Thank you Muhammed. Glad you enjoyed the piece. Baba On Sun, Feb 5, 2017 at 8:59 AM, Muhammed Drammeh < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > Mawdo you killing me with laughter. Loony is very interesting. We are > eagerly waiting for 21 > > > Muhammad Bai Drammeh > > -------------------------------------------- > On Fri, 3/2/17, Baba Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Subject: [G_L] Smiling Forest Revisited - 20 > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Friday, 3 February, 2017, 23:55 > > > > > > Loony’s last stand and how he stoutly insisted he > was the winner > > By Baba Galleh > Jallow > > As the deadline for Loony to step > down drew nearer, the > confused fox grew more and more insistent that he was the > true winner of the > contest in which he was smashed to the ground before the > very eyes of all the > animals of Smiling Forest and the entire big wide world. He > insisted that the > referee had stolen the match for his opponent and that he > was never going to > step down unless there was a rematch in which he would > appoint new, God-fearing > referees. He lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court whose > judges he would > appoint from the neighboring forests of Sirali and Nigari to > come nullify the > results of the match and declare him the winner. Every day > brought a new > barrage of meaningless threats to never quit power from > Loony. And every day > saw him more and more isolated as members of his inner > circle fled and members > of his cabinet absconded to neighboring forests and issued > statements asking > him to accept the reality of his defeat and step down. > > > But Loony remained adamant. He > increased the number of heavily > armed foxes on the streets of Smiling Forest and bragged > that he would fight to > the death to safeguard the independence and territorial > integrity of Smiling > Forest. Having trampled upon the rule of law and the > constitution of Smiling > Forest for 22 years, Loony suddenly became an ardent > advocate of respect for > the constitution and the rule of law. He suddenly became a > fanatic disciple of > constitutionalism and frequently quoted constitutional > provisions that he tried > to tweak to suit his purpose of abrogating his opponent’s > victory and staying > on in power. But the majority of the animals of Smiling > Forest called his > bluff. The victor insisted that come the end of Loony’s > term, he would be sworn > in as the new president of Smiling Forest. Movements cropped > up everywhere with > defiant and revolutionary slogans like > #SmilingForestHasDecided and > #LoonyMustGo! A furious Loony ordered the Mental > Surveillance Unit to crack down > and arrest any animals seen wearing T-shirts with these > slogans and to close > down all radio stations that dared to talk about his defeat > or any of these > movements. Four radio stations were immediately shut down > and several animals > picked up and sent to Loony’s notorious “five star > hotel.” Armed foxes that > were thought to be sympathetic to the victor were also > grabbed and taken to > unknown destinations. But nothing shook the animal’s > determination to bring > Loony’s reign of terror to an end. The hashtags > #NoRetreatNoSurrender and #WeAreTakingOurForestBack > mushroomed and multiplied around Smiling Forest, encouraging > the animals to > stand their ground and show Loony that true power belonged > to them and not to > Loony and his brutal government. > > But many ordinary animals were > scared of war and decided to > leave Smiling Forest. The once happy and peaceful animals of > Smiling Forest > suddenly found themselves displaced and becoming refugees > either in the rural > areas of Smiling Forest or in neighboring forests. They > cursed Loony and > expressed their amazement that Loony could be so cruel and > hard-hearted as to > want to hang on to power even if it meant bringing war to > their peaceful > forest. Whole families fled Smiling Forest and often had to > beg for food and > shelter in neighboring forests in an attempt to save their > lives. Curses rained > down upon Loony like a violent hailstorm, but the mad fox > firmly shut his eyes > and stuffed his ears with mud to make sure that he neither > saw nor heard the > voice of reason and the world urging him to step down, > convincing him that his > time was up and that the Great God Yallah had indeed spoken. > > > Just nine days to the end of his > term, Loony’s evil plot to > hold the animals of Smiling Forest suffered another > devastating blow: The > mercenary judges he hired from the distant forests of Sirali > and Nigari refused > to come to Smiling Forest. They declared that they were not > ready to back up > his unjust claim to power. Loony was more furious and > confused than ever before, > but there was little he could do as the lone mercenary judge > in Smiling Forest > Chief Justice Fagbe da Log declared that the court could do > nothing unless it > had a quorum in several months’ time. Fagbe da Log > suggested somehow that Loony > should just negotiate his way out of the mess he had > created. But Loony, his > teeth firmly clenched, decided to immediately launch another > attempt at hanging > on to power. He declared that he was going to make a law > that would grant > amnesty to any animal that had committed a crime for the > past two months and > that he was in fact a forgiving fox, a fox of peace and > security and a fox who > had the greatest faith ever in the Great God Yallah. Opening > his horse’s mouth > big and wide, he thus addressed the animals: “I know that > some of you are > running away saying that Loony wants to bring war into this > forest. That is not > true. I am a fox of peace and security. I assure all of you > animals that peace > will prevail. But only my own personal Supreme Court can > validate the results > of this match that that crooked referee stole for my > opponent. The so-called > Association of Neighboring Forests is interfering in the > internal affairs of my > personal forest, and they are declaring war on my personal > forest. But let them > come here. I will show them who I am. I will face them and > fight them and > defeat them so badly they will leave their shoes and flee > for their lives. I > will rule this forest for a billion years and if any one > doesn’t like it they > can go to hell.” > > The truth was that by this time > Loony was extremely rattled > around both by the approaching fierce armed foxes of the > Association of > Neighboring Forests and especially by some strange stories > making the rounds > around Smiling Forest about something called “Dragon > Fire”. He was particularly > troubled that this so-called “Dragon Fire” was said to > be ‘quasi invisible’ and > had laser beams and other frightful capabilities for > ferreting out its targets > and incinerating them. Loony heard the strange rumors but > was both mollified > and petrified when he read about them from someone called > “Winged Scorpion.” What > do they mean dragon fire and winged scorpion? Whoever heard > such frightful > names? Loony shivered and his teeth clattered like plates as > he sat alone in > his big private room pondering these strange things. He was > so shaken that > several times, he got up and prowled around the room, > shaking from head to foot > and wondering just what they mean by dragon fire and winged > scorpion. The > latter name sounded particularly frightening; for while he > was certainly no > stranger to scorpions, the idea of a winged scorpion sounded > too spooky for his > rattled nerves. > > Meanwhile, efforts by the > association of neighboring forests > to mediate the impasse and convince Loony to step down > peacefully continued. > The neighboring forest of Nigari, whose president was the > chief mediator kindly > offered Loony asylum if he agreed to step down. Less than a > week before Loony’s > term expired, Muhari the giraffe, president of Nigari Forest > traveled for a second > time to Smiling Forest in a last bid to make the mad fox see > reason. But the > animals of Smiling Forest were not optimistic. They knew > Loony was a psychopath > and psychopaths never see reason, unless it is reason that > serves their own > interest or reason backed by force or a very credible threat > of force. While > his victorious opponent slated to become the new leader of > Smiling Forest in a > few days sounded optimistic that the impasse could end > peacefully, and said > Loony could stay in Smiling Forest, many animals were > skeptical and believed > that Loony would only leave power if he were to be > physically grabbed and > forcefully dragged or driven out of power. Some of them > reasoned that the Great > God Yallah was a God of miracles and would perhaps perform a > miracle that would > make Loony accept his faith to become an ordinary fox again. > Everywhere in > Smiling Forest and around the world, animals hoped and > prayed for such a > miracle as they waited to see what became of Muhari the > giraffe’s latest trip > to Smiling Forest. The animals were not surprised when they > saw Muhari the > giraffe stomping angrily out of Loony’s palace, his > mediation efforts having proved > futile. In fact, Loony had rudely told Muhari to his face > that he should go take > care of the rebels in his own forest rather than meddle in > the internal affairs > of Smiling Forest. He roundly told Muhari and everyone in > the Association of > Neighboring Forests and the whole big wide world to go to > hell because he would > never allow himself to be cheated of his legitimate victory. > “I will rule this > forest for a billion years and if you don’t like it you > can go to hell Muhari!” > he angrily ranted. “You say your armed foxes will attack > me. Let them attack. Bulay > bulay bulay, I will show them who Loony > is!” > > > > > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to > the Gambia-L Web interface > at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/ > SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface > at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/ > SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤