Banned are the Peacemakers

Can anyone name the one country to have ever barred former President Jimmy Carter from coming on a peace mission?

Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Carter has been busy since leaving office decades ago. He's negotiated deals in some of the roughest spots in the world...North Korea, the Middle East, South America and Africa...with pretty good success.

And yet, the government of ZIMBABWE somehow feels so threatened by the 84-year-old and the other two members of group called "The Elders" that the Zimbabwean government denied them travel visas to assess the humanitarian needs of the country!

The other members of The Elders are former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and human rights advocate Graca Machel.  Machel also just happens to be the wife of Nelson Mandela.

Evidently, the group was seen as "antagonistic" towards the government. I do not in any way mean to belittle this group of elder statesmen, but it seems cowardly of the government to be afraid of these people.  What's the worst they could do?  Say mean things about President Mugabe?

Ah, but it's not really The Elders they are afraid of are they?

It is the possibility that they will see the truth as they travel in the country...and that frightens the authorities.

In case you haven't heard yet...

• The World Health Organization reports nearly 300 people have died in a cholera outbreak. (More on that tomorrow...)

• There's little to no food left in the country

• And hyperinflation kills off any remaining hopes that Zimbabweans can avert what Annan says is the road to "a humanitarian disaster."

So, I suppose given these truths that we know already, how much more damage could this group of Elders do? 

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