GANI FAWEHINMI BURIED, SINGING 'DON'T CRY FOR ME NIGERIA'

As the last honest man standing and the only man who has no price tag in Nigeria, finally rendezvouses with mother-earth, Icheoku says on behalf of Ganiyu Oyese Fawehinmi, "don't cry for me, Nigeria!"

Nigeria had all the opportunity in the world to hearken to Gani's message of 'change-we-can-believe-in,' but chose to play possum-deaf? Nigeria maintained a conspiratory silence while Gani was being persecuted, tortured and nearly assassinated by the goons of Nigeria bankrupt-leaderships of Obasanjo, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha and Abubakar?

Like Jesus Christ said, when Gani was thirsty Nigeria did not give him something to drink? When he was hungry for change, Nigeria did not give him the food of change? When Gani was naked with the despondency of Nigeria, he was not clothed with good governance? When Gani was isolated and marked for elimination, Nigeria did not come to his aid or come screaming at lung-full in his defense? When Gani was in prison, Nigeria did not visit him? Nigeria remained aloof while his tormentors had a field day grinding him into 'another-compromised-Nigerian' but he was unyielding and remained steadfast in his conviction that there could be a better and improved Nigeria? Nigeria sold Gani short for a pot of porridge and looked the other way while the decrepitude Nigerian leadership had their respective ways with Gani, trying so desperately but in vain to break his resolve? When Gani was denied SAN-ship despite being the best there is in his legal profession, and having contributed more than anybody living and/or dead to the development of legal jurisprudence in Nigeria, Nigeria pretended it was no big deal? Really, and SAN-ship is the height of legal professionalism in Nigeria? When Gani screamed that the 'cup be taken away' Nigeria did not rush to his rescue? When Gani complained and sang about the asphyxiating and debilitating conditions in Nigeria, Nigeria did not join his chorus?

But belatedly now, Gani is dead and a country obsessed with morbidity, which readily praise-sing the dead than the living, is falling over each others' head to posthumously tell a now "deaf and dumb Gani" how he was the best Nigerian ever had? But does the dead hear such stupid pretended praise-singing? Hell nope! Imagine even Babangida and Obasanjo now queuing up to honor Gani in death which reminds Icheoku of the biblical query, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" How dare these two thieving evil-bastards commiserate with the passing of the great one, Gani; who, were he capable of doing so in death, would have rejected their so called shallow and contrived emotive eulogies?

Icheoku asks Nigerians, when Gani was alive what did they do to let him know that his efforts were appreciated? What did they do to let Gani know that they felt his pain at the despondency and hopelessness that is Nigeria? What did they do to let Gani know that he was not fighting in vain and that he had their support and goodwill? What did they do to convince Gani that he was not a "deranged lunatic" shouting himself hoarse on top of an isolated mountain somewhere in a desolate outback? What did Nigerians do to encourage him to push on and fight on to the light at the end of the tunnel? It is simply too late now, as the dead does not hear and Gani has gone, alone and lonely! It was very unfortunate that in a country of over 150 million people, Gani could not find even ten honest men and women to join his operation 'Fix Nigeria Project?' In his futile battle to make Nigeria a better place, Gani was alone and dejected, and left to be harangued by his enemies - the demented leaderships in Nigeria! Because of this nonchalance by Nigerians, Gani died an unhappy man; his efforts frustrated, without accomplishing his number one priority - his dream project to give Nigerians a good present and a better future?

Therefore on this day of our Lord September 15, 2009 as Chief Ganiyu Oyese Fawehinmi, SAN is buried in the ancient hallowed grounds of his ancestors in Ondo town, Ondo State of Nigeria, Icheoku says, Nigeria keep your sympathies to yourselves as Gani does not need them! Gani says to you, 'don't cry for me Nigeria!' According to his message from the distant land so far away, Gani said, "your silence and inaction were too conspiratory and facilitated my demise and for you to now pretend otherwise is the height of hypocritical treachery!"

What a hypocritical nation Nigeria is, that will one day, possibly very soon, queue up to tell the world how Olusegun Obasanjo was the best Nigerian that ever lived; and/or how Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida did not afterall kill Dele Giwa and that he was rather "Saint IBB?" Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's two most despicable human-beings, who severally, violently and viciously suppressed the message of Gani Fawehinmi; repeatedly tortured him in their futile attempt at silencing him and keeping him quiet forever. But now in Gani's death, both men have come forward to confess that Gani was right and they were wrong? That Gani was genuine and that they were fake? That Gani could not be compromised and they were both compromisable? That Gani was sincere and they were dishonest? That Gani was upright and they were crooks? That Gani was loved and they were hated and loathed? That Gani meant well for Nigeria and they were evil geniuses? That Gani loved Nigeria and they hated and still hate Nigeria? Two heartless beasts, who Gani had accused of all manners of brigandage, constitutional violations, corruption and gross incompetence? And the comparisons goes on without end? Icheoku says, if these two Nigerian soldiers of fortune, coup plotters and traducers of the Nigerian society, OBJ and IBB, were brave enough, this is the time for both of them to fall on their swords; and bow out of the scene as rejected men who have confessed to their misery. By acknowledging that Gani was all that they were not and cannot be, these duo have admitted that they were both skunks and the reason Nigeria is on its head today!

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor very well articulated our jive here when he said that "all those shedding crocodile tears over the demise of Chief Gani Fawehinmi actually preferred a dead Gani to a living one." Continuing, this man of On High posited, "if all these eulogies we read daily, were a true reflection of who Chief Fawehinmi was, why did these people let him go through all the hardships?" His summation, "their eulogies are not sincere?

Another sympathiser said, "Gani really died of frustration and not cancer;" - a condition induced by Nigerias who refused to be moved by their dire condition to join him change their course? According to Solona Olumese, "for the first time in independent Nigeria, a man is in death acknowledged as a true Nigerian, who was not soiled by religious bigotry or ethnicity or crude politics?" Icheoku says, that man's name was Gani Fawehinmi! Continuing, Olumese said, "As a lawyer, he wanted to see just laws; as a politician, he wanted to see social justice. As Nigeria rotted and grew increasingly more corrupt, Gani challenged governments and institutions (including his own professional body, the Nigeria Bar Association), legislation and public policy. As Nigeria continued to slide backwards, his anger and frustration showed, but his energies never flagged. He endured threats, intimidation, arrests, beatings and even attempts on his life, but his will never sagged. There was no cowardice in him, and no regrets;" except that Nigerians remained complacent and would not join his campaign for a better Nigeria, Icheoku adds. Olumese continues, "He refused to surrender, or to be compromised. Even some greedy lawyers who helped fertilise corruption in NIgeria by providing legal backbone to some of the nation’s worst and most profound bandits in power and who made Gani throw up (pewk) while alive, were falling over themselves in praise of a Gani dead?" Icheoku agrees with Olumese Solana that "it is worse to lie to Gani’s memory than to have tried to hurt and humiliate him while he was doing his patriotic duty."

In Abubakar Tsav's own words, "many people mourning Gani Fawehinmi are not sincere and honest. You can see clearly the level of ungodliness in some of those crying for Gani now that he is dead. Why must they wait for him die before they acknowledge and appreciate his worth? Even his constituency, which denied and delayed him the award of SAN are today pouring encomium on him. He floated a political party and stood for presidential election but nobody voted for him; yet they "loved" him? What type of people are we, Nigerians - a world of deceit and false pretense?" According to Tsav, Gani was a great man and Nigeria will not have another like him for a very long time, because unlike Gani Fawehinmi, most Nigerians are greedy, selfish, deceitful, unpatriotic and corrupt.

Icheoku joins these pundits in quering the sanctimonious outpouring of grief by Nigerians, especially those eulogising Gani as the best there was; and yet could not make a way for him or at least listen to his message of change? Like biblical John the Baptist, Gani Fawehinmi was in the desert of Nigeria shouting for change for several decades, but nobody heeded his call?Nigeria, a very pretencious and untruthful people, who like the Shakespearian plebians, will someday, be singing a dirge for "our own dear Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo - the best father of the nation?"

Once again, the good has been interred with his bones in Ondo and Nigeria is worst for it; because they let a golden opportunity slip away? Their inability to adopt a well-intended piece of humanity who would have changed their lot for the better, was very telling and regrettable! Therefore, on this occasion of Chief Gani Fawehinmi's final committal to mother earth, looking up at the flood of eulogies pouring in on his behalf, Icheoku believes that Gani would be singing to Nigerians, "don't cry for me Nigeria!" Icheoku says, so long Gani; may your spirit haunt those sub-human species holding Nigeria hostage! Sleep on fearsome one, and may you reincarnate to finish the work which you started. Rest in peace GOF. Adieu!

PATRICK SWAYZE, YIELDS TO CANCER!

In Nigeria, Gani Fawehinmi died of cancer and some people claimed Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida caused it? Really, what a nation of believers?

However, in more civilized societies like the United States of America, cancer is known as a growth which sometimes may be malignant or benign; and could occur in any body tissue with reproducing cells. Science disproves the notion that it is caused by human beings, including Babangida; but that could be triggered by some human habits such as smoking, like in the case with lung cancer?

Be the synopsis as it may, it is with heart filled with sympathy that Icheoku reports that actor Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today, September 14, 2009. Mr Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing" was 57 years old.

Icheoku says it is about time the hunky actor rested from the malignant cancer which has ravaged him these past twenty months; at least he will suffer no more! According to reports, Patrick Swayze died peacefully in Los Angeles California. Unfortunately however, Pat did not 'last until they find a cure' for cancer; as he had wished in an interview with ABC Barbara Walters? Swayze was survived by wife, Niemi. Icheoku says, sleep on Mr Swayze. Adieu!

VAN JONES, JUST ANOTHER ANGRY BLACK-MAN?

Attorney Van Jones is an angry black-man, so what? But which black-man is not angry in America, giving what these folks have gone through and are forced to endure daily; just because they have a darker shade of skin pigmentation? Icheoku says, any black-man in America who is not angry, is an exception rather than the norm; and literally does not deserve the black-blood flowing in his veins! Such a person might as well be an Uncle-Tom and Van Jones is not that type of an 'a-hole!'

Van Jones deserves to be mad as hell at a system that formerly enslaved his people, kept them down for so long, discriminated against them, gave them lower opportunities, deems them unemployable, raped their women, hung their men on tree-tops, confined them in inferior neighbourhoods, gave them lower credit lines at higher interest rates, gave them mortgages at rates far higher than their other counterparts in America, denied them educational opportunities through separate but equal segregated schools of yore and which continues till today in the form of private and public school systems, as well as in so many other discriminatory practices which had helped sustain and maintain the chasm between various racial divides in America. So why would Van Jones not be mad and angry at such a pretentious and subjugating society, one may ask?

The irony of it all, what we may call the joker of it, is that all those people fostering these discriminations are usually the first to complain about those "angry black-men;" and you ask yourself, which planet are these pretenders from? Are they telling us that there is no discrimination in America or that those black-men being discriminated against are not supposed to be angry at a system which does not give them a fair fighting chance? If fortunes were to miraculously shift today and they find themselves in the shoes of those 'angry' black-men, would their reaction be any different? Will they not themselves pick up arms in defence of their essence, being and manhood? To these people who beat a people and expect them not to cry, Icheoku says, take a good look at yourselves, your surrounding environment including your office and tell us how many people with different skin coloration work there with you? Tell us how many people with different skin pigmentation that you see each morning as you drop off your kids to school being dropped off in your children's schools? How many persons of color are your neighbors and/or friends? How many colored people are your lawyers, doctors, book-keepers, and/or even restaurateurs?

The problem with racial injustice and inequality in America is that it is being forced underground, more subterranean; it is becoming more and more underground as people are discouraged from discussing it for political correctness? Icheoku says, we need to talk about our differences more often, freely and frequently, in order to continue to breakdown barriers and walls of suspicion; towards understanding ourselves better and become more galvanised as a people. If Van Jones is mad and angry, he is not the only one; he is just one among millions of other black-men who feel heavily shortchanged by a society, which still see them first as 'niggers' irrespective of whether that nigger is a very special person or is a Yale or Harvard law graduate or even the president of the United States of America? So Icheoku says, Van Jones is not the only mad and angry black-man in America and should be left alone. He was not alone in speculating what could have gone awry with September 11, 2001 as many Americans wondered how the terrorists could have pulled such a feat without being detected? Even 700 Club Robertson once claimed that Israeli Sharon was struck by God because of his dalliance with Palestines? So why would Van Jones purported speculation be a crucifixion tool in the hands of bigoted racist Americans?

The Oakland California environmentalist-activist and President Barack Obama's former green-jobs advisor, who was helping chaperon America's transition to a green-tech economy; was forced out of his new dig because of brewing brouhaha of his "anti-white establishment" past? According to the narrative, Van Jones' former organisation, Color of Change, took on Fox Network's Glenn Beck after he branded the president a racist because of his "stupidly" comment about a Cambridge cop who arrested Professor Louis Henry Gates without any reasonable ground? Glenn Beck in fighting back, dug up Van Jones past activism including:- a 2005 profile after the Rodney King verdicts in the early 1990s, where Jones considered himself "a communist?"; his membership of a group that dreamed of an American multiracial socialist Utopian society called 'Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM.' There was also a video of Van Jones wherein he called Republicans "assholes" in a speech he gave earlier this year in Berkeley California? Also there was a 2004 petition which Van Jones had signed calling for an investigation into whether the Bush administration had allowed the 9/11 terrorist attacks to happen in order to sway public opinion for a war against Iraq?

So in a way, Van Jones' cup was literally 'filled' as far as those fanning the embers of racism in America are concerned; and President Barack Obama, who is heavily constrained juggling the white folks, his primary black constituency and other racial divides of America, and who does not ordinarily have the same leeway as any other average Joe white-boy in the White House would have, could not save him? Van Jones had to throw in the towel and scamper for the hills for his safety, from the vampires calling for his blood; and in order to spare the president further hounding as a "socialist angry black-man who has deep seated hatred of white people?" Van Jones who was tagged an evidence of the president's socialist inclinations; is the founder and executive director of Bay Area Police Watch, an organization committed to stopping police misconduct and protecting victims of abuse. Van Jones works directly with individuals who have suffered from police harassment, intimidation, and brutality.

But unbeknownst to these villains, what they say and/or do only increases the level of resentment against their ilks; and the forced exit of Van Jones from the White House office will only serve to the perpetuate the "they really do not care about us" thinking among the black-folks of America! Icheoku says, shamelessly though, these bigots are never seen asking why these American black-men are angry in the first place, which could have since helped solve the problem of their angriness! Rather they perpetuate and propagate the stereotypical hateful-anger which they deploy so effectively to keep and maintain their subjugating status-quo in place, with every black-man being seen as a pitch-fork devil who must be kept at his place in a far distance. Icheoku hopes that Van Jones episode coming shortly at the heels of the Professor Louis Henry Gates incident, both of which truly depict the state of racial tension in our society, will help move race relationships forward; and begin earnestly to heal the wounds of racism in a society which still sees a person primarily through the lens of color, the miracle of Obama's presidency notwithstanding!

PRESIDENT YAR'ADUA, SACK MICHAEL AONDOAKAA NOW!

A cat with nine lives, President Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria! He has made a dramatic recovery and in the battle for his life, he appears to be gaining the upper hand? Looking at his most recent picture, it appears that the Nigeria President have turned the corner in his ailment. We are grateful that the president has been spared the hammer of death; and pray that such magnanimity of God/Allah will strengthen him, turn him loose and enable him to now govern; no longer worrying or exacerbated where his next emergency doctor will be flown in from?

Icheoku wishes that 'Mr Slowman' Yar'Adua can now speed up governance a little bit, starting with the removal of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Micheal Aondoakaa! He is the type of Attorney General no one would wish on his worst president; and Yar'Adua is not our most favorite president, being a corroborator in the charade of May 2007.

Michael Aondoakaa has not investigated how the former Attorney General Bola Ige was murdered by Olusegun Obasanjo? Mike Aondoakaa has shielded former governor of Delta State, James Ibori from prosecution. Mike Aondoakaa was instrumental in removing Nuhu Ribadu from the good work he was doing at the EFCC. Mike is known to be frustrating attempts by Farida's EFCC to seriously tackle the criminality of corruption in Nigeria. Mike frustrated the president's amnesty by disappearing when he was supposed to harmonize the process to effect the president's desire to resolve the conflict of the Niger Delta. Just few days ago, he claimed that three suspects wanted by the EFCC have been cleared by the same agency which later denied the report, claiming that they have not cleared the suspects? He talks too much for an Attorney General? He is also interested in the governorship of Benue State, with James Ibori's active support and sponsorship? Mike's activities at the Justice Department marks President Umaru Yar'Adua as not being serious with fighting corruption or that he compromises it otherwise why let such a blatant 'shielder' and protector of James Ibori be your chief law enforcement officer? He has made too many contradictory statements about law enforcements in Nigeria especially with clearing some suspects and resisting and frustrating EFCC from clearing the cesspool of corruption in Nigeria! All these should be a matter of great concern for the president, and being a well known source of embarrassment for the presidency, his immediate off-loading from the government is the best possible solution. That Micheal Kassie Aondoakaa is corrupt is deducible from the company he keeps, his friends and actions; such as trying so hard to frustrate the investigation by EFCC of known corrupt former government officials such as Governor James Ibori & co.

In short, Michael Kassie Aondoakaa is no longer a fit and proper person to continue to lead the Nigeria justice department and should be fired or forced to resign immediately. Any attempt to continue to keep him therein, in total disregard to Nigerians public opinion, will spell disaster for President Umaru Yar'Adua's future political aspirations and diminish him and Nigeria as a place where you pay to play and where corruption thrives unabashedly!

Peradventure, the president has recovered enough to summon the strength to call for Aondoakaa's immediate resignation and fire him if he does not do so. It is our candid opinion that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mike Kassie Aondoakaa is an epitome of what a chief law enforcement officer of a nation should not be and therefore should be let go! Such a political liability is just too much of a payload to carry into 2011 elections; and the world continues to view Nigeria as a pay to play nation where there is a price-tag for everybody? What an image! And what has Mike done or doing about it? Nothing of course! Icheoku therefore, heretofore call for the immediate sacking of Micheal Kassie Aondoakaa from the Justice Ministry that law enforcement in Nigeria may once again proceed smoothly, uninterrupted and uninhibited.

TAIWAN'S FORMER PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN, IMPRISONED FOR LIFE!

Call it obsession if you like, but the only reason corruption have eaten so deep into the body-fabric of the Nigerian polity and still metastasizing, is Nigerians lack of determined deterrence! There is a lack of consequence for criminality which is the reason Olusegun Obasanjo is still walking the landscape of Nigeria, a free man!

In a civilized society where corruption is frowned at like Taiwan, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo would have long been put away for life in prison for his atrocities in office. And were Nigeria to be Taiwan's mighty neighbour and big brother across the strait, Olusegun Obasanjo would have since been tied at a stake and shot to death for what he did wrong while in office. But no, he is a Nigerian and one of the henchmen-marauders therein; who are holding Nigeria hostage since Independence in 1960?

That his inept, highly corrupt and mischievous eight years in office is being celebrated as if it was just yet another eight years of picnic in the park and not being held to account is another example of Nigerians behaving badly and condoning looting by another section of the country! Icheoku says, until Nigeria starts getting tough with her corrupt officials just like the Taiwan example, the world can only look on and lament the appetite for corruption and the level of corruption bedevilling Nigeria; and then bemoan the lack of will to eradicate it, even to an acceptable barest minimum.

Icheoku asks, is there any lesson learned by Nigeria from what happened in Taipei with the life sentence handed over yesterday to a former president for his corrupt practices? Taiwan Ex-President Chen Shui-bian was sentenced alongside his wife, who would qualify were it in Nigeria, as the first lady! The learned court in Taiwan has figured out that first ladies are always welding too much powers in their husband's administration - the example of Turai Yar'Adua of Nigeria; and decided to similarly hold her accountable for the sins of office of her husband. Their children were not spared the rod by the courst either, as evidence abound of the excesses of such first children as then Segun Obasanjo?

In addition to his life imprisonment, the former President Chen Shui-bian was ordered to pay fine to the Taiwan state, the sum of $200 million Taiwanese-dollars as a restitution to the nation for corruption and money laundering he engaged in while serving in office as president. The court also yanked all his civil rights including right to stand for an election or vote for or be voted for! Far reaching and the Nigerian courts need to brace this stare decisis! There was also a standing threat to confiscate his assets in event he fails to pay his fines. Gladly enough his wife, the former first lady was equally yoked with her husband in his punishment, until death do them apart. Not even the former president's closest advisers were spared as they too received heavy sentences including his very close adviser Ma Yung-cheng, who received 20 years in prison and lost his civil rights for ten years. Another aide was sentenced to 16 years.

Icheoku says, kudos to the Taipei District Court, the prosecutors and the people of Taiwan for holding your former president accountable. The proposition now is 'if the former president could be made to account for his corruption, who else in Taiwan is above reproach? The answer is none, hence every other lesser Taiwanese mortal will strive to be upright; knowing fully well that he or she is such a small fly for the laws of Taiwan having seen the hand that was dealt their former president. The way to go Taiwan as no person should be allowed to be above the law of the land; - the example of the Untied States of America. But unlike Nigeria, where corruption has grown into an 800-pounds gorilla and still fattening! Icheoku is particularly happy with what went down at Taipei because of the example it showed, and pray the former president received a fair trial.

The Taiwanese verdict is very reflective of a country that is serious with fighting corruption and not Nigeria, which hamstrings its own anti-corruption agency, EFCC; and frustrates it from going after well known highly corrupt officials who are well connected? Also it shows that it is usually not only the president that is corrupt; but a retinue of hangers-on who disappear as soon as his curtain of power falls; and turn around to blame the president for all the ills of society as if he acted alone! Like Judas Iscariot, they always and easily betray the person who lost out in the power struggle and hurriedly form new alliances with the new man of power; which shames the word, loyalty.

Once again the Taipei court's sweeping decision, holding the president, his wife, children, friends and advisers accountable, shows a court well grounded in the realities of a president's life. No president acts alone or by himself in isolation, engages in corruption; no they are usually goaded, aided and assisted by numerous hangers-on and egomaniac family members, who try to cash in on their God-given access to the president, and bilk people seeking contracts and contacts in the government mercilessly. Icheoku salutes the courage of the Taiwanese judiciary for taking on such a political elephant and also the political establishment, for allowing the rule of the law to take its place! At this sage it does not matter if the planned appeal succeeds, as the Taiwanese state proves that the law is no respecter of person. The Taiwanese society is better off today with the judgment. Way to go Taiwan!

JOE WILSON'S APOLOGY, NOT CONTRITE ENOUGH!

Admitted the President and Commander-In-Chief of the United States of America, Barack Obama, has on behalf the presidency and the American people accepted the apology of Congressman Joe Wilson; Icheoku says the apology is not good enough and should have been rejected!

In rascally Joe Wilson's own words, "Republican leaders wanted me to contact the White House and state that my statements were inappropriate?" The necessary implication of his statement being that, "but for" the leadership of his Republican party, Joe Wilson would not have apologised for his inexplicable guffaw? Really? So this thuggish South Carolina Congressman has not yet realised what he did wrong and is still holding out that his uncouth behavior represents the best of South Carolina; and that it is ok to be disrespectful to the president and in such a public way? In essence, Joe Wilson is stating that if not for the prodding and instigation of his party officials, he would never have realised that what he did was wrong and called for an apology? Would he have adamantly stuck to his gun thereby further demeaning and damaging the people of South Carolina; portraying them as a very disrespectful people who sent one of their very own 'reflection' to Washington DC as their ambassador? Icheoku says, the orchestrated apology fell flat on its face as it showed no remorse, contrition and a reflection of the wrongfulness of his outburst; his obstinate position evidences one who still believes in the correctness of his wrongful disorderly outburst. So techincally, Joe Wilson did not apologise as he never would have nor wanted to, except for the pushing of the republican party officials? ON the apology, Joe Wilson was saying, it was not my act; they made me do it!

If the president is a liar, please Joe Wilson show Icheoku the evidence! House Bill on Health Care Reform HR 3200 Section 246 is clearly very instructive that 'no illegal aliens would be covered under the health care reform plan.' So Congressman Joe Wilson, we challenge you to prove your case by producing your evidence to the contrary; we are waiting for your rebuttal to affirm your deranged outburst. Even Sean Hannity of the Fox Network went out of his way to misrepresent what the president said just to malign the president's effort to fix what is broken. According to Sean 'Insanity', the president called Insurance executives 'bad people'; whereas what the president said on record is that 'their action does not make them bad people but they are only driven by profit of the marketplace ..' Lord God have mercy on these lunatics; imagine the extent these confederates will go just to try to 'diminish' the presidency just because 'THAT ONE' is occupying it, - 'their' White House? They are seeing red because some institutions they had set up over the years to rob millions of Americans their hard earned money and deny them benefits when the need arises, are being put under the surgical knife, by a brave president who wants to do right for and by the American people! And their cry of blue murder is becoming as thunderous as it is deafening; as we have never heard before. Another one of these lunatic fringed right-winger even carried a placard which read "Keep the government out of my Medicaid" and you wonder who is medicaid but the government and vice versa?

There is no American who does not agree that there should be reform of the health care industry except for these racist rednecks whose only duty's war-cry is bring 'him down at whatever cost!' Which American does not have a tale of woe in the hands of these insurance companies that would readily deny you coverage and even off-load you, once a debilitating illness sets in? As for a personal experience, I lost a close friend sometime around November 2007; his insurance dropped him because in their own subjective assessment, 'his life is not worth the estimated cost of $500,000 required to treat him?' My friend, just 43 years old, married and with two sons had religiously and regularly paid his $600 per month premium without fail. About ten years down the road of strictly adhering to his obligation to pay premium under a subsisting health insurance policy contract; one day he was not feeling too good and went to see his doctor. MDS (Leukaemia) was diagnosed, his insurance company was contacted to pony up for his treatment but they dropped the ball on him; they denied him coverage and ultimately dropped his coverage! The rest is now history as the young father of two died shortly afterwards; however after friends and family had rallied around to see him through a bone marrow transfer operation and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation courses. Whether the later intervention was too late or my friend would have lived had the insurance company shown cause and lived up to their obligation under the contract, Icheoku does not know; but suffice it to say the insurance company acted like a scam artist by reneging on a due obligation after accepting consideration thereto.

Once again, who is against Health Care Reform but the recalcitrant racist Republicans who by their constant action are portraying themselves as uncaring, unfeeling, racists-KKK operatives who would rather hold out against anything from the presidency just to protest "THAT ONE" who is "illegally" occupying their White House and who does not fit their image of a White House occupant? This is the single most fathomable reason why this 'thug' from South Carolina broke every rule of decent conduct and decorum of the Congress, and shouted on top of his lungs at the President of the United States of America; accusing him wrongly in the process! Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina thinks he is disrespecting President Barack Obama, but no, he is only diminishing himself while trying to belittle the presidency of the United States of America. But as far as he is concerned, the office and the president is one and the same thing; and attack he must to Barack Obama.

As a descendant of former slave owners, the Congressman was seeing before his eyes, "a boy" who can be shouted at, at will and expected to obey and answer 'Yes Sir!' It is all in his mindset of the 'good ole-boi,' the lord and master? It is in his head! Like his other cohorts, he is still in denial of the fact of November 4 2008 which was made official on January 20, 2009. However Icheoku has a proposition, if it is going to make these breed of humanity saner, we want to reiterate that Barack Obama has no slave blood in him; rather he is an African-African who was born in America! So instead of thinking that a slave descendant is their president, it could be psychologically safer and healthier for these people to see President Barack Obama as an African Kenyan and not a 'nigger-slave' descendant?

Now Congressman Joe Wilson, Icheoku asks you once again and with due respect, to formally own up responsibility for your unwarranted outburst, be contrite about it and apologise freely and formally to the President, the people of South Carolina that sent another confederate redneck to Washington DC and to the American people in general for embarrassing the office of their president! Anything short of this is unacceptable and we shall continue to hold you out on this fatal error of judgment, fuelled by a furry of racism running in your genetic gnome! To the people of South Carolina, Icheoku asks, when will you people start disavowing all these your politicians who are painting you in a bad light, not mindful that their actions and utterances reflect badly on you who they represent - or is it a case of birds of the same feather? Oh South Carolina are these politicians the best you can offer? Governor Mark Sanford? Congressman Joe Wilson? And we shall not forget the KKK Capo who had an affair with a slave-descendant while hammering away at African Americans; and who swore his biracial daughter to an oath of secrecy, compelled her to remain under the radar until his demise! We are reflecting on the late centurion, Senator Strum Thurman, also from South Carolina!

Possibly Congressman Joe Wilson's outburst was a case of a liar calling another person, who happen to be the president of the United States of America, a liar? According to Politifact.com, a nonpartisan site dedicated to fact-checking the claims of "candidates, elected officials, political parties, interest groups, pundits, talk show hosts, concluded "Obama wasn't lying when he said the health-care reforms he's proposing would not apply to illegal immigrants. In their own very summation, "Obama can make a pretty thorough case that reform doesn't apply to those here illegally. We don't find the public option argument enough to make the case that Obama 'lied.' We rate Wilson's statement False." Icheoku says, America, now you know who the real problem is, - racist republicans who would maintain and sustain their opposition to the president without any reasonable basis whatsoever, simply because of his skin pigmentation, period!

MICHAEL DUVALL, ANOTHER REPUBLICAN HORNY DOG, RESIGNS!

Leave it for the republicans who do not know how to keep their winy in their pants! Icheoku is particularly irked by the hypocritical nature of these highly libidinous partisans who would tell you to do what they say but never what they do. If our Lord Jesus Christ were around today, he would use 'Republicans' in place of his 'Pharisees' teachings of the yore.

Icheoku says, if anyone is looking for hypocrisy defined, look no further, just take a very good look at any republican; and standing before you will be a person who preaches and pontificates differently from the life he really lives. Such a forked-life living republican is Micheal Duvall, pictured here left.

The other day, it was one of their anti-gay preacher Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho who was caught trying to pick up a male date at an airport bathroom stall? A former Floridian Republican Congressman Mark Foley resigned his office after his illicit affairs with House Pages came into the open? Republican Senator Ensign of Nevada confessed to 'screwing' his aides' wife? South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford once deserted his wife and family and flew to Buenos Aires Argentina to be with his love-interest; without caring to let the state know that their governor has gone "fishing"? Now, another one of them has been unmasked as a loquacious, mouth-running, double-timing cheat; who was cheating on his wife and bragging about it. Married man and father of two, state Republican Assemblyman Mike Duvall, (R-Yorba Linda) pictured above, of Orange County California, was caught on tape bragging about his adulterous sexual exploits with two women, one of whom is a lobbyist for Sempra Energy, a San Diego based utility company?

The 'petite one-dollar-a-night female whore', who was messing with another woman's man, is an unfaithful, married and miserable bitch, Heidi DeJohn Barsuglia, pictured here right.

Icheoku says, and you wonder what influences, some of these politicians are usually under, while passing respective legislations? The two-term assembly-man has now resigned his office, as a result of the scandal. In a released statement he said, "I have come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle to remain in office." Icheoku says, what a convenient 'contrition' indeed; and would like to ask the horny ex-assemblyman why he did not reflect on this ever before taking down his pants, and later blabbing about it? What a shame, this double-timing assemblyman has brought to his wife Susan Duvall and their two children?

And assemblyman Mike Duvall was the vice chairman of the Public Utilities committee of the Assembly until his resignation Wednesday; forcing one to scream, 'Holy Macro'; what an obvious but disregarded conflict of interest! If according to Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, Duvall's decision was made "to put his family first at this difficult time?" Icheoku asks, why did he not think about them before his flagellation of the lobbyist? Once again, another republican has proved that they are a bunch of shit-less hypocrites, who live a false double life - the double-faced Janus!

JOE WILSON'S 'YOU LIE' OUTBURST, SIMPLY OVER THE TOP!

Icheoku says, the "You Lie" outburst by South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson is simply unacceptable, inexplicable and intolerable! It is a vagrant affront to the Presidency, which office deserves the highest respect, courtesy and decorum from the American people, including their elected representatives.

It does not matter how 'pissed off' this republican 'street-thug' representative was, but to shout on top of his lungs at the President of the United States of America is over the top of tolerable dissents! Worst still, the President was a guest of the Congress and was addressing the burning issue of health care reform and deserves some respect from one of his host, the congressman.

The action of the congressman was both disrespectful and very disruptive; and should be condemned by all men of decent morals! What manner of man is this thug that would interrupt the president is such opprobrious contemptuous manner? Even if the President was not stating facts "acceptable to this 'thug", decency and respect for the office, not necessarily to "That One" occupant of it, should have moderated this outburst? Icheoku says, this 'thug' should tender a public unreserved apology to the office of the President, the United States Congress and the people of the United States of America for besmirching the office by such a frontal attack and unruly misbehaviour.

The outburst is crass stupidity and does not in any way, reflect the highest decorum expected of a United States Congressman in a session being addressed by the president? It will be recalled that another republican, the former Vice President Dick Cheney once told a person to 'go f**k himself' and you wonder if expletives are the sole preserve of the holier-than-thou republican party members? But in this particular case, the rudeness was exhibited to the highest office in the land and it came from a South Carolina congressman? The same South Carolina that its governor once abandoned and surreptitiously went on a "sex-capade" to Buenos Aires Argentina without any care about the state's welfare while AWOL? Icheoku really does not care how much hatred boils under Congressman Joe Wilson's heart, but for the office of the President, he owes utmost respect; especially being a co-host of the President while in the chamber of the United States Congress!

Icheoku therefore, unequivocally and totally, condemn the "You Lie" outburst as unnecessary, unwarranted, disrespectful, insulting, demeaning, classless, tasteless, opprobrious, raw, crude, thuggish, crass and an outpouring of a hate-filled redneck from South Carolina; who must atone for his sins by a public apology and pray the American people accepts same! If the Congressman disagrees with the President on any aspect of the intended health care reform or all of it, there are more civil avenues to express it; other than such a public forum that was very disruptive to the president's address. If the outburst is 'warranted', as some may argue, where is this congressman's evidence that 'Illegals' will be covered under the new health insurance plan, that conflicted what the President said, to thus make him a liar? The people of South Carolina, his wife and children should be very ashamed of the 'thug' they sent to Washington and the man they call husband and father! His outburst is appalling and beneath a United States Congressman, period. Shame on you Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina!

FYI:- If you are as outraged as so many Americans at the disrespect showed to the office of the President by Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, call the congressman today and register your displeasure! His office telephone numbers are:- (202) 225-2452; (803) 939-0041

PRESIDENT OBAMA, BUILD ON WHAT WORKS AND FIX WHAT DOESN'T!

President Barack Obama addressed the United States Congress on his planned Health-Care Reform. Icheoku says, please call your Congressman today and urge him or her to support the President's health-care reform initiative! Now the President's speech:-

"Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people: When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods. A full and vibrant recovery is many months away. And I will not let up until those Americans who seek jobs can find them; until those businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes. That is our ultimate goal. But thanks to the bold and decisive action we have taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink. I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and your support in these last several months, and especially those who have taken the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery. I also want to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying time for our nation. But we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came to build a future. So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future — and that is the issue of health care. I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And ever since, nearly every president and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session.

Our collective failure to meet this challenge — year after year, decade after decade — has led us to a breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some can't get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and can't afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover. We are the only advanced democracy on Earth — the only wealthy nation — that allows such hardships for millions of its people. There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone.

But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem of the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you'll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won't pay the full cost of care. It happens every day. One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadn't reported gallstones that he didn't even know about. They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it. Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne. By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer more than doubled in size. That is heartbreaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America. Then there's the problem of rising costs. We spend one-and-a-half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren't any healthier for it. This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. It's why so many employers — especially small businesses — are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely. It's why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally — like our automakers — are at a huge disadvantage. And it's why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it — about $1000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care.

Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid. If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close. These are the facts. Nobody disputes them. We know we must reform this system. The question is how. There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canada's, where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everyone. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end the employer-based system and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own. I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesn't, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch. And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months. During that time, we have seen Washington at its best and its worst.

We have seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform. Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors' groups and even drug companies — many of whom opposed reform in the past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been. But what we have also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have toward their own government. Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.

Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care. The plan I'm announcing tonight would meet three basic goals: It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don't. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. It's a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge — not just government and insurance companies, but employers and individuals. And it's a plan that incorporates ideas from Senators and Congressmen; from Democrats and Republicans — and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election. Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan: First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.

What this plan will do is to make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies — because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. That's what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan — more security and stability.

Now, if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage. We will do this by creating a new insurance exchange — a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we've given ourselves. For those individuals and small businesses who still cannot afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we will provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need. And all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections I already mentioned. This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right. In the meantime, for those Americans who can't get insurance today because they have pre-existing medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill. This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in the campaign, it's a good idea now, and we should embrace it.

Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those — particularly the young and healthy — who still want to take the risk and go without coverage. There may still be companies that refuse to do right by their workers. The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are affordable options and people still don't sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for those people's expensive emergency room visits. If some businesses don't provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors. And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek — especially requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions — just can't be achieved.

What's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance — just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still cannot afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements. But we cannot have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees. Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part. While there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance. And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole. Still, given all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months, I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I'd like to address some of the key controversies that are still out there.

Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false — the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up — under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place. My health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a "government takeover" of the entire health care system. As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare.

So let me set the record straight. My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition. Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies. In Alabama, almost 90 percent is controlled by just one company. Without competition, the price of insurance goes up and the quality goes down. And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly — by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest; by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage; and by jacking up rates. Insurance executives don't do this because they are bad people. They do it because it's profitable. As one former insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill; they are rewarded for it. All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called "Wall Street's relentless profit expectations."

Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. The insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. Let me be clear — it would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up. Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't like this idea. They argue that these private companies can't fairly compete with the government. And they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they won't be. I have insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits, excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers. It would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.

It's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated — by the left, the right, or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it. The public option is only a means to that end — and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. For example, some have suggested that that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others propose a co-op or another nonprofit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me, to members of this chamber, and to the public — and that is how we pay for this plan.

Here's what you need to know. First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits — either now or in the future. Period. And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize. Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for — from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care. Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system — a system that is currently full of waste and abuse. Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care doesn't make us healthier. That's not my judgment — it's the judgment of medical professionals across this country. And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, I want to speak directly to America's seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue that's been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate.

More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years. That is how Medicare was born. And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next. That is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan. The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies — subsidies that do everything to pad their profits and nothing to improve your care. And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead. These steps will ensure that you — America's seniors — get the benefits you've been promised. They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations. And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pocket for prescription drugs. That's what this plan will do for you. So don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut — especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past, and just this year supported a budget that would have essentially turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.

Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody. We have long known that some places, like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania, offer high-quality care at costs below average. The commission can help encourage the adoption of these common sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals throughout the system — everything from reducing hospital infection rates to encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors. Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. Much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers. This reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money — an idea which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts. And according to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of health care for all of us in the long-run.

Finally, many in this chamber — particularly on the Republican side of the aisle — have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I have talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs. So I am proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. I know that the Bush Administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these issues. It's a good idea, and I am directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today. Add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years — less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration. Most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent — but spent badly — in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle-class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of one percent each year, it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term. This is the plan I'm proposing. It's a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight — Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.

But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now. Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true. That is why we cannot fail. Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed — the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town hall meetings, in e-mails, and in letters. I received one of those letters a few days ago. It was from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy. He had written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal. He asked that it be delivered upon his death.

In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, and his children, who are here tonight . And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform — "that great unfinished business of our society," he called it — would finally pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material things." "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country." I've thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days — the character of our country. One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government. And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and sometimes angry debate. For some of Ted Kennedy's critics, his brand of liberalism represented an affront to American liberty. In their mind, his passion for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government.

But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here — people of both parties — know that what drove him was something more. His friend, Orrin Hatch, knows that. They worked together to provide children with health insurance. His friend John McCain knows that. They worked together on a Patient's Bill of Rights. His friend Chuck Grassley knows that. They worked together to provide health care to children with disabilities. On issues like these, Ted Kennedy's passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer. He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick; and he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance; what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent — there is something that could make you better, but I just can't afford it. That large heartedness — that concern and regard for the plight of others — is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people's shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand. A belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgement that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise. This has always been the history of our progress. In 1933, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism. But the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it. In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, did not back down. They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind.

You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, and the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom; and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter — that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.

What was true then remains true today. I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road — to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that's not what the moment calls for. That's not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test. Because that is who we are. That is our calling. That is our character. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Icheoku urges you to help the President build on what works while fixing what is broken of America's health care system with a reasonable responsive reform!

ALI BONGO, THE NEW PRESIDENT OF GABON?

As for President Nikolas Sarkozy and his French people, it does not matter what the wishes of the Gabonese people are; as he sends his country's congratulatory message to the newly "elected" President Ali Ben Bongo of Gabon?

Like every other European colonial master of yore, Africa in the eyes of the French is just another source of raw materials to service their continent; so why bother who rules them? So, provided they are allowed unfettered access to the abundant natural resources therein, it does not matter really who the local despot controlling the daily affairs and misfortunes of Africans, is? Icheoku says, it is because of this business as usual premise, that Paris have hurriedly signed off on and sent an official seal of approval for Ali Ben Bongo to become the new lord of manor in Gabon.

That the opposition is crying foul is immaterial, as it fell on deaf Parisian ears; so also was the disregard for the expressed Bongo-fatigue of Gabonese! Icheoku says, it is the same French people who put and propped up the late President Omar Bongo in power for over forty two years that are now signing up his son? This is in total disregard that this will institutionalised dynas­tic-rule in the oil-rich nation, and despite the fact that Gabonese never felt any better in the hands of the father-president Bongo's 42 years despotic rule; during which period, he practically converted the country's fortune into his private family's assets whereas the majority of 1.4million Gabonese live in abject poverty? So which side is the French on? Also a formidable opposition made up of a former prime minister as well as other six cabinet ministers failed to persuade the French's support; because in their calculation, the devil they know is better than the new saints coveting the keys to Libreville.

Ali Ben Bongo, eldest son of and a former defence minister in his late father's cabinet, was declared president last Thurs­day, September 4, 2009. He allegedly won with 41.7 percent votes while two opposition candidates garnered 25.8 and 25.2 per­cent of the vote respec­tively. Icheoku asks, how can he then govern with less majority votes, than the opposition and instead of engineering a run-off election, the French government preferred to support an electoral fraud by recognising an aberration? Rightly called by one of the opposition candidate for what it is, “It’s not just a pos­si­bil­ity of fraud. Its fraud pure and sim­ple.” Icheoku adds, the French by rushing to recognise Ali Ben Bongo are now accessory to the fraud of an election which took place in Gabon! Hopefully Ali Ben Bongo will be unable to govern amidst such lack of a clear mandate, lack of transparency and legitimacy occasioned by wide­spread voter irreg­u­lar­i­ties.

Africa, what a cursed continent that must rise up in a second revolutionary war of independence, in order to free herself from both the neo-colonialist Europe and her Africna stooges - the new internal colonialists; being sustained by the former colonial masters for their very selfish reasons. Icheoku says, what an unfortunate day for the people of Gabon to be once again put under another internal colonialism and enslavement, this time of a baby-despot Ali Ben Bongo, under the watchful eyes of Élysée Palace! So it ain't so, Gabonese!