News Tidbits: Bookeristas

Here are news stories involving black moderates to black conservatives, from around the world:

Ghana: Sunyani Debates Busia's Bust Removal

A cross-section of people in the southwestern city of Sunyani have expressed varied opinions on an alleged plan by city authorities to remove the bust of Kofi Abrefa Busia, the late Prime Minister and an icon of Ghana's center-right, from Jubilee Park. They also spoke about a recent pronouncement by regional minister Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo that the park would be re-named after the late Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first Prime Minister and a socialist. B. K. Ameyaw, regional head of the center-left Convention Peoples Party, said there was the need to find out what motivated the previous center-right government to change the former name of the park, Kwame Nkrumah Park, to Jubilee Park. He said that action was unfair to Mr. Nkrumah and a distortion of the region's history. However, Anthony Kofi Kusi, a regional leader of the center-right New Patriotic Party, described the planned removal of the bust as “out of place”. He stated that Mr. Busia was one time a leader of the nation and a personality of the region, so erecting a bust to immortalize him makes sense. Mr. Kusi further said that Mr. Nkrumah was instrumental in Ghana’s independence struggle and nation-building “and we don’t object to re-naming the park after Kwame Nkrumah”. He suggested that a statue of Mr. Nkrumah be erected alongside that of Mr. Busia, if they so wish, in memory of the two personalities.

Netherlands: Hirsi Ali Ends Suit Against The State

Former Member of Parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who now lives in the U.S., has ended her lawsuit by which she wanted to force the Dutch government to underwrite her security costs (article in Dutch). During the summer, the Somali-born moderate-conservative feminist presented a series of witnesses under oath. From these testimonies the former politician hoped to gather evidence for a civil lawsuit against the state. However, the state contended during interrogation that Ms. Hirsi Ali knew that the state eventually would stop paying for her security abroad. Employees of Ms. Hirsi Ali, however, contended that two state officials promised to ensure her security in the U.S. Ms. Hirsi Ali, a vocal critic of Islam who faces numerous death threats, left the Netherlands in September 2006 to the United States after discussions broke out over her Dutch citizenship. She had given false information about her real name, her age and the country she arrived from when originally applying for asylum in the Netherlands. Ms. Hirsi Ali now raises funds for her own security costs.

USA: Davis Clarifies Gambling Position

U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), wants Alabama voters to be clear. The moderate Democrat supports taxing and regulating the gambling industry in the state, but he's not staking his campaign on it. "As governor, he will tax and regulate existing gambling in Alabama," said Alex Goepfert, communications director for Rep. Davis' gubernatorial campaign. "And he will tax it at a rate that is at or above the national average." Rep. Davis faces fellow Democrat Ron Sparks in the 2010 primary, in his bid to become Alabama's first black governor. Mr. Goepfert would not say "yes" or "no" to whether Rep. Davis supports a statewide lottery, but he said that Rep. Davis has said on numerous occasions that "he won't stand in the way of a lottery if that's what voters want."

France: Rama Yade Proposes Three Anti-Hooliganism Measures For Soccer Stadiums

This is in the wake of a French soccer fan who was beaten to death in Serbia. The French Secretary of State for Sport proposed these measures (article in French): (1) create a national prevention unit, (2) identify "best practice" clubs in order to spread their activities to other clubs, and (3) nationally coordinate "a genuine federation of supporters able to interact with government." "We must create a national unit to prevent and fight against violence in the Ministry of Sports", said the moderate-conservative politico, who is also France's most popular political figure in polls and is the former French Secretary of State for Human Rights.