Look nuh, I don't "buy" every story I read. I'm not even relying principally on press reports in talking about (a) the expensive palace or (b) the allegations of food being denied if you are not a ZANU member. I am relying on what I have heard from several different Zimbabweans of several different political stripes, including both supporters and opponents of Mugabe, and people whose opinions fall in between those poles.
Some things are either true or they are not true. Everyone knows that it's true that Mugabe just built an expensive palace in Harare. It is there in Harare for all to see.
I admit I could be wrong about the food for votes thing. It is not as verifiable as the palace. But having heard it from different people from Zimbabwe, as I said of varying political opinions but none of whom I would consider to be apologists for the white landowners (and only one of whom was an asylum seeker and so might have an obvious ulterior motive for saying something like that), and from what I know of how politicians in general operate, I could easily believe it. I suppose I "bought it" since I have never been to Zimbabwe to directly witness it, so your point is taken and I am guilty as charged on that point.
I think I've made it clear enough that I am not an apologist for the western powers or the white landowners, I don't know how much clearer I could make it. I agree that one should be careful of what one says lest it be misused as ammunition for the opposition. But I don't really see how a couple of posts from me on Rastafari Speaks message board are going to damage the movement for the return of indigenous lands in Africa and across the world.
"Do your own homework", again fair enough. But I wasn't suggesting that the burden of proof is on you (not consciously anyway). I was honestly asking you if you had information to contradict what I have heard from quite a few different sources, not just white media, since you are obviously someone who makes a point of keeping abreast of the news and who is one of the forces behind sites such as "US Crusade" which have been sources for some of the "homework" I've done in the past. If I ask someone where an item is in a house that I think they are more familiar with than I am, they are perfectly within their rights to tell me to look for it myself, but I don't think I'm being rude or presumptuous by asking them if they know where it is so I can get my hands on it right away.
P.S. I left you a personal message in Africa Speaks, totally unrelated to this issue; bear in mind if you choose to respond to it that it has nothing to do with me personally or what you may think of me, it's to do with a project in Guyana that I think could benefit from some dialogue with y'all who are involved in the Nubian School.
