Saul, I really did not intend to break your heart. Trust me, we are still in the same boat. "The whole truth and nothing but the truth." That's the very reason why I reacted to your message the way I did. Saul, I think you and I have one thing in common. We cannot stand the stench of lies and distortions. Especially when it involves the common people. I do not intend to take this any further, but I'm obliged to clarify my position. I really do not see the need for you to higlight the issue of Jaiteh being my in-law. I mentioned it only because I expected your exact reactions :"You've really broken my heart." I didn't want to leave you in the dark only for you to find out later and then say "aha! that's the reason behind all this." NO, not that, absolutely not. You know that at the bottom of your heart Saul. Allow me to quote you: "Rather I have a BIG problem with the fact that the majority of Gambians -including yourself, do not speak out against injustice loud enough, unless and until they are personally affected." Prudence, Saul-:) Don't make conclusions based on your instincts. "But for the fact that Mr. Jaiteh is your in-law, you feel I should apologize to him for pointing out what is essentially our problem as Gambians: not getting involved unless an issue affects us personally." No , I never "felt" that you should apologize. You are entitled to your opinion. All I wanted you to realize is that if you had done a little bit of homework, ask a few questions before arriving at your conclusion, "you will be tempted to apologize" for what you've said. No Saul, not because he is my in-law. You know this fact! "But in any case, if you had pointed out a factual problem with my opinion, I'll see the need to apologize." Sorry Saul, even though there is a factual problem with your message, it has more of a logical distortion than any thing else. I mentioned the word "prudence" to get your attention to that. About the Matarr Njie deal, those of us who have been on the list for a while, can remember that the very thing you are accusing Jaiteh of not doing...voicing out his opinion all the time....is what started the whole Matarr Njie saga. Knowing the gentleman he is, Jaiteh decided to give it a break. I'm at pains going into all this Saul. Simply because I know he will not like me going this far with you not to mention how others will see it having at the back of their minds that he's my in-law. You know Saul, there is nothing wrong in letting others pin point your errors. If nothing else, you can learn from them. Don't take this the wrong way, but you have to understand that human beings are different in many ways. You and I have no problem pouncing our key boards day in day out to make sure that the voice of the innocent is heard. we will be labeled anything from A-Z, but we will not budge. Others are doing the same in a different manner, yet we are all in for the same cause. Trying to lure others into your way by concluding on their behavior with logically distorted insinuations is not the best way to go. The very reason I mentioned this quote: "Of those who say nothing, few are silent." - Thomas Neill I hope my point is clear enough. It's been a long day for me. Since Jaiteh himself has taken you up on the task, I know he'll do better than I would. I will be happy to clarify myself further if you so wish. Please don't take this personal. It is only through the wisdom of others that we can nourish our own wisdom. I'm ready to learn from you and everyone else out there. BTW, I'll be looking for you in DC in two weeks time. Drop me a line and I'll give you a phone number I can be reached at. Enjoy your evening. Abdoulie A. Jallow Toll-free number: 1-888-392-4832(Excite2) Personal extension for v/mail/fax: 291-368-1519 _______________________________________________________ Say Bye to Slow Internet! http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------