(HERALD) SUNDAY MAIL EDITORIAL COMMENT:Major Ray warfare tactics in disarray

SUNDAY MAIL EDITORIAL COMMENT:Major Ray warfare tactics in disarray
Saturday, 30 July 2011 22:58 Opinion

Mr Ray was part of America’s genocidal army that committed unspeakable atrocities in Vietnam. If you ever doubted that the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West are an act of war, ask yourself why the United States has deployed a soldier as its ambassador here.

Charles Aaron Ray is a chap who cut his aggressive teeth in the US Army, attaining the rank of major. Forget the cheap lie that this man is a “retired” soldier. Major Ray is still an active agent of the military-industrial complex that rules America. Much like President Barack Obama — who is facing financial Armageddon as you read this — Major Ray is the white master’s convenient tool, described by Professor Jonathan Moyo as Washington’s Uncle Tom in Harare.

Ambassador Ray is struggling in Harare. He is having to work overtime to keep his discredited imperialist agenda alive. His information warfare tactics are in utter disarray. After all, winning the hearts and minds of fiercely independent Zimbabweans is not as easy as dropping napalm bombs on innocent Vietnamese villagers. This is Zimbabwe.

On Thursday, Mr Ray left all sane persons shaking their heads in disbelief when he told a Southern African Political Economy Series (Sapes) dialogue on the future of US-Zimbabwe relations that his government does not support any Zimbabwean political party. He said Washington does not care who wins the election in Zimbabwe as long as the polls are a “legitimate, non-violent and credible electoral contest”.

Really? Since when? Every man and his dog know that the US has been channelling money to the MDC and non-governmental organisations to effect illegal regime change in Zimbabwe.

And for good measure, we today publish, in our In-Depth section, a list detailing some of the regime-change projects funded by Washington. Zimbabweans are not fooled, Mr Ambassador.

We know, of course, that the ambassador is a habitual writer of fiction. But to claim that the US does not favour any political party in Zimbabwe is to take fiction to astonishing heights.

When Ray was sworn in as ambassador on October 20 2009, the US State Department lauded his “political and military skill-set”. This would enable him “to handle American relations with one of Africa’s most contentious regimes”. Even at that early stage, it was clear that regime-change was the only game in town.

Mr Ray presented his diplomatic credentials to President Robert Mugabe at State House on December 9 2009.

Zimbabweans, obviously misled by his black skin, assumed that this man would work hard with others in mending the tattered US-Zimbabwe relations. It was a futile hope. US shenanigans in this country have increased and expanded in ways that are yet to be fully revealed.