What else could any true Liberian say to the TRC of Liberia? As for me, I say thank you and bravo. By being honest and given a report though, may never be implemented, the commission did serve well for the purpose for which it was set up. There is no wich hunting but once the names of the financials and the executors of the war are published and relevent recommendations given there is some high level of fairness. Please forgive some of us who put the cart before the horse by critizing and relegating your work as fruitless. You have fought a good fight and those who think that Liberians will return to war again, are making the sadest mistake in their lives.

You write here "the commission did serve well for the purpose for which it was set up"...Do you think that you really know THE P U R P O S E>? If Hon. President in Office image`s is expired, another Americo Liberian will follow soon, a new and fresh one with the links to the "prosperous past"..Could it be Clrs Tubman? The stuff is that the Americo Political ELITE GROUP must take full controll of a secure country (sooner or later). The TRSs list will clear the country of the dangerous people to this Americo Liberian Political Elite. The rest ..ex. >>>The TRIBAL CHIEFS >>> can be corrupted, intimidated, etc.. and made to cooperate , even in doing the dirty jobs against their own aborigines people...in the name of peace! The real fear of the Americo Liberian Elite and chalenge are the names on the TRSs list.They have to get to get rid of them as soon a s possible in a "legal way"...I was looking at Mr. Verdier`s CV.Nothing can be found . I am wondering if Mr. Verdier and Co are aware that they are used in a game bigger than life itself ...with the result of...(@To-I -let paper@)

Please observe that the TRIBAL CHIEFS are making trips to Monrovia in an active and optimistic mood and that the Taylors Downfall is timed with the TRS s Final Report! IAll it is going acc to the "Above" Scheduling!

It is suspected that the TRIBAL CHIEFS are in the process to be persuaded to cooperate with the TRSs actions and with the election of the future president (It appears that they know the name of the Future president, already).. They will do so, as traditionally they are able to do all kind of bad things " against their own people for the sake of safe community".( or some petty gain...).So they believe!..for exchange of... glass beads, etc...as in the past when they sold the land to the Americo Liberians... for ...(To-i-Let paper)

Why are Liberians not sincere when they are given a task to perform? Why choose a path of more division over reconciliation when task given you was about bringing people together? The commissioners of the TRC have just misused the huge sum given to them and instead, have plunched the country into more division because of their one sided decision and partial implications of others. Yes, the commissioners misused the amount given to them because they were not working together as a unit and instead, they were divided over making concrete decision and other misused the confused situation to make revenge-made decision against other Liberians which they are against. The decision made was not the will of every member of the TRC and so the Liberian people are now faced with whether the decision was fair, made appropiately or jumped onto by few people who feel that what they say will stand.

Right now, the pronouncement of this one-sided decision by the TRC commissioners who left the path of reconciliation to honor more divisive direction; is already giving headlines to more confusion in Liberia and paving the way for the following to take place. The decision which was made based on group personal agenda has paved the way for more corruption by government officials who will now focus their attention on stealing because of their feeling that Ellen Sirleaf will be leaving office, government official will fail to obey rules because of lack of competent leader for the government, political players will capitalize on this pronouncement to insert more confusion thus forcing the Liberian people to rebel against the government and of course building more tension in this peaceful-fragile nation.

Was this what we expect from the Truth Reconciliation Committee for all the amount we paid to keep them on the job? What were the reasons for all the confession? Were people coming out to confess and apologize openly because they wanted to be prosecuted? How were the commissioners picked to do this job? Did they really know how we came to this whole civil war issue in Liberia? Did they know the reasons why Tolbert killed and many of his TWP officials were shot to death broad day in Liberia? Do members of the committee know that other Liberians were being hunted day-by-day in Liberia because of their tribal affiliation, party association and what have you?

I personally feel that the few commissioners decision is a joke in that it does not represent the truth meaning of reconciliation. The commissioners made a big mistake by implicating the president who sincerely stated her reasons for joining the rebellion and apologized to the Liberian people for what she thinks she did wrong. We were all in Liberia when the seated government at a time was looking for this president for other charges. She was out of her own country for years for her own fear.

Again Liberians, we are faced with another decision that is one-sided oriented. It happen before when Tolbert was killed and the hard working TWP officials were placed on the poles and shot to death. We were on the street dancing and rejoicing bout just to turn back few weeks later to regret their death. Ellen and others are faced with the same condition of poor decision by few people and we are left out there to bring about judgement on them. These folks did what they were faced with because of the condition surrounding them.

They need a chance to serve the Liberian people. Ellen herself has been doing a fine job and have move the image of Liberia far then any other seated Liberian leaders in history. She needs a chance to lead the nation for couple more years so that healing in the nation can take place with regular pay checks to families. We should not stopped her fine job because of jealousy or political motive to prosecute her and slide the nation back into working without pay again. Liberian is an old nation with young hearts because of the lot of wasted opportunities. We need to put our acts together to move the country forward and in doing so we need to forgo conditions that are not too damaging to the population and fight for the good image of our nation.

Remember, " The love of LIBERTY BROUGHT US HERE" and it is this freedom, togetherness and liberty that will keep us here.

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!

Dear TonyKona:

I wrote my commentary before reading yours, but we are on the same wavelength. Your commentary was very eloquent and necessary. I liked your saying that "Liberia is an old nation with many young hearts..." and may I still add that Liberia still has many intelligent people capable of resurrecting AFRICA'S FIRST REPUBLIC. What I do not understand however is why no commission (be it the Good Governess under Bryant nor the TRC under Sirleaf), have yet to come up with what I believe will be the only way for Liberia to truly move forward, and that is by bringing to a close the SECOND REPUBLIC. It took nearly 30 years after it's inception for The Commonwealth of Liberia (1820-1847) to finally realize that it DECLARE INDEPENDENCE from ACS and establish a Republic inorder to truly be free. And that FIRST REPUBLIC survived for nearly 150 years (1847-1980). Critics will say that the nation did not evolve fast enough with the will of the people and so the foundations for the SECOND REPUBLIC were laid by DOE in his popular coup d'etat. I personally believe that Liberia needed to change during the post independence movement in Africa but lacked the apparatus to do so. But if the FIRST REPUBLIC was too slow to make the necessary changes that reflected the will of the people, the SECOND REPUBLIC went overboard in catering to the will of the people and lacks the apparatus to resurrect a dying nation. The Liberian people must come to the conclusion that it can only find closure with the slowness of the FIRST REPUBLIC and the excesses of the SECOND REPUBLIC when it finally decides to draft a new constitution and bring about a THIRD REPUBLIC. African Americans came to Liberia in search of Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, which they were denied in America. It took them only 30 years to realize that they could never be free unless they established an independent nation. By 1980 indigenious Liberians celebrated the overthrow of the Americo lead FIRST REPUBLIC because they felt that they had long been denied Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, as well. 30 years is long enough for all Liberians to realize that true progress will only come when the SECOND REPUBLIC is buried and a new constitutional convention should begin drafting a new constiution by the time of the national elections in 2011. The excesses of developing 15 COUNTIES from the original 9 has done nothing to develop the nation, just an attempt to placate tribalism. The racist code of only allowing Blacks to become citizens may have been necessary when the entire continent of Africa was colonialized by Europeans, but it is now a backward concept akin to aparthied. THE BLACK ONLY clause no longer serves a purpose other than to allow blacks to continue to exploit each other as well as others that could benefit the nation by becoming citizens. And certainly this archaic clause didn't stop Blacks from murdering each other and destroying their nation for nearly two decades. Liberia is still a small nation and although I don't agree that counties should be treated like autonomous states who have their own constituion and elect their own governors, I do believe that the nation does need to decentralize somewhat and allow DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS to be elected locally while still allowing central control by Presidential selection of SUPERINTENDENTS. Decentralization is dangerous because African society is still tribalistic and elected Governors or Superindents could lead to more destabilization. A good balance of checks and balances are necessary and that is why I believe only 11 counties would be perfect with a Commonwealth of Monrovia serving as the national capital and not affliated with any county. 30 years after the fall of the FIRST REPUBLIC, PRESIDENT SIRLEAF should call for a constitutional convention asap to bring about the closing of the SECOND REPUBLIC (1980-2012) and the birth of a THIRD REPUBLIC, in the same way that GOVERNOR ROBERTS called for a constitional convention to bring about the end of the COMMONWEALTH OF LIBERIA (1820-1847) and the birth of the FIRST REPUBLIC (1847-1980) which lead to him being elected THE FATHER OF A NEW NATION and could lead to Sirleaf being elected THE MOTHER OF A NEW NATION, the last President of the second republic and the first president of a new third republic. She promised to serve only one term (2006-2012) within the confines of the second republic, but if the nation is to truly continue to progress Sirleaf must serve another term and the only way to justify that is to create a new constitution. LIBERIA ALWAYS CONSIDERED THE LITTLE NATION THAT COULD, and they still can but only if they finally realize that the excesses of the SECOND REPUBLIC must come to an end and a new THIRD REPUBLIC must be created that will enable Liberians to finally bring closure and reconsile with one another and create a Republic that will survive another 150 years.

What some of you on here are talking is nonsense. In post conflict societies peace and reconciliatation can only be achieve justice is achieve. Look at Rwanda, BurundioAngola, and even south Africa. As a master student studying politics and international studies with emphasis and peace and conflict studies at Uppsala University in Sweden, the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s public release on July 2nd of its final report is an important, necessary step in Liberia’s efforts to confront the legacies of its 14-year civil conflict and highlights the need for additional measures to deal with Liberia’s difficult past must be commended cause it is the right step in the right Direction.

Ellen Johnson play a pivotal role in the civil war that killed so many of her country men and women. During her testimony at the TRC's public hearings, President Sirleaf admitted to allegations that she supported Taylor and his rebel movement during the civil crisis. She planted the seed of instability in the country for supporting the NPFL of War Crime Criminal Charles Taylor. Are you telling telling me Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Pro tempore of the Liberian Senate, Isaac Nyenebo , Former Transport Minister Jackson E. Doe, Liberia Produce Marketing (LPMC) Managing Director, Nyan Mentan, Former Police Director, Paul Mulbah and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Kabineh Ja'neh, Prince Johnson, Alahaji. Kroman among others are indispenable when it come to punishing those pepetratorss that destroyed our country?

Post conflict societies are prone to conflict and the peace Liberia presently enjoyed is a fragile peace because we depend on the UN peacekeeping force to provide security for the entire country. What happen if they leave?

Liberia is one of the few post conflict countries that allow people that committed horrible war crimes, crimes against humanity, economic crime etc to ply the street with impunity and until we can be honest with ourselves and confront the issues of justice we are planting the seed of injustices, impunities, etc in the country. I strongly beleive TRC recommendation if implemented will serve as deterent factors for would be pepetrators.

It is true that according to the US Constitution (which has served all along as a model for Liberia) equates those who support insurrectionists with those who actually commit the insurrection: Article 3 Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. But Liberia is an independent nation and must decide this issue for herself. Should those who urged the overthrow of a man who clearly had rigged his own election be judged equally with those who raped, killed, and maimed in the process of overthrowing him?

Now that the report is out, all of us Liberians ought to read and understand it thoroughly and appreciate all of the implications of the TRC recommendations. How we receive the report and move forward is a challenge to our very young and fragile democracy. I suggest we hold fast to Patience, sound Analysis, Courteous debate as we proceed cautiously. As far as I see it, our democracy Must be sustained as we tackle the challenges of the new Liberia.

It is clear that most people do not understand the meaning of "reconciliation." Reconciliation is a process of correcting, a process of preventing, and it does not exclude consequence and punishment. For example: If you were thirsty and needed a cup of water to drink, but realized that you were given a cup of poison that could kill you instantly. How would you reconcile that to your safety? Oh, since it did not kill you, therefore it's okay to leave it where it can kill others? Or how would you reconcile that your sister was cut into bits of piece alive till her last breath, when all she ever did was ask the rebels when they entered Monrovia "why are you beating pregnant women and older people and throwing them out of their homes?" Oh, it doesn't matter, we want unity. Why do the Jews relentlessly pursue executioners of the holocust more than half a century later to bring them to justice?And why do some Liberians think that those who killed, drank the blood and ate the flesh of their fellow human beings will not do it again if they are not brought to justice? And why are we crying "corruption" today in our government? Because corrupt individuals have only been rewarded by recylcing them rather than seriously punishing them. The TRC was established to find out the "truth" and they have. They have recommended a process of reconciliation, and if Liberia is serious about lasting peace and respect for the rule of law, then the process must begin. For many who have lost their loved ones, this will serve as closure...this will serve as justice. I am only disappointed that Khadafi is not named in this report. He should be banned from ever setting his foot on our soil. Natjo

EXCELLENT JOB TRC! Everyone and Anyone involved in the total destruction of our country, our people and the displacement of Liberians all over the world, MUST NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY POSITION OF LEADERSHIP in Liberia. ELLEN MUST STEP DOWN...PERIOD!

Well done Mr. Commissioner and thanks to the bodies that finacied your project. However i would like to import my strong disagreement with you on the prosecution recommendation of 'persons bearing the most responsibnility 'in the conflict . Without a speck of doubt ,Yumi Johnson ,Taylor Kromah ,and the rest ofthe varied factional leaders should be brought to book to account for their roles ,but from the Sierra leonean experience ,the room for justice to take a course is more than small .And further ,the International criminal justice system dosen't actually dispense justice rather its focal element in the entire process is a mere political weapon. In our system of fraternity it would really serve no one for Liberians to go on any expedition trip which may end up corrosively dividing the country. The war was initiated by Sirleaf ,Sawyer ,Fahnbulleh and co as a last resort effort to get rid of Doe and it didn't go without the prior approval of the United States - the architect and most vocal organizer of the Justice panel. If the International community is that committed to bringing the perperators to Justice ,then what about the elements in the US government that gave its nod of approval ,Sirleaf and co ,who actually facilitated and nutured the Taylor factor and the field commanders who actually executed the dictates of their bosses- these were the individuals whose direct actions actually wrecked havoc on the poor masses. Like Sierra Leone ,eeveryday every moment the amputees sees their amputators passing by them in cars and other spoils of the carnage ,it smoulders their remaining courage to live. In short Liberians would be better served without any sort of Criminal court sitting that will hung over them for decades to come . And the funniest of all is the Sirleaf disqualification inclusion. Here is a Sitting highly popular ( outside liberia) President who , like Ghadaffi and Tejan Kabbah can never be included in any court hearing by any court whatsoever, and she is been asked to step aside . why do we pretend to such a low level .Without Sirleaf and others no true Judicial engagement will ever quiten the guns in Liberia neither will the embers of that tragedy be thrown into the sea. So please think again .

Hashim

Woh! what can one say.Elen is not Better then Taylor. I think taylor is better, cuz taylor known for talking the truth. Elen never thought the trc would have given such a report.She sold taylor for good image, today we are selling her for the same good image. We don't want anyone that took part in the war to rule us........... when taylor is finish given his part of the story, Elen herself will step down.

It saddened my heart to hear comments like Ellen isno different from Taylor. If we were to go on listing the mountainous differences that exists between Madam Ellen and Mr. Taylor, the website could be jam for some time. So we will not go in to that. Madam Sirleaf with the respect of the international community has been able restore Liberia's image from one of a pariah state to respected nation in the comity of nations. She has been able to raised the country's budget from a mere $80 million US to almost $400 million in the space of just ovee 3 years with civil servnts salary rising from $800 Liberian Dollars to $ 80 US now. We are for the first time massive improvement in the our road conditions, in the health sector, educational sector and the list goes on. The leadership ability of Madam Sirleaf has led to a considerable increase in international support fro liberia's rebuilding. Have you seen the new university campus unde construction at Fendell, do you know about the 100 bed room multi million dollar hospital being costructed at Tappita? Do we have to say that the two commonalities that exists between Mr. Taylor and Madam Sirleaf are that of being Liberians first and second as Presidents? Please think about this and know that Mrs. Sirleaf is a dignified and respected President.

what are you talking about here? How do you think that Taylor was going to do those things you talked about? All of those people from the international community that are helping today, are the same people who she got help from to damage taylor's image out there.But you and i know that Elen was the one who mobilize Taylor and the others by the help of some us investors, They even got him out of jail. The 1985 coup was her idea, 1989 war was her idea. Taylor was just the foot soldier. But hold your peace ontil the 13,07 2009 when Taylor will give his side of the story.Taylor had sanctions and travel ban, Elen is free. Nobody is distroying her image. You heared George Bush when he said he desided to help Ellen forfill her dream. So he suppoeted her and she won a free and fair ellection. We know some of you guys are pro Ellen. Oh because it's Ellen? Why You didn't put your hand behind Taylor at the time. You guys was just there supporting lurd rebbel. You should spend your time praying for sekou d conneh to be free. Ellen has allready said he's being treated as a guinean. If it was taylor you guys would have broght war again. Try to be real man!

Liberians need to sit back and evaluate what the TRC report findings means for our young democracy. In my opinion, the TRC process should've been untaken during the Bryant transitional administration and completed before heading into the last elections. Coming out with a prosecutorial slant at this time is taking the country back to acrimony and strife. Is the result worth risking the fragile peaceful democracy that the country now clings onto? Is it worth diverting so much international assistance that should continue going toward development and poverty reduction? Is placing the country in several lengthy periods of expensive legal tussles and halt the redevelopment process to settle scores worthy it? And then after all that is done, will we as Liberians experience true peace? Will we ever finally be satisfied? After they got rid of Tolbert and tried and executed 13 of his officials, did it bring peace and satisfaction to Liberians? Did it lead to lasting stability? Look where we are after all those years. The level of hatred and vennom even amongst some persons who blogg on these websites is very frightening! The TRC did not include vivid recommendations that would reunite and reconcile Liberia other than penalizing former warlords and citing a highly selective list of names of those to be banned from politics for 30 years. We all can remember that it was not too long ago that some Liberians were saying to Charles Taylor, "you kill my Ma, you kill my Pa, but I will vote for you". And they voted in the thousands, electing Charles Taylor as president of Liberia. The same Liberians also voted Prince Johnson into the Senate to represent Nimba, the second most populous county in Liberia. The information of Sirleaf's initial support for Taylor was out long after the war, and yet Liberians in a free and fair elections, voted her as their president. Now, should the TRC recommendations be allowed to reverse the results of democratic elections or elect whom ever they see fit? Because lets face it, as the Bible saids, "let he who has no sin, throw first stone". Can we say that the TRC process itself was without political influence and wrangling since some of its members were in constant disharmony leading to all of them not signing the final document? Did they recommend solutions to tribal conflicts or religious intolerance? Did they deal with and recommend corrective policies toward the lingering cleavages between the Congau vs Country man divide? The TRC also placed the penalty of a 30 year political ban on politicians and non-politicians alike. This is somewhat unbalanced. Some of the qualifiers (private businessmen) included in the 30 year ban, could care less if they are included in such a ban from politics in Liberia. Those guys have nothing to loose sitting in America or elsewhere. Others would have more to loose since they are career politicans. There should've been other forms of penalties recommended...such as fines for those who provided financing to the waring factions or confiscation of properties and businesses to those who allowed their business interests to be in collusion with warlords. The report's recommendations are very shallow because the TRC allowed itself to become politically compromised. Unfortunitely, the TRC did a major disservice to Liberia by opening up old wounds, and creating more divisions. Is this why the TRC was constituted?

Wow are we forgetting about our former rebel leader's for LEAD he should be the first on the TRC table because that guy is pain in the flash for all Liberian.

What some of you on here are talking is nonsense. In post conflict societies, peace and reconciliatation can only be achieve when justice is achieve. Look at Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, and even south Africa. As a master student studying politics and international studies with emphasis and peace and conflict studies at Uppsala University in Sweden, the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s public release on July 2nd of its final report is an important, necessary step in Liberia’s efforts to confront the legacies of its 17-years civil conflict and highlights the need for additional measures to deal with Liberia’s difficult past must be commended and the recommendations are the right steps in the right direction.

Ellen Johnson played a pivotal role in the civil war that killed so many of her country men and women. During her testimony at the TRC's public hearings, President Sirleaf admitted to allegations that she supported Taylor and his rebel movement during the civil crisis. She help planted the seed of instability in the country for supporting the War Crime Criminal Charles Taylor and cohorts. Are your telling me Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Pro tempore of the Liberian Senate, Isaac Nyenebo , Former Transport Minister Jackson E. Doe, Liberia Produce Marketing (LPMC) Managing Director, Nyan Mentan, Former Police Director, Paul Mulbah and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Kabineh Ja'neh, Prince Johnson, Alahaji. Kroman among others are indispenable when it come to punishing those pepetratorss that destroyed our country?

Post conflict societies are prone to conflict and the peace Liberia presently enjoyed is a fragile peace because we depend on the UN peacekeeping force to provide security for the entire country. What happen if they leave? Liberia is one of the few post conflict countries that allow people that committed horrible war crimes, crimes against humanity, economic crimes etc to ply the street with impunity and it sad. I strongly beleive TRC recommendations if implemented will serve as deterent factors for would be pepetrators.

I am very impressed and satisfied with the work done by TRC. Ellen needs to step down because Ellen masterminded the war. She needs to step down because she lied about her level of involvement in the war. She is replaceable and must therefore step down peacefully.

It is my sincerest hope and prayer now that the TRC has spoken, those responsible for the implemetation part will deliberate and decide what should be implimented in the interest of Liberia. I am sure "TRC" stand something, but from this report I am not sure it stands for "Truth and Reconciliation Commissiion". Which Liberian did not at some point cheer Doe or Taylor on.

The Liberian TRC was flawed from the beginning. Anyone trying to initiate reconciliation after the civil war must begin at the source of the conflict which was the coup that toppled THE FIRST REPUBLIC. I don't think Liberians will ever be able to come to terms with the atrocities of the past until they deal with the Doe Coup of 1980. Was it justified or not. Samuel K. Doe was elected President of THE SECOND REPUBLIC in what many in the international community called a rigged election. Afterward Doe would turn against his own people and commit genocide against them inorder to maintain himself in office. Was Taylor justified in leading a popular uprising against Doe? If it is true that Doe committed genocide against Liberians in Nimba then anyone who collaborated with him should also be blamed. Those who tried to stop the genocide should be exonerated. No one who actively participated in murder and mayhem should be exonerated. Doe and his cohorts who murdered Tolbert and overthrew the government in 80 as well as Taylor and his cohorts who murder Doe and initiated the CIVIL WAR should also pay a price. ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF never raised an army to kill anyone, she was mere a respected member of the elite who advised and help to finance Taylor, until it became clear that Taylor was a self serving meglomaniac at which point she disassociated herself from his movement. Ellen was also one of the few Tolbert cabinet ministers that Doe didn't have murdered and she collaborated with him until she herself could leave the nation safely. There is nothing wrong with Sirleaf collaborating with Doe inorder to save the nation from collaspe soon after the coup by serving as head of the national bank. There is nothing wrong with Sirleaf collaborating with Taylor, by helping to finance and advise the Taylor rebellion in the beginning, inorder to stop the genocide against the people of Nimba county. The TRC has gotten it twisted. Collaborating with the enemies is not the same as leading the enemy. Eversince the 70s Sirleaf has had her pulse on the will of the Liberian people. Radicals and Progressives have respected her since the early days of the PAL which is why Doe didn't have her killed after the coup and later after the rigged election of 85. She even managed to escape the rath of Taylor when he began killing everone that could challenge his leadership. Sirleaf is the ultimate survivor and anyone who claims that she acted unpatriotic during the past 30 years is merely being naive and jeolous of the support that the masses of Liberians have for her. Sirleaf has never commited murder and mayheim she merely survived and advised those who did. She is now the PRESIDENT of the nation and those who would like to convict her for being a concerned citizen all these years is ridiculous. Banning her from elected office would only send Liberia back into self destruction. Stop wishing for her to go away but pray that she seek a second term, because under her leadership Liberia is thriving once again for the first time since 1980 coup.

I see the TRC report as a way forward toward genuine reconciliation. What most people are missing out is that the report is just one step on a long path towards achieving reconciliation in post conflict Liberia. What needs to be done now is for the National Legislature to put into place a mechanism that will move the process on to the next stage so that those responsible for the widescale destruction of human and material resources during the Liberian civil crisis can be brought to justice. For without justice, there can be no genuine reconciliation.

What is obtaining now is that some politicians and their sympathizers using, and will continue to use the TRC's report as a basis for, among other things, denying political rivals from contesting ensuing 2011 polls. Whatever the case is, we Liberians must remain focused on the purpose of the TRC process which is to set the basis for the achievement of national reconciliation and recovery in Liberia following one of the most brutal civils the world had ever seen.

An American, my thoughts are conflicting.

First, perpetrators of violence, genocide, and crimes against humanity MUST be brought to justice (i.e. tried and possibly jailed) in order for there to be lasting peace and reconciliation. As someone else has said, soliders and warlords who have bloodied their hands through mass slaughter, cannibalism, and other atrocities cannot be expected to remain in a peaceful society. They have done these things in the past, yes, but will do them again if the reason presents itself.

Secondly, Ellen has accomplished great things during her term in office, showing nothing but the highest consideration for her country and its people. To expell her from office would result in a loss of progress. Can another as good as her be found in replacement? I think not. Besides, she has said that she will not seek re-election, and we have no reason to believe that she will. To include her name among the 50 war criminals to prosecute would never have occurred if she was not the President. These names should not be determined based on current STATUS of the person but based on their CRIMES. There are many who have done worse than her, and their names are not on the list. This is the definition of BIAS.

I applaud the TRC for their efforts and believe that their work is essential, but believe that they reached the wrong conclusion on the matter of Ellen Sirleaf.

PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF must now do the "right thing' and STEP DOWN! This will prove that Liberia has truly become a nation of Laws and not of MEN. The evidence linking her to the destruction of our country disqualifies her from serving.

I commend the effort of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for their recommandations. But I personally beleived that there are more names left out. For this Commission to gets the full backing of the Liberian people,it has to be fair in submitting more names. There are many names left in the open. More need to be done, to have the public support. Those warlords, their generals and all those who financed the war murdered thousands upon thousands. These morans destroyed the lives of many people and exploited the country(Liberia) of its resources. These are the same people running around the city they destroyed. Again, if this Truth and Reconciliation Commission wants to be credited, partiality should not be the ground for which it was created. This generation have to set an example or else, future generation will make the same mistakes we made. Lets justice be served for those who died, the ones living and our beloved country(Liberia) May God bless the Republic of Liberia and Its People. TAVACANO,California.