Nigeria's General Elections Is Jan. 2011; Where Are The Candidates, Manifestoes?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Nigerians and Nigeria now have barely four and a half months to a general elections scheduled for January 2011. And so, after 50 years of flag-political independence from British illegal colonial regime, Nigerians and Nigeria is facing a wonderful opportunity to start afresh and anew, better and greater.
After these past decades of missed opportunities after missed opportunities to have developed constitutionally, politically and economically, Nigerians and Nigeria has an opportunity. Will Nigerians and Nigeria sleep-walk to the precipice and fall of the cliff? Or, would there be an electioneering campaign with ideological stances by the plethora of political parties and their myriad posturing personalities parading as candidates for various elective public offices?
There are now a few months before perhaps the most important general elections in many years. As an optimist, I will have to believe that the planned elections will occur and there will presidential inauguration come May 29, 2010.
But where are the candidates? Where are the presidential and gubernatorial elections campaigns? There are now over 60 political parties in Nigeria these days. Where are the candidates? Where are the electioneering campaigns? Why are none of the registered political parties making waves? Why is it that the People’s Democratic Party or PDP is the only game in town, the only game in the nation? Why are we not witnessing a vigorous and vibrant debates of the issues? Why is it that the various political parties and candidates are not campaigning and explaining their manifestoes through their chosen platforms and presidential candidates?
Why is it that zoning or no zoning by the PDP seem to be the only debate so far, engaged in by all?
Where are the alternatives, to PDP after absolute control by the PDP since 1999? Should Nigerians not have a wide field of candidates and variety of political parties for Nigerian voters to choose from? Why is no one canvassing ideas with the Nigerian electorate as to what their political party and platform would do for Nigeria differently, compared and contrasted against what the PDP office holders are doing right now in a majority of the states and or what the central government at the federal level is doing right now?
Why is it, that there are very few Nigerians right now, especially, among public intellectuals and commentators, who are raising these pertinent issues? Is it the case that a majority of Nigerians have agreed on something that I am unaware of? Is there a fait accompli that has dawn on some Nigerians?
Going by the current trend in Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida may actually think himself of having a chance, even as he retain utter contempt for the Nigerian electorate. IBB remains unapologetic, he has not been made to account for his stupendous ill-gotten wealth and his checkered stewardship, he can now, with a straight face, say, that Nigerian youth are not ready for a transition of power from the old brigade of which he is a part. Babangida is again flouting his loot and hopes to buy his way into a return to Nigeria’s presidential duties at Aso Rock?
Nigerian journalists with Nigerian newspapers and other media forums , citizen journalist in alternative or social media have not been doing enough in this campaign season. Nigerian public intellectuals and sundry commentators are always quick to state in their most acerbic and vehement opposition to public policy failures, but, we all now appear at the cusp of a major opportunity of a paradigm shift, and nobody is prodigiously scrutinizing the candidates and their political parties?
Why is it that these opposing political candidates and their various political parties are not now, overwhelming the Nigerian voters or electorate with policy and programs which they intend to foster during the next four years, post January 2011 general elections? Why is it that I am under-whelmed by the low din and murmur of exchange between political candidates and their political parties?
Why is it that, all we have gotten so far, are just mere wrangling and posturing about zoning? And opposing political camps who have merely indulged in obnoxious and cantankerous paid announcements newspapers, in which they ridicule and threaten one or the other, but only over zoning, and not policies and programs which will make the lives of long suffering Nigerians better?
Why are the candidates and their political parties, somehow, too scared to advertise their candidates and their manifestoes? Why won’t these opponents and opposition political parties, similarly state and advertise their propose programs, their “superior” candidates and their equally “superior” manifestoes?
I want to believe that Nigerians are all agreed on the all-important matters of making all our public officials accountable, transparent and corruption-free. The rule is: If you are running for public office, you must declare your assets, prove that the sources were crime and corruption-free and genuine. Establish that you have had honest business and profited from hard work; Otherwise, you are disqualified.
I want to believe that all Nigerians are interested in, and invested in producing elected officials who have demonstrated competence, and have excellent track record of service in the private or public sector. I want to believe that the majority of Nigerians are interested in candidates who are focused on our national challenges, such high rate of unemployment, the national epidemic of erratic power supply, unavailability of clean water and the stifling state of insecurity exemplified by the heightened spate of kidnappings.
Safety and security for lives and properties throughout Nigeria, ought to be a national priority meriting a national debate at this moment. The parlous state of our public infrastructure, from roads and bridges to the abject neglect, abandonment and decays and decadence in many sectors and sub-sectors of our national life, screams for analysis, examination, scrutiny and public debates. Why are these needful debates not happening in the face of our general elections in a matter of four months?
Why is it that we are not presently investigating the backgrounds of those who are posturing for elections to the various public offices in our land? Why then would any of us be surprised to any Nigerian that the EFCC, the ICPC, INEC may not have pertinent and salient information with which to disqualify candidates? Candidates which have not been scrutinized, may just find their ways into public offices and it will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth after the elections.
The time is now for all of us, to help the EFCC, the ICPC or the Nigerian Police and all of Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies want to know or determine the sources of wealth of potential public office holders. The time is now to determine or find out who the financiers of political candidates’ campaigns and whether such candidates have been compromised and mortgaged by godfathers?
This is the time to find out, whether the candidates are issues driven and whether their interests and focus are consistent with those of the general public and the electorate. This is the time to determine, support or eliminate candidates, depending on what is known about such candidates.
This is the time to find out whether or not, the interests of certain candidates and certain political parties are consistent with our common good or greater good, or the interests that are inconsistent with Nigeria’s national interests? This is the time to find out whether campaign donors are foreign or domestic and local criminal gangs and crooks? Are you the candidate an erstwhile public official who corruptly enriched himself and now wishes to use your loot as a means and vehicle to public office? Why should all Nigerians not want to know these things for the sake of accountability, probity and transparency?
In the United States for instance, political candidates have to go through rigorous checks, criminal background, even previous engagements in immorality or even simple inappropriate conducts or behaviors are quick to become campaign issues! Did you kick a dog or cat or some other domestic pet in your previous life, Americans want to know, now that you are running for public office.
Did you park in a parking space reserved for disabled or the physically challenged or did you engage in drunk driving? And did you smoke Marijuana when you attended college or university? Americans want to know the most microscopic details of your entire life, to determine your suitableness for office. But in Nigeria, as a prelude to the 2007 elections, there were scrutinizes, heightened scrutinizes, which is so far unheard of in the these several months before the elections in January 2011 as scheduled. Some have in the past called such investigations by EFCC or ICPC investigations to determine these, a vendetta, a vindictive and a selective pursuit of political enemies, these scrutiny remain crucial nonetheless.
I personally want to know what the poor excuse is, for the dearth of presidential aspirants or presidential candidates for Nigeria’s presidential elections campaign which is suppose to be in full swing now. What are the excuses? If the real reasons, sorry, excuses, are those that have been adduced by political opponents, and opposing political parties is just limited to their timorous timidity, of fear of death, fear of probe, fear of intimidation, fear of vendetta, so far though, no one have been afraid of efforts geared at scaring off President Goodluck Jonathan from availing himself for re-elections, and yet, these political opponents have neglected to state their ideologies, philosophies, manifestoes, policies and programs? There is really no excuse for available to any politicians and their political parties for neglecting to canvass for votes through their party platforms or manifestoes. Four years ago, the excuse was the fear of a certain chief from Ota, but what is the fear this time? There is no need for fears, and to anyone who is afraid, I will say to them, have some balls! Have some guts!
How is it that the nearly 100 other political parties in Nigeria, other than the PDP, are not ready for prime time? What are their excuses for not selecting or announcing their selections of presidential candidates or aspirants? I am not a member of any political party in Nigeria, but if I were, I would be feeling colossal and monumental slew of embarrassments at the present time. How could anyone explain the lack of boldness and courage on the part of these numerous political parties? I am sure there a persons of courage in all these parties. PDP members are the only ones with courage or sturdiness? Are members of the opposition just lazy or lacking in strategies and vision for Nigeria?
Is it really a matter of lacking in courage or, is it that these other political parties are bereft of ideas? Are they suffering from collective bankruptcies of ideas? Is it the case that these other political parties have nothing to sell to the Nigerian electorate? Is that they have no manifestoes that will surpasses PDP’s economic and political reforms agenda.
Is it equally, possibly because the PDP, with all their faults, warts and all, have empaneled EFCC and ICPC and such other Nigerian government organs, agencies and machinery to fight and eliminate corruption from Nigeria public space and have served Nigerians well since 1999? And as a result, no successful campaigns against the PDP can be waged? This is quite tenuous a proposition.
Some Nigerians have not be bitten by the reform bugs. These institutionalized reforms may yet eliminate old habits and negative old ways of easy-riches, easy money or illicit wealth.
I do believe that a vigorous and vibrant opposition are essential ingredients to a true democracy. This is so, just as free and fair elections; right to dissent, robust and vibrant opposition are to a democracy and strengthens it. But where is the Nigerian political opposition to the PDP? Imagine if the PDP actually had party discipline and internal cohesion? I take the view that the PDP is not as formidable as the opposition parties seemed to have concluded. All other political parties in Nigeria would have been extinct by now!
Imagine if the PDP did not suffer from self-inflicted wounds nationwide, Nigeria would probably be single political party state by now and that, of course, is not desirable at all!
It has become increasingly tempting to conclude that the opposing political parties in Nigeria, tens of them, lack ideas, lack men and women of substance, character and integrity. And so, they rely on distractions as cover for their bankruptcies of ideas!
Or could someone tell me why these several tens of other political parties in Nigeria have not announced their presidential aspirant-candidates and manifestoes? Where are the nominees for state governorships and other potential candidates for sundry public offices across Nigeria?
Nigerian political opponents are so afraid of the current office holders or incumbents and the vicious PDP apparatuses, machineries and instruments when it comes to promoting their own candidates and manifestoes? But these same political parties, opponents of the PDP, seem to have no fear and no qualms in giving instructions to President Goodluck Jonathan instructions as to whether he qualifies to run or not, in view of PDP zoning arrangements.
The current vacuum left by Nigerian opposition political parties constitutes the best argument or reason for a run by the incumbent. The vacuum by the opposition, the dearth of their vigor and the bankruptcies of their ideas, the absence of their candidates and manifestoes, in sum, should emboldens President Goodluck Jonathan the incumbent, and the PDP as they angles retain power and position.
The opposition political parties claim they are fearful of advocating and agitating their economic and political positions in manifestoes, they say they were afraid of a certain Olowu of Owu in 2007, but what is the fear this time around in 2010? Is the current president and the PDP, sufficiently threatening to cause the political opposition to cower? They are afraid to stand for what is right, legal and proper? But they are quick to engage in useless personal insults, useless personal attacks as they engage in the equally useless and completely distracting talk about third term!
Nigerians, the victims of failed political and economic leadership, Nigerians, the long suffering mass deserve public debates of our national issues and national challenges and the time to do so is now.
The various political parts need to urgently engage is issues driven campaigns and all Nigerians should urgently demand the imperative of these debates and the additional imperative of subjecting all political candidates to the highest scrutiny before the general elections scheduled for January 2011, we must not fail
The opposition political parties in Nigeria must show us their candidates and their manifestoes and what they will do better, better than President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP, or the opposing political parties should forever hold their peace.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Nigerians Have Met Enemies of Nigeria, Enemies Of Nigeria Are Nigerians!
Nigerians Have Met Enemies of Nigeria, Enemies Of Nigeria Are Nigerians!
Who are we as Nigerians? What exactly do we stand for these days? Nothing perhaps?
Nigerians are now fanatical about Arsenal , Liverpool and Manchester United etc; all clubs of the English Football Association, as if these teams are Nigerian teams! Our Super Eagles have no wins, and so, they are no longer attractive, our teams have lost their luster
Meanwhile, President Obama and other Chicagoans continue to support Chicago Cubs, even though the Cubs have not won a championship in Mr. Obama’s 49 years of life on earth, he and others remain faithful to the Cubs. Similarly, New Orleans natives remained loyal to the Saints even though the Saints had no championship to their credit for a million years almost!
Nigerians seem to think booing our national teams will motivate them, or ditching our national sports teams for foreign ones is wise? The population of Nigeria is more than that of England, and Nigerians are proud of how well we speak and write English, instead of a profound debate about how to communicate and promote Nigerian languages!
All politics is local, all sports is local, supporting or adopting foreign teams because your home teams have dry spell or losing streak is poor substitute for planning to win and rooting loyally for your teams.
What wise child pretends his neighbor is his father merely because his neighbor is richer than his biological father? Who told England that it could export English and whose permission does Nigeria need to export Nigerian languages?
Nigerians are now too quick to portray Nigeria and everything Nigerian as second-rate mediocre inferior?
It is time for attitude adjustment on the part of all Nigerian citizens at home and abroad. The quality, value of citizenship or lack of both, is a crucial national question, which Nigerians have seemingly not answered.
It is clearly time to revisit our sense of nationalism and patriotism.
Clearly, it is time for a paradigm shift in our collective outlook and worldview, views of ourselves individually and our views about fellow Nigerians. It is time to reassess our sense of ourselves and our eventual outcome as nation. It is time, and we are behind schedule. Our national progress and advancement, national greatness depend, crucially, on our sense of ourselves and our place in the world, and there is no better time than now, to do a rethink!
Our national elections are just a few months away, another opportunity to determine our collective future. We must insist on competence, track records and subject all political candidates and their myriad political parties to the highest scrutiny.
We must act now, the general elections in our beloved nation is set for January 2011, for it will be too late in February 2011 to whine and complain, after the elections. Our national malaise and or national funk and state of Anomie should be debated now! This is the time to rigorously and vigorously examine the political parties, their candidates for elective offices and the policies and programs, foreign and domestic, upon which these parties and candidates canvass for our votes!
There are no better times than now, to ask searing questions of ourselves and of others, who wish Nigeria well. The following questions should be asked and answered, and these questions are by no means exhaustive; First among these important questions is, Where is our self-definition and self-assertion and national purpose? And secondly, Where is Nigerians' self-confidence and swagger, what happened to us? Nigerians were not always tepid and timid or lacking in confidence.
My third question which is connected to the first two questions above, is, Where is Nigerians" Can-Do attitude? What happened to our audacity? Where is our sense of audacity, courage, boldness and heroism? What changed our upbeat outlook and our self-propelled goal getter disposition
Where is our superb intellect, when did we accept second rate, second fiddle agreeing to act only as followers, instead of leaders and pacesetters on the world stage? How did our national psyche become so DAMAGED? Did all these damages come about as a consequence and legacy of military government? When did we, Nigerians, become inferior and accepted inferiority status? How did we accept stagnation, stymied and stunted economic and political growth as fait accompli?
Nigerians seem to always allow outsiders to define Nigerians and Nigeria and what is important to Nigerians and Nigeria, and, Nigerians seem to be so intellectually objective in the most academic and most abstract sense
Nigerians are always “objective” never caught in unreasonable or illogical, position in defense of Nigeria. This persists, even though the rest of the world is too often unreasonable and illogical as when it pleases them and when it is expedient for them.
Israel for instance and in many instances, is ever willing have disregarded the United Nations and so-called international community regarding nuclear arms and Israel’s brutal dealings Arabs Persians, Palestinians and the rest of the world learns to adjust or live with Israeli actions. When it pleased the US, it unreasonably and illogically, invaded and occupied Iraq, Grenada and Panama, bombed Libya etc
The way the world works starts from a keen and astute appreciation of citizenship. For example, an 18 year sold American will enlist in the military to die for American causes, whether such causes are illegal, illogical and unreasonable. And all this, even before the 18 year old has had a chance of understand, let alone enjoy life as an American and as a person. A homeless American, down on his luck, nevertheless, was recently caught on security camera, as he rescued American flag and accorded the flag utmost respect, folding it gingerly and in a formal way!
But a Nigerian with a PhD from Nigeria or Harvard, will intellectually logically and reasonably talk polemically and semantically, some BS about deferring to the UN and international community on matters purely national and strategic interests to Nigeria
All this leads to the question as to, where might we find the Nigerian who is willing to do reasonable and not so reasonable things to promote Nigeria’s national interests? Where are the Nigerians who are willing able and ready to be unreasonable and illogical in the defense of our national interests?
Each time that I listen to the so-called Nigerian elite or the Nigerian middle class debate anything Nigerian in comparison with anything American and European, I come away with the impressions or conclusions that a majority of Nigerians with formal education in the western sense, possess a skewed view of Nigeria and things Nigerian.
It is often sadly the case that Nigerian elite or middle class always come across as brainwashed Pavlov dogs, who are willing to believe any label which is pinned on Nigerians and Nigeria. It is frequently the case that, too many Nigerians will accept, believe a wrong label pinned on Nigerians and Nigeria, by anyone, especially if such label is pinned on us by some westerners.
Majority of Nigerians never seem to question such labels and the motives of those behind such unsavory definitions and labeling of Nigerians and Nigeria. These days, it is quite common to witness too many Nigerians accept and repeat labels about us, even when such labels do not and would not stand cursory scrutiny; even a label on a bottle which says Pure Orange, even if the bottle actually contains sugar and food colors of the orange hue. It is pure orange, so long as the Americans and Europeans have first proclaimed it so! Too many Nigerians seem splendidly and blissfully oblivious auto-suggestions, branding and marketing, and the downward definitions of Nigerians and Nigeria by our competitors.
Interactions with our middle class or elite rapidly reveals how too many Nigerians are liable to come across in debates about national and international issues; as if they are splendidly unaware of how the world works, and they would buy an over priced used car, so long as the American and European seller, first attaches an exorbitant price twice removed from reality, but rapidly announces that, that exorbitant price is a sale favor to Nigerians!
It is just extraordinary, how too many Nigerian elite seem to often miss the subtleties and nuances of enlightened national interests of other nations exulting themselves, while subjecting our nation and our continent to excruciating downward definitions and barrages against our image.
Too many Nigerians are content to blame our national challenges on political leadership elite. But, patriotism, nationalism and the advancement of our national interests must take multiple pronged approach. It is almost trite to restate here that it is crucial to have political leadership which is accountable and equally transparent.
Similarly, Nigerian private sector operators must engage in best business practices and adopt incorruptibility as their mantra. It is an incontrovertible fact that politicians who seek to loot, pillage and plunder our patrimonies would fail at it, without the collusion, connivance and conspiracies with private sector operators. It must be clear to all therefore, the change we seek are imbued in all of us. In essence, all Nigerians should be reminded that we are all agent of the change we seek, the change we want should begin with ourselves as individuals.
Nigerian Citizens As Agents Of Change For Nigeria. Change As In Bottom Up Approach, As Opposed to Top Down Approach Which Has Not Worked for Nigeria during the preceding 50 post colonial years
The change we seek is us… the enemies we fear is us… we have met the enemies and the enemies are one and all of us
I strongly believe that the time has come for Nigerians to define Nigerians and Nigeria, instead of merely repeating, regurgitating and vomiting the millions of fair and unfair labels, castigation, denigration which have been appended to Nigerians and Nigeria over the years by persons and entities outside Nigeria
We Nigerians must, once and for all times, ask ourselves, what exactly we are about as a people and as a nation. What exactly constitutes our collective, group and national interests? We must answer questions such as whether we are a nation of doers or whiners and complainers?
Are a majority of Nigerians willing to continue to pretend as if they are mere temporary refugees in Nigeria or is it better to put roots down and determine that Nigeria’s eventual outcomes matters the world to us all? When will all Nigerians take ownership of Nigeria’s challenges and successes?
When will Nigerians and in effect, Nigeria, when will Nigerians and Nigeria grow up and mature?
Recent global incidents have reawaken and re-agitated my perception about the seeming naivety of a majority of Nigeria as to how the world really works, versus the millions of sound bites and fatuous platitudinous pronouncements made worldwide daily.
The BP oil gush, spews and spills in the Gulf of Mexico is an extraordinary and monumental environmental disaster. It occurred and for more than 60 days there were no debates by Nigerian scientists, journalists, farmers, fishermen, environmentalists or other stakeholders. This have been so, even though, the BP Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 was merely a drop in the ocean in the scheme of things, in comparison to the gushers and deluges of oil spillages, degradations and ruin which have been wrought upon Nigerians by oil giants and western oil conglomerates operating in Nigeria for over 50 years!
Americans and European media and press have debated the Gulf of Mexico oil spill nonstop from April 20, 2010, and since then, there have been endless and ceaseless publicity and blitzkrieg and more blitz minute by minute of the still unfolding catastrophe.
During this period, The New York Times and The Guardian UK, have both managed to showcase the 50 years old cataclysmic catastrophes on Nigerian soil which was created by the oil major and giant oil multinational, the oil conglomerates such as Shell, BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Texaco, Schlumberger etc.
This environmental disaster in Nigeria is by all measurements, and by all accounts, is a million times greater than the little incident in the American Gulf Coast. the Nigerian oil spillages have been going on for five decades and it is still unfolding in the Niger Delta unabated and getting worse daily.
Ordinarily, all reasonable persons would have expected Nigerians, particularly the Nigerian press, to be at the forefront in highlighting and drawing similarities, distinctions and disparities in these disasters and the publicity and the responses. But the Nigerian press and media are loudly silent!
Another recent world event, was the Soccer World Cup held in South Africa. Why was South Africa chosen over Nigeria? Nigeria has hosted international soccer tournaments during military regimes, and since the dawn of civilian democratic system of government in Nigeria in 1999.
How and why did South Africa become favored over Nigeria? It is a pleasure to see South Africa, and for that matter, any African nation host the World Cup Soccer or any such other event of such grand scale. But, the question remains, how did South Africa, with identical infrastructure and economic and social issues as most African nations, become the African nation favored by FIFA etc?
Any argument against Nigeria as to why Nigeria did not deserve to host the World Cup Soccer Fiesta is a valid argument against South Africa as well. Whether the argument is poverty, unemployment and the negligible direct immediate impact on the average citizen’s benefit as a consequence of hosting the game.
On the lips of many Nigerians, and in and in the eyes of many Nigerians, South Africa had better democratic, political and economic credentials than Nigeria and deserved the world cup hosting than Nigeria? But how can such assessments by some Nigerians be true? Particularly, given the fact that, even after twenty years post Apartheid, a majority of blacks in South Africa remain in the bottom rung and are still in abject poverty
How did South Africa merit the award of a such a World Cup Soccer tournament, so soon after the toga and image of apartheid and international boycotts in sports, trade and diplomacy, and suddenly, it is now argued that South Africa is this translucent epitome, and pillar of democracy, the rule of law, due process and all that is good on the continent of Africa?
South Africa may no longer have Apartheid and official segregation; but, the economy remains literally, in the same hands in which it was, before President Nelson Mandela was freed from shackles. South Africa’s lands and economy still in the hands of minority whites, it can even be successfully argued, that white South African businesses and persons received the tangible economic benefits of the World Cup hosting in South Africa, while the Blacks earned the intangible, symbolic and euphoric feel good benefits!
Nigerians and Nigeria did not act in unison in lobby or through public relations or effective marketing for the hosting of the World Cup. Nigerians did not vigorously pursue hosting the World Cup Soccer. We seem to excel in campaigns against ourselves. And those who wish for us to be humiliated, are forever quick to support our campaigns against our nation.
Nigerians in this way, lobbied against a Nigerian lawyer and attorney general, who in the run for a top job at the United Nations, and some Nigerians sought to derail his proposed UN appointment. Why don’t Nigerians lobby to have Nigerians appointed, instead of lobbying against a Nigerian, any Nigerian?
Why is it, that Nigerians are only heard, Nigerians are only audaciously vocal and loud, when rallying against Nigeria? Or someone must show me, the persons, entity or nations Nigerians have rallied against with the desired effects and result the rallying Nigerian sought as an outcome? Why are we most successful when we engage in self-defeating self subverting campaigns against our nation?
Why is it that we do not seem to realize the big picture scheme of things, to the extent that the imperfections in Nigeria, frequently used by Nigerians to rally against Nigeria, are such imperfections which are simultaneously in existence elsewhere in the world, even though some Nigerians think that Nigerians and Nigeria are worse at everything in comparison to the rest of the world? While American think of Americans and America and say they are the masters of the universe and they are the epitome of exceptionalism!
Imagine an American and a Nigerian, given the mindset above, seeking progress in any field of human endeavors? Who succeeds? The American with can-do and exceptionalism attitude or self-denigrating, self lampooning, self-taunting the pity-party sobbing Nigerian who thinks he is inferior and worse than everyone else?
United Airlines just launched a direct flight to Ghana, and part of its public statement was that Ghana is a democracy and has therefore earned United Airline’s direct flights! So this is supposed to mean that United Airline does not fly China, Saudi Arabia and anywhere else where democracy is not just like it is in Ghana?
Air travel route have to be profitable for any airline in the ever fragile airline industry to open up or launch new routes. It is essentially, purely a business decision which must, in the end be profitable for the airline, before it goes the way of Pan Am, Transworld Airlines or TWA or Eastern Airlines or Braniff etc in bankruptcies and extinction
Therefore, it should be clear, first of all, United Airlines new route is business decision, bilateral agreements and profits is the sole, or at minimum, the major factor in the launch.
Profit has not ceased to be the reason for flights by airlines! Democracy is now the new criteria and there is some sorts of message for Nigeria in the preachment by United Airlines about Ghana?
I certainly did not get that memo or email! Perhaps United Airlines should dissuade Delta Airlines from flying Nigeria, since Nigeria may not match Ghana in democratic credentialing criteria? We should learn to recognize silliness when they occur.
Nigerians and other Africans must learn the way the world works and act only in own best interests.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Who are we as Nigerians? What exactly do we stand for these days? Nothing perhaps?
Nigerians are now fanatical about Arsenal , Liverpool and Manchester United etc; all clubs of the English Football Association, as if these teams are Nigerian teams! Our Super Eagles have no wins, and so, they are no longer attractive, our teams have lost their luster
Meanwhile, President Obama and other Chicagoans continue to support Chicago Cubs, even though the Cubs have not won a championship in Mr. Obama’s 49 years of life on earth, he and others remain faithful to the Cubs. Similarly, New Orleans natives remained loyal to the Saints even though the Saints had no championship to their credit for a million years almost!
Nigerians seem to think booing our national teams will motivate them, or ditching our national sports teams for foreign ones is wise? The population of Nigeria is more than that of England, and Nigerians are proud of how well we speak and write English, instead of a profound debate about how to communicate and promote Nigerian languages!
All politics is local, all sports is local, supporting or adopting foreign teams because your home teams have dry spell or losing streak is poor substitute for planning to win and rooting loyally for your teams.
What wise child pretends his neighbor is his father merely because his neighbor is richer than his biological father? Who told England that it could export English and whose permission does Nigeria need to export Nigerian languages?
Nigerians are now too quick to portray Nigeria and everything Nigerian as second-rate mediocre inferior?
It is time for attitude adjustment on the part of all Nigerian citizens at home and abroad. The quality, value of citizenship or lack of both, is a crucial national question, which Nigerians have seemingly not answered.
It is clearly time to revisit our sense of nationalism and patriotism.
Clearly, it is time for a paradigm shift in our collective outlook and worldview, views of ourselves individually and our views about fellow Nigerians. It is time to reassess our sense of ourselves and our eventual outcome as nation. It is time, and we are behind schedule. Our national progress and advancement, national greatness depend, crucially, on our sense of ourselves and our place in the world, and there is no better time than now, to do a rethink!
Our national elections are just a few months away, another opportunity to determine our collective future. We must insist on competence, track records and subject all political candidates and their myriad political parties to the highest scrutiny.
We must act now, the general elections in our beloved nation is set for January 2011, for it will be too late in February 2011 to whine and complain, after the elections. Our national malaise and or national funk and state of Anomie should be debated now! This is the time to rigorously and vigorously examine the political parties, their candidates for elective offices and the policies and programs, foreign and domestic, upon which these parties and candidates canvass for our votes!
There are no better times than now, to ask searing questions of ourselves and of others, who wish Nigeria well. The following questions should be asked and answered, and these questions are by no means exhaustive; First among these important questions is, Where is our self-definition and self-assertion and national purpose? And secondly, Where is Nigerians' self-confidence and swagger, what happened to us? Nigerians were not always tepid and timid or lacking in confidence.
My third question which is connected to the first two questions above, is, Where is Nigerians" Can-Do attitude? What happened to our audacity? Where is our sense of audacity, courage, boldness and heroism? What changed our upbeat outlook and our self-propelled goal getter disposition
Where is our superb intellect, when did we accept second rate, second fiddle agreeing to act only as followers, instead of leaders and pacesetters on the world stage? How did our national psyche become so DAMAGED? Did all these damages come about as a consequence and legacy of military government? When did we, Nigerians, become inferior and accepted inferiority status? How did we accept stagnation, stymied and stunted economic and political growth as fait accompli?
Nigerians seem to always allow outsiders to define Nigerians and Nigeria and what is important to Nigerians and Nigeria, and, Nigerians seem to be so intellectually objective in the most academic and most abstract sense
Nigerians are always “objective” never caught in unreasonable or illogical, position in defense of Nigeria. This persists, even though the rest of the world is too often unreasonable and illogical as when it pleases them and when it is expedient for them.
Israel for instance and in many instances, is ever willing have disregarded the United Nations and so-called international community regarding nuclear arms and Israel’s brutal dealings Arabs Persians, Palestinians and the rest of the world learns to adjust or live with Israeli actions. When it pleased the US, it unreasonably and illogically, invaded and occupied Iraq, Grenada and Panama, bombed Libya etc
The way the world works starts from a keen and astute appreciation of citizenship. For example, an 18 year sold American will enlist in the military to die for American causes, whether such causes are illegal, illogical and unreasonable. And all this, even before the 18 year old has had a chance of understand, let alone enjoy life as an American and as a person. A homeless American, down on his luck, nevertheless, was recently caught on security camera, as he rescued American flag and accorded the flag utmost respect, folding it gingerly and in a formal way!
But a Nigerian with a PhD from Nigeria or Harvard, will intellectually logically and reasonably talk polemically and semantically, some BS about deferring to the UN and international community on matters purely national and strategic interests to Nigeria
All this leads to the question as to, where might we find the Nigerian who is willing to do reasonable and not so reasonable things to promote Nigeria’s national interests? Where are the Nigerians who are willing able and ready to be unreasonable and illogical in the defense of our national interests?
Each time that I listen to the so-called Nigerian elite or the Nigerian middle class debate anything Nigerian in comparison with anything American and European, I come away with the impressions or conclusions that a majority of Nigerians with formal education in the western sense, possess a skewed view of Nigeria and things Nigerian.
It is often sadly the case that Nigerian elite or middle class always come across as brainwashed Pavlov dogs, who are willing to believe any label which is pinned on Nigerians and Nigeria. It is frequently the case that, too many Nigerians will accept, believe a wrong label pinned on Nigerians and Nigeria, by anyone, especially if such label is pinned on us by some westerners.
Majority of Nigerians never seem to question such labels and the motives of those behind such unsavory definitions and labeling of Nigerians and Nigeria. These days, it is quite common to witness too many Nigerians accept and repeat labels about us, even when such labels do not and would not stand cursory scrutiny; even a label on a bottle which says Pure Orange, even if the bottle actually contains sugar and food colors of the orange hue. It is pure orange, so long as the Americans and Europeans have first proclaimed it so! Too many Nigerians seem splendidly and blissfully oblivious auto-suggestions, branding and marketing, and the downward definitions of Nigerians and Nigeria by our competitors.
Interactions with our middle class or elite rapidly reveals how too many Nigerians are liable to come across in debates about national and international issues; as if they are splendidly unaware of how the world works, and they would buy an over priced used car, so long as the American and European seller, first attaches an exorbitant price twice removed from reality, but rapidly announces that, that exorbitant price is a sale favor to Nigerians!
It is just extraordinary, how too many Nigerian elite seem to often miss the subtleties and nuances of enlightened national interests of other nations exulting themselves, while subjecting our nation and our continent to excruciating downward definitions and barrages against our image.
Too many Nigerians are content to blame our national challenges on political leadership elite. But, patriotism, nationalism and the advancement of our national interests must take multiple pronged approach. It is almost trite to restate here that it is crucial to have political leadership which is accountable and equally transparent.
Similarly, Nigerian private sector operators must engage in best business practices and adopt incorruptibility as their mantra. It is an incontrovertible fact that politicians who seek to loot, pillage and plunder our patrimonies would fail at it, without the collusion, connivance and conspiracies with private sector operators. It must be clear to all therefore, the change we seek are imbued in all of us. In essence, all Nigerians should be reminded that we are all agent of the change we seek, the change we want should begin with ourselves as individuals.
Nigerian Citizens As Agents Of Change For Nigeria. Change As In Bottom Up Approach, As Opposed to Top Down Approach Which Has Not Worked for Nigeria during the preceding 50 post colonial years
The change we seek is us… the enemies we fear is us… we have met the enemies and the enemies are one and all of us
I strongly believe that the time has come for Nigerians to define Nigerians and Nigeria, instead of merely repeating, regurgitating and vomiting the millions of fair and unfair labels, castigation, denigration which have been appended to Nigerians and Nigeria over the years by persons and entities outside Nigeria
We Nigerians must, once and for all times, ask ourselves, what exactly we are about as a people and as a nation. What exactly constitutes our collective, group and national interests? We must answer questions such as whether we are a nation of doers or whiners and complainers?
Are a majority of Nigerians willing to continue to pretend as if they are mere temporary refugees in Nigeria or is it better to put roots down and determine that Nigeria’s eventual outcomes matters the world to us all? When will all Nigerians take ownership of Nigeria’s challenges and successes?
When will Nigerians and in effect, Nigeria, when will Nigerians and Nigeria grow up and mature?
Recent global incidents have reawaken and re-agitated my perception about the seeming naivety of a majority of Nigeria as to how the world really works, versus the millions of sound bites and fatuous platitudinous pronouncements made worldwide daily.
The BP oil gush, spews and spills in the Gulf of Mexico is an extraordinary and monumental environmental disaster. It occurred and for more than 60 days there were no debates by Nigerian scientists, journalists, farmers, fishermen, environmentalists or other stakeholders. This have been so, even though, the BP Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 was merely a drop in the ocean in the scheme of things, in comparison to the gushers and deluges of oil spillages, degradations and ruin which have been wrought upon Nigerians by oil giants and western oil conglomerates operating in Nigeria for over 50 years!
Americans and European media and press have debated the Gulf of Mexico oil spill nonstop from April 20, 2010, and since then, there have been endless and ceaseless publicity and blitzkrieg and more blitz minute by minute of the still unfolding catastrophe.
During this period, The New York Times and The Guardian UK, have both managed to showcase the 50 years old cataclysmic catastrophes on Nigerian soil which was created by the oil major and giant oil multinational, the oil conglomerates such as Shell, BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Texaco, Schlumberger etc.
This environmental disaster in Nigeria is by all measurements, and by all accounts, is a million times greater than the little incident in the American Gulf Coast. the Nigerian oil spillages have been going on for five decades and it is still unfolding in the Niger Delta unabated and getting worse daily.
Ordinarily, all reasonable persons would have expected Nigerians, particularly the Nigerian press, to be at the forefront in highlighting and drawing similarities, distinctions and disparities in these disasters and the publicity and the responses. But the Nigerian press and media are loudly silent!
Another recent world event, was the Soccer World Cup held in South Africa. Why was South Africa chosen over Nigeria? Nigeria has hosted international soccer tournaments during military regimes, and since the dawn of civilian democratic system of government in Nigeria in 1999.
How and why did South Africa become favored over Nigeria? It is a pleasure to see South Africa, and for that matter, any African nation host the World Cup Soccer or any such other event of such grand scale. But, the question remains, how did South Africa, with identical infrastructure and economic and social issues as most African nations, become the African nation favored by FIFA etc?
Any argument against Nigeria as to why Nigeria did not deserve to host the World Cup Soccer Fiesta is a valid argument against South Africa as well. Whether the argument is poverty, unemployment and the negligible direct immediate impact on the average citizen’s benefit as a consequence of hosting the game.
On the lips of many Nigerians, and in and in the eyes of many Nigerians, South Africa had better democratic, political and economic credentials than Nigeria and deserved the world cup hosting than Nigeria? But how can such assessments by some Nigerians be true? Particularly, given the fact that, even after twenty years post Apartheid, a majority of blacks in South Africa remain in the bottom rung and are still in abject poverty
How did South Africa merit the award of a such a World Cup Soccer tournament, so soon after the toga and image of apartheid and international boycotts in sports, trade and diplomacy, and suddenly, it is now argued that South Africa is this translucent epitome, and pillar of democracy, the rule of law, due process and all that is good on the continent of Africa?
South Africa may no longer have Apartheid and official segregation; but, the economy remains literally, in the same hands in which it was, before President Nelson Mandela was freed from shackles. South Africa’s lands and economy still in the hands of minority whites, it can even be successfully argued, that white South African businesses and persons received the tangible economic benefits of the World Cup hosting in South Africa, while the Blacks earned the intangible, symbolic and euphoric feel good benefits!
Nigerians and Nigeria did not act in unison in lobby or through public relations or effective marketing for the hosting of the World Cup. Nigerians did not vigorously pursue hosting the World Cup Soccer. We seem to excel in campaigns against ourselves. And those who wish for us to be humiliated, are forever quick to support our campaigns against our nation.
Nigerians in this way, lobbied against a Nigerian lawyer and attorney general, who in the run for a top job at the United Nations, and some Nigerians sought to derail his proposed UN appointment. Why don’t Nigerians lobby to have Nigerians appointed, instead of lobbying against a Nigerian, any Nigerian?
Why is it, that Nigerians are only heard, Nigerians are only audaciously vocal and loud, when rallying against Nigeria? Or someone must show me, the persons, entity or nations Nigerians have rallied against with the desired effects and result the rallying Nigerian sought as an outcome? Why are we most successful when we engage in self-defeating self subverting campaigns against our nation?
Why is it that we do not seem to realize the big picture scheme of things, to the extent that the imperfections in Nigeria, frequently used by Nigerians to rally against Nigeria, are such imperfections which are simultaneously in existence elsewhere in the world, even though some Nigerians think that Nigerians and Nigeria are worse at everything in comparison to the rest of the world? While American think of Americans and America and say they are the masters of the universe and they are the epitome of exceptionalism!
Imagine an American and a Nigerian, given the mindset above, seeking progress in any field of human endeavors? Who succeeds? The American with can-do and exceptionalism attitude or self-denigrating, self lampooning, self-taunting the pity-party sobbing Nigerian who thinks he is inferior and worse than everyone else?
United Airlines just launched a direct flight to Ghana, and part of its public statement was that Ghana is a democracy and has therefore earned United Airline’s direct flights! So this is supposed to mean that United Airline does not fly China, Saudi Arabia and anywhere else where democracy is not just like it is in Ghana?
Air travel route have to be profitable for any airline in the ever fragile airline industry to open up or launch new routes. It is essentially, purely a business decision which must, in the end be profitable for the airline, before it goes the way of Pan Am, Transworld Airlines or TWA or Eastern Airlines or Braniff etc in bankruptcies and extinction
Therefore, it should be clear, first of all, United Airlines new route is business decision, bilateral agreements and profits is the sole, or at minimum, the major factor in the launch.
Profit has not ceased to be the reason for flights by airlines! Democracy is now the new criteria and there is some sorts of message for Nigeria in the preachment by United Airlines about Ghana?
I certainly did not get that memo or email! Perhaps United Airlines should dissuade Delta Airlines from flying Nigeria, since Nigeria may not match Ghana in democratic credentialing criteria? We should learn to recognize silliness when they occur.
Nigerians and other Africans must learn the way the world works and act only in own best interests.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sarah Palin Is A Racist, And Appallingly Ignorant
Sarah Palin Is A Racist, And Appallingly Ignorant
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Sarah Palin is a racist as she is appallingly ignorant in the most palpable way, and worse, she advertises racism and extreme ignorance!
Sarah Palin has the constitutional right to be ignorant, but the issue is whether she must advertise her ignorance through repeated goofs and gaffes?
Sarah Palin injected herself into a debates about race and in the process, she has revealed herself as worse than David Duke and card carrying members of the Klu Klux Klan or KKK.
Sarah “Appalling” Palin, appallingly and egregiously egged on Laura Schlessinger as Schlessinger repeated a racial epithet and profanity over and over on public air waves or radio broadcast ad nauseam
It should be clear to all the world by now, that since the election of Mr. Barack Obama, race relations have clearly worsened in America.
It must be clear now that there are too many Americans who are expressing post election buyers’ remorse over the electoral triumph of Mr. Obama. Every debate since his inauguration has been about Mr. Osama’s “Otherness” He is Black or African American, He, does not wear his Christianity on his sleeve, quite unlike his predecessor Mr. Bush, whose domestic and foreign policies were directed by God herself!
Pew Research polls have indicated that a great number of Americans have latched on to this “otherness” about Mr. Obama, who is alternately a firebrand Christian of the Richard Wright fame and at once a fiery Muslim who needs to be outed by clever sleuths. Pew Research has just released a poll which points to these suspicions among a huge segment of the American population. Mr. Obama is Black, he is Muslim, he is Kenyan, he is not an American, he is not one of us. Help! There is a Negro in the White House!
It must recalled that Sarah Palin was one of those who engaged in corrosive and toxic political campaign against Mr. Obama during the 2008 elections campaign season. She used toxic and inflammatory words laden with acerbic innuendo, suggestive of the “otherness of Mr. Obama, who was portrayed as being from mars. Mr. Obama was at once a devout Christian with 20 years of membership in Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church in Chicago while simultaneously (magically) a Muslim?
Sarah Palin, this quitter former governor with “extensive foreign policy experience which is limited to she gleaned from her windows, observing Russia from her windows in Wasilla and Anchorage Alaska
Sarah Appalling Palin lost the election in November 2008, and since then, she has been an unforgiving sore loser, who have sought to re-litigate the issues over and over again! She injected so much negativity into the 2008 electioneering campaign hiding under the toga of being a simpleton maverick from a small town in the other America to which Mr. Obama did not belong.
Sarah Palin informed the world that it was alright with her and her ilk, if Laura Schlessinger uttered the N-word a million times on radio! Sarah Palin urged Laura Schlessing to do exactly that imploring Laura to reload her obnoxious racial pejoratives and profanities.
It has become clear since, that race relations appear to have worsened after the election of Mr. Obama. Race relations have been exacerbated and magnified, even as some have been saying already, that racism has ended and racists have all been disarmed. But from Sarah Palin, to Rush Limbaugh to Glenn Beck to Tea Party, it does appear that there are buyers’ remorse, afterthoughts and second thoughts about the very idea of Mr. Obama in the White House! There is so much that is being interjected into public debates which have nothing whatsoever to do with public policy difference, but rather, anger at the fact that Mr. Obama is president at all, in the first place. There are those who still insists that Mr. Obama is a Muslim or that he must publicly display and establish and prove his credentials as a bona fide Christian. Mr. Obama must wear the matter of his religion on his forehead, on his sleeves and public pronouncements?
Someone should whisper to Sarah Palin the fact that freedom of speech or the First Amendment Right does not permit gratuitous racism on public airwaves. The First Amendment does not protect anyone who shouts fire and cause a stampede in the absence of actual fire. Just as First Amendment does no permit Sarah Palin or Laura Schlessinger to be anti Semitic anymore than the First Amendments permits Laura and Sarah to offensively repeat an obnoxious word with pungent putrid history, well known to Sarah and Laura.
Laura Schlessinger came close to calling Sarah Palin an airhead when Palin was selected by Senator John McCain, as vice presidential nomination in 2008 Laura Schlessinger was quote as saying that "I'm stunned -- couldn't the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for vice president with McCain?" Sarah Palin is so oblivious and deviously ignorant to know the difference.
Even though both Palin and Laura Schlessinger are now parading and posturing as defenders of free speech, there have been an avalanche commentaries directed at them to repudiate their silly claims and their futile efforts at cloaking and shrouding their racism with First Amendment, Laura and Sarah clearly are misguided in their skewed interpretation of speech rights .
Laura Schlessinger was a syndicated radio talk show for a whopping 15 years featured or rebroadcast on 450 stations with 8.25 million listeners at her peak. And yet, she flagrantly and ineptly used a word pregnant with pejorative and toxic epithet. How is it that 15 years of hosting on radio did not teach Laura Schlessinger anything? And yet, she is the expert and guru in relationship and conflict management and resolution? Or, perhaps Laura Schlessinger cynically determined that it served her purpose or other purposes to knowingly disregard and intentionally disrespect a huge segment of the American population of which I am part? Schlessinger chose to convey that a big chunk of the American population be abused and offended and anticipate no consequences? What message was Laura Schlessinger intent on delivering to her listeners and the entire world?
Sarah Palin must refute, repudiate or “refudiate” her shout of encouragement to Laura Schlessinger’s insensitive repetitive use of the N-word. Sarah and Laura should purge themselves of bigotry and racism
Why did Laura Schlessinger chose to repeat the N-word so gratuitously, eleven whopping times a minute? She abused us thoughtlessly or recklessly, then apologize, is it because she was unaware of the severity of her own egregious misconduct? Would Laura Schlessinger tolerate anyone engaging in anti Semitism because she will accept an apology as discount? Laura Schlessinger made a calculated offensive, ugly, bigoted racist statements for which she will remain infamous. Her prejudice towards the Black race is without excuse, her epithets, her profanities repugnant and reprehensible. Sarah Palin and others who are actively encouraging her and equally guilty of racism and unpardonable bigotry and shameless prejudice directed Black people
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Sarah Palin is a racist as she is appallingly ignorant in the most palpable way, and worse, she advertises racism and extreme ignorance!
Sarah Palin has the constitutional right to be ignorant, but the issue is whether she must advertise her ignorance through repeated goofs and gaffes?
Sarah Palin injected herself into a debates about race and in the process, she has revealed herself as worse than David Duke and card carrying members of the Klu Klux Klan or KKK.
Sarah “Appalling” Palin, appallingly and egregiously egged on Laura Schlessinger as Schlessinger repeated a racial epithet and profanity over and over on public air waves or radio broadcast ad nauseam
It should be clear to all the world by now, that since the election of Mr. Barack Obama, race relations have clearly worsened in America.
It must be clear now that there are too many Americans who are expressing post election buyers’ remorse over the electoral triumph of Mr. Obama. Every debate since his inauguration has been about Mr. Osama’s “Otherness” He is Black or African American, He, does not wear his Christianity on his sleeve, quite unlike his predecessor Mr. Bush, whose domestic and foreign policies were directed by God herself!
Pew Research polls have indicated that a great number of Americans have latched on to this “otherness” about Mr. Obama, who is alternately a firebrand Christian of the Richard Wright fame and at once a fiery Muslim who needs to be outed by clever sleuths. Pew Research has just released a poll which points to these suspicions among a huge segment of the American population. Mr. Obama is Black, he is Muslim, he is Kenyan, he is not an American, he is not one of us. Help! There is a Negro in the White House!
It must recalled that Sarah Palin was one of those who engaged in corrosive and toxic political campaign against Mr. Obama during the 2008 elections campaign season. She used toxic and inflammatory words laden with acerbic innuendo, suggestive of the “otherness of Mr. Obama, who was portrayed as being from mars. Mr. Obama was at once a devout Christian with 20 years of membership in Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church in Chicago while simultaneously (magically) a Muslim?
Sarah Palin, this quitter former governor with “extensive foreign policy experience which is limited to she gleaned from her windows, observing Russia from her windows in Wasilla and Anchorage Alaska
Sarah Appalling Palin lost the election in November 2008, and since then, she has been an unforgiving sore loser, who have sought to re-litigate the issues over and over again! She injected so much negativity into the 2008 electioneering campaign hiding under the toga of being a simpleton maverick from a small town in the other America to which Mr. Obama did not belong.
Sarah Palin informed the world that it was alright with her and her ilk, if Laura Schlessinger uttered the N-word a million times on radio! Sarah Palin urged Laura Schlessing to do exactly that imploring Laura to reload her obnoxious racial pejoratives and profanities.
It has become clear since, that race relations appear to have worsened after the election of Mr. Obama. Race relations have been exacerbated and magnified, even as some have been saying already, that racism has ended and racists have all been disarmed. But from Sarah Palin, to Rush Limbaugh to Glenn Beck to Tea Party, it does appear that there are buyers’ remorse, afterthoughts and second thoughts about the very idea of Mr. Obama in the White House! There is so much that is being interjected into public debates which have nothing whatsoever to do with public policy difference, but rather, anger at the fact that Mr. Obama is president at all, in the first place. There are those who still insists that Mr. Obama is a Muslim or that he must publicly display and establish and prove his credentials as a bona fide Christian. Mr. Obama must wear the matter of his religion on his forehead, on his sleeves and public pronouncements?
Someone should whisper to Sarah Palin the fact that freedom of speech or the First Amendment Right does not permit gratuitous racism on public airwaves. The First Amendment does not protect anyone who shouts fire and cause a stampede in the absence of actual fire. Just as First Amendment does no permit Sarah Palin or Laura Schlessinger to be anti Semitic anymore than the First Amendments permits Laura and Sarah to offensively repeat an obnoxious word with pungent putrid history, well known to Sarah and Laura.
Laura Schlessinger came close to calling Sarah Palin an airhead when Palin was selected by Senator John McCain, as vice presidential nomination in 2008 Laura Schlessinger was quote as saying that "I'm stunned -- couldn't the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for vice president with McCain?" Sarah Palin is so oblivious and deviously ignorant to know the difference.
Even though both Palin and Laura Schlessinger are now parading and posturing as defenders of free speech, there have been an avalanche commentaries directed at them to repudiate their silly claims and their futile efforts at cloaking and shrouding their racism with First Amendment, Laura and Sarah clearly are misguided in their skewed interpretation of speech rights .
Laura Schlessinger was a syndicated radio talk show for a whopping 15 years featured or rebroadcast on 450 stations with 8.25 million listeners at her peak. And yet, she flagrantly and ineptly used a word pregnant with pejorative and toxic epithet. How is it that 15 years of hosting on radio did not teach Laura Schlessinger anything? And yet, she is the expert and guru in relationship and conflict management and resolution? Or, perhaps Laura Schlessinger cynically determined that it served her purpose or other purposes to knowingly disregard and intentionally disrespect a huge segment of the American population of which I am part? Schlessinger chose to convey that a big chunk of the American population be abused and offended and anticipate no consequences? What message was Laura Schlessinger intent on delivering to her listeners and the entire world?
Sarah Palin must refute, repudiate or “refudiate” her shout of encouragement to Laura Schlessinger’s insensitive repetitive use of the N-word. Sarah and Laura should purge themselves of bigotry and racism
Why did Laura Schlessinger chose to repeat the N-word so gratuitously, eleven whopping times a minute? She abused us thoughtlessly or recklessly, then apologize, is it because she was unaware of the severity of her own egregious misconduct? Would Laura Schlessinger tolerate anyone engaging in anti Semitism because she will accept an apology as discount? Laura Schlessinger made a calculated offensive, ugly, bigoted racist statements for which she will remain infamous. Her prejudice towards the Black race is without excuse, her epithets, her profanities repugnant and reprehensible. Sarah Palin and others who are actively encouraging her and equally guilty of racism and unpardonable bigotry and shameless prejudice directed Black people
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Israel Prepares To, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran?
Israel Prepares To, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran?
“We write to alert you to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. This would likely lead to a wider war.” The above is excerpted from the blunt and direct statement in a very recent memo written by Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) here in the United States
Is Third World War about to begin?
When will Israel bomb Iran and lead the world into a conflagration inferno and World War? When seems to be the only unanswered question, and not if Israel will bomb Iran. Planners of the proposed attacks on Iran are deluded in their beliefs that such attacks will come to pass without consequences! This sorts of thinking is based on an equally delusional and illogical that Arabs and Persians are deeply suspicious and distrustful of Iranian suzerainty, and so, they would conspire, connive, collude with attackers of Iran.
According to widely published and well circulated reports, Israel has named the nation of Iran as most probable epicenter of threat to Israelis very existence. Israel has therefore, scheduled Iran as a target unprovoked attacks, which Israel embellishes as preemptive strike against an existential threat; Iran is as such the designated ground zero of a forthcoming World War.
In articles to be published by Atlantic Monthly Magazine in September 2010, detailed plans were revealed variously by Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, Lew Brown and others elsewhere. “There's a "better than 50% chance" that Israel will bomb Iran's suspected nuclear facilities within a year, writes Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic.” An unprovoked attacks on Iran by Israel is contrary to Israel’s, America’s and the world’s best interests, long term.
Jeffrey Goldberg “reached the conclusion after interviews with dozens of current and former high-ranking Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, and doesn't think it's mere rhetoric. He lays out the most plausible scenario along with the potentially cataclysmic consequences—"it will dwarf Afghanistan in significance and complexity"—in his lengthy analysis.”
“Goldberg says this is more likely: "One day next spring, the Israeli national-security adviser, Uzi Arad, and the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, will simultaneously telephone their counterparts at the White House and the Pentagon, to inform them that their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has just ordered roughly one hundred F-15Es, F-16Is, F-16Cs, and other aircraft of the Israeli air force to fly east toward Iran."
And why should the world believe that America is an honest peace broker between Israel and its neighbors, particularly Palestine? Only a fool, a blind and deaf and dumb, it is, who fails to connect the arming of Israel with Israel’s arrogance and military power drunkenness. Israel is armed to the teeth in the most lopsided and disproportionate way in relation to its Arab and Persian neighbors, hence Israel is unwilling to negotiate and achieve through peace, what it can extort and procure through military force and obtain by wars! This is the factual evidence history of the intractable conflict between Israel on the one hand, and Palestine, all Arabs and Persians on the other hand; And now, Ehud Barak meet Barack Obama, win-win for Israel?
A group which calls itself Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, or VIPS, led by Ray McGovern, Larry Johnson, Patrick Lang, Colleen Rowley, and others, have alerted the world amidst these boast and beating of the chest by Israel and its American supporters. In a document titled a “Memorandum for President” with subject matter as “War With Iran” VIPS described as insane the attack against Iran as being contemplated openly by Israel.
VIPS wrote in the memo inter alia “We write to alert you to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. This would likely lead to a wider war.” “Israel’s leaders would calculate that once the battle is joined, it will be politically untenable for you to give anything less than unstinting support to Israel, no matter how the war started, and that U.S. troops and weaponry would flow freely. Wider war could eventually result in destruction of the state of Israel.” This is cynical manipulation of America by Israel and its supporters.
The obvious reasons being the apocalyptic and cataclysmic consequences of such an insane attack. The conception is insane and its execution will unleash biblical end-time catastrophes.
The fact is that a precipitous attack against Iran by Israel will quite likely lead the world to a precipice. This could be the onset of Third World War. Israel, the United States and their enabler Arab nations are about to inflict a major conflict of global proportions on all of us. Israel, the United States with some Arabs are overconfident that an attack on Iran, through an Israel invasion, would only be a limited war with precision weapons with which they will surgically bomb Iranian nuclear capabilities to smithereens!
In another article in connection with the reckless and irresponsible campaign for military attacks and invasion of Iran by Americans, Lew Brown echoed feelings which are shared by many; he wrote, “The Headline reads as some variation of: John Bolton (former US Envoy to the United Nations) Says that Israel has until the end of the week to bomb Iran.”
“A former U.S. official, no matter how poorly groomed or insane, calling for an act of way between two sovereign nations IS news-but not of the “Holy crap it’s the end of the world” variety—Unless you are an Iranian, of course.”
“The real news here is that Bolton is still acting as a lightening rod for increasing the scope of death and destruction in the Middle East. Preparations for the destruction of Iran have been going on for some time, continuing even up to today with the sale of F-35 Fighter Jets, Joint exercises with U.S. Marines and a now longstanding game plan for the destabilization and control of the Middle East with Israel at the center of power.”
So a former U.S. official and a “news” organization notorious for promoting an extremist position calling directly for Israel to strike Iran might not seem surprising or significant. Or it may seem criminal.”
It is clear from these rather careless talk about bombing Iran, that some are intent and adamant at leading the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and in effect, the entire world into a conflagration inferno. This lose talk about a surgical air strike against Iran, a lose talk which does not anticipate dire consequences, debacles, quagmires and even a World War, is pure lunacy on the part of those contemplating it!
We have been this way before, or have we not? American troops were supposed to be met with throngs and throngs of Iraqis dancing in the streets and throwing flower petals at the feet of American troops. Americans were assured that American troops will be hailed as heroes and liberators of Iraqi people. The invasion and occupation of Iraq was supposed to be precise and very brief. There were supposed to be mopping up operations one month after March 2003. Seven years have since elapsed.
This will be Mr. Obama’s war. Every dog is supposed to have its day. Perhaps a foreign war will stimulate the American economy or merely ingratiate defense contractors? Another war could also become a hydra headed quagmire and the last straw on the back of an empire already overextended financially and militarily?
All observant orthodox optimists are almost certain Israel will attack, strike and invade Iran sooner than later. And there are now spreading far and wide, louder and louder talk at dinner tables and even at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s birthday party recently!
America and Israel are of course advertises their democratic credentials ceaselessly, while simultaneously engaging in direct invasions and occupation and interventions and interferences in the affairs of sovereign nations, violating the territorial integrity of political independent states. America and Israel are both known for undermining other nations in Arabia and Persia. America’s CIA in cahoots with British MI5 subverted and overthrew a democratically elected government of Iran in 1953, while Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq, and in his place, a theocratic-autocratic Shah of Iran was installed as a puppet and pseudo monarch of western nation. Israel bombed Iraq in 1980s, Israel has attacked Lebanon, Syria, Egypt etc. America is still bogged down in Iraq.
America has a terrible legacy in Arabia and Persia. It is the United States, which subverted Iranian democracy, through a shortsighted unreasoned policy of expediency in 1953 and as result, created a Frankenstein Monster in Iran, and indeed, the entire Middle East with focus on the Persian Gulf.
“In 1953, Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq was overthrown by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-organized coup, in what has been called "a crucial turning point both in Iran's modern history and in U.S. Iran relations." Many Iranians argue that "the 1953 coup and the extensive U.S. support for the shah in subsequent years were largely responsible for the shah's arbitrary rule," which lead to the "deeply anti-American character" of the 1979 revolution”
“Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq began nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). Established by the British in the early 20th century, the company shared profits (85% for Britain, and 15% for Iran), but the company withheld their financial records from the Iranian government.”
“By 1951, Iranians supported nationalization of the AIOC, and Parliament unanimously agreed to nationalize its holding of, what was at the time, the British Empire’s largest company. The British retaliated with an embargo on Iranian oil, which was supported by international oil companies. Over the following months, negotiations over control and compensation for the oil were deadlocked, and Iran's economy deteriorated.”
..“The United States helped destabilize Mosaddeq on the theory that "rising internal tensions and continued deterioration ... might lead to a breakdown of government authority and open the way for at least a gradual assumption of control" Iran's well organized Tudeh communist party. In spring and summer 1953, the United States and Britain, through a covert operation of the CIA called Operation Ajax, conducted from the American Embassy in Tehran, helped organize a coup d'état to overthrow the Moussadeq government. The operation initially failed, and the Shah fled to Italy, but a second attempt succeeded, and Mosaddeq was imprisoned.”
This myopic and shortsighted American policy have been explained as just a matter of “geostrategic considerations, rather than a desire to destroy Mosaddeq's movement, to establish a dictatorship in Iran or to gain control over Iran's oil, that persuaded U.S. officials to undertake the coup”
As a result, U.S. role in orchestrating the coup and subversion of democracy in Iran in the 1953, and the perpetuation of a dictatorship headed by the Shah, many Iranians took the coup and the tyranny in its aftermath as evidence of a dramatic shift in American policy towards Iran, a shift in favor of autocracy and against democracy, the people or the electorate of Iran. The United States and Britain, for their purposes, overthrew a democracy, supported a tyrant and thereby undermined the will of the people of Iran. And the seed of anti Americanism was sown in Iran and it has, since then thrived on fertile soil of nationalism and religious extremism.
America supported Iraq and through Iraq, fought a proxy war against Iran in 1980s for almost ten years. The world is being told that Iran as a sovereign independent nation with territorial integrity, Iran is not entitled to self defense and deterrence! Even in the face of well publicized Israel’s stockpile of nuclear war heads! Arab nations, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are said to have acquiesced. These Arab nations are forever pliable to extremes by the United States. Additionally, they are jealous of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Iran’s desire to be at the head of the table in matters concerning Arab and Persian worlds.
There are loud arrogant giddy-gloating discussions now going on about Israel’s plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities and installations. And usually reliable sources insist that the United States is a willing accomplice, with nods and winks to Israel’s planned invasion and bombing of Iran. The fact of the matter is that Israel is an atom-nuclear weapons power through what Israel has maintained as “strategic ambiguity” a nonsensical and oxymoronic absurdity, if ever there was one! Israel openly defies the world and the United Nations regime of nonproliferation. But meanwhile, America leads the world in pretending that Iran is really the problem in the Middle East. Iran is being urged to hamstrung itself an be in a sort of unilateral disarmament, while Israel is allowed to retain and increase its stockpiles of atom-nuclear weapons in warheads, missiles etc. Iran nuclear success will bring a balance of terror or create the so-called mutually assured destruction deterrence regime of détente
The sad thing is that a majority of Arab political leaderships are undemocratic, autocratic and operates tyrannical theocracy, with support, encouragement and tacit approval of America, Britain and the entire western world. It is rarely the case that western governments make public argument for democracy, the rule of law, human rights, due process etc and elections when it concerns Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait etc meanwhile, western nations have demonstrated a burning and searing desire to dictate political outcomes in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iran etc. Western governments are blinded to the ills of the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait etc because these Arab governments are malleable-pliable to the whims and caprices of western governments. A majority of the governments in Arab and Persian nations are mere puppets on western strings.
In the circumstances, Iran remains the sole obstacle and the lone holdout against American and western nations takeover of control of Arab and Persian nations, hence the singular focus to decimate Iran. Iran is the next logical step in the obstacle course against Israel, American and western interests which will be served in an unmitigated manner, as soon as Iran is out of the way. Iran remains the only bulwark against western hegemony in Arabian and Persian Gulf region.
The elimination and domination of Iran will leave Israel as the sole “superpower” in the Middle East and that, will leave America interests and those its allies unhindered and unfettered.
Israel with American winks and nods are probably engaged is costly miscalculations in their delusional beliefs that Iran will be a walkover or a walk-in-the park attack, akin to, and essentially a replay of the unreeled attacks against Iraqi nuclear facilities in 1981. Israel and America etc are once again about to ignore unintended consequences of arrogant actions.
Iran will be attacked, Israel and America calculates that the current Iranian political leadership will be replaced or bedeviled with internal crisis and implosion, this is the crescendo of permutations by Israel and its supporter, if all things go as planned, or if all things are equal,; In the alternative, a hydra-headed Frankenstein will be born! And humanity will be worse for it, thanks to Israel and the United States?
Read more: http://www.newser.com/story/97852/israel-will-probably-attack-iran-within-a-year.html#ixzz0xMgWornU
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=Israel+Prepares+To%2C+Bomb%2C+Bomb%2C+Bomb+Iran%3F&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/vipstwelve.pdf
Written by Paul I. Adujie
“We write to alert you to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. This would likely lead to a wider war.” The above is excerpted from the blunt and direct statement in a very recent memo written by Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) here in the United States
Is Third World War about to begin?
When will Israel bomb Iran and lead the world into a conflagration inferno and World War? When seems to be the only unanswered question, and not if Israel will bomb Iran. Planners of the proposed attacks on Iran are deluded in their beliefs that such attacks will come to pass without consequences! This sorts of thinking is based on an equally delusional and illogical that Arabs and Persians are deeply suspicious and distrustful of Iranian suzerainty, and so, they would conspire, connive, collude with attackers of Iran.
According to widely published and well circulated reports, Israel has named the nation of Iran as most probable epicenter of threat to Israelis very existence. Israel has therefore, scheduled Iran as a target unprovoked attacks, which Israel embellishes as preemptive strike against an existential threat; Iran is as such the designated ground zero of a forthcoming World War.
In articles to be published by Atlantic Monthly Magazine in September 2010, detailed plans were revealed variously by Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, Lew Brown and others elsewhere. “There's a "better than 50% chance" that Israel will bomb Iran's suspected nuclear facilities within a year, writes Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic.” An unprovoked attacks on Iran by Israel is contrary to Israel’s, America’s and the world’s best interests, long term.
Jeffrey Goldberg “reached the conclusion after interviews with dozens of current and former high-ranking Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, and doesn't think it's mere rhetoric. He lays out the most plausible scenario along with the potentially cataclysmic consequences—"it will dwarf Afghanistan in significance and complexity"—in his lengthy analysis.”
“Goldberg says this is more likely: "One day next spring, the Israeli national-security adviser, Uzi Arad, and the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, will simultaneously telephone their counterparts at the White House and the Pentagon, to inform them that their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has just ordered roughly one hundred F-15Es, F-16Is, F-16Cs, and other aircraft of the Israeli air force to fly east toward Iran."
And why should the world believe that America is an honest peace broker between Israel and its neighbors, particularly Palestine? Only a fool, a blind and deaf and dumb, it is, who fails to connect the arming of Israel with Israel’s arrogance and military power drunkenness. Israel is armed to the teeth in the most lopsided and disproportionate way in relation to its Arab and Persian neighbors, hence Israel is unwilling to negotiate and achieve through peace, what it can extort and procure through military force and obtain by wars! This is the factual evidence history of the intractable conflict between Israel on the one hand, and Palestine, all Arabs and Persians on the other hand; And now, Ehud Barak meet Barack Obama, win-win for Israel?
A group which calls itself Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, or VIPS, led by Ray McGovern, Larry Johnson, Patrick Lang, Colleen Rowley, and others, have alerted the world amidst these boast and beating of the chest by Israel and its American supporters. In a document titled a “Memorandum for President” with subject matter as “War With Iran” VIPS described as insane the attack against Iran as being contemplated openly by Israel.
VIPS wrote in the memo inter alia “We write to alert you to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. This would likely lead to a wider war.” “Israel’s leaders would calculate that once the battle is joined, it will be politically untenable for you to give anything less than unstinting support to Israel, no matter how the war started, and that U.S. troops and weaponry would flow freely. Wider war could eventually result in destruction of the state of Israel.” This is cynical manipulation of America by Israel and its supporters.
The obvious reasons being the apocalyptic and cataclysmic consequences of such an insane attack. The conception is insane and its execution will unleash biblical end-time catastrophes.
The fact is that a precipitous attack against Iran by Israel will quite likely lead the world to a precipice. This could be the onset of Third World War. Israel, the United States and their enabler Arab nations are about to inflict a major conflict of global proportions on all of us. Israel, the United States with some Arabs are overconfident that an attack on Iran, through an Israel invasion, would only be a limited war with precision weapons with which they will surgically bomb Iranian nuclear capabilities to smithereens!
In another article in connection with the reckless and irresponsible campaign for military attacks and invasion of Iran by Americans, Lew Brown echoed feelings which are shared by many; he wrote, “The Headline reads as some variation of: John Bolton (former US Envoy to the United Nations) Says that Israel has until the end of the week to bomb Iran.”
“A former U.S. official, no matter how poorly groomed or insane, calling for an act of way between two sovereign nations IS news-but not of the “Holy crap it’s the end of the world” variety—Unless you are an Iranian, of course.”
“The real news here is that Bolton is still acting as a lightening rod for increasing the scope of death and destruction in the Middle East. Preparations for the destruction of Iran have been going on for some time, continuing even up to today with the sale of F-35 Fighter Jets, Joint exercises with U.S. Marines and a now longstanding game plan for the destabilization and control of the Middle East with Israel at the center of power.”
So a former U.S. official and a “news” organization notorious for promoting an extremist position calling directly for Israel to strike Iran might not seem surprising or significant. Or it may seem criminal.”
It is clear from these rather careless talk about bombing Iran, that some are intent and adamant at leading the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, and in effect, the entire world into a conflagration inferno. This lose talk about a surgical air strike against Iran, a lose talk which does not anticipate dire consequences, debacles, quagmires and even a World War, is pure lunacy on the part of those contemplating it!
We have been this way before, or have we not? American troops were supposed to be met with throngs and throngs of Iraqis dancing in the streets and throwing flower petals at the feet of American troops. Americans were assured that American troops will be hailed as heroes and liberators of Iraqi people. The invasion and occupation of Iraq was supposed to be precise and very brief. There were supposed to be mopping up operations one month after March 2003. Seven years have since elapsed.
This will be Mr. Obama’s war. Every dog is supposed to have its day. Perhaps a foreign war will stimulate the American economy or merely ingratiate defense contractors? Another war could also become a hydra headed quagmire and the last straw on the back of an empire already overextended financially and militarily?
All observant orthodox optimists are almost certain Israel will attack, strike and invade Iran sooner than later. And there are now spreading far and wide, louder and louder talk at dinner tables and even at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s birthday party recently!
America and Israel are of course advertises their democratic credentials ceaselessly, while simultaneously engaging in direct invasions and occupation and interventions and interferences in the affairs of sovereign nations, violating the territorial integrity of political independent states. America and Israel are both known for undermining other nations in Arabia and Persia. America’s CIA in cahoots with British MI5 subverted and overthrew a democratically elected government of Iran in 1953, while Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq, and in his place, a theocratic-autocratic Shah of Iran was installed as a puppet and pseudo monarch of western nation. Israel bombed Iraq in 1980s, Israel has attacked Lebanon, Syria, Egypt etc. America is still bogged down in Iraq.
America has a terrible legacy in Arabia and Persia. It is the United States, which subverted Iranian democracy, through a shortsighted unreasoned policy of expediency in 1953 and as result, created a Frankenstein Monster in Iran, and indeed, the entire Middle East with focus on the Persian Gulf.
“In 1953, Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq was overthrown by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-organized coup, in what has been called "a crucial turning point both in Iran's modern history and in U.S. Iran relations." Many Iranians argue that "the 1953 coup and the extensive U.S. support for the shah in subsequent years were largely responsible for the shah's arbitrary rule," which lead to the "deeply anti-American character" of the 1979 revolution”
“Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq began nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). Established by the British in the early 20th century, the company shared profits (85% for Britain, and 15% for Iran), but the company withheld their financial records from the Iranian government.”
“By 1951, Iranians supported nationalization of the AIOC, and Parliament unanimously agreed to nationalize its holding of, what was at the time, the British Empire’s largest company. The British retaliated with an embargo on Iranian oil, which was supported by international oil companies. Over the following months, negotiations over control and compensation for the oil were deadlocked, and Iran's economy deteriorated.”
..“The United States helped destabilize Mosaddeq on the theory that "rising internal tensions and continued deterioration ... might lead to a breakdown of government authority and open the way for at least a gradual assumption of control" Iran's well organized Tudeh communist party. In spring and summer 1953, the United States and Britain, through a covert operation of the CIA called Operation Ajax, conducted from the American Embassy in Tehran, helped organize a coup d'état to overthrow the Moussadeq government. The operation initially failed, and the Shah fled to Italy, but a second attempt succeeded, and Mosaddeq was imprisoned.”
This myopic and shortsighted American policy have been explained as just a matter of “geostrategic considerations, rather than a desire to destroy Mosaddeq's movement, to establish a dictatorship in Iran or to gain control over Iran's oil, that persuaded U.S. officials to undertake the coup”
As a result, U.S. role in orchestrating the coup and subversion of democracy in Iran in the 1953, and the perpetuation of a dictatorship headed by the Shah, many Iranians took the coup and the tyranny in its aftermath as evidence of a dramatic shift in American policy towards Iran, a shift in favor of autocracy and against democracy, the people or the electorate of Iran. The United States and Britain, for their purposes, overthrew a democracy, supported a tyrant and thereby undermined the will of the people of Iran. And the seed of anti Americanism was sown in Iran and it has, since then thrived on fertile soil of nationalism and religious extremism.
America supported Iraq and through Iraq, fought a proxy war against Iran in 1980s for almost ten years. The world is being told that Iran as a sovereign independent nation with territorial integrity, Iran is not entitled to self defense and deterrence! Even in the face of well publicized Israel’s stockpile of nuclear war heads! Arab nations, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are said to have acquiesced. These Arab nations are forever pliable to extremes by the United States. Additionally, they are jealous of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Iran’s desire to be at the head of the table in matters concerning Arab and Persian worlds.
There are loud arrogant giddy-gloating discussions now going on about Israel’s plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities and installations. And usually reliable sources insist that the United States is a willing accomplice, with nods and winks to Israel’s planned invasion and bombing of Iran. The fact of the matter is that Israel is an atom-nuclear weapons power through what Israel has maintained as “strategic ambiguity” a nonsensical and oxymoronic absurdity, if ever there was one! Israel openly defies the world and the United Nations regime of nonproliferation. But meanwhile, America leads the world in pretending that Iran is really the problem in the Middle East. Iran is being urged to hamstrung itself an be in a sort of unilateral disarmament, while Israel is allowed to retain and increase its stockpiles of atom-nuclear weapons in warheads, missiles etc. Iran nuclear success will bring a balance of terror or create the so-called mutually assured destruction deterrence regime of détente
The sad thing is that a majority of Arab political leaderships are undemocratic, autocratic and operates tyrannical theocracy, with support, encouragement and tacit approval of America, Britain and the entire western world. It is rarely the case that western governments make public argument for democracy, the rule of law, human rights, due process etc and elections when it concerns Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait etc meanwhile, western nations have demonstrated a burning and searing desire to dictate political outcomes in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iran etc. Western governments are blinded to the ills of the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait etc because these Arab governments are malleable-pliable to the whims and caprices of western governments. A majority of the governments in Arab and Persian nations are mere puppets on western strings.
In the circumstances, Iran remains the sole obstacle and the lone holdout against American and western nations takeover of control of Arab and Persian nations, hence the singular focus to decimate Iran. Iran is the next logical step in the obstacle course against Israel, American and western interests which will be served in an unmitigated manner, as soon as Iran is out of the way. Iran remains the only bulwark against western hegemony in Arabian and Persian Gulf region.
The elimination and domination of Iran will leave Israel as the sole “superpower” in the Middle East and that, will leave America interests and those its allies unhindered and unfettered.
Israel with American winks and nods are probably engaged is costly miscalculations in their delusional beliefs that Iran will be a walkover or a walk-in-the park attack, akin to, and essentially a replay of the unreeled attacks against Iraqi nuclear facilities in 1981. Israel and America etc are once again about to ignore unintended consequences of arrogant actions.
Iran will be attacked, Israel and America calculates that the current Iranian political leadership will be replaced or bedeviled with internal crisis and implosion, this is the crescendo of permutations by Israel and its supporter, if all things go as planned, or if all things are equal,; In the alternative, a hydra-headed Frankenstein will be born! And humanity will be worse for it, thanks to Israel and the United States?
Read more: http://www.newser.com/story/97852/israel-will-probably-attack-iran-within-a-year.html#ixzz0xMgWornU
http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=Israel+Prepares+To%2C+Bomb%2C+Bomb%2C+Bomb+Iran%3F&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/vipstwelve.pdf
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Muslims & Islam; Under Siege, Pressures In America, Still!
Muslims in America, and particularly in New York City, are under sustained barrages of attacks. The latest in the salvo, is the palpable fear . Some in America seem to be subscribing to the silliness, that those who are not Christians and not of our ethnic group, are not entirely human.
But,actually, when we devalue others, we devalue ourselves and all humanity.
American Muslims are afraid to celebrate the Ramadan at the end of this fasting season. Thousands of Muslims in America are now operating under fear of physical attacks. Thousands of Muslims have publicly express fears of attacks as reprisal for the September 11, 2001 acts 19 hijackers, which has been tied around the necks of the Islam and Muslims, and as such, the fasting season this year ends coincidentally on or about September 11, 2010.
American Muslims have expressed the fear that they may be accused of celebrating the anniversary of September 11, attacks. Some bigots have already accused Muslims of celebrating and gloating by planning to build this much talked about Islamic Cultural Center in the general neighborhood of Ground Zero
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Fareed Zakaria a renowned journalist, and now, President Barack Obama has joined the many voices confronting the upsurge of Islamophobia in America, very courageously!
Museum of tolerance just opened up a museum of irony, because it is against Mosque near ground zero. It is quite an irony that an entity which styles itself as an Anti Defamation League, has joined the bandwagon of bigots, fear-mongers and campaigners of calumny against efforts to build an Islamic Center, Mosque and religious-cultural center.
It is exceedingly clear that a huge chunk or large segment of the American public are stridently opposed to Islam. Too many Americans now exhibit overall hostility to Islam, in many states, the construction of new mosques, Islamic centers, renovations, and expansions are receiving vehement resistance, Jewish group the so-called Anti Defamation League, Religious Liberty Commission of the Baptist Convention are opposing mosques, how do you defend religious freedom and freedom of worship, but oppose mosques?
Would American be having this conversation if a synagogue or a Catholic church was being contemplated for a few blocs from Ground Zero?. It is clear that some think Islam is not an American religion and as such, does not deserve same or identical protection as other so-called mainstream American religions
The now controversial mosque in New York is not across, adjacent or close to Ground Zero as is being alleged. It is actually a considerable distance from the swath of city neighborhood which was labeled and dubbed the so-called Ground Zero. The emotions surrounding this swath of land, has delayed rebuilding and rebirth in the aftermath of September 11. Wouldn’t rebuilding and rebounding with even more extraordinary edifices and monuments, larger, taller and grander, be a better way to prove a point? But emotions have since stalled, stymied and stunted pace of rebuilding on Ground Zero. Does this all mean that if I owned a private property on 51 Park Place, I could not sell to whomever I want? Or that I could not use my piece of land in the general neighborhood for any purpose, so long as it is not illegal? The truth of the matter is that, there is a church directly opposite Ground Zero! All Christians are saints?
President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg, Fareed Zakaria and many others are right to take respectful offense at the suggestion, and these selectively invoked outrage, by some, that, of one group, ignore the feelings of other groups. Why is it okay to pick on Muslims in connection with building this mosque? The truth is that there has always been a mosque in this same exact neighborhood now being claimed as mosque and Islam free zone in this very religious, culturally diverse plural and multicultural New York City
Why do some want to generalize about Muslims and Islam, merely because of the acts of a few? If this prejudice and bigotry being demonstrated against Islam and its adherents is not hypocritical and illogical, why don’t we apply the same logic and rules to Timothy McVeigh Christianity and its adherents subsequent to the Oklahoma City bombing? Why haven’t American generalize against Christians and Christianity after the dastardly acts of the Reverend Jim Jones or David Koresh? Americans of Japanese descent should not be allowed to live near Pearl Harbor, Sinto Shrine 3 miles away from Pearl Harbor.
Shall we ostracize members of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski or Joseph Stack who flew a plane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Texas this year. What shall we do to all Catholics? In view of the fact that pedophile Catholic priests raped and defiled and sexually molested hundreds of thousands of innocent children worldwide! We must we show selective righteous indignation and outrage against the behavior of some Muslim extreme, and then, wage a worldwide crusade against Islam and Muslims, but, we are splendidly uninterested and unwilling to apply the same illogical generalizations against Christians? The truth is, the fact is, the evidence is, all things considered, history reflects Christians or persons who profess Christianity, have caused and inflicted more horrors and brutalities on the human race, and yet, I am not quite willing to generalize against ALL those who profess or claim to be devout Christian. Not all those who claim to be Christians are good Christians, similarly, of course, so it goes, that not all those who claim to be Muslims are good Muslims. Additionally, it has to be said that there are virtues and vices in all humans and in all religions worldwide. Those Christians who claim otherwise, should quit their hypocrisy and holier than thou sanctimony!
We cannot and should not, must not, set a different standard or rules for American Muslims, to which American Jews, American Christians are not similarly subjected. Those who perpetuated slavery, colonialism and apartheid are “devout” Christians and so are those brought about the First and Second World Wars. And the sexed up lies and deceits and canards which led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the consequent deaths, maiming of hundreds of thousands, and the displacement of millions by the ongoing conflicts and conflagration in Iraq. Christians are the ones causing “collateral damage” with predator drones in civilian populated zones in Afghanistan, so, why must we selectively target and generalize against Islam and Muslims? Why must anyone pretend that it is right to punish a billion Muslims for the sins of a few extremists? Why must anyone pretend that is good policy to ignore the root causes of anger in the Muslim world anyway? Is it blood lust or there are root causes for animosity and chasms?
Since September 11, 2001, 140 Muslims have been accused and or tried for terrorism or activities related to terrorism. The American government as such has played a dominant role in stereotyping Muslims as terrorists, This is identical to the Red Scare during the Cold War era and McCarthyism in which anyone with liberal views were regarded as socialist communists and were hounded, among them, German Americans, Italian Americans and of course, the much maligned African Americans
When a hospital has a prayer room is it a church? Or why the fear-mongering about the fact that the planned Islamic Cultural Center will be huge and have a mosque within?
There are Jewish Centers in New York City which have prayer space such as 92nd Street Y, and the so-called Ground Zero Mosque is actually an Islamic Cultural and Community Center with prayer space
The fact is that many Muslims died during the World Trade Center. And there were Muslims who were part of the rescuers and firs responders after the attack at the World Trade Center. There should be churches, synagogue built in lower Manhattan, but, the area should be mosque free zone, this is Islamophobia to single out mosque and Islam. Quite ironically, Rich Lazio and members of his Republican Party are the underbelly vested in promoting anti Islam unreasoned emotionalism. This is particularly shameful, given the fact that the Republican Party and its Siamese religious conservatives are usually predictably pro-God, but, all of a sudden, religion, is the enemy, when it comes to Islam and Muslims? There are so many Republican Party members who are fanning the embers of hatred and bigotry, as they seek to make political hays out of this debate about a mosque, Islam and Muslims. These Republican Party members are seeking to exploit the debate for purely political benefits, and so, they have made very inflammatory comments to exacerbate the emotions on all sides of the debate!
Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York City and Fareed Zakaria, a world renown journalist are men of courage. In the face of anti Islam and anti Muslims protests in New York City in opposition to the proposed Mosque and Islamic Center in Manhattan, these two public figure have tackled bigots and hecklers who are deploying inappropriate language and attitudes to oppose and prevent the building of a Mosque and in Islamic Center. The flimsy and fuzzy arguments are hinged on the fact that the proposed monument is too close to World Trade Center or Ground Zero the epicenter of the specter of attacks on September 11, 2001
Mayor Bloomberg in a straight forward manner, condemned and denounced those who have exhibited so much prejudices and bigotries in their opposition against the Islamic Center and Mosque project. Mayor Bloomberg told these acerbic opponents where to shove their unconstitutional attacks on other peoples right to worship. He gave wise counsel as to why no one should impinge and burden the rights of others to worship their holies and whatever each of us consider sacred
Fareed Zakaria, that international journalist of Newsweek Magazine and Cable News Network fame, in a similar vein, return an award which he previous received from Anti Defamation League, a Jewish organization. As he could not reconcile their avowed posture of Anti Discrimination with the very fact that their opposition to the Islamic Center Mosque project is the epitome of hypocrisy and the height of discrimination in the most egregious forms!
As it turns out, the US government, through the state department has used and continues to use the Imam behind the Cordoba Mosque and Islamic Center. Mosque project predates September 11, 2001 which is now seen as monument to terrorism. But the truth of the matter is, the imam behind this project is actually known as bridge builders. As if Muslims are not Americans or were not among the victims of September 11, 2001
America’s self avowed and self professed ideals are being put to the severest of tests. This shrill shouting against Islam and Muslims’ freedom of worship and choice, the stridency and vehemence, betrays the hypocrisy of much advertised tolerance, equality, freedom and liberty etc. Only today, The New York Times reported that the government of the United States plans to ease up on, decades old travel restrictions against Americans with wishes to travel to Cuba. Many eye opening comments followed the news reports among which are two excerpts reproduced in quotes here; 1.“Granting Americans the freedom to travel anywhere they want should sound paradoxical in a country inebriated with the words liberty and freedom. This would sound familiar to Southern Blacks who until recently - in the land of the free - could not choose which bathroom to go to, which part of the bus to sit in, or which fountain to drink from.”
2. “It's about time the travel restrictions were lifted. Maybe the reason for preventing our free citizens from traveling to Cuba is that we might find that what we have been told about that country has all been nonsense.”
“But even if all of it has been true, so what. We were allowed to travel to South Africa during Apartheid. We're allowed to go to China today, and even now their human rights record is atrocious. We can go to Saudi Arabia, just ask any woman how they're treated there. We can go to Israel, and there's oppression every day every way there. It seems to me that whatever the regime in Cuba may be guilty of, it pales in comparison with what we tolerate elsewhere.”
“To allow their alleged injustices as rationale to prevent my travel there to be credible, the same criteria should be applied around the world, but it isn't. As a free citizen of the United States I should be free to travel where I wish. Right now I wish to travel to Cuba but I am not free to do so, and that means I am not really free. Fidel and Raul are not the ones restricting my freedom in this case, and they are not the ones restricting yours either”
Similarly, Muslims in America, particularly in New York, are under sustained barrages of attacks. The latest in the salvo, is the palpable fear, hypocrisy motivated and engineered by bigotry and prejudice
Some in America seem to be subscribing to the silliness, that those who are not Christians and not of our ethnic group, are not entirely human! In America, we are so inebriated with words such as freedom, liberty, equality. We are so quick to claim to be mother and grandmother of constitutional equality and due process etc, and yet, a New York City Zoning Board has determined that this planned Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque does not infringe upon any zoning rules, no infractions whatsoever! So what exactly seem to be the problem? Bigotry? Prejudice? Discrimination?
We should stop demonizing Islam and Muslims
Written by Paul I. Adujie
But,actually, when we devalue others, we devalue ourselves and all humanity.
American Muslims are afraid to celebrate the Ramadan at the end of this fasting season. Thousands of Muslims in America are now operating under fear of physical attacks. Thousands of Muslims have publicly express fears of attacks as reprisal for the September 11, 2001 acts 19 hijackers, which has been tied around the necks of the Islam and Muslims, and as such, the fasting season this year ends coincidentally on or about September 11, 2010.
American Muslims have expressed the fear that they may be accused of celebrating the anniversary of September 11, attacks. Some bigots have already accused Muslims of celebrating and gloating by planning to build this much talked about Islamic Cultural Center in the general neighborhood of Ground Zero
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Fareed Zakaria a renowned journalist, and now, President Barack Obama has joined the many voices confronting the upsurge of Islamophobia in America, very courageously!
Museum of tolerance just opened up a museum of irony, because it is against Mosque near ground zero. It is quite an irony that an entity which styles itself as an Anti Defamation League, has joined the bandwagon of bigots, fear-mongers and campaigners of calumny against efforts to build an Islamic Center, Mosque and religious-cultural center.
It is exceedingly clear that a huge chunk or large segment of the American public are stridently opposed to Islam. Too many Americans now exhibit overall hostility to Islam, in many states, the construction of new mosques, Islamic centers, renovations, and expansions are receiving vehement resistance, Jewish group the so-called Anti Defamation League, Religious Liberty Commission of the Baptist Convention are opposing mosques, how do you defend religious freedom and freedom of worship, but oppose mosques?
Would American be having this conversation if a synagogue or a Catholic church was being contemplated for a few blocs from Ground Zero?. It is clear that some think Islam is not an American religion and as such, does not deserve same or identical protection as other so-called mainstream American religions
The now controversial mosque in New York is not across, adjacent or close to Ground Zero as is being alleged. It is actually a considerable distance from the swath of city neighborhood which was labeled and dubbed the so-called Ground Zero. The emotions surrounding this swath of land, has delayed rebuilding and rebirth in the aftermath of September 11. Wouldn’t rebuilding and rebounding with even more extraordinary edifices and monuments, larger, taller and grander, be a better way to prove a point? But emotions have since stalled, stymied and stunted pace of rebuilding on Ground Zero. Does this all mean that if I owned a private property on 51 Park Place, I could not sell to whomever I want? Or that I could not use my piece of land in the general neighborhood for any purpose, so long as it is not illegal? The truth of the matter is that, there is a church directly opposite Ground Zero! All Christians are saints?
President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg, Fareed Zakaria and many others are right to take respectful offense at the suggestion, and these selectively invoked outrage, by some, that, of one group, ignore the feelings of other groups. Why is it okay to pick on Muslims in connection with building this mosque? The truth is that there has always been a mosque in this same exact neighborhood now being claimed as mosque and Islam free zone in this very religious, culturally diverse plural and multicultural New York City
Why do some want to generalize about Muslims and Islam, merely because of the acts of a few? If this prejudice and bigotry being demonstrated against Islam and its adherents is not hypocritical and illogical, why don’t we apply the same logic and rules to Timothy McVeigh Christianity and its adherents subsequent to the Oklahoma City bombing? Why haven’t American generalize against Christians and Christianity after the dastardly acts of the Reverend Jim Jones or David Koresh? Americans of Japanese descent should not be allowed to live near Pearl Harbor, Sinto Shrine 3 miles away from Pearl Harbor.
Shall we ostracize members of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski or Joseph Stack who flew a plane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Texas this year. What shall we do to all Catholics? In view of the fact that pedophile Catholic priests raped and defiled and sexually molested hundreds of thousands of innocent children worldwide! We must we show selective righteous indignation and outrage against the behavior of some Muslim extreme, and then, wage a worldwide crusade against Islam and Muslims, but, we are splendidly uninterested and unwilling to apply the same illogical generalizations against Christians? The truth is, the fact is, the evidence is, all things considered, history reflects Christians or persons who profess Christianity, have caused and inflicted more horrors and brutalities on the human race, and yet, I am not quite willing to generalize against ALL those who profess or claim to be devout Christian. Not all those who claim to be Christians are good Christians, similarly, of course, so it goes, that not all those who claim to be Muslims are good Muslims. Additionally, it has to be said that there are virtues and vices in all humans and in all religions worldwide. Those Christians who claim otherwise, should quit their hypocrisy and holier than thou sanctimony!
We cannot and should not, must not, set a different standard or rules for American Muslims, to which American Jews, American Christians are not similarly subjected. Those who perpetuated slavery, colonialism and apartheid are “devout” Christians and so are those brought about the First and Second World Wars. And the sexed up lies and deceits and canards which led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the consequent deaths, maiming of hundreds of thousands, and the displacement of millions by the ongoing conflicts and conflagration in Iraq. Christians are the ones causing “collateral damage” with predator drones in civilian populated zones in Afghanistan, so, why must we selectively target and generalize against Islam and Muslims? Why must anyone pretend that it is right to punish a billion Muslims for the sins of a few extremists? Why must anyone pretend that is good policy to ignore the root causes of anger in the Muslim world anyway? Is it blood lust or there are root causes for animosity and chasms?
Since September 11, 2001, 140 Muslims have been accused and or tried for terrorism or activities related to terrorism. The American government as such has played a dominant role in stereotyping Muslims as terrorists, This is identical to the Red Scare during the Cold War era and McCarthyism in which anyone with liberal views were regarded as socialist communists and were hounded, among them, German Americans, Italian Americans and of course, the much maligned African Americans
When a hospital has a prayer room is it a church? Or why the fear-mongering about the fact that the planned Islamic Cultural Center will be huge and have a mosque within?
There are Jewish Centers in New York City which have prayer space such as 92nd Street Y, and the so-called Ground Zero Mosque is actually an Islamic Cultural and Community Center with prayer space
The fact is that many Muslims died during the World Trade Center. And there were Muslims who were part of the rescuers and firs responders after the attack at the World Trade Center. There should be churches, synagogue built in lower Manhattan, but, the area should be mosque free zone, this is Islamophobia to single out mosque and Islam. Quite ironically, Rich Lazio and members of his Republican Party are the underbelly vested in promoting anti Islam unreasoned emotionalism. This is particularly shameful, given the fact that the Republican Party and its Siamese religious conservatives are usually predictably pro-God, but, all of a sudden, religion, is the enemy, when it comes to Islam and Muslims? There are so many Republican Party members who are fanning the embers of hatred and bigotry, as they seek to make political hays out of this debate about a mosque, Islam and Muslims. These Republican Party members are seeking to exploit the debate for purely political benefits, and so, they have made very inflammatory comments to exacerbate the emotions on all sides of the debate!
Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York City and Fareed Zakaria, a world renown journalist are men of courage. In the face of anti Islam and anti Muslims protests in New York City in opposition to the proposed Mosque and Islamic Center in Manhattan, these two public figure have tackled bigots and hecklers who are deploying inappropriate language and attitudes to oppose and prevent the building of a Mosque and in Islamic Center. The flimsy and fuzzy arguments are hinged on the fact that the proposed monument is too close to World Trade Center or Ground Zero the epicenter of the specter of attacks on September 11, 2001
Mayor Bloomberg in a straight forward manner, condemned and denounced those who have exhibited so much prejudices and bigotries in their opposition against the Islamic Center and Mosque project. Mayor Bloomberg told these acerbic opponents where to shove their unconstitutional attacks on other peoples right to worship. He gave wise counsel as to why no one should impinge and burden the rights of others to worship their holies and whatever each of us consider sacred
Fareed Zakaria, that international journalist of Newsweek Magazine and Cable News Network fame, in a similar vein, return an award which he previous received from Anti Defamation League, a Jewish organization. As he could not reconcile their avowed posture of Anti Discrimination with the very fact that their opposition to the Islamic Center Mosque project is the epitome of hypocrisy and the height of discrimination in the most egregious forms!
As it turns out, the US government, through the state department has used and continues to use the Imam behind the Cordoba Mosque and Islamic Center. Mosque project predates September 11, 2001 which is now seen as monument to terrorism. But the truth of the matter is, the imam behind this project is actually known as bridge builders. As if Muslims are not Americans or were not among the victims of September 11, 2001
America’s self avowed and self professed ideals are being put to the severest of tests. This shrill shouting against Islam and Muslims’ freedom of worship and choice, the stridency and vehemence, betrays the hypocrisy of much advertised tolerance, equality, freedom and liberty etc. Only today, The New York Times reported that the government of the United States plans to ease up on, decades old travel restrictions against Americans with wishes to travel to Cuba. Many eye opening comments followed the news reports among which are two excerpts reproduced in quotes here; 1.“Granting Americans the freedom to travel anywhere they want should sound paradoxical in a country inebriated with the words liberty and freedom. This would sound familiar to Southern Blacks who until recently - in the land of the free - could not choose which bathroom to go to, which part of the bus to sit in, or which fountain to drink from.”
2. “It's about time the travel restrictions were lifted. Maybe the reason for preventing our free citizens from traveling to Cuba is that we might find that what we have been told about that country has all been nonsense.”
“But even if all of it has been true, so what. We were allowed to travel to South Africa during Apartheid. We're allowed to go to China today, and even now their human rights record is atrocious. We can go to Saudi Arabia, just ask any woman how they're treated there. We can go to Israel, and there's oppression every day every way there. It seems to me that whatever the regime in Cuba may be guilty of, it pales in comparison with what we tolerate elsewhere.”
“To allow their alleged injustices as rationale to prevent my travel there to be credible, the same criteria should be applied around the world, but it isn't. As a free citizen of the United States I should be free to travel where I wish. Right now I wish to travel to Cuba but I am not free to do so, and that means I am not really free. Fidel and Raul are not the ones restricting my freedom in this case, and they are not the ones restricting yours either”
Similarly, Muslims in America, particularly in New York, are under sustained barrages of attacks. The latest in the salvo, is the palpable fear, hypocrisy motivated and engineered by bigotry and prejudice
Some in America seem to be subscribing to the silliness, that those who are not Christians and not of our ethnic group, are not entirely human! In America, we are so inebriated with words such as freedom, liberty, equality. We are so quick to claim to be mother and grandmother of constitutional equality and due process etc, and yet, a New York City Zoning Board has determined that this planned Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque does not infringe upon any zoning rules, no infractions whatsoever! So what exactly seem to be the problem? Bigotry? Prejudice? Discrimination?
We should stop demonizing Islam and Muslims
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Nigeria: A Ridiculed Mother?
Nigeria: A Ridiculed Mother?
It is very gratifying, to read that some Nigerians, who have created a cottage industry, and a niche market, in their virulent criticisms of Nigeria, are also patriots! So, even those whose profession it seems, is to ridicule Nigeria ceaselessly, at every opportunity, now say that they too, are patriots and that they love Nigeria? Those who have been mauling, pummeling and pulverizing Nigeria, are now claiming patriotism as their excuses? So, these persons who engage in destructive criticisms of Nigeria are now claiming that they too, are patriots? Should their pronouncements and actions not speak and demonstrate their patriotisms? Virulent criticism is intimidation and blackmail! And not love!
However, I am happy to learn of these reaffirmations patriotism and love for Nigeria, even by those, whose destructive and ridiculing criticisms of Nigeria, have left the rest us to wonder about their faith in Nigeria, and Nigeria's eventual outcome. It cannot be, and, it should not be, that acerbic, bellicose and caustic criticisms are the only way to show our Nigerian-ness, our dedication and commitment to Nigeria's cause!
Isn't it ironic? Quite like saying the use of damaging advertising is the only way to make a manufacturer improve its product, by instilling quality control? Or, is not like hoping that bad advertising and the ridiculing of a company's product, is the best and, only way, to ensure that a company makes good and desirable product? Particularly, egregious, I think, is this sorts of logic, when, as in this case, those doing the damaging advertising, are shareholders and employees of the manufacturer of the product, for which enhancements and improvements are being sought! How can this be logical to anyone?
When I write about Nigeria, often I have argued and I will continue to argue, that, you cannot advertise that you mother is the worst cook, because if you do, you should be certain, that you will eat alone! As any of your attempt to sell or even give your mother's cooking to others, will meet with resistance! This is because most reasonable persons are highly likely to believe your scalding assessment of your mother's cooking skills. People will understandably rely on your critique of your mom's cooking abilities, because it will be assumed that you are fair and objective about your mother, especially that you have had opportunities to sample her cooking over time, and ordinarily, most persons in the world, would probably say, their moms are the best cooks! You would eat alone, please eat alone if you lack finesse, and announce on NTA that your mother is the worst cook on earth!
Those who are pessimistic and cynical about Nigeria, seem to think that they deserve national and international awards for their negative general dispositions towards Nigeria, even while they insist that those, who are optimistic and forward looking are naïve, stupid and mere sycophants or opportunists!When and where does patriotism and loving Nigeria begin? It is the case that Nigerian leaderships, good or not so good, arise from the citizenry. Angelic citizen would not become a satanic president or governor, senator etc. There is not magic pill or tablet to turn a satanic citizen, into a sudden angelic president, governor or what have you.
It is safe to say, that our lack of love for Nigeria, the absence of patriotism toward Nigeria, and the loss of desire to protect and preserve Nigeria, rises from the citizenry to the top, be it political leadership, economic/corporate leadership or even religious leaderships. A lack of patriotism and love for Nigeria should therefore be seen as not transcendental, as the same virus transcends and permeates all sectors. A bad church-congregant may then become a bad pastor as a bad mosque-goers may become a bad imam. Churches or Mosques do not import persons from other faiths to lead it. So, if you hear of a bad political leader, a bad corporate leader, a bad religious leader, think of the general society from whence they all come. Good citizens? Good leaders! Leaders are us! Where do our political leaders come from, if not from the citizenry? Or why is corruption rampant in every state, level, almost every state?
Some Nigerians are quick to quote William Samuel Johnson to support their unfeeling and unwarranted denigration of Nigeria, they are quick spout and, quote " Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." OK, I am a patriot and a scoundrel, but what should we call traitors, blackmailers and those who lampoon and ridicule Nigeria? I am parodied and denigrated as a scoundrel, because of my very purposeful stridency in advocating patriotism and love for Nigeria. I will wear the scoundrel badge and label, as an honor! Nigerians must not think of patriotism or love for Nigeria, only in terms of benefits! Nigerians must, as well, consider duty, sacrifice and service to Nigeria. After all, we know that Americans who are homeless and in abject poverty, still love America. We know that American troops being slaughtered in the needless Iraq war, are still patriotic despite Bush Most Americans are patriotic, even when, and if, they despise the government of the day!
Survivors in New Orleans's Hurricane Katrina calamities still love America. African Americans who have been historically treated, as if, subhuman, visited with racism, discriminations and egregious segregations, are still in love and patriotic in America! Nigerians who do not love Nigeria, or have not thought of patriotism, all seem like bad workmen, they quarrel with their tools for poor quality work. Nigerians who have not demonstrated patriotism or love for Nigeria now say, it is only because Nigeria has not given them heaven, gold, diamond and oil blocks! What comes first, love or its rewards? Patriotism or love defy mathematical calculations and apportionments, how would a Nigerian calculate the patriotism of a gallant Nigerian soldier, who makes the supreme sacrifice with his life serving Nigeria, compare a soldier's life to a wheelchair-bound paraplegic/ quadriplegic, both, with professed love for Nigeria. How much is their lives worth, how many oil blocks, gold or diamond and Naira should each receive?
Most of those who ridicule Nigeria, actually received free or near-free education from primary to university degree levels or received scholarship to come overseas and they never returned or gave back to our society, any returns on Nigeria’s investment in them!
Please use any search engine to reach more on patriotism in these links here provided. I Love Nigeria!; Just Because!
Too many Nigerians complain and whine endlessly about the Nigerian condition.
Who wants a guy who is always whining and grumbling as some Nigerians are? What sane person wants toxic company not me! Stop cursing the darkness, light a candle please! Critics of Nigeria should cease and desist from insisting that, conditions in Nigeria and, Nigeria herself, are irredeemably bad. See Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (UNPLUGGED)!
To continue to portray Nigeria as hopeless is the moral equivalents, of repeatedly scolding a child with a self-fulfilling prophecy of, you will never amount to anything, it is debilitating and demoralizing curse, no child should hear, even a juvenile delinquent! I am all for criticizing a child's or anyone's failings, it helps to shape focus. I will admonish a child and recommend that he become focused, vigorous and tenacious in his efforts. I will also find positive reinforcements periodically.
I will advise a child and state the things, in my opinion, he must do to succeed in life, and things that must be so done, and done urgently. I will emphasize to the child, that it is monumentally unwise, to neglect crucially important and significant things that must be done, timely or urgently. Emphasize the things that must be done better. I will never tell a child that he is useless and the worst of all children, that ridiculing and unhelpful!
In real life, we know for instance that there are those who think people of the African continent inferior in intellect to them. Saul Bellow once rejected the advocacy for diversity and political correctness by demanding that Africans show him Africa's equivalents of Shakespeare, Mozart etc. But we all know that Africans have literature, dance and music, we all know that Africans have conversations without English or French. We all know that Africans can sing and dance without Mozart and Beethoven. We all know that Africans have stories of their own lives, of the scenic hills, mountains and valleys and fairy tales. Do we need a Shakespeare to prove these?
But there are people who believe that Africans have had no contributions to human development and human history, all this from those, who metaphorically have, copyrighted hatred for Africans and peoples of African descent. Those who are, all too happy, to think Africans inferior, the Klu Klux Klan and White Supremacy organizations and some regular everyday non-Africans, who think of Africans, as non-humans or subhuman. What I find quite gulling therefore, is when Africans or persons of African descent tend to, seem to, lend credence and support to what the KKK and other anti Africans and peoples of African descent say of us. We have no sustainable social political and economic structures they allege. We are irredeemable they add. These Africans then lend a scintilla of authority and legitimacy, to assertions of our supposed inferiority. Well, superior people may not denigrate themselves! Or support the assertions, wittingly or unwittingly, of opponents!
Nowadays, it is quite common to find “the” George Ayittey in many African intellectuals. They are too quick, too eager, to be critical and brutal, in the "analyses" of things African! They are too quick to say we are irredeemably corrupt. As they shout, Do not give foreign aid to Africa! Do not cancel debts owed by Africans, debts that spurious debts in the first place!
Nowadays, we have Africans who frequently call on the "international community" to “govern” Nigeria or take over Nigeria's internal affairs. We have analytical Nigerian professor of chemical engineering, articulate Nigerian professor of literature and eloquent Nigerian professor of history etc, all in American universities, who are all too quick to deploy their intellects, professional and social connections, to the corrosive criticisms of Nigeria. Why wouldn’t these Nigerians deploy their talents and creativities positively, for the service of Nigeria? Why is it that, we seem to only find Nigerians like these who are eager to condemn Nigerian in most high profile manner? They always manage to surface! One Hundred Concerned Nigerians Abroad? is an example of this service in reverse for our motherland.
Clearly, it should be understood by all that I am not against constructive criticism; But, I am against ridicule! I have argued and will continue to argue that we should rejoice in Nigeria and our Nigerian-ness. We should inspire and support Nigerians and Nigeria. A country can only become great and remain great, when the citizens rejoice in her. Nigeria is not perfect, I understand this, for some, the field is greener everywhere right now, but in Nigeria. The truth however is, greener pastures or real and perceived conditions in countries, can be like, what a neighbors think they see of other neighbors. For instance, a dissatisfied house wife might think a neighbor's wife luckier than she is, because the neighbor's wife's husband is handsome and drives a new car, but unbeknownst to wife, neighbor's husband may be a wife abuser, physically and mentally. Neighbor's husband's car, may actually have an engine problem, despite its newness in appearance.
A cavorting neighbor husband of an overweight wife, may admire a his neighbor's beautiful and trim wife, but, unbeknownst to cavorting husband, neighbor's wife, has multiple personalities, despite her outward prettiness! And what is worse, she is a nag! A nagging wife that has stressed her husband to a few adverse cardiac events! I am glad that we are finally having this conversation about patriotism and Nigeria. For a while, it, "patriotism" was a no-go-area of political discourse amongst too many Nigerians. It was "understood" by many to be a non-discussable-transaction, some find it quite offensive and it was a relationship, friendship and conversation breaker for too many! Patriotism, to too many Nigerians, was a dirty word! It was the ultimate insult!
A patriotism debate now, suggests that we are thinking, analyzing, and re-examining where we Nigerians stand in relation to our country, do we love Nigeria? Do Nigerians show love and enough love for Nigeria? Do Nigerians demonstrate patriotism? Must criticisms be the only sure way to show our affection for, and toward Nigeria? Is condemning your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog etc the only way to seek improvement in their behaviors? Has unfriendly, harsh and damning criticisms worked for Nigeria? Is it time to modify or change tactics altogether Nigeria’s National Interests: A Moratorium And Change Of Tactics perhaps? I recognize the value of corrections, we all make mistakes hence all pencils come with erasers. I therefore quite understand the value constructive, as opposed to destructive, disabling and ridiculing criticism and purveyors, the critics.
I do not believe in flag burning, despite the right and freedom to do so. Those who would burn a national flag and denigrate their country's flag claim and argue that they do so out of sheer love, as they demonstrate symbolically, their profusion of patriotism in a “blaze“. But we still must wonder about those other citizens of same country, who continue to fly, wave and glorify the same flag! This is the real blaze of glory! Loving our country is similar to the overwhelming ramifications the elimination of corruption would have on our society. Achieving both, will improve our society tremendously, because a lack of love or patriotism allow or permit pillaging and plundering, when you love, you don’t cheat!
And no reasonable persons invites rape, or demand the rape of his lover, such as would happen, if there were a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, were foreigners to accede to some Nigerians’ call for foreign interventions in our internal affairs. I urge all Nigerians to inspire and support Nigerian leaders for the best governance. Nigerians should constructively criticize, and contribute to Nigeria's development, advancement and greatness, nothing less. And yes, we are all patriots. We all wish the very best for Nigeria!
Written by Paul I. Adujie and first published on June 1, 2007
New York, United States
It is very gratifying, to read that some Nigerians, who have created a cottage industry, and a niche market, in their virulent criticisms of Nigeria, are also patriots! So, even those whose profession it seems, is to ridicule Nigeria ceaselessly, at every opportunity, now say that they too, are patriots and that they love Nigeria? Those who have been mauling, pummeling and pulverizing Nigeria, are now claiming patriotism as their excuses? So, these persons who engage in destructive criticisms of Nigeria are now claiming that they too, are patriots? Should their pronouncements and actions not speak and demonstrate their patriotisms? Virulent criticism is intimidation and blackmail! And not love!
However, I am happy to learn of these reaffirmations patriotism and love for Nigeria, even by those, whose destructive and ridiculing criticisms of Nigeria, have left the rest us to wonder about their faith in Nigeria, and Nigeria's eventual outcome. It cannot be, and, it should not be, that acerbic, bellicose and caustic criticisms are the only way to show our Nigerian-ness, our dedication and commitment to Nigeria's cause!
Isn't it ironic? Quite like saying the use of damaging advertising is the only way to make a manufacturer improve its product, by instilling quality control? Or, is not like hoping that bad advertising and the ridiculing of a company's product, is the best and, only way, to ensure that a company makes good and desirable product? Particularly, egregious, I think, is this sorts of logic, when, as in this case, those doing the damaging advertising, are shareholders and employees of the manufacturer of the product, for which enhancements and improvements are being sought! How can this be logical to anyone?
When I write about Nigeria, often I have argued and I will continue to argue, that, you cannot advertise that you mother is the worst cook, because if you do, you should be certain, that you will eat alone! As any of your attempt to sell or even give your mother's cooking to others, will meet with resistance! This is because most reasonable persons are highly likely to believe your scalding assessment of your mother's cooking skills. People will understandably rely on your critique of your mom's cooking abilities, because it will be assumed that you are fair and objective about your mother, especially that you have had opportunities to sample her cooking over time, and ordinarily, most persons in the world, would probably say, their moms are the best cooks! You would eat alone, please eat alone if you lack finesse, and announce on NTA that your mother is the worst cook on earth!
Those who are pessimistic and cynical about Nigeria, seem to think that they deserve national and international awards for their negative general dispositions towards Nigeria, even while they insist that those, who are optimistic and forward looking are naïve, stupid and mere sycophants or opportunists!When and where does patriotism and loving Nigeria begin? It is the case that Nigerian leaderships, good or not so good, arise from the citizenry. Angelic citizen would not become a satanic president or governor, senator etc. There is not magic pill or tablet to turn a satanic citizen, into a sudden angelic president, governor or what have you.
It is safe to say, that our lack of love for Nigeria, the absence of patriotism toward Nigeria, and the loss of desire to protect and preserve Nigeria, rises from the citizenry to the top, be it political leadership, economic/corporate leadership or even religious leaderships. A lack of patriotism and love for Nigeria should therefore be seen as not transcendental, as the same virus transcends and permeates all sectors. A bad church-congregant may then become a bad pastor as a bad mosque-goers may become a bad imam. Churches or Mosques do not import persons from other faiths to lead it. So, if you hear of a bad political leader, a bad corporate leader, a bad religious leader, think of the general society from whence they all come. Good citizens? Good leaders! Leaders are us! Where do our political leaders come from, if not from the citizenry? Or why is corruption rampant in every state, level, almost every state?
Some Nigerians are quick to quote William Samuel Johnson to support their unfeeling and unwarranted denigration of Nigeria, they are quick spout and, quote " Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." OK, I am a patriot and a scoundrel, but what should we call traitors, blackmailers and those who lampoon and ridicule Nigeria? I am parodied and denigrated as a scoundrel, because of my very purposeful stridency in advocating patriotism and love for Nigeria. I will wear the scoundrel badge and label, as an honor! Nigerians must not think of patriotism or love for Nigeria, only in terms of benefits! Nigerians must, as well, consider duty, sacrifice and service to Nigeria. After all, we know that Americans who are homeless and in abject poverty, still love America. We know that American troops being slaughtered in the needless Iraq war, are still patriotic despite Bush Most Americans are patriotic, even when, and if, they despise the government of the day!
Survivors in New Orleans's Hurricane Katrina calamities still love America. African Americans who have been historically treated, as if, subhuman, visited with racism, discriminations and egregious segregations, are still in love and patriotic in America! Nigerians who do not love Nigeria, or have not thought of patriotism, all seem like bad workmen, they quarrel with their tools for poor quality work. Nigerians who have not demonstrated patriotism or love for Nigeria now say, it is only because Nigeria has not given them heaven, gold, diamond and oil blocks! What comes first, love or its rewards? Patriotism or love defy mathematical calculations and apportionments, how would a Nigerian calculate the patriotism of a gallant Nigerian soldier, who makes the supreme sacrifice with his life serving Nigeria, compare a soldier's life to a wheelchair-bound paraplegic/ quadriplegic, both, with professed love for Nigeria. How much is their lives worth, how many oil blocks, gold or diamond and Naira should each receive?
Most of those who ridicule Nigeria, actually received free or near-free education from primary to university degree levels or received scholarship to come overseas and they never returned or gave back to our society, any returns on Nigeria’s investment in them!
Please use any search engine to reach more on patriotism in these links here provided. I Love Nigeria!; Just Because!
Too many Nigerians complain and whine endlessly about the Nigerian condition.
Who wants a guy who is always whining and grumbling as some Nigerians are? What sane person wants toxic company not me! Stop cursing the darkness, light a candle please! Critics of Nigeria should cease and desist from insisting that, conditions in Nigeria and, Nigeria herself, are irredeemably bad. See Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (UNPLUGGED)!
To continue to portray Nigeria as hopeless is the moral equivalents, of repeatedly scolding a child with a self-fulfilling prophecy of, you will never amount to anything, it is debilitating and demoralizing curse, no child should hear, even a juvenile delinquent! I am all for criticizing a child's or anyone's failings, it helps to shape focus. I will admonish a child and recommend that he become focused, vigorous and tenacious in his efforts. I will also find positive reinforcements periodically.
I will advise a child and state the things, in my opinion, he must do to succeed in life, and things that must be so done, and done urgently. I will emphasize to the child, that it is monumentally unwise, to neglect crucially important and significant things that must be done, timely or urgently. Emphasize the things that must be done better. I will never tell a child that he is useless and the worst of all children, that ridiculing and unhelpful!
In real life, we know for instance that there are those who think people of the African continent inferior in intellect to them. Saul Bellow once rejected the advocacy for diversity and political correctness by demanding that Africans show him Africa's equivalents of Shakespeare, Mozart etc. But we all know that Africans have literature, dance and music, we all know that Africans have conversations without English or French. We all know that Africans can sing and dance without Mozart and Beethoven. We all know that Africans have stories of their own lives, of the scenic hills, mountains and valleys and fairy tales. Do we need a Shakespeare to prove these?
But there are people who believe that Africans have had no contributions to human development and human history, all this from those, who metaphorically have, copyrighted hatred for Africans and peoples of African descent. Those who are, all too happy, to think Africans inferior, the Klu Klux Klan and White Supremacy organizations and some regular everyday non-Africans, who think of Africans, as non-humans or subhuman. What I find quite gulling therefore, is when Africans or persons of African descent tend to, seem to, lend credence and support to what the KKK and other anti Africans and peoples of African descent say of us. We have no sustainable social political and economic structures they allege. We are irredeemable they add. These Africans then lend a scintilla of authority and legitimacy, to assertions of our supposed inferiority. Well, superior people may not denigrate themselves! Or support the assertions, wittingly or unwittingly, of opponents!
Nowadays, it is quite common to find “the” George Ayittey in many African intellectuals. They are too quick, too eager, to be critical and brutal, in the "analyses" of things African! They are too quick to say we are irredeemably corrupt. As they shout, Do not give foreign aid to Africa! Do not cancel debts owed by Africans, debts that spurious debts in the first place!
Nowadays, we have Africans who frequently call on the "international community" to “govern” Nigeria or take over Nigeria's internal affairs. We have analytical Nigerian professor of chemical engineering, articulate Nigerian professor of literature and eloquent Nigerian professor of history etc, all in American universities, who are all too quick to deploy their intellects, professional and social connections, to the corrosive criticisms of Nigeria. Why wouldn’t these Nigerians deploy their talents and creativities positively, for the service of Nigeria? Why is it that, we seem to only find Nigerians like these who are eager to condemn Nigerian in most high profile manner? They always manage to surface! One Hundred Concerned Nigerians Abroad? is an example of this service in reverse for our motherland.
Clearly, it should be understood by all that I am not against constructive criticism; But, I am against ridicule! I have argued and will continue to argue that we should rejoice in Nigeria and our Nigerian-ness. We should inspire and support Nigerians and Nigeria. A country can only become great and remain great, when the citizens rejoice in her. Nigeria is not perfect, I understand this, for some, the field is greener everywhere right now, but in Nigeria. The truth however is, greener pastures or real and perceived conditions in countries, can be like, what a neighbors think they see of other neighbors. For instance, a dissatisfied house wife might think a neighbor's wife luckier than she is, because the neighbor's wife's husband is handsome and drives a new car, but unbeknownst to wife, neighbor's husband may be a wife abuser, physically and mentally. Neighbor's husband's car, may actually have an engine problem, despite its newness in appearance.
A cavorting neighbor husband of an overweight wife, may admire a his neighbor's beautiful and trim wife, but, unbeknownst to cavorting husband, neighbor's wife, has multiple personalities, despite her outward prettiness! And what is worse, she is a nag! A nagging wife that has stressed her husband to a few adverse cardiac events! I am glad that we are finally having this conversation about patriotism and Nigeria. For a while, it, "patriotism" was a no-go-area of political discourse amongst too many Nigerians. It was "understood" by many to be a non-discussable-transaction, some find it quite offensive and it was a relationship, friendship and conversation breaker for too many! Patriotism, to too many Nigerians, was a dirty word! It was the ultimate insult!
A patriotism debate now, suggests that we are thinking, analyzing, and re-examining where we Nigerians stand in relation to our country, do we love Nigeria? Do Nigerians show love and enough love for Nigeria? Do Nigerians demonstrate patriotism? Must criticisms be the only sure way to show our affection for, and toward Nigeria? Is condemning your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog etc the only way to seek improvement in their behaviors? Has unfriendly, harsh and damning criticisms worked for Nigeria? Is it time to modify or change tactics altogether Nigeria’s National Interests: A Moratorium And Change Of Tactics perhaps? I recognize the value of corrections, we all make mistakes hence all pencils come with erasers. I therefore quite understand the value constructive, as opposed to destructive, disabling and ridiculing criticism and purveyors, the critics.
I do not believe in flag burning, despite the right and freedom to do so. Those who would burn a national flag and denigrate their country's flag claim and argue that they do so out of sheer love, as they demonstrate symbolically, their profusion of patriotism in a “blaze“. But we still must wonder about those other citizens of same country, who continue to fly, wave and glorify the same flag! This is the real blaze of glory! Loving our country is similar to the overwhelming ramifications the elimination of corruption would have on our society. Achieving both, will improve our society tremendously, because a lack of love or patriotism allow or permit pillaging and plundering, when you love, you don’t cheat!
And no reasonable persons invites rape, or demand the rape of his lover, such as would happen, if there were a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, were foreigners to accede to some Nigerians’ call for foreign interventions in our internal affairs. I urge all Nigerians to inspire and support Nigerian leaders for the best governance. Nigerians should constructively criticize, and contribute to Nigeria's development, advancement and greatness, nothing less. And yes, we are all patriots. We all wish the very best for Nigeria!
Written by Paul I. Adujie and first published on June 1, 2007
New York, United States
Nigeria: A Ridiculed Mother?
Nigeria: A Ridiculed Mother?
It is very gratifying, to read that some Nigerians, who have created a cottage industry, and a niche market, in their virulent criticisms of Nigeria, are also patriots! So, even those whose profession it seems, is to ridicule Nigeria ceaselessly, at every opportunity, now say that they too, are patriots and that they love Nigeria? Those who have been mauling, pummeling and pulverizing Nigeria, are now claiming patriotism as their excuses? So, these persons who engage in destructive criticisms of Nigeria are now claiming that they too, are patriots? Should their pronouncements and actions not speak and demonstrate their patriotisms? Virulent criticism is intimidation and blackmail! And not love!
However, I am happy to learn of these reaffirmations patriotism and love for Nigeria, even by those, whose destructive and ridiculing criticisms of Nigeria, have left the rest us to wonder about their faith in Nigeria, and Nigeria's eventual outcome. It cannot be, and, it should not be, that acerbic, bellicose and caustic criticisms are the only way to show our Nigerian-ness, our dedication and commitment to Nigeria's cause!
Isn't it ironic? Quite like saying the use of damaging advertising is the only way to make a manufacturer improve its product, by instilling quality control? Or, is not like hoping that bad advertising and the ridiculing of a company's product, is the best and, only way, to ensure that a company makes good and desirable product? Particularly, egregious, I think, is this sorts of logic, when, as in this case, those doing the damaging advertising, are shareholders and employees of the manufacturer of the product, for which enhancements and improvements are being sought! How can this be logical to anyone?
When I write about Nigeria, often I have argued and I will continue to argue, that, you cannot advertise that you mother is the worst cook, because if you do, you should be certain, that you will eat alone! As any of your attempt to sell or even give your mother's cooking to others, will meet with resistance! This is because most reasonable persons are highly likely to believe your scalding assessment of your mother's cooking skills. People will understandably rely on your critique of your mom's cooking abilities, because it will be assumed that you are fair and objective about your mother, especially that you have had opportunities to sample her cooking over time, and ordinarily, most persons in the world, would probably say, their moms are the best cooks! You would eat alone, please eat alone if you lack finesse, and announce on NTA that your mother is the worst cook on earth!
Those who are pessimistic and cynical about Nigeria, seem to think that they deserve national and international awards for their negative general dispositions towards Nigeria, even while they insist that those, who are optimistic and forward looking are naïve, stupid and mere sycophants or opportunists!When and where does patriotism and loving Nigeria begin? It is the case that Nigerian leaderships, good or not so good, arise from the citizenry. Angelic citizen would not become a satanic president or governor, senator etc. There is not magic pill or tablet to turn a satanic citizen, into a sudden angelic president, governor or what have you.
It is safe to say, that our lack of love for Nigeria, the absence of patriotism toward Nigeria, and the loss of desire to protect and preserve Nigeria, rises from the citizenry to the top, be it political leadership, economic/corporate leadership or even religious leaderships. A lack of patriotism and love for Nigeria should therefore be seen as not transcendental, as the same virus transcends and permeates all sectors. A bad church-congregant may then become a bad pastor as a bad mosque-goers may become a bad imam. Churches or Mosques do not import persons from other faiths to lead it. So, if you hear of a bad political leader, a bad corporate leader, a bad religious leader, think of the general society from whence they all come. Good citizens? Good leaders! Leaders are us! Where do our political leaders come from, if not from the citizenry? Or why is corruption rampant in every state, level, almost every state?
Some Nigerians are quick to quote William Samuel Johnson to support their unfeeling and unwarranted denigration of Nigeria, they are quick spout and, quote " Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." OK, I am a patriot and a scoundrel, but what should we call traitors, blackmailers and those who lampoon and ridicule Nigeria? I am parodied and denigrated as a scoundrel, because of my very purposeful stridency in advocating patriotism and love for Nigeria. I will wear the scoundrel badge and label, as an honor! Nigerians must not think of patriotism or love for Nigeria, only in terms of benefits! Nigerians must, as well, consider duty, sacrifice and service to Nigeria. After all, we know that Americans who are homeless and in abject poverty, still love America. We know that American troops being slaughtered in the needless Iraq war, are still patriotic despite Bush Most Americans are patriotic, even when, and if, they despise the government of the day!
Survivors in New Orleans's Hurricane Katrina calamities still love America. African Americans who have been historically treated, as if, subhuman, visited with racism, discriminations and egregious segregations, are still in love and patriotic in America! Nigerians who do not love Nigeria, or have not thought of patriotism, all seem like bad workmen, they quarrel with their tools for poor quality work. Nigerians who have not demonstrated patriotism or love for Nigeria now say, it is only because Nigeria has not given them heaven, gold, diamond and oil blocks! What comes first, love or its rewards? Patriotism or love defy mathematical calculations and apportionments, how would a Nigerian calculate the patriotism of a gallant Nigerian soldier, who makes the supreme sacrifice with his life serving Nigeria, compare a soldier's life to a wheelchair-bound paraplegic/ quadriplegic, both, with professed love for Nigeria. How much is their lives worth, how many oil blocks, gold or diamond and Naira should each receive?
Most of those who ridicule Nigeria, actually received free or near-free education from primary to university degree levels or received scholarship to come overseas and they never returned or gave back to our society, any returns on Nigeria’s investment in them!
Please use any search engine to reach more on patriotism in these links here provided. I Love Nigeria!; Just Because!
Too many Nigerians complain and whine endlessly about the Nigerian condition.
Who wants a guy who is always whining and grumbling as some Nigerians are? What sane person wants toxic company not me! Stop cursing the darkness, light a candle please! Critics of Nigeria should cease and desist from insisting that, conditions in Nigeria and, Nigeria herself, are irredeemably bad. See Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (UNPLUGGED)!
To continue to portray Nigeria as hopeless is the moral equivalents, of repeatedly scolding a child with a self-fulfilling prophecy of, you will never amount to anything, it is debilitating and demoralizing curse, no child should hear, even a juvenile delinquent! I am all for criticizing a child's or anyone's failings, it helps to shape focus. I will admonish a child and recommend that he become focused, vigorous and tenacious in his efforts. I will also find positive reinforcements periodically.
I will advise a child and state the things, in my opinion, he must do to succeed in life, and things that must be so done, and done urgently. I will emphasize to the child, that it is monumentally unwise, to neglect crucially important and significant things that must be done, timely or urgently. Emphasize the things that must be done better. I will never tell a child that he is useless and the worst of all children, that ridiculing and unhelpful!
In real life, we know for instance that there are those who think people of the African continent inferior in intellect to them. Saul Bellow once rejected the advocacy for diversity and political correctness by demanding that Africans show him Africa's equivalents of Shakespeare, Mozart etc. But we all know that Africans have literature, dance and music, we all know that Africans have conversations without English or French. We all know that Africans can sing and dance without Mozart and Beethoven. We all know that Africans have stories of their own lives, of the scenic hills, mountains and valleys and fairy tales. Do we need a Shakespeare to prove these?
But there are people who believe that Africans have had no contributions to human development and human history, all this from those, who metaphorically have, copyrighted hatred for Africans and peoples of African descent. Those who are, all too happy, to think Africans inferior, the Klu Klux Klan and White Supremacy organizations and some regular everyday non-Africans, who think of Africans, as non-humans or subhuman. What I find quite gulling therefore, is when Africans or persons of African descent tend to, seem to, lend credence and support to what the KKK and other anti Africans and peoples of African descent say of us. We have no sustainable social political and economic structures they allege. We are irredeemable they add. These Africans then lend a scintilla of authority and legitimacy, to assertions of our supposed inferiority. Well, superior people may not denigrate themselves! Or support the assertions, wittingly or unwittingly, of opponents!
Nowadays, it is quite common to find “the” George Ayittey in many African intellectuals. They are too quick, too eager, to be critical and brutal, in the "analyses" of things African! They are too quick to say we are irredeemably corrupt. As they shout, Do not give foreign aid to Africa! Do not cancel debts owed by Africans, debts that spurious debts in the first place!
Nowadays, we have Africans who frequently call on the "international community" to “govern” Nigeria or take over Nigeria's internal affairs. We have analytical Nigerian professor of chemical engineering, articulate Nigerian professor of literature and eloquent Nigerian professor of history etc, all in American universities, who are all too quick to deploy their intellects, professional and social connections, to the corrosive criticisms of Nigeria. Why wouldn’t these Nigerians deploy their talents and creativities positively, for the service of Nigeria? Why is it that, we seem to only find Nigerians like these who are eager to condemn Nigerian in most high profile manner? They always manage to surface! One Hundred Concerned Nigerians Abroad? is an example of this service in reverse for our motherland.
Clearly, it should be understood by all that I am not against constructive criticism; But, I am against ridicule! I have argued and will continue to argue that we should rejoice in Nigeria and our Nigerian-ness. We should inspire and support Nigerians and Nigeria. A country can only become great and remain great, when the citizens rejoice in her. Nigeria is not perfect, I understand this, for some, the field is greener everywhere right now, but in Nigeria. The truth however is, greener pastures or real and perceived conditions in countries, can be like, what a neighbors think they see of other neighbors. For instance, a dissatisfied house wife might think a neighbor's wife luckier than she is, because the neighbor's wife's husband is handsome and drives a new car, but unbeknownst to wife, neighbor's husband may be a wife abuser, physically and mentally. Neighbor's husband's car, may actually have an engine problem, despite its newness in appearance.
A cavorting neighbor husband of an overweight wife, may admire a his neighbor's beautiful and trim wife, but, unbeknownst to cavorting husband, neighbor's wife, has multiple personalities, despite her outward prettiness! And what is worse, she is a nag! A nagging wife that has stressed her husband to a few adverse cardiac events! I am glad that we are finally having this conversation about patriotism and Nigeria. For a while, it, "patriotism" was a no-go-area of political discourse amongst too many Nigerians. It was "understood" by many to be a non-discussable-transaction, some find it quite offensive and it was a relationship, friendship and conversation breaker for too many! Patriotism, to too many Nigerians, was a dirty word! It was the ultimate insult!
A patriotism debate now, suggests that we are thinking, analyzing, and re-examining where we Nigerians stand in relation to our country, do we love Nigeria? Do Nigerians show love and enough love for Nigeria? Do Nigerians demonstrate patriotism? Must criticisms be the only sure way to show our affection for, and toward Nigeria? Is condemning your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog etc the only way to seek improvement in their behaviors? Has unfriendly, harsh and damning criticisms worked for Nigeria? Is it time to modify or change tactics altogether Nigeria’s National Interests: A Moratorium And Change Of Tactics perhaps? I recognize the value of corrections, we all make mistakes hence all pencils come with erasers. I therefore quite understand the value constructive, as opposed to destructive, disabling and ridiculing criticism and purveyors, the critics.
I do not believe in flag burning, despite the right and freedom to do so. Those who would burn a national flag and denigrate their country's flag claim and argue that they do so out of sheer love, as they demonstrate symbolically, their profusion of patriotism in a “blaze“. But we still must wonder about those other citizens of same country, who continue to fly, wave and glorify the same flag! This is the real blaze of glory! Loving our country is similar to the overwhelming ramifications the elimination of corruption would have on our society. Achieving both, will improve our society tremendously, because a lack of love or patriotism allow or permit pillaging and plundering, when you love, you don’t cheat!
And no reasonable persons invites rape, or demand the rape of his lover, such as would happen, if there were a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, were foreigners to accede to some Nigerians’ call for foreign interventions in our internal affairs. I urge all Nigerians to inspire and support Nigerian leaders for the best governance. Nigerians should constructively criticize, and contribute to Nigeria's development, advancement and greatness, nothing less. And yes, we are all patriots. We all wish the very best for Nigeria!
Written by Paul I. Adujie and first published on June 1, 2007
New York, United States
It is very gratifying, to read that some Nigerians, who have created a cottage industry, and a niche market, in their virulent criticisms of Nigeria, are also patriots! So, even those whose profession it seems, is to ridicule Nigeria ceaselessly, at every opportunity, now say that they too, are patriots and that they love Nigeria? Those who have been mauling, pummeling and pulverizing Nigeria, are now claiming patriotism as their excuses? So, these persons who engage in destructive criticisms of Nigeria are now claiming that they too, are patriots? Should their pronouncements and actions not speak and demonstrate their patriotisms? Virulent criticism is intimidation and blackmail! And not love!
However, I am happy to learn of these reaffirmations patriotism and love for Nigeria, even by those, whose destructive and ridiculing criticisms of Nigeria, have left the rest us to wonder about their faith in Nigeria, and Nigeria's eventual outcome. It cannot be, and, it should not be, that acerbic, bellicose and caustic criticisms are the only way to show our Nigerian-ness, our dedication and commitment to Nigeria's cause!
Isn't it ironic? Quite like saying the use of damaging advertising is the only way to make a manufacturer improve its product, by instilling quality control? Or, is not like hoping that bad advertising and the ridiculing of a company's product, is the best and, only way, to ensure that a company makes good and desirable product? Particularly, egregious, I think, is this sorts of logic, when, as in this case, those doing the damaging advertising, are shareholders and employees of the manufacturer of the product, for which enhancements and improvements are being sought! How can this be logical to anyone?
When I write about Nigeria, often I have argued and I will continue to argue, that, you cannot advertise that you mother is the worst cook, because if you do, you should be certain, that you will eat alone! As any of your attempt to sell or even give your mother's cooking to others, will meet with resistance! This is because most reasonable persons are highly likely to believe your scalding assessment of your mother's cooking skills. People will understandably rely on your critique of your mom's cooking abilities, because it will be assumed that you are fair and objective about your mother, especially that you have had opportunities to sample her cooking over time, and ordinarily, most persons in the world, would probably say, their moms are the best cooks! You would eat alone, please eat alone if you lack finesse, and announce on NTA that your mother is the worst cook on earth!
Those who are pessimistic and cynical about Nigeria, seem to think that they deserve national and international awards for their negative general dispositions towards Nigeria, even while they insist that those, who are optimistic and forward looking are naïve, stupid and mere sycophants or opportunists!When and where does patriotism and loving Nigeria begin? It is the case that Nigerian leaderships, good or not so good, arise from the citizenry. Angelic citizen would not become a satanic president or governor, senator etc. There is not magic pill or tablet to turn a satanic citizen, into a sudden angelic president, governor or what have you.
It is safe to say, that our lack of love for Nigeria, the absence of patriotism toward Nigeria, and the loss of desire to protect and preserve Nigeria, rises from the citizenry to the top, be it political leadership, economic/corporate leadership or even religious leaderships. A lack of patriotism and love for Nigeria should therefore be seen as not transcendental, as the same virus transcends and permeates all sectors. A bad church-congregant may then become a bad pastor as a bad mosque-goers may become a bad imam. Churches or Mosques do not import persons from other faiths to lead it. So, if you hear of a bad political leader, a bad corporate leader, a bad religious leader, think of the general society from whence they all come. Good citizens? Good leaders! Leaders are us! Where do our political leaders come from, if not from the citizenry? Or why is corruption rampant in every state, level, almost every state?
Some Nigerians are quick to quote William Samuel Johnson to support their unfeeling and unwarranted denigration of Nigeria, they are quick spout and, quote " Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." OK, I am a patriot and a scoundrel, but what should we call traitors, blackmailers and those who lampoon and ridicule Nigeria? I am parodied and denigrated as a scoundrel, because of my very purposeful stridency in advocating patriotism and love for Nigeria. I will wear the scoundrel badge and label, as an honor! Nigerians must not think of patriotism or love for Nigeria, only in terms of benefits! Nigerians must, as well, consider duty, sacrifice and service to Nigeria. After all, we know that Americans who are homeless and in abject poverty, still love America. We know that American troops being slaughtered in the needless Iraq war, are still patriotic despite Bush Most Americans are patriotic, even when, and if, they despise the government of the day!
Survivors in New Orleans's Hurricane Katrina calamities still love America. African Americans who have been historically treated, as if, subhuman, visited with racism, discriminations and egregious segregations, are still in love and patriotic in America! Nigerians who do not love Nigeria, or have not thought of patriotism, all seem like bad workmen, they quarrel with their tools for poor quality work. Nigerians who have not demonstrated patriotism or love for Nigeria now say, it is only because Nigeria has not given them heaven, gold, diamond and oil blocks! What comes first, love or its rewards? Patriotism or love defy mathematical calculations and apportionments, how would a Nigerian calculate the patriotism of a gallant Nigerian soldier, who makes the supreme sacrifice with his life serving Nigeria, compare a soldier's life to a wheelchair-bound paraplegic/ quadriplegic, both, with professed love for Nigeria. How much is their lives worth, how many oil blocks, gold or diamond and Naira should each receive?
Most of those who ridicule Nigeria, actually received free or near-free education from primary to university degree levels or received scholarship to come overseas and they never returned or gave back to our society, any returns on Nigeria’s investment in them!
Please use any search engine to reach more on patriotism in these links here provided. I Love Nigeria!; Just Because!
Too many Nigerians complain and whine endlessly about the Nigerian condition.
Who wants a guy who is always whining and grumbling as some Nigerians are? What sane person wants toxic company not me! Stop cursing the darkness, light a candle please! Critics of Nigeria should cease and desist from insisting that, conditions in Nigeria and, Nigeria herself, are irredeemably bad. See Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (UNPLUGGED)!
To continue to portray Nigeria as hopeless is the moral equivalents, of repeatedly scolding a child with a self-fulfilling prophecy of, you will never amount to anything, it is debilitating and demoralizing curse, no child should hear, even a juvenile delinquent! I am all for criticizing a child's or anyone's failings, it helps to shape focus. I will admonish a child and recommend that he become focused, vigorous and tenacious in his efforts. I will also find positive reinforcements periodically.
I will advise a child and state the things, in my opinion, he must do to succeed in life, and things that must be so done, and done urgently. I will emphasize to the child, that it is monumentally unwise, to neglect crucially important and significant things that must be done, timely or urgently. Emphasize the things that must be done better. I will never tell a child that he is useless and the worst of all children, that ridiculing and unhelpful!
In real life, we know for instance that there are those who think people of the African continent inferior in intellect to them. Saul Bellow once rejected the advocacy for diversity and political correctness by demanding that Africans show him Africa's equivalents of Shakespeare, Mozart etc. But we all know that Africans have literature, dance and music, we all know that Africans have conversations without English or French. We all know that Africans can sing and dance without Mozart and Beethoven. We all know that Africans have stories of their own lives, of the scenic hills, mountains and valleys and fairy tales. Do we need a Shakespeare to prove these?
But there are people who believe that Africans have had no contributions to human development and human history, all this from those, who metaphorically have, copyrighted hatred for Africans and peoples of African descent. Those who are, all too happy, to think Africans inferior, the Klu Klux Klan and White Supremacy organizations and some regular everyday non-Africans, who think of Africans, as non-humans or subhuman. What I find quite gulling therefore, is when Africans or persons of African descent tend to, seem to, lend credence and support to what the KKK and other anti Africans and peoples of African descent say of us. We have no sustainable social political and economic structures they allege. We are irredeemable they add. These Africans then lend a scintilla of authority and legitimacy, to assertions of our supposed inferiority. Well, superior people may not denigrate themselves! Or support the assertions, wittingly or unwittingly, of opponents!
Nowadays, it is quite common to find “the” George Ayittey in many African intellectuals. They are too quick, too eager, to be critical and brutal, in the "analyses" of things African! They are too quick to say we are irredeemably corrupt. As they shout, Do not give foreign aid to Africa! Do not cancel debts owed by Africans, debts that spurious debts in the first place!
Nowadays, we have Africans who frequently call on the "international community" to “govern” Nigeria or take over Nigeria's internal affairs. We have analytical Nigerian professor of chemical engineering, articulate Nigerian professor of literature and eloquent Nigerian professor of history etc, all in American universities, who are all too quick to deploy their intellects, professional and social connections, to the corrosive criticisms of Nigeria. Why wouldn’t these Nigerians deploy their talents and creativities positively, for the service of Nigeria? Why is it that, we seem to only find Nigerians like these who are eager to condemn Nigerian in most high profile manner? They always manage to surface! One Hundred Concerned Nigerians Abroad? is an example of this service in reverse for our motherland.
Clearly, it should be understood by all that I am not against constructive criticism; But, I am against ridicule! I have argued and will continue to argue that we should rejoice in Nigeria and our Nigerian-ness. We should inspire and support Nigerians and Nigeria. A country can only become great and remain great, when the citizens rejoice in her. Nigeria is not perfect, I understand this, for some, the field is greener everywhere right now, but in Nigeria. The truth however is, greener pastures or real and perceived conditions in countries, can be like, what a neighbors think they see of other neighbors. For instance, a dissatisfied house wife might think a neighbor's wife luckier than she is, because the neighbor's wife's husband is handsome and drives a new car, but unbeknownst to wife, neighbor's husband may be a wife abuser, physically and mentally. Neighbor's husband's car, may actually have an engine problem, despite its newness in appearance.
A cavorting neighbor husband of an overweight wife, may admire a his neighbor's beautiful and trim wife, but, unbeknownst to cavorting husband, neighbor's wife, has multiple personalities, despite her outward prettiness! And what is worse, she is a nag! A nagging wife that has stressed her husband to a few adverse cardiac events! I am glad that we are finally having this conversation about patriotism and Nigeria. For a while, it, "patriotism" was a no-go-area of political discourse amongst too many Nigerians. It was "understood" by many to be a non-discussable-transaction, some find it quite offensive and it was a relationship, friendship and conversation breaker for too many! Patriotism, to too many Nigerians, was a dirty word! It was the ultimate insult!
A patriotism debate now, suggests that we are thinking, analyzing, and re-examining where we Nigerians stand in relation to our country, do we love Nigeria? Do Nigerians show love and enough love for Nigeria? Do Nigerians demonstrate patriotism? Must criticisms be the only sure way to show our affection for, and toward Nigeria? Is condemning your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog etc the only way to seek improvement in their behaviors? Has unfriendly, harsh and damning criticisms worked for Nigeria? Is it time to modify or change tactics altogether Nigeria’s National Interests: A Moratorium And Change Of Tactics perhaps? I recognize the value of corrections, we all make mistakes hence all pencils come with erasers. I therefore quite understand the value constructive, as opposed to destructive, disabling and ridiculing criticism and purveyors, the critics.
I do not believe in flag burning, despite the right and freedom to do so. Those who would burn a national flag and denigrate their country's flag claim and argue that they do so out of sheer love, as they demonstrate symbolically, their profusion of patriotism in a “blaze“. But we still must wonder about those other citizens of same country, who continue to fly, wave and glorify the same flag! This is the real blaze of glory! Loving our country is similar to the overwhelming ramifications the elimination of corruption would have on our society. Achieving both, will improve our society tremendously, because a lack of love or patriotism allow or permit pillaging and plundering, when you love, you don’t cheat!
And no reasonable persons invites rape, or demand the rape of his lover, such as would happen, if there were a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, were foreigners to accede to some Nigerians’ call for foreign interventions in our internal affairs. I urge all Nigerians to inspire and support Nigerian leaders for the best governance. Nigerians should constructively criticize, and contribute to Nigeria's development, advancement and greatness, nothing less. And yes, we are all patriots. We all wish the very best for Nigeria!
Written by Paul I. Adujie and first published on June 1, 2007
New York, United States
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