Obama Girl from Ethiopia !!!

Tedla Asfaw


She is an Obama girl from Ethiopia and her name is  Dire Tune and those of you who watched the London Marathon of this year you know what I am talking about. She is competing in this New York City Marathon this Sunday to beat other "old" experienced athletes like Paula Radcliffe. She  might not have much experience like her and others but she has the  the intensity and the power to win like Obama.

This is another Obama Girl not the cutey dancing and singing in the subway of New York City, "I have crush on Obama" but a cute 23 year old who is a winner like Obama and this Sunday she will lead by example and beat all those without or with experience like "John McCain", the likes of Paula Radcliffe, Catherine Ndereba and I am not kidding.

In the past athletic competitions, Ethiopians have performed very well after human made disasters. Let me take you to the Atlanta Olympics final event in marathon. A deranged man planted  bomb and we all were scared and the next morning in women marathon Fatuma Roba trashed everyone and won the Olympic Marathon.

Here in New York City after 9/11 devastation the worst on American soil the sad marathon went as usual in November and we know who comes in top in men's  marathon. It was Ethiopia's Tesfaye not only won but set a new record for NYC Marathon. This time we have  human made financial crisis in the Wall Street and America is looking for  a real leader and that leader is no doubt Obama and our Ethiopian Obama girl, Dire Tune  will show  him the way by example two days ahead of him. Let the Obama Girl from NYC come out open on the surface and sing  Obama is a winner like Dire Tune from Ethiopia.

Dire Tune's win in  New York City marathon this coming Sunday will be replicated by Obama  and he will be  in the  White House in 2009 trashing all stereotypes. He will bring back NYC as the financial center of the wold. The Obama Girl from NYC, however  should not be jealous for Obama picking the Ethiopian winner because he himself is the winner like her.

Root for My Father !!!

Hearing one of our family members seriously ill and not be able to see or hear him or her is painful for all who live far from home in foreign country. We all live and carry death within our selves and we are not sure when is going to be the final day for each one of us. Death back home in Ethiopia, however, is afflicting many of our people due to starvation, disease and war and I wonder how many of our people are in their eighties or nineties. I am one of the lucky ones who have elderly parents father and mother. My father will in a week or two will turn 94 years old and the last days however have been very difficult for him. The last time I talked to my father was on our new year on September and I am afraid that might be the last time to hear his voice and I need all of you to remember my father as as a good man and a patriot who gave one of his eyes fighting Mussolini in Southern Ethiopia and loves his country beyond anything else. Let us root for him to celebrate his 94 birthday in two weeks time. Thanks, Tedla Asfaw

Is Ogaden National Liberation Movement website prejudiced ?

Tedlla Asfaw

I am an Ethiopian who read ONLF website (English) regularly and get my information on what is going in Eastern Ethiopia, Ogaden. I am also a person who have first hand experience working in Jijiga and its surroundings in the 1980s. The poverty and lack of infrastructure development in the area is still fresh in my mind.

Ogaden suffered also immensely during Bari's invasion of Ethiopia in 1977 and its worst tragedy however has been unfolding since the attack by ONLF the Chinese Oil Company two years ago and the total war declared on Ogaden by TPLF. Since then I kept following the situation closely and wrote my view for all and some Somali websites put my piece to be read and I have not got such luck with ONLF site however.

I hope it is not censoring all of us who are not from Ogaden. My worry however is that maybe the case. We organized a rally this past Friday October 25 in D.C. to denounce TPLF and stand with Somali brothers and sisters in their difficult time and call for USA to stop participating on the killing and human right abuse in Ogaden.

It was my hope that ONLF website will cover the news this time at least to inform its readers what happened last Friday in D.C. Sadly ONLF failed to report about it. How comes a concern from US. Congressman Donald Payne has more weight than hundreds of Ethiopians who deeply felt the pain of Ogden brothers and sisters ?

The problem in Ogaden can only be solved in democratic Ethiopia where liberation movements like ONLF, OLF and all political organizations participate and tackle all their common problems without any preconditions and prejudice. Reporting without prejudice will help us create a conducive atmosphere for our future.

Successful Protest !!

Tedla Asfaw

VOA Amharic coverage of today's protest in D.C, Friday October 24, estimated by them more than one hundred against the killing in Ogaden, is available on VOA website and please click the evening program. This is the only successful anti-TPLF rally in D.C. this year and such united action is what TPLF and its cadres are afraid  and  should be encouraged in all countries where the Ethiopian Diaspora resides. No time to waste in fighting among ourselves while our people and country are bleeding. The enemy is TPLF.