Zimbabwe has total gun control, right?

[Titan6]

/\ /\ Well, that would be preferable to sending the US military.

 

[Leitmotif]

It's easier for zimbabweans to just jump fence into South Africa. We have around ten to fifteen million illegal zimbabweans here.

The thing to look at in africa is tribal politics. You won't believe it, but many people vote for evil governments simply because the leader is of their tribe. It's a "don't let the other tribe call the shots" mentality, largely because the other tribe has probably suffered immensely under the rule of the rulers. So the rulers keep their opponents disarmed while arming their own people. Zimbabwe isn't disarmed... just that part of it that doesn't vote zanu-pf.

Even South Africa's presidency will probably be decided along tribal lines. Mbeki is xhosa, while his major opponent, Zuma, is a zulu. Zulus mostly vote along IFP lines rather than ANC, so his popularity with certain parts of the ANC leadership is unlikely to be reflected at the polls.

Zimbabwe is one of africa's great disgraces. "The breadbasket of africa", as it was known - stripped and shredded in the dirt. This is what happens when you have idealism in power rather than realism. South Africa is going the same way. Even our media crucifies the president's stance on zimbabwe, but in africa, the chief doesn't have to listen.

 

[Thin Black Line]

You won't believe it, but many people vote for evil governments simply because the leader is of their tribe. It's a "don't let the other tribe call the shots" mentality, largely because the other tribe has probably suffered immensely under the rule of the rulers. So the rulers keep their opponents disarmed while arming their own people. Zimbabwe isn't disarmed... just that part of it that doesn't vote zanu-pf.

Actually I do believe it. In America we have two major political parties who
have slowly been disarming the general populace outside of the police and
military forces and the bodyguards who protect the party members.

 

[Titan6]

TBL- Surely people in America don't just vote for one of the two political parties because they don't see any other options?

Certainly people from those parties do not spend a lot of time con-vincing people that they have to vote for the lesser of two evils.

I mean does not everyone vote? Or at least most people? Don't people have faith and a high opinion of their government? That is why they vote for them right?

 

[Lucky]

Titan6 why are there 'red' and 'blue' states then? Why are so many demographics so easily and closely associated with specific voting practices? It sure seems like tribalism to me, when most relatives of yours has always voted this way, and most people in your neighbourhood are in the same situation, so you just are raised to be a member of such and such party.

 

[Titan6]

The Republican Tribe seems to prevail in the part of Texas where I reside. There is not a single Democrat elected to any office on any level (local, state, federal) within 100 miles of here. In fact even the suspicion of being a Democrat can get someone snubbed.

But I was being a little sarcastic in the previous post. It is not quite like a tribal system but there will be tensions in a family if the members adopt opposing view points. Before we point out how backwards someone else's political process is and how enlightened our political process and culture are we really should examine it...

 

[sterling180]

Before most of the Brits and anglos pulled out,alot of farmers used to be armed with the Sterling Carbine(Semi-auto only version of the smg.) L1A1s and the AK47.Good guns against uncivillised savages(They are savages and it isn't out of order,either.),but the whites over there did mistreat the blacks and didn't have a 'proper' integrated society.Maybe if they did that them,that nutcase Mugabe wouldn't of had such high support for his cause and wouldn't have been the new dictator of Zimbabwe.

Ian Smith should have used his head more,at the time,after all he ran that country.

I don't know why our service personnel still have to do service in Africa,because they don't like the Brits much and they have a chip on their shoulders too.

Zimbabwe is one of africa's great disgraces. "The breadbasket of africa", as it was known - stripped and shredded in the dirt. This is what happens when you have idealism in power rather than realism. South Africa is going the same way. Even our media crucifies the president's stance on zimbabwe, but in africa, the chief doesn't have to listen.

Absolutely spot on and what that country needs is a revolution where Mugabe is violently diposed,because he has plundered the wealth of that nation and it is probably sitting in a Swiss bank account.He can buy flash suits,cars,etc,etc and his own people,who voted for him in 1980,are starving to death and are violently suppressed by his Gestapo-style thugs.

 

[Ballistic308]

Howdy All,

Ah, the wonders of absolute weapon confiscation! Good thing nobody over here wants to emulate such idiocy. Oh, wait, I forgot about the Brady Bunch!

 

[Thin Black Line]

Ah, yes, the Brady Bunch --now led by the Republican head on the Siamese
Twin body....

If Mugabe was truly wise, he would emulate our two-party system in order
to have the guise of opposition and then have both move toward the same
goals. One just moves to tyranny slightly slower than the other.

Mugabe has called up reserves to enforce his Thug-ocracy:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2039734.ece

State radio called on the movement of war veterans — a reserve unit of the armed forces made up of former guerillas who fought to end white rule more than 25 years ago — the youth militia and the women’s league of Mr Mugabe’s ZANU(PF) party, to report to party headquarters. Observers believe that the groups have been summoned to support trade inspectors, police and state secret agents in enforcing the price cuts.

Gee, I bet they will have guns.....

Lawyers have denounced the forced price cuts as illegal, while many businessmen have been arrested for failing to comply. “It’s all by edict in the state press,” said one lawyer who asked not to be named. “And even if they did make it official, it would be in violation of the Constitution, for depriving people unlawfully of their property. It is legalised looting and legalised theft.”

"Edicts"? Aren't they just Executive Orders? Isn't that just as legal in Z-land
as they are here?

Interesting how sedate the population remains in petri dish Z today....

 

[Number 6]

Edicts"? Aren't they just Executive Orders? Isn't that just as legal in Z-land as they are here?

Interesting how sedate the population remains in petri dish Z today....

Executive Orders are very different than the edicts that Mugabe has imposed. An Executive Order can be nullified by Congress or the Supreme Court, and must comply with the law. An Executive Order does not have the same legal standing as Congressional legislation, as well. Mugabe's edicts seem to have the same standing as the law, and do not appear to be able to be overturned by anyone but Mugabe.

 

[JoshM]

In 2002 Mugabe's party secretary (now Minister for State Security), Didymus Mutasa, stated "we would be better off with only six million people, with our own people who believe in the liberation struggle".

That's a quote Himmler would have been proud of. Sadly, Shona and Matabele people probably had better ability to defend themselves under the Smith and Muzorewa Governments, then the current Mugabe Regime.

Tiny Rhodesia's feats in WW2 and Malaya, the 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the Empire, the election of the first Black Prime Minister (Abel Muzorewa)..... It's a fascinating piece of living history.

An excellent article detailing "How Tyranny Came to Zimbabwe".