Reluctantly, I just sent this email to Herman Cohen. Yes, that Herman Cohen! I have sent email protesting his #GERD “proposal” on Jan 30th and his “maximum and unlimited self-determination (read: dismantle Ethiopia) on Jul 16th. This is my 3rd (and hopefully last) “private” email. Here is the text of the email in its entirety.
Subject: Your Support of TPLF Treacherous Insurrectionists Against Ethiopia
Mr Cohen:
Four months after South Carolina declared secession from the Union, its militia attacked Fort Sumter–a US army base near Charleston–on April 12, 1861. That was the first shot that kicked off the US Civil War of 1861-1865. President Abraham Lincoln declared war on the secessionist confederate forces and four years later, on April 9, 1865, the war was effectively ended when confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Abe Licoln became one of the greatest presidents of all time. The US grew from a medium sized country of with a population of 31 million in 1860 to a premeintet superpower of 75 years with over 330 million today.
On November 3, 2020, TPLF, an aparthied-pillaging racket group that you midwifed to power three decades ago, launched a deadnight unprovoked cowardly attack on Ethiopian Defense Forces- Northern Command bases in and around Mekelle. It’s reported that it selectively executed Amhara Officers, took control of heavy military assets and attacked other military bases in the Wolkaite area of Gonder. By all accounts, it’s a treacherous war crime attack on a defense force that was protecting their own people for over two decades.
Secretary Pompeo acknowledged TPLF’s treasonous attack by his official twitter account on Nov 4: “We are deeply concerned by reports that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front carried out attacks on Ethiopian National Defense Force bases in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. We urge immediate action to restore the peace and de-escalate tensions.”
However, on the same day (Nov 4th) you tweeted “Disappointed that #Ethiopia PM – and Nobel Peace Prize recipient – Abiy has chosen to go to war against Tigray instead of choosing dialogue to write a new constitution that will allow maximum self-determination for all the ethnic nations in an unprecedented true federal system.”
In addition to your one-size-fits-all “solution” for any problem Ethiopia faces “maximum self-determination for all ethinc nations” (read: dismantle Ethiopia), you blatantly and deliberately made a duplicitous statement to carry water for your favorite TPLF to appear victim instead of a treacherous war criminal it is. Even though you’re audacious enough for dishing out “unprecedented maximum (and unlimited) self-determination to the 80+ ethnic groups” any time, I hope your are not that senile enough to contradict the Secretary of State who has access to the full powers of the US goverment resouces before making that statetment.
As Lincoln did not allow the Confederacy to dismantle the Union when Fort Sumter was attacked, PM Abiy should not let TPLF dismantle Ethiopia. I have my reservations about the tenure and conduct of PM Abiy leadership on many issues (and don’t take second seat to point out his shortcomings), but responding to TPLF attack by starting a military operation to bring the traitors to justice is the right course of action he has taken. As they say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander and unless your racism doesn’t blind you, that glorious and decisive action Abrarahm Licoln took in 1861, applies today for any Ethiopian leader under the aforementioned treasonous circumstances.
The next day on Nov 5th, you managed to burp yet another tweet: “Ethiopian P.M. Abiy is fooling himself if he believes his inexperienced army can defeat the battle hardened TPLF military, even with Eritrean support. To keep #Ethiopia unified, it must be truly decentralized through unprecedented constitutional dialogue.”
Indeed, to keep Ethiopia unified, it must be broken into pieces! What a senile genius you’re! Meles Zenawi not only has taught you everything you know about the Amahra, as you told me last year, but he had you so good that you repeat his central point verbatim years after he expired. You never disappoint in your zeal to dismember Ethiopia.
After (gleefully) warning PM Abiy to negotiate, lest face defeat by TPLF military, today you completely changed tone and tweeted:
“For historic reasons, the U.S. government is the most credible mediator in the current armed conflict between the #Ethiopia central government and the Tigray regional authority. President Trump should immediately offer to intervene diplomatically.”
Why? Because you saw news reports that TPLF has been losing ground and you desperately wanted to save it from total defeat. If TPLF has been reported to have gained ground, you would be gleefully laughing off and tweeting “maximum decentralization”. No, the Ethiopian government shouldn’t negotiate with treacherous insurrection bandits. Just as Confederate Gen Lee surrenders without condition to Union Gen Grant, TPLF leaders must surrender and face justice for war crimes, mass murders and pillaging of the country for over three decades.
Mr Cohen:
Your proposal for #GERD (that conveniently aligns with Egypt’s ungrateful position) has been totally rejected and out of the hands of lobbyists like you. The people that you assured America and Ethiopia that they would usher in democracy and midwified them to power, are now out of power–and soon probably will be history. Thank God, it doesn’t look like you are having a good run this year.
I conclude by repeating the same concluding paragraph i had on my July 16th email to you: “Ethiopia is going through difficult time because of the scourge of ethnic apartheid system you helped midwfied and hell bent on perserving. But make no mistake, it will persevere and survive to emerge as a strong, proud, independent and source of hope for Black peoples around the world, it once was. It will get there by leaning on its own three thousand years of civilization and its values; and eventually by rejecting the abnormal three-decades old alien ethnic apartheid system. Ethiopia will recover and thrive on its own. Just get off her neck! “
You should really get off of Ethiopia’s neck. As you told me last year, Ethiopians really don’t like you and more so your stale “maximum and unlimited self-determination” tweet burbs.
I understand you have been invested a lot in the dismantling of Ethiopia too much and for too long for you to just let it go even as a nonagenarian. I pray for you just long enough life so that you see it through the total and complete end of TPLF in Ethiopia. That way, when you go upstairs, you will tell Moscoloni the fate of his spiritual children.
I hope this will be my last email to you.
Sincerely,
Getaneh Kassahun
