PERSONALIZED PRESIDENCY, THE CASE OF YAR'DUA'S INDISPOSITION?

A case of the chicken and the egg, or does the president mean the same thing as the presidency in Nigeria? Is there a unity of person in the president and the presidency or are the two entities separate and different? In a military dictatorship, may be; but definitely not in a democracy. This question has become imperative as the continuously ailing Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, sidelined by sickness for over three weeks since November 23, 2009, in a hospital bed in far away Jeddah Saudi Arabia, apparently took the presidency with him to his hospital bed; leaving no one clearly identifiable person firmly in charge and running the affairs of Nigeria in his absence?

The lacuna in authority has now gone on for a solid 24 days; and who says there is nothing wrong with a constitutional arrangement that made it impossible for a duly co-elected vice president Jonathan Goodluck to carry on and function effectively in the absence of the president? To make matters worse, no one within Nigerian government circle, including the vice president, the senate president as well as the speaker of the House of Representatives has had the privilege of speaking with the 'quarantined' ailing president of Nigeria, ever since he assumed his sick vacation from the shores of Nigeria? Icheoku asks, how does such a government, in the absence of its chief executive, a chief executive who stubbornly refused to hand over the reins of power to his vice president, function? What guarantees do the people still dealing with what is left of the quasi-executive council of the government have, that contracts reached now will be obliged and enforceable, assuming the sickly president ever recovers enough and returns to call for rendering of accounts of what transpired while he was gone? Who will the sick president get his briefings from upon resumption of duty, assuming he ever recovers, since it is on records that his so called vice president did not get his nod to stand in for him; nor has he been in contact with the sick president ever since the past three weeks he was rushed out of Nigeria in a medical emergency SOS to Jeddah Saudi Arabia?

Icheoku asks, what use therefore is the office of the vice president if a situation as this, which was probably anticipated as a possibility and which most likely induced the creation of the office of the vice president; which situation have now arisen and yet the vice president could not step in to act while the president remains indisposed? The office of the vice president is redundant and should therefore be discarded and election thereto discontinued. Why Nigerians are not numerously asking the tough questions baffles this writer; which unsettling situation of power devolution buttresses the need to urgently accelerate the amendment of the constitution; its slow-crawling through an inept legislature now made unacceptable by the new circumstance! But Icheoku disagrees and emphasises that no amount of sycophancy or selective amnesia will be capable of infusing the president with the presidency, so inseparably that the vice president cannot act in absence of the president? The two positions are not two Siamese twins yoked together beyond medical intervention and are capable of independent co-existence?

What is the wisdom of the fusion of the two different entities - office of the president and the institution of the presidency in the same sick President Umaru Yar'Adua? Why not correctly isolate and separate the two so that the government of Nigeria can continue functioning properly under the full authority of the vice president while President Umaru Yar'Adua recovers and recuperates from his illness? However, it would appear that the National Assembly are collaborators in this political fork on the road, a quagmire of some sort; otherwise why have they not seized this God given opportunity to truly amend the constitution that forced this sick man on Nigeria in the first place and now seems to have 'barred' him from yielding his office on grounds of illness, albeit temporary? He can always ask for it anytime he recovers enough to continue functioning in that capacity. If there is a militating clause in the constitution, expunge it; if an ameliorating one is required, insert it; but the truth must be told that any constitutional democracy which indulges its president so much powers including power to hijack, confiscate and abscond with the presidency and for this long, needs urgent surgical intervention to streamline or curb such excesses! Nigeria's presidency is not President Umaru Yar'Adua's exclusive preserve alone, as he is but the alter-ego and not the whole institution. But unfortunately, Nigeria is not a real functioning society of citizens but a grouping of tribal allegiances society where the people are more loyal to their individual tribes than the country at large; hence the more galvanized resistance from northern Nigeria to scuttle the call for Yar'Adua to step aside. To them, it is their turn to rule and an Umaru Yar'Adua in coma is better than a southern vice president taking over so soon after another southern Olusegun Obasanjo finished his eight years term? Parochial and absurd, you bet.

A functioning country would have had this sickly president formally hand over powers to his vice president ever before he checked into the intensive care unit, of a foreign hospital, in far away Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. What if the president went into irreversible coma while undergoing a battery of tests, and transits from there to the land beyond with unshared state secrets and information? What if the bellicose and continuing belligerent Cameroon sends across their gendarmes to invade Nigeria, may be over some still unsettled Bakassi matter, without a commander-in-chief around to order the military into battle? What if there is a major disaster or emergency requiring the president to marshall out resources or declare a state of emergency? Why are the constitutional lawyers in Nigeria not livid and shouting on top of their lungs over this humongous aberration? Imagine a country's president is away and indisposed for three weeks and counting; and the number three citizen in Nigeria, the senate president, does not even have access to him and have not spoken to him ever since?

Imagine a functioning country where a president's sickness and health is being made a private family matter and not the country's business; and yet the medical bills and the cost of constantly flying him to so many different hospitals around the globe are being borne by the countries tax-payers and supplemented with the country's scarce foreign exchange? And Turai Yar'Adua alone is calling all the shots and making all decisions as to a Nigeria's president's medical needs and treatments? Imagine a situation where Turai does not allow or wilfully refuses any government official access to their president, including the senate president who had to go through the president's wife to get whatever snippets of information that she is willing to release on the president's condition; and give also possible directives as to the continuous running of the government? Say it ain't true Nigerians! Even in the United States of America, before a president goes to his routine annual physical checkup, he is required to sign over the presidency to his vice, pending his re-emergence? How then can a nation's number three citizen be taking directive from an unelected woman, just because that woman is married to a weakling president who is medically indisposed in a distant foreign land's hospital? The vice president too, it is alleged have not heard nor spoken with the president, for three weeks now since he was rushed off to Saudi Arabia in a medical emergency; that Icheoku wonders, if the Nigerian experiment is working at all?

Thankfully though, Femi Falana has filed a suit for the court to adjudicate on this constitutional aberration, which inextricably and inadvertently fused the office of the president with the institution of the presidency, such that an elected vice president cannot act in his stead as he was supposed to in the absence of his ailing president? Icheoku prays that the court will find the courage to resolve this situation before it turns into a conflagration that might as well be the final 'nunc dimitius' of Nigeria? And to compound matters, various insider reports has it that President Umaru Yar'Adua “will not be returning to Nigeria anytime soon, if he does at all;” and so does the tension continue to pervade and envelope the land over the rightful leader to pilot the ship of state. Other sources said that were he to ever make it out alive to Nigeria, that he would be effectively incapacitated to function ever again as Nigeria’s chief executive? Grave and fearful indeed, is the situation. Another source said that President Umaru Yar'Adua's health condition is so messed up and his kidney too deteriorated that he is not even a viable candidate for a transplant, otherwise an kidney would have been fished out from somewhere, even if Chinese?

Icheoku also disagrees with the fantasy-theory of Attorney General Micheal Aondoakaa that "the President was constitutionally empowered to exercise his power from anywhere in the world," and challenge him to produce such document! No, the president has a territorial area of authority called Nigeria and it behoves on him to be present where his authority resides; and not while still confined in another President or King's land, sequestrated in a bed in a hospital built by that sovereign, magically preside over the affairs of Nigeria through telepathy? If he must continue to rule Nigeria, he must by necessity first return to be with the Nigerians he intend to rule and in Nigeria, period! Further, Icheoku says to Madam Information Minister Dora Akunyili that we shall continue to talk about the president's indisposition and if she brands it 'over-emphasis', so be it; but Nigerians deserves to know the health condition of their president and when he is returning to Nigeria from a foreign country's hospital bed? Is it not shameful that Nigeria's president is a patient in a foreign hospital, the like of which, he could not establish in Nigeria but shamelessly absconds to each time and every time he has a medical crisis? Anyway, the best way to resolve what is, is for the president to recover and return to his duties at Aso Rock asap; it is the only magic silver bullet that could kill off all these rumblings in the land, so please dear God, heal President Umaru Yar'Adua for the sake of one Nigeria!

TIGER WOODS FINAL TKO, AS NANNY TURNED WIFE ELI DUMPS HIM?

As Eli Nordegren Woods moves out of her matrimonial home in Windmere-Orlando, Florida, Icheoku says, a superficial marriage founded on mere flashy looks and a billion dollar assets, without the necessary foundations or substantial galvanising factors such as mutuality of interest, love and care, courtship and romance etc; was a destined disaster waiting to happen. Such marriage was dead on arrival; moribund even before the honey-moon was over; and not all the pretenses or facades of a 'happy-marriage' could have saved it? The fallout, a Cablinasian Tiger on a maddening sexual-rampage, a manifestation of his long bottled-up simmering animosity towards a cold-hearted nanny who he mistook for a wife! Tiger Woods acted out, admitted he may have over-acted judging from the tally of 14 blonde bimbos he had dalliances with?

Now she is gone; just because he did what most married men dream and think about all the time - some outside fling to oil themsleves with and by necessary implication, re-freshen their marriages? Icheoku asks, did Eli Nordegren Woods ever really love Tiger Woods? What happened to the marital injunction 'until death do us apart?' Where was Eli Nordegren's forgiving heart to display some act of forgiveness, afterall Tiger confessed his transgressions and promised to be a better husband and father? What incentive then will men have after this development, to encourage them to accept responsibility in the future for some little acts of straying; if after all the humiliation, the bitch in their lives will still take a walk anyway? What is then the use of apology, if a bitch will always remain a bitch, regardless of a man's contrition? Eli Nordegren did not think through her rash decision to abandon Tiger's ship, so soon and so early after her husband's virility came to light.

The answer to the preceding seem to be in the lack of any marital chemistry between this two strange bedfellows; a blonde-nanny and a golf-playing Cablinasian billionaire! There is no appearance of compatibility whatsoever between this two folks; and so many pictures of the then couple together shows a drawn-face Tiger on the crouch itching and wishing to spring free? So thank you Eli Nordegren, for turning Tiger loose; so that he can go now and be with a real woman, a meritorious wife indeed! It would also appear from all indications that Eli Nordegren does not know Tiger Woods or understand what it is he really wanted; afterall he has all te money in the world and have bought all that money could but including private jest and a yacht named Privacy. But paradoxically, it took the 'generosity of 14 conniving blonde bimbos to help her discover what her Tiger really wanted, admitted it was the hard way she found out. Unfortunately though, she would not wait to find out if she truly learnt anything from the harsh lesson and instead, is scampering out of Tiger home as fast as her two Swedish legs can carry her?

Icheoku have always known that the marriage will not last as it lacked a solid foundation; being similarly situated to infatuated high school sweethearts who decided to just hook-up on their first date? Recall the Britney Spears' drive-through wedding in Las Vegas? Tiger barely knew this blonde nanny when his addiction for blonde-bimbos saw him on a bended knee proposing to a girl he never met? Like many women, money speaks and bullshit walks, so she went for it. But seriously speaking, just tell Icheoku, which good wife would readily and so easily dump her agonising, heart-broken husband because he veered off course and got some; and at the hour and time he needed her most for support and to help him get through his monkey? Who will Tiger now reach out to or even have sex with, since he is addicted to sex, now that Eli has moved out of their house? Is this not a license for Tiger to ferociously roam and romp further and farther; and may be bring home one of the concubines?

Only a bitch who has been looking for a way to toss over a nigger after collecting his $80million dollars and who is not really proud of marrying one, would so soon and so easily take a walk out of her marriage just because the spouse strayed? What did Tiger do that has never been done before or is so horrendous as to elicit this break-up response from Eli, assuming there was real love in the first place? He just sex and which man out there who have not played some away-match, since being dragged to the alter by one conquering Eve? Tiger had sex with several women, so what; in some countries men marry that many and yet the heavens have not fallen; after-all he only had physical carnal knowledge with them, but did not give them his heart. He was never in love with any of the whores but simply saw and used them for his animalistic sexual gratifications only. He still loves his family and has severally apologised to Elin, so what else does this Swedish bimbo want before she can cool down, a pound of his flesh?

First she bludgeoned Tiger with his golf clubs before forcing him into an accident which nearly claimed his young life? Yet Tiger covered up for her domestic abuse of him, instead praising her bravery in rescuing him from the accident vehicle? Tiger also failed or refused to tell the world that she refused to call 911 following her instigated accident and that but for a neighbor, Tiger may not have received immediate medical attention until it was probably too late? Yet she supposedly loved him and does not wish him death? Eli Nordegren took off her multi-million dollars wedding ring from Tiger and proudly came out in front of arranged paparazzi for the sole purpose of exhibiting her newly found liberation and freedom? Less than 24hours later, moving trucks lined up to remove her belongings from her former matrimonial home, - all in a well orchestrated fashion to get at that nigger, who would not keep his zippers shut and pants up on his waistline? Icheoku asks, what does Eli Nordegren really want after the much done by a Tiger over his prowl in hookers alley? Maybe a man who is a virgin, an eunuch or what? But was Tiger the first man in her life, to whom she lost her virginity?

Please do not call Icheoku a sexist, non-empathic chauvinistic pig, because we are none of that; but what else does this Eli want after what has already been done to atone for the so called transgressions? A man admitted to his failings, apologised and promised to become a better husband, gave some of his millions and even sacrificed the air in his lungs - his golf? This is where we need help in understanding what Eli wants, since we do not believe that sex by itself is enough to damage a loving home? Anyway, what a riddance; now Tiger is free to find and marry a real wife based on true love, attention, care and warm companionship; and not the flash in the pan blonde bimbo nanny who he mistook for a loving wife. From the speed of her moving out, it is now clear that she never truly loved nor cared about Tiger, but was contriving and looking forward to a day like this period, when she will readily cash out from the billionaire's estate and scamper? The trait of atypical gold-digger, may be? Please Tiger do not even contest the divorce, just get a stipulation; give her enough to take care of your kids and move on very fast before she realises the frivolity of her rushed decision and wants back. Whatever you do, do not accept her back because a rope once broken can never be the same length again; do not become enslaved to her by reconciliation without healing or forgiving without forgetting. May be Rachel Uchitel will be a better choice, she looks like she has a soul in addition to her beauty. Goodluck Tiger!

ORAL ROBERTS, DEATH OF A PIONEER TELEVANGELIST MAN OF GOD!

The man of God and televangelist pioneer of television evangelism; the man who in 1963 established Oral Roberts University if Tulsa Oklahoma United States of America, Oral Roberts, is dead! He died on December 15, 2009 at a ripe old age of 91, of complications from pneumonia. May God receive his soul, Amen!

He recognised early in his evangelism-life the power of telecommunication and cashed in on it very well and successfully too. He cleared the way for television ministries and brought a 'charismatic message of faith to many people around the world. With an evangelism career that spanned over one half of a century, Roberts used the power of the television and his special message of God's healing power, to build a multimillion-dollar religious ministry, including a university.

Oral Roberts took Pentecostalism to another height, brought it into the mainstream of America's religiosity; and also introduced 'prosperity gospel' preaching that God rewards the faithful with material success? Ten percent tithe followed and so also is money which his faithfuls brought in bag-fulls? He also pushed to the forefront the sowing of "Seed-Faith" theology, which espoused that those who give to God will get abundantly in return. His brand of evangelism involved faith-healing wherein faithfuls are prayed for the healing of mind, body and soul/spirit? However he denied being a faith-healer protesting that only God heals and that he was just a handmaid? In his rebuttal, Oral Roberts asserted, "God heals — I don't." He was also reputed to be the first evangelist to ever break into over a million flocks around the world using the medium of radio, television and publications; co-hosting his famous "Miracles Now" one hour religious programme. Roberts authored well over 120 books and conducted numerous crusades during his active days preaching and spreading the news.

A man of great humility, he always credited whatever skills he had to God's making; stating that he was just a vessel in the hand of God. Borrowing Rush Limbaugh's phraseology, Oral Roberts skills were just 'on loan from God!' Affirming this, Oral Roberts once said, "when I become anointed with God's word, the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I'm ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I'm going to say and I'm feeling like a lion." Icheoku asks, can you beat that for preparation?

Icheoku says this man of God lived a very good and fruitful life in the service of mankind, while worshipping God. He left his large footprints in the sand of time during his 91 long years sojourn here on earth! Oral Roberts University in Tulsa Oklahoma USA also bears testimony to his legacy. Like all true men of God, God blessed him abundantly and also gave him a very long eventful life. Icheoku prays for the repose of his gentle soul and that the good works he did while here on earth shall be accordingly rewarded; while those he left unfinished shall find good hands to carry them on, finishing those that are finish-able and continuing those that are revolving and recurrent. May the Oral Roberts family find solace that their patriarch lived a good long meaningful life pleasing to God. Adieu OR, Mister evangelism personified!

ANNISE PARKER, THE HOUSTON EMBRACE OF A SAME-SEX POLITICIAN!

Call it whatever you like - a tale of another American city gone with 'gay-wind', an aberration and self-contradictory for a Southern Texas city or just anything? Call it a tale of another American city infected with the virulent gay-virus or another city gone gay-ho? Call it another American city now unabashedly, fully and completely more inclusive and accommodating? Call it a case of another American city, now sodomized? Call it a testimonial or an affirmation that 'same-sexes' are now here to stay?

Whatever you like or any nomenclature you feel best captured for you, the earth-shattering political development in Houston Texas; you may just call it! But Icheoku choose to surmise that what happened in the mayoral election in the city of Houston was a testament that it is really a new day in America! People are now accepted as people, human-beings as human-beings, citizens as citizens irrespective of their peculiar likes or dislikes, interests and disinterests including unique sexual preferences!

And so it is that the fire lit in 1977 in San Francisco California by the late Harvey Milk has spread to Houston Texas? The fire has gradually spread through the land, razing certain stereotyping along the way, as it made its way across the length and breath of our great nation to now Houston Texas. Harvey Milk, wherever your brave soul may be today, this one in Houston Texas is for you! Thank you for giving a voice to a formerly voiceless people; a people who instead of hiding in closets of shame are today, proudly proclaiming on mountain tops, their preferences for the same-sex and homosexual relationships, rather than the orthodoxy of heterosexism. Harvey Milk, if only you know how far the experiment of San Francisco has now worked its way into the land and still marching on! Mayor-elect Anniste Parker of Houston owes her victory to your foresight and trail-blazing activism in San Francisco California; a victory which the cruel hands of Mr. White made impossible for you to witness in person. But please let your soul be assured that all the recorded gains and prospective future ones are all because you stood up and proclaimed, 'We are human-beings too!'

As Houston becomes 'gay-tized', joining other American cities of Portland-Oregon, Providence-Rhode Island and Cambridge-Massachusetts to proudly elect openly gay-politicians as their mayors, Icheoku says, it took sometime to get here; but sure it is spreading fast and furious like California's Santa Ann wind driven fire! Harvey Milk, the first openly gay American to run and win a public office in California stood up in in San Francisco in 1977 to say, 'Yes we are humans like you, full citizens and can be elected to public offices too!' Harvey gave same-sex people a voice and said 'gays are unblemished citizens and can and should be allowed the opportunity of being elected to public offices of their choosing and in whatever capacity? He emphasised that being different in sexual preferences does not necessarily mean being weird or incapable of rendering service; and today, his message of equality has been heard in far away Houston Texas. Houstonians said, in a loud thundering voice, 'Yes we heard the gospel of equality preached in San Francisco' and approved the application of Ms Anniste Parker for the mayor-ship of their city and hired her. Now the oil city of Texas has sent a message in a bottle and thrown on a churning waters, which purveyor is fast taking it to another city. Soon and very soon, city by city, Harvey Milk's message will completely percolate the land and who ever does not like it, might as well leave, pack up and leave for Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan or even to Iran where they execute same-sex people?

The victory of Ms. Parker is also a blow to the far right wing fundamentalists Christians of America who always like to pretend that they are in charge of this land and that are in the majority? The election shows that either these pretenders of Christianity are in the minority or no one listens to their hypocrisy any longer, nor attaches any importance to the hate many of their preachers spew out on their various pulpits? 'Thou shall not judge'; 'I come for those who are sick and not those who are well'; 'He who is without sin should throw the first stone'; 'Those who are well have no need for physicians' etc are some of the biblical passages these band of Christian charlatans avoid cleverly and would rather not be seen applying in their daily sanctimonious and adumbrating preachings. The election also shows that these brand of hateful Christians are fast losing the war for the hearts and souls of many civilized Americans, who would rather they are not yoked to the dark ages of the early arrivees, who were so rigid to a fault that in Salem Massachusetts they burnt at the stake, supposed witches and wizards at the stake?

But the dynamism of progress behoves on every modern day American to see peoples' unique preferences and differences not as a complete de-humanising factor that would warrant some of the vituperation coming out of these so called preachers of the bible. But in whose name are they preaching their hate message; certainly not in the name of the God and Jesus known to Icheoku! We also believe that it is still not late for these hating people to learn their lessons and change their ways fast before they bring damnation upon themselves for hating God's own people! It is regrettable that these people think that what Mr. Dan White could not achieve with his acts of violence way back in November 27, 1978, could be achieved today, three long decades later? If his callous murder did not stop a train after it left the station, what else would now? Icheoku says the genie has since outgrown the neck of the bottle and these so called fundamentalist American Talibans must and should advise themselves accordingly. That 1977 leap of fate, bravery and uncommon valor of Mr. Harvey Milk has now mushroomed into so many possibilities for the LGBT community, including another mayoral seat in another American city, the city of Houston; a Christian south Texas State city, of all places? Icheoku congratulates mayor-elect Annise Parker on her election victory; and prays, as she starts her term on January 1, 2010, may the Almighty God guide and protect her as she delivers for the city of Houston, on her election promises!

TW BRAND, IT IS FINISHED!

It does not take or need a soothsayer to know that the brand known and marketed as "TW" is finished! A requiem for the repose of its wife-cheating soul is all that Americans and the world in general is waiting for; and sooner than later shall be the appointed time. Who will again proudly buy and wear a face cap or a t-shirt with a logo which implies a cheating husband or an addicted to prostitutes sex pervert? Who will be seen to condone or support such a wife-cheater by patronising any of his products? Who will wear such sleaze-tainted product anymore; definitely not anyone known to Icheoku!

So why are these other companies' marketing executives not reading the clear hand-writing on the wall, and only wishing that what was did not happen; or saying please tell us it ain't so? TagHeuer was right when they severed their relationship with the disgraced Cablinasian golfer, Tiger Woods; he is toast and the image which he once prided himself and traded in is no longer alive. It is dead and gone with the untamed and reckless deployment of his manhood, which he freely shared with call-girls and women of easy virtue; while still married to his nanny of a wife and the mother of his two children? What is now left is only charred remains of a now stinking and what was once an impeccable Tiger Woods, who no one wants to deal with or even touch with a ten-foot totem pole. Pac-10 also threw him over board and they rightly judged the tragedy that was a Tiger Woods uninhibited sexual adventurism. Gatorade also has a foresighted marketing executives who correctly read the situation and dumped him like a stinky trash? Icheoku is not surprised that Accenture has now joined the deserting corporate America who has figured out that Tiger Woods has nothing left to offer.

More corporate sponsors will follow in the coming weeks as corporate America realizes the futility of their wait and see attitude; that a dead man cannot rise or walk again and that TW is dead and will never resurrect! Tiger Woods' image is sullied permanently, it is forever gone and his not golfing for "indefinite time" is not helping matters at all. An ill-advised case where he absconded from golfing for an indeterminate period, golfing which is the air in his lungs and for which anybody and everybody wanted and had something to do with him in the first instance? So how long would a fish out of the water survive? This indeterminate absence from golf is a very fatal error of judgment and also too detrimental to whatever, if any, chances Tiger Woods would have had at recovering some or any amount of his former self.

So, any sponsoring company, still hanging around amidst the denudation should ask itself, what for and for what use? Our advise, it is hopeless and no amount of wishful thinking will bring back this broken egg? Cablinasian Tiger Woods should just roll up, sell off whatever is left of his TW and go into a long hibernation and out of sight; maybe someday re-emerge as a greying grandfather engaged in speculative stocks or whatever produce he may otherwise wish to engage in. No one want to be associated with a pariah or buy products identified with such a person. To do otherwise and especially in this TW's case, will unnecessarily lead to the purchaser being branded a cheater, a philanderer, a sex-addict and a liar; who goes through series of blonde women in unprotected sex-orgy! Could anyone please tell Icheoku who wants to be so identified or be seen to condone the 'transgression' of Tiger Woods through patronage of his products? This is the killer of the brand formerly known and referred to as 'TW'. The Cablinasian golf player, Tiger Woods, only had an image which appeared immaculate and unblemished; but they are all gone now due to a masked character flaw of libidinous and limitless sexual appetite for bimbos, culminating in his unsurvivable sex-capade scandal.

Therefore flowing naturally from the law of physics, Tiger Wood can only go downwards henceforth; and like his closely sounding name-sake TWA and/or PAN AM, TW can only wound up as the alter-ego cannot be reinvented. Tiger Woods is irreparably damaged by his philandering and taciturn when the scandal first broke. His selling point was his image and no amount of laundering will ever or be capable of removing that now stained image of a philandering, cheating husband and father, which his sexual escapade has left in the minds of many people world over, and which no magician of a marketer can erase. Even his beautiful yacht named 'Privacy' is now seen as that wife cheating husband's other sleaze pad? As for his playing golf, Icheoku believes that Tiger Wood is so much of a weakling Cablinasian to ever make a full come-back amidst so many curious onlookers many of who will no longer be looking at a golfing great but ogling at a pervert; a once golfing maestro now becomes an object of prying jaundiced eyes eager to take a glimpse of a monstrous sex-aholic with insatiable and unquenchable taste for bimbos?

It won't happen and Tiger Woods would rather jump off his "Privacy" than to suffer the humiliation of attempting a comeback; it is just too late now! It is all about the human psychology and Tiger Woods does not have any stronger constitution than the average Joe caught with his pants down in his neighbor's bedroom. Unlike other similarly situated scandals, everyone, especially women can easily relate to a husband or boyfriend cheating on them and they will not accept a cheating Tiger Woods being imposed on their psyche anymore - not on their television, not on endorsed products and not on billboards; wherever they will see him it will be no thank you! Who will buy products endorsed by a bimbo-loving nymphomaniac sexual addict; just tell Icheoku that soul? Corporate America is listening and is fully aware that the brand TW is now toast! So let the truth be told, it is over for the Cablinasian golfer, Tiger Woods; and all products with his endorsement now stand tainted and no longer marketable, period!

SILVIO BERLUSCONI, BLOODIED!

Once again it has been proved that no amount or measure of security is enough once a determined person makes up his mind on perpetrating mayhem or taking the life of another. Late United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy made this observation a few short months before the assassin's bullets felled him in Dallas Texas in 1963. In Milan Italy, on December 13, 2009, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi again became the target of a murderous fool, who drew blood from him in a failed attempt at harming or even killing the prime minister?

Icheoku condemns this brazen attack on a public office holder and says, the attack was not just on Berlusconi but on all the people of Italy in general. He is their prime minister and represents them; hence any attack on him while functioning in his official capacity is an attack on the people who elected him and who he represents. The attacker whoever he is or in whatever mental condition he may be, should never be allowed to enjoy his full freedom again; he should be put away for good and for a very very long time as an atonement for this public assault and as a deterrent to would-be future copy-cat perpetrators? Acts of violence on any public official anywhere and anyplace should not be condoned by anyone, Icheoku inclusive; no matter the circumstance, and no one should be allowed to add to the problems of their respective societies which they are toiling day and night to find solutions to! The attack on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is one attack too many and should be condemned intoto and Icheoku hereby do!

Another teachable and poignant lesson from this attack is the failure of the security to protect their chief object of protection, for which they are employed and paid. At least someone among the prime minister's security detail should have seen this mad guy raise his hand to launch and should have blown him out of this world before he was able to launch his missile at the Prime Minister. But no, the team failed woefully and completely; only to live in the shame of not being able to protect the only one who they were employed to protect. Icheoku asks, what if the weapon of choice of the attacker was not a statue but a gun or knife or some other more lethal weapon? Italians should conduct an inquiry to unravel what went awry and figure out a way to guard against any future likely occurrence! No explanation is good enough for this lapse or collapse of security that enabled this monster to draw the blood of a seating Italian prime minister and no one should suggest otherwise. It was a total and complete failure of security and not even the infamous and despicable President George W. Bush shoe-throwing incident compares to this blatancy; at least President GW was nimble en0ugh to duck those unpolished dirty Iraqi shoes and denied the Iraqi-fanatic the joy of finding his intended target? But neither Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi nor his retinue of security details were able to see the statue-missile coming, until it was too late; with only a bloodied Prime Minister's mouth and face to show as evidence that the launched missile honed in well on its intended target.

Italian Prime Minister, 73 year old Silvio Berlusconi was attacked by a lunatic following a rally he held in central Milan to fight off series of virulent attacks waged on him in recent past. He slumped to the ground and was whisked away by his security guards to San Raffaele hospital for observation and treatment. Berlusconi sustained a gash cheek wound, bursted upper lip, a fractured tooth, a broken nose and bloodied face. The prime minister was mingling through a crowd of supporters of his People of Freedom party, in the square in front of the Duomo, the Milan’s Gothic cathedral, signing autographs. But unbeknownst to him and his security details and real supporters, a disgruntled attacker was lurking in their midst, waiting for opportunity; and eventually, like a viper, sprung the unsuspected attack! The attacker's weapon of choice, a statue of the Duomo, the city's world-famous cathedral with gargoyles the symbol the city of Milan.

The wild-eyed attacker, here pictured left, Massimo Tartaglia, 42, was arrested at the scene of the attack and is being held for assaulting a public official? According to available information, the attacker is a person of unsound mind and has been a mental patient at Milan’s Policlinico for the past 10 years? The attacker, a graphic designer at his lucid intervals, have no known political affiliations, no criminal record and was not among the small group of protesters at the rally, suggestive of a random spontaneous attack, but who knows until investigations are completed? Icheoku however says, he is a lunatic that would launch an attack on any public official and Mr. Massimo Tartaglia now qualifies as a crazed-out madman, only fit for the confines of a lunatic asylum and not the freedom to be around or near any public official. How dare this animal injure the Italian Prime Minister in this way, with his blood gushing out unto the holy ground of the Duomo? In a way, it reminded some historians and literature buffs of the Pompei Statue fountain and of Julius Caesar during his conspiratorial stabbing to death by the renegade Roman senators. But never again Romans!

Luckily, according to his prognosis, Berlusconi did not suffer any life threatening serious injury or concussion; although not in any way superficial, he bled much from his mouth, with two loose teeth, one of which was fractured. In the admitting hospital's words, "He has suffered trauma to the front of his face, around the lips and nose, and he has two loose teeth, one of which is fractured and there may be damage to the nasal bone. As a precaution, doctors have said that he should remain in hospital for the night for observation.” But in his usual defiant self characteristics, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told Italians not to worry about him; and in his own very words, despite being bloodied, he quipped, "I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

It will be recalled that this is the second time that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been attacked publicly in a somewhat similar fashion. In 2004 he was hit on the head with a camera tripod while taking a walk in Rome. But being the survivor he is, the prime minister will pull through this challenge; it is just another nasty side of what public officers are once in a while, forced to put up with; and Icheoku wishes him well.

In summation, Icheoku agrees with Umberto Bossi, the leader of a coalition partner the Northern League, that this attack was an act of terrorism. Commenting on the attack Mr. Bossi said, "we have had a heavy climate for some time now and this is the first worrying sign. After what has happened today we need to raise our guard." Yelp, we agree that Italians should guard their prime minister better and save themselves the pain and agony of having their leader being humiliated again in this public way! Icheoku also agrees with Pier Luigi Bersani, the leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, that this attack was "inexplicable and is to be firmly condemned". We hereby join the rest of the world in condemning the attack on Prime Minister Silvo Berlusconi. Lastly, borrowing the words of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Icheoku concurs, that the attack is a "grave and unusual gesture of aggression" against a sitting prime minister of Italy! To Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Icheoku wishes you quick parching up and pray you get over quickly the trauma that was such an unexpected and unprovoked attack. God bless!

TIGER WOODS, THE FALL FROM GRACE OF THE CABLINASIAN GOLFER!

Linguine-spine former golf-great, Tiger Woods, has finally thrown in the towel. He has just quit golfing and it is indefinitely? In a message posted on his website titled “Tiger Woods taking hiatus from golf;” he wrote, "after much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person." What a holly-molly of a bombshell! What was this Tiger thinking or smoking lately?

Icheoku says, it would appear that this Tiger is a quitter? First he ran away from his very abusive wife after receiving the beating of his life; a run he continued when he hopped bare-feet, inside his Cadillac SUV and so disorganised and confused, crashed into a fire-hydrant and then a huge tree? Again he ran away from the world and stone-walled, after he was caught pants-down with over thirteen bimbos who turned out to be prostitutes, hookers, waitresses, escorts and other low-life 'street-women.' Tiger quit from explaining himself or telling his side of the story; and it is safe to say that only Tiger Woods knows what he derives from coupling with such kiss-n-tell despicable lowly daughters of Eve! But would he quit on his wife, Elin; who knows? Now, Tiger Woods has quit golfing; may providence save this much complexed-man, with no identifiable racial-constituency, from finally taking a jump off a cliff or a bridge somewhere?

Icheoku asks, was this Tiger thinking that nobody will ever find out his philandering ways or the identity of the Harlem of those dirt-cheap women of easy virtue he condescended himself to have liaisons with; or that they will remain hidden from public knowledge and forever? Now burnt and feeling the heat of his misjudgment, the only way he know to combat the situation is to go into hiding and periodically issue lame online messages, thinking that he is doing enough? Tiger Woods, Icheoku says to you, you need to grow up and understand that your snippets of online messages will not cut it. What the world, including Americans, are expecting from their former golf's great is for you to man up, step up and open up about the most lecherous sexual liaison of the decade; and thereafter, sincerely apologise and ask for forgiveness; possibly with some stammering and choking words including some few tear-drops. A full and complete mea culpa, that is what will solve what is broken - the trust which your pretence or double-life helped to build over the years since the world acknowledged and accepted your golfing abilities and prowess.

Regrettably, you have no major racial constituency to get your back and cheer-lead your defence; and the only one you identified with "CABLINASIAN," is yet to make it to the world's knowledge, dictionaries or encyclopedia including Wikipedia; hence its memberships are not known! Now the white race hates you for riding roughshod on so many of their blondes? Asians do not care about you because you did not follow in the footsteps of your daddy to make one of them your wife? You are definitely not Chinese, or Arab or Latin so none of these people will come to your rescue? You arrogantly and expressly 'denounced' your blackness when you denied being a blackman and invented the word 'Cablinasian' to fit your warped sense of a lonely and strange race which no one else has joined its membership ever since? Tiger Woods, Icheoku says, your persona is fraudulent and you have deceived everyone with accepting the fraud you presented all these years as a wholesome American male, who can see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil? Now, who is the philandering sly coy man?

Anyway, Icheoku had earlier promised not to dwell with this sexcapade of the year; but with the bombshell you just dropped that you are quitting golf, we were forced to come-back to just comment on the development and once again make our exit. What were you smoking and who advised you on this unwise move? Did Bill Clinton resign the presidency upon Monicagate scandal? Did South Carolina governor Mark Stanford resign over his Argentina-love trip-gate? Did Kobe Bryant quit basketball and his case was even much serious; after-all none of the whores in your life alleged any rape? David Letterman is still cracking his midnight jokes, so why would you? There were several options out there, any of which would have helped in your rehabilitation but you chose none of them, why? Did you think about flat-out denials, after all there is no 'blue-dress' smoking gun involved; and it is not a crime to have sex with a consenting adult and you are not a politicians or other public official? Second, you could have admitted one liaison with one of the whores and deny the other twelve, or were there some evidence that irrefutably implicates you? Better still you would have staged a dramatic appearance on national television and blame it on your detractors who are bent on bringing you down?

What about the devil or temptation, assuming you do not have 'detractors?' Also, you could have asked for understanding, telling the world in a well rehearsed tearful mono-tone remarks that you have sexual addiction and that you will check into a rehab and will work seriously to tame it? As a last resort, you would have told a bare-faced lie that you will consider a chemical castration just to assure your wife and sponsors that you will go to any length to fix what was broken; after-all you already have two kids. But quitting for however short or long is a cut and run; and such half-measures does not augur well with Americans. Americans like men with balls, men who are men; and people who feel sorry for their transgressions and ask for forgiveness. Americans are a forgiving people and your story would have died off the radar by now; but no, your online messages is simply adding fuel to the Santa-Ann wind driven blaze of a cheating scandal! Americans are not idiots and we prefer people who will not bullshit us or stone-wall us unreasonably out of their committed sins of infidelity, but open themselves up, wide enough that we can literally see the inside of their guts by way of their coming clean.

But please Tiger, be assured that walking away or "taking a break" from the thing that made you who you are, is not the smartest decision for you to make at this time. Also, your team have poorly managed this crisis ever since it blew wide open, leading to so many asinine comments in blog-sphere and mainstream media. In one such comment, a blogger made this observation:- "One late-night collision of car, club and hydrant broke the seal of golf star Tiger Woods' cool persona and let loose a Pandora's Box of sleaze." If you abhor this new identity which is fast sticking on your once impeccable image, you need to hire some new PR firm to start laundering your singed image and immediately; as whoever have been advising you this past few weeks is not doing a good job. Until we see your face on television, explaining in full details what transpired that very early Friday morning; including your romps with these cheap whores and then apologising and asking for forgiveness, the mussing will go on. Icheoku asks you TW, have you considered your best option, the finality of a divorce; - may be an amicable one where both you and Elin will share custody of your children. It is our firm believe that your marriage is irreparably damaged and only a divorce can truly save you; having become the 'usual suspect' you can never be trusted by Elin or anyone with anything to do with a woman's groin; not after thirteen bimbos have implicated you! If you were man enough to cheat on your wife, you should also be strong enough to divorce her and walk away and retain whatever manliness that may be left. So please, Icheoku once again advises TW to GET A DIVORCE!

Here is TW's message of admission of guilt, of sleeping with 13 hookers while still married to a former nanny, Elin Nordegren:-

"I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try. I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing. After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person. Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period."

NOBEL LAUREATE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH!

The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Laureate President Barack Obama of America received his peace prize in Oslo Norway. He delivered an acceptance speech, which we here present, in its full text, for your reading. Here, the text; happy trails:-

"Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world: I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 43 other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks. Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

These questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease — the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences. Over time, as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive power of war. The concept of a "just war" emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence. For most of history, this concept of just war was rarely observed. The capacity of human beings to think up new ways to kill one another proved inexhaustible, as did our capacity to exempt from mercy those who look different or pray to a different God. Wars between armies gave way to wars between nations — total wars in which the distinction between combatant and civilian became blurred. In the span of 30 years, such carnage would twice engulf this continent. And while it is hard to conceive of a cause more just than the defeat of the Third Reich and the Axis powers, World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.

In the wake of such destruction, and with the advent of the nuclear age, it became clear to victor and vanquished alike that the world needed institutions to prevent another World War. And so, a quarter century after the United States Senate rejected the League of Nations — an idea for which Woodrow Wilson received this Prize — America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace: a Marshall Plan and a United Nations, mechanisms to govern the waging of war, treaties to protect human rights, prevent genocide and restrict the most dangerous weapons. In many ways, these efforts succeeded. Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed. But there has been no Third World War. The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall. Commerce has stitched much of the world together. Billions have been lifted from poverty. The ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced. We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud. A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale. Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts, the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies and failed states have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In today’s wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sown, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed and children scarred.

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace. We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified. I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: It merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason. I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the world’s sole military superpower. Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other people's children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.

So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldier's courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such. So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths — that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human feelings. Concretely, we must direct our effort to the task that President Kennedy called for long ago. "Let us focus," he said, "on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions." What might this evolution look like? What might these practical steps be?

To begin with, I believe that all nations — strong and weak alike — must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I — like any head of state — reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do, and isolates — and weakens — those who don't. The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression. Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don’t, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified. This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.

I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace. America's commitment to global security will never waver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come. The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries — and other friends and allies — demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen U.N. and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. That is why we honor those who return home from peacekeeping and training abroad to Oslo and Rome; to Ottawa and Sydney; to Dhaka and Kigali — we honor them not as makers of war, but as wagers of peace.

Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant — the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions. Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America’s commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard. I have spoken to the questions that must weigh on our minds and our hearts as we choose to wage war. But let me turn now to our effort to avoid such tragic choices, and speak of three ways that we can build a just and lasting peace.

First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to change behavior — for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure — and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one. One urgent example is the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and to seek a world without them. In the middle of the last century, nations agreed to be bound by a treaty whose bargain is clear: All will have access to peaceful nuclear power; those without nuclear weapons will forsake them; and those with nuclear weapons will work toward disarmament. I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia's nuclear stockpiles. But it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.

The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur, systematic rape in Congo or repression in Burma — there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression. This brings me to a second point — the nature of the peace that we seek. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting. It was this insight that drove drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War. In the wake of devastation, they recognized that if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise. And yet all too often, these words are ignored. In some countries, the failure to uphold human rights is excused by the false suggestion that these are Western principles, foreign to local cultures or stages of a nation's development. And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists — a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values.

I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please, choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rig'ts of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America's interests — nor the world's — are served by the denial of human aspirations. So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door. In light of the Cultural Revolution's horrors, Nixon's meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty, and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul's engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan's efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time. Third, a just peace includes not only civil and political rights — it must encompass economic security and opportunity. For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.

It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to a decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within. And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.

Agreements among nations. Strong institutions. Support for human rights. Investments in development. All of these are vital ingredients in bringing about the evolution that President Kennedy spoke about. And yet, I do not believe that we will have the will, or the staying power, to complete this work without something more — and that is the continued expansion of our moral imagination, an insistence that there is something irreducible that we all share. As the world grows smaller, you might think it would be easier for human beings to recognize how similar we are, to understand that we all basically want the same things, that we all hope for the chance to live out our lives with some measure of happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and our families. And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe and, perhaps most powerfully, their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict. At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in the Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden. We see it in nations that are torn asunder by tribal lines.

Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one's own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us. But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey. For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naive, if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass. Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago: "I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'oughtness' that forever confronts him."

So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he's outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams. Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth."

Icheoku says, congratulation Nobel Laureate President Hussein Barack Obama; and re-echoing one female commentator's viewpoint, let the work of peace for which you won the prize now begin. In her own words, 'you have won the prize, now you have to earn it!'