05 December 2013

Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

Liberator of South Africa, inspiration to the world, the man who prevented what would have been a horrifically bloody civil war.  His story in brief here, reactions around the globe here.

Many leaders are called great in their time -- he truly was.

Update:  Here's an interesting article on South Africa's economic success since the end of apartheid.  One of the biggest remaining problems is that many blacks who grew up under apartheid received such a poor education that they lack marketable skills or, often, even literacy.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Zosimus the Heathen said...

I was saddened to hear of Mandela's death though not really surprised, given his age and the fact that he'd apparently been in poor health for the last few years. Still, for all that, he seemed in quite good shape for someone in his 90s. Truly, his was a remarkable life.

06 December, 2013 03:26  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Actually I didnt know much about Mandela except he was in prison a Hell of along time and that racism was a big problemo in South Africa, so I couldnt do a posting non him and beside's, I never even followed politic's or anything much until after I got online and that wasnt until after I turned 50 year's old, so I didnt even follow any of the South African issues either.

I was just browsing some of the last links round up here. Got to run for a bit and try to de- ice my car, it got pretty bad here overnight in Dallas.

Thanx Infidel ....

06 December, 2013 04:10  
Blogger (O)CT(O)PUS said...

Concurrent with today's report is the story of former President Ronald Reagan's infamous veto of anti-Aparteid legislation in Congress. His veto was successfully overturned by BOTH parties in BOTH chambers - sending a loud and clear moral message that would be impossible to achieve in today's Congress.

When the ship of history left port, it left former President Reagan behind.

06 December, 2013 06:08  
Blogger Shaw Kenawe said...

Adding to what (O)CT(O)PUS posted, in addition to a worshipped-by-the-Right president being on the not-just-wrong side of history but colossally and embarrassingly immoral side of history, we had a vice president, Darth Cheney, unable to understand Mandela and what he represented.

Reagan was not very bright when it came to understanding nuance, and he probably listened to the boobs who told him it would be a great idea to kick off his presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Cheney should have been able to discern the situation on a more intelligent level--that the struggle of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

He doesn't have the moral gene in him that would have helped him overcome his hideous decision to label a man who fought against injustice and tyranny a terrorist.

06 December, 2013 11:47  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Zosimus: He well deserved a long, quiet retirement.

Ranch: He was in prison for 27 years -- a heavy price to pay for his dedication to the cause.

Octo/Shaw: They're not alone. "The ANC is a typical terrorist organisation ... Anyone who thinks it is going to run the government in South Africa is living in cloud-cuckoo land" -- Margaret Thatcher (source and more quotes). It continues to this day -- see the comments on this post on PJ Media.

06 December, 2013 12:37  
Anonymous Bacopa said...

Gotta give my props to Mandela, and also De Klerk, I remember reading about how South African opposition groups fought against each other back in the eighties and thought South Africa wound fall into chaos if the Apartheid government cede power. But De Klerk knew freedom could not be stopped and made Mandela into an ally. They maintained order and a peaceful transition of power.

07 December, 2013 19:11  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

De Klerk does deserve some credit as well. But I think it was mainly Mandela who gave the Afrikaner masses the reassurance they needed to give democracy a chance rather than going down fighting to the end.

08 December, 2013 01:23  

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