Paraphrase

"I'm saddened by the brutal killing of innocent unarmed people demonstrating peacefully," Odinga told Reuters......

Over coffee, I was talking to an American who had lived in Kenya. He was heartbroken over the death and destruction being fomented for the benefit of the ruling class. He paraphrased the above statement of Railia:

"I'm really very pleased by the chaos, death and destruction being perpetrated by my deaf, dumb and blind sycophants............."

I thought this was a bit cynical, but as we discussed all things, I agreed with him. Wananchi are being used as canon fodder for the gain of the rich. On this side of the Atlantic, the "all black people look alike" joke still gets a lot of play so the idea that some Luo guy could live next door to a Kikuyu guy for 15 years, say, "Hello" to him in the market, share tea with him in the afternoon, and then decide to beat him up and burn him out because of an election is inconceivable.

There is a very great ignorance being exploited by the ruling class over the very poor and the not-so poor in Kenya. The leverage of this ignorance is calculated. The ruling class is very well aware of its existence and they are adept at using it for their personal gain. The poor are pawns.

I ask anyone, "Is there a single, selfless statesmen in Kenya?" The politicians have programed and released their robots. They are passionate, intoxicated by "rigging" and "democracy" and smoke and blood, hell-bent on destruction in the guise of attaining "justice."

I told my friend that I thought the genesis of the immediate chaos was premeditated. When the polls got tight, Raila started beating the drum of "rigging." Panga sales increased as people prepared for armed conflict.

In the run up to the election, was the message of peace preached? It is no exaggeration to say that everyone interested in the elections knew that the presidential election was going to be close. Without a doubt, someone was going to win, someone was going to lose. Again, I emphasize that the issue of "rigging" was plainly, deliberately and exhaustively discussed. When the rigging alarm bell was rung, there should have been absolutely no surprise. Did any politician call, first and foremost, for their supporters to behave peacefully, to behave with dignity? Did any politician repudiate all forms of violence?

I don't think so.

I was in Nairobi when the American Bishop T. D. Jakes was holding his crusade in Uhuru Park. I had a room at the Intercontinental overlooking the park. I watched in amazement as thousands upon thousands of people in an endless, unbroken stream made their way to the park. This stream of humans began early in the day and continued even until the Bishop began to speak. The crowd was enormous. "Surely, the people of Kenya have a hunger for the message of Jesus Christ," I thought at the time.

Today, I wonder how many of those at the crusade have been murdered - possibly at the hands of another person in attendance that day? How many have had a house or shop burned? How many have been injured or lost a loved one? How many of the attendees have picked up a weapon and wielded it in anger?

"I'm saddened by the brutal killing of innocent unarmed people demonstrating peacefully," Odinga told Reuters......"

The Maasai have a saying, essentially, "Can there be such a thing as a harmless snake?" I suggest that, "Can there be such a thing as a peaceful demonstration?" is appropriate for Kenya.

Raila wants more demonstrations. Raila needs continued destruction and chaos as this is his only bargaining chip - to get what he wants. If Kenya returns to business as usual, then Raila will be forgotten.

Does Raila ever address directly the gangs of Luo and Kalenjin roaming Western Kenya, the gangs that are killing, raping, burning, interdicting and chasing away hundreds of thousands? Does he ever address the Kikuyu gangs cutting and killing? Does Raila ever address directly the tens of thousands of women and kids who are refugees in their own country?

Raila is sad for the demonstrators. Is he sad for the old woman strangled by a "youth?" Is he sad for the 3 year old wrestled from his mother and thrown into a fire? Is he sad for the farmer who was burned out and sent packing with only the cloths on his back? There are thousands of cases of truly innocent folks being cut, burnt, raped, threatened and sent packing who did not demonstrate, or even vote, for that matter. All they did was exist.

I'm sick of this nonsense! I'm sick of the apologists. I'm sick of Raila and I'm sick of Kibaki and I'm sick of Kenya politics. I'm sick of "No Raila, No peace." I'm sick of the perversion of the term "justice." But more than anything, I'm sick of chaos, death and destruction being fomented for the benefit of one man and his cronies.

Maybe my friend was right after all, "deaf, dumb and blind sycophants" doing the bidding of their master.

"We are fighting and dying for Raila and Kibaki and they don't even care for us," said Mary Atieno, 27, as she waited for protesters to stop throwing rocks so she could collect her children from school. "Only the ordinary man is suffering."

Mary Atieno expresses everything I've tried to say in two sentences.