What I Think About What Other People Say (WITAWOPS)

I mourn USAID the way we knew it. The agency that I worked for a decade has essentially disappeared, with only a fraction of it reincarnated and subsumed into the State Department. I empathize with all my former USAID colleagues, contractors, grantees, sub-grantees, recipients, project beneficiaries, vendors, and suppliers in the United States and around the world. All of you are economically and emotionally harmed. The battle will ensue in the Courts and in the end, Congress will have no choice but to act (see my January 4 post explaining this locus of power). The next incarnation of US Foreign Assistance will be skinny, laser-focused, more intertwined with U.S. Peace and Security, and obviously A.I.-driven. Disclaimer: the views expressed in this post are solely my own, published under my first amendment rights, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government or any of its current or former federal agencies. What Other People Say Designed by  Freepik “Aft...

"All the world's a stage" monologue from As You Like It by William Shakespeare (Act II, Scene VII): "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. His acts being seven ages.  At first the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail, unwillingly to school.  And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow.  Then a soldier, full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard. Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel. Seeking the bubble reputation, even in the cannon’s mouth.  And then the justice, in fair round belly, with good capon lined. With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws, and modern instances;  And so he plays his part.  The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon. With ...

When I think of limits on free speech, I usually think of public safety (like not shouting "fire" in a crowded theater) or speech that directly harms or credibly threatens someone. But two questions really stand out: (1) Is retribution for free speech a form of free speech? (2) Where do we draw the line between these logical limits on free speech and just plain irresponsible speech? I never thought I'd quote Idi Amin Dada, the former President of Uganda, especially since he expelled all non-native Ugandans, including many of my own family members from the country in the early 1970s. But the dictator’s words still ring true half a century later: “There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.” --- Idi Amin (former President of Uganda, Inaugural Speech, 1971),  What Do I Think? Idi Amin's statement reflects those of past, present, and future global dictators, kings, or those who want to be kings. Growing up in Kenya in the 1980s, I understood t...

Portland’s Summer of Rage, coffee shop boycotts, and university campus protests are recent examples of Americans attempting to influence a particular outcome. But were they successful? Today I offer a recent practical example of a successful boycott. "Our audacious, innovative, and patient actions, backed by USAID and the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, offered a twenty-first-century example of a successful, peaceful protest. I reaffirmed what history had taught me, that organized campaigns, grounded in economic impact, are more powerful than standalone protests." -Galeeb Kachra, 2021 What Do I Think? Were recent protests as successful as the lunch room boycotts in the 1960s that led to the civil rights movement in the American south or Gandhi’s 1930s salt march in India that led to Indian independence? In 2009, I had the opportunity to help apply the lunch room and salt march lessons to help Kenyan youth stop the illegal development of a public park. The Illegal Grab “Taifa Park, ...

Today I explore whether we can and do forgive past leaders for their mistakes. “ The American administration made many mistakes against other peoples. Will every American citizen, every American soldier be asked: “Why were you with them? Why were you with them?” He will respond, saying that there was an administration, and there were inherent circumstances unique to this time and place that imposed on me to be here. Administrations are making bad decisions. The American people cannot all bear the responsibility.” Foreign Leader, 2021 What I think Unfortunately, as individuals, communities, and nations, we make mistakes—only God is perfect. Sometimes, hopefully, we acknowledge them, learn from them, and take meaningful steps to repent, make amends, and remember. The alternative is to ignore and forget, to follow the ostrich policy .  I don’t enjoy visiting the Washington State Fairgrounds. The venue proudly boasts on its website, “The Washington State Fair Events Center is the large...

In a January 2009 interview, President Obama confirmed that the United States “was the only Western power with no colonial legacy.” Stuart Whatley, a contributing editor for the Huffington Post, wrote “America is not a colonial power” in an unfortunately named article in 2010. What do I think Both President Barack Obama and Stuart Wheatley were entirely mistaken in believing that the United States lacks a colonial legacy, either in the past or at the present time. Our history is a prime example of how facts and truths can be spun, reinterpreted, and ultimately morphed into widely accepted narratives. While school textbooks and our national discourse often present a sanitized version of events, the advent of artificial intelligence offers a quick and simple tool to explore multiple perspectives. Curious about this dynamic, I asked ChatGPT to analyze whether the President's 2009 statement truly reflected historical reality. It said: “Obama's statement highlights America's sel...