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 Forwarded Message:
 Subj:  Pa Dacosta on the radio
 Date:  5/11/00 5:55:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time
 From:  KTouray
 To:    [log in to unmask]

 When The Point newspaper ran a story characterizing Pa Dacosta's remarks on
George Christensen's radio station, most list members wrote to express
solidarity because he very firmly and clearly represented our collective
sentiments. Having listened to the audio version, my faith in the strength of
the human character has been markedly reinforced. Underneath the evil
represented by Yahya Jammeh and his lackeys lies a core value system that
defines us a people and no one exemplified that better than this budding 70
year old on that fateful day on the radio. What he said was as substantial as
the careful and measured tone in which he delivered it. It was part sermon,
part lecture but most of all it was a sincere and honorable essay that is
anchored in our notion of elders and their responsibility in society. As if
speaking from a prepared text, the Pa offered condolences and prayers for the
victims and quickly settled into a withering denunciation of the murders.
Like members of this list he expressed strong contempt for the outrageous
lies the Vice President and others were attempting to float regarding the
circumstances of the killings. Culpability he said lies squarely in the hands
those who authorized the shooting and they must be held responsible. The Pa
had no tolerance for the socalled elders who were attempting to turn the
entire tragedy into a seminar on discipline in a cynical ploy to somehow
blame the students for compelling the authorities to murder them. He called
them cruel and greedy people who would do anything to perpetuate themselves.
No one exemplifies that more than the likes of Banding Drammeh , Imam Fatty
and the group that passes itself as the socalled religious leaders. They
resemble no religious leader you and I know. My Imam and neighborhood Oustass
always always gave counsel and sermons that were strictly grounded in the
prescriptions of God living no room for selective interpretations of what The
Almighty requires of us all. What these phonies are doing is to wave their
religious credentials on one hand while actively auctioning off their souls
to a brutal tyrant in return for money , airplane rides to Saudi and access
to the media. They know about the murders, torture, theft and all the evil
their benefactor represents and yet persist in providing the shameful
rationalizations for each of his deeds. There you see them"jagarr jagarring"
into the homes of people attempting to be Apostles of reconciliation and
chacterising cold blooded murder as "kata".  They are just indolent and venal
people cloaking themselves in a religious veil.
 Pa Dacosta is a good man to whom we will forever be grateful. He did two
simple but profound things. He told the truth and he spoke from the heart. It
sure makes our fight to wrestle our country from these criminals much more
worthwhile knowing that there are Pa Dacosta's spread all through our nation.
 Karamba >>