I was saddened by the death of Congressman Donald Payne, the longtime Congressman from New Jersey. I remember him being a friend of Eritrea. It has been reported by Associated Press that despite his deteriorating health in the days leading up to his death, he really cheered up when an Eritrean man working as an orderly at George Washington University Hospital, where Congressman Payne was being treated for cancer, recognized him for having been the only American official to visit his hometown in Eritrea. Congressman Payne visited Eritrea during his Congressional break in January 2008, at a time when Jendayi Frazer was working overtime to isolate the Government of Eritrea and put Eritrea on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Congressman Payne was slandered by Weyane and its cohorts for his visit to Eritrea that winter.
By all accounts, Congressman Payne seems to have enjoyed his visit to Eritrea as can be seen in the clip posted below. He often spoke about his belief that US-Eritrean relations can and should improve. He was one of the few congressmen -- if not the only one -- who never bought Weyane's bag of tricks and challenged Jendayi Frazer on her bogus claims against Eritrea during her testimony in front of the Africa Subcommittee, of which he was a ranking member.
In a youtube clip from Eri-Tv below, Congressman Payne can be seen touring various regions of Eritrea and dancing with local Eritrean women while wearing traditional highland Eritrean outfit. He was indeed a friend of Eritrea and will be missed.
Rest in Peace Congressman Payne!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9IXoKAxoxE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IuZ4Rj23w0&feature=relmfu
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Received on Wed Mar 07 2012 - 00:31:48 EST
