election was held, the president lost, they refused to abide by the will of the people.”

Leo Africanus, a South African who blogs at Africa is a Country and lives in the U.S., says you have to respect her chutzpah for making such a bold statement, but the comparison is more than a little superficial.

Given the Clintons’ race-baiting, I am wondering whether the aim is also to us “Mugabe” and “Obama” in the same sentence?

Well, what do Zimbabweans really go through? Here’s an account of what happens to people who vote against Mugabe.

Let’s stay with foreign affairs for a moment longer. Tony Karon, a South African journalist who lives in the United States, points out in his blog Rootless Cosmopolitan that while Barack Obama was correct to “slap down George W. Bush” over the president’s recent comments implying the Democratic contender is a present-day Neville Chamberlain-like Nazi appeaser who wants to negotiate with Hamas with no preconditions. However, Karon argues, Obama went about his defence wrongly.

Obama’s problem was that he denied he would ever speak with the Syrian and Iranian-backed Hamas. This not only paints him into a strategic corner, but those with knowledge of the region understand that not only is Hamas a powerful organization, but they are the true threat to Israel, unlike Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.

So, he may have come out swinging, but Obama picked the wrong punches. Instead of insisting he wouldn’t talk to Hamas, he’d have been better off ridiculing the notion that Hamas or Iran are the equivalent of Nazi Germany, and pointing out that Bush — by substituting teenage testosterone for serious policy — is essentially teeing up another war that will not be good for Israel or for the United States.

From Oga Tunji Lardner, a Nigerian journalist and self-confessed Latte Liberal, who is being reprinted in a fellow countryman’s blog called Omoluwabi Okebadan, finds some commonalities between Obama’s run today and Jesse Jackson’s candidacy for the White House more than 20 years ago.

I remember how the news of Jesse running for the presidency of the US in 1984 impacted on our global political consciousness in Nigeria, literally a generation ago. As a young idealistic journalist working for a fledgling weekly magazine, and like the rest of my equally young and idealistic colleagues, the very idea of a black man as the president of the United States was a notion we readily accepted as a possibility After all this was “the United States” —with its self evident truths about the equality of man: the democratic ideal that we all so dearly wished for Nigeria, which was then in the grip of yet another predatory and distinctively vicious military dictator by name Ibrahim Babangida.

Looking back, I marvel at our naiveté and sense of moral certitude about the world ultimately being a good and just place. I suppose we were subconsciously projecting our hope and sense of justice and optimism on that great whiteboard called America. To look too closely at our selves, our country, indeed our continent would have been too painful and depressing. So we cast our eyes far, far over the rainbow to that mythical place where someone like us was running to be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. Even so, a little voice now and then whispered in our ears, the cold calculating facts of American electoral politics, there was no way any Jesse was going to beat the “Gipper,” an extremely popular incumbent Ronald Reagan. Nonetheless we persisted in our little game of self-deception, knowing fully well that given the tortured history of race in America, it was highly unlikely that a Blackman, indeed any black man would ever make to Pennsylvania Avenue in the foreseeable future.

However, times are different in 2008, where the grand narratives of African Americans, America and Africa are much changed.

Nelson Mandela once remarked about how African men (and by extension Black men) are tentative about fully embracing their potential greatness, but not this brother.
As I marvel at the sheer chutzpa of the man, trying hard not to “hate the player, but to hate the game”—almost like loving the sinner and hating the sin—that niggling little voice is back, again. It is saying, and I render this with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, and bearing in mind the properly contextualized, albeit widely misunderstood rhetoric of Reverend Wright, “Damn you Obama… Damn you! Damn you for blowing our collective alibis as black men… Damn you for kicking away our pathetic crutches, now we must stand tall, with no excuses, and grab and shape the destinies of our people!”

This time I am responding to the imperative rather than the fearfulness beneath the surface of this dubious little voice. It is a new day. And there is work to be done.

(Yes, you noticed correctly the word chutzpah has come up in this round up two different times.)

The Angry African, another member of the South African Diaspora residing in the U.S., proves that the process of writing is more than merely throwing words on the wall and praying they stick. He takes us through the development of writing a Dear John letter to Senator John McCain. We’ll skip right to the end result.

Dear John,

I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but you’re a schmuck. I think I first knew it when you shackled me. And I saw you render impotent the USA. I’m sure you’re masochistic enough to see how miserable I’ve been. I’m returning your Darth Vader poster. But I’m holding on to those oil stocks as a keepsake. I want you to know that I’ll be a lot better off without your new life as a clone.

Regards to your creepy (political) family,

Angry African

And things come full circle. Just because American candidates are a little fuzzy on African issues, that doesn’t mean African bloggers are clueless on the hopes and fears keeping most Americans up at night. Ivo, a South African who blogs at the Spike, argues the recent move by the U.S. Department of Interior makes a dangerous move by adding the polar bear to the list of endangered species because global warming threatens its habitat.

[I]t’s going to hit Americans — and anyone who buys American products or relies on American investment capital — in their pockets. Not only trade, but similar decisions made by other countries or by international bodies, will spread this damage worldwide.

Environmentalists failed to convince the US legislature to enact draconian new laws to enforce costly measures whose benefits are at best speculative. Having failed to make their case, they fall back on what appears to be an innocent and even noble regulatory decision. They know listing the polar bear as threatened opens the door for litigation to enforce their ideas about carbon dioxide emissions on others, on the basis that any such emissions contribute to the destruction of the polar bear’s habitat.

Orikinla Osinachi at the Nigerian Times reprints a letter calling on viewers to write CNN demanding an apology from Republican media consultant Alex Castellanos who was referring to Hillary Clinton on air when he said that some people are called bitches and sometime it is accurate.

Abesha Bunna Bet from Ethiopia joins the ranks of those who think commentator Bill O’Reilly of Fox News is bonkers. (His words, not mine.)