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.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

JOE BIDEN: DID HE DO ENOUGH TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY?

ICHEOKU says could it be a third time is the charm kind of miracle in the horizon for Joe Biden; and that he could replicate what Abraham Lincoln did by pulling off the presidency this time around, on a third try? ICHEOKU says does not think so as there is more to being elected president of the United States of America than simply reading through a prepared text on a teleprompter without noticeable transfixions, lost in thought gazes, gaffes, mistakes and mispronunciations. 

Yes indeed, Joe Biden did well reading his speech and far beyond what anyone had expected of him due to his obvious mental depreciation and physical frailty. Simply surmised, he was a beneficiary of the low expectation which people had of him as he performed far beyond the low bar set for him and therefore technically excelled in his speech. People were expecting to be disappointed, shocked and ashamed but they were not, hence the loud ovation which poured his way at the end of the speech. He did very much better than was expected and so he did resoundingly well. 

But that is as far as it goes as he has no serious plans to fix what is broken in America and being compassionate or a Mr Nice Guy won't just cut it. His time is long past and he did not have much to show for it in the department of performance and delivering the goods for the people when he was in power and he cannot do it now. What he couldn't do in the last 48 years he has been in Washington DC, he cannot do now and so goes up in smoke his another attempt at anchoring in the White House as American people will vote to reelect President Donald John Trump for a second term on November 3rd 2020. 

Joe Biden probably gave it his all in the speech, but it was not enough to win the presidency.  As Alexandria Ocasio Cortez rightly said, American people are a forward ever looking and moving people and they will not go back to their vomit of 2016. Joe Biden has gone with the winds of political dynamism and he will forever just remain in the rearview mirror of American presidential politics where he is now consigned. He and Barack Obama were the reason President Donald John Trump is in the White House today and the reason is stronger today than it was in 2016, so no deal. #Vote4Trump.

Friday, August 21, 2020

JOE BIDEN DELIVERS HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: DNC 2020.

Good evening. 

Ella Baker, a giant of the civil rights movement, left us with this wisdom: Give people light and they will find a way. Give people light. Those are words for our time. The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. 

Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us not the worst. I will be an ally of the light not of the darkness. It's time for us, for We the People, to come together. For make no mistake. United we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America. We will choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege. 

I am a proud Democrat and I will be proud to carry the banner of our party into the general election. So, it is with great honor and humility that I accept this nomination for President of the United States of America. 

But while I will be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I will work as hard for those who didn't support me as I will for those who did. That's the job of a president. To represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment. It's a moment that calls for hope and light and love. Hope for our futures, light to see our way forward, and love for one another. 

America isn't just a collection of clashing interests of Red States or Blue States. We're so much bigger than that. We're so much better than that. 

Nearly a century ago, Franklin Roosevelt pledged a New Deal in a time of massive unemployment, uncertainty, and fear. Stricken by disease, stricken by a virus, FDR insisted that he would recover and prevail and he believed America could as well. And he did. And so can we. 

This campaign isn't just about winning votes. It's about winning the heart, and yes, the soul of America. Winning it for the generous among us, not the selfish. Winning it for the workers who keep this country going, not just the privileged few at the top. Winning it for those communities who have known the injustice of the "knee on the neck". For all the young people who have known only an America of rising inequity and shrinking opportunity. 

They deserve to experience America's promise in full. No generation ever knows what history will ask of it. All we can ever know is whether we'll be ready when that moment arrives. And now history has delivered us to one of the most difficult moments America has ever faced. Four historic crises. All at the same time. A perfect storm. 

The worst pandemic in over 100 years. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The most compelling call for racial justice since the 60's. And the undeniable realities and accelerating threats of climate change. So, the question for us is simple: Are we ready? I believe we are. We must be. 

All elections are important. But we know in our bones this one is more consequential. America is at an inflection point. A time of real peril, but of extraordinary possibilities. We can choose the path of becoming angrier, less hopeful, and more divided. A path of shadow and suspicion. Or we can choose a different path, and together, take this chance to heal, to be reborn, to unite. A path of hope and light. 

This is a life-changing election that will determine America's future for a very long time. Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy. They are all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation. What we stand for. And, most importantly, who we want to be. That’s all on the ballot. 

And the choice could not be clearer. No rhetoric is needed. Just judge this president on the facts. 5 million Americans infected with COVID-19. More than 170,000 Americans have died. By far the worst performance of any nation on Earth. More than 50 million people have filed for unemployment this year. More than 10 million people are going to lose their health insurance this year. Nearly one in 6 small businesses have closed this year. 

If this president is re-elected we know what will happen. Cases and deaths will remain far too high. More mom and pop businesses will close their doors for good. Working families will struggle to get by, and yet, the wealthiest one percent will get tens of billions of dollars in new tax breaks. 

And the assault on the Affordable Care Act will continue until its destroyed, taking insurance away from more than 20 million people – including more than 15 million people on Medicaid – and getting rid of the protections that President Obama and I passed for people who suffer from a pre-existing condition. 

And speaking of President Obama, a man I was honored to serve alongside for 8 years as Vice President. Let me take this moment to say something we don't say nearly enough. Thank you, Mr. President. You were a great president. A president our children could – and did – look up to. 

No one will say that about the current occupant of the office. What we know about this president is if he's given four more years he will be what he's been the last four years. A president who takes no responsibility, refuses to lead, blames others, cozies up to dictators, and fans the flames of hate and division. He will wake up every day believing the job is all about him. Never about you. Is that the America you want for you, your family, your children? I see a different America. One that is generous and strong. Selfless and humble. It’s an America we can rebuild together. 

As president, the first step I will take will be to get control of the virus that's ruined so many lives. Because I understand something this president doesn't. We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids safely back to school, we will never have our lives back, until we deal with this virus. 

The tragedy of where we are today is it didn't have to be this bad. Just look around. It's not this bad in Canada. Or Europe. Or Japan. Or almost anywhere else in the world. The President keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear. He keeps waiting for a miracle. Well, I have news for him, no miracle is coming. 

We lead the world in confirmed cases. We lead the world in deaths. Our economy is in tatters, with Black, Latino, Asian American, and Native American communities bearing the brunt of it. And after all this time, the president still does not have a plan. Well, I do. 

If I'm president on day one we'll implement the national strategy I've been laying out since March. We'll develop and deploy rapid tests with results available immediately. We'll make the medical supplies and protective equipment our country needs. And we'll make them here in America. So we will never again be at the mercy of China and other foreign countries in order to protect our own people. We'll make sure our schools have the resources they need to be open, safe, and effective. We'll put the politics aside and take the muzzle off our experts so the public gets the information they need and deserve. The honest, unvarnished truth. They can deal with that. We'll have a national mandate to wear a mask-not as a burden, but to protect each other. It's a patriotic duty. In short, I will do what we should have done from the very beginning. 

Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to this nation. He failed to protect us. He failed to protect America. And, my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable. 

As president, I will make you this promise: I will protect America. I will defend us from every attack. Seen. And unseen. Always. Without exception. Every time. Look, I understand it's hard to have hope right now. On this summer night, let me take a moment to speak to those of you who have lost the most. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. I know that deep black hole that opens up in your chest. That you feel your whole being is sucked into it. I know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes. 

But I've learned two things. First, your loved ones may have left this Earth but they never leave your heart. They will always be with you. And second, I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose. As God's children each of us have a purpose in our lives. And we have a great purpose as a nation: To open the doors of opportunity to all Americans. To save our democracy. To be a light to the world once again. To finally live up to and make real the words written in the sacred documents that founded this nation that all men and women are created equal. Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

You know, my Dad was an honorable, decent man. He got knocked down a few times pretty hard, but always got up. He worked hard and built a great middle-class life for our family. He used to say, "Joey, I don't expect the government to solve my problems, but I expect it to understand them." And then he would say: "Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about your place in your community. It’s about looking your kids in the eye and say, honey, it’s going to be okay." 

I've never forgotten those lessons. That's why my economic plan is all about jobs, dignity, respect, and community. Together, we can, and we will, rebuild our economy. And when we do, we'll not only build it back, we'll build it back better. With modern roads, bridges, highways, broadband, ports and airports as a new foundation for economic growth. With pipes that transport clean water to every community. With 5 million new manufacturing and technology jobs so the future is made in America. 

With a health care system that lowers premiums, deductibles, and drug prices by building on the Affordable Care Act he’s trying to rip away. With an education system that trains our people for the best jobs of the 21st century, where cost doesn't prevent young people from going to college, and student debt doesn't crush them when they get out. 

With child care and elder care that make it possible for parents to go to work and for the elderly to stay in their homes with dignity. With an immigration system that powers our economy and reflects our values. With newly empowered labor unions. With equal pay for women. With rising wages you can raise a family on. Yes, we're going to do more than praise our essential workers. We're finally going to pay them. 

We can, and we will, deal with climate change. It's not only a crisis, it's an enormous opportunity. An opportunity for America to lead the world in clean energy and create millions of new good-paying jobs in the process. And we can pay for these investments by ending loopholes and the president's $1.3 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthiest 1 percent and the biggest, most profitable corporations, some of which pay no tax at all. 

Because we don't need a tax code that rewards wealth more than it rewards work. I'm not looking to punish anyone. Far from it. But it's long past time the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations in this country paid their fair share. 

For our seniors, Social Security is a sacred obligation, a sacred promise made. The current president is threatening to break that promise. He's proposing to eliminate the tax that pays for almost half of Social Security without any way of making up for that lost revenue. I will not let it happen. If I'm your president, we're going to protect Social Security and Medicare. You have my word. 

One of the most powerful voices we hear in the country today is from our young people. They're speaking to the inequity and injustice that has grown up in America. Economic injustice. Racial injustice. Environmental injustice. I hear their voices and if you listen, you can hear them too. And whether it's the existential threat posed by climate change, the daily fear of being gunned down in school, or the inability to get started in their first job — it will be the work of the next president to restore the promise of America to everyone. 

I won't have to do it alone. Because I will have a great Vice President at my side. Senator Kamala Harris. She is a powerful voice for this nation. Her story is the American story. She knows about all the obstacles thrown in the way of so many in our country. Women, Black women, Black Americans, South Asian Americans, immigrants, the left-out and left-behind. 

But she's overcome every obstacle she's ever faced. No one's been tougher on the big banks or the gun lobby. No one's been tougher in calling out this current administration for its extremism, its failure to follow the law, and its failure to simply tell the truth. Kamala and I both draw strength from our families. For Kamala, it’s Doug and their families. 

For me, it’s Jill and ours. No man deserves one great love in his life. But I've known two. After losing my first wife in a car accident, Jill came into my life and put our family back together. She's an educator. A mom. A military Mom. And an unstoppable force. If she puts her mind to it, just get out of the way. Because she's going to get it done. She was a great Second Lady and she will make a great First Lady for this nation, she loves this country so much. 

And I will have the strength that can only come from family. Hunter, Ashley and all our grandchildren, my brothers, my sister. They give me courage and lift me up. And while he is no longer with us, Beau inspires me every day. Beau served our nation in uniform. A decorated Iraq war veteran. So I take very personally the profound responsibility of serving as Commander in Chief. I will be a president who will stand with our allies and friends. I will make it clear to our adversaries the days of cozying up to dictators are over. 

Under President Biden, America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on the heads of American soldiers. Nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise – voting. I will stand always for our values of human rights and dignity. And I will work in common purpose for a more secure, peaceful, and prosperous world. 

History has thrust one more urgent task on us. Will we be the generation that finally wipes the stain of racism from our national character? I believe we're up to it. I believe we're ready. 

Just a week ago yesterday was the third anniversary of the events in Charlottesville. Remember seeing those neo-Nazis and Klansmen and white supremacists coming out of the fields with lighted torches? Veins bulging? Spewing the same anti-Semitic bile heard across Europe in the '30s? Remember the violent clash that ensued between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it? Remember what the president said? There were quote, "very fine people on both sides." 

It was a wake-up call for us as a country. And for me, a call to action. At that moment, I knew I’d have to run. My father taught us that silence was complicity. And I could not remain silent or complicit. At the time, I said we were in a battle for the soul of this nation. And we are. 

One of the most important conversations I've had this entire campaign is with someone who is too young to vote. I met with six-year old Gianna Floyd, a day before her Daddy George Floyd was laid to rest. She is incredibly brave. I’ll never forget. When I leaned down to speak with her, she looked into my eyes and said "Daddy, changed the world." Her words burrowed deep into my heart. Maybe George Floyd's murder was the breaking point. Maybe John Lewis' passing the inspiration. 

However it has come to be, America is ready to in John's words, to lay down "the heavy burdens of hate at last" and to do the hard work of rooting out our systemic racism. America's history tells us that it has been in our darkest moments that we've made our greatest progress. That we've found the light. And in this dark moment, I believe we are poised to make great progress again. That we can find the light once more. 

I have always believed you can define America in one word: Possibilities. That in America, everyone, and I mean everyone, should be given the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability will take them. 

We can never lose that. In times as challenging as these, I believe there is only one way forward. As a united America. United in our pursuit of a more perfect Union. United in our dreams of a better future for us and for our children. United in our determination to make the coming years bright. 

Are we ready? I believe we are. This is a great nation. And we are a good and decent people. This is the United States of America. And there has never been anything we’ve been unable to accomplish when we've done it together. 

The Irish poet Seamus Heaney once wrote:
"History says,
Don't hope on this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme" 

This is our moment to make hope and history rhyme. With passion and purpose, let us begin – you and I together, one nation, under God – united in our love for America and united in our love for each other. For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. Light is more powerful than dark. This is our moment. This is our mission. 

May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight as love and hope and light joined in the battle for the soul of the nation. And this is a battle that we, together, will win. I promise you. Thank you. And may God bless you. And may God protect our troops.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

KAMALA HARRIS VICE PRESIDENTIAL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH DNC 2020

Greetings Americans. 

It is truly an honor to be speaking with you. That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me. Women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. And we celebrate the women who fought for that right. Yet so many of the Black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting, long after its ratification. But they were undeterred. 

Without fanfare or recognition, they organized, testified, rallied, marched, and fought—not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed. They paved the way for the trailblazing leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And these women inspired us to pick up the torch, and fight on. Women like Mary Church Terrell and Mary McCleod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm. We’re not often taught their stories. But as Americans, we all stand on their shoulders. 

There’s another woman, whose name isn’t known, whose story isn’t shared. Another woman whose shoulders I stand on. And that’s my mother—Shyamala Gopalan Harris. She came here from India at age 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. At the University of California Berkeley, she met my father, Donald Harris—who had come from Jamaica to study economics. They fell in love in that most American way—while marching together for justice in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In the streets of Oakland and Berkeley, I got a stroller’s-eye view of people getting into what the great John Lewis called “good trouble.”

When I was 5, my parents split and my mother raised us mostly on her own. Like so many mothers, she worked around the clock to make it work—packing lunches before we woke up— and paying bills after we went to bed. Helping us with homework at the kitchen table—and shuttling us to church for choir practice. She made it look easy, though I know it never was. My mother instilled in my sister, Maya, and me the values that would chart the course of our lives. She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage. She taught us to put family first—the family you’re born into and the family you choose. 

Family, is my husband Doug, who I met on a blind date set up by my best friend. Family is our beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who as you just heard, call me Momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my godchildren. Family is my uncles, my aunts—my chitthis. Family is Mrs. Shelton—my second mother who lived two doors down and helped raise me. Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha…our Divine 9…and my HBCU brothers and sisters. Family is the friends I turned to when my mother—the most important person in my life—passed away from cancer. 

And even as she taught us to keep our family at the center of our world, she also pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves. She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people. To believe public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility. That led me to become a lawyer, a District Attorney, Attorney General, and a United States Senator. And at every step of the way, I’ve been guided by the words I spoke from the first time I stood in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, For the People. 

I’ve fought for children, and survivors of sexual assault. I’ve fought against transnational gangs. I took on the biggest banks, and helped take down one of the biggest for-profit colleges. I know a predator when I see one. 

My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning. And oh, how I wish she were here tonight but I know she’s looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman—all of five feet tall—who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California. On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America. 

I do so, committed to the values she taught me. To the word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight. And to a vision passed on through generations of Americans—one that Joe Biden shares. A vision of our nation as a Beloved Community—where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love. A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect. A country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges, and celebrate our triumphs—together. 

Today… that country feels distant. Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. If you’re a parent struggling with your child’s remote learning, or you’re a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know that what we’re doing right now isn’t working. And we are a nation that’s grieving. Grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy. And yes, the loss of certainty. 

And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately. This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism. Of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal health care. In the excessive use of force by police. And in our broader criminal justice system. This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other—and how we treat each other. 

And let’s be clear—there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work. For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For the lives of too many others to name. For our children. For all of us. We’ve gotta do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because, none of us are free…until all of us are free… We’re at an inflection point. The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone. It’s a lot. 

And here’s the thing: We can do better and deserve so much more. We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together—Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous—to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect Joe Biden. I knew Joe as Vice President. I knew Joe on the campaign trail. But I first got to know Joe as the father of my friend. 

Joe’s son, Beau, and I served as Attorneys General of our states, Delaware and California. During the Great Recession, we spoke on the phone nearly every day, working together to win back billions of dollars for homeowners from the big banks that foreclosed on people’s homes. And Beau and I would talk about his family. How, as a single father, Joe would spend 4 hours every day riding the train back and forth from Wilmington to Washington. Beau and Hunter got to have breakfast every morning with their dad. They went to sleep every night with the sound of his voice reading bedtime stories. And while they endured an unspeakable loss, these two little boys Always knew that they were deeply, unconditionally loved. 

And what also moved me about Joe is the work he did, as he went back and forth. This is the leader who wrote the Violence Against Women Act—and enacted the Assault Weapons Ban. Who, as Vice President, implemented The Recovery Act, which brought our country back from The Great Recession. He championed The Affordable Care Act, protecting millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. Who spent decades promoting American values and interests around the world, standing up with our allies and standing up to our adversaries. 

Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose. Joe will bring us together to build an economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Where a good-paying job is the floor, not the ceiling. Joe will bring us together to end this pandemic and make sure that we are prepared for the next one. Joe will bring us together to squarely face and dismantle racial injustice, furthering the work of generations. 

Joe and I believe that we can build that Beloved Community, one that is strong and decent, just and kind. One in which we all can see ourselves. That’s the vision that our parents and grandparents fought for. The vision that made my own life possible. The vision that makes the American promise—for all its complexities and imperfections—a promise worth fighting for. Make no mistake, the road ahead will not be not easy. We will stumble. We may fall short. But I pledge to you that we will act boldly and deal with our challenges honestly. We will speak truths. And we will act with the same faith in you that we ask you to place in us. 

We believe that our country—all of us, will stand together for a better future. We already are. We see it in the doctors, the nurses, the home health care workers and the frontline workers who are risking their lives to save people they’ve never met. We see it in the teachers and truck drivers, the factory workers and farmers, the postal workers and the Poll workers, all putting their own safety on the line to help us get through this pandemic. And we see it in so many of you who are working, not just to get us through our current crises, but to somewhere better. 

There’s something happening, all across the country. It’s not about Joe or me. It’s about you. It’s about us. People of all ages and colors and creeds who are, yes, taking to the streets, and also persuading our family members, rallying our friends, organizing our neighbors, and getting out the vote. And we’ve shown that, when we vote, we expand access to health care, expand access to the ballot box, and ensure that more working families can make a decent living. 

I’m inspired by a new generation of leadership. You are pushing us to realize the ideals of our nation, pushing us to live the values we share: decency and fairness, justice and love. You are the patriots who remind us that to love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country. 

In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We’re all in this fight. You, me, and Joe—together. What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege. So, let’s fight with conviction. Let’s fight with hope. Let’s fight with confidence in ourselves, and a commitment to each other. To the America we know is possible. The America, we love. 

Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high? They will ask us, what was it like? And we will tell them. We will tell them, not just how we felt. We will tell them what we did. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

JOE BIDEN: NOMINATED BUT OBLIVIOUS, SAD.

 
ICHEOKU says it was made official but the beneficiary of the nomination does not even seem to know what took place as he was aloof and distanced when the final votes were tallied making him the official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Anyway, Joe Biden will be defeated on November 3rd by President Donald John Trump and it does not matter what any hater or anarchists Black Lives Matter and ANTIFA thinks. #Vote4Trump.

WHERE IS JAMES COMEY?

ICHEOKU says has the earth opened up and swallowed him as nobody has heard anything from him or about him for quite some time now. Even at the Democratic Party Convention 2020 where some people were expecting him to deliver some remarks, he was a no show. Does anyone have any information about James Comey or has he lawyered up, awaiting John Durham's indictment and was advised to stay low keyed. 

ICHEOKU says anyone with information on James Comey's whereabout and what he is doing now should please share in order to update the public on what has become of the cocky former FBI director who was fired by the president for doing sneaky things, leaking, doing weasel moves and not keeping his promise to always tell the president the truth by lying to the president. #WhereIsJamesComey.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

DEMOCRATIC PARTY 2020 CONVENTION BEGINS.

ICHEOKU says so far they have not made their case on why American people should replace President Donald John Trump and they will probably not be able to make it, not by Thursday and not before November 3rd. ICHEOKU says is not watching the unconventional convention because the speakers are boring and too angry; and will only watch Joe Biden stammer and stumble through his prepared text on Thursday. But be that as it may, the Biden ticket is dead on arrival and they will be beat on November 3rd by Team Trump. Joe Biden is simply too famished upstairs to make a good replacement of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is  too slick and slippery to provide an effective supporting role. Four more years, VOTE TRUMP.

Monday, August 17, 2020

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALLA : UNDESERVING OF ALL THE IGBO ADULATIONS.

ICHEOKU says it is symptomatic of a people who are marooned on the Island of no  leadership and yawning for succor, and peradventure any scintilla of gravitas to cling on. Ndigbo are afflicted with Personality Cult Syndrome Disorder (PCDS) is what is wrong with Ndigbo and this is why they have penchant for celebrating any person amongst them who excels in his or her calling, regardless.  must stop in order for the Igbo nation to truly begin to reap the benefits of having or rather producing some men and women of weighty influence. 

But until then, these accomplished individuals feel there is no need to try to work harder in order to earn the adulation of their Igbo people since they are getting it for free anyways. ICHEOKU says what has Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla done for Ndigbo, not then, not now and not lately to warrant her celebration as an Igbo bona fides, Ada Alaigbo? How did she earn Ndigbo's loyalty, love and affection that they are prepared to go to war with anyone on her behalf or defense thereof? If the North celebrates Dangote and Buhari, that is understandably worth it. If Yoruba celebrated Tinubu and Obasanjo, that too could be reasoned out. If Okada town Edo State celebrated Igbinedion, ICHEOKU approves as ICHEOKU was there in Igbinedion town back in the day to witness the opening of an ultra modern hospital right there. Ditto some other towns and villages whose folks have done a lot to try and improve the life and wellbeing of their people. But if ICHEOKU may, what is it exactly did Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla do for Ndigbo to rightly earn their love?

So yes, she is a PhD. So yes, she worked for the World Bank. So yes, she was twice a Finance Minister. So yes, she was once Minister of Economic Planning. And so yes, she was a chief Minister under President Ebelesieme Jonathan Goodluck. But how did any of these her positions affect the life of the Igbo man or woman; the average Joe and Jill Igbo person did not see anything to back up this testimonial of her storied resume. 


Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealla, just a female version of Fantasy Island Mr... who is drowning in an unmerited too much encomiums based on an over hyped relevance to Ndigbo and underwhelmed record of achievement for Ndigbo. ICHEOKu was most reluctant to engage this gear, fully aware of the sometimes mob-reaction of some folks who will not reason along the thinking expressed but will readily go to battle that an Ada Alaigbo was disparaged or talked down by a supposedly another Nwa OnyeIgbo. ICHEOKU says to please give ICHEOKU a break that such a person has an immunity from being truthfully called out for her lack of endearing performances that would ordinarily have endeared her in the hearts and minds of Ndigbo. But before any pinhead starts firing off his or her salvos, ICHEOKU will like to see their cards on the achievements of Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla for Ndigbo and then we can like God said to other Gods, reason together. 

Not in infrastructures as the 2nd River Niger bridge remained largely unbuilt while she was the chief mInister of the last government. She was there when the coward of Otuoke took a Samurai sword to cut off five prominent Ndigbo from his cabinet including Barth Nnaji, Festus Odimegwu, IGP Onovo, Ihejirika, Mrs Uzodimna, Professor Maurice Iwu but didn't do a thing to protect them. Yet this is the woman Ndigbo are falling behind of in her latest dart at Duke? She narrated what her perception was but has Donald Duke told his own story and who collaborated Ngozi's tale as she saw it or have those apologists not seen or heard the story of the six blind men of Hindustan who went to see the elephant. 

Perception is a very subjective thing and what if she was merely positioning herself for the presidency when it rotates back tot he South and seeing Donald Duke as a possible threat, decided to get him out of the way now? The world has seen so many of such books of distortions written against President Donald John Trump and how their writers were later forced to eat the humble pie of shame for making up stories and embellishing others, just because they have to sell books and the more salacious the better. Yes indeed in writing books, you must incorporate in them what your prospective readers will like to see in it and every writer, both fiction and non fiction, are guilty of this otherwise no publisher will like to lose money backing your horse. 

Ndigbo have many sons and daughters worthy of celebration including Ikemba Odimegwu Ojukwu, Alex Ekwueme who brought ANNAMCO to Enugu as well as the built the new Enugu-Onitsha road; M.I Opara who alongside Kanu Ibiam literary developed Enugu as a city. The Enugu State Assmebly is  still seating in the House which MI Okpara built. Then come Jim Nwobodo and you have the Enugu Broadcasting service as well as the University of Technology. Princess Oduah also tried by upgrading the Akanu Ibiam airport Enugu and falls within those Igbo people who have earned their praises. These are legacies which outlived their respective times and are still enjoyed till today. They were all built before so many staffers working there and schooling there or legislating there were even born. 

They are called lasting legacies and these are the top of thing that makes one deserving of being celebrated. But Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla, did what again for Ndigbo that people are prattling about and prancing about ready to duke it out on Donald Duke. Really? It shows that so many people need to get a second job to exhaust their energy or rather find something worthy of their time to tussle on but definitely not on the female version of Mr Fantasy Island. ICHEOKU says fa-fa-FOWL; not under ICHEOKU's watch and not under ICHEOKU's time and energy. If you must fight her war, please do not make it an Igbo affair or another baseless "we and them" tribal warfare because it is not and cannot never be because it is not earned and therefor undeserving. Just like the coward of Otuoke is to both his Bayelsa and Niger Delta people, so also is Ngozi Okonjo Iwealla and anyone feeling diminished or offended, should go and jump off or better still commence an action.  
6/18/18; 11:48pm

KAMALA HARRIS NOT BLACK: PRETENDING OTHERWISE AN INSULT TO BLACK PEOPLE.

ICHEOKU says once again the Democratic Party has shown that they are not comfortable with having black people in positions of power and authority. They did it with Ron Brown and Jesse Jackson when they refused either men the ticket but settled for Barack Obama, a Kenyan American, who was not down with the struggle. They have now chosen a Jamaican American Kamala Harris who personally does not even identify herself as black, in place of real black people such as Susan Rice and Val Demings and wants black people to accept her as good enough for the purposes of having a black vice presidential candidate for Joe Biden. ICHEOKU says why settle for a person who is colored when there are millions of real black people in America or has an imitation now become better than the original. 

Of all the black women in America, it is dishearteningly very insulting that the Democratic Party could not and did not find any of them worthy of being chosen, for the purposes of having a black female, as Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate. But instead of doing right for and by black people this time, the Democratic Party once again bypassed a real black female and settled for a Jamaican and Indian byproduct and passed her off for a black female. The Democratic Party believes that black people lacks the capacity to think for themselves and will not understand the difference, to which ICHEOKU says really? It is akin to passing off a Latino as a white person simply because their skin is equally pale or  presenting a Japanese as a Chinese just because both of them are Asians and somewhat have similar appearance. 

It is a condescension and an insult to the millions of black people who call America home and they must in unison reject Kamala Harris as not one of them and let the Democratic Party understand that they know the game which they play. Black people will not and refuses to accept an imitation black female for the purposes of having a black female Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate. They will therefore not be hoodwinked into voting for the BIden/Harris ticket as representative of them because it does not represent black people. There is no way in hell a Jamaican father and an Indian mother can produce a black person, especially in the context of American blackness and such their offspring cannot satisfy the need of blackness in Joe Biden's vice presidential candidacy. Kamala Harris is not black and cannot represent black people and it is very insulting to even suggest that she is black and/or represents black people. 

Kamala Harris is an American, she was born in Oakland California before her mother took her and moved away to Canada where she was raised. To that extent she is absolutely and eminently qualified to run for the presidency of the United States of America and that automatically qualifies her for the vice presidential run. She is also a member of the minority class in America, being of Jamaican and Indian background. But to stretch her attributes any further by presenting her as black or as a candidate of black people who is entitled to black votes is intellectually dubious, because she is by no definition howsoever construed, black. Even her mother's native India discriminates against black people and Jamaicans also think that they are superior to black people and therefore technically not blacks but Caribbeans. 

ICHEOKU says it is therefore acceptable for the Democratic Party to chose her as a minority female vice presidential candidate, but it is not acceptable to call her a black female vice presidential candidate. Kamala Harris is not black and therefore does not represent black people in Joe Biden's presidential run.There are a lot of highly qualified black females who would have easily filled the position on behalf of black people but the Democratic Party once again decided not to have anything to do with black people and settled for a Jamaican Indian. The anti black forces in the Democratic Party who could not stand black people because of their threatening  attitude, once again made sure that Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate was not a black person. They chose a colored person and trying to pass her off as a black person in order to satisfy black people. 

It is insulting to the intelligence of black people and it is an arrogant statement that there is no competent black female to chose as Joe Biden's vice presidential candidate, hence they have to improvise by picking a none black person to role play a black person. Why choose an imitation when there is an original or has leather and imitation leather become the same thing? Why improvise for an original when the original is available and not impossible to obtain? Why does the Democratic Party always treat black people with such contemptuous disregard and disdain and more comfortable just seeing them but not hearing them or having them in positions of authority and power. It did not start with the selection of Kamala Harris over other qualified black people, it is a long running pattern and conduct ingrained in the Democratic Party where they only use black people to maintain power but never allowed them inside the power house. 

The Democratic Party's presidential candidate Joe Biden once said that he never saw a smart, bright and articulate black person in America until Barack Obama arrived on the scene and Barack Obama is not even a black person in the strict sense of the word. Barack Obama is a hybrid white and Kenyan, a person of color and therefore not black. But the Democratic Party imposed him on black people as a black person and you wonder what happened to his other 50% white building block which was contributed by his white mother. If Barack Obama can be a black person, why can't he also be a white person afterall he is half and half. But American Democrats classified him as black to satisfy the need of having elected a black president regardless of how real black people, who were down with the struggle, felt about it. 

But the case of blackness is even stronger with Barack Obama as his father came from Africa mainland; unlike Kamala Harris whose father is from Caribbean Jamaica. So why these pseudo black people instead of the real black people one may ask or are the original slave ancestry black people anathema to Democratic Party as a taboo who nobody should ever consider for leadership positions in America? But why should real black people continue to accept these substitutes as a good alternatives in place of themselves. If a substitute teacher only comes to class when the main teacher is not available, why should the case be reversed as it appertains to real black people and colored people in America. Why should these substitute blacks be allowed to supplant and overshadow real black people when real black people are abundantly available? 

It is disrespectful and it is a continuation of the mistreatment which black people have been made to endure in America and for too long. Why must black people always be told that they are not good enough and must be improvised for. And if told, why must they always accept the narrative as an obedient slaves would to a master? It is time this given narrative is changed or resisted. Enough is enough and it should start with this November 3rd election 2020 when black people must vote conscientiously and not as told or that a Jamaican is representing them on the Joe Biden's ticket. Black people needs to reinvent themselves by reasserting themselves in a meaningful way in order to command the respect due to them. They must rise up and reject the substitution of them by a Jamaican Indian and let the Democratic Party know that oranges and lemons are not the same thing, the fact that they are both citrus notwithstanding. 

If Mexicans and White Americans are not the same people, why then should a Jamaican and a black person be the same thing? What is for black people must go to black people and not a colored person, period. If the Democratic Party wanted to have a black female vice presidential candidate for Joe Biden, they would have done so but didn't. Kamala Harris is not black nor does she represents black people. Black people will not accept the brazen attempt to beguile them once again by passing off a Jamaican Indian person as black. Black people rejects Kamala Harris as not one of them and will not be led by the nose to vote for Joe Biden because she is on the ticket. She represents Jamaicans and South Asian folks but definitely not black people. 

It is only by sending such a resounding telegram to the Democratic Party in this election, by rejecting the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket that the Democratic Party will learn to stop treating black people so scornfully. Black people must treat the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket as any other ticket and not one in which they are represented because they are not. Kamala Harris is not black and therefore does not represent black people on Joe Biden's ticket. Therefore, black people will reclaim their rightful place and position in the Democratic Party politics by being heard with a thunderous vote against Joe Biden for disrespecting them with his choice of a Jamaican South Asian in place of a black person. It is about time the shoddy treatment ended and it will end in this election. Enough of the disrespect. Don't vote for Joe Biden because Kamala Harris in not black.