{"id":157,"date":"2009-05-27T19:36:24","date_gmt":"2009-05-27T19:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomathon.com\/mphp\/?p=157"},"modified":"2009-05-27T19:38:33","modified_gmt":"2009-05-27T19:38:33","slug":"dont-ask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2009\/05\/dont-ask\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Ask"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\n“If a crocodile buys a pair of trousers,\u00a0 don’t ask where he puts his tail.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

or<\/p>\n

“Si le crocodile ach\u00e8te un pantalon, c’est qu’il a trouv\u00e9 o\u00f9 mettre sa queue.”<\/p>\n

Supposedly a Bambara proverb, that’s more literally “…he’s already figured out where to put his tail”, so don’t ask.\u00a0 He’s thought this out, and if you’re wise you’ll just steer clear.\u00a0 It was a headline on a Tuareg blog<\/a> about the President of Niger.\u00a0 I’m guessing it wasn’t supposed to be flattering, but I can’t help but think of the Toucouleur saying: “If you live in the river, don’t make enemies of the crocodiles.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“If a crocodile buys a pair of trousers,\u00a0 don’t ask where he puts his tail.”<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[75,26],"tags":[76],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":924,"url":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2010\/03\/mali-gao-mayor-threatens-to-sell-reporters-to-aqim-or-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":157,"position":0},"title":"Mali: Gao Mayor threatens to sell reporters to AQIM. Or not.","date":"March 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"AFP re-reports the allegations of two Catalan journalists, now safely home. They say that they were threatened with kidnapping and delivery to Al qaeda by the Mayor of Gao, Sadou Harouna Diallo, ally of the President, admirer of the USA and quintessential Big Man. Mayor Diallo tells AFP this is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1336,"url":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2011\/03\/more-thoughts-on-coles-uneducated-gut\/","url_meta":{"origin":157,"position":1},"title":"More thoughts on Cole’s uneducated gut","date":"March 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Glenn Greenwald is one of several \"progressive\" (USA-ian for \"Social-Democratic\") commentators who have been debating Juan Cole on his tempestuous \"Open Letter to the Left\".\u00a0\u00a0 Greenwald's \"Question of Juan Cole\" takes what Cole says seriously, and applies serious criticism to the Professor's unabashed endorsement of a U.S.\/NATO air war to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":875,"url":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2010\/03\/africom-ghana-in-the-crosshairs\/","url_meta":{"origin":157,"position":2},"title":"AFRICOM: Ghana in the crosshairs","date":"March 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Crossed Crocodiles blog, long focused on the expansion of AFRICOM, contrasts a host of quotes which illustrate what US Military African Command leaders say to the Ghanaian press VS. what they elsewhere proclaim are their intentions. Unsurprisingly, the US military and State Department are quite clear that they wish to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":130,"url":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2009\/03\/why-im-a-dead-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":157,"position":3},"title":"Why I’m a dead man","date":"March 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"How sad is it that I'm this excited about a book of history - polisci essays? How additionally sad is it that I'm trembling in terror over my girlfriend's reaction that I just spent $40 on a whim? Regardless, I'm very excited about finding a copy of \"Army and Politics\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Me"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":106,"url":"http:\/\/www.tomathon.com\/mphp\/2009\/02\/the-art-of-m-s-corley\/","url_meta":{"origin":157,"position":4},"title":"The Art of M. S. Corley","date":"February 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Designer M. S. 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