Monday, September 27, 2010

Inawezekana!!
ELIMU, AFYA, MAJI, UMEME (BURE AMA KWA GHARAMA NAFUU VIPO NDANI YA UWEZO WETU)

Wana JF na watz kwa ujumla, napenda kuchukua fursa hii kuwaletea mada hii tuijadili. Kwa mtazamo wangu upatikanaji wa elimu na afya bila gharama yoyote ni suala ambalo lipo ndani kabisa ya uwezo wa nchi yetu. Kinachokosekana ni utashi pekee.

Serikali yetu imeshindwa kukusanya kodi na hivyo kushindwa kutoa huduma hizo kwa jamii. Kukusanya kodi ni jambo la kitaalam na linalohitaji ubunifu wa hali ya juu, kwani wlipa kodi kila kukicha huamka na mbinu mpya za kukwepa kodi. Sasa ukizingatia uhalisia wa serikali yetu, na kukithiri kwa rushwa nchini, utaona jinsi kodi inavyokusanywa kiasi kidogo sana, huku mzigo mzito wakiangushiwa wafanyakazi wa sekta rasmi.

Nitoe mfano mdogo tu jinsi tunavyokosa mapato. Natumai kila mmoja wetu kwa namna moja ama nyingine anatumia mawasiliano ya simu za mkononi. Na kila unaponunua muda wa hewani unalipa kodi ya ongezeko la thamani (VAT) 18%. Katika kila sh. 100 unayotumia shs. 15.25 (Sh. 100 inajumuisha VAT) inakuwa ni VAT (pesa ya serikali).

Kuna watumiaji waliosajiliwa wapatao milioni 9. Iwapo kwa siku hao watumiaji milioni 9 wanatumia shilingi 100, serikali inapaswa kupata sh. 137,250,000/- kwa mwezi 4,117,500,000/-. Hapo tunaweza kukusanya zaidi na zaidi iwapo tu serikali itakusanya kodi toka kwenye chanzo (tax at source), na si mfumo uliopo (tax on invoice). Yaani wakati makampuni ya simu yanapomkata mteja anapopiga simu na serikali ipate kodi yake palepale (kuweka mtandao unaofanya kazi sambamba na mitambo ya makampuni ya simu).

Hiyo ni changamoto moja tu, lakini tunamaeneo mengi sana yanayoweza kuifanya nchi hii kuwa na surplus budget. Bila kusahau Tanzania ni Dubai ya ukanda huu, naishia hapo, naomba michango yenu.

CHAGUA KIONGOZI BORA

Kiongozi Bora: Amua, Chagua
Wanajanvi, nawasilisha


Wadau inaonyesha kweli mnataka mabadiliko ya dhati. Ujumbe huu uwasaidie kufikia maamuzi ya dhati 31 Oktoba 2010. Mimi siwaambii nani mumchague lakini ninyi mnajua nani wa kumchagua atakae saidia kuyapunguza haya makali ya maisha. With kind regards, Mpenda Mabadiliko.
KIONGOZI BWM Vs JK
MWAKA 2000 -2004 Vs 2005-2009

Unga 460 Vs 1000 = 217%
Mchele 600 Vs 1200 = 200%
Sukari 760/kg Vs 1600/kg = 210%
Mkate 250 Vs 700 = 280%
Maharagwe 360/kg Vs 1000/kg = 277%
Mafuta ya taa 450/lt Vs 1050 = 233%
Mafuta ya uto 178/lt Vs 720/lt = 404%
Nazi 100 Vs 550 = 550%
Mchicha/tembele 50 Vs 150 = 300%

unalipwa 100,000/-kwa mwezi kwa jedwali la hapo juu kila siku lazima
ununue unga robo 400, mchele nusu 300, uto kibaba 125, mafta taa
kipimo 300, sabuni nusu kipande 50, sukari robo 400, maharagwe robo
250, mkaa nusu kisado 300, nauli go & return 500, maji ya kunywa 500,
hapo ni bachalor kwa siku ni 3,125 mara 30 = 93,750 kwa mwezi. Okay
kodi kwa mwezi 20,000/- umeme 6000 kwa mwezi =total kwa mwezi ni
120,000/- je hiyo 20,000/- ziada katoa wapi????? ndo hizo mwisho wa
siku zina wapeleka jela au kuwanaachishwa kazi. Je maisha bora hapo
atoe wapi? Na je angekuwa na mtoto wa shule au watoto wawili? hapo
hajaumwa, hajatembelewa na mgeni akamnunulia soda, hajanunua nguo
nyingine!!!! Huyu mnaempigia kura hayajui hayo na hatambui kama una
familia kijijini pia. wao wanatibiwa na serikali, mafuta ya magari
kwao ni sawa na kumuuliza bibi akupigie story ya sungura. wenzie
wakitaka ongezo la mshahara wanajadiliwa in 2Hrs jibu tayari ila
waalimu na wenzao.........! 3 years.

Yeye huyu JeyKey na hao wapambe wake na hao wanajipendekeza kama
Shigongo waulizeni watoto zao ni akinani? utaambiwa mbunge, mara yuko
BOT mara yule wa mwisho yuko ulaya kamtembelea shangazi yake, mara
yuko busy na tenda ya kusuply komputa Wizarani.
Wewe je unae mpigia
kura tupe wasifu wako hata hao watoto wako na wategemezi wako. Hata
baiskeli kule kijijini huna wala wazazi wako ndo unakesha kuwaombea
wasiumwe kwa kuwa gharama za hospitali zitakuwa zako.

Muulize kesi za mafisadi vipi? Na je wanampango gani? utaambiwa yuko
busy na harakati ya kutafuta ulaji kwa mara ya pili.

Hao wapambe wake na mawaziri wanaendesha magari gani utaambiwa aah
wana tano tano kila wizara VBV8, uliza bei zake kila moja, inatumia
mafuta kiasi gani kwa mwezi, na majukumu yake ni yapi? Na je
zinakoenda akina RAV4, Suzuki, BMW ndogondogo hawafiki? Utaambiwa
wanawahi kuwasilisha agenda. KWEEELI?

Na je hizo gharama za uendeshaji fedha zinatoka wapi? Utajibiwa kwenye
mfuko wa serikali. Waulize serikali ina miradi gani ya kuweza
kuendesha hayo magari tu achana na posho zao na mengineyo? Jibu ni
KODI ZENU wananchi waungwana tulio na amani na utulivu kwetu. KWEELI
kwa mshahara wa laki mbili zangu/zako?

FUNGUENI MACHO NA AKILI ZENU WAUNGWANA. Wenzenu Zenji wameshaliona
hili wameamua kujichorea MIPAKA yao Mapema.

MTAENDELEA KUZUBAISHWA NA STORI ZA KUTUNGA NA UDAKU NA KUSHANGILIA MISAFARA MIREFU YA KAMPENI INAYOUNDWA KWA KODI ZENU.

Kauli Mbiu Ya LOWASSA
MGOMBEA wa nafasi ya Ubunge wa Jimbo la Monduli kupitia tiketi ya CCM, Edward Lowassa, jana alizindua rasmi kampeni zake akiwa na kauli mbiu ya aina yake kwa wananchi wa Monduli.

Kaulimbiu ya Lowassa ambaye anawania tena nafasi hiyo, ni 'tulifurahi pamoja, tukahuzunika pamoja, tutasonga mbele pamoja na tutashinda.'

Kaulimbiu hiyo, inalenga katika kuzungumzia tukio lililomfanya alijiuzulu nafasi ya uwazi mkuu baada ya kutajwa na kamati maalum ya bunge, kuwa alihusika na kuisaidia kampuni yenye utata ya Richmond, kupata zabuni ya kuzalisha umeme na baadaye ilibainika haikuwa hakuwa na uwezo.

Akizungumza katika mkutano mkubwa wa hadhara uliofanyika katika mji wa Mto wa Mbu, Lowassa alisema katika kipindi chake cha ubunge, ametekeleza kwa asilimia 99 ilani ya chama chake.


"Katika kipindi changu cha ubunge nimetekeleza ilani ya chama vizuri na sasa tunahitaji kuendeleza yale ambayo tumefikia na kubuni miradi mipya ya afya, maji na elimu,"alisema Lowassa.

Mgombea huyo ambaye alikuwa akishangiliwa mara kwa mara kwa wananchi kuimba kaulimbiu yake, alisema anataka katika uchaguzi wa mwaka huu, achaguliwe kwa kura zote na kuhakikisha kuwa mgombea wa Urais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania kupitia tiketi ya CCM, Jayaka Kikwete, atapata kura nyingi kuliko majimbo yote hapa nchini.

"Kama mlivyomuahidi Rais, naomba katika uchaguzi huu tuvunje rekodi ili jimbo letu liongoze kwa kumpigia kura nyingi,"alisema Lowassa.

Katika mkutano huo, Lowassa alieleza mikakati kadhaa ya kusaidia jimbo hilo,kama atachaguliwa kuwawakilisha wananchi kwa muhula mwingine wa miaka mitano ijayo.

Katika sekta ya elimu, alisema anakusudia kuwa jimbo hilo linakuwa na shule za sekondari tatuzi za kidato cha tano.

Alisema katika sekta ya maji, akichaguliwa atafanya jitihada za kusambaza maji katika maeneo yote yenye upungufu na kwamba pia atafanya mikakati ya kuwawezesha vijana kupata mikopo.

Mgombea huyo pia alisema kama atachanguliwa, atasaidia upatikanaji wa mikopo kwa wafugaji wa jimbo hilo ili waweze kufuga kisasa.

Lowassa alisema tayari kiasi cha Dola 30,000 za Kimarekani, kimepatikana kwa ajili ya mikopo hiyo.

Kwa upande wake, Mwenyekiti wa CCM wa Mkoa wa Arusha, Onesmo Nangole, aliwataka wale wote wanaowania viti vya udiwani na ubunge katika Mkoa wa Arusha, kushughulikia kero za wananchi kama watachaguliwa.

Nangole alisema kamwe CCM haitavumilia kuona viongozi waliochaguliwa na wananchi, wakikaa kimywa badala ya kufuatilia na kutatua kero za wananchi.
Mtanzania Halisi
UBISHI TUUU!!!! CHAGUO LA mungu LIMEFANYA MAMBO


UBISHI TUUU: HUU UTITIRI WA MASHANGINGI SIO UTHIBITISHO WA MAISHA BORA?SASA HIYO NI AWAMU YA KWANZA.AWAMU IJAYO NI BAJAJ KWA WAJAWAZITO NCHI NZIMA

MAJI BWERERE

MAISHA BORA KWA KILA MTANZANIA YAMEWEZEKANA


USHAHIDI WA MAISHA BORA UNAONEKANA HATA KWA WATOTO WADOGO




YOU SEE, TATIZO LA MAJI MIJINI NA VIJIJINI LIMEPATIWA UFUMBUZI WA KUDUMU

TATIZO LA USAFIRI KWA WANAFUNZI MIJINI LIMEMALIZWA.MNATAKA MAISHA BORA YAPI ZAIDI YA HAYA?




MNAONA?POLISI WENYE MAKAZI DUNI SASA WANA SWIMMING POOL HAPO MSIMBAZI POLICE FLATS.MAISHA BORA KWA POLISI YAMEPELEKEA WAACHE KUDAI RUSHWA NA KUBAMBIKIZA KESI KWA WALALAHOI
KURA ZA ALBINO ZIMEZAA MATUNDA.HUYO MGOMBEA WA CCM WANAYEDAI NI MTUHUMIWA WA BIASHARA YA VIUNGO VYA ALBINO NI SIASA ZA MAJITAKA TU


HATA SUPAMODO NAOMI CAMPBELL ALIPOTEMBELEZA TANZANIA ALIRIDHISHWA NA HALI ALIYOKUTA WODI YA AKINAMAMA.NA AKATOA MACHOZI YA FURAHA


BARABARA ZETU NI MARIDADI.TUMELETEWA MATREKTA MENGI MNO KWA KILIMO KWANZA HADI INABIDI YAFANYE KAZI YA KUVUTA MALORI.EBO!KWANI CHA AJABU NINI TREKTA KUVUTA LORI?NI FERI ZA NCHI KAVU HIZO


CHAGUA KIKWETE NA CCM KWA BARABARA BORA.NA 2010-2015 BARABARA KAMA HIYO HAPO JUU ZITAKUWA UPGRADED TO FLYOVER.


SERIKALI YA KIKWETE IMEWAJALI SANA WANAFUNZI NA KUWANUNULIA MADAWATI BORA MNO HADI YANAWACHOSHA KUYAKALIA NA KUAMUA KUKAA SAKAFUNI

HAPANA.KOSA LA MSOMI HUYO WA CHUO KIKUU ANAYEFUKUZWA NA FFU NI KUGOMA KUCHUKUA HELA ZA KUJIKIMU ZILIZOINGIZWA KWENYE AKAUNTI YAKE KABLA HAJAWASILI CHUONI.HAPO ASKARI WA FFU ANAMHAMASISHA MSOMI HUYO AENDE BENKI.CHAGUA KIKWETE USOME KWA RAHA MUSTAREHE


NDIO MAANA RAIS MPENDWA JAKAYA KIKWETE ALISEMA MIMBA ZA WANAFUNZI NI KIMBELEMBELE CHAO TU.ANGALIA MWENYEWE MAZINGIRA BORA KABISA YA NAMNA VIJANA WETU WANAVYOPATA ELIMU.KIKWETE OYEEE


BAADA YA MABILIONI YA KIKWETE,NA KAGODA KUREJESHA MABILIONI,SASA MAISHA BORA NI KWA MWENDO WA PIPI KWA KILA MTOTO.YAH,PIPI KWANZA KISHA LAPTOP KWA KILA MWANAFUNZI.HALAFU HUYO SLAA ANAPOSEMA ATATOA ELIMU YA BURE KWANI MIE NAUZA HIZI PIPI?


SAFARI MOJA HUANZISHA NYINGINE.KWANI MLIPONICHAGUA MLITAKA NIOTE MATENDE IKULU?

MFANO HAI WA AMANI NA UTULIVU


ZAPATERO ANAELEKEA KUSHANGAA: HIVI KAMA HUYO JAMAA ANA MAWAZO YA HALI YA JUU KIASI HIKI KWANINI BADO NCHI YAKE NI MASIKINI?NO,HAPO KIKWETE ANAHUBIRI KUHUSU CHANZO CHA UMASIKINI WA AFRIKA JAPO HAFAHAMU KWANINI TANZANIA NI MASIKINI


AKINAMAMA WAMEPEWA KIPAUMBELE CHA HALI YA JUU KATIKA MIPANGO YA SERIKALI YA KIKWETE.PICHA INAWAONYESHA KAMA WANA MAJONZI LAKINI UKWELI NI KUWA WAMESHIKWA NA BUTWAA KUTOKANA NA KAZI NZURI YA CHAGUO LA MUNGU KIKWETE





MMENG'ANG'ANIA TU SUALA LA EPA NA KAGODA NA KUSAHAU MINARA PACHA.BY THE WAY,FEDHA ZA EPA HAZIKUIBWA BALI ZILIAZIMWA TU,NDIO MAANA NILIWASIHI TULIOWAAZIMA WAZIREJESHE.WALIOAZIMWA WANAREJESHA IN KIND KWA KUCHANGIA KAMPENI ZA CCM


TEH TEH TEH,NICHEKE MIE.KIKWETE MTU BOMBA SANA.SIE TUMEKUJA NA KABRASHA TUPU LEO HII TUNA MABILIONI KWENYE AKAUNTI.ASANTE DOWANS KWA KUTURITHI,ASANTE KARAMAGI NA MSABAHA.ASANTE WATANZANIA KWA KUMWAMINI KIKWETE.SI MNAONA SASA TATIZO LA UMEME NI HISTORIA KAMA ALIVYOAHIDI CHAGUO LA MUNGU KIKWETE?

MWAKYEMBE NA TUME YAKE NI ROHO MBAYA TU.KAMA MUME WANGU LOWASSA ALIHUSIKA NA UFISADI WA RICHMOND MBONA KIKWETE AMEKUJA JIMBONI KUMPIGIA DEBE?

TATIZO LENU WATANZANIA MNA KUMBUKUMBU HAFIFU.MMESAHAU ENZI ZA Boyz II Men?MIE NA JAKAYA HATUJAFAHAMIANA MTAANI.MNABISHA?SI MMEONA JINSI MAJUZI ALIVYOMWAGIA SIFA JIMBONI MONDULI?





MNASEMA NASAFIRI SANA?KWANI MLIPONICHAGUA MLIKUWA HAMFAHAMU KUWA NILIPOKUWA WAZIRI WA MAMBO YA NJE NILIKUWA NASAFIRI SANA?ACHENI UZUSHI,SAFARI ZANGU ZITAILETEA TANZANIA SIFA YA KUVUNJA REKODI YA VASCO DA GAMA.
MNASEMA NASAFIRI SANA?KWANI MLIPONICHAGUA MLIKUWA HAMFAHAMU KUWA NILIPOKUWA WAZIRI WA MAMBO YA NJE NILIKUWA NASAFIRI SANA?ACHENI UZUSHI,SAFARI ZANGU ZITAILETEA TANZANIA SIFA YA KUVUNJA REKODI YA VASCO DA GAMA.


MTAJIJU....ACHE MIE NIBEMBEE


JIJENGE HUKO UVCCM.SI UMEONA FAMILIA YA BUSH ILITOA MARAIS WAWILI KAMA YA KABILA HUKO DRC?BASI NA WEWE JIANDAE.MIE NAITWA CHAGUO LA MUNGU,WEWE UTAITWA CHAGUO LA BABA
WE KATUNI HUELEWI SOMO LIPI TENA?YANI UNAKUWA KAMAMIE NISIYEELEWA KWANINI TANZANIA NI MASIKINI!


PICHA YA JUU NA YA CHINI: CHAGUO LA MUNGU DANCING.BY THE WAY "Never Trust a Spiritual Leader who cannot Dance".-Mr Miyagi,The Next Karate Kid,1994



HUYU SLAA ANATAKA KUNIWEKEA MCHANGA BADALA YA UBWABWA KWENYE SAHANI HII.HIZI HABARI ZA MIE KUFUKUZWA UALIMU ZA NINI TENA MUDA HUU?
WANAKUJA NA USHAHIDI NINI?WANATOKEA HUKU AU KULE?ANYWAY,HAWAWEZI KUTHIBITISHA LOLOTE
MGOSI,UNAKUMBUKA SIKU ZILEEEE KATIKA SHULE ILEEE...BASI SLAA KAINYAKA HIYO ISHU


0 #40 joseph M 2010-09-27 14:18
Kila mtanzania atambue hatima ya maisha ya kila mtu yapo mikononi mwetu ili kumchagua kiongozi atakayetukwamua hapa tulipo maana tumekuwa kwenye majaribio miaka 15 tangu vyama vingi vianze na mingine 22 ya CCM tangu 1977. Jamani Tanzania bila CCM inawezekana maana nchi hii ni wananchi wote.

joseph m
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0 #39 Power 2010-09-27 14:13
Wasomaji na wachangiaji wa safu hii acheni uchochezi na [NENO BAYA][NENO BAYA]. Kama huwezi kuandika vitu ambavyo ni muhimu na vya kujenga (important and constructive)us iandike hapa. Kakobe hajataja mtu yeyote ila mwandishi ambaye anaripoti mafundisho ya Kakobe ndo kasema maelezo ya Kakobe yanamlenga Dr Slaa kutokana na maudhui ya mafundisho. Namnukuu mwandishi "Pamoja na kutotaja jina, mahubiri ya kiongozi huyo shupavu wa kidini yalionekana kumgusa mgombea urais wa Muungano kwa tiketi ya Chadema, Dk Willibrod Slaa ambaye amekumbwa na tuhuma za masuala ya maisha yake ambazo zimefika mahakamani ambako anadaiwa fidia kwa madai ya kumtangaza mke wa mtu kuwa mchumba wake".

Hapa naona watu wana-comment kwa kutumia UDINI. Acheni uchochezi nyie mnaohusika. Kakobe hajaandika kama Mchungaji kasema kama Mtanzania na ana kila sababu ya kusema chochote na kusikilizwa kama mtanzania na Katiba ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tz inamruhusu kufanya hivyo. Huyo anayejiita Kawaya na Musa Kondo angalieni kauli zenu. Acheni fitina na uzushi mtaipeleka nchi pabaya.
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0 #38 joseph M 2010-09-27 14:13
Nampongeza Kakobe wa kuonyesha njia kwa watanzania. Watu waamke na kukubali kuwa kuna wakati itafikia kuwa kuwe na mabadiliko ili inchi iweze kwenda. Watanzania kama ni majaribio CCM imekuwa kwenye majaribio hayo tangu 1977 na angalia tulipo sasa kwa maoni yangu naona tumerudi nyuma kiasi kubwa sana.Tukubali ukweli kuwa kwa utawala ulioko na hasa sehemu hii ya 2 ya awamu hii ya nne tutashuhudia mengi.Uzoefu umeonysha kuwa viongozi wa awamu ya pili na yatatu walifanya vizuri sana kipindi cha kwanza!
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-2 #37 mpayukaji msemahovyo 2010-09-27 14:01
Kakobe mara nyingi ni opportunist. Maana kama ni suala la ndoa hata mgombea wa CCM si salama.
Aseme moja kwa moja anamuunga mkono nani ingawa hili nalo halina nguvu kutokana na kutokuwa na waumini wa kutosha.
Kakobe anaona kama mambo yanachukua sura nyingine hivo anavaa sura nyingine ili hapo baadaye ale. Matapeli wengine bwana. Huyu si ndiye alikuwa akimsifu Kikwete kuwa ni muungwana na mpole hivyo awe mpole. Alipotapeliwa na Kikwete kwenye mgogoro wake ndiyo ameona ubaya wa CCM chama chake kama fisadi wa kiroho?
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+2 #36 mohamed 2010-09-27 13:51
Askofu umesema kweli kabisa,na ninakupa hongera sana kwa kuwasisitiza waumini wa kikristo kujitokeza,mana wengi kama ulivyosema,siku ya kupiga kura wao hushinda makanisani eti wakiomba mungu awapekiongozi bora,kupiga kura hawaendi,sasa kiongozi bora atatoka wapi kama sio hao waumini kumchagua?? hapo nashukuru saaaaaaana kakobe umeliona hilo hadi umeamua kuahirisha ibada zooote za tarehe 31 october,ninaomb a na makanisa mengine na misikiti mingine kuonyesha mwamko wa namnahiyo,kuith amini kura yako na hivyo kwenda kupiga kura,ama mapema kabisa tarehe 31 upige kura yako,Mungu amekupa haki na mamlaka ya kumuweka madarakani kiongozi umtakaye wewe,sio wanayemtaka wenzako.
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+1 #35 makunda 2010-09-27 13:43
Askofu umesema kweli kabisa,na ninakupa hongera sana kwa kuwasisitiza waumini wa kikristo kujitokeza,mana wengi kama ulivyosema,siku ya kupiga kura wao hushinda makanisani eti wakiomba mungu awapekiongozi bora,kupiga kura hawaendi,sasa kiongozi bora atatoka wapi kama sio hao waumini kumchagua?? hapo nashukuru saaaaaaana kakobe umeliona hilo hadi umeamua kuahirisha ibada zooote za tarehe 31 october,ninaomb a na makanisa mengine na misikiti mingine kuonyesha mwamko wa namnahiyo,kuith amini kura yako na hivyo kwenda kupiga kura,ama mapema kabisa tarehe 31 upige kura yako,Mungu amekupa haki na mamlaka ya kumuweka madarakani kiongozi umtakaye wewe,sio wanayemtaka wenzako.
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-2 #34 nyamsha 2010-09-27 13:32
kakobe na madhehebu mengine acheni kuwachagulia(wa umini) viongozi kwa kufuata imani na itikadi walizonazo sasa hapo unapiga kampeni au unatoa elimu ya uraia?acha kumkampenia SLAA waelezee waumini umuhimu wa kupiga kura na si kuligawa taifa kwa misingi ya udini!!!
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0 #33 MUSHOBOZI 2010-09-27 13:28
Ongera askofu Kakobe,viongozi wengine mko wapi?Viongozi wa dini zote mnao ubili namna ya kwenda mbinguni.Je hamjui hata hapa duniani maisha safi yanatakiwa?eleza watu namna yakuyapata kutoka serikarini sio watu wanaishi ktk dhiki mnawambia mungu ndoo kapenda,wambie watafte viongozi wawajibikaji kupitia uchaguzi,sio mabepari,tunait aji uduma muhimu za jamii bule siyo mashangingi,mun gu mbariki KAKOBE kwaupendo wa dhati juu ya watanzania.
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+1 #32 erick 2010-09-27 13:22
Hii ni elimu kila mtanzania, Hongera Baba Kakobe kwa kuelimisha watu juu ya umuhimu wa kupiga kura na kuwaeleza watanzania kuwa hatumchagua malaika wa kutupeleka mbinguni. Tunahitaji mabadiliko ya kweli katika nchi. we are Tired of this danganya toto. Naombe serikali iruhusu wanafunzi wa vyuo kupiga kura kule waliko maana ni haki yao kupiga kura kikatiba, lakini vyuo vimefungwa na wengi wamejiandikisha vyuoni au wakila shuleni, serikali iangalie uwezekano wa kuruhusu wanafunzi kupiga kura kule waliko japo hata kura ya raisi. Thanks
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+2 #31 Ray 2010-09-27 12:52
Quoting sumbuku:
Ni kweli tusimchague mtu kutokana na matendo yake lakini je huyu mtu anatembea na wake za watu hivyo hana madaraka ya kisheria je tukimpa ikulu na urais si atatembea na wake za watu kinguvu kwa vile ana dola mie Dr slaa akiingia ikulu mke wangu namuachisha kazi ikulu maana ni muajiriwa wa pale nitamwambia mama acha kazi maaana sina imani na raisi mla vya watu


Yule mwanamke kaachana na mme wake kwa matatizo yao binafsi, unless una wasiwasi kuwa mke wako ni kicheche.
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-1 #30 Musa kondo 2010-09-27 12:50
Acha udini ww kakobeeee.
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0 #29 kawaya 2010-09-27 12:46
Haya sasa Viongozi wa kikristo wanaendelea kuwaongoza wafuasi wao ninani wa kumpigia kura namimi nawapongeza kwa hilo,JE Waislam mmesha waongoza Waumini wenu ninani wampigie kura???au bado mmelala?
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+1 #28 uzumbukuku 2010-09-27 12:45
Hivi ndugu Kedali na Sumbuku kaeni mkijua mtu ana uwezo wa kubadili chama pindaonapo hakifai. Siasa za ukweli si kama ushabiki wa mpira kwamba hata mkifungwa utaendelea kuishabikia timu! Chama kikivurunda una haki kukuhama! Na kuhusu mkeo kumwachisha ikulu Dr Slaa akishika urais, naomba kabisa uachane na mfumo dume wa kumwamulia mkeo, eti tu ukimwambia aache kazi akutii tu eti kwa sababu we ni mmewe! Huo ni ukiukwajji wa haki za binadamu! Jamani tukue kimawazo na kuendelea, hayo mambo ya kinyanyasaji ndo yanatufanya turudi nyuma kila kukicha Watanzania. Hivi ungekuwa umeajiriwa we ikulu akaja rais mwanamke mpenda wanaume, mkeo angekwambia uache kazi ungeacha?
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+2 #27 Raymond 2010-09-27 12:39
kakobe kaongea ukweli 2nahitaji watu kama hawa ili 2weze kuikomboa nchi,tumechoka na utawala wa kibethui.
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+1 #26 Blacy 2010-09-27 12:15
Hongera askofu Kakobe kwa kuwa muwazi na kuepuka unafiki.Tunategemea sana vipongozi wa dini pia muwe chachu ya maegeuzi maana Watanzia ni walewale ndani na nje ya kanisa...

God bless you.
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KAKOBE AMBEBA SLAA

Kakobe ajitosa kwenye kampeni  Send to a friend
Monday, 27 September 2010 08:22
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Askofu mkuu wa kanisa la (FGBF),Zachary Kakobe
Waandishi Wetu
ASKOFU mkuu wa Kanisa la Full Gospel Bible Fellowship (FGBF), Zachary Kakobe jana aliamua kutoa darasa la elimu ya urais kwa waumini wake na kuwataka kutompima mgombea kwa kuangalia matukio kwenye maisha yake ya ndoa.Kakobe, ambaye aliwahi kumpigia debe Augustine Mrema wakati akigombea urais kwa tiketi ya TLP kabla ya kugeuka na kuisifu CCM, alisema maneno hayo jana wakati akihubiri kwenye ibada iliyofanyika kwenye kanisa lake lililo Mwenge, jijini Dar es salaam.
Pamoja na kutotaja jina, mahubiri ya kiongozi huyo shupavu wa kidini yalionekana kumgusa mgombea urais wa Muungano kwa tiketi ya Chadema, Dk Willibrod Slaa ambaye amekumbwa na tuhuma za masuala ya maisha yake ambazo zimefika mahakamani ambako anadaiwa fidia kwa madai ya kumtangaza mke wa mtu kuwa mchumba wake.
Dk Slaa, ambaye anawania kuwa mgombea wa kwanza kutoka nje ya CCM kuingia Ikulu baada ya utawala wa miaka 49 wa chama hicho kikongwe, amesema yuko tayari kupambana na mashtaka hayo mahakamani na anaendelea kuzunguka na mwanamke huyo kwenye mikutano yake ya kampeni.

Lakini Kakobe aliwaambia waumini wake kuwa masuala kama hayo yameshawakumba viongozi wengi wa barani Afrika na Ulaya lakini waliongoza mataifa yao kwa ufanisi na kuwa na maendeleo hadi leo, akisema huo ni mfano wa kuigwa kwenye nchi zinazoendelea.
Kakobe, ambaye jana  alitangaza kufuta ibada zote zilizopangwa kufanyika Oktoba 31 mwaka huu ili kutoa fursa kwa waumini wake kushiriki uchaguzi mkuu, hakumtaja Dk Slaa kwa jina wakati akihubiri lakini alitumia mifano ya viongozi mbalimbali waliowahi kukumbwa na kashfa hizo lakini wakapewa dhamana ya kuongoza nchi zao.
“Rais  mstaafu wa Afrika Kusini, Nelson Mandela alikuwa na kashfa ya kuoa na kuacha na hadi sasa mke wake anayeishi naye ni wa tatu, lakini pamoja na kashfa hizo wananchi wake walimkabidhi nchi na amefanya maajabu na kuifanya nchi hiyo kuaminiwa na mataifa makubwa na hata kuwa mwenyeji wa Kombe la Dunia,” alisema Kakobe.
Mbali na huyo pia alimtaja rais wa sasa wa nchi hiyo, Jackobo Zuma kuwa alikumbwa na kashfa ya kumbaka mwanamke aliyekuwa na Ukimwi kabla ya uchaguzi, lakini wananchi hawakuangalia hayo na badala yake waliona kuwa ana kipaji cha uongozi wakamchagua.
Pia alimtaja rais wa Ufaransa, Nicolas Sarkozy aliyedai naye alikuwa na kashfa kuoa na kuacha na hata mke wake wa pili alikuwa mke wa mtu, lakini alioa na kuzaa naye mtoto mmoja halafu wakaachana na sasa mwanamke huyo ameolewa nchini Marekani.
Alisema pamoja na kashfa hizo wananchi wa nchi hizo hawakuangalia hayo na badala yake waliwachagua na kuwapa mamlaka ya kuwatumikia na wakafanya vizuri.
Ufafanuzi huo uliwafanya waumini hao kushindwa kujizuia na kushangilia licha ya Kakobe kuzuia watu kufanya hivyo ili anachokizungumza kiweze kueleweka miongoni mwao.
Kuhusu umuhimu wa kupiga kura, Askofu Kakobe alisema hiyo ni haki na wajibu wa kila raia na kusisitiza hata Mungu anataka watu kujichagulia viongozi wao.
Kutokana na msingi huo wa kutambua umuhimu kwa uchaguzi, kanisa hilo limefuta ibada za siku ya Oktoba 31 ili waumini wake wakapige kura na kwamba ibada hiyo sasa zimehamishwa Oktoba 30.
Alisema uamuzi huo unatokana na vikwazo kadhaa vinavyowakwamisha wakristo wengi nchini kujitokeza kupiga kura siku ya uchaguzi kutokana na siku hiyo kuangukia Jumapili ambayo siku ya ibada kwa baadhi ya makanisa ya Kikristo.
“Natangaza rasmi kufunga ibada za kanisa hili nchi nzima  Oktoba 31 mwaka huu. Siku hiyo itakuwa maalumu kwa ajili ya uchaguzi mkuu kutokana na umuhimu wa kuchagua viongozi wanye sifa za kuongoza taifa hili,” alisema Kakobe.
Katika ibada hiyo Kakobe alitaja vikwazo vitano vya kitaifa vinavyosababisha watu wengi kushindwa kushiriki katika kupiga kura huku akidai vikwazo viwili vinawahusu wakristo pekee.
Alivitaja vikwazo hivyo kuwa ni dhana ya baadhi ya waumini kuamini kuwa viongozi huchaguliwa na Mungu hivyo kutoshiriki katika upigaji kura, hali aliyosema inachangia kupatikana kwa viongozi wabovu.
Alitaja vikwazo vingine kuwa ni dhana potofu ya baadhi ya wapiga kura ambao hudai kura moja haiwezi kubadili matokea; hofu ya kuibiwa kura na imani ya baadhi yao kuwa hata ukichagua viongozi wengine hali haiwezi kubadilika.
“Dunia ya sasa inazungumzia maendeleo na ndiyo maana mataifa yametengwa katika mafungu matatu, maendeleo katika nchi huletwa na kiongozi bora kwa kuwa kiongozi ni kama dereva mkipata dereva rafu atapitisha gari hata kwenye mashimo na mkipata dereva safi ataifikisha gari mahali panapotakiwa kwa usalama,” alisema.
Kwenye mahubiri hayo ambayo Kakobe aliita ni elimu maalum ya urai kwa waumini wake na wa madhehebu mengine, aliwataka wakristo kutochagua viongozi kwa vigezo vya Biblia au uumini wao bali waangalie uwezo wao wa utendaji katika kusimamia misingi ya katiba.
“Kwenye uchaguzi mkuu hatuchagui malaika wa kutupeleka mbinguni bali kiongozi wa kuliongoza taifa... tuchague kwa kufuata kanuni na taratibu za katiba, kwa kuwa viongozi wote wana sifa, kinachotakiwa ni kuangalia nani ana kipaji cha uongozi,” alisema Kakobe.
Kakobe aliwataka wakristo kuhudhuria kwenye kampeni na kusikiliza sera za vyama ili kubaini ahadi  na kuzifanyia utafiti kabla ya uchaguzi.
“Wapo wanaosema msichague viongozi kwa majaribio chagueni  wazoefu, hizi ni siasa nyepesi... nani kakwambia Ikulu panahitaji uzoefu? Nelson Mandela alipata wapi uzoefu; Barrack Obama amekuwa rais wa kwanza mweusi nchini Marekani, amepata wapi uzoefu,” alihoji Kakobe na kuongeza kuwa anayekataa mabadiliko anakataa maendeleo.
Alisema  kila kitu duniani chenye mafanikio huanza kwa majaribio akitoa mfano wa wanasanyansi ambao alisema hawawezi kuruhusu kufanyika kwa kitu bila majaribio.

Geofrey Nyang’oro, Mussa Mkama na Hermenegildus Rwihula

UMASKINI NDIYO MTAJI WA CCM

Mbeleko zilizombeba kikwete hadi ikulu ni hizi hapa!
Kuna aina nyingi za viongozi, wapo wale ambao wao wenyewe wamejijenga (self-made) na wapo wale ambao mfumo uliopo umewajenga (epigone). JK ni matokeo ya udhaifu wa mfumo wetu wa kupata viongozi bora na wala siyo aidha jitihada zake za kufika Ikulu au ubora wa mfumo wetu wa kupata viongozi bora ndiyo umemfikisha hapo alipo. Bali JK ni mnufaikaji mahiri wa kukosekana kwa mfumo bora wa kupata viongozi bora katika uendeshaji wa Nchi hii na wala siyo vinginevyo.
Kwenye matatizo ya kimfumo ya kupata viongozi bora hili maono ya muasisi wa Taifa Baba wa taifa Mwl. Nyerere yatatuongoza hapa. Nyerere mara nyingi alikuwa akidai ili tuendele tunahitaji vitu vinne ambavyo alivibainisha ya kuwa ni watu, ardhi, siasa safi na uongozi bora. Watu aliona ni utajiri tulionao. Ardhi hakuona ipo shida na siasa safi Nyerere aliona ni ya ujamaa na kujitegemea. (Hapa sikubaliani naye, lakini huo ni mjadala wa siku nyingine. Ni vyema mjadala huo nikauweka kiporo.) Nyerere jambo lililokuwa linamkera sana kwenye uhai wake ni kukosekana na mfumo mahiri wa kupata viongozi bora na kwa hilo yeye ni mchangiaji namba moja.
Kutokana na umangi-meza wa Nyerere, hakuwa tayari watu wenyewe maoni tofauti na yeye wakajengwa na jamii kwa minajili ya kuiendeleza bali kila alipopata nafasi aliwajenga yeye mwenyewe viongozi wabovu ambao yeye aliona kwa upeo wao mdogo angeliweza kuwatumia atakavyo bila ya bughudha yoyote ile. Hii inaelezea kwa nini Oscar Kambona alisambaratishwa baada ya kukataa siasa ya Ujamaa na kujitegemea kwa sababu haitekelezeki. Historia sasa yatufunza Kambona alikuwa sahihi na Nyerere alipotoka. Mitazamo ya Nyerere ya umangi-meza ndiyo ilizaa mfumo wa chama kimoja na kuingizwa sera za ujamaa na kujitegemea ndani ya katiba na kuwa ni za shuruti badala ya kuwa ni chaguo la wananchi. Hivi sasa, kuanzia mwaka 1992 baada ya Azimio la Zanzibar, nchi hii inakiuka katiba yake Ibara ya 9 inayotamka hadharani nchi hii ni ya kijamaa na kujitegemea wakati utandawazi na ubinafsishaji ndizo sera haramu za chama cha tawala!!!!!!!!!
Kuanzia mwaka 1992 hadi leo, CCM imekuwa ikivunja katiba kwa kubeza Ibara ya 9 inayoelekeza serikali zote za Nchi hii kujenga ujamaa na kujitegemea na wala siyo kuubeza kama inavyoendelea kwa visingizio vya utandawazi. Kanuni zipi ziwe za kuiongoza nchi zilipaswa ziamuliwe na wapiga kura kama Ibara Na. 8 ya katiba inavyotamka kuwa nchi hatima yake ipo mikononi mwa watanzania wenyewe na hivyo ni makosa kushurutisha ni mfumo upi ni sahihi kuufuata isipokuwa katika nyakati za chaguzi tu…Hili laamanisha hata Ibara za katiba zinazoruhusu mfumo wa vyama vya siasa bado una kasoro kutokana na Utangulizi (Preambles) na Ibara ya 9 kushurutisha mfumo wa ujamaa na kujitegemea kinyume na matakwa ya Ibara ya 8 ya katiba hiyohiyo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Umangi-meza wa Nyerere ndiyo ulisababisha vyama huru vya ushirika kufa na sasa vinaishi kwa huruma ya serikali hiyo hiyo iliyoviua!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kutokana na Nyerere kutaka kuthibiti vyombo vyote ambavyo vitatoa mtazamo mbadala wa uendeshaji matokeo yake wasomi kama JK , Lowassa. Khatibu Mohamed na wengineo wengi walipokuwa wamehitimu elimu ya Chuo kikuu hawakufikiria kwenda “uraiani” kujiendeleza kwenye elimu dunia kupitia fani zao walizozisomea la hasha bali walikimbilia kwenye chama kama njia ya mkato ya madaraka serikalini bila ya kuwa na misingi madhubuti ya taaluma zao ambazo ni muhimu katika uendeshaji wa nchi. Matokeo yake wakajikuta hawana ujuzi wowote zaidi ya kusambaza propaganda za kisiasa ambazo kiuzalishaji tija yake ni ndogo sana. Kwa vile hawakulelewa kwenye mfumo unaojali tija matokeo yake wamekuwa mstari wa mbele kutanguliza ushabiki wa kisiasa katika maamuzi ya nchi yaliyohitaji hekima za kitija zaidi. Nitafafanua zaidi hapo baadaye.
Mfumo huu wa kutanguliza ujuaji wa propoganda za chama ndio ulituletea akina Kawawa, Mwinyi, Mkapa, JK, Lowassa, Pinda na wengineo wengi ambao kigezo kikubwa cha kuyakwaa madaraka serikalini kilikuwa “huyu ni mwenzetu” na “anatosha” lakini hakuna aliyetaka wapimwe wameandaliwaje kwa kazi walizokuwa wanapigiwa debe. Mfumo huu wa kupata viongozi kutoka ndani ya chama ili wakamate dola ndiyo unaelezea kwa nini tatizo la uongozi bora alilotuachia mkoloni bado tunalo hadi kesho.
Kawawa yeye kihistoria alitoka kwenye vyama vya wafanyakazi ngazi za juu na hakuyaelewa matatizo ya wafanyakazi wa ngazi za chini matunda yake alikuwa mstari wa mbele alipokuwa sehemu ya dola katika kuminya haki za wafanyakazi hususani wa ngazi za chini. Mzee Mwinyi yeye alikuwa Mwalimu wa shule ya msingi na kupanda kwenye chati ya siasa za kitaifa kulitokana na aliyekuwa Raisi wa Zanzibar Bw. Jumbe kutofautiana na Nyerere na hivyo Nyerere kupandikiza kibaraka wake ambaye alikuwa ni Bw. Ruhksa. Mkapa alianzia vizuri kwenye tawala za mikoa na baadaye katika nyadhifa za juu kwenye vyombo vya habari za serikalini lakini kupanda vyeo vyake kulitokana na ukweli kuwa Nyerere alimfundisha na Mkapa alikuwa kijana mtiifu wa sera za Nyerere. Hakuna mahali popote pale ambapo Mkapa aliwahi kutoa changamoto ambazo zilitofautiana na Bosi wake kwa manufaa ya tija ya taifa hili. Lowassa kama alivyo JK alipohitimu elimu ya chuo kikuu alijaribu kuanzia serikalini Singida lakini baada ya muda mfupi tu changamoto alizokutana nazo zilimkimbizia chamani huko ndiko alijijengea mazingira ya kukwea vyeo AIIC, ubunge wa kuteuliwa na uwaziri na kuporomoka kwake hapa na pale zaidi kulitokana na umma kumtilia mashaka ya kuwa analamba mali za umma kwa manufaa yake binafsi. Majukumu mengi aliyobebeshwa serikalini hakuna mahali ambapo vigezo vya tija vilijidhihirisha. Mizengo Pinda ni yaleyale tu. Yeye alipomaliza chuo kikuu kituo chake cha kwanza kilikuwa ni Ikulu baada ya hapo alikwaa kazi za ukurugenzi wa Bodi ambazo lengo lake lilikuwa kumpa mtaji wa kugombea ubunge na baada ya hapo unaibu uwaziri, uwaziri na uwaziri Mkuu. Alipokuwa anashukuru uwaziri Mkuu alikiri ya kuwa hajawahi kuzifanya kazi za uwakili au uhakimu au hata kuajiriwa kama mwanasheria katika maisha yake. Ya JK - haya yanahitaji kuchambuliwa kiundani zaidi kwani yumo kwenye kinyang’anyiro cha uraisi….

HISTORIA YA JK KITIJA HAITII MATUMAINI HATA KIDOGO.

Mara baada ya kumaliza Chuo Kikuu cha Dar-Es-Salaam JK alitua chamani ambako alivikwaa vyeo vya ukatibu wa wilaya na mkoa kwa msaada wa Bw. Kawawa (sasa hayati) ambaye alipokuwa ni katibu mkuu wa CCM. Kwenye uthibitisho wa mbeleko za Kawawa, JK alipokuwa anashukuru Mkutano Mkuu wa CCM mwaka 2005 kwa kuteuliwa kugombea uraisi alikiri ya kuwa bila ya kubebwa na mbeleko za Bw. Kawawa asingeliweza kufika hapo na alizitaja kwa uwazi kabisa mbeleko za Raisi Mstaafu Mwinyi ya kuwa zilichangia katika kumjenga kisiasa ingawaje JK alijisifia ya kuwa vipaji vyake va kisiasa ndivyo vimemfikisha hapo alipo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kawawa kwa kuutumia wadhifa wake tajwa alimsukuma JK visiwani kama Katibu wa chama wa Mkoa ili kumfanya afahamike zaidi. Hili halikuwa dogo kwani baadaye kwenye vikao vya chama ambavyo huchagua viongozi wa kitaifa lilimsaidia JK kupata kuungwa na wanavisiwani na kuwabwaga wapinzani wake wa bara. Karata hii murua ya Mzee Kawawa ilikuwa ni lulu kwa JK. Katika vikao vya uteuzi wa wajumbe wa Halmashauri Kuu ya CCM bara zile nafasi ishirini JK amekuwa akikamata nafasi tatu za juu kuanzia mwaka 1997 kutokana na mapungufu ya kimfumo tu ndani ya chama cha mapinduzi. Katika hali ya kawaida usingeliwategemea wanavisiwani kupiga kura kwenye teuzi za bara au wanabara kupiga kura kwenye teuzi za visiwani lakini ndani ya CCM hakuna kiongozi jasiri wa kutindua mfumo huu ambao umewapa nguvu bara kuwachagulia viongozi wanachama wa visiwani na kinyume chake.

Hizi ni mbeleko nyinginezo za kimfumo ambazo JK zilimpeperusha na kuonekana ni kiongozi anayekubalika ndani na nje ya bara hivyo afaa kufikiriwa kuwa Raisi wa Jamhuri wa Muungano wa Tanzania. Zaidi ya tathmini hii hakuna kiongozi yoyote yule zaidi ya Mzee Rukhsa ambapo alipokuwa anamnadi JK mwaka 2005 kule Tabora alidai bila ushahidi wowote kuwa katika uongozi wake JK ndiye aliyeanzisha taasisi ya kodi ya TRA wakati ukweli ni kuwa hayo yalikuwa mawazo ya Benki kuu ya Dunia. Mzee Rukhsa hakutaka kuzungumzia ya kuwa wakati wa JK misamaha ya kodi ilishamiri na hivyo kumfanya aliyemtangulia Bw. Kigoma Malima aonekane ni malaika. Mzee Rukhsa , vilevile, hakutaka wapiga kura wa Tabora waelewe ya kuwa JK alipokuwa waziri wa Nishati na madini, Tanesco ndiyo iliingia mikataba ya kitapeli ya IPTL na manunuzi yaliyokuja kufilisi Tanesco kwenye upatikanaji na uendeshaji wa mitambo ya uzalishaji wa umeme hapo Ubungo. Sababu za Mzee Rukhsa kuwadhulumu wapiga kura wa Tabora zipo dhahiri ya kuwa ni kuwaghilibu ili wasifanye maamuzi kulingana na utashi na mchango wa wagombea Uraisi waliokuwepo mbele ya macho yao mwaka huo wa 2005.
Utawala wa Mwinyi ambao mara nyingi ulikuwa unashutumiwa kwa udini wa kati ya mwaka 1995 hadi 2005 ndiyo haswa ulimteua JK kwenye nyadhifa za ubunge wa kuteuliwa na unaibu uwaziri na baadaye uwaziri. Hakuna tija yeyote ile iliyomwongoza Mwinyi katika uteuzi wa JK katika Wizara za fedha au Nishati na madini. Kutozingatia sifa katika teuzi za majukumu serikalini vilevile ni tatizo la kimfumo tu. Teuzi tajwa huwa hazichekechwi na Bunge huku Idara ya usalama hivi sasa hutumiwa kubariki teuzi tajwa kwa sababu hata walioko huko hawakuteuliwa kwa vigezo vinavyoheshimu tija. Jitihada hata za kuwashirikisha wananchi kupitia Bunge katika teuzi tajwa ni “njozi za alinacha” kwa sababu ambazo nitazifanunua hapo mbeleni. Kumbuka ya kuwa moja ya sababu za Dr. Slaa kugombea uraisi ni kupata ridhaa ya wananchi ya kurekebisha matatizo ya kimfumo ili kuongeza uwajibikaji wa dola kwa raia kupitia Bunge ambalo “utukufu” wake ghaghari utakoma tu kama tutamchagua Mheshimiwa Dr. Slaa hapo tarehe 31st October 2010 na wala siyo vinginevyo.

MADHARA YA JK KUWA KIONGOZI WA KUBEBWA KWENYE MBELEKO.

Viongozi wote duniani ambao wamesaidia nchi zao kutatua matatizo mengi yaliyokuwa yanawakabili wanahistoria ya kuwa waathirika wa mfumo uliokuwepo na hivyo kuwa na sababu za kimsingi za kuurekebisha na mifano ni kama ifuatavyo:-
(i) Uchina - Kiongozi aliyeleta mabadiliko makubwa ya kiuchumi alikuwa ni Deng Xiaoping huyu alifungwa na kiongozi aliyemtangulia - Bw. Mao Tsetung - miaka takribani tisa kwa sababu za kutofautiana naye kisiasa. Alipopata madaraka baada ya kifo cha Mao-Tsetung, Deng alileta mabadiliko makubwa ya kiuchumi ya kijani na leo Uchina inaendelea kunufaika na mabadiliko hayo miaka mingi baada ya Deng kuiaga dunia.
(ii) Huko Afrika Kusini, Mandela kwa takribani miaka ishirini na saba alisweka jela na makaburu lakini alipotoka na kupata nafasi ya kuiongoza nchi yake alijenga misingi ya utawala bora kwa kuandika katiba mpya yenye kuheshimu utu wa mtu ambao yeye aliukosa katika sehemu kubwa ya maisha yake.
JK hana historia ya mapambano au kuathirika na mfumo uliopo na ndio maana katika dhima zake hakuna mahali hata amethubutu kukemea tu matatizo ya kiuchumi yanatokana na mapungufu ya kimfumo hivyo kuwa na msukumo wa kuja na ajenda ya wazi ya kuurekebisha siyo tu kwa manufaa ya mwanawe Ridhiwani ila kwa manufaa ya vizazi vijavyo. Hili kwa JK halipo zaidi ya kutuahidi “tusahahu yaliyopita na tugange yajayo” kupitia kauli mbiu yake ya ARI ZAIDI, NGUVU ZAIDI NA KAZI ZAIDI YA UJENZI WA MIUNDO MBINU KWA UFADHILI WA MAREKANI!!!!!!!!
Kutokana na kuelewa hitilafu za kimfumo na changamoto zilizoletwa na utandawazi. Bw. Mkapa alipendekeza kwenye vikao vya juu vya CCM mrithi wake awe ni mtu anayefahamu athari za utandawazi lakini JK na wapambe wake wakielewa ya kuwa hatakuwa na ubavu wa kupambana na akina Dr. Abdallah Kigoda au Prof. Mark Mwandosya walipinga na kutishia kuwa wanaweza kujitoa CCM kuhitimisha yale yaliyotokea kwa KANU mwaka 2002!!!!!!! Kwa JK sifa za mrithi wa Mkapa zilikuwa ni aliyepata malezi bora ndani ya chama ili akifufue kiwe kama enzi za Nyerere kazi ambayo ndani ya CCM wenyewe wanakiri imemshinda kulikoni!!!!!!! Mkapa kwa kuogopa kuachiwa chama hewa kama Bw. Arap Moi kule Kenya alisalimu amri kwa kundi la wanamtandao ambalo JK ndiyo kinara wao…na mengineyo yaliyofuata sasa yanaunda historia yenye utata mwingi ya taifa hili.Kutokana na JK kukosa malezi ya changamoto za utandawazi na badala yake kuwa mtaalamu wa kichama zaidi, kitaifa tumekumbana na kero zifuatazo ambazo kamwe hata tukimpatia JK miaka mia moja ijayo hataweza kuzitatua :-
a)Matatizo ya kimfumo yanayosababisha tuongozwe na viongozi wabovu JK hakuyashughulikia katika kipindi chake cha kwanza, hayamo kwenye Ilani ya uchaguzi ya chama chake (2010-2015) wala hayamo kwenye ahadi lukuki kwenye mikutano yake ya kampeni. Tatizo kubwa kuliko lote la JK ni la kiupeo zaidi ya mengineyo. Kutokana na upeo wake kuwa ni finyu basi pamoja na kuwa madarakani kwa miaka mitano bado haoni ya kuwa kwa kuelekeza nguvu zake kwenye ujenzi wa miundo mbinu anatanguliza mkokoteni kabla ya farasi na safari hiyo ni sawa sawa kabisa na kutwanga maji kwenye kinu. JK alipokuwa kwenye kadamnasi ya kampeni zake kule Kondoa alikiri ya kuwa serikalini kuna “mchwa” ambao wanakula fedha za umma akadai atawashughulikia lakini hakuelezea kwa namna ipi na lipi atalifanya ambalo miaka mitano iliyopita alishindwa kulifanya………….

b)Kuubeba mfumo uliopita ndiyo ajenda kubwa ya JK ya kuendelea na Uraisi kwa msimu mwingine. Hili linajionyesha pale ambapo anawakumbatia akina Lowassa, Mramba, Bw. Vijisenti na wengineo wengine. Kwa Lowassa, JK alidai hajaona kiongozi mahiri kuliko huyo pengine akimaanisha “RICHMOND” ni hoyeee au hata Nyerere kiuongozi hafui dafu kwa Lowassa!!!!!!!! Miaka mitano ijayo ya JK kama akifanikiwa kuchakachua kura basi ataendeleza yaleyale aliyorithi kwa viongozi waliomtangulia. JK ni kweli amebadilisha mfumo wa kupata viongozi wa katikati ndani ya CCM baada ya kuona wamarekani jinsi walivyoweza kumchagua OBAMA kutokana na mfumo wao lakini hakuwa na ujasiri wa kuutumia mfumo huohuo shirikishi kwenye nafasi yake ya kinyang’anyiro cha URAISI. Hili linatufunza ya kuwa JK anapoona masilahi yake yapo hatarini yupo tayari kupindisha demokrasia ili mradi tu afanikishe minajili yake ya muda mfupi.

c)JK pamoja ni msomi wa uchumi lakini kutokana na kutozifanya kazi za taaluma hiyo ujuzi wake ni wa makabrasha tu na wa kusikiliza ushauri feki na kuufanyia kazi lakini nchi haiwezi kumtegema kuwa mbunifu hata kidogo. Katika kipindi cha miaka mitano, tumetumbukia kwenye lindi kubwa la umasikini kama usahidi wa shilingi yetu ilivyoporomoka kwa zaidi ya asilimia mia moja tangu Mheshimiwa huyu akamate usukani. Uraro wa mapato vilevile ni pasua kichwa. Matumizi yetu ya bidhaa za nje umekuwa marudufu bila kurandana hata kidogo na uzalishaji na uuzaji wa bidhaa zetu kwenye soko la nje. Mbali ya athari za kimfumuko wa bei na kudorora kwa kipato la taifa letu aidha kinyume na mahitaji ya kikatiba tumetumbukia katika kuishi kwa mikopo na misaada kutoka nje badala ya kujitegemea chini ya utawala wa JK. Hivi sasa JK haoni aibu kujivunia kuwa anaongoza taifa la ombaomba wakati nchi hii Mwenyezi Mungu ameipendelea sana kwa mali ghafi na watu wenye utashi mkubwa wa kisiasa.
d)JK, katika miaka mitano ya utawala wake taifa amelitumbukiza katika madeni makubwa. Mkapa alimwachia deni la karibu takribani Tshs trilioni 7 lakini yeye amekwisha kukopa zaidi ya TSHS Trilioni nane na ushee kidogo na kutusogeza kwenye deni la TSHS trilioni kumi na sita. Hoja zote za ahadi za JK kwenye eneo la miundo mbinu zitategemea huruma za wahisani ambao nao hivi sasa wamekamatwa pabaya na kamwe hawatakuwa na ubavu wa kushughulika na matatizo yetu huku wakijua ya kuwa uwezo wa kujitegema tunao ila ni wazembe wa kuchagua viongozi bora au kurekebisha mfumo wetu ili kupata viongozi bora ambao wanaroho ya kuthubutu na kujaribu mbinu nyingine za kuboresha tija.
KWA YEYEYOTE ATAKAYEMCHAGUA JK UKIIONDOA FAMILIA YAKE HAONI HIZI KASORO TAJWA HAZINA BUGHUDHA BASI BAADA YA KUMSIMIKA TENA JK HAPO IKULU ASILALAME NA UMASIKINI ………

Thursday, September 23, 2010

PLATO APOLOGY SPEECH

How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers, I cannot tell. But I know that they almost made me forget who I was, so persuasively did they speak. And yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth.

But of the many falsehoods told by them, there was one which quite amazed me;--I mean when they said that you should be upon your guard and not allow yourselves to be deceived by the force of my eloquence. To say this, when they were certain to be detected as soon as I opened my lips and proved myself to be anything but a great speaker, did indeed appear to me most shameless--unless by the force of eloquence they mean the force of truth; for is such is their meaning, I admit that I am eloquent. But in how different a way from theirs! Well, as I was saying, they have scarcely spoken the truth at all; but from me you shall hear the whole truth: not, however, delivered after their manner in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases. No, by heaven! but I shall use the words and arguments which occur to me at the moment; for I am confident in the justice of my cause (Or, I am certain that I am right in taking this course.): at my time of life I ought not to be appearing before you, O men of Athens, in the character of a juvenile orator--let no one expect it of me. And I must beg of you to grant me a favour:--If I defend myself in my accustomed manner, and you hear me using the words which I have been in the habit of using in the agora, at the tables of the money-changers, or anywhere else, I would ask you not to be surprised, and not to interrupt me on this account. For I am more than seventy years of age, and appearing now for the first time in a court of law, I am quite a stranger to the language of the place; and therefore I would have you regard me as if I were really a stranger, whom you would excuse if he spoke in his native tongue, and after the fashion of his country:--Am I making an unfair request of you? Never mind the manner, which may or may not be good; but think only of the truth of my words, and give heed to that: let the speaker speak truly and the judge decide justly.
And first, I have to reply to the older charges and to my first accusers, and then I will go on to the later ones. For of old I have had many accusers, who have accused me falsely to you during many years; and I am more afraid of them than of Anytus and his associates, who are dangerous, too, in their own way. But far more dangerous are the others, who began when you were children, and took possession of your minds with their falsehoods, telling of one Socrates, a wise man, who speculated about the heaven above, and searched into the earth beneath, and made the worse appear the better cause. The disseminators of this tale are the accusers whom I dread; for their hearers are apt to fancy that such enquirers do not believe in the existence of the gods. And they are many, and their charges against me are of ancient date, and they were made by them in the days when you were more impressible than you are now--in childhood, or it may have been in youth--and the cause when heard went by default, for there was none to answer. And hardest of all, I do not know and cannot tell the names of my accusers; unless in the chance case of a Comic poet. All who from envy and malice have persuaded you--some of them having first convinced themselves--all this class of men are most difficult to deal with; for I cannot have them up here, and cross-examine them, and therefore I must simply fight with shadows in my own defence, and argue when there is no one who answers. I will ask you then to assume with me, as I was saying, that my opponents are of two kinds; one recent, the other ancient: and I hope that you will see the propriety of my answering the latter first, for these accusations you heard long before the others, and much oftener.
Well, then, I must make my defence, and endeavour to clear away in a short time, a slander which has lasted a long time. May I succeed, if to succeed be for my good and yours, or likely to avail me in my cause! The task is not an easy one; I quite understand the nature of it. And so leaving the event with God, in obedience to the law I will now make my defence.
I will begin at the beginning, and ask what is the accusation which has given rise to the slander of me, and in fact has encouraged Meletus to proof this charge against me. Well, what do the slanderers say? They shall be my prosecutors, and I will sum up their words in an affidavit: 'Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others.' Such is the nature of the accusation: it is just what you have yourselves seen in the comedy of Aristophanes (Aristoph., Clouds.), who has introduced a man whom he calls Socrates, going about and saying that he walks in air, and talking a deal of nonsense concerning matters of which I do not pretend to know either much or little--not that I mean to speak disparagingly of any one who is a student of natural philosophy. I should be very sorry if Meletus could bring so grave a charge against me. But the simple truth is, O Athenians, that I have nothing to do with physical speculations. Very many of those here present are witnesses to the truth of this, and to them I appeal. Speak then, you who have heard me, and tell your neighbours whether any of you have ever known me hold forth in few words or in many upon such matters...You hear their answer. And from what they say of this part of the charge you will be able to judge of the truth of the rest.
As little foundation is there for the report that I am a teacher, and take money; this accusation has no more truth in it than the other. Although, if a man were really able to instruct mankind, to receive money for giving instruction would, in my opinion, be an honour to him. There is Gorgias of Leontium, and Prodicus of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis, who go the round of the cities, and are able to persuade the young men to leave their own citizens by whom they might be taught for nothing, and come to them whom they not only pay, but are thankful if they may be allowed to pay them. There is at this time a Parian philosopher residing in Athens, of whom I have heard; and I came to hear of him in this way:--I came across a man who has spent a world of money on the Sophists, Callias, the son of Hipponicus, and knowing that he had sons, I asked him: 'Callias,' I said, 'if your two sons were foals or calves, there would be no difficulty in finding some one to put over them; we should hire a trainer of horses, or a farmer probably, who would improve and perfect them in their own proper virtue and excellence; but as they are human beings, whom are you thinking of placing over them? Is there any one who understands human and political virtue? You must have thought about the matter, for you have sons; is there any one?' 'There is,' he said. 'Who is he?' said I; 'and of what country? and what does he charge?' 'Evenus the Parian,' he replied; 'he is the man, and his charge is five minae.' Happy is Evenus, I said to myself, if he really has this wisdom, and teaches at such a moderate charge. Had I the same, I should have been very proud and conceited; but the truth is that I have no knowledge of the kind.
I dare say, Athenians, that some one among you will reply, 'Yes, Socrates, but what is the origin of these accusations which are brought against you; there must have been something strange which you have been doing? All these rumours and this talk about you would never have arisen if you had been like other men: tell us, then, what is the cause of them, for we should be sorry to judge hastily of you.' Now I regard this as a fair challenge, and I will endeavour to explain to you the reason why I am called wise and have such an evil fame. Please to attend then. And although some of you may think that I am joking, I declare that I will tell you the entire truth. Men of Athens, this reputation of mine has come of a certain sort of wisdom which I possess. If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, wisdom such as may perhaps be attained by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise; whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom which I may fail to describe, because I have it not myself; and he who says that I have, speaks falsely, and is taking away my character. And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. For the word which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit; that witness shall be the God of Delphi--he will tell you about my wisdom, if I have any, and of what sort it is. You must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and also a friend of yours, for he shared in the recent exile of the people, and returned with you. Well, Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether--as I was saying, I must beg you not to interrupt--he asked the oracle to tell him whether anyone was wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered, that there was no man wiser. Chaerephon is dead himself; but his brother, who is in court, will confirm the truth of what I am saying.
Why do I mention this? Because I am going to explain to you why I have such an evil name. When I heard the answer, I said to myself, What can the god mean? and what is the interpretation of his riddle? for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great. What then can he mean when he says that I am the wisest of men? And yet he is a god, and cannot lie; that would be against his nature. After long consideration, I thought of a method of trying the question. I reflected that if I could only find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in my hand. I should say to him, 'Here is a man who is wiser than I am; but you said that I was the wisest.' Accordingly I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed him--his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination--and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself; and thereupon I tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me. So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is,--for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him. Then I went to another who had still higher pretensions to wisdom, and my conclusion was exactly the same. Whereupon I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him.
Then I went to one man after another, being not unconscious of the enmity which I provoked, and I lamented and feared this: but necessity was laid upon me,--the word of God, I thought, ought to be considered first. And I said to myself, Go I must to all who appear to know, and find out the meaning of the oracle. And I swear to you, Athenians, by the dog I swear!--for I must tell you the truth--the result of my mission was just this: I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better. I will tell you the tale of my wanderings and of the 'Herculean' labours, as I may call them, which I endured only to find at last the oracle irrefutable. After the politicians, I went to the poets; tragic, dithyrambic, and all sorts. And there, I said to myself, you will be instantly detected; now you will find out that you are more ignorant than they are. Accordingly, I took them some of the most elaborate passages in their own writings, and asked what was the meaning of them--thinking that they would teach me something. Will you believe me? I am almost ashamed to confess the truth, but I must say that there is hardly a person present who would not have talked better about their poetry than they did themselves. Then I knew that not by wisdom do poets write poetry, but by a sort of genius and inspiration; they are like diviners or soothsayers who also say many fine things, but do not understand the meaning of them. The poets appeared to me to be much in the same case; and I further observed that upon the strength of their poetry they believed themselves to be the wisest of men in other things in which they were not wise. So I departed, conceiving myself to be superior to them for the same reason that I was superior to the politicians.
At last I went to the artisans. I was conscious that I knew nothing at all, as I may say, and I was sure that they knew many fine things; and here I was not mistaken, for they did know many things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But I observed that even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets;--because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom; and therefore I asked myself on behalf of the oracle, whether I would like to be as I was, neither having their knowledge nor their ignorance, or like them in both; and I made answer to myself and to the oracle that I was better off as I was.
This inquisition has led to my having many enemies of the worst and most dangerous kind, and has given occasion also to many calumnies. And I am called wise, for my hearers always imagine that I myself possess the wisdom which I find wanting in others: but the truth is, O men of Athens, that God only is wise; and by his answer he intends to show that the wisdom of men is worth little or nothing; he is not speaking of Socrates, he is only using my name by way of illustration, as if he said, He, O men, is the wisest, who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing. And so I go about the world, obedient to the god, and search and make enquiry into the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger, who appears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then in vindication of the oracle I show him that he is not wise; and my occupation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to give either to any public matter of interest or to any concern of my own, but I am in utter poverty by reason of my devotion to the god.
There is another thing:--young men of the richer classes, who have not much to do, come about me of their own accord; they like to hear the pretenders examined, and they often imitate me, and proceed to examine others; there are plenty of persons, as they quickly discover, who think that they know something, but really know little or nothing; and then those who are examined by them instead of being angry with themselves are angry with me: This confounded Socrates, they say; this villainous misleader of youth!--and then if somebody asks them, Why, what evil does he practise or teach? they do not know, and cannot tell; but in order that they may not appear to be at a loss, they repeat the ready-made charges which are used against all philosophers about teaching things up in the clouds and under the earth, and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause; for they do not like to confess that their pretence of knowledge has been detected--which is the truth; and as they are numerous and ambitious and energetic, and are drawn up in battle array and have persuasive tongues, they have filled your ears with their loud and inveterate calumnies. And this is the reason why my three accusers, Meletus and Anytus and Lycon, have set upon me; Meletus, who has a quarrel with me on behalf of the poets; Anytus, on behalf of the craftsmen and politicians; Lycon, on behalf of the rhetoricians: and as I said at the beginning, I cannot expect to get rid of such a mass of calumny all in a moment. And this, O men of Athens, is the truth and the whole truth; I have concealed nothing, I have dissembled nothing. And yet, I know that my plainness of speech makes them hate me, and what is their hatred but a proof that I am speaking the truth?--Hence has arisen the prejudice against me; and this is the reason of it, as you will find out either in this or in any future enquiry.
I have said enough in my defence against the first class of my accusers; I turn to the second class. They are headed by Meletus, that good man and true lover of his country, as he calls himself. Against these, too, I must try to make a defence:--Let their affidavit be read: it contains something of this kind: It says that Socrates is a doer of evil, who corrupts the youth; and who does not believe in the gods of the state, but has other new divinities of his own. Such is the charge; and now let us examine the particular counts. He says that I am a doer of evil, and corrupt the youth; but I say, O men of Athens, that Meletus is a doer of evil, in that he pretends to be in earnest when he is only in jest, and is so eager to bring men to trial from a pretended zeal and interest about matters in which he really never had the smallest interest. And the truth of this I will endeavour to prove to you.
Come hither, Meletus, and let me ask a question of you. You think a great deal about the improvement of youth?
Yes, I do.
Tell the judges, then, who is their improver; for you must know, as you have taken the pains to discover their corrupter, and are citing and accusing me before them. Speak, then, and tell the judges who their improver is.--Observe, Meletus, that you are silent, and have nothing to say. But is not this rather disgraceful, and a very considerable proof of what I was saying, that you have no interest in the matter? Speak up, friend, and tell us who their improver is.
The laws.
But that, my good sir, is not my meaning. I want to know who the person is, who, in the first place, knows the laws.
The judges, Socrates, who are present in court.
What, do you mean to say, Meletus, that they are able to instruct and improve youth?
Certainly they are.
What, all of them, or some only and not others?
All of them.
By the goddess Here, that is good news! There are plenty of improvers, then. And what do you say of the audience,--do they improve them?
Yes, they do.
And the senators?
Yes, the senators improve them.
But perhaps the members of the assembly corrupt them?--or do they too improve them?
They improve them.
Then every Athenian improves and elevates them; all with the exception of myself; and I alone am their corrupter? Is that what you affirm?
That is what I stoutly affirm.
I am very unfortunate if you are right. But suppose I ask you a question: How about horses? Does one man do them harm and all the world good? Is not the exact opposite the truth? One man is able to do them good, or at least not many;--the trainer of horses, that is to say, does them good, and others who have to do with them rather injure them? Is not that true, Meletus, of horses, or of any other animals? Most assuredly it is; whether you and Anytus say yes or no. Happy indeed would be the condition of youth if they had one corrupter only, and all the rest of the world were their improvers. But you, Meletus, have sufficiently shown that you never had a thought about the young: your carelessness is seen in your not caring about the very things which you bring against me.
And now, Meletus, I will ask you another question--by Zeus I will: Which is better, to live among bad citizens, or among good ones? Answer, friend, I say; the question is one which may be easily answered. Do not the good do their neighbours good, and the bad do them evil?
Certainly.
And is there anyone who would rather be injured than benefited by those who live with him? Answer, my good friend, the law requires you to answer--does any one like to be injured?
Certainly not.
And when you accuse me of corrupting and deteriorating the youth, do you allege that I corrupt them intentionally or unintentionally?
Intentionally, I say.
But you have just admitted that the good do their neighbours good, and the evil do them evil. Now, is that a truth which your superior wisdom has recognized thus early in life, and am I, at my age, in such darkness and ignorance as not to know that if a man with whom I have to live is corrupted by me, I am very likely to be harmed by him; and yet I corrupt him, and intentionally, too--so you say, although neither I nor any other human being is ever likely to be convinced by you. But either I do not corrupt them, or I corrupt them unintentionally; and on either view of the case you lie. If my offence is unintentional, the law has no cognizance of unintentional offences: you ought to have taken me privately, and warned and admonished me; for if I had been better advised, I should have left off doing what I only did unintentionally--no doubt I should; but you would have nothing to say to me and refused to teach me. And now you bring me up in this court, which is a place not of instruction, but of punishment.
It will be very clear to you, Athenians, as I was saying, that Meletus has no care at all, great or small, about the matter. But still I should like to know, Meletus, in what I am affirmed to corrupt the young. I suppose you mean, as I infer from your indictment, that I teach them not to acknowledge the gods which the state acknowledges, but some other new divinities or spiritual agencies in their stead. These are the lessons by which I corrupt the youth, as you say.
Yes, that I say emphatically.
Then, by the gods, Meletus, of whom we are speaking, tell me and the court, in somewhat plainer terms, what you mean! for I do not as yet understand whether you affirm that I teach other men to acknowledge some gods, and therefore that I do believe in gods, and am not an entire atheist--this you do not lay to my charge,--but only you say that they are not the same gods which the city recognizes--the charge is that they are different gods. Or, do you mean that I am an atheist simply, and a teacher of atheism?
I mean the latter--that you are a complete atheist.
What an extraordinary statement! Why do you think so, Meletus? Do you mean that I do not believe in the godhead of the sun or moon, like other men?
I assure you, judges, that he does not: for he says that the sun is stone, and the moon earth.
Friend Meletus, you think that you are accusing Anaxagoras: and you have but a bad opinion of the judges, if you fancy them illiterate to such a degree as not to know that these doctrines are found in the books of Anaxagoras the Clazomenian, which are full of them. And so, forsooth, the youth are said to be taught them by Socrates, when there are not unfrequently exhibitions of them at the theatre (Probably in allusion to Aristophanes who caricatured, and to Euripides who borrowed the notions of Anaxagoras, as well as to other dramatic poets.) (price of admission one drachma at the most); and they might pay their money, and laugh at Socrates if he pretends to father these extraordinary views. And so, Meletus, you really think that I do not believe in any god?
I swear by Zeus that you believe absolutely in none at all.
Nobody will believe you, Meletus, and I am pretty sure that you do not believe yourself. I cannot help thinking, men of Athens, that Meletus is reckless and impudent, and that he has written this indictment in a spirit of mere wantonness and youthful bravado. Has he not compounded a riddle, thinking to try me? He said to himself:--I shall see whether the wise Socrates will discover my facetious contradiction, or whether I shall be able to deceive him and the rest of them. For he certainly does appear to me to contradict himself in the indictment as much as if he said that Socrates is guilty of not believing in the gods, and yet of believing in them--but this is not like a person who is in earnest.
I should like you, O men of Athens, to join me in examining what I conceive to be his inconsistency; and do you, Meletus, answer. And I must remind the audience of my request that they would not make a disturbance if I speak in my accustomed manner:
Did ever man, Meletus, believe in the existence of human things, and not of human beings?...I wish, men of Athens, that he would answer, and not be always trying to get up an interruption. Did ever any man believe in horsemanship, and not in horses? or in flute-playing, and not in flute-players? No, my friend; I will answer to you and to the court, as you refuse to answer for yourself. There is no man who ever did. But now please to answer the next question: Can a man believe in spiritual and divine agencies, and not in spirits or demigods?
He cannot.
How lucky I am to have extracted that answer, by the assistance of the court! But then you swear in the indictment that I teach and believe in divine or spiritual agencies (new or old, no matter for that); at any rate, I believe in spiritual agencies,--so you say and swear in the affidavit; and yet if I believe in divine beings, how can I help believing in spirits or demigods;--must I not? To be sure I must; and therefore I may assume that your silence gives consent. Now what are spirits or demigods? Are they not either gods or the sons of gods?
Certainly they are.
But this is what I call the facetious riddle invented by you: the demigods or spirits are gods, and you say first that I do not believe in gods, and then again that I do believe in gods; that is, if I believe in demigods. For if the demigods are the illegitimate sons of gods, whether by the nymphs or by any other mothers, of whom they are said to be the sons--what human being will ever believe that there are no gods if they are the sons of gods? You might as well affirm the existence of mules, and deny that of horses and asses. Such nonsense, Meletus, could only have been intended by you to make trial of me. You have put this into the indictment because you had nothing real of which to accuse me. But no one who has a particle of understanding will ever be convinced by you that the same men can believe in divine and superhuman things, and yet not believe that there are gods and demigods and heroes.
I have said enough in answer to the charge of Meletus: any elaborate defence is unnecessary, but I know only too well how many are the enmities which I have incurred, and this is what will be my destruction if I am destroyed;--not Meletus, nor yet Anytus, but the envy and detraction of the world, which has been the death of many good men, and will probably be the death of many more; there is no danger of my being the last of them.
Some one will say: And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong--acting the part of a good man or of a bad. Whereas, upon your view, the heroes who fell at Troy were not good for much, and the son of Thetis above all, who altogether despised danger in comparison with disgrace; and when he was so eager to slay Hector, his goddess mother said to him, that if he avenged his companion Patroclus, and slew Hector, he would die himself--'Fate,' she said, in these or the like words, 'waits for you next after Hector;' he, receiving this warning, utterly despised danger and death, and instead of fearing them, feared rather to live in dishonour, and not to avenge his friend. 'Let me die forthwith,' he replies, 'and be avenged of my enemy, rather than abide here by the beaked ships, a laughing-stock and a burden of the earth.' Had Achilles any thought of death and danger? For wherever a man's place is, whether the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander, there he ought to remain in the hour of danger; he should not think of death or of anything but of disgrace. And this, O men of Athens, is a true saying.
How you, O Athenians, have been affected by my accusers, I cannot tell. But I know that they almost made me forget who I was, so persuasively did they speak. And yet they have hardly uttered a word of truth.
But of the many falsehoods told by them, there was one which quite amazed me;--I mean when they said that you should be upon your guard and not allow yourselves to be deceived by the force of my eloquence. To say this, when they were certain to be detected as soon as I opened my lips and proved myself to be anything but a great speaker, did indeed appear to me most shameless--unless by the force of eloquence they mean the force of truth; for is such is their meaning, I admit that I am eloquent. But in how different a way from theirs! Well, as I was saying, they have scarcely spoken the truth at all; but from me you shall hear the whole truth: not, however, delivered after their manner in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases. No, by heaven! but I shall use the words and arguments which occur to me at the moment; for I am confident in the justice of my cause (Or, I am certain that I am right in taking this course.): at my time of life I ought not to be appearing before you, O men of Athens, in the character of a juvenile orator--let no one expect it of me. And I must beg of you to grant me a favour:--If I defend myself in my accustomed manner, and you hear me using the words which I have been in the habit of using in the agora, at the tables of the money-changers, or anywhere else, I would ask you not to be surprised, and not to interrupt me on this account. For I am more than seventy years of age, and appearing now for the first time in a court of law, I am quite a stranger to the language of the place; and therefore I would have you regard me as if I were really a stranger, whom you would excuse if he spoke in his native tongue, and after the fashion of his country:--Am I making an unfair request of you? Never mind the manner, which may or may not be good; but think only of the truth of my words, and give heed to that: let the speaker speak truly and the judge decide justly.
And first, I have to reply to the older charges and to my first accusers, and then I will go on to the later ones. For of old I have had many accusers, who have accused me falsely to you during many years; and I am more afraid of them than of Anytus and his associates, who are dangerous, too, in their own way. But far more dangerous are the others, who began when you were children, and took possession of your minds with their falsehoods, telling of one Socrates, a wise man, who speculated about the heaven above, and searched into the earth beneath, and made the worse appear the better cause. The disseminators of this tale are the accusers whom I dread; for their hearers are apt to fancy that such enquirers do not believe in the existence of the gods. And they are many, and their charges against me are of ancient date, and they were made by them in the days when you were more impressible than you are now--in childhood, or it may have been in youth--and the cause when heard went by default, for there was none to answer. And hardest of all, I do not know and cannot tell the names of my accusers; unless in the chance case of a Comic poet. All who from envy and malice have persuaded you--some of them having first convinced themselves--all this class of men are most difficult to deal with; for I cannot have them up here, and cross-examine them, and therefore I must simply fight with shadows in my own defence, and argue when there is no one who answers. I will ask you then to assume with me, as I was saying, that my opponents are of two kinds; one recent, the other ancient: and I hope that you will see the propriety of my answering the latter first, for these accusations you heard long before the others, and much oftener.
Well, then, I must make my defence, and endeavour to clear away in a short time, a slander which has lasted a long time. May I succeed, if to succeed be for my good and yours, or likely to avail me in my cause! The task is not an easy one; I quite understand the nature of it. And so leaving the event with God, in obedience to the law I will now make my defence.
I will begin at the beginning, and ask what is the accusation which has given rise to the slander of me, and in fact has encouraged Meletus to proof this charge against me. Well, what do the slanderers say? They shall be my prosecutors, and I will sum up their words in an affidavit: 'Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others.' Such is the nature of the accusation: it is just what you have yourselves seen in the comedy of Aristophanes (Aristoph., Clouds.), who has introduced a man whom he calls Socrates, going about and saying that he walks in air, and talking a deal of nonsense concerning matters of which I do not pretend to know either much or little--not that I mean to speak disparagingly of any one who is a student of natural philosophy. I should be very sorry if Meletus could bring so grave a charge against me. But the simple truth is, O Athenians, that I have nothing to do with physical speculations. Very many of those here present are witnesses to the truth of this, and to them I appeal. Speak then, you who have heard me, and tell your neighbours whether any of you have ever known me hold forth in few words or in many upon such matters...You hear their answer. And from what they say of this part of the charge you will be able to judge of the truth of the rest.
As little foundation is there for the report that I am a teacher, and take money; this accusation has no more truth in it than the other. Although, if a man were really able to instruct mankind, to receive money for giving instruction would, in my opinion, be an honour to him. There is Gorgias of Leontium, and Prodicus of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis, who go the round of the cities, and are able to persuade the young men to leave their own citizens by whom they might be taught for nothing, and come to them whom they not only pay, but are thankful if they may be allowed to pay them. There is at this time a Parian philosopher residing in Athens, of whom I have heard; and I came to hear of him in this way:--I came across a man who has spent a world of money on the Sophists, Callias, the son of Hipponicus, and knowing that he had sons, I asked him: 'Callias,' I said, 'if your two sons were foals or calves, there would be no difficulty in finding some one to put over them; we should hire a trainer of horses, or a farmer probably, who would improve and perfect them in their own proper virtue and excellence; but as they are human beings, whom are you thinking of placing over them? Is there any one who understands human and political virtue? You must have thought about the matter, for you have sons; is there any one?' 'There is,' he said. 'Who is he?' said I; 'and of what country? and what does he charge?' 'Evenus the Parian,' he replied; 'he is the man, and his charge is five minae.' Happy is Evenus, I said to myself, if he really has this wisdom, and teaches at such a moderate charge. Had I the same, I should have been very proud and conceited; but the truth is that I have no knowledge of the kind.
I dare say, Athenians, that some one among you will reply, 'Yes, Socrates, but what is the origin of these accusations which are brought against you; there must have been something strange which you have been doing? All these rumours and this talk about you would never have arisen if you had been like other men: tell us, then, what is the cause of them, for we should be sorry to judge hastily of you.' Now I regard this as a fair challenge, and I will endeavour to explain to you the reason why I am called wise and have such an evil fame. Please to attend then. And although some of you may think that I am joking, I declare that I will tell you the entire truth. Men of Athens, this reputation of mine has come of a certain sort of wisdom which I possess. If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, wisdom such as may perhaps be attained by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise; whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom which I may fail to describe, because I have it not myself; and he who says that I have, speaks falsely, and is taking away my character. And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. For the word which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit; that witness shall be the God of Delphi--he will tell you about my wisdom, if I have any, and of what sort it is. You must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and also a friend of yours, for he shared in the recent exile of the people, and returned with you. Well, Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether--as I was saying, I must beg you not to interrupt--he asked the oracle to tell him whether anyone was wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered, that there was no man wiser. Chaerephon is dead himself; but his brother, who is in court, will confirm the truth of what I am saying.
Why do I mention this? Because I am going to explain to you why I have such an evil name. When I heard the answer, I said to myself, What can the god mean? and what is the interpretation of his riddle? for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great. What then can he mean when he says that I am the wisest of men? And yet he is a god, and cannot lie; that would be against his nature. After long consideration, I thought of a method of trying the question. I reflected that if I could only find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in my hand. I should say to him, 'Here is a man who is wiser than I am; but you said that I was the wisest.' Accordingly I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed him--his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination--and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself; and thereupon I tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me. So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is,--for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him. Then I went to another who had still higher pretensions to wisdom, and my conclusion was exactly the same. Whereupon I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him.
Then I went to one man after another, being not unconscious of the enmity which I provoked, and I lamented and feared this: but necessity was laid upon me,--the word of God, I thought, ought to be considered first. And I said to myself, Go I must to all who appear to know, and find out the meaning of the oracle. And I swear to you, Athenians, by the dog I swear!--for I must tell you the truth--the result of my mission was just this: I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better. I will tell you the tale of my wanderings and of the 'Herculean' labours, as I may call them, which I endured only to find at last the oracle irrefutable. After the politicians, I went to the poets; tragic, dithyrambic, and all sorts. And there, I said to myself, you will be instantly detected; now you will find out that you are more ignorant than they are. Accordingly, I took them some of the most elaborate passages in their own writings, and asked what was the meaning of them--thinking that they would teach me something. Will you believe me? I am almost ashamed to confess the truth, but I must say that there is hardly a person present who would not have talked better about their poetry than they did themselves. Then I knew that not by wisdom do poets write poetry, but by a sort of genius and inspiration; they are like diviners or soothsayers who also say many fine things, but do not understand the meaning of them. The poets appeared to me to be much in the same case; and I further observed that upon the strength of their poetry they believed themselves to be the wisest of men in other things in which they were not wise. So I departed, conceiving myself to be superior to them for the same reason that I was superior to the politicians.
At last I went to the artisans. I was conscious that I knew nothing at all, as I may say, and I was sure that they knew many fine things; and here I was not mistaken, for they did know many things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But I observed that even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets;--because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom; and therefore I asked myself on behalf of the oracle, whether I would like to be as I was, neither having their knowledge nor their ignorance, or like them in both; and I made answer to myself and to the oracle that I was better off as I was.
This inquisition has led to my having many enemies of the worst and most dangerous kind, and has given occasion also to many calumnies. And I am called wise, for my hearers always imagine that I myself possess the wisdom which I find wanting in others: but the truth is, O men of Athens, that God only is wise; and by his answer he intends to show that the wisdom of men is worth little or nothing; he is not speaking of Socrates, he is only using my name by way of illustration, as if he said, He, O men, is the wisest, who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing. And so I go about the world, obedient to the god, and search and make enquiry into the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger, who appears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then in vindication of the oracle I show him that he is not wise; and my occupation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to give either to any public matter of interest or to any concern of my own, but I am in utter poverty by reason of my devotion to the god.
There is another thing:--young men of the richer classes, who have not much to do, come about me of their own accord; they like to hear the pretenders examined, and they often imitate me, and proceed to examine others; there are plenty of persons, as they quickly discover, who think that they know something, but really know little or nothing; and then those who are examined by them instead of being angry with themselves are angry with me: This confounded Socrates, they say; this villainous misleader of youth!--and then if somebody asks them, Why, what evil does he practise or teach? they do not know, and cannot tell; but in order that they may not appear to be at a loss, they repeat the ready-made charges which are used against all philosophers about teaching things up in the clouds and under the earth, and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause; for they do not like to confess that their pretence of knowledge has been detected--which is the truth; and as they are numerous and ambitious and energetic, and are drawn up in battle array and have persuasive tongues, they have filled your ears with their loud and inveterate calumnies. And this is the reason why my three accusers, Meletus and Anytus and Lycon, have set upon me; Meletus, who has a quarrel with me on behalf of the poets; Anytus, on behalf of the craftsmen and politicians; Lycon, on behalf of the rhetoricians: and as I said at the beginning, I cannot expect to get rid of such a mass of calumny all in a moment. And this, O men of Athens, is the truth and the whole truth; I have concealed nothing, I have dissembled nothing. And yet, I know that my plainness of speech makes them hate me, and what is their hatred but a proof that I am speaking the truth?--Hence has arisen the prejudice against me; and this is the reason of it, as you will find out either in this or in any future enquiry.
I have said enough in my defence against the first class of my accusers; I turn to the second class. They are headed by Meletus, that good man and true lover of his country, as he calls himself. Against these, too, I must try to make a defence:--Let their affidavit be read: it contains something of this kind: It says that Socrates is a doer of evil, who corrupts the youth; and who does not believe in the gods of the state, but has other new divinities of his own. Such is the charge; and now let us examine the particular counts. He says that I am a doer of evil, and corrupt the youth; but I say, O men of Athens, that Meletus is a doer of evil, in that he pretends to be in earnest when he is only in jest, and is so eager to bring men to trial from a pretended zeal and interest about matters in which he really never had the smallest interest. And the truth of this I will endeavour to prove to you.
Come hither, Meletus, and let me ask a question of you. You think a great deal about the improvement of youth?
Yes, I do.
Tell the judges, then, who is their improver; for you must know, as you have taken the pains to discover their corrupter, and are citing and accusing me before them. Speak, then, and tell the judges who their improver is.--Observe, Meletus, that you are silent, and have nothing to say. But is not this rather disgraceful, and a very considerable proof of what I was saying, that you have no interest in the matter? Speak up, friend, and tell us who their improver is.
The laws.
But that, my good sir, is not my meaning. I want to know who the person is, who, in the first place, knows the laws.
The judges, Socrates, who are present in court.
What, do you mean to say, Meletus, that they are able to instruct and improve youth?
Certainly they are.
What, all of them, or some only and not others?
All of them.
By the goddess Here, that is good news! There are plenty of improvers, then. And what do you say of the audience,--do they improve them?
Yes, they do.
And the senators?
Yes, the senators improve them.
But perhaps the members of the assembly corrupt them?--or do they too improve them?
They improve them.
Then every Athenian improves and elevates them; all with the exception of myself; and I alone am their corrupter? Is that what you affirm?
That is what I stoutly affirm.
I am very unfortunate if you are right. But suppose I ask you a question: How about horses? Does one man do them harm and all the world good? Is not the exact opposite the truth? One man is able to do them good, or at least not many;--the trainer of horses, that is to say, does them good, and others who have to do with them rather injure them? Is not that true, Meletus, of horses, or of any other animals? Most assuredly it is; whether you and Anytus say yes or no. Happy indeed would be the condition of youth if they had one corrupter only, and all the rest of the world were their improvers. But you, Meletus, have sufficiently shown that you never had a thought about the young: your carelessness is seen in your not caring about the very things which you bring against me.
And now, Meletus, I will ask you another question--by Zeus I will: Which is better, to live among bad citizens, or among good ones? Answer, friend, I say; the question is one which may be easily answered. Do not the good do their neighbours good, and the bad do them evil?
Certainly.
And is there anyone who would rather be injured than benefited by those who live with him? Answer, my good friend, the law requires you to answer--does any one like to be injured?
Certainly not.
And when you accuse me of corrupting and deteriorating the youth, do you allege that I corrupt them intentionally or unintentionally?
Intentionally, I say.
But you have just admitted that the good do their neighbours good, and the evil do them evil. Now, is that a truth which your superior wisdom has recognized thus early in life, and am I, at my age, in such darkness and ignorance as not to know that if a man with whom I have to live is corrupted by me, I am very likely to be harmed by him; and yet I corrupt him, and intentionally, too--so you say, although neither I nor any other human being is ever likely to be convinced by you. But either I do not corrupt them, or I corrupt them unintentionally; and on either view of the case you lie. If my offence is unintentional, the law has no cognizance of unintentional offences: you ought to have taken me privately, and warned and admonished me; for if I had been better advised, I should have left off doing what I only did unintentionally--no doubt I should; but you would have nothing to say to me and refused to teach me. And now you bring me up in this court, which is a place not of instruction, but of punishment.
It will be very clear to you, Athenians, as I was saying, that Meletus has no care at all, great or small, about the matter. But still I should like to know, Meletus, in what I am affirmed to corrupt the young. I suppose you mean, as I infer from your indictment, that I teach them not to acknowledge the gods which the state acknowledges, but some other new divinities or spiritual agencies in their stead. These are the lessons by which I corrupt the youth, as you say.
Yes, that I say emphatically.
Then, by the gods, Meletus, of whom we are speaking, tell me and the court, in somewhat plainer terms, what you mean! for I do not as yet understand whether you affirm that I teach other men to acknowledge some gods, and therefore that I do believe in gods, and am not an entire atheist--this you do not lay to my charge,--but only you say that they are not the same gods which the city recognizes--the charge is that they are different gods. Or, do you mean that I am an atheist simply, and a teacher of atheism?
I mean the latter--that you are a complete atheist.
What an extraordinary statement! Why do you think so, Meletus? Do you mean that I do not believe in the godhead of the sun or moon, like other men?
I assure you, judges, that he does not: for he says that the sun is stone, and the moon earth.
Friend Meletus, you think that you are accusing Anaxagoras: and you have but a bad opinion of the judges, if you fancy them illiterate to such a degree as not to know that these doctrines are found in the books of Anaxagoras the Clazomenian, which are full of them. And so, forsooth, the youth are said to be taught them by Socrates, when there are not unfrequently exhibitions of them at the theatre (Probably in allusion to Aristophanes who caricatured, and to Euripides who borrowed the notions of Anaxagoras, as well as to other dramatic poets.) (price of admission one drachma at the most); and they might pay their money, and laugh at Socrates if he pretends to father these extraordinary views. And so, Meletus, you really think that I do not believe in any god?
I swear by Zeus that you believe absolutely in none at all.
Nobody will believe you, Meletus, and I am pretty sure that you do not believe yourself. I cannot help thinking, men of Athens, that Meletus is reckless and impudent, and that he has written this indictment in a spirit of mere wantonness and youthful bravado. Has he not compounded a riddle, thinking to try me? He said to himself:--I shall see whether the wise Socrates will discover my facetious contradiction, or whether I shall be able to deceive him and the rest of them. For he certainly does appear to me to contradict himself in the indictment as much as if he said that Socrates is guilty of not believing in the gods, and yet of believing in them--but this is not like a person who is in earnest.
I should like you, O men of Athens, to join me in examining what I conceive to be his inconsistency; and do you, Meletus, answer. And I must remind the audience of my request that they would not make a disturbance if I speak in my accustomed manner:
Did ever man, Meletus, believe in the existence of human things, and not of human beings?...I wish, men of Athens, that he would answer, and not be always trying to get up an interruption. Did ever any man believe in horsemanship, and not in horses? or in flute-playing, and not in flute-players? No, my friend; I will answer to you and to the court, as you refuse to answer for yourself. There is no man who ever did. But now please to answer the next question: Can a man believe in spiritual and divine agencies, and not in spirits or demigods?
He cannot.
How lucky I am to have extracted that answer, by the assistance of the court! But then you swear in the indictment that I teach and believe in divine or spiritual agencies (new or old, no matter for that); at any rate, I believe in spiritual agencies,--so you say and swear in the affidavit; and yet if I believe in divine beings, how can I help believing in spirits or demigods;--must I not? To be sure I must; and therefore I may assume that your silence gives consent. Now what are spirits or demigods? Are they not either gods or the sons of gods?
Certainly they are.
But this is what I call the facetious riddle invented by you: the demigods or spirits are gods, and you say first that I do not believe in gods, and then again that I do believe in gods; that is, if I believe in demigods. For if the demigods are the illegitimate sons of gods, whether by the nymphs or by any other mothers, of whom they are said to be the sons--what human being will ever believe that there are no gods if they are the sons of gods? You might as well affirm the existence of mules, and deny that of horses and asses. Such nonsense, Meletus, could only have been intended by you to make trial of me. You have put this into the indictment because you had nothing real of which to accuse me. But no one who has a particle of understanding will ever be convinced by you that the same men can believe in divine and superhuman things, and yet not believe that there are gods and demigods and heroes.
I have said enough in answer to the charge of Meletus: any elaborate defence is unnecessary, but I know only too well how many are the enmities which I have incurred, and this is what will be my destruction if I am destroyed;--not Meletus, nor yet Anytus, but the envy and detraction of the world, which has been the death of many good men, and will probably be the death of many more; there is no danger of my being the last of them.
Some one will say: And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong--acting the part of a good man or of a bad. Whereas, upon your view, the heroes who fell at Troy were not good for much, and the son of Thetis above all, who altogether despised danger in comparison with disgrace; and when he was so eager to slay Hector, his goddess mother said to him, that if he avenged his companion Patroclus, and slew Hector, he would die himself--'Fate,' she said, in these or the like words, 'waits for you next after Hector;' he, receiving this warning, utterly despised danger and death, and instead of fearing them, feared rather to live in dishonour, and not to avenge his friend. 'Let me die forthwith,' he replies, 'and be avenged of my enemy, rather than abide here by the beaked ships, a laughing-stock and a burden of the earth.' Had Achilles any thought of death and danger? For wherever a man's place is, whether the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander, there he ought to remain in the hour of danger; he should not think of death or of anything but of disgrace. And this, O men of Athens, is a true saying.