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.

Showing posts with label crazed out national assembly members. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crazed out national assembly members. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2009

IKE EKWEREMADU AND THE INSANITY OF AUTOMATIC TICKETS!

Nigeria Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his co-travellers in the Federal House, a bunch who has nothing to show for their wastage of Nigerian resources all these past years, are at it again. This time, these bunch of political-hooligans who did not even win their election free and fair, in the first place, now desire to have their offices stamped for them automatically and possibly for life?
Icheoku
says, these guys need to have their heads examined for some pathological deformities and defects; as their present mindset are unbecoming of supposed democracy beneficiaries? How dare these folks want to harm the same process that brought them to office, that they now seek to disparage and rubbish the same system that threw them up by their recent outlandish and outrageous request, to be imposed on Nigerians without any elections; thereby denying Nigerian electors their constitutional right to choose who their representatives shall be?
Icheoku says, instead of an automatic tickets for these people, a referral appointments should be made for them to visit their shrinks to detoxify their brain of this most insane thinking of all times? Upon what basis, one may ask, do these democracy-truncators want their terms automatically renewed? Icheoku says, none and when the constituency funds they periodically squander is factored in, may be a march to the confines of the prison yard might be a better destination-option, instead of going back to the National Assembly buildings at Abuja, unopposed?
The irony of it all is that whenever it suits their convenience they will make allusion and references to America but fail woefully to offer and provide Nigerians the same good government as America provides her citizens? Imagine the cavalier manner with which they hurriedly confirmed Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi without any hard questions whatsoever, yet they want to cite America as their template, when the heat being put on Justice Sotomayor is still smoking really hot? What about treasury secretary Tim Geithner and what he went through during his confirmation hearing, or even the general elections held in the United States of America, where there was no Olusegun Obasanjo to impose a sick Umaru Yar'Adua on anybody? Back to Ike Ekweremadu and his recent interview wherein he expressed some support for automatic tickets; Icheoku asks, how did he get to the senate in the first place if not for the gesture of former governor of Enugu State Chimaroke Nnamani? Who told this man, Ike Ekweremadu, that America has parliamentarians or that America recycles her representatives automatically and without elections? The reason why Nigerians are being rode like donkeys by people like this loud-mouth, Ike Ekweremadu, is because majority of Nigerians are without requisite knowledge about what obtains in the rest of the civilized world; otherwise there would since have been a French-Bastille like revolution in Nigeria; and this time against the rogue-elites holding them down all these years. But they are riding on the ignorance of a majority Nigerians who do not know any better about what it is that their government owe to them, her citizens.
The most surprising thing with this postulation is that it is coming from a supposed lawyer and a democrat who should know better but for his selfish interest to become a perpetual senator? His agitation for automatic ticket is not in any way democratic but despotic and autocratic; his re-echoing of what the military-man, David Mark desires is rather very appalling for a man whose credentials includes a law degree. According to Bamanga Tukur, "there is no automatic position in democracy; positions are by elections or consensus. Nothing in democracy is automatic. Automatic positions are only seen in autocracy. Those practicing autocracy are the ones being automatic in their dealings. But democracy is entirely a different system. It is the coalition of willing and progressives who rely on peoples' mandate for good governance" Icheoku says, Bamanga Tukur spoke the minds of many silent and intimidated Nigerians as well as so many other democracy practitioners world over. Nigerians must therefore be prepared to rise up to stop the likes of Ike Ekweremadu, David Mark and the House of Representatives members clamouring for express ticket to return to the National Houses, unchallenged and unopposed?
Icheoku says, the solution to retaining some experienced persons in the national assembly is to have staggered elections throughout Nigeria, so that at any given time, some old steady hands are found at the tiller. Elections to various offices in Nigeria should not be cramped into one day and rushed through by rigging and intimidation; that way some senators and members of the House of Representatives will always be there to orientate the incoming freshmen and women who are newly elected into office? Those Americans, Ike Ekweremadu mentioned during his said interview who have somewhat become instituitonalized in Washington DC go through their parties' primaries and elections during slated periodic subsequent election cycles in their respective states? Icheoku says, there is a proper and better way 'institutional memory' could be maintained constitutionally, such as by spacing elections but not to forcibly and untra-vires the constitution, legislate that. Ike Ekweremadu should stop being clever by half by selectively pointing to certain places where senators enjoy 'similar privilege' as he is suggesting their Nigerian counterparts now enjoy? This guy, Ike Ekweremadu should know that in those his referenced places, Senators are democratic, they are not election-riggers and intimidators who employ thugs to harass and maim and sometimes kill their opponents; that senators are not Siemens bribe takers; that elections are held and that it counts; that there is a clear transparent processs which produce acceptable results and that officials are elected but not selected and/or imposed on the people. So, if he must ensure that 'Nigerian system runs like every other system, especially those who we have borrowed from', then he must start from the basics - fair and free election so that the real peoples' representatives and/or senators can emerge and not those masquerading impostors who were imposed on the electorates of Nigeria. But regrettably in Nigeria, it is always the case of 'shave me the Ogbodo's hair-style without asking to do what Ogbodo did to deserve and earn the hair-style'.
Irrespective of how well these people think they have performed, which Icheoku cannot substantiate, the bottomline is that their planned action is anti-democracy; and without zoning, may be Ike Ekweremadu would not have been in the senate talkless of being the deputy senate president; and the same goes with David Mark. Zoning sustains Nigeria as no man or woman is a repertoire of governance or performance, and others should be given a chance to prove their abilities. If there is no Olusegun Obasanjo to compare with sick Umaru Yar'Adua how would Nigeria know which president is Mr. Slowman? If there is no Colins Ndu to compare to Ike Ekweremadu, how would Ike Ekweremadu be opening his mouth this loud as deputy senate president? Democracy is about options and any human-being antagonising this vent should be condemned by all as an aspiring despot who should be stopped at the door of power, pronto. If Nigeria were to have bought Ike Ekweremdau's argument long time ago, may be Colins Ndu would still be in the Senate with Ike Ekweremadu struggling with his legal practice somewhere in a nondecript address in Enugu; but here is a man who zoning helped to throw up and is now anti the formular which gave him political-birth? Chairman of committees is not sufficient on its own to truncate democracy, otherwise why did Nigerians rise up to stop Olusegun Obsasanjo's third term bid? How do you know who will be better if the opportunity were never presented to that other to try out his/her hand or head? If not that Sullivan Chime came up, no body would have fathomed how corrupt Chimorake Nnamani was in Enugu State and the list goes on; including Lagos State GOvernor Fashola who seemingly is out-performing his predecsessor Bola Tinubu? What a bull-crap coming from this deputy senate president, who in his greed for power, failed to heed the time-tested warning that, everything has a beginning and an end; and that the present day 'experienced senator' was once a green horn. If these senators think that they have given a proper account of themselves at Abuja on behalf of their constituencies, why are they suddenly so afraid of standing for another elections in 2011? It baffles Icheoku so much that some of these people conveniently tailor their argument just to suit their present devilish scheme to covet what is not theirs? The senatorial district which they presently represent does not belong to them or any one individual, so the wheel of democracy must be allowed to spin out who occupies the seat in 2011 and thereafter. So Ike Ekweremadu, enough!
Senate President David Bonaventure Mark allegedly instigated this Ike Ekweremadu's haranguing of democracy ideals because his political star in Benue in 2011 has deemed so much it is almost non-existent, hence he is trying everything to guarrantee his position through a backdoor of an illegality. Ike Ekeremadu's 'invaluable experience' argument as a reason for this automatic tickets flies in the face of the fact that Nigerian democracy, when it re-started in 1999 had no prior existing left-over member/s in the Federal House from which pool his 'invaluable experience' senators were drawn from? Icheoku says, if these senators are not so afraid of losing the next election, admitted they never won the last one, free and fair; why this sudden attempt to surreptitiously maintain their seats without fighting for them at the polls? It is equally instructive that David Mark's so called “reliable, competent and knowledgeable” senators have not legislated in any way beneficial to the Nigerian masses as to improve their lot, since their corrupt sojourn in Abuja?
What is democracy without choices and how many terms would these 'special breed of senators' serve before others get a chance were they to have their way? In democracies like the United States of America, continuity or 'institutional memory' is dealt with through staggered mid-term elections, which ensure that not all legislators run for elections at the same time; and that some with the requiste legislative experience are always there to bridge the gap. Also, legislative institution should be established to serve as a feeder-lot to incoming legislators instead of trying to perpetuate discredited ones on the pretext of 'maintaining instutional memory'? Further in America, each legislator goes periodically, through their parties primaries before standing an election with the other party's candidate, where their constituencies decide who to send to Washington DC? Icheoku will anchor this commentary in one observer's statement that "despite the importance of legislative experience, it is not a sufficient reason to inject unfair, selfish, and illegal values into Nigeria's democracy. Automatic tickets would serve the selfish end of a few, who once they consolidate their hold on power, can legislate themselves into perpetuity thereby hurting democracy". Therefore, Icheoku calls on Nigerians to reject the call for automatic tickets and insist on constitutionally guarranteed democractic rights of Nigerians to chose/elect their candidate through the ballot either by raising of hand, paper or electronic; but their voices must be heard as to who represents them!