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.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

PUTIN MEETS MACRON: SYMBOLISM OF THE LONG TABLE NOT LOST ON THE WORLD.

ICHEOKU says it is an indication that the relationship between the West and Russia has so deteriorated now that it has created a chasm between the two sides, so wide and so deep, that the Grand Canyon has nothing on it. The extremely long table, with the two leaders perched at opposite ends of it, was not an accident. It was by design, a deliberate telegraphing of a message that the current impasse between the West and Russia over Ukraine will require more than just mere talks and threats of economic sanctions to eventually resolve. There was also no French flag displayed behind Putin on the podium during their press briefings. As things stand now, it looks like only one solution is feasible, a shooting war between NATO and Russia to finally determine the long lingering question, which side is militarily superior. 

President Vladimir Putin by the shoddy treatment which he meted out to visiting President Emmanuel Macron showed that he has no respect for both the French President and whatever he represents, including NATO and the West. The Russian strongman displayed, in no unmistakable terms, that he has no love lost for the West, a show of a big disdain, and that he is prepared to now meet the West fire for fire over the Ukraine dispute. He was unapologetic, cocky and very obtuse in his demands; and he showed no sign that he will ever back down nor soften his stand on the impasse over Ukraine.

In fact, he actually threatened NATO and the West, saying no more games and asking if they really want to fight with Russia? He also inferred that all of Russians weapons could be used if war erupts, and that even a nuclear strike is not off his war table. His language also suggests that in the event of Russia suffering great casualties because of western supplied weapons to Ukraine that he might exercise a nuclear first strike, including inside any of the NATO countries. He was adamant and resolute, and sought to intimidate President Macron, NATO and the West and to force them to change course and allow him to forcefully take over Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin has apparently lost all sense of reason and he is not rational, at least not anymore and not in the matter of Ukraine's sovereignty or its right to chart an independent foreign policy direction. He kept hammering on NATO expanding East but chose to forget that NATO was winning the hearts and minds of those Eastern European countries and never forced any of them to join NATO or desire to join NATO. President Putin should have done some self examination, a sort of soul searching, to see what he is doing wrong that is driving all those former Socialists Soviet countries to seek refuge in NATO. 

The Russian Lord of the Kremlin Manor also failed to remember that Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons stockpile following an agreement between America and Russia that Russia will never intimidate or show hostilities to it. So, why is President Vladimir Putin not being reminded of this Russia's undertaking to Ukraine, especially by those Western leaders such as President Emmanuel Macron who visit Moscow and frequently hold telephone negotiations with him. What President Putin is doing to both Ukraine and NATO and the West would pass for what Latin calls the fallacy of "argumentum ad baculum", either accept his demand or there will be war and violence.

With just a cavalier "Nice to see you, dear Emmanuel", President Vladimir Putin plunged into his litany of demands on Ukraine and the West. He did not even and possibly refused to shake hands with the visiting French President and made sure that they sat on the opposite ends of the long table. President Putin also referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as "my beauty", a term used often to dismissively refer to a woman or a feminine girly man, while spelling out demands which he insisted the Ukraine President must comply with, whether he likes it or not. In his words, Putin said, "Like it or don't like it, it's your duty, my beauty." His treatment of both leaders was extremely disrespectful, but it shows that his mind is made up and he doesn't care any more. 

The only question now remaining is whether NATO and the West will firm up in their resolve and confront Putin and his Russian army head-on. As for Putin, he has been ready since yesterday and only biding his time to see if NATO will provide him the reason to strike immediately; otherwise he will strike when he finally gets a firm assurances from Beijing that China will provide Russia with a stop gap cushion to any imposed Western sanctions following his invasion of Ukraine. Backing down for Putin now is no longer an option and NATO must also be similarly resolved to meet the challenge and it will be a shame if the organization allows just one man to dribble it around and into submission. The mother of all wars beckons, will it be fought now? 

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