Whites Not Welcome In DA

MAIMANE CONFIRMS WHAT WE’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG
We have been saying for a long time that the DA is not a party prepared to recognize the differences between people. During the electoral campaign this morning, Mmusi Maimane spoke at Richmond Hill in the Nelson Mandela Bay Council where he said that the DA is not a white party.
Maimane said ALL other parties in South Africa are undermining democracy by undermining the Rainbow Nation, which is the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
In fact, Maimane said nothing about the DA which we have not been saying all the time. And therefore Maimane confirmed why the person of European descent with a western value system cannot become part of the DA’s concept for the future of South Africa.

Heyneke Meyer – Skunk of SA Rugby?

I write this post today, 30 October 2015 before this evening’s play-off with Argentina. The reason is that irrespective of the outcome of this game, my opinion expressed in this post will not change.

Let us be honest and frank, Meyer got a raw deal from the supporters of rugby, those who do not support rugby, politicians, the Media and those who know nothing about rugby (politicians and Media) but tried to capitalize on some misfortunes of the Boks, like Cosatu Western Cape and De Villiers the previous Bok coach whose term as coach was a disaster!

Typical South African style, efforts were made to mix rugby with politics and racism. Remember the uproar  after the game where we lost against Argentina earlier this year? Where Cosatu Western Cape tried to make the political issue that 5 black players complained against Meyer for racism and not giving them ample play time? It was just a storm in a tea cup but Cosatu never have proven their allegations. Cowards?

Then the first game against Japan at RWC 2015? Where everyone wanted to crucify Meyer and wanted his blood? And then suddenly when the Boks advanced to the semi’s? The politicians and Cosatu’s big mouths were quiet.

This is rugby and if you do not understand it, shut up!!!  At the end of the day the All Blacks were just that little bit more lucky than the Boks – it did not mean the Boks were pathetic and Meyer useless. Shit happens! But remember what Hansen jokingly said in the week building up to the semi-final that he was glad that he did not need to choose a team on representativeness, only on merit! That is the joke of South Africa, merit is gone, only AA, BEE and representation! A farce!

Now, after the semi we lost, the clevers now say Meyer must go! Kak, man kak! Some even say we must now get a coach from outside SA. Kak man, kak! Which international coach will want to coach a team where he must work on AA, BEE and representation? Only a fool! And then he has to contend with political and labour interference? Kak man kak!!

But, whatever the politicians will do with rugby, Meyer is not the skunk of SA Rugby. He did his best and if I were him, I would show them the middle finger and go coaching abroad.

Well done Meyer!

President James Monroe

James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States from 1817 to 1825. James Monroe was born on 28 April 1758 in Virginia but his parents died when he was a teenager, leaving him part of the family farm. In 1774 he went to College to study but he became interested in politics and even befriended fellow students who were supporting the spirit of the revolution.

He left College to join the Third Virginia Regiment in 1776. Due to his commitment and leadership attributes it did not take him long to be promoted to lieutenant. He was actively serving with the result that he was even seriously wounded during a skirmish. His leadership qualities did not go unnoticed and he was promoted to the rank of colonel.

His ambition was to be a Field Commander but he was not able to obtain such a position and disillusioned, he left the Regiment and returned to Virginia to study law. He enrolled in 1780 and he was privileged to study under Thomas Jefferson. They became lifelong friends and Thomas Jefferson was also his mentor and had a major role in James Monroe’s intellectual and political development.

The result was that in 1782 he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. His abilities, commitment and dedication ensured that his political road to the top was open and in 1783 he was elected to the Confederation Congress until 1786. In 1790, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate. As a member of the Senate, he allied himself with Madison and Thomas Jefferson, his close personal friends, against the Federalist faction.

In 1816, he was elected President, and re-elected in 1820. He began his administration with a goodwill tour, and this actually started the Monroe "Era of Good Feelings." It was called this because after the turmoil preceding his election, the country went into a peaceful and relative quiet period of political stability and tolerance. It was a transitional period in which the nation's democratic institutions and capitalist economy were taking form. National identity was growing which was evident by the westward movement and the construction of roads and canals. People everywhere started to see themselves as Americans. Roads were built to tie together the nation's commerce. They were considered a national priority and were often funded by Congress, whose members understood that an improved flow of commerce in any section of the country would also benefit their own constituencies. Political debates even became mature and constructive between political rivals. 

James Monroe consistently and successfully pursued a policy that served both to protect the United States from European interference and to foster unhampered growth of the nation and its economy. This gave rise to the well-known Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine was based on the principle that the United States would not tolerate new colonies in the western hemisphere or interference by outside powers in the internal affairs of nations in the western hemisphere. According to him it was constitutionally illegal to involve the country in the affairs of other nations, especially militarily.

James Monroe was a man of good intelligence, sound judgment, and highest integrity. In more than 40 years of public service, he never deviated from his believes and efforts in doing what he considered his public duty.

Who was Franklin D Roosevelt?

Franklin D Roosevelt became the thirty-second President of the United States of America in 1932, in a time his country was still shaken by the Depression and the mass unemployment that followed. He was a vigorous transformer and an eminently man, and his scheme of rehabilitation carried out under the Works Progress Administration did much to set the country on the road to prosperity again. He was President for four consecutive terms – indeed a remarkable achievement.

But who was this Franklin D Roosevelt? He was born on 30 January 1882 in a wealthy family of untitled aristocracy of New England. He studied at Croton and Harvard and eventually graduated in law at the Columbia Law School in New York and was admitted to the bar in 1907 and joined a Law Firm in New York.

Although he came from a family of great and important politicians, initially he was not very concerned with politics. However, the Democrats of New York State was not making any political grounds and in 1910 they invited Franklin D Roosevelt to run for the New York State Senate in what they thought was a hopeless case. He accepted it and decided to give it a run for the money – above all hopes he won the election. This was the turning point in his career as he was now hooked on politics!

In 1912 Franklin D Roosevelt got the post of Under-Secretary of the Navy and in this post he excelled himself – the efficiency of the USA’s fleet in the closing phases of World War I was largely due to his hard work as administrator. Franklin D Roosevelt’s career up to the 1920’s had been one of constant success. He worked hard and became a clever politician respected by friend and foe. However, bad luck stroked when he was smitten down with infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis). He was a helpless cripple but the true guts of the Roosevelt family came through and against all odds he began the long road to recovery, lovingly supported by his wife. Fortunately he held on to his post and within a year he was back in office with crutches.

In 1928 he was elected as Governor of New York State which he repeated two years later with even a bigger majority. His four years as Governor covered the period the stock exchange collapsed which started the world-wide depression. It was no surprise he was nominated for the presidency and when elected in 1932 he pledged to put a deal together for the American people, who suffered from the Depression. He started a campaign which restored prosperity and respectability amongst the American people again.

He started working with instant energy and fearless originality. He repealed prohibition, restored the banks, went off the gold standard and create work for men to earn back their self-respect. He succeeded within a short period of time to pull America out from the slums and internationally he led the USA away from isolation. When World II broke out he took the USA out of its historical neutrality and supported his allies vigorously. He took the USA to war with the allies as promised and he was one of the architects of peace which followed the war, although he passed away sadly on 12 April 1945.

But, his task was done. He had taken charge of the USA in its darkest hour of ruin and despair and pulled it together and restored its prosperity and sanity. Internationally he came to the rescue of a world collapsing into another dark age of defying human rights of people. World-wide he restored the rule of law.

He definitely takes his place with a Washington and a Lincoln as one of the most single-hearted leaders in the fight for his country’s greatness.

Presidents of the USA: Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States, from 1865 to1869. He was born in 1808 in a log cabin in Raleigh, North Carolina. His family was illiterate and poor. He himself was not able to master the basics of reading, grammar or maths and the only thing he was good at was tailoring and he gained his apprenticeship as a tailor but as early as during his boyhood, he ran away from home. 

He was able to settle down, and at the age of seventeen he met his wife, Eliza McCardle. With the support of his new wife he opened a tailor shop in Greenville, Tennessee. Eliza educated Andrew and helped him make wise investments in real estate and farmlands.  Although from a poor background, he had exceptional talents which enabled him to enter in debates at the local academy. 


With his exceptional talents and his debating skills it did not take him long to enter local politics. He was a good orator which gave him an edge over his rivals but his greatest attribute was his ability to interact with the middle class man and it was especially the plantation workers whom he was able to understand and support. His support to the poor middle class people guaranteed his election as a Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate from the 1840’s to the 1850’s. But he was not your average politician who rested on his laurels after election – he advocated a homestead bill which was aimed at providing a free farm to the poor man who voted him in. 

In 1862 President Lincoln appointed Johnson as Military Governor of Tennessee, and Johnson used the State of Tennessee as a model for reconstruction. In 1864 the Republicans, contending that their National Union Party was for all loyal men, nominated Johnson, for Vice President.

After the death of President Lincoln, Andrew Johnson was elected as the 17^th President of the United States. Unfortunately Johnson was branded as an old-fashioned Southern Democrat and he had all his time with the Radical Republicans in Congress. When Johnson reached the White House, First Lady Eliza Johnson was a semi-invalid suffering from tuberculosis. She only made two public appearances during her entire stay in the White House. Nevertheless, she operated behind the scenes with energy and tact and was fondly remembered by the White House staff.

President Andrew Johnson had time on his side just after Lincoln’s death. During the first eight months of his term, Johnson took advantage of Congress being in recess and rushed through his own agenda and policies for Reconstruction. These included handing out thousands of pardons in routine fashion and allowing the South to set up "black codes," which essentially maintained slavery under another name. 

By the time Congress met in December 1865, most Southern States were reconstructed and most importantly, slavery was being abolished. Radical Republicans in Congress moved vigorously to change Johnson's program. They gained the support of Northerners who were dismayed to see Southerners keeping many pre-war leaders and imposing many pre-war restrictions upon the freed slaves. 

The Radicals' first step was to refuse to seat any Senator or Representative from the old Confederacy. Next they passed measures dealing with the former slaves. Johnson vetoed the legislation. The Radicals mustered enough votes in Congress to pass legislation over his veto--the first time that Congress had overridden a President on an important bill. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which established Negroes as American citizens and prohibit discrimination against them. 

In a final humiliating gesture, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act, which stripped the President of the power to remove federal officials without the Senate's approval, and in 1867, established a military Reconstruction program to enforce political and social rights for Southern ex-slaves. A few months later Congress submitted the Fourteenth Amendment, which specified that no state should "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." 

All the former Confederate States except Tennessee refused to ratify the amendment; further, there were two bloody race riots in the South. The Radical Republicans won an overwhelming victory in Congressional elections that fall. 

When Johnson allegedly violated the Tenure of Office Act, by dismissing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, the House voted eleven articles of impeachment against him. He was tried by the Senate in the spring of 1868 and but fortunately sanity prevailed and he was acquitted by one vote. He was the first President of the United to be impeached.

Although acquitted, this was the last straw for Johnson and he returned to the Senate for Tennessee in 1875 but died shortly there after. 

Andrew Johnson was a true exponent of the saying that in America, anyone can grow up to become President. The only other man to attain the office of President with so little formal education was Abraham Lincoln. But that is where the similarities ended. Lincoln rose to the occasion to be esteemed as America's greatest President, Andrew Johnson, his successor, is unfortunately ranked as one of the worst.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America from 1861to1865. He was born on 12 February 1809 on the Big South Fork of Nolin Creek, not far from Hodgensville, Hardin County, Kentucky.

His father was a carpenter but a restless person who could not stay long in one place. The result was that the young Abraham Lincoln did not get much of an education but one thing his farther taught him was to use a hammer, saw and nails. He spent most of his days, while the average child would be in school, with his farther building a wooden cabin for the family.

His mother died while he was still young and in 1819 his father re-married. Immediately on arrival of his stepmother in their lives, everything changed for the better for the family. Until the arrival of his stepmother young Abe, as he was known, had little or no chance to learn anything of books. His father just disapproved of them but the new Mrs. Lincoln insisted that all the children (she had 3 of her own) should go to school.

This was a turning point in his life. Although he did not attend school for long he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He learned to read and write and to cipher. He read everything that came on his way with the result that he had a vast built-up of knowledge. People listened to him when he talked and he was an orator by excellence.

Another turning point was when he had to go to New Orleans where he for the first time in his life came across the plight of the slaves. He made a study of slavery in America as well as the slaves’ history after which he wowed to himself that should it ever be within his capabilities one day, he would abolish slavery.

He became a store manger and during this time he assisted as clerk of the polls at an election and so he was introduced to politics which he liked very much. He started to participate in local politics but his aspirations were disrupted when he volunteered for the Black Hawk War – the last up-rise of Indians in Illinois.

After the war his first attempt in 1832 to stand for the Illinois Legislature was not successful but in 1834 he was successful which heralded in his political career. In 1838 and 1840 he was re-elected to the Legislature.

His wife had higher ambitions for him than the Legislature and she motivated him to go for Congress and in 1847 he took his seat in Washington. The question of slavery was ever in the back of his mind but a bill introduced by him to abolish slavery was rejected and disappointed he returned home where he resumed his career in law.

However he never forgot about his promise to himself to address the question of slavery and during the years fighting as a result of secession from the Union of the southern slave-owning states, he was in the forefront to gather momentum for the abolishing of slavery. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republicans as candidate for presidency. By that time he was scorned by the opposition for his stance on slavery but it did not deter him.  During the presidential campaign the hatred of the South for the North flared up but Abraham Lincoln was elected as president. On 4 March 1861 he was inaugurated and on 12 April 1861 the South bombarded Fort Sumter.

This was a challenge for the new president but the North rose as one behind him but unfortunately they were defeated at Fort Sumter. Although a big blow he weathered the storms in his presidential career with the result that he was re-elected for a second term. The high of his career was when in1865 he succeeded in having passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution which ended slavery for ever. The second high was when the Civil War was ended in the same year. On 14 April 1865 Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theatre while watching the play Our American Cousin.

Abraham Lincoln was a great person and a great statesman. His greatness lies in his unselfishness for his country and for humanity. By his firmness and his courageous determination he defeated the South and steered his country through the agony of Civil War.  He carried through his promise to himself to abolish slavery. The simple, sincere country lawyer he was, he was indeed worthy of the respect of a great nation to a great hero.

Daniel