Monday November 17, 2014 - Hold the front page...we are again sad, very sad to report that the treacherous and vicious Ebola scourge has claimed the life of another Sierra Leonean doctor. The sixth. Dr Martin Salia is no more. He succumbed to the ravages of the virus early this morning in the United States. Lord - please have mercy upon us, we pray.

The news we had dreaded all along has now hit us - yet again. Despite the prayers of many, the Good Lord has thought it fit to call a hardworking true Sierra Leonean doctor to eternal rest - free from the ravages of the deadly virus that had been attacking all his body's defence mechanisms causing him untold and unimaginable pain and suffering. We got this from the website of the United Methodist Church news outlet -

Sunday November 9, 2014 - As the world pays tribute to all those who died that freedom, justice and the integrity of the human being be enjoyed by future generations, the rat and his vile battalion of intolerant thieves, liars and nation wreckers try to muzzle free speech and expression. The lessons of history refused to be learnt.

It is Remembrance Sunday today and in the United Kingdom and the rest of the free world tributes are being paid to those who paid the supreme sacrifice, who laid down their lives that the world would live to enjoy the freedoms that are the hallmark of a truly democratic and just society. In the UK, the BBC reports that it was Her Majesty the Queen herself who led the commemorations. "A two-minute silence was observed before the monarch laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in central London. Events have been held across the UK and abroad, including in Afghanistan. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, 70 years since the D-Day landings and the end of Britain's conflict in Afghanistan. Prime Minister David Cameron said the anniversaries made the commemorations "particularly poignant".

Today is also remembered by all freedom-loving peoples as the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the great division that existed then between the freedom-loving West and the repressive police states of the Eastern bloc lorded over by the Soviet Union. Thus did the divided country of East and West Germany become one country once more as totalitarianism gave way to democracy, the rule of law and integrity of the human being as enshrined in the basic principles of the European Union. The History Channel gave us this insight into what the Berlin Wall was about - "Before the wall was built, Berliners on both sides of the city could move around fairly freely: They crossed the East-West border to work, to shop, to go to the theater and the movies. Trains and subway lines carried passengers back and forth. After the wall was built, it became impossible to get from East to West Berlin except through one of three checkpoints. In all, at least 171 people were killed trying to get over, under or around the Berlin Wall. Escape from East Germany was not impossible, however.

And even as the world pays tribute to those who fought against repressive regimes, dictatorships and human rights violators, the government of the odious and vindictive rat and his equally reprehensible gang of despots have now seen it fit to be jailing a journalist without the right to any trial and without the benefit of any explanations save to insinuate that as Sierra Leone's version of the Haitian beast of no nation Papa Doc Duvalier any who angers him in any way must be deprived of his freedom and by extension his/her life. This singular act of the rat, signing an order that takes a citizen from his home and straight into prison lays bare what we had warned against all along - that the rat's link with the murderous and human rights-abusing AFRC/RUF coalition of evil remains strong - that he still yearns for the days of those beasts who trampled on the rights of all within the borders of Sierra Leone. As the hours have now turned into days following events in Burkina Faso, we now know why all the outlets that are on the payroll of the rat have kept silent over events in that country which should be a warning to the rat who had wanted to throw the Sierra Leone's constitution into the sewers from whence he and his gang had emerged to take control of the reins of government. The events in Burkina Faso is truly a painful and sobering reminder still tormenting him and his gang who had wanted to subvert the constitution so that they can continue to steal, kill and imprison all who stood in their path and with reckless abandon.

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Sunday November 2, 2014 - As events unfold in Burkina Faso with the army accused of wanting to hijack the peoples' revolution, mass protests in the offing. Burkina Faso's opposition parties, the African Union and United States government warn against any military-led transition. The mouthpieces of the rat remain silent.

Protesters are expected to hit the streets of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou and other centres of protest today after the military announced a new man to head the country in the wake of the departure of Blaise Campaore. This after twenty seven years in the top political seat. Immediately after the toppling of the sub-region's Great Satan, one Gen Honore Traore announced himself as the new boss in town. His tenure was short-lived and this could have been expected given the reception of the protesters when he announced himself as the top man to address their pains and political plans for a free and democratic post-Blaise Campaore country. Less than twenty four hours later, a statement purported to be "an agreed and joint deal by the entire armed forces of Burkina Faso" effectively dismissed Gen Honore Traore and instead a new kid on the block was announced on Saturday - Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, deputy commander of the elite presidential guard. As the infighting goes on, like dogs fighting over the bones left by their master, the military in Burkina Faso must be looking over its shoulder, seeing far beyond the epaulettes and wondering what's in the messages being sent by the African Union and the United States government. "On the dusty streets of Ouagadougou, the capital, protesters voiced anger that they had driven out Compaore - who seized power in a 1987 military coup - only to have another soldier imposed on them. "This transition should be democratic and civilian in character," said a statement from a coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups, which called a demonstration in the vast Place de la Nation for Sunday morning.

The Voice of America had this on its pages - "Burkina Faso's opposition and civil society leaders are rejecting the army's takeover of power following the ouster of the country's longtime president. In a statement Saturday, they called President Blaise Compaore's resignation amid a popular uprising a "victory" that "belongs to the people. They also said the transition should be "democratic and civilian" and that its management should not be "confiscated" by the army. They said the transition should be "democratic and civilian". The statement came just hours after military officer Yacouba Isaac Zida, who was second in command of the presidential guard, announced that he is assuming the responsibilities of leading the country. The United States is condemning what it calls the military's attempt to impose its will on the people of Burkina Faso. The State Department called on the military to immediately transfer power to civilian authorities. And as events unfold in Burkina Faso after the people forced Blaise Campaore out of power for trying to illegally continue to foist himself upon the people, there appears to be "an eerie silence", a collective sense of amnesia from the corners of the shameless mouthpieces of the rat. Have they been ordered not to publish stories about what led to the ouster of a great friend of their master the rat? We doubt this very much. We think it is a deliberate ploy to keep the handouts flowing in not realising that even the rat would be quite embarrassed and surprised that his paid-for pages do not carry any story of the events in Burkina Faso.

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Wednesday October 22, 2014 - Clueless and uncaring rat occupying State House appoints another dimwit, another moron to lead the fight against the Ebola scourge in the belief that the military contingents from the US and the UK calls for something with a military background is Sierra Leone's best contribution. Missed opportunities and a misplaced and uncalled for mantra of ..."this is the very first time Ebola got to my country Sierra Leone. We did not bring it upon ourselves."

We could not help noticing the glee with which the rat and his uncaring accomplices in this crime against the people when word leaked that the WHO could have got it all wrong in dealing with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa with Guinea as the initial epicentre. It is as if they are blaming the WHO for the disease spreading so uncontrollably in Sierra Leone - as if the international organisation has to take all the blame for the deaths, some preventable in the country.

We would like to remind the rat and his accomplices that the primary responsibility for the welfare of Sierra Leoneans and indeed all within the borders of Sierra Leone rests squarely on the government of the rat, his associates and his ruling party. Even before this terrible outbreak, the report of the Auditor-General report on government activities in 2012 clearly highlighted the unforgivable and criminal deficiencies in the country's health delivery system citing in many cases the lack of duty of care in an overstretched and under-resourced system that was being manipulated by the rat and his uncaring cabal. As usual with them, no moves were made to ameliorate the situation. In his latest move in which he brought in another moron whose alleged money-making escapades at the Defence ministry should be the subject of an inquiry in any sober-minded administration, we hear nothing about the fate of one Stephen Ngauja who had been designated the Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre, the EOC.

When the rat was given an opportunity to make a case for help, his speech at the special UN conference via video link was as lacklustre as it was bereft of any meaningful statement expected from a leader asking for help. His request for help was generalised, without focus and what made it even more jarring on the ears of those listening in was the rat's continued insistence that "We did not bring it upon ourselves" No one asked him about that as the international community and Sierra Leoneans know only too well how the disease took hold in Sierra Leone. We thank all those countries and organisations who have chipped in - the UK government, the US administration, China, Cuba, South Africa, Nigeria and the rest of the international community which includes the World Health Organisation, MSF and others. We cannot thank you enough for your selfless endeavour. Please, please do not give/donate any money to the rat passing off a President of Sierra Leone, nor his associates, nor his committees indeed anything in which he has his relations, friends and associates. Funds so far purported to have been received have not been properly accounted for nor has there been any transparency as to how contracts continue to be awarded.

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Friday October 10, 2014 - Pakistani child education campaigner, the one and only Malala Yousafzai is now a Nobel Peace Prize winner and at age 17 is the youngest ever to win the coveted prize. We say congratulations to her and joint winner Kailash Satyarthi. The world still has something to be joyful about. Congratulations.

It is with a deep sense of appreciation that we have to join the rest of the world in celebrating the work of child education activists Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi an Indian child rights campaigner who were both recognised for the struggle against the suppression of children and young people. International news outlet the BBC had this - "The teenager was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in October 2012 for campaigning for girls' education. She now lives in Birmingham in the UK. The Nobel committee praised the pair's "struggle against the suppression of children and young people". Mr Satyarthi has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, "focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain," the committee said at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. The 60-year-old founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement, which campaigns for child rights and an end to human trafficking. Reacting to the news, Mr Satyarthi told the BBC: "It's a great honour for all the Indians, it's an honour for all those children who have been still living in slavery despite of all the advancement in technology, market and economy. "And I dedicate this award to all those children in the world."

A  press statement from the Nobel Committee gave reasons why these two had been winners - "The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Today's announcement by the Nobel Committee in Sweden not only brought the spotlight on Malala but on Kailash whose work in freeing India's children from slave labour is a testimony to his concern for the plight of the underprivileged in the world's largest democracy as we found on this profile blog. "Kailash Satyarthi Kailash Satyarthi is internationally acclaimed child rights' activist and pioneer in the fight against child slavery."

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Thursday September 25, 2014 - Special UN meeting on Ebola hears passionate appeals from the UN, the WHO and US President Barack Obama to help the countries most hit - Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Uganda President says West African countries reacted too slowly to the outbreak.

A special session of the United Nations, attended by some twenty four leaders or their representatives heard passionate pleas of help for West African countries hit by the Ebola scourge from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the World Health Organisation top gun Margaret Chan and US President Barack Obama. In what sounded like a desperate plea to those who can help, the UN's chief scribe said - "The Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have asked for our help. The United Nations has outlined the critical resources that are needed. Dozens of countries and organizations, too many to mention by name, are making life-saving contributions, and I thank all of them for their generous support. But even these are falling significantly short of the twenty-fold surge that is required. Working with Governments, communities and the full spectrum of international partners, we are focusing on stopping the outbreak, treating the infected, providing essential services, preserving stability and preventing outbreaks in non-affected countries. The world can and must stop Ebola -- now."

US President Barack Obama did not mince his word when he told his audience that the fight against the Ebola scourge should not be seen as a US-only effort and asked all countries who can, to chip in and help stop what could become a threat to global security - "As we gather here today, the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone and Guinea are in crisis. Thousands of men, women and children have died. Thousands more are infected. If unchecked, this epidemic could kill hundreds of thousands of people in the coming months. Hundreds of thousands. Ebola is a horrific disease. It’s wiping out entire families. It has turned simple acts of love and comfort and kindness -- like holding a sick friend’s hand, or embracing a dying child -- into potentially fatal acts. And if we move fast, even if imperfectly, then that could mean the difference between 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 deaths versus hundreds of thousands or even a million deaths. It is worth noting the growing tribute now being paid to health workers who put their lives on the line - something we had called for when asking the authorities in Sierra Leone to ensure that proper provisions are made for those affected more so the relations of the departed. We would have expected the proper mechanism to be set up like bulk payments and pensions for survivors. We were expecting such proposals to have come from the government pension group NASSIT not half-baked announcements and media self-gratification of them handing over pensioners money to "fight Ebola". We have also noted the problems facing survivors of the disease, not only in terms of stigmatisation, but victims left out of pocket as possessions are incinerated/ravaged by medical teams ever so eager to wipe out traces of the disease - never mind what this would means to those affected. Al Jazeera has a special piece on them titled - In Pictures: Sierra Leone's Ebola survivors. We continue to state that on the cuff and knee-jerk responses create more problems for people in quarantined areas. If these areas must be so restricted and movements limited, then there should be in place the outlets that make lives of people less miserable. Outlets for dealing with non-Ebola cases must be in place. Isolation units have to be in place as would be treatment and testing centres that provide immediate results. We have received reports that test results take some three days to four days if not more because the quarantined areas do not have in place the necessary testing facilities for Ebola. Things done in halves are never done right. Remember the lines - "...All that you do, do with your might. Things done by halves are never done right".

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A UK male nurse working with Ebola-infected patients in Kenema and who got infected with the deadly virus is back in the United Kingdom after being flown on board a specially-equipped Royal Air Force (RAF) C-17 plane. The plane carrying him is reported to have touched down at about 8pm gmt at an RAF facility from where, escorted by police cars and motor bikes for ease of movement on the road was taken to a special isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead Heath in London. According to the UK-based Daily Mail, 29 year-old male nurse William Pooley, though not attached to any recognised charity took upon himself the task of getting to Sierra Leone to help out after he'd seen and heard reports of just how bad the situation was in Sierra Leone where the health delivery system appeared to be overwhelmed by the vicious and treacherous attacks of the disease.

The BBC reports that - "The healthcare worker landed at London's RAF Northolt in a specially-equipped C-17 aircraft and has been transported to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London. The man is "not currently seriously unwell", a Department of Health spokesman said. Health officials have stressed the risk to the UK remains "very low". The DoH (Department of Health) said the decision to return the patient to the UK was taken following "clinical advice". This again highlights the need to be realistic in this fight and as we suggested, there's a dire need for proper isolation and treatment centres to be set up in key parts of the country manned by trained and dedicated staff. We do not want to hear of rogue health workers declaring people free of the virus for a fee as this helps to give a false sense of well-being with the resultant consequences of having the disease entering into areas that were hitherto free of it.

We have been getting reports that the compromised Parliament and Judiciary have passed a law that should become effective should it be signed by the rat himself. The purpose of the hastily-passed bill on Friday of last week was, according to the Attorney-General and Justice Minister Frank Kargbo, to do away with some ancient laws as well as making it possible for those who "hide Ebola inflicted people" to face a jail term of up to 2 years. How do you determine who has been hiding someone with Ebola? In a country where fevers could be a symptom of many ailments, how can relations - mothers, spouses, siblings know that it it Ebola? We again insist that Parliament and the rat cannot legislate respect and trust in the fight against the killer disease. Instil a sense of trust in the common man - that their concerns would be addressed and there would be no need for a threat of jailing people, the majority of whom do not even understand how best to confront the disease not to talk about being able to know that a relation with a fever could well be suffering from Ebola.

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Saturday August 23, 2014 - Need for transparency and accountability lest the fundraising exercise on behalf of the Ebola campaign becomes another money-spinner for the rat and his fellow rodents of corruption and chicanery. We condemn the pressure on quasi-government and other institutions to contribute. This is not our version of London's Black Death - we know what must be done.

As we continue to pray that the ravages of the deadly Ebola disease be reduced, if not completely eliminated, we have not lost sight of the fact that prayer alone is not the answer but that the Good Lord, looking at us from above would also want to see what we as humans are doing to help ourselves so that He can lend us His all-powerful healing hand. In short the government of the rat, the smoke and mirrors occupant of State House must be seen to be leading on strategies, practical ones at that, that would reflect just how serious we are, as a country thus afflicted, in tackling the scourge that has made the lives of our people so terrible, so unpredictable these days.

We shall continue to raise concerns on the manner in which raising funds for the fight against the deadly disease is being handled. Given the number of reports carried in a number of the rat-sponsored outlets on the internet one can clearly see a lack of coordination in this direction with various entities raising the flag that calls for donations. We have stated it before and will do so again. Pictures of the rat smiling from ear to ear as his paws get stretched out to receive donations are just not right. There should be an account in one of the banks, made public where these donations could be deposited with the committee in charge of the fight informing the public of donations so far received on a regular basis. That committee should also make it a duty to report on what the money received is being spent on so that there's a clear picture of transparency and accountability. This is what will encourage external donors to lift the foot on the brake and allow funds to flow in after convincing their citizens and members of various organisations that there's transparency and accountability.

For those government agencies that have been making a beeline for State House and making grandiose announcements of donating to the government coffers in the fight against the Ebola scourge, we would want to remind them of something in the past and for which there would be a time of reckoning. We now have to ask the question that could be on the lips of many. Given the desperation of the rat and his fellow rodents to garner money from any and all sources, to the point of him flailing the international community - what has he and his band of thieves contributed from their ill-gotten wealth stashed in banks and properties abroad?

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We have waited, we have watched, we have tried to figure out why since the audit of government accounts for 2012 was made public, none of the sewer rats extolling the virtues of the King Rat and who see no wrong in his manipulation of Parliament and the Judiciary, have commented on the massive thieving going on in the affairs of state. We can only come to the very painful conclusion that since they are all beneficiaries of the thieving machine, they dare not make a squeak in that direction lest they lose their part of the loot. Rather than tell their overlords that the thieving would in the end lead the country to the same state that the country would never want to tread again, the pay-as-you-go writers, refuse to acknowledge that the massive thieving now going on could lead to one and only one thing - the disintegration of community, region and state with dire consequences for all innocent Sierra Leoneans who continue to suffer in silence and are not a part of the state resources plundering machine oiled and kept running from the heart of State House itself. You would think it is the God-given right of King Rat and his caboodle to steal, steal and steal. That they are not accountable to anyone not even their conscience, assuming there's any left in the pool of moral bankruptcy in which they swim exposing their ill-gotten wealth. The reckless spending of the peoples' resources and wealth highlighted in audit reports, like this AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF OVERSEAS MISSIONS AND HIGH COMMISSIONS FOR THE PERIOD 1ST JANUARY 2003 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2010 and the failure to hold those responsible to account shows all too clearly that the smoke and mirrors State House occupant does not care about such reports and so it was with quite some interest when we heard that he was trying to make good on Sierra Leone's suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Why the suspension? Again the government and the various functionaries simply cannot figure out their basic arithmetic and this from a rat who once headed an insurance body that did simple and somehow complex sums that determined just how much the insured should pay on a monthly or yearly basis or whatever time reference in question. In the EITI all that is being asked for is transparency and some honesty in reporting what is paid into government coffers by the various industries - and this is not confined to mining alone as oil blocks sales and allied fields appear to be yielding more money into the coffers (read thieving paws of the rat of a President). On the website of EITI there's an interesting report for Wednesday January 22 with the headline - "Big jump in revenues from Sierra Leone's extractives sector" with the sweetener that "revenues are up by almost four times but remain a small part of the economy".

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SMOKE AND MIRRORS OCCUPANT OF STATE HOUSE GOES BERSERK - SEES MORE THAN RED IN JOURNALISTS WHO REFUSE TO BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP AT HIS ALTAR OF UNBRIDLED CORRUPTION, FALSEHOOD, CHICANERY AND SHEER INCOMPETENCE.

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