GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

WHO WAS THIS GUY AND WHY WAS HE KILLED LIKE A DOG?

ICHEOKU says there may be more to the story than meets the eyes, as such a publicly depraved heart murder suggests something vengeful and demonic. Could George Floyd have been killed for a vendetta arising from what he did in the past. But the executioner is not talking yet, so the world might not get to know what actually triggered the murderous kneeling. Something is not just right and it is dubious that a police man could so brazenly asphyxiate a fellow man so publicly. Who was this George Floyd and what in his past life could have triggered his public execution. A lot of questions but with little to no answers. #WhyWasGeorgeFloydKilled.

Monday, June 1, 2020

GEORGE FLOYD: PRESIDENT TRUMP'S MESSAGE WAS LOST IN TRANSLATION.

ICHEOKU says previous administrations usually employ spinmeisters who go on every available television show and radio stations to, when needed, explain what the president said or convince Americans that what they heard the president misstate or said wrongly was not exactly what they heard. That way, they clean up after the president and repair whatever damage which may have occurred or that was threatening, as a result of what the president said. But President Donald John Trump is somewhat a man alone president as it appears that he does not trust anybody to speak for him or does not believe that anybody is good enough to clean up his misstatement. This is probably the reason he is permanently glued on the spotlight, doing it by himself, frequently making statements which are being overly examined by his critics unlike any other president before him. 

ICHEOKU says the president should try and limit his appearances on television and also guard what he says to avoid the associated ruckus. In fact, this his fixture on television is beginning to rile up even some people who support the president and it needs to stop or be reduced to a minimum, only when it becomes absolutely necessary for him to show up. The president should endeavor to allow professionals speak for him sometimes, especially in matters that require middle of the road nuancing; otherwise he might succeed in further alienating some people before November 3rd gets here. For example his "looting and shooting" comment was avoidable and unnecessarily divisive. But a well oiled spinmeisters could have easily clarified it as meaning shooting being a necessary concomitant to looting as street gangs might cash in on the unruly situation to unleash their mayhem. Even the other misspeak of "injecting disinfectant" was another avoidable speak which would not have occurred had the president left the Taskforce to handle the briefing. 

The president's problem is that he does not seem to understand or does not care that there is a difference between speaking to his supporters and speaking to the nation, hence he does not usually distinguish nor inflects his tone accordingly, as a specific situation might demand. The president does not utilize the craft of speaking as a president, presidents speak to everyone, both those who voted for them and those who did not. The president is a good campaigner without a doubt, but speaking to his political base is different from speaking to the whole country, which includes those who did not vote for him, those who are weighing their choices this November and also those who even find the president detestable. He does not speak like a president who wants to increase his voters by winning over more converts and reassuring those who are suspicious of him that their concerns will be addressed in order to assuage their fears. 

The president does not have to be a good orator to do this, but he needs to inculcate some empathy and also master the political tactic of sharing in the sorrow and grief of the people. People need to be reassured in times of great tribulations such as the ongoing coronavirus plague, the latest George Floyd killing and the great economic challenges facing them that everything will be alright. But unfortunately, the president lacks the required tactical skill which oftentimes comes with longevity in politics, to master this clever art of communicating to a politically diverse people in times of trouble. Some non politicians even train for this manner of speaking and are often hired as consultants and spinmeisters by politicians, to help them freshen out statements which did not come out as intended or which although intended, did not sit well with the people. Their job being to spin it around to sit well with the people. The president is not a good pupil of this because of his limited time in politics and his general background did not equip him with that either. 

Also the president's love for the limelight is almost nearing an addiction level, which makes him to always want to be seen and heard, even when it is not necessarily needed and sometimes over trifle things which his spokesperson would have ordinarily taken care of. Even his incessant tweeting is now becoming emblematic that ICHEOKU says the president should consider reducing his tweeting, instead of the current face-off with Twitter which he is not winning. ICHEOKU has always wondered what will happen should Twitter decide to suspend the president's account or block him for few hours or even delete his account? The president should try and discipline his love for television appearances and trim his tweeting at least for the remainder of the campaign months. This will help him firm his standing before the American people and also make some people forget so many of his misstatements and forgive their misgivings against the president. 

Empathy is an asset which either the president lacks or does not know how to show it. George Bush's famous statement at Ground Zero, "I hear you and very soon the people that knocked down these buildings will soon hear from you", was such an effective communication in empathy and a nation then in peril heard him. They were reassured that their president will protect them and that he was going to do something about what happened. That was what the people needed to hear from their president at that time of great fear and President George Bush delivered on it, regardless of the eventual outcome of its implementation. But so far, during this coronavirus pandemic, the unemployment induced economic suffering and now George Floyd's murder and the resulting protest, the president has not reassuringly spoken to the nation in a manner that will reduced the heightened fear and anxiety in the land. 

But whether the president understands the imperative to reassure the nation that he is on top of the three situational problems and will do whatever it takes to make all the bad things go away is but anyone's guess. ICHEOKU says is not very optimistic that the nation will see a changed president any time soon because he is not cut in that cloth. ICHEOKU prays that the president will allow people trained in the art of communication to help him get through this moment and that the president only makes appearances and speaks, when absolutely necessary for him to do so. A time like this required placing the country above self and the display of the utmost concern about the welfare of the people; including reassurances that everything will be okay and that the government is on top of the situation. But it seems that the president listens to nobody and that those around him, including his wife First Lady Melania Trump, either do not advise him or he does not heed their advise. 

It was the same love of the limelight that hurt the president badly with the coronavirus pandemic when he hijacked the daily briefings of the Presidential Coronavirus Taskforce and many things went wrong with perception as a result. Instead of leaving the team he put in place to handle the briefings, the president inserted himself in it and with it made a lot of regrettable misstatements including the ingestion of disinfectant. His daily appearances showed him as being overtly defensive, combative, callous and not showing the required empathy for a nation that is hurting badly and was looking for a consoler in chief, who unfortunately was not available. Instead of showing the country that he shares their pain, he busied himself with selectively taking credit for things that went right and passing the buck on the many things that went awry. It was not what the country needed but the president failed to understand that and it is hurtful. 

In such situations, a seasoned political operator would have been more circumspect, more empathic and showed great understanding that too many people perished in the coronavirus pandemic and that their loved ones are not interested in what the president possibly got right since their loved ones did not benefit from it by surviving. The same lack of empathy was again shown with the millions of people who lost their jobs and who can hardly feed their children now. The stimulus checks notwithstanding, there is no constant messaging to these people that all will eventually be well and that the president is doing everything he can to make their situations better. Then enter the George Floyd's killing and people were expecting the president to show them that everything will be alright, but met a president who is tweeting about MAGA loving black people as if telling those black people who identify with MAGA that they are not welcomed to the fold. It is also a fact that not all those protesting were black people, but an ill conceived tweet portrayed the president in a bad light as a white biased president who sees everything as a "we and them" situation. 

ICHEOKU says nobody was expecting the president to undo what was done, only to show some sincerity that he understands their pain and that he will do whatever it takes to ameliorate their problem. But his messaging were lost in badly worded tweets and now people have left the Minnesota Democrats whose police office triggered everything and are now blaming the president for what he did not do nor had a hand in doing. Anyway, lets hope that the needle will somewhat move with the president  and he sees the wisdom in stepping aside from the podium and allow his spokes people to do their job. ICHEOKU says  the president also needs to reengage the services of some spinmeister, including Steve Bannon, and allow them get back on the airwaves, pushing his reelection and rephrasing whatever the president says that comes out wrongly or as unfeeling, heartless and callous. #BringBackSteveBannon.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

GEORGE FLOYD: A SYMBOL OF DEEP SEATED DISILLUSIONMENT.

ICHEOKU says the irony of the whole thing is that nobody knows when it will end, if ever; as the bell usually tolls for the next black guy. It could be yours, your relative's, your friend's, your neighbor's or just the fella next door. It is a continuing sad commentary of the existential danger facing a black person in America and it is ever present, always hovering over them like a thick dark fog. 

It is modern day lynching and the impunity is growing exponentially because they are never held accountable for all the murders which they commit, otherwise why not make it an automatic death penalty offense for the executioner and accomplice liability for any fellow policeman who witnesses such an execution without intervening to prevent it. But hey, it is black life and it usually does not matter in America. #BLM.

REST ON GEORGE FLOYD.

ICHEOKU says hopefully his death will bring America back to the need to meaningfully address the subsisting racism across the entire strata of the American society particularly the wanton killing of black people by the police. Adieu George.

TRUMP 2020: LETS KEEP IT ROLLING, KEEP AMERICA GREAT.

TRUMP2020: KEEP AMERICA GREAT.

ICHEOKU says we can see clearly now that President Donald John Trump will be reelected for a second term come November 3rd, 2020. He is doing a fantastic job implementing his America First, Make America Great Again agenda and America is winning again. There is no need to change a performing president who has kept nearly all his campaign promises, plus more. As the president said during his last 2016 campaign, America will keep on winning and winning until Americans are tired of winning. 

ICHEOKU says Americans are not yet tired of winning and Americans want to continue winning with President Donald John Trump. Winning tastes so good and Americans love tasting good things. Keep America Great, reelect President Donald John Trump on November 3rd, 2020 to keep the winning train rolling. There are still plenty left from where these ones came from, so why not let the good things continue to flow. Let nobody stop the groove. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. President Donald John Trump has earned his reelection and will be reelected for a second term as there is no option nor competition out there; not even ten Joe Bidens. #4MoreYears.

KUDOS TO ELON MUSK: SPACEX LIFTS ASTRONAUTS OFF TO SPACE STATION.

ICHEOKU says exactly what other tech billionaires in Silicon Valley should be doing instead of micromanaging what people choose to write on their platforms. Elon Musk is definitely leading by example and showing the way for others who want to emulate the path forward to follow. But instead of innovating and creating things, new and different, other Silicon billionaires are busy playing the Lords of Manor on their platforms, subjectively selecting who to block, suspend or outrightly ban from writing on their platforms. 

ICHEOKU says congratulations to Elon Musk and his SpaceX for once again putting American astronauts back into Space, using American made vehicles and right here on American soil. Patriotism cannot be any more broadly defined than this fella who has created so many things America including Tesla electric vehicles and now SpaceX; and he does not play the crass politics which other Silicon billionaires often entangle themselves in deciding which candidate they want to engineer their election into office. 

They know that the broad spectrum of American people use their platforms and they should know better to stay out of partisan politics, but instead they chose to alienate more than half of the country by taking sides in our political differences, thus alienating millions of people who use their platforms and in some cases, outrightly excluding them by denying them its use simply because they don't like their political inclination. ICHEOKU wishes these Silicon Valley tech billionaires could take a page from Elon Musk and move on to other greater challenges. 

ICHEOKU says well-done to a real engineer Elon Musk and his Team SpaceX as well as their collaborating partners NASA for what they accomplished by restarting America's manned missions to Space which former President Barack Obama arbitrary canceled. Also congratulations is in order for President Donald John Trump government for another promise made another promise kept as the president had promised during the 2016 election campaign to restart America's manned Space mission program and he just fulfilled that promise. 

ICHEOKU says notwithstanding some shortcomings, including the Chinese Wuhan coronavirus fallouts, President Donald John Trump has accomplished so much to earn him a second term in office and he will be reelected on  November 3rd in appreciation. There is no option or alternative to this reality, regardless of what his hate-filled antagonists would like the people to believe. Anyway, Dragon is the name and it has successfully dragged  Americans back to a self sufficient Space missioning.

THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.

ICHEOKU says picture shows black people shielding a policeman who was separated from his quad from an otherwise inevitable harm, were it not for their effort. They formed a protective human shield around him to prevent angry protesters from taking vengeance on him. It was in Kentucky and their effort should be commended and applauded by all, as not every protesting black person was looting stores and setting buildings on fire. Hopefully the president will find time to retweet the picture and FoxNews will be fair enough to show the goodness in black people as not every black protester is a thug. But will the police reciprocate such a kind gesture the next time they deal with black people by ending their incessant killing of black people. Let's hope that everyone will come out of this with profound lessons learnt. Kudos to the folks in Kentucky. Way to go. 

Saturday, May 30, 2020

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: QUITTING IS NOT THE ANSWER, AMERICA.

ICHEOKU says quitters don't usually win and winners don't ever quit. So why must America be forced out from an institution which it built by a just newcomer China. It does not make sense as no rational person abandons his dwelling simply because of pest infestation, you call pest control to exterminate the pests, period. America should have insisted on reforms and failing which it kicked China out of the World Health Organization but not the other way round. America should have brought her powers to bear over the organization and adamantly force a reform or nothing else goes on there. 

Why would America lament that China with its little contribution to the World Health Organization exerts total control over the institution which America founded. It sounds more like a failure on the part of America to protect its own house and it should not blame an opportunistic thieving China for stealing the control away from America. It is a failure of diplomacy and negotiations as well as lack of wielding the big stick. But will America's new policy be to continue running away, quitting and withdrawing from institutions which it allowed China to take over their control. 

So, what if America is frustrated in the United Nations Organization, will America also quit and if, will they order the closure of the United Nations office in New York and ask them to leave? How about other organizations including NATO, WTO, IMF, World Bank etc? If America continues to quit from institutions just because China made them mad, will a time come when America would have inadvertently shut itself completely from the world. If it happens and the rest of the world decides to give America the middle finger and switch their allegiance to China, adopting China as the new world leader, where will this leave America. 

What if the world boycotts every American product and turns to China as their new substitute supplier, will America survive it? What if the rest of the world says enough is enough and to hell with America, what will America's choice become then. Israel, one of the closest ally of America is now smiling at China and so is the United Kingdom, can America afford to also lose this two countries, afterall China could entice them with mouthwatering billions of dollars deals and investments just to woe and win them over away from America. What if the world switches their preferred monetary transactions away from the dollar to Chinese Yuan, what will America do? 

In a world of nearly 8 billion people, it is not a very smart or wise choice to be going it obtusely alone with only 320 million people because the rest of the world's 7.7 billion people can easily outsource, out innovate and out produce America. Hong Kong is on the dinner table for China and so could Taiwan soon be too and a fully resolved China could become much bolder now and move to gobble the two territories. What will America without the rest of the world in tow with their support do to stop China. As always, running away from a problem is not the answer nor solution to the problem; you man up and solve it. If China is exerting too much control over the World Health Organization, then let America wrestle the control away from China, case closed. But, who knows what the ultimate game plan here is or could America be gradually withdrawing from the rest of the world and into its own cocoon, but for how long. #LetAmericaNotGiveUpWHO.

DEREK CHAUVIN: AMERICA MOST DETESTED KILLER COP.

ICHEOKU says even his wife wants him gone and has filed for a divorce after ten years of marriage to him for the horrendous, torturous, painful, brazen, depraved heart, publicly murder of George Floyd by strangulation. Kellie Chauvin is her name and she is calling it quits from her marriage to killer-cop Derek Chauvin. ICHEOKU says but what was he thinking or did the devil pay him a visit and took control over his body; otherwise how could any normal sane person put up such macabre exhibition and publicly too. There is definitely more to the incident that is not yet known to the public, a matter made more poignant because he was not a stranger to George Floyd, the two having worked together at side gig. How can a human become so callous as not to hear all the entreaties to let a fellow human being breathe some air into his lungs. #StillInShock.

Friday, May 29, 2020

"I CAN'T BREATH" PROTEST IN ATLANTA: MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS SPOKE WELL.

ICHEOKU says she was simply masterful, very eloquent and her elocution was perfect for the sombre occasion. She was poised and polished and apparently well mannered; married with children to the same guy for about twenty years now. She is definitely miles apart from the other firebomb throwing Stacy Abrams and Americans will be more comfortable having her as Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate. But has Joe Biden looked her way yet and does anyone know whether her name is among those in the 'binder full of women' who Joe Biden is considering for his vice presidential pick

ICHEOKU says however disagrees with her that voting is the answer to the problem because former President Barack Obama was in office for eight long years with two black Attorneys General and a black National Security Adviser yet he did not change what is. But now hear ye her anyway:- 

"Let me just speak to what is happening here today. Above everything else, I am a mother. I am a mother to four black children in America, one of whom is 18 years old. And when I saw the murder of George Floyd, I hurt like a mother would hurt. 

And yesterday when I heard there were rumors about violent protests in Atlanta, I did what a mother would do, I called my son and I said, 'Where are you?' I said, 'I cannot protect you and black boys shouldn't be out today.' So, you're not going to out concern me and out care about where we are in America. I wear this each and every day, and I pray over my children, each and every day. 

So what I see happening on the streets of Atlanta is not Atlanta. This is not a protest, this is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., this is chaos. A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn't do this to our city. 

So, if you love this city, this city that has had a legacy of black mayors and black police chiefs and people who care about this city, where more than 50% of the business owners in metro Atlanta are minority business owners, if you care about this city, then go home. And pray that somebody like Reverend Beasley will come and talk to you and give you some instructions on what a protest should look like, and how you effect change in America. 

This police chief [Atlanta police chief Erika Shields] made a video yesterday, pull it up on YouTube. Where she said she was appalled to watch the murder of George Floyd. This woman did that. 

You're not honoring a legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. You are not protesting anything running out with brown liquor in your hands, breaking windows in this city. T.I., Killer Mike owned half the West side, so when you burn down this city, you're burning down our community. 

If you want change in America, go and register to vote. Show up at the polls on June 9th. Do it in November. That is the change we need in this country. 

You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this. We are better than this as a city, we are better than this as a country. Go home. Go home. 

In the same way I can protect my son yesterday, I cannot protect you out in those streets. You are throwing knives at our police officers, you are burning cars. You have defaced the CNN building. Ted Turner started CNN in Atlanta 40 years ago because he believed in who we are as a city. There was a black reporter who was arrested on camera this morning, who works for CNN, they are telling our stories. And you are disgracing their building. 

This is not the legacy of civil rights in America. This is chaos, and we are buying into it. This won't change anything, we are no longer talking about the murder of an innocent man. We are talking about how you are burning police cars on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia. Go home." - Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor, Atlanta, Georgia.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

UNDERHANDED TREATMENT OF BLACKS IN AMERICA AND THE USUAL FAKE OUTRAGE.

ICHEOKU says it always follows the same pattern. One incident is captured on video, it goes viral and fearing a riot, public relations experts and image makers start their pitiful pretentious show of empathy, which evaporates so soon after the tension dies down. Thereafter everything quietens down and the cycle of maltreatment starts again until the next episode. It is systematic and it is part of the body polity of life in the United States of America, leaving some people wondering what exactly is united in the United States of America which treats its disparate peoples differently, depending on the color of their skin. Why is the story always about white police officer killing black people all the time  and in a country where blacks are less than 14% of the population. What is behind this or are black people the only ones who disobey police commands or involved in some law breaking? 

But to date, no police officer has been charged nor convicted for murder for the many deaths resulting from their excessive use of force on black people. To date, no police officer has even been sentenced to a long term prison for unlawfully killing a black person in America. As always, it is the usual slap on the wrist, easily explained away as the police  were doing their job and the black man was resisting arrest and you wonder why is it always with black people that such death-result occurs and the police man was found to be doing his job. It happens with such frequency that people have resigned their fate to when will the next one happen. Most people have given in to the inevitability as so many of them have happened without any serious consequences being meted out to the offensive police officer. 

What happened in Minneapolis is just a symptom of a disease which is deeply eating the American society hollow and which is practically in every aspect of the American society. It will not be the last time as it is not the first time where a black person's life was snuffed out by policemen through choking and we are not counting those killed with bullets. A black single-cigarette hustler was choked to death in New York in 2014; another black man was shot and killed in Louisiana in 2016 for simply selling music cds and another black man was just choked to death in Minneapolis. In the Minneapolis murder, one is forced to ask what other continuing threat was a man on the ground in handcuffs still posed to warrant a police officer kneeling with his full body weight on his neck. 

Why the neck and not other parts of his body including his back or legs or even sitting down on his already handcuffed hands. But no, the police man desired a certain outcome and he achieved it, and triumphantly posed with his trophy hunt and for over seven long minutes had his knee on his broken neck, that even when the EMS arrived, he was still kneeling on his dead body. The police do what they do because there is usually no consequences for their actions. They watch their counterparts in other places get away with their own killings, so they conclude it is okay for them to kill. Even when the police shoot you in the back while handcuffed and facing the ground, like they did to Oscar Grant in Oakland, they still get away with just one year behind bars sentence. So, the reckless disregard of black lives will continue until the authorities decide to end it by throwing the books at such offensive police officers. 

But it is just not only the police that visits such ruthlessness on black people, the entire society do. From employers who hire them last and fire them first; then landlords who will not rent apartments to them; creditors who prey on them with exorbitant interest rates on loans when they give them any credit at all; shop clerks who follow them around whenever they enter a store and using such words like "can I help you find something"; the list goes on. You look at television programming, it is the same thing and when black people are allowed a role, it is always s subservient role which further amplifiers the narrative to white Americans that they are not equal to us. Take for example when they discuss unemployment in America, they always divide it to African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans; but they never mention white Americans, thus leaving the impression that only white Americans are the real Americans, otherwise why not just say Americans or include white Americans in the narrative. 

All the stereotyping empowers white Americans to increase their feeling of superiority and it leads to unintended consequences such as the killing in Georgia of a black man by a father and son vigilante; the woman in Central Park New York with her dog who told a black man that she will tell the police that she is being terrorized by a black man. The only reason she said that was because she knows it always yields a punitive response, otherwise she wouldn't have said that nor dialed 911 with such a false allegation. The woman too is a victim of a society that sowed the seed of black people are bad and white people are good and she tried to cash in on it. In fact she would have gotten away with it if not for the video of the victim which captured everything; otherwise it would have been an automatic finding of guilt with detrimental consequences because a white woman said it happened and so, it happened. In the past, so many black people were lynched just on the words of some bimbos that claimed that they were raped even after a consensual sexual encounter. 

In the same New York at the peak of the COVID 19, policemen were seen giving white people who were not wearing face masks protective face masks, but the same policemen were roughing up black people who did not have face masks. So, why would a non racist police have two treatments for two different people due to the color of their skins. But instead of also giving black people face masks as they did to white people, they were forcefully throwing black people to the ground, roughing them up as they handcuffed them for not wearing face masks. Yet it is the same one American society that we are talking about, the Almighty United States of America. Possibly, their thinking was that they don't want black people infecting their white people with coronavirus, but it is somewhat okay for their white people to infect others including black people with coronavirus. 

So, the occasional fake outrage which occurs each time such an underhandedness is captured on video is not the right approach towards solving the underlying problem of racism in America. Much more is desired and needed. Americans know that a heavy disparity in treatments of black people exist and so they should also desire to do something about it to level the playing field. The better solution therefore is to address this underlying problem instead of acting surprised each time one of such mistreatments bubbles to the surface, as when captured on video. As a people, it is either we truly unite now as unity demands and as one people or we forever remain disunited, the fake united in the United States of America which does not translate into unity in the real sense of that word, notwithstanding. 

ICHEOKU says is afraid that the undercurrent of disunity in America is such that should China one day decide to invade America, they might exploit this vulnerability to their advantage. It is for the same reason, feeling of not belonging nor wanted, that Islam is making a steady inroad into America black society, who feel they are not fully accepted in the American society and are always looking for succor in other things and places. Look at the third world styled poverty in many black America communities and the resultant short life expectancy and other quality of life issues inherent in them. This makes it easy for the analysts to tell us that Coronavirus killed more black Americans than other races but they won't also tell us the underlying reasons for that, such as the preexisting poverty induced health issues such as diabetes and heart health that are prevalent within those communities. 

Anyway, ICHEOKU is not writing this to wish away the problem of disparity in America, just that the intermittent fake outrage seen whenever one of such incidents bubbles up to the surface, must end. It is a pity party which does not in any way solve the underlying problem of racism in America which induces them. Let nobody pretend that they are not aware of its existence and therefore should spare people of their occasional pretended indignation. It is a situation which black people in America have somewhat adjusted themselves and become accustomed to. They are used to living with it by now and could do without the occasional noisy outbursts of what the hell just happened, a fakery. So until such time that America is ready for a holistic resolution of the problem, let all the fake outrage rest. May the soul of the latest police choked to death black man now rest.

IF ONLY THEY WOULD HEAR AND HEED.

ICHEOKU says but unfortunately the system seems to condone the wanton assault and incessant killings of black people, with no serious consequences ever meted out to any of the previous killers, no deterrence exists to make them stop. It is the hard fact of life as a black person in America, your life doesn't really matter nor count that much. Sad.

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.

JOE BIDEN MAKES UP 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.