Nelson Mandela’s Controversial Ties to Arafat, Kadafi and Castro
Hearing Mandela state that he feels a “kinship” with Castro, Kadafi and Arafat because they have supported the anti-apartheid movement makes me wonder if one could extend the same logic to expect a connection with Hitler, Stalin or Attila the Hun, as long as they met the needed criterion.
Mandela appears to be a man of extraordinary intelligence and dignity. I would ask him to consider what kind of relationship the new (post-apartheid) South Africa will have with the likes of Arafat, Castro or Kadafi. He will be beholden to proven liars, violators of human rights and proponents of every anti-democratic dogma.
There is an adage that Mandela would do well to remember: “He who lies down with dogs, wakes up with fleas!”
SHERRI LIPMAN
Fullerton
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