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Never-ending Reichstag fires in Fascist Rwanda

BY- The Communist Party of Rwanda

In the run up to the sham parliamentary elections in Rwanda, Paul Kagame has once again used his infamous abominable Reichstag Fire tactic against the Rwandan people. With the aim of creating an atmosphere of fear within the Rwandan populace, grenade attacks here have developed a predictable pattern and show the complete disregard and disdain Kagame and his lumpenbourgeosie cabal have for the common Rwandan.

Kigali’s security grid is one of the most rigid in the entire world. It is impossible for anyone to be able to carry firearms, grenades, explosives or weapons of any kind and use them without the prior knowledge of the security apparatus. Even smuggling or peddling a few pounds of marijuana in and around Kigali is a near impossible feat and yet somehow RPF wants the world to believe the FDLR, the opposition or dissenters continuously use grenades within open areas like Kigali market places where surveillance is round the clock. The latest grenade attacks were simultaneous adding more to the absurdity of RPF’s claim that the government itself is not responsible.

On the international front, these attacks play into the narrative of the FDLR bogeyman used by Kagame as a pretext for maintaining a police state inside Rwanda while locally they serve as a sadistic reminder to the population that Kagame has the life of every single Rwandan in the palm of his hand. But these recent attacks were also a knee jerk reaction by RPF to what they saw as a rare moment of resistance from a completely fearful and subjugated populace.

Our clandestine party cells had attempted and managed to get as many people as possible to try and avoid participating in the sham elections and the campaigns leading up to them as much as possible. A recent RPF rally in Musanze district did not happen as embarrassingly no one showed up. The people of the area bravely avoided attending and the rally was cancelled two days in a row. On the third day, the police rounded up 30 young men for no reason and held them for four days. Nonetheless, a small step in terms of standing up to State intimidation had been made. The recent grenade attacks were the culmination of the tactics RPF immediately employed to counter what it perceived as any form of resistance from the population as had been demonstrated in Musanze district.

ARRESTS MADE AFTER EVERY BLAST

As for the innocent people usually arrested after the blasts, they always end up at Kami military camp that hosts the most barbaric of torture chambers where they are forced to make false confessions. Many are usually youths already at odds with the law for minor offenses having previously come under scrutiny and surveillance from both local defense militias and Rwandan police. Their movements and connections known beforehand.

The Kami military camp and it’s torture complex are under the direct command of the Ministry of Defense. All surveillance is precided over by this same ministry. The late General Gapfizi who “accidentally” died in a road accident in June this year had been accused of blackmail by officers based in Kami camp. As an opportunist and careerist, it would not have been the first time Gapfizi had used blackmail within officer circles but it was the first time it was against influential Kami based officers. It also happened after grenade blasts earlier this year. His long connections with Kagame might have spared him direct repercussions but if what he was blackmailing them following the grenade attacks earlier this year had in fact something to do with those same attacks, his borrowed time seems to have been put to a halt in the “accident” where the only person who had witnessed it, Ambrose Agaba, has emerged as non-existent.

These non-stop grenade attacks which for Kagame and his cohorts are mere grass-trampling come at a heavy price to the Rwandan psyche. The notion that any day, at any moment, the State which is above you, governs you, watches you, can snuff out your life has slowly taken it’s toll on common Rwandans who are overwhelmed with fear and a sense of complete helplessness. It’s a psychological intimidation tactic that is forcefully forced into the Rwandan subconscious that Kagame and his cabal have complete god-like control and we Rwandans as a completely subjugated people better know what’s best for us.

The stance in Musanze has however not gone unnoticed. The grenade attacks might have Rwandans shaken for the moment but the small act of resistance is still spreading by word of mouth and Rwanda has only so many hills before many know. We might be rattled for now but we made two steps forward. May those who have lost their lives so far rest in peace. A luta continua.

Source: http://communistpartyofrwanda.tumblr.com/

Cleaning My Own House First

I'm sure you've noticed that I've been posting a lot on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Regime of Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda supporting militias that invade and commit crimes against humanity in the DRC.  

I stand by those words, and will continue to advocate for the voiceless and those who continue to suffer and die under these war crimes that are given little more than lip service from the international community.  

However, I must also acknowledge that there are problems within my own nation, the United States.  They are pale in comparison, but yet they are problems nonetheless.  If I ignore these issues, I am neglecting very important issues that must be addressed.

First of all, read these words spoken by Jesus as part of his "Sermon on the Mount:"

Matthew 7

7“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. ³Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

On November 6, my nation held a presidential election between incumbent President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  Our country was deeply divided and I am ashamed to say that both sides had elements of bad-will toward the other.  Rather than hoping and campaigning for one's candidate, many resorted to demonizing the other candidate and even bringing in reasons why God  has ordained that the other candidate is "evil."  

What many Christians have forgotten is that we have elected a president.  We did not elect a messiah.  We did not elect a representative of our faith.  We elected someone to hold the executive branch of the Federal Government.  We did not elect a savior or even an infallible person.  We elected a human.

Whether President Obama - who won his 2nd term - was the person we voted for or not, it is only right that we unite as a nation.  This is a nation (and a world) made of people.  The people are more powerful than any government except a theocracy where God is the ruler.  We must unite in being one nation.  That does not mean we must agree.  In fact, we should disagree.  Disagreement in a civil discourse can lead to unthought of progress and ideas.  Disagreement presents new ideas.  Whether President Obama was the person we voted for or not, we must each hold him accountable to his terms of office.  We cannot be blind followers of any human leader.  When he is due praise, we should give him praise.  When he deserves to be rebuked, we should rebuke him. 

Disagreement is different from division.  Division is the refusal to cooperate.  It is the proverbial "taking my ball and bat and going home."  Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 1:10.  Yes, it's addressed to the Church in Corinth, but it speaks to Christians everywhere of all time.  There are Democrat Christians. There are Republican Christians. There are non-Afilliated Christians. And there are other party-aligned Christians.  We can disagree, but we CAN'T be divided.  

No president can make or break a nation.  He or she must work within the confines of the legislative and judicial branches.  Yes, the president is powerful.  But, the president must also answer to all citizens.  

Jesus held the establishment accountable.  He refused to "play on their terms."  Jesus isn't only meaningful to us because of his death and resurrection.  Yes, his death and resurrection are very important, but Jesus also lived and taught for a reason!  Jesus held the religious and the social establishment accountable and challenged their authority.  When it was appropriate, he non-violently resisted their domination and authority.  We can all learn from Jesus on this matter.

No presidential election should cause us to despair or to gloat.  Yes, we can be disappointed that our candidate did not win, or we can be glad that our candidate did win, but we must not divide the body of Christ, and we must not divide the nation.  We must hold the president to the task of being the representative of all people.

We won't always get what we want - even if our preferred candidate won - but we live in a nation where we can voice our opinions and be heard.

From personal experience, I can testify that there is no such thing as a voice that can't be heard in this nation. When I took an issue with a US Government issue, I sent an e mail, assuming it would go in a pile, unread.  A few weeks later, my phone rang, and the caller-ID said, "US Capitol."  It was a call one does not merely ignore!  It was a staffer from a US Senator's office saying that he received my e mail, personally read it, and was taking it into consideration in the committee work he was doing.  The staffer did not know the details, nor did I expect him to, but my voice was heard.  Yours can be too. We may not get what we want, but we can always be heard!

In conclusion, remember - we elected a human.  God is King.  When Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18)," I believe he meant it!

Sick and Tired of Politics as Usual: Use the Politics of Jesus

Maybe this is just a personal rant, but I hope not.  I hope it speaks to the hearts and minds of all who read this.  But more than that, I hope it calls you to action!  I hope it prompts you to DO something, SAY something, WRITE something – FORCE yourself to be recognized!

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’m sick of the way America’s politics are handled.  Gone are the days of cooperation, compromise, and civility.  Now all we are left with is blame, finger pointing, and mudslinging.  And let’s not kid ourselves – This is not just in Government Politics, but it’s in the Politics of our Churches, Denominations, Families, Circle of Friends, and even social media (like FaceBook, Twitter, etc.).

Let’s define Politics.  For the purposes of this essay, Politics is the way that people deal with one another in order to make decisions.  Mostly I’m going to focus on high-level politics (Government, Denominational, World), but the same could be said about our own dealings with our smaller circles of friends, co-workers, and families.

I’m tired of opening the newspaper, going online, watching TV, and even trying to relax by surfing FaceBook because of Politics.  I concede that wherever 2 or more people are gathered, there must be politics – it’s the way we relate to each other.  It’s how we make decisions.  Maybe I should say I’m tired of the STATE of Politics, not Politics in general.

Politics right now are filled with hate, mistrust, division, anger, misinformation, exaggeration…need I go on???  Instead of saying, “Here’s why my idea is good,” all we hear is “This is why that person is an awful, lying, cheating, immoral, SOB.”

When I vote, I want to know why I should vote for Person X…not why I shouldn’t vote for Person Y.  I’m tired of voting for the “least worst” candidate.  I want to vote for the best candidate.  I’m tired of settling for the “least worst” solution.  I want to have a hand in the best solution.

Let me stop and remind you, this is not just about National and State politics.  My own Denomination seemed to forget who is really our leader.  We just had our General Conference of the worldwide Methodist Church, and to put it mildly, it was not pretty.  We forgot that God’s plan is what we should be following…not our own.  We forgot God’s call to make disciples, and instead the delegates argued about who can and cannot be a disciple.  Last time I checked, that’s not a human decision.  Last time I checked, God gets to do the judging, not us.  Of course there is “right” and there is “wrong.”  We need to uphold “right” and shun “wrong,” but unfortunately, we pick one issue and let it dominate.  We can’t even agree that we disagree.  We can’t even admit that we need God’s help and leading. 

I dread Election Years.  We need to elect, I get that!  But can anyone tell me why every 4 years certain issues come up, and then they are forgotten for the next 3 ½ years?  They didn’t magically disappear.  Are we so stupid that we don’t see that politicians raise certain issues to divide the average citizens?  Are we so stupid that we let them divide us?

Name the issue:  Health Care, Homosexuality, Abortion, Taxes (need I go on?).  Why are these issues only important in years divisible by 4?  I’ll answer that…Because they divide us!  Because they put Americans into 2 camps.  These are all important issues.  They need to be discussed and legislated (or discussed and not legislated).  But they do not need to divide us.

Do we have to be a “Fear Based” Nation??? Do we have to make decisions based off of fear of what might happen?  Or can we make decisions based on hope?

I realize all Americans are not Christians.  But, for those of us who are, can we not follow the Politics of Jesus?  (I’m NOT necessarily speaking about the book of the same name by John Howard Yoder – though it does apply here).  Can we elect our leaders based on hope for the future instead of fear of what the other candidate may do?  And if our candidate loses, can we still live in the hope that God gives us? 

I’m not sure where Christians thought we are supposed to have it “easy.”  I’m not sure where Christians get the idea that life is a Utopia.  The Perfect World only comes when Christ redeems the world.  Till then, we need to live in hope for that day, not live in fear of what may happen. The world will only reflect the Peaceable Kingdom when it is redeemed.  Until that day, we need to continue to live in hope.  How will we know that day of redemption?  Isaiah 11 tells us: ⁶The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. ⁷The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. ⁹They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (NRSV)

As People of God, we should be leading the discussions and debates…not falling for the tactics of hate and division.  We can disagree – Creation is diverse – We SHOULD disagree.  But from that disagreement, we should lead by example the gift of compromise and consensus.  We don’t need to compromise on things that are utterly important – It’s never right to commit arson.  We don’t need to compromise on that.  But on other issues, we can and should compromise. 

Not one of us has full knowledge of God’s Will.  But all of us have SOME knowledge of God’s Will.  When we can’t agree, we should acknowledge it and wait until God reveals more.  We must not get stuck in the trap of “this is how we’ve always done it.”  Sure, things worked like that in the past…but this isn’t the past.  This is NOW.  Some things stay the same, but most change. 

To close, I’ll give you an example:  In the Jewish Bible, the final book is Chronicles (they combine 1 and 2 Chronicles into 1 Book).  It closes like this:  'Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people--the LORD his God be with him--let him go up.' (JPS 1917 Translation). 

“Let him go up.”  Where is “up?” In this decree of Persian Emperor Cyrus, he is referring to the Temple.  To the Jews of that day, the Temple was God’s home on earth.  I don’t think it’s an accident that the Jewish Bible closes with this verse.  God IS with us – we are to go up.  We are to continually seek God’s will.  It’s not a one-time deal.  We are to continually “go up” to meet God and serve God.  Only when we Christians agree on that can Politics be The Politics of Jesus.

Don’t fall into the trap of “Ugly Politics.”  Use “The Politics of Jesus.”