Ubumongameli bukaGeorge W. Bush buyawohloka ngaphansi kwesisindo sokungakwazi kwabo ukusebenza. Ukuvota kuyazikhulumela-amaphesenti angama-35 kuphela ethu agunyaza ukusebenza kwakhe. Amaphesenti angamashumi amahlanu nesithupha-kuhlanganisa oyedwa kwabane Republican-athi impi e-Iraq bekungafanele ukulwa, futhi abangaphezu kwesigamu bakholelwa Bush wadukisa izwe ngamabomu ukuba alethe United States empini. Impendulo evela ku-White House ibilokhu ibikezelwa kabi: Ungawavumeli amaphutha futhi ujikeleze, uhlikihle noma ushise abagxeki bakho. NgoMsombuluko uBush uthe, "Umuntu oyedwa kuphela osebenzise ubufakazi futhi wadukisa umhlaba-futhi lowo muntu kwakunguSaddam Hussein." (Kuyahlekisa, bengingazi ukuthi "siholwa" nguSaddam Hussein.) UBush waqhubeka nokusola abaphikisi ngokubhala kabusha okwedlule. Kodwa lokhu kuPhatha, okuye kwachaza kabusha igama elithi “Orwellian” esizukulwaneni esisha, kuyawuhlonipha umlando ngendlela ehlonipha ngayo Izingqungquthela zaseGeneva. Eqinisweni, babonakala bejabulela ukushaya kanye nokubhala kabusha umlando womdlalo nje.
Lokhu kwabonakala ngokucacile ngoNovemba 9, lapho uBush elenga indondo ngasentanyeni exegayo, enganyakazi yowayengumpetha wesibhakela we-heavyweight–kanye nomphikisi wempi owaziwa kakhulu emlandweni waseMelika—u-Muhammad Ali. U-Ali ubengomunye walabo abahlomule ngendondo yePresidential Medal of Freedom emcimbini weWhite House. Bush, ngenkathi u-Karl Rove no-Donald Rumsfeld behleka ngemuva kwakhe, wathi, “Bambalwa abasubathi abake baziwa njengabakhulu emdlalweni wabo, noma ngesikhathi sabo. Kodwa uma uthi, ‘Okukhulu Kunazo Zonke Isikhathi’ usegunjini, wonke umuntu uyazi ukuthi usho ukuthini. Kuwukuzisho okuthile, kodwa njengoba u-Muhammad Ali ake asho, ‘Akukhona ukuqhosha uma ungakwazi ukukusekela.’ Futhi lendoda yasekela lokho…. Imfihlakalo yangempela, ngiqagele, ukuthi wahlala kanjani emuhle kangaka. [Uhleko.] Cishe kwakuphathelene nomphefumulo wakhe omuhle. Ubengumlwi onolaka futhi eyindoda yokuthula.”
Ngenkathi ngibuka i-video yomcimbi efakwe kusizindalwazi se-White House, kwakudabukisa ukubona uBush, indoda yombuso enenhliziyo yenkukhu, ezigeza ngokukhazimula kuka-Ali futhi ekhuluma “ngokuthula.” Ukubona u-Ali owayekade engenakunqotshwa, evinjezelwe ama-Parkinsons kanye nokuwohloka komqondo, amehlo aqoshwe phezulu, izandla ziqhaqhazela, eholwa “uMongameli wezempi” ozichaza ngokwakhe kwazizwa kwethusa. Okuwukuphela kwento uBush no-Ali abafana ngayo ukuthi bobabili bagudluze izintaba ukuze bangahlali eVietnam. Umehluko, vele, kwaba ngenkathi u-Ali edela isihloko sakhe futhi efaka iminyaka engcupheni ejele likahulumeni, uBush wajoyina iklabhu yezwe eyaziwa ngokuthi i-Texas National Guard, efika emsebenzini njalo lapho eqokwe udokotela wamazinyo. Kodwa u-Champ wayesenentambo yokugcina emkhononi wakhe. Njengoba uBush odlalayo ehamba phambi kuka-Ali, ngokusobala wacabanga ukuthi kungaba kuhle ukubeka izibhakela zakhe endaweni yesibhakela. U-Ali wahlehla wanyakazisa ithempeli lakhe, sengathi uMongameli kufanele ukuthi uyahlanya ukuze afune ukuhilizisana naye ngisho namanje.
Lo mzuzu ukhumbule u-Ali owayengakaze athandwe kangaka, ethandeka kangaka, engenangozi. Lokhu kwaba amazwibela adlulayo ka-Ali owake wakwazi ukusho izinto ezazingenza u-John Ashcroft afune ukuxoshwa kombuso ngezimali. Lona kwakungu-Ali owathi, “Angiyena umKristu. Ngeke ngikwazi ukuba lapho ngibona bonke abantu bekhaladi belwela ukuhlanganiswa ngenkani beqhunyiswa. Bashaywa ngamatshe futhi bahlafunwa yizinja bese lezi zigebengu ziqhumisa isonto lamaNegro…. Abantu bahlale bengitshela ukuthi bengingaba yisibonelo esihle kanjani ukube bengingeyena umSulumane. Ngizwile kaningi ukuthi kungani ngingakwazi ukufana noJoe Louis noSugar Ray [Robinson]. Hhayi-ke, sebehambile futhi isimo somuntu omnyama siyafana, akunjalo? Sisabambe isihogo.”
Ngaleso sikhathi, u-Ali wayekwazi ukugxeka ngempi eyayelulekwa kabi, engenabulungiswa: “Kungani kufanele bangicele ukuthi ngigqoke umfaniswano futhi ngihambe amakhilomitha angu-10,000 ukusuka ekhaya ngiwise amabhomu nezinhlamvu kubantu abansundu eVietnam kuyilapho labo ababizwa ngokuthi abantu baseNegro I-Louisville iphathwa njengezinja futhi inqatshelwe amalungelo abantu alula? Cha, angihambi amamayela ayi-10,000 ukusuka ekhaya ukusiza ukubulala nokushisa esinye isizwe esimpofu ukuze nje ngiqhubeke nokubusa kwabaphathi bezigqila ezimhlophe zabantu abamnyama emhlabeni jikelele. Lolu wusuku lapho ububi obunjalo kufanele buphele khona. Ngiye ngaxwayiswa ukuthi ukuthatha isinyathelo esinjalo kungangidla izigidi zamaRandi. Kodwa sengishilo kanye futhi ngizophinda futhi. Isitha sangempela bakithi sesifikile. Ngeke ngiphoxe inkolo yami, abantu bami noma mina ngokwami ngokuba ithuluzi lokugqilaza labo abalwela ubulungisa babo, inkululeko nokulingana…. Uma bengicabanga ukuthi impi izoletha inkululeko nokulingana kubantu bami abayizigidi ezingama-22, bekungeke kudingeke bangibhalele, ngizojoyina kusasa. Akukho engingalahlekelwa ngakho ngokumelela izinkolelo zami. Ngakho ngizoya ejele, pho? Sesihlale ejele iminyaka engu-400.” Ukube u-Ali washo izinto ezinjalo namuhla ngempi yethu yamanje, bekungeke kumtholele indondo kodwa uhambo lokuya eGitmo.
Njengoba imbongi enkulu uSonia Sanchez ikhumbula inkathi yegolide ka-Ali, “Kunzima manje ukudlulisa imizwa yangaleso sikhathi. Lesi kwakusesikhathi lapho kungekho bantu abaziwayo ababephikisana nohlaka. Kwakuyimpi eyayibulala abafowethu abancane abansundu ngendlela engafanele, nansi lensizwa emnandi nehlekisayo yezinkondlo isukuma ithi cha! Ake ucabange nje! Umpetha we-heavyweight, indoda enomlingo, ekhipha impi yakhe eringini futhi wayingena enkundleni yezombusazwe futhi ime iqinile. Umlayezo uthunyelwe!”
Mhlawumbe inkokhiso efanelekile neyiqiniso ka-Ali yaboniswa embukisweni wokulwa nempi ngenyanga edlule, lapho owesifazane osekhulile wozalo lwase-Afrika ephethe uphawu olufundeka kalula, “Akekho um-Iraqi owake wangishiya ngifela ophahleni.” Lokhu kwakuwukubhekisela ngokuqondile esicaphuneni esishiwo u-Ali sokuthi “akekho umuntu waseVietnam owake wangibiza ngokuthi ‘nomubi.’” Zombili izitatimende ngamagama ambalwa amafushane zihlanganisa kokubili intukuthelo nokusebenzelana kwamazwe ngamazwe okudingekayo namuhla. Lezi izitatimende akuzona ezokuthula kodwa zomzabalazo wokuqeda impi. Lona ngu-Ali abangeke bakwazi ukumngcwaba—ngisho ngaphansi kokugula okulimazayo kanye nentaba yezindondo ezishibhile.
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