A Stitch in Haste

Get ready for a typical African bloodbath:

ITEM: Don't Ask, Just Tell —

A top Zimbabwe Army general called on the nation's soldiers to vote for President Robert Mugabe in a runoff or resign from the military, the official state newspaper reported Saturday.

Note that this announcement has nothing to do with sending a message to soldiers and everything to do with sending a message to the people the soldiers will be shooting at: We control the army, so we control the election.

ITEM: And if you don't want to use the army to rig an election, you can always use the police:

The leader of a rebel faction of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change became the most senior opposition politician to be arrested Sunday when he was held over a written attack on Robert Mugabe.

Arthur Mutambara, who recently pledged to work again with main MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to defeat President Mugabe at a run-off election this month, was picked up at his home in Harare, his party and lawyer said.
...
The editor of the country's only independent Sunday paper The Standard was arrested last month over the piece written by Mutambara which accused Mugabe of running down the Zimbabwean economy and his security forces of abuses.

Arrested for an op-ed? China's communists would be impressed.

ITEM: Another option is of course to just plain starve the opposition to death:

Zimbabwe's government has banned at least one international aid group from operating in the country for allegedly campaigning for the opposition.

All operations of Care International are now suspended, pending an inquiry into the claims. Care denies that it "has encouraged or tolerated any political activity".
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Addressing the UN food summit in Rome, Mr Mugabe said the West, led by the former colonial power in Zimbabwe, Britain, was plotting to effect "illegal regime change" against him.

The report also describes a prosecution of three Sky News reporters from South Africa for "unaccredited journalism." Insists the magistrate overseeing the trial: "This country is not a banana republic."

Of course it isn't — that would require actually having bananas. Zimbabwe, under its jackboot thug regime, has none — nor any other food. To maniacs like Mugabe, it is better to rule a wasteland than not rule a free and prosperous society.

LATE ENTRY: Mugabe has, unsurprisingly, simply cut to the chase and arrested his opponent.