GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

UNDERESTIMATING THE TALIBAN COSTLY: WE DIDN'T ALSO EVEN KNOW THEY CAN FLY.

ICHEOKU says the fact that they can get that baby up in the sky and also safely land it back on the ground speaks volumes about the new Taliban 2.0 and their readiness to outperform expectations. Nobody ever thought that they know how to drive armored vehicles, talkless of flying a helicopter; but they have once again proved everyone wrong. It was the same way they survived the 20 years of world powers occupation of Afghanistan and eventually toppled the government in Kabul and are now in power.

What else about the Taliban is the West misreading or "mis-underestimating" or not understanding that will eventually spring a rude surprise on them. The West underestimated the Taliban several times before and they are today still being cocky about them, despite having  routed a government which the West backed and supported militarily. What is wrong with those cranking out policies in the West one may ask. Instead of the tough guy posture and we have the leverage to choke the life out of them attitude being exhibited by the West, the better approach should be to be humble in defeat and explore ways of accepting the reality that is Taliban now in charge in Afghanistan. But the longer the West waits on the sidelines from recognizing the Taliban, the more it will be difficult to reel them in within an acceptable behavior.

The Taliban have proved severally that they are better than we give them credit for and that underestimating them is to our own detriment; so, why the adamancy on the old approach. They came before and were very ruthless, but that was 20 years ago; why not give them the benefit of the doubt that they might be different this time, no matter how miniscule. They have made a lot of promises too to be of good behavior and so far they are still tallying along those narrow lines, without veering off to their notorious old hardline display of absolutism. It is a window of opportunity which is open to the West and which could be used to contain them and somewhat also control them. It is therefore incumbent on the West not to allow it to close or go to waste. 

We might also be surprised to see how quickly all those aircrafts, vehicles and equipments which departing American military damaged and abandoned in Afghanistan will be repaired by the Taliban. Once they are repaired and added to the thousands of other military fully functional vehicles including armored tanks which were also left for them, they might very quickly turn Afghanistan into a regional military power in South-central Asia. They are nearly finishing the formation of their all inclusive Afghanistan national government and with support from their Pakistan neighbors, their MiddleEast friends and other fellow Muslim countries such as Turkey, the Taliban might once again surprise the West by in fact running an effective government in Kabul. 

The arrogance of the West is in the way and once again making a fool of the West by their not grabbing with two hands the opportunity to embrace the Taliban fully and be in a position to influence their government. Sanctions which normally work against civilized countries will not work with the Taliban because majority of them have never been on an airplane talkless of enjoying vacations in the West. Majority of them too do not have bank accounts talkless of having secret Switzerland coded accounts or in the Cayman, Bahamas, New York or London which the West can cease. Majority of them too do not have their children going to posh schools and universities in the West who could be targeted by any sanctions and lastly, they do not have palate for Western fine wines, cigars and delicacies. 

So, what exactly is the West going to sanction the Taliban with which will force them to change their ways and behavior, assuming they decides to call the bluff of America and its Western allies and reboot their old ways. They have all the weapons, equipments and military vehicles which they will need for their natural pastime, fighting; at least it will last them for the next decade or two; and they got them for free. The West therefore have no serious leverage over the Taliban and it will be in the West's best interest not to turn their back on the Taliban. The best foot forward is to immediately recognize their government, bring them closer and work with them in order to try and moderate them from within. If they can fly a chopper, it means they can do a lot more and the West must not allow itself to be left behind as the Taliban train roars off. 

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