When Elections Threaten To Turn Murderous

May 21. 2008

Today, the Roswell Beacon (Georgia) ran an item about disgruntled race hate groups that may try to kill black candidate Barack Obama in the run up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Barack Obama hoping to stay off the Clinton Body Count list

In Zimbabwe politician Morgan Tsvangirai has publicly accused president Robert Mugabe of plotting to murder him for running against him in the election, whose results are being disputed. Wow, tough room.

Morgan Tsvangirai

Zimbabwe holds democratic elections, and thus, people should be free to establish their candidacies, without fear of reprisal.

Robert Mugabe

As a world community, the standing rule should be, elections should never transition into violence. In countries that allow citizens to vote, elections should be fair and accurate (you heard that Diebold), reflecting the will of the people, not the will of the candidate.

Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was murdered in Pakistan this year for daring to run for office. Many say she knew what she was getting into and that she would be assassinated, but that's no excuse for murder. Becoming a head of state anywhere in the world, should not be this difficult - too many people trying to pick off others they disagree with, in acts of cold blooded murder. Is this what so-called power does to people.

It's difficult enough having to prepare your platform via finding ways to combat poverty, famine, disease, and preparing for then rebuilding after natural disasters that inevitably strike all nations at some point or another. However, it is fundamentally wrong and unjust, that one cannot peacefully and productively run for office without having the proverbial target slapped on your back.

STORY SOURCE

Robert Mugabe's men in plot to kill Morgan Tsvangirai

ZIMBABWE’S opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was forced to cancel his planned return home yesterday after learning of a plot by President Robert Mugabe’s forces to kill him. Tsvangirai had planned to launch his campaign today for next month’s run-off election for president with a rally in Bula-wayo that would have marked the start of what was billed as a nationwide “victory tour”.

As he was preparing to leave for Johannesburg airport at 8am yesterday to fly to Zimbabwe, he received a telephone call from a sympathiser within Mugabe’s state security apparatus, warning him that he would be assassinated. When he passed the details to his own security team, they refused to let him travel...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk