Thank you for the response Jainaba. You wrote: "I have no problem with your re-sending the declaration of Independence. These are beautiful words, but the fact still remains that the life of an African American is worth less than that of her/his white countrywoman(man). The over representation of the former doing time in relation to their percentage of the population spells out to some extent the latent and overt racism embedded in the souls of some of these leaders. The most recent being appeals made to George Bush Jr to save the life of a brother. It never mattered even when celebrities like Danny Glover came forward. The point again being even if we are to earn millions of dollars , or travel to space as in the case of Mae Jamison, as a people of African decent we are still seen as inferiors. And the only way we can eradicate this stamp is to rise up and invent the future! Japan, China and the rest of Asia are doing just that! " As far as I am concerned, this is not a point of contention between us at all, unless if for some reason you think I hold a different view on this issue, At any rate, I have already addressed this point in my last email. Also, as already mentioned, those who know me both privately and here on the L over the years, know my views regarding Africa & Africans taking charge of our own affairs, rather than looking for salvation from nations that are our peers, and since I live here in America, I don't think you have to remind me about the racism and bigotry that we as a people encounter here as elsewhere.Therefore, I will not waste time arguing this point at all. You also said: "Jabou, I have no problem with you! I am not here to defend my husband, but as a concerned Gambian with her own brain, moved by the tragedy that has befallen us as a Nation! You see many people have a difficulty to understand that marrying somebody should not mean loosing your identity and your sense of justice ! " Again, I commend you for this position and , I am glad you do not have a problem with me However, I have already given you my response to your original post, and we will leave it at that. .You see Jai, the position i took a long time ago, back when it was only a handful of us on the L speaking out against this regime, is not because i have sacrificed loved ones, friends and acquaintances who are connected to this regime, but simply because I saw the need to make a choice of speaking out against what is wrong , and there are many on this list who have made the same choices. And I did it without hiding behind any pseudonyms, or straddling any fences at all. At the same time, my bond with my loved ones is far more honourable and stronger than anything that this regime can ever hope to understand. It is as you said that "marrying someone does not mean you have to loose your identity"., and holding a different view and opinion does not mean that you have sacrificed any loved ones. You also stated that: "We have to cut down on our rantings and the use of profane language. And be more practical, even in relation to Jammeh and his government. " Rest assured that no sensible individual can possibly believe that ranting is a solution to ending the madness in our land, but while we contribute our quota to getting rid of Jammeh and his cohorts, we will also keep telling the World about the atrocities they continue to commit, and pointing fingers of warning to all Gambians to take care not to be counted among the perpetrators of evil. As I said before, and as i will say again, one is either part of the problem or part of the sloution, and there are no in-betweens. All those who share this view will not take jabs at each other when these facts are stated. Regarding your mention of the use of profanity, the prostitution i refer to is "intellectual prostitution". and this is my opinion for which i will not apologize. As to whether one can aspire to be a good Muslim and still use this word? I have no reason to believe that using this word makes me any less a person striving in the cause of Allah.It is far too convenient to box someone in like that, and infact, one of the responsibilities of being a good muslim is to tell the truth, and if the truth is describable by such a word, then I see no problem in telling it like it is. But Jai, since you say we share the same disdain for the injustice transpiring at home, and which all justice and peace loving Gambians and other people around the World agree should be condemned , I see no problems then. I will simply urge you to express this unarbitrarily as well as work toward the removal of this regime that is a burden on our people. You asked why i did not contact you to say hello? Frankly, all your screen names were anything but your real name that i know you by. It was after you sent several posts, that i became certain that it was you. But having said all that, I still very much subscribe to our Gambian culture, and between you and me, you can tell me which one of us you think should have sent a greeting first, especially since my name was clearly noted on everything i sent to the bantaba. You are welcome to contact me privately anytime you want. Jabou Joh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------