Nelson Mandela, no hero of mine

People should often stop and ask themselves why Nelson Mandela is considered such a hero, an icon and a saint. But unfortunately, it seems that we all suffer from group-think. We all just assume he was a great leader who served time in prison in the noble fight against apartheid. Period.

Brookesnews has a great piece on black leaders who receive fame and awards, and the following few nasty details about Mandela are laid out:

No mention by any of the networks of the following, however: “Nelson Mandela participated in planning acts of sabotage and inciting violence, so that he could no longer fulfill the criteria for the classification of political prisoners.” That's Amnesty International, not exactly an outpost of the racist White Wing conspiracy.

And no mention that: “The preparation, manufacture and use of explosives, including 210,000 hand grenades, 48,000 anti-personnel mines, 1,500 time devices, 144 tons of ammonium nitrate, 21.6 tons of aluminum powder and a ton of black powder, 193 counts of terrorism committed between 1961 and 1963,” is what got Saint Mandela jugged in the first place.

Among other choice Nelson Mandela-isms, “The cause of Communism is the greatest cause in the history of mankind!” (1961). “There’s one place where Fidel Castro stands out head and shoulders above the rest — that is in his love for human rights and liberty!” Saint Mandela promulgated that gem as Castro awarded him Cuba’s prestigious “Playa Giron Award” in 1984. “Playa Giron”" by the way, is Cuban for “The Bay of Pigs,” which makes the ironies all the more nauseating.

If you don't believe me, read Nelson Mandela's 1961 writings, "How to be a good communist". It truly sounds like Mandela was guilty of double-think, being able to be a loyal follower of communism whilst being able to praise freedom with quotes like:

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.