MANCHIN TORPEDOES BIDEN'S BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA: THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS.

ICHEOKU says now Democrats can begin to understand what Republicans are plagued with in Senator Mitt Romney and the late Senator John McCain, having the proverbial "enemy within the house".  Their stab is usually felt the most, which forced Emperor Julius Caesar to remark, Et tu Brute? But unlike Brutus who waited for other conspirators to knife Caesar first, the senator from the great state of West Virginia went straight to the jugular and it was over in a matter of New York minute. 

ICHEOKU says is not sad nor pillorying the West Virginia senator for being gutsy and bucking his party. No, because as Democrats would say then of John McCain, each time he speared the Republican Party and then President Donald John Trump, that he was a man of great conviction who follows his conscience in doing what is right for American people rather than putting his party's interest first and above the American people. Recall that Trump's signature "repeal and replace Obamacare" agenda was deep-six by John McCain's NO VOTE; and Democrats celebrated him as a political hero. 

But unbeknownst to Democrats, their own day of reckoning was coming; a day when they will be the ones bemoaning the betrayal of one of their own. Senator Joe Manchin is now effectively their own albatross, a John McCain and Mitt Romney lumped into one; the proverbial fish bone stuck in the throat which cannot be coughed out nor swallowed down. Many would suggest  expelling Joe Manchin from the Democratic Party for bucking a Democratic Party's main domestic signature agenda. But if they do that, they will lose their razor thin majority in the senate which is currently split 50/50 with Vice President Kamala Harris providing the tie breaking Democratic Party's majority vote as president of the senate. 

However, where were all these people who are now castigating Joe Manchin for taking the wind out of the sail of Build Back Better, when John McCain and Mitt Romney were throwing their own darts at a Republican Party's president in the White House. They were gleefully enjoying it, feigning ignorance that sometimes what goes around does come around; and now that their own nemesis has finally rendezvoused with them, they are shouting like Chicken Little that the sky is falling down because Joe Manchin took a courageous stand.

It is Joe Manchin's eternal right to follow his conscience as a man of conviction who was sent to Washington DC by the great people of West Virginia to represent them. He knows what is in the best interest of West Virginians and only to them does he owe an eternal political duty; and not to the Democratic Party nor the Democratic Party's president. He simply followed his guts and everyone should respect his decision as only Joe Manchin knows exactly what West Virginians wishes are concerning the Build Back Better. 

He has now communicated that with a NO vote; and with it effectively laid to rest the woke effort at wealth retribution and incurring debts for generations yet unborn to be saddled with. The  cenotaph reads: 

"To a clueless government that has been wobbling right from the start, Build Back Better is now buried as another failure to launch, in continuation of the woeful tale of the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inept administration. To a government which cannot get anything right and whose signature domestic agenda project has now bitten the dust courtesy of Joe Manchin's decision and is here interred." 

What a Christmas present President Joe Biden would rather not get from Senator Joe Manchin, except that nobody, not even a sitting president of the United States of America, has a choice in the matter whenever the grinch wants to steal Christmas. The green man this year as far as Build Back Better is concerned happens to have the face of Joe Manchin and he stole Joe Biden's Christmas. Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be sulking too, ditto Chuck Schumer and all the other Democrats who wanted to hand Joe Biden a victory on his main and possibly ONLY domestic agenda project ever. They lost woefully thanks to one of their own party member. 

It is likely the starting of the feud of the Joes; and the Joe in the White House will be seething with anger and will take his pound of flesh as soon as any opening is spotted in the underbelly of the Joe in the Capitol. The long knives are out and the night is still early, who survives and will be still standing by the time the battle is over will depend on who outfoxed the other and the level of support of their home crowd. Will the Democratic Party make Joe Manchin pay a price for what he did by destroying their president's flagship domestic agenda? But what exactly can they even do anyway to a man who is so much loved by his fellow West Virginians. 

What a gift to the Republican Party, particularly to former President Donald John Trump, who is against the Build Back Better and had tried to persuade Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to kill it. But little did the former president know that help was on the way and it will be from Joe Manchin. Christmas this year in MarLargo will be very festive and probably the best Christmas ever, thanks to Joe Manchin's masterstroke that brought down the blimp of an administration which has been struggling to get airborne since its inception. Is this a precursor to Joe Manchin finally jumping ship and aligning forces with the Republican Party? 

Anyway, as the Build Back Better goes, so goes the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration as their whole essence was anchored on it. Without it, they are doomed politically and now, failure to launch will be their only lasting legacy. They got the White House by trickery, deceit and lies, and fat lady Karma was not amused by it and is increasingly getting more incensed and taking it out at them, both domestically and internationally. Almost one year after their inauguration, there is still nothing major or ground swelling to report, write home about or check in their column as a successful accomplishment. Hello, welcome a lame duck President Joe Biden.

110 YEARS FOR VEHICULAR HOMICIDE: AFFLUENZA DEFENSE NOT FOR HIS KIND?

ICHEOKU says what would ordinarily pass for vehicular manslaughter, with reasonable prison sentence, turned out to be overly punished and you wonder why? He is being punished for not thinking clearly in the heat of the moment when he lost the control of his timber-laden truck due to brakes failure; and did not have the presence of mind to take an immediate exit which would have assumedly prevented the accident. The ill-fated truck then rammed into other vehicles causing a fire which incinerated four people. The truck driver, Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, was sentenced to 110 years in prison for the accident.

A very hard working 23 year old young man who was making a living driving a truck and hauling goods and commodities to help support his family. But he is of the wrong skin type, a Hispanic and not white; and also poor, and therefore not privileged of the Aflluenza defense. Recall that a rich underage white Texas boy, Ethan Couch, who was not even supposed to be drinking at his age, was driving drunk on his birthday when he rammed his brand new truck, a birthday gift from his wealthy parents, into some people trying to change their flat tire by the roadside, killing four of them. He was completely inebriated, high on drugs and drunk on alcoholic beverages at the time he was operating the vehicle (driving while intoxicated) killed four people and yet walked. 

Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos was not driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol as none was found in his blood. He was not over-speeding nor otherwise driving too dangerously and/or recklessly when the accident happened. It was an accident, his truck brakes failed and mechanical things do fail sometimes. Yet he was convicted on 27 counts including felonious vehicular homicide for an accident which was caused by brakes failure. But the Texas rich white spoiled kid, who did everything the opposite way, and killed the same number of four people as perished in this accident, walked away a free man. Really? Where is the justice in this case, juxtaposed with the Texas Affluenza defense kid. 

It is yet another example of the slanted application of justice in America or the perception of it; which fueled last year's summer destructive BLM's riot over the death of George Floyd by asphyxiation under the knee of convicted former police officer Derrick Chauvin. Such disparate, inexplicable and irreconcilable sentencing violates people's conscience and everything we hold dear about a fair justice system and should be discouraged. Two people caused two accidents, killing the same number of people, yet one walked away free and the other was sentenced to prison for more than 100 years, how interesting is this inequity.

The only major difference between both cases is the varied life circumstances of the two vehicle operators who caused the accident. One is a spoiled rich white kid with no real clue about life; and the other is an overworked and underpaid, struggling Hispanic young man who had a job, a duty and responsibility of providing for his family. Unlike the oblivious Texas spoiled white kid, this Hispanic guy Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos was very remorseful for causing the accident and even wished that the accident had claimed his own life instead of the deceased four people. 

But a judge claimed that her hands were tied by a sentencing guideline and you wonder why was an exception not made in this case by varying the said guideline, afterall as the name says, it is a mere guideline and not a binding obligation and judges are known to vary, amend and tweak rules with likely unjust outcome. Even in the Texas Affluenza defense case, the judge decided suo moto to rule as he did, despite the mountain of culpable evidence that would have sent the spoiled brat to prison for a long time. So, why did the judge in this Colorado case decide to rigidly tie the decision to the sentencing guideline.

ICHEOKU says if any case ever merited an appeal or the Colorado's governor's intervention this case sure does, as under no circumstances can the punishment be said to fit the crime. 110 years for vehicular manslaughter or homicide, however they may denote it. It is an overkill and simply outrageous and inexplicable; otherwise where is the callous mind of the driver in causing the accident that should operate as an aggravating factor. He wasn't on a joyride nor celebrating his birthday either; but was on duty, working hard to make some money with which to take care of his family and he was sober. Guideline or no guideline, the sentence does not make any rational sense no matter the prism it is seen.

So what if he missed an exit, millions of people miss their exits frequently; sometimes due to temporary distraction or not being in the right lane at the time they approached the exit or even for simply going at a speed that was impossible for them to make a safe lane change to accommodate an exit. Is this why a 23 year old young man will be going away for such a long time when even mass murderers sometimes don't get that many years in prison. It was an accident and four people died, alright; but it still does not justify the lengthy prison sentence. The 110 years prison sentence touches every fiber of the notion of justice for all, especially the circumstances considered in the light of the Texas Affluenza kid. 

NEW YORK CITY EERILY MIRRORING SAN FRANCISCO: ASSURED SAME OUTCOME?

ICHEOKU says the decay in San Francisco is so odious that anyone who knew the city will hardly recognize it now, the homelessness and general degradation currently being witnessed in the once golden city by the bay, considered. A city that used to be a Mecca of some sort for both tourists and holiday makers, but which woke liberal politics on steroids have turned upside down on its head that it is now headed straight into the sewer of decadence. 

All because of gross maladministration by a very incompetent female black mayor and a male black police chief who apparently has no clue on how to effectively police a city. The duo represent black folks in governance and their lackluster administration is giving credence to those naysayers who share the view that black people can hardly get anything right. 

To further elucidate their point, these doubters often point at Africa and the Caribbean as places being run by black people and how incompetently and inefficiently they are being run, the reason they are not thriving. They also segway to American cities such as San Francisco and Chicago as a continuity of the display of black people's lack of capacity to effectively govern. ICHEOKU says it is a bitter but true fact to concede that in many United States of America cities under black leadership, things are not going well compared to their white counterparts controlled cities. 

Whether it has something to do with genetical wiring or that these black folks are constrained by certain complexity which prevent them from effectively wielding the powers of their office, ICHEOKU does not know. Now that the big apple is awaiting its second black mayor, after the  not too stellar performance of first black mayor, with an also incoming first black female police chief, this question has once again resurfaced as people are very anxious about what another black governance of New York City will portend. 

The question on many people's lips is whether New York City will see a Mayor David Dinkins 2.0 in Eric Adams or will the incoming second black mayor redeem the sordid image which Dinkins left of black people in administration and governance. ICHEOKU says provided Eric Adams will be guided by his own election campaign promise to enforce the law and be fair to every New Yorker, his outcome might be different from the bad taste left in many New Yorker's mouth by the late Mayor David Dinkins. It is good too that New York state also has a black Attorney General, also a female; and they all can liaise with one another to achieve the compelling single common objective of restoring safety and security back to the big apple.

The other issue is the newly appointed first black female police chief Keechant Sewell and her chances of succeeding on her new assignment. She comes to the job with a resounding resume` as a proven crime fighter with the experience and emotional intelligence to deliver both the safety New Yorkers need and the justice they deserve. Hopefully she will live up as advertised, and stay laser-focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and improving the city's security situation. ICHEOKU wishes her well and wants her to succeed as her success will be very redemptive particularly for black folks and help rewrite the story. 

However, if the experience of San Francisco is anything to go by, then New Yorkers should curb their enthusiasm as they might not get the benefit of their bargain in electing their second black mayor, who also appointed the first black female police chief for the city. San Francisco is not doing well as a major American city as crimes and homelessness have exacerbated so exponentially that the city is now bordering on utter desolation. The state of affairs in San Francisco is another unfortunate testament that black city administrators succumb to the pressure of black activists, community leaders and religious leaders to go easy on black people committing crimes. 

These black city leaders are frequently persuaded to have a "heart" and not to be too tough on their own black people, resulting in making excuses for the violence and other crimes perpetrated by black people. Some of these frequently offered excuses include that these black crimes purveyors  are merely reacting to their harried upbringing and the lopsided maltreatment of their "white" oppressors. So, faced with the hard choice between effectively doing their job and keeping their black community happy, they often become undecided and equivocated, trapped in the middle and stagnated in a sort of fence-sitting situation, they end up weak and ineffective. 

San Francisco is suffering blithe today as a result of the knee-jerk approach to governance by the black female mayor and black police chief in charge of affairs in the city. Their weakness is once again portraying black people in governance in a very bad light as incompetent nincompoops who would rather frail their hands in utter resignation rather than do what is necessarily required to reposition their city and effectively starve off crimes. Hopefully the new black mayor and first female black police chief of New York City will learn from the ugly experience of San Francisco and be better; and in the long run prove the naysayers wrong by showing that black people can also make good administrators. 

All that is required of them to succeed is for them to be firm and fair; and always follow the law dispassionately, regardless of the color of the skin of the criminal offender. Once they can do this, they will succeed in their new assignments and make every New Yorker sing their praises. But whatever happens, New York City must not be allowed to degenerate any further than the parlous state in which the outgoing over-woke Mayor Bill De Blasio left it; or in a worst case scenario, be allowed to turn into a San Francisco of the East Coast. It is that bad in the city by the bay, overlooking the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, that it leaves people despondent. New York City cannot and should not aspire for such downfall.

Although, some people are already doubtful of the competence of the two incoming New York City leaders just because of the color of their skin, they must turn the handicap of low expectation around and use it as a motivating factor and disappoint those naysayers by proving them wrong with a splendid performance. Like millions of other people, ICHEOKU says will stay tuned; and also prayerful for both Eric Adams and Keechant Sewell to succeed because their success will be an overall success of and for black people. Congratulations Eric Adams and Keechant Sewell on your new positions. May the good Lord guide and protect you as you discharge your new duties to the city of New York, its residents and visitors alike. Please leave a lasting legacy, Make New York City Safe Again. Lets go EriKee!

ALEC BALDWIN: WHEN WILL HE BE ARRAIGNED FOR KILLING HALYNA HUTCHINS?

ICHEOKU says does not want to believe nor subscribe to the school of thought hedging that Alec Baldwin's playing former President Donald John Trump on Saturday Night Live purchased him some reprieve, a rather somewhat shifting immunity and is slow-walking his prosecution for causing the death of Halyna Hutchins. Any other lesser mortal would have since been indicted and most likely convicted and sentenced by now.

The argument is that Alec Baldwin is a bona fide woke figure who is fully vested in the leftist ideological drive to remake of America, and that the group protect and take care of their own. They also posit that you cannot get a more woke person than a feminist homosexual and that the Sante Fe District Attorney in charge of Alex Baldwin's case is both, hence the growing suspicion that there is a possibility of placing a finger on the scale to influence a different outcome and shield Alec Baldwin from justice. Will this succeed and will the nation stand idly by and watch Alec Baldwin be sprang out of the jaws of justice for the crime of killing Halyna Hutchins.

Nobody is saying that Alec Baldwin should be hanged for what he did; or that he should be charged with capital murder or even second degree murder. No, all that every dispassionate observer, who have been closely following developments in the case since that fateful day, wants is justice for Halyna Hutchins. These people are all agreed that the irate and irascible, choleric Trump impersonator did something which caused the death of Halyna Hutchins and therefore should be held responsible for her death. So many people who unfortunately took the lives of other people, in circumstances which could equally be explained away as "accidental and unintentional", have been indicted much sooner than the now prolonged and lingering expected indictment of Alec Baldwin. Why? 

A very explosive individual who has had several running ins with the law; who berated journalists and in fact punched someone in the past; and who merely now took his anger issues to the next level by in fact killing somebody. What is there to investigate that it is taking this long before bringing charges against him; and why is the investigation of what is an apparent open and closed case being seemingly slow walked? The crime scene is contained within the Bonanza Creek ranch and there is no debate in whose hand the gun was when it was discharged and killed Halyna Hutchins. 

Even if somebody allegedly shouted "cold gun", did the same voice also order him to pull the trigger? A matter made more indictable because we were equally told too that no scene was being acted at the time the gun went off, courtesy of Alec Baldwin's finger; admitted he now wants us to believe that he has no control of his finger or that the gun was a zombie gun capable of firing on its own. Can whoever is delaying the indictment of Alec Baldwin put himself or herself in the shoes of Halyna Hutchins' loved ones and how they must be feeling right now about an otherwise avoidable killing of their beloved Halyna and the fact that her killer is still walking around freely.

ICHEOKU says the least the Santa Fe District Attorney can do is to bring charges against Alec Baldwin and let the jury of his peers determine his culpability of lack thereof. This is not too much to ask of her unless she feels that the white life of Halyna Hutchins did not matter enough to warrant indicting the person that took it. If Halyna Hutchins was black, will the snail-speed in  "investigating" the case be the same or would the fear of the wrath of Black Lives Matter movement have forced a much sooner indictment of her killer. Why is Alec Baldwin still walking around a free man and making it impossible for her to complete her crossover and begin to rest in peace. Please Madam District Attorney, help Halyna Hutchins' soul to move on, prosecute her killer now, his name is Alec Baldwin.

HALYNA HUTCHINS' QUESTION FROM THE GRAVE: IS ALEC BALDWIN ABOVE THE LAW?

ICHEOKU says when you think that it is only Queen Crooked Crying Hillary Clinton and few other fellow democrats that are above the law, here comes the Trump impersonator Alec Baldwin saying me too, am above the law, so pease add me to the list. According to his body language,  he screams "am woke and the woke-centric liberal media are protecting me from facing the music of my action." 

Halyna Hutchins was somebody's child and daughter; aunt, relative, wife, mother and friend to others. These people have not been satisfactorily told why and how their beloved Halyna was killed; and their pain is not going away, at least not any time soon and not until her killer is brought to justice. 

The only way Alec Baldwin would walk is if he had killed her in self defense just like Kyle Rittenhouse; but even that will still require him first going through the process to establish his self defense. Alec Baldwin is responsible to a certain degree for the death of Halyna Hutchins and should be made to pay for his crime. Until then, there will be no rest for him as Halyna is still yet to rest in peace, waiting for her killer to be first punished before she can finally crossover.

SAY HER NAME: HALYNA HUTCHINS.

ICHEOKU says were Alec Baldwin a conservative, non woke and non white person, would he still be walking around a free man, after a zombie gun in his hand magically pulled its own trigger and fired the shot that killed Halyna Hutchins? Alec Baldwin is culpable to some degree in causing the death of Halyna Hutchins; and should be put through the justice system. Halyna Hutchins soul is crying for justice and she cannot rest in peace until justice is served for her killing. Her white life matters! Her name is Halyna Hutchins! Alec Baldwin killed her or at least had the smoking gun in his hand. No justice for Halyna, no peace for Alec Baldwin.

JUSTICE FOR HALYNA HUTCHINS.

ICHEOKU says who is shielding the killer of Halyna Hutchins, Trump impersonator Alec Baldwin from justice. Even if he did not intend to kill her, he still killed her; and therefore should be put through the process for some degree of accountability, at least manslaughter or as woke culture would rather have it, "woman slaughter" for whatever that might mean. The gun was in his hands when it went off, regardless of his tale of "it wasn't me" and that a phantom finger pulled the trigger. Bring charges against Alec Baldwin and do it now! Halyna cannot rest in peace until her killer is punished. Alec Baldwin did the crime and he should do the time as well.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT CONVICTED: A SHAMELESS INVETERATE LIAR.

ICHEOKU says for the fourth time this year, juries in America have proved themselves worthy of the trust and confidence reposed on them to follow the evidence in arriving at their verdicts. Four cases which captured the nation's and to a large extent, global attention, were decided by the jury and they came out in flying colors. 

First was the Minneapolis jury which convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd. Then the Kenosha jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty by reason of self defense in the killing of two BLM knuckleheads. Third was the Brunswick Georgia jury which found the three white men who killed Ahmaud Arbery guilty as charged; and now the latest Cooke County jury which has formally determined Jussie Smollett a liar by convicting him for repeatedly lying to the police about a staged hate crime attack against him. 

For most people who dispassionately assessed these four cases, the four respective jury verdicts merely formalized outcomes that were expected because they were obviously predictable. So, the four verdicts were more or less affirmations; and also confidence builders in our justice system as the juries got them all right. They did not allow themselves to be distracted by the noise of the politics surrounding the cases, nor were they derailed into taking their focus off the evidence; rather they followed the evidence right to the very end. Their verdicts were all the correct and right verdicts, and for this reason the nation is grateful that the system worked as ordained and expected.

Although sometimes, some verdicts defies every imaginable logic and reason, the reason some people are oftentimes dubious about the American justice system. But these four verdicts clearly inoculated the jury system and reassured everyone that justice can still be served by the American jury, regardless of the pressure mounted on them to try and force a different outcome. The four verdicts are soothing development and also very big gifts to America's justice system as they banished all the doubts about getting justice therefrom. They also restored confidence and trust that justice is still capable of being served in America.

ICHEOKU says is not rejoicing that Jussie Smollett was convicted by a jury of his peers for repeatedly lying to the police during the course of investigating his hoax; but he did the crime and the jury agrees and so, he should do the time. What he did nearly set the nation ablaze as he tried to pitch black people against white people, and the homosexual community against the straight community in what would have been a very bad hate crimes disorder. He is openly gay homosexual black man and by his action, represented both the gasoline and match stick; only that the investigation stopped the striking of the match and saved the day.

Jussie Smollett is one heck of a weirdo as just being queer is not enough to encapsulate the disaster which he attempted to bring about with that hoax. He therefore deserves whatever comes to him by way of punishment for the crimes he committed and he should employ the same brazen audacity with which he perpetrated it in serving his time in prison. ICHEOKU says  he deserves to be given some time in the big house to enable him thinking through what he failed to think through before putting the wheel of his action in motion. Probation or fine or suspended sentence will not serve the justice which the jury intended by their verdict. He should do some time, no matter the length of its duration.

Now to other asides from the verdict: the verdict reiterates the need for politicians to learn to curb their enthusiasm, proceed with caution and not to always be in a rush to dabble into every evolving situation and development in the country to foster their political nest. It was the second time President Joe Biden should be regretful for rushing in to give his two cents opinion, one being when he called Kyle Rittenhouse a racist killer only to be later shamed into self-guilt by the jury verdict. Now, another jury has again forced him to eat the humble pie by determining that nobody attacked Jussie Smollett because of who he sleeps with or his diluted hybrid color. It was a hoax, he staged it and the jury agreed. 

The other politician who should be showing serious remorse right now because of her unguarded rush into the Smollett matter is the Cooke County District Attorney Kim Foxx. She rushed to give Jussie Smollett a free pass before getting all the facts of the evidence which showed otherwise. Now, she has once again been disavowed by the jury, in addition to the earlier rebuke by a grand jury which restored the dropped charges against Jussie Smollett. Everything in America must not always have to be seen through the prism of black and white skin colors; or pursued in the "we against them" warring mode. Jussie did it and the DA should have assessed the case dispassionately without factoring in the color of Jussie Smollett or that he prefers to sleep with his fellow men. 

Anyway, as the nation awaits Jussie Smollett's sentencing, in the interest of continuing the now undeniably restored fair justice, Halyna Hutchins' killer Alec Baldwin should be immediately indicted for discharging the bullet which pierced her heart, killing her instantly. He did it, the gun discharged in his hand and he too should be put through the process and if found guilty by a jury of his peers, do the time accordingly. But to allow Alec Baldwin to continue walking around a free man and giving useless interviews which insults our collective intelligence, offends and challenges everything about this newly restored faith in our justice system. His freedom needs to end now so that justice can be done for Halyna Hutchins because she cannot rest in peace until justice is served on her killer.

AMERICA'S FOREIGN POLICY MUSCLE: OVERLY SKEWED AGAINST RUSSIA.

ICHEOKU says but that notwithstanding, Vladimir Putin has no sympathy of most people because of what he represents, the old Soviet Union and its reclusive and repressive mindset which does not augur well for economic emancipation. His fanatical believe in using weapons, threats of warfare and intimidation as instruments of cohesion and that the developing hypersonic missiles will give him an edge in any war with the West and/or bestow him international respect is imbecilic and obsolete thinking. Which problems have such tools ever solved?

China is not receiving such drummed-down treatment from Washington DC because they have economic muscle, and money still talks as bullshit continues to walk. The United States of America always shows some deference in dealing with Beijing, afraid that any disrespectful highhandedness might force Beijing to turn off the faucet of manufactures which waters America's economic and social wellbeing. The fact that China also holds a lot of America's treasury bills and bonds helps their leverage as the saying goes, he who pays the piper calls the tunes; or as Murphy's law would rather put it, he who has the gold has the power. 

So, yes, Russia's maximum leader Tsar Vladimir Putin is oblivious of the consequential facts of the 21st century that economic might commands more respect and deference than all the weapons of warfare a country can muster, especially when the citizens of his country are not living happily ever after and would readily flee Russia given the slightest opportunity. But how exactly does Vladimir Putin plan to expend all those weapons which he is depriving his country men and women the essentials of good living just to produce. Except that he is a dictator and exerting fear is his only asset of maintaining his power hold; and therefore he must have weapons and make occasional threats in order to keep Russians and their neighboring countries in check and captive to his desire to lead them for life. 

A thoughtless third world-like mindset because he selectively forgot that he will eventually die some day and with no apparent successor groomed and ready to step into his oversized Russian shoes on day one, his absence will leaving Russia quaking in its boots. Why anybody would stay in power as long as Vladimir Putin have stayed in power and still expects to be respected by the international community is simply numbskull. Even as anti democracy as China and Iran are perceived to be, both countries still periodically changes their leaders, irrespective of how the outcome was reached. 

The important thing is that unlike Vladimir Putin and his Russia, there is no single individual in either China or Iran who parades himself or herself as the lifeblood of the country, without who the country will perish. It reminds ICHEOKU of the erstwhile Romanian despot Nikolai Ceausescu who got so power drunk that he proclaimed himself the spirit of the Danube river, without who the river will stop flowing. What an idiot he was who selectively forgot that when he was born he met the river flowing and long after his pitiful demise through a public execution several decades ago, the river is still flowing. 

But it is power and power corrupts absolutely that some people get drunk on it, one of its current victim being Vladimir Putin of Russia who is steadily morphing into a Russian version of Nikolai Ceausescu. It is a shame of Russia that they have tolerated this fella for this long and continuing, that he is now possibly the longest serving head of government anywhere in the world. Vladimir Putin came into power in 1999 when Bill Clinton was president of the United States of America and four presidents later, George Bush junior, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin is still dictating to the Russian Federation. He killed off the opposition and any risen voice of decent, he summarily silences.

How does anyone, especially Vladimir Putin and his minions and sycophantic enablers explain this aberration that in a supposedly developed world Russia, one man has been in charge of affairs therein and for over two decades. Is he the only one who can lead Russia; and even if we are to accept that premise for the purposes of this essay, what then becomes the fate of Russia the day he finally takes his last breath as every mortal is bound to do some day? People do not like what Vladimir Putin is dragging Russia through and this is why certain decisions are always taken against Russia on protest of Vladimir Putin to drive the message that he needs to yield power and step aside. 

So, it is understandable when Washington DC treats Vladimir Putin with less respect than should be deserving of a Russian leader as he has diminished himself so much by perpetuating himself in power, and without much improvement in the lives of his Russian citizens to show for it. China is booming and actively competing with the United States of America in nearly every sphere, particularly in the internet technology based space. Almost every breakthrough technology which America has, China has an equivalent competitor, regardless of how they acquired it; which often times come from stealing American technology through active poaching and reversed engineering. 

But what does Russia have to show for their life under Vladimir Putin, practically nothing; as Vladimir Putin is concerned more with perpetuating himself in office rather than creating the enabling environment for brilliant Russians to thrive and flourish by exploring the limitless potentials of the internet technology and taking its fullest advantage. This wondrous science gift to mankind has left Russians behind as they are still lagging much behind comparatively. Now, he has amassed thousand of young Russians soldiers at the border with Ukraine and trying to order them into a certain early deaths, in a war which he can foolishly start if he chooses to, but which he can never win nor be able to end on terms dictated by Kremlin. 

Why Vladimir Putin is still bogged down in the old Soviet Union prism with rigid borders and demanding to maintain or rather retain the control of the ancient boundaries is beyond ICHEOKU and at best, stupidity defined. Why must he dictate to Ukraine which countries and alliances Kiev can maintain friendship with or join. So what, if Ukraine used to be part of the old Soviet bloc, it is an independent country and free to make its own foreign affairs decisions as it sees fit. For a man who divorced his first wife to insist that Ukraine cannot divorce Russia is simply laughable and the height of convolution. Or is there something in the waters of Sochi that  alters mindsets and impairs rational thinking. 

In as much as ICHEOKU does not believe that war is the best way to solving problems, but Vladimir Putin has become such a twisted fella, bordering on nauseating, that if he wants war, let war be given to him. He stole Georgia's Ossetia and Abkhazia; and most recently, Ukrainian Donbas and Crimea; and now he is threatening further forceful land grabs in Ukraine. It is good that the United States of America and NATO have taken a firm stand to help Ukraine defend its territory from any Vladimir Putin's stupid order on his soldiers to commence a forward eastern thrust into Ukraine. 

ICHEOKU says Vladimir Putin should be checkmated and not allowed another inch of any Ukrainian territorial space, land and sea; and if such a decision leads to a third world war, so be it as the rest of the law abiding world can successfully meet such a challenge frontally. Enough of Vladimir Putin's despotic roguery. Ukraine shall be free and so shall Russia be also free some day, both countries forever freed from the Bonaparte-ic Vladimir Putin's suffocating stranglehold. Viva Ukraine! Long live the Russian Federation, with Vladimir Putin in its rearview mirror of freedom and economic progress. #DeEscalate 

OKWADIKE, PLEASE NOT IN OUR NAME: NDIGBO WILL NOT BEG TO SERVE NIGERIA.

ICHEOKU says if Ndigbo must first beg, prostrate and bow down before they can be allowed the presidency of Nigeria, what message exactly does that send across the country. That Ndigbo are not Nigerian bona fides that they must be subjected to such oddities which did not apply to other Nigerians who similarly sought the office in the past. Yoruba people did not beg, prostrate and bow down to other Nigerians before their Olusegun Obasanjo was allowed into Aso Rock. Fulani people did not beg, prostrate and bow down to other Nigerians before their Umaru Yar'Adua was allowed the presidency of Nigeria. 

How about Goodluck Jonathan? When exactly did his Edwin Clark led Ijaw people beg, prostrate and bow down to Nigerians before he did a five years stint in Aso Rock? At present, another Fulani man Muhammadu Buhari is in Aso Rock and those nomadic cattle rearers at no time ever begged, prostrated nor bowed down to other Nigerians before their second coming into Aso Rock. So, why must Nidgbo be treated any differently; and as if the stance of these other Nigerians who are demanding the total submission and servile supplication of Ndigbo to them is not enough insult already on our collective psyche, Okwadike Chukwuemeka Ezeife felt that adding insult to the injury is acceptable? 

By accepting their asinine narrative and agreeing that Ndigbo will beg, prostrate and bow down to other Nigerians to secure a berth in Aso Rock, the goatee former governor certainly crossed the line. What use was that statement or has those other tribes which successfully sent their own wards to Aso Rock had any much improved and better life themselves, such that Ndigbo will now become so desperate to also have a better life by also landing one of their own ward in Aso Rock? Why stoop so low if service to the country is the primary objective for Ndigbo seeking the office, as the statement has the connotation that some other ulterior motive is rather driving the quest. The implication is that an already wary other Nigerians will become more apprehensive and more determined not to acquiesce nor allow it to come to fruition. 

What was Okwadike thinking when he made such a pitiful statement and on whose behalf did he exactly say what he said, anyway? He is neither the spokesperson of Oha-Na-Eze Ndigbo nor does he speak for Ndigbo as a people, so under what authority did he speak those words of diminishment. Such unguarded and thoughtless statement should never have been blurted out by Okwadike and should therefore be rejected, condemned, disclaimed and disavowed as not Ndigbo's. It should be dismissed as an irresponsible utterance of a man possibly suffering from some old age related mental malaise, which prevented him from first thinking through and fully understanding the weighty ramifications of what he said. 

Why is such a condescended position acceptable and ok for Ndigbo to go through just for the presidency of Nigeria, especially after seeing how Goodluck Jonathan was transfixed like a deer in the headlight at Aso Rock and couldn't do much for his Niger Delta during his lengthy five years sojourned in Aso Rock. Recall that the Yoruba monstrosity Obafemi Awolowo had asked Nigerians to allow him only 24 hours in Aso Rock, yet Jonathan spent a total of 43,828.8 hours therein without lifting the fortunes of the Niger Delta region. Why does Okwadike think that the same cabal which checkmated Jonathan will not go into an overdrive in policing and sabotaging an Igbo president just to make him or her look bad, incompetent and ineffective? So, why the unnecessary begging for the area? 

Why does Okwadike think that the same cabal will not even engineer a military coup against such an Igbo president using an Igbo military officer as a front? Why sound so desperate for presidential power or has any governor in the Southeast performed so exceptionally well to suggest that a Nigeria president of Igbo extraction will be better than any other president of other extractions, to warrant becoming so desperate to get him or her into Aso Rock and showcase Igbo president. Their records speak for themselves and they are nothing to write home about. Moreso, in a democracy that requires majority of elected congress to get anything done, there are no guarantees that such an Igbo president will not be purposely hamstrung and rendered ineffective by the majority of other Nigerians members of Congress just to discredit Ndigbo. 

ICHEOKU says not even the need for equity is enough to justify Okwadike's statement as such begged for presidency will come with too many attached strings that would simply render such e president lame duck and completely immobilized. What if those other Nigerians make demands for positions in such an Igbo president government that will literally leave him or her in a similar quandary, if not worse, than Aguiyi Ironsi found himself in; and make it possible for present day TY Danjumas to strike mercilessly again? If Ndigbo beg for the presidency and get it, with key ministries and top security positions negotiated out to other tribes, how then is such an emerged Igbo president going to be effective in office and also improve the lot of the Southeast? 

Cardinal rule 101 of any quest for power is never to be in a position of weakness because such a position does not offer something that commands a serious negotiating state. Okwadike should instead of begging, prostrating and bow down for other Nigerians, have concentrated his  energy on how to facilitate the complete withdrawal of Ndigbo from Nigeria; and then relax and watch Nigerians speedily beg Ndigbo to please take the presidency. But that golden opportunity was missed when Mazi Nnamdi Kanu recklessly and carelessly allowed himself to be captured like a mouse in Kenya, and forcibly brought back to Nigeria in handcuffs and leg chains. 

Like former President Donald John Trump said of Senator John McCain, many people prefer those heroes who were not captured; and ICHEOKU subscribes to the sentiment as it applies to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Onyendu was much beloved before his capture. He was the biggest asset for a would have been an assured negotiated Igbo presidency, being the greatest fear of the North from the entire Southeast. But with him now caged like an animal, the North no longer cares about what Ndigbo thinks nor feels as they have weathered the fiercest Mazi Nnamdi Kanu storm and came out stronger and even more determined to continue with their self-perpetuation in power and the marginalization of Ndigbo as a people.

Why would Muhammadu Buhari therefore seriously consider appeasing Ndigbo with the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when he no longer has any compelling and derivative benefit from doing so. This is why he told the Mbazulike Amaechi led group that he will think about their request to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and did not give them his words that he will release him. A more positively disposed Buhari's government can literally end the case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu this very minute by filing a nolle prosequi with the court. But the president belong to some people and will likely succumb to the pressure of the 95% and eventually come out to say that after thinking through the request, he arrived at the conclusion that nothing good will come out of releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and decided to leave him in detention. 

The Buhari government no longer has any real motivation to negotiate with the Southeast and it does not matter to them if the sit at home crushes the entire economy of the Southeast, as that there has always been the intention of other Nigerians. They all want the same thing, to bring the Southeast to eternal ruination. Obafemi Awolowo tried; Muritala Mohammed tried; Olusegun Obasanjo tried; even Goodluck Jonathan tried and Muhammadu Buhari is presently prosecuting the same vicious experiment to bring the Southeast down with all the fibers of his being. Has anybody ever wondered why Muhammadu Buhari, who once mooted the idea of negotiating an end to the Southeast crisis no longer appears interested in exploring such leeway. He has his most feared Igbo foe in custody and no longer has a need to negotiate a rest of the mind.

What Okwadike said was an insult on Ndigbo as a people. It amounts to what Ebami Eda Fela Anikulapo Kuti of the blessed memory would call "unnecessary begging for area" and you ask yourself, why? Now other Nigerians are jumping on the statement to castigate and cast aspersions on Ndigbo, with one Abdul-Azeez Suleiman saying that the statement automatically disqualifies Ndigbo from ever being trusted with power in the near future. ICHEOKU says have Ndigbo ever been trusted with power in Nigeria, even in the distant past, to warrant this pinhead's insult? But Okwadike fetched the ants infested firewood with his comment and now this uncircumcised lizard has come to feast on Ndigbo's honor.

Just read here following this bovine's vituperative words and reach your own conclusion as you may please: 

"The bitter truth is that no matter how low the Igbo are willing to go or how long they are willing to keep their knees on the ground, it will be unreasonable to expect other Nigerian tribes, not least the North, to risk entrusting the presidency in them. It is said that once bitten, twice shy and the current northern thinking is beyond the repeated deceptions such as this one by the Igbo which at every turn, results in tragedy. We see the recent belated desperation by the Igbo as nothing but an afterthought that is downright unacceptable. It is deceptive for them to make such overtures after having encouraged and supported Nnamdi Kanu and the atrocities committed against other Nigerians, particularly northerners by his IPOB. If the Igbo must prostrate to anyone, they should prostrate to Kanu as the North has come of age and shall not be deceived or fooled any longer."

ICHEOKU says Okwadike did this to Ndigbo. He created the enabling environment which brought about this (public assault) insult on Ndigbo by this gworo-chewing mallam. Why cut Ndigbo down at the knee with such a statement, thereby defeating the very primary essence for which Ndigbo are seeking the presidency, which is to serve Nigerians and help fix what is broken in Nigeria. Saying that Ndigbo will do just anything to secure the presidency including begging, prostrating, genuflecting and bowing down to other Nigerians telegraphs a particular message that there is a sinister motive behind the Ndigbo's quest for the presidency. Just ask yourself, which Nigerian will not be triggered by the statement with regard to what could possibly happen to them the day after an Igbo person is sworn in as president, that would cause Ndigbo to suddenly be prepared to stoop so low just to secure the presidency. 

ICHEOKU says the Igbo man does not kneel down or prostrate and will not do so to other Nigerians, not even for the presidency of Nigeria. Like every other tribe and group of people in Nigeria, Ndigbo are entitled to seek the the presidency of Nigeria and if they want the presidency, they should be prepared to work hard for it. To do this, they must first jettison the mental encumbrance of feeling that they are "not full citizens of Nigeria", a complex which is inhibiting them politically in Nigeria. We already know that other Nigerians do not like Ndigbo and as far as it concerns Ndigbo, the notions of fairness, equity, unity and justice are but fairly tales and do not apply. So, if Okwadike likes, he can swallow all the prides in this world and beg all he wants to beg, other Nigerians will never willingly and voluntarily hand presidential powers over to Ndigbo. 

Power is not gifted but taken, either violently by force or through cunning, guile and deceit; admitted sometimes it could be negotiated, but you have to first have something to negotiate with, a kind of a real trade off. But Ndigbo have little to nothing to negotiate with, especially now that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been captured and caged. They are also not as strongly united to speak with one voice and act with one common purpose; such as using their economic stronghold to threaten a withdrawal of their services in the country tp force the issue and bring other Nigerians to the negotiation table. Imagine the economic ruination which would befall Nigeria the day Ndigbo decides to lockup their shops/stores throughout Nigeria just for a few days or to go one month without importing any goods into Nigeria. 

But Ndigbo are not yet serious with reasserting themselves in Nigeria and taking back what rightfully is their own portion of the Nigeria political space. So until then, any Igbo president produced through such a beggarly manner will be beleaguered just like Goodluck Jonathan. Such a president will also be beholden to the cabal and other groups of Nigerian people that signed off on their placement in Aso Rock and will spend his or time trying to suck up to them at the expense of Ndigbo. If Nigerians therefore cannot suspend their distrust and morbid fear of Ndigbo to enable them freely vote to elect Onye Igbo as president, so be it. But getting into that office should not come with such eating of poop by Ndigbo and it is not worth selling Ndigbo so short nor for Ndigbo to first lick too many dirty stinking behinds just to be allowed into Aso Rock. Okwadike got it all wrong and what he said is both pitiful and sad; and of course not in our name!

CHRIS CUOMO, YOU'RE FIRED!

ICHEOKU says the only person who probably did not see it coming was the junior Cuomo himself. He most likely felt that being such a heavy hitter for the network with the highest rating show, and having gotten away with several other termination-deserving infra-digs in the past, that he would most likely also get over the latest one. 

But unfortunately for him, his luck ran out and he now joins his brother, the senior Cuomo, as fired former employees who are now back on the job market. Hopefully, they will be able to find  new employers who will brave their current toxicity and hire them. A likely tall order as employers will be wary of infecting their businesses with the Cuomo name, a name which is no longer as valued as it once was. His best option is probably to strike it out on his own, go back to law practice or start a weight lifting/physical fitness business or the manufacturing of giant cotton swabs.

However, some people are questioning if CNN would have fired Chris Cuomo were he a homosexual and/or a white boy and not a Mediterranean Italian? Would CNN have summarily disposed of him in this manner just because he helped his senior brother with some legal problems, the fact that he is their highest rating anchor considered; in addition to his other previous deeds which the present offense did not even measure up to. Why now or is it because his protector, the once probable future president of America, his senior brother Andrew Cuomo, was himself kneecapped and neutered and thrown to the wolves to devour. If CNN were still enmeshed in courting a good relationship with a future President Andrew Cuomo, would they have pushed his junior brother Chris Cuomo over the cliff?

Chris Cuomo should have smelled the coffee and resigned immediately CNN suspended him indefinitely and that way, retained some honor in a resignation rather than wait and hope in vain only to be finally terminated in ignominy. Now, all his past will cascade upon him as some of the women who had accused him of unwanted sexual behaviors might begin to come after him. It is possible that he gave it a thought but was probably carried away, dissuaded by believing that since he has beat worse cases in the past with the network, that such a dying network cannot afford to lose their best ratings anchor. But the network shocked him as well as millions of other people who believed, as Chris did believe too, that his show inoculated him just like the coronavirus vaccine, except that they all forgot to factor in that incidences of breakthrough cases do exist. 

Will he go groveling back to FoxNews, his former employer, which might be a good chance for him to get back on television? Only that they will be very reluctant to rehire him because he walked away from them once and he is presently very radioactive; moreso their parting of ways was not very cordial. Also, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity will definitely not want him on their network because of their age-long media rating rivalry; and they would rather prefer to see Chris Cuomo beg on his knees and eat crumbs than willingly allow him into their practically whites-only network.

Chris Cuomo also forgot that his last name Cuomo was what got him this far in life; and that he has been freely riding the waves of life, trading on the currency of his family name until it eventually lost its glare, glamour, value and weight in gold. In fact, the Cuomo name have now literally collapsed, a fall which was triggered by the political demise of a previously potential future President Andrew Cuomo. His downfall exposed his younger brother's underbelly at the network and the daggers quickly came out, drawn. They disembowled him, exposing his entrails and the contents of his stomach. With him now also gone from CNN, that effectively brings to an end the Cuomo Brothers Comedy Central and we may not be hearing about the Cuomos until the next scandal breaks out. 

Hopefully, he will follow suit in the trail of killer Alec Baldwin and go on George Stephanopoulos ABC interview to explain himself to the world and also tell us if he plans to file a wrongful termination of employment against CNN and what his future plans are, if any currently. But whatever happens, it is good that the Cuomo Brothers chapter is now closed on CNN and that millions of rational Americans can now use one less voice in the woke culture lunacy flank which is corrupting the thought process in America. How any media person would think that they know what is best for the rest of us is simply crazy, to say the least and Chris Cuomo was so full of it.

But give it up to CNN, a round of applause as they do not spare anyone who goes against their internal "dos and don'ts". When they fired Donna Brazile for stealing debate questions and passing them on to Queen Crooked Hillary Clinton ahead of her debate with Bernie Sanders in their party primaries, some of us thought that was an exception. But with Chris Cuomo's firing, despite what he meant to the network, the network has definitely earned some pips for at least biting the bullet and doing what it considered was the right decision against an anchor for stepping on it. FoxNews lost many audience when they hired the disgraced Donna Brazile and earned themselves the cesspool of media rejects; and we shall not be too surprised if they say to Chris Cuomo, come over to our network, you're hired! Adios Mr Weightlifter.

I DIDN'T PULL THE TRIGGER: ALEC BALDWIN ADDS INSULT TO INJURY.

ICHEOKU says before him was the other finger wagging and eye darting "I did not have sex with that woman, Ms Lewinsky" none denial denial by then President Bill Clinton. So killer Alec Baldwin is not the first perpetrator to ever try to pull a wool over our eyes about their involvement in a crime, with their clever by half  but poorly executed, "it wasn't me" nonsensical. 

Why Alec Baldwin has not been arrested thus far and charged for the murder of Halyna Hutchins is simply mind boggling and defies every logic of criminal prosecution. ICHEOKU says strongly believes that if Alec Baldwin was not part of the leftist woke culture club of America that the woke District Attorney of Santa Fe would have spared him this far and cause delay in triggering the wheel of justice after him.

The gun was in his hand when a live bullet left its chamber and traveled through the heart of the cinematographer killing her instantly and then ricocheted into the shoulder of the producer. It is irrelevant to his culpability whether someone else put the live bullet into the gun and that he did not have knowledge about the actual state of affairs regarding the presence of a live bullet in the gun. The canon safety rule 101 of gun handling is to always assume and treat every gun as loaded with live ammunition, the reason guns are handled with utmost care with their nozzle pointed downwards and away from people and never at them.

But Alec Baldwin breached all the safety rules of gun handling and in fact, actually did pull the trigger that fired the shot which killed Halyna Hutchins and wounded producer Joel Souza on his shoulder. Even if we are, for the heck of argument, to believe his tall tale by the moonlight that the gun had a mind of its own, a zombie gun, and fired itself; did the gun also point its business end at and aimed at the chest of Halyna and shoulder of Joel? It is unbelievably simplistic and callous on his part to come up with such idiotic and imbecilic explanation that he did not pull the trigger of the gun. If he did not, who did; an imaginary ghost finger? 

How does he think the widower of Halyna Hutchins would feel hearing his latest absurdity of a vomit that he did not fire the gun that took the life of his beloved wife and mother of his children. Instead of being contrite and remorseful, he has the audacity of stupid to adduce such a lunatic denial of responsibility and you wonder what type of mind altering hallucinatory compounds this guy ingests on a regular basis? Why is he not listening to the advise of his lawyers and keeping his foul mouth shut or does he think that taking the life of another person is just another SNL joke and that he can get away with it by simply denying he did it. 

It is about time Alec Baldwin is saved from himself by putting him through the ringer of the justice system to atone for his killing of Halyna Hutchins; or at least found not guilty of it by a jury of his peers. Why such flippancy and outright insult on our general collective intelligence and experience, that a gun in his hand turned into a zombie gun, aimed itself at the chest of Halyna  and fired itself, killing her. If he did not point and aim the gun at Halyna's chest, even if the gun had misfired, it would still not have struck her in the midsection. 

But he wants us to believe that they were rehearsing a scene and Halyna told him to point the gun at her armpit, really? She was just a camera woman and not the director, so why would she tell Alec where to point the gun. She is no longer around to make her own case and state what transpired and Alec is definitely taking an advantage of her unavailability with this implausible tale. So what exactly is this choleric Alec Baldwin saying or can't he ever man up and be responsible enough for once and take responsibility for his action. Must everything be seen by him through the prism of Saturday Night Live jokes including causing the death of Halyna Hutchins. 

It is now more than one month since October 21st 2021 when pointed and aimed a loaded gun with live bullets at Halyna Hutchins, fired it and killed on the movie set of Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch Santa Fe New Mexico and also wounded the producer Joel Souza, still no arrest or charges. Why this advertisement at public opinion and the is he not keeping a low profile, at least until the DA makes her decision about the case, whether or not to press charges. Why was even ABC his choice for the interview and not NBC, the station he worked for as Trump imitator? 

A very irascible rascal who might very soon too, also tell us that his hand and finger acted on their own accord as zombie appendages. A gun in his hand fired itself without the trigger being pulled or rather was pulled by an invisible finger. Why this guy has not been since put away over this murder, or at least stopped talking about the case and causing so much irritation and hurt to his victims' families is beyond ICHEOKU. Does he not appreciate that some of what he is saying today will likely come to bite him in the future, and that he will someday be asked to actually explain how a gun in his hand fired off a bullet without him prompting the triggering process. It is sad. 

CHRIS CUOMO SUSPENDED BY CNN: THE CURSE OF THE CUOMO BROTHERS.

ICHEOKU says this might be the long overdue opportunity for the weight lifting brother of the disgraced former New York Governor Andrew "randy" Cuomo to finally follow his head and part ways with the network. It is a well known fact that Chris Cuomo is not particularly happy working for CNN and would have possibly since left if not for the fat contract which he has with them. He has lashed out in the past at his paycheck signers over some internal practices in the network, including writing very subjective opinion scripts and compelling anchors and anchorets to lip through them as news like mind numbed robots without much input.

So, a furious Chris Cuomo, suspended over a matter as seemingly trivial as helping his brother marshal out defense for some sexual molestations accusations against him, might just decide to call it quits. Doing so will help him preempt the network from having the last laugh by firing him as they will most likely eventually do. But will he find the courage to finally pull the trigger and escape from the purgatory that working for CNN has been for him; or will the mouthwatering contract he is enslaved to, continue to humble him and secure his servile silence and pretense love for the network. 

It is on record that Chris Cuomo have done many things in the past which ordinarily would have  warranted his dismissal from the network, but had survived due to his show's fairly high rating compared to other shows on the failing network. For CNN to now muster the courage to  suspend him indefinitely over his involvement in the elder Cuomo's troubles, despite being the golden goose of the network, shows that the younger Cuomo is in serious neck deep trouble; and might not be returning back to the network barring a miracle. His indefinite suspension now is an overkill, a case of punishing him when it is not deserving. 

What is wrong with advising one's brother in trouble and in a personal capacity; or does his anchoring for CNN preclude him from having a personal, private life? Chris Cuomo is a lawyer by training and his working for CNN does not make him no longer a lawyer or incapable of giving legal advise, paid or pro bono; especially to his family member, his elder brother. It is his big brother that was accused of sexual molestations of many women and like a good brother, he volunteered his help by offering some advise on how to defend the accusations. What is wrong with that and is it worth suspending him indefinitely from the network? 

The only plausible explanation to the sanction is that the network has long had it with him and now merely using the thrown up opportunity to finally get rid of him. For them, there is no more a potential future President Andrew Cuomo to be afraid of; and with the protector of Chris Cuomo  forever gone with the wind of sexual scandal, Chris underbelly became exposed to their long knives, thus triggering such a rash, harsh action. He offered the advise to his brother as a family, and a private, personal counsel; and not in his capacity as a CNN anchor and it should therefore  not be sufficient nor enough reason to warrant his ouster from the network. 

Any lawyer-brother or sister for that matter, would similarly come to the aid of a brother or sister in any legal trouble. Offering his advise did not mean that he condones what his brother allegedly did nor approved of it. He merely suggested best ways possible to defend the sexual allegations and to help save his political career, admitted his effort was not successful. Therefore, as far as ICHEOKU is concerned, Chris Cuomo threat to "fuck up" the guy at a train station in New York was more egregious and far more reputation-damaging to CNN for having a "brutish thug" on its payroll than his giving private legal advise to his brother. 

Ordinarily, his being a straight guy and a high-rating anchor in a network that is nearly saturated with homosexuals, makes him an already marked for elimination outsider; and they just ceased the latest opportunity to do the dirty deed. For a network that is struggling and barely clinging to life, and literally comatose in viewership and rating, letting go of their highest rating anchor rather  looks like committing a harakiri, unless the network no longer cares anymore about its survivability. Why the harsh punishment for such so little "misjudgment" on his part if it is not settling old scores.

But whatever happens, getting rid of Chris Cuomo is definitely a gain for reason and rationality as one hopelessly biased voice of wokeism have now been silenced. Whether the shutout becomes permanently or not, at least there will be peace for the righteous wing of the political divide for the duration of his absence on television. ICHEOKU can live with that; admitted the punishment is more severe than the supposed offensive act. 

As the saga of the curse of the Cuomo Brothers continues to wreck havoc on the Cuomo family, there will be no more mega sized Q-tips display on the Cuomo Brothers Comedy Central on CNN.  It is possible too that very soon, even the Cuomo name might become such a pariah that people bearing it as their last name might be forced to do a change of name just to avoid the close association to a name that is now becoming infamous in America. What a tragic end of the road for the two Cuomo brothers, a once powerful family siblings. Life often pulls cruel jokes on people and the Cuomo brothers are its current victims. It is sad.

OMICRON VARIANT: SOUTH AFRICA TRAVEL BAN AND THE POLITICS OF CORONAVIRUS.

ICHEOKU says nearly two years after, the debate is still raging on as to where the original coronavirus contagion came from. So far, the world has refused to reach a conclusion and/or  acknowledge that Wuha China incubated the coronavirus. According to the world, the evidence is still too fluidly and very much inconclusive to categorically say where the coronavirus originated. But the same cautionary approach which China benefitted from is not being extended to other countries with regard to the various mutants of the coronavirus aka its variants. 

The latest being the Omicron variant which the same world has already rushed to point their accusing finger at South Africa as its place of origin without any affirmative evidence in support. But as it has turned out, the Omicron variant was in the Netherlands long before it was discovered in South Africa, thus begging the question, the chicken or the egg, which one came first? ICHEOKU says if the Omicron was in the Netherlands first, why then was South Africa designated as its origin or is the world trying so desperately to give the proverbial dog a bad name in order to hang it. 

First, they were disappointed that the coronavirus did not take as much toll in Africa as they have gleefully anticipated and hoped for. To their chagrin, Africa not only survived the contagion but fared far much too better than the so called developed "first" world countries, with their leader America being the worst hit by the scourge. As it ended up, the whole Africa did not lose even 10% of what America lost and this fact must be making them so mad that they are gearing up for their vengeance. Now they are now imposing travel ban on countries in Africa which they are continuously extending and will soon impact every country in Africa. Why?

There is something fishy about the coronavirus pandemic which has not been told or publicly made known. What is the world really hiding about the actual truth behind the contagion or is there a hidden agenda in play which is yet to completely unfold. Africa, which the world will not provide food to eat and help starve off famine or clean water to drink, nor even help to tackle its other myriad of life challenging problems which have continuously been claiming millions of lives in Africa, is the epicenter of attention over the coronavirus. The world theories have ranged from the devastation which the coronavirus will cause in Africa, to the need for getting Africa enough coronavirus vaccines, and now Omicron deadly variant of the coronavirus came from Africa requiring travel ban when Omicron was first discovered in Europe. 

The generated hysteria is coming despite the fact that Omicron has not killed anyone just yet or in large numbers; nor does it manifest more debilitating symptoms than its mother coronavirus or other variants which have so far showed up. Yet, they are already banning travels from South Africa and other African countries when the same world condemned then President Donald John Trump for initially placing travel ban on China at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. ICHEOKU recalls vividly how many world leaders, including the World Health Organization, that condemned the president's action, insisting that countries cannot close off itself from the coronavirus and that the best approach for tackling the virus is to join hands together and fight it as a team of one. 

So, what changed now with the case of South Africa and the Omicron variant, a variant which did not even originate from South Africa or is it a case of different peoples and different measures, treatments and approaches? Was it because China was "too big to fail" and that the world cannot do without its manufacture and products that necessitated its protection from isolation? If South Africa was not Africa or was as effective in the world as China or any other premier country in the world, would there have been a travel ban on it? But it is the politics of the world and it is dispensed according to the strength and indispensability of countries, the reason a South Africa which did not gift the world with the Omicron variant is now being unnecessarily punished with isolation through a travel ban. 

It is a well known fact that simply isolating a country does not necessarily contain whatever might be inside it from escaping its shores and borders. As America rudely found out with the ravaging penetration of the coronavirus despite all the effort it made to close itself off and protect itself from the rest of the world, the coronavirus still penetrated it. It wrecked untoward havoc in huge loss of human lives and is still raging on with more than one thousand Americans still dying every day from the scourge. So, what then is the use of isolating South Africa despite the futility of such effort; a matter made worse because the country is being punished for what it did not do. South Africa did not give the world the Omicron variant, rather Netherland did; and if any country should or must be punished with isolation, it should be Netherland and not South Africa. Lift the travel ban and do it now!

CORONAVIRUS SCOURGE: WHAT IS THE REAL PANACEA?

803,045 coronavirus killed dead Americans as of today December 1st, 2021. The number is staggeringly mind numbing. It is sad that after nearly two years, the Chinese contagion is still taking its toll on the world. May their souls find some rest IJN.