UNIVERSAL LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY FROM KENYA'S CHAOTIC PARTY NOMINATIONS

 From missing ballot papers to delayed voting by up to seven hours the nominations were simply a sham and a shame perhaps a true reflection of the leadership we expect to derive from such a process.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000075266&story_title=Kenya-Kenya%E2%80%99s-sham-nominations
Apart from laughs,surprises and some genuine shockers our recent party nominations revealed the underlying ugliness of democracy as a system of government. No process will ever guarantee morally upright leaders.No magic formula exists to make a saint out of an ordinary individual aspiring to leadership. Democracy by its nature can't manufacture such an undemocratic process. Therefore we will continue to suffer the sight of clowns,comedians and criminals and fools feted as democratically chosen leaders.
This isn't mutually exclusive to Kenya,Africa or indeed the 3rd world;contrary to the unformed notions of first year political science students its a worldwide phenomenon. The 'mature democracies' in Europe and N.America also experience political conmanship. The people project all their hopes onto cardboard characters ,charlatans & ruthless mind controlled candidates and suffer the consequences-again and again.

This is Rod Blagojevich.Until his arrest in 2008 he was the Illinois governor. This 'reformer,'allegedly attempted to sell his seat for 6 mn $. Here is his charge sheet:wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery, extortion conspiracy and bribery conspiracy. The charges involved a series of situations in which, prosecutors say, he tried to gain campaign contributions or other benefits for enacting legislation, for releasing grant money and for appointing a new senator, as Illinois law requires the governor to do, after Mr. Obama was elected in 2008.

 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/rod_r_blagojevich/index.html

But this is small potatoes compared to the shenanigans of the patriarch of the foremost political clan in the US,toasted by all as American Royalty. Joseph P. Kennedy,father of Ted  and the famous martyrs to secret oligarchy JFK and RFK was widely reported by researchers and criminals to have been a bootlegger in prohibition days. Unlike his confreres,his drive and education enabled him to reinvent himself and go completely legit.

 In 1973 mob boss Frank Costello said he and Kennedy had been bootlegging partners. Other underworld figures have also claimed Joe was in pretty deep. At least one writer (Davis, 1984) thinks bootlegging enabled Joe to earn his initial financial stake, but that's hard to believe; he had plenty of chances to make money more or less legally.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/716/what-is-the-true-source-of-the-kennedy-familys-wealth

By the mid 50s,Forbes declared his net worth to be roughly 300 mn $. He was able to use his influence with hoodlums to get JFK elected.
Even China's burgeoning mega rich show that politics,big money and shady life styles are inextricably linked . No less an authority than Forbes recently stated 90% of the riches are Politburo members.
So,Dear Reader,the next time a youngster in the diaspora lectures us on the unsuitability of our leaders buy him this special brew-on me.

FINALLY,THE KNS JASIRI ARRIVES

This 7 year saga is actually a story of foreign sabotage by local endlessly yelping activist NGOs in league with their paymaster,Edward Clay,ex Johnny Brit high commissioner and well known Kenyan media mediocrity,whose practitioners can't comprehend basic national security needs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10DDMSRVQgo
Firstly the price of 4.2 bn shs for a brand new 85 m corvette was considered a bargain when the ink was signed and still compares well with other ship builders prices. Though,such matters are secretive and subject to geopolitics and special arrangements here's a reliable source giving some idea of the price range of a 500-2000 ton corvette :

The Another 2010 estimate of the market for corvettes over the ten years 2010-2020 pegged the value at up to $4.5 billion based on an average vessel unit price of around $215 million

 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/frigates.htm

These are 2 gunboats the Shupavu and Shujaa:

 Kenya ,also is fast expanding its regional footprint and needs more capable craft than the 6 or so 56 meter gunboats in its navy. The intent was to serve as a oceanographic survey vessel as originally described to pave the way for 1 or 2 inshore subs,likely Pakistani or Indian. Ideally,if the KNS Jasiri had arrived in 2005 as expected another similar vessel would have been arriving and within 5 years E.Africa would see its first underwater warship. The delay has thrown the purchase plan behind schedule though the plan for sub acquisition hasn't been and will not be shelved.
Of course,our 'development partners,'couldn't countenance a situation in which there is the barest hint of the possibility of potential  independent military action by capable independent minded 3rd worlders,(look at the snide remarks when Operation linda nchi kicked off) so the Navy expansion program threw them into overdrive with familiar patterns of active sabotage and media complicity. Though Kenya pales behind major arms purchasers,such actions lose the standard suppliers,the Brits influence,in their eyes almost as important as cold hard cash.
The story indirectly reveals the necessity of starting serious local ship building and weapons system manufacture. At this juncture,we've the human resource to licence build. The Nigerians have begun with a small 100 foot brown water inshore craft seen here;

while the Vietnamese have theirs.

Hopefully,someone on the brass is thinking along these lines to prevent being held hostage to the usual foreign interests
Related:http://karanjazplace.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-war-in-somalia.html