Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became president of Liberia in 2006. Liberia had been an unusual African state as it had never been a colony, being ruled by a small (5%) section of freed slaves. Supported by the United States, and with a large American commercial presence in the country (for example, US tyre companies maintained large rubber estates), it remained stable until 1980 when the then president Tubman was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe. Doe led an increasingly corrupt and inefficient regime until it was destabilsed by an invasion by Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia which, after an exceptionally bloody war, finally took Monrovia, the capital, in 1990. However, instability and fighting continued, with a final death toll of over 250,000, until 2005, when Taylor went into exile in Nigeria but was ater sent for trial at The Hague. Under UN auspices, Liberia then elected Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a 67-year old widowed mother of four, as Africa's first elected head of state.
ASSASSINATION
So Johnny finally uses the word 'assassination', because that is what he is setting out
to do. Assassination is defined as the deliberate killing of a public figure prompted
by ideological, political, military or purely personal reasons. The word derives from
the Persian word 'hasishin' because the original Muslim assassin sect acted under the influence of hashish or opium.
The list of infamous assassinations is long: Julius Caesar, four US Presidents (including Lincoln and Kennedy, whose brother Robert also died at the hand of an assassin), Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whose death precipitated the First World War), Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Ghandi and Rajiv Gandhi in India, Yitzak Rabin of Israel, and, most recently, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan.
Ephraim's group joins a long history of insurgents who have sought to use assassination as a means of overthrowing a regime. The IRA attempted to blow up UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a Brighton hotel, the Italian Red Brigades, Baader Meinhof, the Basque separatists, the PLO and Hizbollah have all employed it. Governments, too, have used it or considered using it: this paper, written at the time of the Iraq invasion, considers the arguments for and against the assassination of Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War.
Another term that might describe what Ephraim's group have embarked upon is tyrannicide, the killing of a tyrant. There is little doubt that the Kisingo regime, as described, is tyrannical, the key criterion being whether the ruler is clearly working against the nation's 'common good', or is using his power arbitrarily and oppressively – though the difficulty is defining who can lawfully make the decision that the regime is tyrannical since a democratic vote is not an option.
From the minute Ephraim's group started to plot, their actions were treason. Until 1998, treason in the UK was punishable by death. In many countries, the death penalty remains. But, in the circumstances, were Ephraim and his fellow conspirators justified in attempting the overthrow of a tyranny? At what point do the citizens of a nation have the right to rebel against their rulers and kill them?
So Johnny finally uses the word 'assassination', because that is what he is setting out
to do. Assassination is defined as the deliberate killing of a public figure prompted
by ideological, political, military or purely personal reasons. The word derives from
the Persian word 'hasishin' because the original Muslim assassin sect acted under the influence of hashish or opium.
The list of infamous assassinations is long: Julius Caesar, four US Presidents (including Lincoln and Kennedy, whose brother Robert also died at the hand of an assassin), Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whose death precipitated the First World War), Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Ghandi and Rajiv Gandhi in India, Yitzak Rabin of Israel, and, most recently, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan.
Ephraim's group joins a long history of insurgents who have sought to use assassination as a means of overthrowing a regime. The IRA attempted to blow up UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a Brighton hotel, the Italian Red Brigades, Baader Meinhof, the Basque separatists, the PLO and Hizbollah have all employed it. Governments, too, have used it or considered using it: this paper, written at the time of the Iraq invasion, considers the arguments for and against the assassination of Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War.
Another term that might describe what Ephraim's group have embarked upon is tyrannicide, the killing of a tyrant. There is little doubt that the Kisingo regime, as described, is tyrannical, the key criterion being whether the ruler is clearly working against the nation's 'common good', or is using his power arbitrarily and oppressively – though the difficulty is defining who can lawfully make the decision that the regime is tyrannical since a democratic vote is not an option.
From the minute Ephraim's group started to plot, their actions were treason. Until 1998, treason in the UK was punishable by death. In many countries, the death penalty remains. But, in the circumstances, were Ephraim and his fellow conspirators justified in attempting the overthrow of a tyranny? At what point do the citizens of a nation have the right to rebel against their rulers and kill them?
The puff adder, Bitis arietans, kills more people in Africa than any other snake. Short (up to a metre), fat, heavy (up to 6kg), sluggish, well-camouflaged, and bad-tempered, with
unusually long fangs, it has a habit of lying in warm places along paths, so attacks occur
when the victim treads on it- see this BBC video.
The venom is one of the most toxic in the viper family: an adult snake can produce enough to kill 5 men. Symptoms include inflammation, tenderness, nausea and vomiting, swelling, bleeding, severe pain leading to shock, and necrosis which, if the bite is not treated, will result in tissue and muscles sloughing off the bone. However, with immediate, modern treatment with the appropriate serum fatalities are rare, and, even if not treated, less than 10%.
unusually long fangs, it has a habit of lying in warm places along paths, so attacks occur
when the victim treads on it- see this BBC video.
The venom is one of the most toxic in the viper family: an adult snake can produce enough to kill 5 men. Symptoms include inflammation, tenderness, nausea and vomiting, swelling, bleeding, severe pain leading to shock, and necrosis which, if the bite is not treated, will result in tissue and muscles sloughing off the bone. However, with immediate, modern treatment with the appropriate serum fatalities are rare, and, even if not treated, less than 10%.
12
CONCEAL YOUR IP
This site is one of many offering you software to conceal your IP - your International Protocol Address - which enables you to know that nothing can be traced back to your computer.
If you don't know your IP address, then go to this site, which will also tell you other things about your computer - like which internet browser you are using., and your local download speed.
This site is one of many offering you software to conceal your IP - your International Protocol Address - which enables you to know that nothing can be traced back to your computer.
If you don't know your IP address, then go to this site, which will also tell you other things about your computer - like which internet browser you are using., and your local download speed.
DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION GROUP
The UK's Diplomatic Protection Group, a unit of London's Metropolitan Police, is responsible for security in Foreign Embassies and the two Houses of Parliament. This photo shows one of the Group's vehicles.
The UK's Diplomatic Protection Group, a unit of London's Metropolitan Police, is responsible for security in Foreign Embassies and the two Houses of Parliament. This photo shows one of the Group's vehicles.
..... and Emelda Marcos.
