Tuesday, May 26, 2020
TRUMP'S FEUD WITH JEFF SESSIONS: ITS TIME FOR A TRUCE.
ICHEOKU says believing that former Attorney General Jeffrey Sessions has learnt his lesson that he should not have recused himself from the Russian Collusion investigation, fully aware that it was a sham, the president should forgive him and allow him to regain his Senate seat. Jeff Sessions was an insider of the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and knew the truth that there was no Russian Collusion of any kind, yet he recused himself anyway, thereby exposing President Donald John Trump to the hazards of the orchestrated Mueller's witch hunt. Luckily enough for the president, the Robert Mueller's investigation found no collusion and no obstruction of justice by the president; a matter made more significant in that Jeff Session had recused himself from supervising the investigation, thereby rending further credibility to the outcome of the Mueller expedition.
Had Jeff Session not recused himself and Mueller found as he did, the Democrats would insisted that Jeff Session influenced the investigation, the reason the outcome was exculpatory. It was therefore a double blessing for the president that Jeff Session recused himself and also that Mueller found nothing against him. The president survived a vicious and by far, the greatest witch hunt ever levied on a sitting American president by the Deep State. This should have ordinarily been a cause for celebration and enough for the president to just take his victory lap and gloat about it. But unfortunately, a still seething president wants to get his pound of flesh from everyone who had anything to do with the Russian Collusion hoax, including his former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not holding the forte and abdicating from his duty post when it should have mattered most.
The main reason the president put Jeff Session in charge of the Justice Department was because he thought that Jeff Session was a dire hard loyalist, who will move mountains to ensure that the president was protected and shielded from whatever with hunt that might arise from the Justice Department. But when Jeff Sessions threw in the towel at the first salvo, he left the president unfairly exposed to the same bad elements he was trying to protect himself from by putting Jeff Sessions in charge of them, believing that he will get his back from their poisoned darts.
Also, according to the president, Jeff Sessions did not inform him about his plans to recuse himself and that during the interview for the job, he failed to disclose that he will recuse himself should such a situation arose that warrants that. So, it is easy to see where the president is coming from, feeling sabotaged by a man he trusted with the Justice Department, who left him bare when he should have vigorously protected him, fully aware that there was no Collusion with the Russians during the campaign in which he was himself fully involved. ICHEOKU says anyone faced with similar circumstances as the president would similarly feel betrayed and heavily disappointed in Jeff Sessions and that is the simple human truth.
The president eventually prevailed despite Jeff Sessions's failure to hold forte at the Justice Department, in defense of a president, who to his knowledge, was innocent of the Russian Collusion charges. So, going forward, it will be very difficult for the president or anyone in his shoes to trust such a person who will easily chicken out when the fight gets ugly and leave the president so vulnerable to the machinations of the anti Trump forces in the Justice Department. This is the reason the president is fighting to stop Jeff Sessions' planned comeback to the Senate, afraid that Jeff Sessions might gang up with Mitt Romney and other renegade Republicans In Name Only (RINO) in the Senate to thwart his political agenda. This fear is well founded, although Jeff Sessions is from the South and Alabama is a strong base of the president and he cannot afford to antagonize the president for a second time or make Alabama voters become mad at him.
ICHEOKU says the president should try and cash in on this and give Jeff Sessions a second chance at redeeming himself by ending the ongoing feud between them. The president does not have to trust Jeff Sessions or bring him closer to his inner circle again because trust once gone is gone forever. But at least, the president should compensate Jeff Sessions for the time he was a loyal soldier, being the first Senator to endorse the then candidate Trump when every other Republican Senator and top honchos of the party were reluctant to be even identified with the president. ICHEOKU strongly believes that Jeff Sessions meant well when he recused himself and did not intend to needlessly expose the president to the vagaries of the Mueller investigation, admitted it turned out that way.
Jeff is a loyalist and such politicians are very hard to find, as many politicians are risk averse to backing controversial figures and are always hedging their loyalty based on convenient political calculus, usually swayed as political wind blows. Jeff Sessions is an exception to the rule and this should make the president forgive him and allow Jeff Sessions to return to the Senate by ending the current attack on him and his support of Jeff's opponent. Times like this require seasoned political operatives in the Senate to help Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continue to navigate the Senate and keep the president's agenda aloft. Politics is a game of interests and the interest of Jeff Session aligns perfectly well with the president's, so the president should let the matter lie and let Jeff Sessions conduct his comeback election bid in peace.
ICHEOKU is afraid that if the feud continues, the Republican Party in Alabama might become split once again and the bad blood will get so bad that the party might again lose the seat to the Democrats. It happened in 2017 and it might repeat itself in November; so in the interest of party unity and in order to regain the senate seat, President Donald John Trump should reach out and welcome Jeff Sessions back; withdraw his support for Jeff Sessions' opponent and allow Jeff Sessions to regain his seat and return back to the Senate. Jeff Sessions earned the right to do so, he sacrificed that seat for the sake of the president and the president in return should help him to regain that seat. One good turn deserves another. Let Jeff Sessions not only be judged by the mistake of his recusal, but by the totality of his being and his support for the president. He was a good AG and zealously pursued border policing, drugs interdiction as well as MS13 gangs, three major policy initiatives of the president. Enough of the bickering.
JEFF SESSIONS DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE.
ICHEOKU says a man should be judged by the sum totality of his actions, not just for one thing he did wrong, afterall no man is infallible. Yes, his recusal from the Russian Collusion probe was not good, but he was a good Attorney General overall. He was hard on drugs interdiction; he was hard on MS13, he was hard on securing the Southern border policing and he was hard on building the wall, four principal things which the president campaigned on. He was also the first Republican Senator and only senior republican to endorse the then candidate Donald John Trump and he was with the Trump's presidential campaign all the way and sacrificed his Senate seat in the process.
The Mueller investigation concluded well for the president despite the recusal, hence the recusal should no longer be treated as an unforgivable sin. Senator Jeff Sessions is both a staunch party loyalist and the president's loyalist and deserves to regain his senate seat back. It is time for the president to forgive Jeff Sessions of the recusal and allow Jeff Sessions to reclaim his senate seat back. ICHEOKU says wishes Jeff Sessions well in his bid to reclaim his Alabama Senate seat back from the Democratic Doug Jones and hopes that his republican challengers will just yield him the opportunity to do so.
JOE BIDEN MAKES ABOVE GROUND APPEARANCE.
ICHEOKU says what a sight, a Joe Biden public appearance outside his underground basement holdout. Another evidence that the fear of the coronavirus is subsiding, otherwise his handlers would have not risked it. ICHEOKU says congratulations Joey and let the campaign begin now that Joe can handle being above ground, un-sequestered and unafraid of catching the contagion.
Monday, May 25, 2020
HAPPY Memorial Day AMERICA!
ICHEOKU says as we commemorate those who have sacrificed their lives in the service of motherland, defending Americans and everything that makes America, America, may we also not forget those still in active service as well as those who have served and are still living. May this Memorial Day be the day when we shall, as a people, put the coronavirus behind us, securely filed away, so that normalcy can return back to the country. Enough of the fright. If those who served never cowered in the face of danger, why should the rest of us. #EndTheLockdownNow.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
MELANIN, NOT JOE BIDEN, DECIDES WHO IS BLACK IN AMERICA.
ICHEOKU says when you think the gaffe master cannot be more acerbic, it turned out that he just out did himself. Now, Joe Biden has redefined being black American as limited to only those black Americans who do as they are told by the Democratic Party. ICHEOKU says wishes that black Americans will revolt and say enough is enough by voting for President Donald John Trump this November 3rd presidential election. That is the only message that will resonate because if they vote for Joe Biden, it will mean that Joe Biden is right when he said 'you ain't black; if you vote for the other guy. ICHEOKU says black people should reaffirm their blackness by voting for the other guy this election 2020 and let Joe Biden know that he does not decide who is black in America, only melanin do. #ReaffirmYourBlacknessVote4TheOtherGuy.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: MORBIDLY OBESE?
ICHEOKU says it seems that the fury is not necessarily about what was said, but why it was said. A professor once said that calling a dwarf a midget often leads to unintended consequences, unlike calling a tall person a midget. In the former, you are confronting the little fella with the truth of his physical state of being and therefore mocking him. In the later, you are simply being sarcastic by intentionally misstating the obvious. Who among the two persons will be ordinarily furious is quite obvious, as the little guy who is already suffering the complex of being short, will take a great umbrage at being reminded of his height limitation. But if the tall fella ever gets mad, then something is wrong with him, as he cannot in all honesty deem himself to be a midget, no matter how measured.
So the only reason anyone would be mad if called "morbidly obese" is if the person is in fact morbidly obese or thinks or feels that he is morbidly obese, otherwise he should just brush it off as one lunatic rant by one crazy fellow. Truth be told, a man who prides himself as being vain would not allow himself to be morbidly obese, especially being married to a top model. If he was, Melania would have since intervened. But her present silence and quiet shows that she knows that her husband is not morbidly obese. It is not that she choose not to defend her man from an attack by another woman, otherwise she does not stand by her man like Tammy Wynette.
That is one thing many people doff their hat to Hillary Clinton as she would have since pounced on Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi if it was Bill Clinton that she had called morbidly obese. So, did First Lady Melania Trump decide to sit out the current feud between her husband President Donald John Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi because she doesn't agree or tacitly agrees with Nancy Pelosi that her husband is obese or that she decided not to get involved, regardless? ICHEOKU is at a loss on why Melania did not take side in the matter or at least come to the defense of her husband who is being attacked by another woman.
But at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing around 230 pounds, ICHEOKU believes that the president is of the right weight for his overall physique. ICHEOKU says has researched the term "morbidly obese" and came to the conclusion that the president is not what Nancy Pelosi said he is. The president is a huge guy but certainly not obese, talkless of morbidly obese. According to the literature, morbid obesity is a serious health condition which interferes with basic physical functions such as breathing and/or walking. Those who are morbidly obese are at greater risk of contracting diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, osteoarthritis, cancer etc. For a president who walks, breathes and can stand up for several hours, talks non stop, who has none of the known morbidly obese-associated health issues listed above, to be accused by anyone of being morbidly obese is to say the least simply laughable.
Morbid obesity is determined by Body Mass Index, BMI, the ratio of height to weight of the person. A person is deemed to be morbidly obese if the person is 100 pounds above ideal body weight for his or her physique or has a BMI of 40 plus and in some cases, or 35 BMI with associated morbid obese health issues. Normal BMI is usually between 20 to 25. So at the average weight of 208 pounds for people who are 6 feet plus tall, the president is definitely not 100 pounds above his weight to be morbidly obese. At about 37 BMI he is below the 40 BMI needed to become morbidly obese and although above 35 BMI but without the associated health issues necessarily required to become morbidly obese.
Therefore, based on what did Nancy Pelosi make her claim that the president is morbidly obese or has her perception done her a great disservice by deluding her as to the reality of the president's weight condition. It is definitely a thing for concern when a Speaker of the House of Representatives makes up things as she goes without regard to the truth of what she says. It is not right and it is condemnable and should be condemned, accusing the president of having a disease when the president does not have the disease is wrong.
But why would the president allow the speaker to get away with her false accusation, without taking it to her in his usual punch back manner. Why did the president let it slide with just "she is crazy Nancy" since there are many things which the president could have said about Nancy Pelosi, including her Botox frozen face and her hips replacement closed legs walk like a pigeon. But for a president who throws counter punches without a care in the world, what held him back is possibly his decision not to jeopardize the current coronavirus recovery effort which might become mired down were he to engage the speaker in a full blown sparring. Also, it could be that the president heeded the professor's admonition above and decided not to engage Nancy Pelosi since he is not morbidly obese. The president made an informed decision, what is the point shouting himself hoax that he is not morbidly obese when he is not morbidly obese and decided to ignore crazy Nancy prodding and baiting.
ICHEOKU says strongly believes in the freedom of speech, the reason ICHEOKU is against any form of censorship, including those being carried out by the social media giants. Therefore, ICHEOKU does not begrudge Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding her view about the president's weight or whatever pleases her fancy. The only thing is that she should have spoken truthfully and on a verifiable matter by first ascertaining the president's weight and researching on "morbid obesity" to understand what she was actually talking about before levying a false claim. But it is the silly season of election year politics and politicians are trying to take a jab and score a point on each another.
Be that as it may, ICHEOKU says will now butt out and leave the matter for President Donald John Trump and/or his wife First Lady Melania to deal with and respond to Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they see fit. For a president who can throw punches, the world now awaits to see how he takes Nancy Pelosi apart during the coming days for body shaming him. The die is cast!
Saturday, May 23, 2020
YOU AIN'T BLACK: JOE BIDEN REDEFINES BEING BLACK IN AMERICA.
ICHEOKU says the only reason Joe Biden's campaign has survived thus far is the intervention of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic which has put every other thing in the back burner, including paying closer attention to the candidates for the November 3rd presidential election. As a result, Joe Biden's campaign is still very much alive, otherwise his many gaffes plus more, would have since arrested his campaign with a heart attack. A man known for his many gaffes and who would have made even more egregious gaffes had he been on the campaign trail and being bombarded with questions by reporters. But luckily for him, the coronavirus took away focus from him as American people's attention was diverted to the coronavirus pandemic which has subdued the nation, including the 2020 presidential campaign.
So ICHEOKU is not surprised nor shocked when Joe Biden defined black people as only those who vote for the Democratic Party. In his assessment, the party owns black people and black people should better know this fact and should do as they are told by voting for the Democratic Party's candidate and no one else. It has been the way of the Democratic Party ever since. They see black votes as theirs as of right and perceive any black person voting outside the expected voting pattern as an unruly slave who is rebelling against the plantation. Black people have been voting for the Democrats all these years and have nothing to show for their loyal bloc votes. The fact that they continued to vote for Democrats regardless, made them to be treated without respect by the party. A matter made worse because without black votes, there will be no Democratic Party victories in American elections, yet black people have not wielded this power to their own advantage.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is a man with storied racist inclinations and who was called out for this during the just concluded Democratic Party's presidential primaries by Kamara Harris and Cory Booker respectively. The same Joe Biden once mentioned putting black people back in chains. Joe Biden once took pride in his State of Delaware being a slave owning State with the fourth largest black population in America. It is also on record that Joe Biden alongside Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton championed the 1994 Crime Bill which led to the disproportionate incarceration of hundreds of thousands of black people.
Hillary Clinton had called black people Super Predators and Joe Biden authored the same bill as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Joe Biden also has a condescending manner of talking down on black people including when he said that Black Obama was the first clean and articulate black person he has ever seen and you wonder what he thought of Jesse Jackson, Ron Brown and other black politicians before Obama. Joe Biden also proudly parleyed around with known unapologetic racist senators; so it is possible he is just one of them, admitted he would rather he is seen differently.
Therefore ICHEOKU is not surprised when Joe Biden classified black people or rather defined them in terms of who they vote for. It is true that during the concluded primaries, without black people in South Carolina, Joe Biden's candidacy would have since been a forgotten issue. So, he ought to have answered Charlamagne of The Breakfast Club question, what he would do to show black people that he appreciates their effort in saving his candidacy and making him the presidential candidate.
According to Charlamagne, black people saved Joe Biden's political life in the primaries and they have things they want from Joe Biden, one of which is a black woman running mate. But instead of answering the question, Joe Biden went on to lecture Charlamagne that there are multiple black women being considered alongside other women for the vice presidential slot. This was a far cry from the question, which was whether Joe Biden will choose a black woman for his vice presidential candidate to compensate black people for their primaries vote for him.
Joe Biden was prodded by one of his handlers to end the interview to which Charlamagne retorted that black media has more questions to ask Joe Biden but Joe Biden said he does not mind ending any interview whether it is black media or white media and that his wife has something to do within the period. Then Joe Biden interjected that additional questions from black media will not be necessary because any back person who is still having problem about who to vote for between him and Trump is not a legitimate black person. In his own words, "I'll tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or for Trump, then you ain't black."
ICHEOKU says this is who Joe Biden is and he does not care about earning black votes because as far as he is concerned, they are already securely tucked in his box and he should not waste time working further to earn them. But will black people make him pay as they made Hillary Clinton in 2016? Only November 3rd shall tell. ICHEOKU agrees with Andrew Surabian that Joe Biden telling black Americans that they 'ain't black' if they don't vote for him is about as condescending and racist as it gets. So sad.
Friday, May 22, 2020
MAGA RALLIES: COMEBACK, ANY TIME SOON?
ICHEOKU says one of the objective of the Wuhan coronavirus, in addition to tanking America's economy, was to halt MAGA rallies which increasingly showed President Donald John Trump as coasting to an easy reelection victory. But the coronavirus struck and with it such gathering of large number of people was tabooed as people were sent into their homes to quarantine.
That is the story of where the world has been for nearly three months now until very recently, as people are now beginning to reemerge from their long boring shelter in place. With the reopening of the country, other things which make life livable should necessary follow, including attending arenas-filled rallies to go have fun with their candidates. This should be part of the top things to do as the country reopens, as the November election is fast approaching. It becomes somewhat imperative for a president who does not get a fair coverage from the biased media and needs such rallies to get out his message on why he should be reelected for a second term. The president has a lot of unfinished businesses which he needs to finish, the reason he has to be reelected.
American people are ready to take their country back, both from the coronavirus malaise and elected officials who are muzzling them by continuously extending the shelter in place order. ICHEOKU watched as the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference opened in Beijing, with rank and file attendees wearing face masks and wondered why such could not be applied to a MAGA rally. Why can't members of Make America Great Again adorn face masks as they attend rallies, afterall it has been shown that coronavirus cannot be easily contracted by touch or from surfaces. People are flying in airplanes without much of social distancing, so why can't supporters of the president be allowed to come to his rallies, wearing appropriate protective gears, especially face masks. Their temperatures could be taken before going into the rally arena, in addition to performing other sanitizing that may be necessarily required to keep everyone safe.
ICHEOKU calls on President Donald John Trump and his campaign team to think seriously about restarting MAGA rallies, otherwise the other side might secure an edge over getting their message out since all the media seem to be on their side. Instead, let such rallies be held in open fields and spaces in order to ensure more free circulation of air as well as much social distancing as is possible. Majority of MAGA attendees are usually people outside the coronavirus-risk age bracket and other people can be asked to stay away while the able and capable are allowed to return to their celebration of what makes America America, land of the free and home of the brave, and enjoying themselves doing it.
President Donald John Trump is not getting a fake shake from the media and this is suffocating his reelection messages. They are not getting out nor reaching the vast population of Trump voters and when they do, they are always distorted. The worst of it all is that even Twitter is now blocking the president's tweets from reaching many of his followers who now hardly sees timely tweets from the president as he tweets them. Their only option now is to always go to the president's handle if they want to see or read his tweets. The social media giants are apparently in tank with the other side and many Trump voters do not even have access to social media, thus making it impossible for them to follow their beloved president and know what is going on with both his governance and the campaign.
This group of people have been effected mostly by the cessation of MAGA rallies which usually provide them the first hand message from the president as the media is somewhat forced to cover them live. But with the rallies now gone, these people hardly know what the president is doing or saying as the media do not cover the president in favorable light most of the time; thus making it very difficult for new converts as well as old supporters to stayed informed on the president. This group of people are in the dark because of the MAGA rallies which are now in hiatus. The president needs to do something about it and find a way to bring back MAGA rallies in order to continue to get his messages through to the people who will vote to reelect him on November 3rd. The sabotage must not be allowed to go on indefinitely. #BringBackMAGA_Rally.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
TUCKER CARLSON: THE STAR POWER OF FOX NEWS.
ICHEOKU says he is making waves, very insightful and not afraid to pick fights. He now literally eats everybody's lunch at FoxNews including Sean Hannity's of late. His greatest asset is that he goes there, to areas where others tremble to dare and he also allows his guests to air their views, admitted he pushes back if he had to.
Unlike Sean Hannity who always talks over his audiences especially when they are not agreeing with his own viewpoint, Tucker most times allows his guests to air their viewpoints. Tucker often times concede to his guest's superior position as well, unlike Sean Hannity who always insists and sometimes demands that his guest buy into what he is selling.
Anyway, ICHEOKU is a fan and believes that many people tune in to FoxNews to hear what is bordering Tucker Carlson again and it is usually what is bordering most Americans, the real Americans, who love their country dearly; including illegal immigration, jobs, healthcare and securing America from both the Southern border and China. Tucker Carlson is indeed the gift that keeps on giving from Fox News and Americans are tuned in and digesting what he gives them nightly, Monday to Friday. ICHEOKU says keep it up TC and may ammunitions never finish in your armory, keep the salvos coming.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
NANCY PELOSI, A GLASS FACE - TUCKER CARLSON
“She turned 80-years old in March. Does she look 80? No. More like 37. If you guessed diet and exercise, we’re not going to argue with you because we don’t know for sure. And we don’t really want to know. But we would remind the Speaker of the House that people with glass faces should not throw stones.” - Tucker Carlson, Fox News.
CORONAVIRUS: DEMOLITION OF HOTELS, GOVERNOR WIKE WENT TOO FAR.
"The problem with assessing political candidates is that you never really know what they are like until they get hold of power and by then it is already too late. The decent ones wield power with restraint and humility. They understand the limits of their own wisdom, human wisdom. They also understand the inevitability of unintended consequences which are the rule. They know that they will not be in charge forever so they thread lightly. But the bad ones, they go crazy and the more power they get the crazier they go. Power is the drug they have been searching for. It is why they went into politics in the first place, not to help you or their fellow citizens or to improve the society, but to fill the empty space inside themselves. These are profoundly damaged people." - Carlson Tucker, FoxNews.
With those words, FoxNews Tucker Carlson succinctly captured Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State Nigeria, the absurdity of his manner of governance, particularly his recent demolition of some hotels in the State which he governs simply because their operators were in violation of his coronavirus inspired shelter in place order. ICHEOKU says this is brazen as there is no justification whatsoever for demolishing peoples business premises based on such a flimsy excuse that they did not obey his executive order on coronavirus quarantine. Such an extreme measure was unnecessary as there were other more rational and reasonable alternative measures, which the governor could have applied to achieve the same purpose of punishing and deterring those who were not compliant to his shelter in place order.
The Governor could have fined them, sealed off the hotel premises until further notice, suspended or even revoked their operating business licenses and permits; or totally ban them from ever engaging in hotel business in Rivers State. Any of these penalties would have sufficiently punished those violators, short of demolishing their business premises. But for the governor to take bulldozers to the hotels which are helping to ameliorate the acute unemployment crisis in Nigeria, particularly in his Rivers State, through job creation, was rather an unmitigated disaster gone too far. Did the governor even think through his action before levying its execution? Did he think about the workers employed by the hotels, regardless of their number, who earned their living working there but who now have no jobs to return to when his shutdown is eventually lifted. These people will now rejoin the burgeoning unemployed population and with it, their dependents, who they hitherto supported could become destitute.
Governor Wike is a fella who ICHEOKU has no admiration for, principally because of the manner and style of his governance. He is supposedly a lawyer but doesn't behave like someone who understands how law works. He has no regard to the rule of law otherwise he would have taken those breakers of his order to court and let the judge determine their guilt and then mete out necessary punishment to them accordingly. He has no regard to basic principles of civility and the time honored tenet of due process. In the matter under discussion, he was the legislature, the judge and the executioner and you ask yourself is there any other better way to describe a despot? His behavior is not civilized; he lacks decorum and decency; he is thuggish and roguish; he is braggadocios; he is boastful; he is arrogant; he has neither empathy nor sympathy; he is dictatorial and brutish; and he is somewhat ruthlessly very mean. He possibly have killed people and looks like someone who is tormented by some inner demons.
What if those people who were found on the hotel premises were on extended stay or are permanent residents therein? What if those people were observing their shelter in place in the hotels? What if the operators were using the opportunity of the lockdown to carry out some needed maintenance and general repairs or do some renovations? What if they were relatives of the operator and staying therein on the premises. In fact, it does not and should not even matter what they were doing on the premises, all ICHEOKU is saying is that the punishment does not fit the crime. It was rather too draconic and drastic to demolish the hotels because of an alleged crime of violating a no movement order imposed by the governor on the State as a result of coronavirus and therefore repugnant. Why demolish hotels, business investments which created jobs and were bringing revenue to the State from taxes, liquor licenses and business permit fees just because of violation of no movement order?
In short, there is nothing to understand here as the rational for the demolitions, irrespective of the shelter in place order which was violated. Why scare away future investors that their investments in the State are not safe and could be so cavalierly destroyed. Such a despotic quick to action is why investment in Nigeria is always a risky proposition or did Governor Wike not factor in that those hotels could be some people's lifetime savings and only investment income. El Rufai carried out similar demolitions when he was Minister of the FCT and now Nyesom Wike is repeating same as Governor of Rivers State. What got the better part of him or was it just a power tripping display, the original power show as Fela Anikulapo Kuti would call it. Why did the governor not think through the ramifications before he sent in those bulldozers? Education make people to weigh things before they act on them or was his own education so useless that it precludes common sensical logical deductions.
ICHEOKU says it was a thoughtless action which the governor put in place to demonstrate that he is the lord and manor of and in Rivers State. But like other fellow reprehensible and revulsive governors before him throughout Nigeria, Governor Nyesom Wike too shall one day cease to be a governor and he will see how quickly he will morph into irrelevance. The same Rivers State's former Governor Rotimi Amaechi was once as despotic to the extent that he shutdown the courts in Rivers State for nearly one year without a care in the world about lawyers who earn their living through the courts and the thousands of litigants who had cases and controversies to adjudicate. But he did it anyway because he can and had the power to do whatever he liked, but today even visiting Rivers State is not an easy task for Rotimi Amaechi as he has since become a persona non grata there.
Unfortunately, it appears that Governor Wike did not learn any lesson from Rotimi Amaechi's fate. He was supposedly democratically elected, but he does not behave like a democrat nor cares enough about the people to be compassionate. There are so many other lawless misbehaviors associated with this fella in the past, but the demolition of these hotels just because some people there violated his order to quarantine is the height of his arbitrariness. It is incomprehensible, to is reprehensible, it is heartless, it is inexcusable and it is as wicked as sin. What manner of a man behaves in this way. Even if he was on drugs or was totally inebriated, why would he allow himself to be completely so overwhelmed beyond rationality to succumb to the temptation of demolishing the hotels based on a violation so trifle that fine would have sufficiently atoned for it.
It is sad and it is pitiful. Were Nigeria a rule of law abiding society, the owners of the hotels would have the courts restore them to their status quo ante through award of punitive damages against Rivers State government and Governor Nyesom Wike. Even Michigan State Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam were not this horrible, admitted they equally went too far in enforcing their respective States' shelter in place orders. Governor Nyesom Wike was one of those people who accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being a dictator and not acting like a democratic president and you wonder what separates him from Buhari or any other jackboot dictator. If he could demolish people's business premises on a whim and without according them due process rights just because they violated an order to shelter in place, imagine what he would do were he the president and commander in chief of the armed forces.
So what if they broke his order, where was his notice of the violation to them? Where was his cease and desist order to them? Where was his fine and where was his order sealing off the premises until further notice or even an order of revocation of operating licenses and business permits. Why didn't he even arrest them and detain them until they sign an undertaking not to operate the hotels again until the shutdown is lifted. What was he trying to prove by taking bulldozers to the hotels which provide revenue and employment to the State. The punishment does not suit the crime. It was unreasonably too harsh and excessively punitive. ICHEOKU says will not accept any explanation in justification because none made sense nor will ever make sense. Simply put, Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike was wrong in demolishing the hotels and should immediately apologize for his misdeed and pay compensation to the owners and operators of the hotels for the wrong done to them.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
TRUMP FACE-OFF WITH W.H.O.
"If the World Health Organization does not commit to major substantive improvements within the next 30 days, I will make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the World Health Organization permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization." - President Donald John Trump.
Monday, May 18, 2020
CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN: LIFT THE LOCKDOWN, REOPEN AMERICA NOW.
ICHEOKU says it is easy to say stay the course with the continued lockdown of the country when you are privileged to work from home. If you are a talking head on television pontificating the imperativeness of remain sheltered because of your guaranteed income, it is also easy. If you are part of the Hollywood crowd whose bank accounts are busting to the seams and you have no difficulty meeting your monthly obligations on bill payments, it is also easy. Other rich fellows equally can stay sheltered until thy kingdom of vaccine comes as they can afford to do so. But when your ability to feed your family and also meet other monthly bills obligations, including rents, electricity, insurances is greatly encumbered by the shelter in place and you cannot do your job from home and needs to get out, move around for work in order to earn your living, then the country should have been reopened since many moons ago.
People need to earn money to sustain their livelihood and it is increasingly becoming very difficult to do this remaining quarantined. The $1200 stimulus check was spent upfront before they even arrived as people borrowed on it. It was not even enough for one month's rent for those who had it intact when it arrived, talkless of now three months arrears of rents, feeding and other incidental expenses majority of Americans are faced with from month to month. As the president appositely said, the cure should not be far worse than the disease, but it is somewhat proving itself to be true as many people are now wondering if there was any merit in even shutting down the country in the first place. Thousands of people died regardless and it is possible that around the same number of people would have died anyway had the country stayed open. ICHEOKU says it is very doubtful if those making the rule even understand what majority of American people are going through, otherwise nobody would have contemplated any extended lockdown.
The primary reason for the initial lockdown of the country was to ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed but not that the coronavirus disease goes away or that people are no longer infected or die anymore. They had insisted that the curve must first flatten before the shutdown can be lifted; but now that the pandemonium created has been controlled with flattened curve and the hospitals were not overwhelmed, they have shifted the narrative to first finding a cure and/or vaccine before reopening the country. ICHEOKU is emphatic that at the rate this people are going to shift the goalpost that even if a vaccine or cure was found today, they will insist that all the 360 million Americans first get vaccinated before the country reopens. Now, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that there might never be a vaccine for the coronavirus and the retort is, does that mean that the countries of the world, including America will never be reopened ever again.
Being alive is a risk unto itself and there are other things which kill people including cancer, accidents, drug overdoses, suicides and homicides. All every sane person prays for is the ability to cope with living amidst some tolerable risks that could be reasonably managed, not a risk-free life. The coronavirus has done its worse as medical science and health practitioners now have a better understanding on handling it. This now makes it a tolerable risk which everyone can and should be prepared to adjust to and live with. Therefore the country should be reopened as the contract with Americans for which Americans yielded to the shutdown instruction, was that the country will come back to business once the coronavirus pandemic submits to a reasonable management. Contracts are entered with the expectation that parties thereto will honor their part of the bargain by keeping to its letters. American people have performed their part and now is for the authorities to also do their part by completely lifting the lockdown.
The pain and suffering is getting unbearably too much and anyone still advocating for a continued lockdown is heartless and merciless. People are dying; children are starving; bills are piling up and domestic violence is rising as frustrated parents can no longer stand each other's inability to put food on the table. A matter made worse because there is no time definite when the lockdown will be completely lifted, making planing extremely difficult. The bad news is that many of those insisting on extended lockdown cannot survive for one week on the monthly wage being earned by the working poor of America. They do not understand what the dire situation is really like, with no food in the stomach; the reason they sound so oafish with their statements. None of them have helped pay for the rent, food and/or other bills for those under the water of the continued lockdown. They are not in their shoes and have no idea what the suffering in the country really feels like.
Anyway, suffice it to say that the initial purpose of the shelter in place have been achieved, hospitals were not overwhelmed and the nation now have a better understanding of how to reasonably manage the coronavirus. Personal hygiene, masks and social distancing where possible are ways to keep the coronavirus at bay. Also, we now know that the elderly and the very sick are more susceptible to the disease and measures can be put in place to safeguard them. So, the nation can get back to its daily business now in order to save whatever remains of the economy and prevent it from going a complete belly up. Let the vulnerable be protected, let the infected be hospitalized and treated; and let those who are healthy and able return to their jobs immediately. Enough of the damage being inflicted on America, its society, psychology and economy, end the lockdown now. #ReopenAmericaNow!
Sunday, May 17, 2020
CORONAVIRUS, A DECLARED WAR BY CHINA: WILL AMERICA RESPOND?
ICHEOKU says is a full blown out shooting war with China the answer to the destruction of America's economy by China, alongside thousands of lives lost to the Chinese Wuhan coronavirus disease. If not, how else will America make China pay for what they did, which has cost America and the entire world so dearly both in human and economic loss. A shooting war with China is the most emphatic way to tell China that enough is enough and that the world is tired of their shenanigans and will not tolerate them anymore.
But the main question bordering many people, who ordinarily favors a war with China, is whether American people have the appetite to stomach yet another war now and against a military power like China. Also, can America afford the cost of such a war, both in resources and loss of lives, aware that it will be a very costly military campaign if America were to achieve a timely victory and get it over with asap. War is a costly undertaking as witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan and other past wars; and the cost of the two recent wars will pale in comparison to what will be required to wage an effective campaign against China. But if American people refuse to be mobilized for such a military venture, how else will America make China pay for what they did and to compensate America for the untoward economic and human loss suffered by reason of the coronavirus disease.
ICHEOKU says China's culpability for which they ought to be punished stems from the fact that they knew that the disease is very deadly and highly contagious but hid it from the rest of the world, while they stockpiled protective and safety products to protect their own citizens while leaving the rest of the world's population at the mercy of the coronavirus. China also allowed people from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, to freely travel to other parts of the world but blocked them from traveling to other parts of China. They thus safe guarded the rest of their population and economic interests in China, while they let the rest of the world burn and languish under the onslaught of the coronavirus. Why would China do this, if not that they intentionally desired the outcome suffered by the world as a result of the deadly surprise they unleashed on the world.
It is arguable that because of this two direct actions, failure to warn and permission for Wuhan Chinese to travel to other parts of the world, China intentionally infected the world with the coronavirus. Therefore China is guilty as sin for the damage caused by their action which is tantamount to a declaration of war. As a result, many people were killed and huge economic destruction was inflicted, thereby meeting the two cardinal consequences of a war. A war which China declared and which the world must respond to without any further ado or delay in order to maintain their honor, protect their citizens, defend their way of life and also secure their livelihood. So, the question is not necessarily whether their action and inaction amounts to a declaration of war because it does. The only question is whether America can mobilize her citizens as well as the world to fight China. Now will be a good time to fight a war with China as anti China passion is so high among so many people, both Americans and the rest of the world seeking for a revenge.
ICHEOKU says but will the world support America and form a united coalition of the coronavirus-devastated people to fight China. Will these countries have the stomach to fight a war and remain resolute therein until China is submitted and humbled into signing a peace treaty on terms to be spelt out by a victorious world. But how many casualties will be tolerable for a world, especially Europe, which now seem to lack the will to fight wars. Will they persist until a victory is achieved? A victory which will include forcing China to sign an undertaking to transform itself into a responsible global citizen, which conforms to international rules of good behavior as a member of the global community in good standing. Also following a successful campaign, the world could demand for the partition of China into five or three smaller manageable countries which will help prevent any such future threatening China from ever emerging again.
ICHEOKU says these and many more questions should be occupying the minds of the leaders in Washington DC as they contemplate how best to respond to the attack by China, which has claimed thousands of American lives and destroyed America's economy, alongside that of the rest of the world. Globally, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, millions of people have been infected and dying and millions of jobs have been lost in various economies facing existential challenge of immense magnitude. Nothing short of a concerted response punishing China will gratify restless citizens throughout the world, who are demanding answers from their leaders and want to see China bloodied for what they did to the world. Or is this too much to asked for as letting China go scot-free is not an option, otherwise they will do it again having learnt no lesson for what they already did.
But will President Donald John Trump take the bait, especially in an election year where his campaign main talking point and argument for a reelection, a once booming economy, has now been completely obliterated by China. Such a war with China will be good as it will be a pay back to China for what they did and also a helpful boost to the reelection chances of the president on November 3rd, 2020. As is customary, American people do not usually vote out a sitting president in times of war and such a war with China will help rally the nation behind the president. Also, the war effort will help the economy regain momentum as ratcheted-up war production and added logistics will help create jobs which will help absorb the millions of people left jobless by the coronavirus.
China has proved themselves not to be a friend of America or the West in general. They have also shown their hands as one not to be trusted to safeguard the lives and economies of the West. Imagine their hiding such a devastating virus outbreak and exposing America and the rest of the world to its deadly consequences, while they loaded up to protect their own citizens. With a friend like China, America does not need an enemy and neither does the world. A response is the right thing to do. It is either America destroys the Chinese economy and kill thousands of Chinese people too using a clandestine virus attack or achieve the same result through an open direct military confrontation. But whatever happens, a no response is unacceptable.
Enough of the Chinese intransigences, too many viruses coming out of China is simply no longer unacceptable. They cheat, they repress their people and they do not play fair and in conformity with the standards of civilized behavior. They manipulate everything to gain unfair advantage against other countries including their currency. They pretend to be a nascent developing nation when they send rockets to space and land rovers on the moon, building skyscrapers, bridges, viaducts and complex road networks everywhere in their country, Their train system is about the fastest there is anywhere in the world, yet they are a developing country. If China is a developing country, which country then is qualified to be a developed country, when those supposedly developed countries cannot even compete with China in terms of technological advancements and infrastructural developments.
Who is fooling who, if ICHEOKU may ask or will the Western countries continue to delude themselves while China continuously eats their lunch in every sphere of life including science, medicine, agriculture, technology and engineering. Very soon they will also take over international finance and lets see how the Western world will fair then. China is fully developed and it is for the West to confront them now that they have genuine reason to so do or continue to play the fiddle as they await an assured Chinese take over of the world. They have the population and once they can back it up with enough weapons, they will swarm the world into obedience and forcefully, if they have to. But if the pre-coronavirus trade war was any indicator, the outcome of a real shooting war now is fairly known. Therefore, it might be a good thing to think about seriously with the only question being whether the world is willing to engage and on whose side will Russia be.
Friday, May 15, 2020
CENSORSHIP ALERT!
"THE CORONAVIRUS DEBATE: TO OPEN OR NOT TO OPEN THE COUNTRY?"
ICHEOKU says Google deleted my article titled above which canvassed the reopening of the country since the primary objective of flattening the curve has been achieved and it turned out that the coronavirus can be reasonably managed. ICHEOKU finds such despotic censorship intolerable and wants the article restored. That such censorship will be happening in America, a supposed land of the free with free expression is rather spooky. They want to enforce a one cap fits all opinion on every American and such viewpoint neutral is not healthy for any society. It is sad.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
ON NOVEMBER 3RD 2020: TRUMP WINS DESPITE ALL THE DISTRACTIONS.
ICHEOKU says he was coasting to an assured reelection victory with the booming economy until the coronavirus pandemic shocked and slowed down his prospect. But he has acquitted himself reasonable well with the fight against the coronavirus that it will no longer fatally affect his reelection chances. So with the economy somewhat out of the way and no longer the principal determinant of the November election, two other key issues have taken its place - China and the Deep State.
The global domination ambition of China and the unfolding corruption in the FBI and the greater Justice Department engineered by the Deep State are two major things which American people will like to see dealt with decisively. American people will like to see a president who will take on China head-on, contain them and make them pay for what they did to America and the world with the coronavirus attack. They will also want to get to the root of the unfolding corruption in the Justice Department and the FBI and see that needed reforms are carried out and measures put in place to prevent any such corruption in the future.
So, the question facing voters in November 3rd, 2020 will be which of the two candidates, President Donald John Trump and former Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden, will execute the two tasks more effectively and efficiently; in addition to rebuilding an economy on bended knees. The answer to this question will determine who wins the White House this November.
ICHEOKU says still banks on President Donald John Trump to win his reelection as the odds strongly still favors him, barring any unforeseen debilitating event that might throw spanner in the works against him. Joe Biden is simply not it, as he does not give anybody any confidence nor is he reassuring. He is simply too tired and famished to constitute any serious challenge to the president, admitted that a more viable candidate would have given the president a run for his money.
So, on November 3rd, 2020, ICHEOKU will be voting to reelect President Donald John Trump for a second term. He is still energetic; he still loves America and he still fights passionately for America. VOTE 4 TRUMP and vote to continue the agenda Make America Great Again. VOTE 4 TRUMP and vote to continue cleaning houses at DOJ/FBI. VOTE 4 TRUMP and vote to stop China cold from its globalist agenda. Obama/Biden were rejected in 2016 and so will Biden/Obama be rejected again in 2020. #Vote4Trump.
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