Obama, Democrats Are Guilty Of Substance & Failure To Advertise Successes Etc
Written by Paul I. Adujie
President Obama inherited two foreign wars in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively.
These wars are costing Americans more than almost $3 billion dollars every week!
And what is worse? An American economy in free fall, and spiraling out of control and downward a cliff or the abyss!
It is the case that George W. Bush and the Republicans partied and behaved like drunken sailors for 8 years during which they frittered away budget surpluses which were created and accumulated by President Bill Clinton and the Democrats.
Republicans partied and vomited over the furniture. And then, Obama and the Democrats arrived and volunteered to clean up after the Republicans. But, Obama and the Democrats should have continued to remind Americans where we are and how we got here in the first place, even as Mr. Obama and the Democrats continued the tasks of cleaning up and doing the heavy lifting or the Herculean tasks of clearing the Augean Stable!
Obama and the Democrats were given a clear mandate on November 4, 2008 by the American electorate which also appropriately handed the Republicans a rebuke, a reproach and resounding repudiations for Republicans’ wrong headed domestic and foreign policies.
Obama and the Democrats have been and again now, surprisingly, accepting public shaming and responsibility for American domestic and foreign policy crises. When in fact, Obama and the Democrats should be commended for their spectacular legislative successes during the 20 months preceding the 2010 midterm elections!
Even now, the evidence and the fact remains that President Obama’s legislative achievements, accomplishments are unparalleled. President Obama made outstanding achievements which are unsurpassed by any American president in the preceding 70 years before Obama.
It is the case that President Obama despite competing dire economic circumstances, managed to have created more jobs in 2 years of his presidency than President George W. Bush was able to do in 8 years as a two term president of the United States
The Republicans and their Tea Party proxies and surrogates, have managed to repackaged and changed the label on the multiple crises they created for America. Republicans and the Tea Party have managed to have orchestrated and choreographed bazaars, carnivals and festivals of hate and resentment directed at the Obama and the Democrats, for problems which were created by those who now have managed to foisted public anger upon Democrats and have fostered and finessed it to Republican advantage, like magic!
Why should Obama and the Democrats have been silent? Why should they have neglected to fight back? Why did they accept blames or responsibility even as the busily cleaned up after the Republicans?
Obama and the Democrats, tried, to rephrase the public debate, American national narrative and the message and it was too little too late! The Democrats and Mr. Obama embarked on these failed efforts when it was a couple of months to the November 2nd midterm elections, at a time when the Tea Party and the Republicans have sealed the fate of Democrats through aggressive messaging and advertising, which pretended that Obama and the Democrats are to blame for all that ails America.
Obama in the last 50 days before November 2nd tried mightily with a car analogy to reshape and properly frame the factual circumstances of American economic circumstances with a car analogy, in which illustrated how it was the Republicans who drove the car into the ditch and how the Democrats are trying have to get the car out of the ditch, with the Republicans standing aside, mocking, sipping slurppy while demanding the car keys back in order to put the car in reverse, instead of allowing the Democrats to rescue
Sadly, the Republicans are now arguing, arrogantly and rather audaciously, that Obama is the new driver. And that the car bears the registration of Democrats. Republicans with arrogance, with boldface, continue to argue that the car wreck and ruin which they the Republicans caused, now belongs to Obama and the Democrats!
Obama and the Democrats ought to have argued forcefully before the midterm elections and even now, in rebuttals, that it was George W. Bush, and the Republicans who drove the car recklessly, ruining the transmission, the motor engine and then promptly drove the car ditch!
Obama and the Democrats allowed the Republicans to hijack the American national narratives. Obama and the Democrats failed to articulate and advertise the successes; Democrats neglected to stay on the message. And so, the American voters still grieving from persisting economic travails and given the short attention span in American microwave culture of instant gratifications, permitted a revisionist retelling and editing of all the wrongheaded policies of Republicans during the course of 8 years.
Republicans, and especially, Sarah Palin who was a spent force and an inconsequential and an insignificant and an almost irrelevant politician at the end of the 2008 election season, was allowed to metamorphosed into a Republican proxy and surrogate of a national proportion.
Sarah Palin who abruptly resigned as governor of Alaska after the American voters rejected her and Senator John McCain as vice president and presidential candidate respectively, managed to reinvent herself into political relevance, instead of a befitting obscurity .
Sarah Palin was soon joined by persons like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, the Tea Party and other proxies and surrogates of the Republican Party defined Obama and the Democrats, smearing them with avalanche of lies and illogic. Republicans and their surrogates and proxies, went to town with downward definitions and unsavory labels for Obama and the Democrats, with castigation repeatedly denouncing them as Re-distributionist, socialists, Hitler and worse, during the last 20 months.
If there are lesson for Professor Obama, the Democrats and the American public the 2010 midterm elections, it has to be the idea that self definition and self assertion are infinitely better than allowing your opponents or enemies of your agenda define you and your agenda, which is what Obama and the Democrats unwittingly permitted the Republicans and their proxies and surrogates to do for 2 years before the just concluded midterm elections.
Politics is war and information and misinformation are great tools. In the current instance, Obama and the Democrats allowed the Republicans to manipulate, use and misuse information and misinformation to obfuscate and confuse an understandably despairing American electorate. Republicans, Tea Party and their surrogates and proxies won the midterm elections by default. A failure on the part of the Democrat advertise their own efforts and therefore keep the collective memories of the electorate fresh as to how America got to where it is in recent times and the elephantine efforts Obama and the Democrats were making to reverse the misfortunes created nurtured perversely by the Republicans.
Obama and the Democrats failed to fiercely resist mischaracterizations and portrayals in by lights by the Republicans. As a result, the Republicans successfully inflicted mortal wounds in electoral sense on the Democrats. It is reminiscent of Roger Ailes, and how the Republicans have always seen political campaigns as mortal combats not meant for the faint at heart, but instead a rough and tumble tackles and down and dirty war of survival of the fittest. Primordial and killer instincts are routinely deployed. Dirty tricks of the Willie Horton and Swift Boat tactics are germane to and are considered by Republican operatives to be essential elements for electoral or political victories.
Michael Dukakis, John Kerry and Barack Obama have been portrayed as weaklings soft on defense and national security. John Kerry is a war hero, and yet, he was Swift Boated and portrayed as if he was a weak and soft on defense and national defense, by folks who actually dodged American war. A war hero made to look as if he was in fact a pacifist!
In the current dispensation, Obama and the Democrats have been portrayed and presented as if incapable and ineffectual, even as Obama and the Democrats busied themselves resolving problems created by Republicans of course.
Obama and the Democrats bailed out Banks and Financial institutions in the aftermath of the financial meltdown and consequent economic downturn. Now, Citigroup, AIG, Goldman Sachs etc, all bailed out companies, which played ignominious roles in the current economic crises, and have gone scot-free and without punishment, penalty and retributions, have started to pay out bonuses after becoming solvent and profitable with bailout help from American taxpayers. The new profits and bonuses are being carried out by the major institutions as if the economic crises which arose from the financial meltdown, the bailout of too big to fail rescue policy. American Banks and financial institutions are profitable again as if the crises and bailouts never occurred in the first place.
Instead of a public outcry and demand for penalty and punishment for those responsible for the economic imbroglio? Where is accountability? Banks, financial institutions and the auto industry are now already solvent and profitable and repaying the so-called bailout monies. These same institutions and entities, are repaying bailout money, while simultaneously hoarding and withholding investment into the American economy which would have in turn helped in stimulating the American economy while generating the much needed job growth in the current so-called jobless recovery in America.
These institutions, entities and industries which were bailed out or rescued by Obama and Democrats have been the same ones funding Republicans’ efforts to defeat and unseat Obama and the Democrats as Republican Senator Mitch McConnell have publicly stated that Republicans’ priority is limited to and focused on, ensuring that Obama becomes a one term president of the United States, in plain English, Republicans are sworn to frustrating and preventing the reelection of President Obama from being re-elected to second term of office.
Democrats engaged in unilateral disarmament and truce in a vicious bloodletting war also known as American politics no reverends or bishops need apply! Furlough Parole in Massachusetts
Obama and the Democrats allowed Republicans and fringe groups to define Obama and Democrats. Obama and the Democrats allowed Republicans to demonize them and further allowed the Republicans to hijack American narratives for 20 long months and so Americans only understood the Health Care Reforms in terms of phantom Death Panels and only thought of Obama as Hitler, fascist socialist etc
The White House created an emptiness or vacuum and Sarah Palin and Ms. Karen Ignagni of Health Insurance Plans filled in the gap took it, they exploited the vacuum to great disadvantage to Obama/Democrats with relentless attacks against Obama as the enemy… American politics is not for college professors, it is for those with killer instincts, the rough and tumble, it is for those who are willing to fight and get dirty
It is the case, the evidence, the fact President Obama attained spectacular successes with his legislative agenda… He achieved and accomplished so much public good in less than 20 months as POTUS… this, despite Republican Party’s obstructionist opposition to Mr. Obama’s every move… Obama obtained legislative victories despite the obstacles, impediments and iron clad barriers put on his way be the party of NO! Republican opposition even after this just concluded midterm election, is sure to become more strident and relentless or even more vicious, as a member of the Republican hierarchy are on record as saying defeating Obama, making sure he is a one term president is their priority
Two foreign wars, and a domestic economy in quagmire and extreme debacle brought about by the wrong headed policies of the Republicans, and yet, Mr. Obama too often blamed himself for the crises he inherited! He was too busy being professorial and intellectual about American politics… In the end, instead of the Democrats acting on the mandate given them on November 4th 2008, Democrats allowed themselves to be timid, tepid and in a state of permanent panic… And so, the Democrats were Swift Boated by Karl Rove, Sara Palin, Mitch McConnell , Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich etc
Obama eventually, too little too late, took charge of communicating his message, his agenda and policy position to the American public, when it was two months to the November 2nd elections, it was too late to be aggressive
Larry Summers, Tim Geithner trickle down economics of tax cuts of 40 dollars per month did not register in the eyes and ears of the electorate. Whatever happened to Obama’s suave eloquence or his extraordinary ability to communicate? Why did he not hire a combative Press Secretary? Instead of Gibbs, the polite Midwesterner?
Republicans remain the party of No! the party of obstructionist. Republicans have always shown and clearly indicated the only interest as winning elections, the next election, and the next and the next!
Obama and the Democrats on the other hand, seem lacking in requisite killer instincts. Obama and the Democrats should not have allowed themselves to be lured into sleep or lethargy or coma. And so, even now, the Obama and Democrats will do well to be alert and awake, as the die is cast, Obama and the Democrats should not be deceived by the new platitudes being uttered by Republicans as bipartisanship and friendliness etc
Obama and the Democrats should insist on another substantial stimulus package for building new public infrastructure, while simultaneously repairing old public infrastructure throughout America. Republicans have ceaselessly and endlessly contended that Obama and the Democrats have not created jobs in 20 months. Republicans argue further that it is in fact not the duty of government to create jobs. History, quite to the contrary, demonstrates that the American federal government created or generated massive employment, directly and indirectly, through Public Works Projects nationally as FDR did some 70 years ago.
Jobs creation through massive public works projects is now an imperative in the face of private sector inability or refusal to invest huge cash reserves and accumulated money since the bailout.
President Obama should replace Larry Summers, Tim Geithner and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Summers and Geithner are seen as insiders of Wall Street banks and financial institutions with conflicts of interest and friends still on Wall Street, hence their unwillingness to punish or take drastic actions against players on Wall Streets, who were bailed out, and who are not investing and are actually funding the negative campaigns against Obama and the Democrats.
Obama and the Democrats economic challenges are perhaps further proof of the dissonance or impracticalities between ivory tower intellectualism, Harvard Business School theories and everyday practical economics, politics and governance. Elections have to be won and the sometimes wily electorate are not amenable to "fine" experiments by sanguine professors
In the case of Gibbs, he busied himself pointing fingers at leftists instead of drumming home, Obama and the Democrats message and saving his drubbings the Republicans! Senator Mitch McConnell and the Republicans are gunning for the White House, Professor Barack Obama can capitulate now, or President Obama and the Democrats can engage in the needful work of vigorous pursuits of Democratic Agenda for which they receive an overwhelming mandate from the American electorate in November 2008. The feelings of frustrations among the American electorate can still be assuaged, when and if Obama and the Democrats deliver.
The final nail to the coffin will come in 2012 if Obama and the Democrats engage in panics and U-turns and abandon the Agenda for which the Democrats are supposed to represent or stand for. Obama and the Democrats will be better served to be seen standing for Main Street and being obstructed by Republicans and their Tea Party proxies and surrogates. The Democrats can forget the White House in 2012, if they are the weakest link and point of least resistance in Washington against Republicans extremists etc
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Haiti, 2 Million Persons Still Homeless 10 Months After Earthquake!
Haiti, 2 Million Persons Still Homeless 10 Months After Earthquake!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Searing images have been burned into our collective memories from the earthquake calamities and catastrophes which befell Haiti on January 12, 2010. Ten months has since passed, the passage of time has not reduced the grief and desperation on ground in Haiti.
Only recently, 5 persons in the many tent camps Haiti were killed by rainstorms, rainstorms which also rendered 210 tents useless. Thankfully and luckily, the hurricane season this year has been less severe and this has meant some sorts of respite for the already beleaguered nation and people of Haiti.
The television cameras are long gone and public sympathy has elapsed. Complacency have seemingly set in. The plights and predicaments of our people worldwide is exemplified by the current precarious limbo in which, and to which Haitians have been seemingly consigned. The human condition of our people remain, are best described by recent public statements by former American Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired US Army General, when he stated that “So many rocks in our sack, and so, we have trouble carrying it”
Haiti, in the earthquake aftermath, is a toxic mix of poverty, adversities, calamities, catastrophes, tragedies which is multiplied by a factor 2 million people. Two million people who are currently homeless and remain in direst of straits. These two million Haitians are part of the approximately 2 billion continental Africans and peoples of African descent on earth, whose plights and predicaments are not much different. Man made disasters and Acts of God tragedies conspire and combine to make our lives toughest than any other groups people in the world. Our people remain beset by too many challenges piled on, exacerbated by newer ones.
Where are the loud and ostentatious pledges and promises of relief and reconstructions or where is divine interventions from the heavens? How does anyone reassure 2 million Haitians who are homeless for almost a whole year now? This, even after the world made a great show on television, insisting to frazzled Haitians that help was on the way? Great expectations are now forlorn? What is it about geopolitics and or human psyche in which Foreign Aid is not steered to where the need is greatest? Where is Bill Clinton?
Haiti, though a poor nation, she does have a population of the most courageous people on the face of the earth! Haitians have faced and confronted sundry adversities and have always tethered through, weathering the storms, almost with equanimity. It is important to make this point and mention the tenacity of the people of Haiti, even in the midst of the most severe earthquake in human memory. Haitians, despite the extraordinary toll in terms of human lives lost, are managing to carry on, as close to a semblance of normalcy as possible.
It is sadly the case that tents wearing thin from wear and tear , rain, sun and other natural from the elements. Haitian people have become understandably weary. This was illustrated recently by The New York Times feature article, in which so many Haitians were crying out for help in letters to the entire world which described the very pathetic and abject human conditions which persist in Haiti, over ten months since the earthquake in January.
Planners had hoped by now that 130,000 tent dwellers would have been resettled, but so far, after almost a whole year since the earthquake, only 10% resettlement have been achieved .The fragile and flimsy temporary accommodations are disintegrating. Tarpaulin tents are fraying under the elements, formerly white tents now grey, and torn, exposing two million inhabitants to more sufferings and hardships
There is still no water, no electricity available to all regularly and on steady, or reliable basis, there are continuing concerns for disease outbreaks of epidemic proportions, such as cholera and other diseases which are exacerbated by unsanitary conditions. The congested tents camps environment in which Haitians displaced by the earthquake now live, is said to be suffused and reek with raw sewage and rain water flowing in the camp being a common sight
It is really sad that 2 million Haitian are still homeless more than 10 months after earthquake which killed 230,ooo people. It is so disconcerting that our microwave culture with short attention span, have forgotten or at least, have allowed the plights and predicaments of Haitians, victims of the worst earthquake, are abandoned and their abject conditions have receded to the back burner and recesses of our consciousness.
We spend two trillion dollars tangling with real and imagined enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and yet, we do not have the will and courage to provide basic human needs to the two million persons still homeless in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti?
It will be recalled that in the aftermath of the cataclysmic earthquake in January, there were almost a sense of eagerness by and between nations to openly compete and be seen as the largest donor and the best helper of the hapless people and nation of Haiti, but, almost a year has passed and only three nations, namely, Sweden, Norway and Brazil, have followed through and keep their promised and delivered on the monies pledged to Haiti relief and reconstruction efforts.
Almost a year after the earthquake almost unhinged Haiti and thrust upon her, extreme and extraordinarily dire circumstances, transitional shelters remains how two million Haitians live and, these transitional housing are even grossly inadequate, unavailable, while the existing ones are deteriorating and are now in tattered conditions.
The reconstructions which were much heralded, has not come to be or come to pass. Land ownership uncertainties remains a major problem, an obstacle and impediment to redevelopment. AID organizations have publicly stated that they wont put structures on land without knowing or ascertaining title holders
The presence of debris and rubbles from the earthquake is still pervasive and predominant in the landscape of earthquake ravaged areas of Haiti.
More than ten months after of the January 12, 2010 earthquake and 2 million Haitians still live on the streets in full public view, subject to the elements, heat, the rains, mudslides and hurricanes.
2 million Haitians are still subject to disease outbreaks such as cholera, dysentery and diseases from poor living conditions, poor sanitation and impure drinking source.
During the blitzkrieg in the aftermath of the earthquake in January, more than sixty nations promised money and material aid in excess of five billion dollars, but, six more later, only Brazil, Norway and Sweden has fulfilled and redeemed their pledges; but why is this the case? But where are the nations who made loud promises and thereby deceived all of us, while giving Haitians false hope, and now, disappointment?
It will be recalled that in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake on January 12 in Haiti, there were what appeared at the time, as quite extraordinary volumes of pledges and promises of financial and material support for the beleaguered people and nation of Haiti. There was what most thought and saw as an unprecedented outpouring of support. Where is everybody? Where is the press and media coverage? There were 24 hours and seven days a week coverage by journalists everywhere, soon after January 12.
That was then! But ten months after the cataclysmic earthquake and the deaths of more than 230,000 persons in Haiti, and the simultaneous displacements of millions of others in Haiti, the loud promises and pledges have not been fulfilled. It is certainly the case that more than 65 nations pledge what at the time appeared to a record amount of money, but, it is sadly now the case that only a microcosm among those nations have kept their promises and on camera pledges. As at this writing, only Brazil, Sweden and Norway have fulfilled their national pledges to the people and nation of Haiti.
The romance has worn off, the television cameras have moved away from Haiti and pledges are unfulfilled. My favorite journalists at CNN, the socially responsible Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta aired a prescient, profound and yet heart wrenching on the ground report from Haiti, reports which clearly indicates that the situation in Haiti has deteriorated since the departure of the klieg lights which were beamed on Haiti 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake disaster on January 12, 2010. Journalists across the world need to be asking questions again.
There is a need to keep the focus on Haiti, just so we all ensure that promises and pledges which were made, supposedly in good faith, are redeemed and there is accountability and transparency on the part of donors and recipients alike. It is too often the case, that donors make loud announcements without following through, and too often, the local populations are misled into believing that the billions of dollars promised were in actuality delivered, except that such gargantuan monies were mismanaged, misused or looted by local authorities through corruption
It will be quite nice to hold donors to account, audit them, just as we would demand auditing the recipient to ensure that reasonable expectations on the part of recipient nation and prospective beneficiaries are not misled. It is the case that social disenchantment and upheaval often arises from this sorts of expectation versus. It is such a shame that there remain this huge gap between very public ostentatious promises-pledges, and actual fulfillments of these genuine expectations.
We should spare thoughts for Haiti and Haitians. There are unfinished business and there are certainly many matters which have arisen and still arising. We concede there is a global economic downturn, but, that makes lives of Haitians even much worse.
We should spare thoughts for and about Haiti and Haitians, our people, in this great time of relief and reconstruction... the work in rebuilding Haiti, has only just begun in the most meager terms, we should keep the focus and attention on the progress on ground in Haiti. Haiti is the First Black Nation on earth. Haiti started the ball rolling toward political freedom and emancipation for continental Africans and all peoples of African descent...
Haiti and Haitians are still being punished for that singular audacity and temerity? Or what else explains this neglect of the human needs which remain unmet in Haiti? Haitians are a generous and a resilient people... they will not be broken... We should do EVERYTHING through engagement, and participation in the relief, reconstruction and rebuilding of Haiti.. Haiti and Haitians need our support for physical and metaphorical complete recovery. We should all do our part. Keeping Haiti and Haitians in our minds is a part of that.
Saudi Arabia just ordered weapons of war. The Saudi Kingdom is billions of dollars on arms and the government of the United States is facilitating these arms purchases which will lead to obvious arms race. And today, two million Haitians can use 1 percent of these monies for relief, reconstruction and rebuilding and even retrofit Haiti, but instead, they are thinking of food and shelter, basic survival needs which are still absent almost a year later. And the band plays on, monies by squandered worldwide.
We should all do our parts. Keeping Haiti and Haitians in our minds is a part of that. Haitians are not thinking. Haitian victims of abject conditions are left to wallow in squalor, even as they still need the mere basics of human existence; Haitians are thinking of food and shelter, the basic human survival needs, and necessity
The rain season is on, full steam and our people in Haiti are still under flimsy shelters. Ten whole months after the earthquake devastation and what at the time appeared to be an outpouring of supports and donations!
It now obvious why we must keep our attention on what is happening and the eventual outcomes. Would many of the promises and pledges made on camera by the world be kept?
Please help Haitians and Haiti, would you, please?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Searing images have been burned into our collective memories from the earthquake calamities and catastrophes which befell Haiti on January 12, 2010. Ten months has since passed, the passage of time has not reduced the grief and desperation on ground in Haiti.
Only recently, 5 persons in the many tent camps Haiti were killed by rainstorms, rainstorms which also rendered 210 tents useless. Thankfully and luckily, the hurricane season this year has been less severe and this has meant some sorts of respite for the already beleaguered nation and people of Haiti.
The television cameras are long gone and public sympathy has elapsed. Complacency have seemingly set in. The plights and predicaments of our people worldwide is exemplified by the current precarious limbo in which, and to which Haitians have been seemingly consigned. The human condition of our people remain, are best described by recent public statements by former American Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired US Army General, when he stated that “So many rocks in our sack, and so, we have trouble carrying it”
Haiti, in the earthquake aftermath, is a toxic mix of poverty, adversities, calamities, catastrophes, tragedies which is multiplied by a factor 2 million people. Two million people who are currently homeless and remain in direst of straits. These two million Haitians are part of the approximately 2 billion continental Africans and peoples of African descent on earth, whose plights and predicaments are not much different. Man made disasters and Acts of God tragedies conspire and combine to make our lives toughest than any other groups people in the world. Our people remain beset by too many challenges piled on, exacerbated by newer ones.
Where are the loud and ostentatious pledges and promises of relief and reconstructions or where is divine interventions from the heavens? How does anyone reassure 2 million Haitians who are homeless for almost a whole year now? This, even after the world made a great show on television, insisting to frazzled Haitians that help was on the way? Great expectations are now forlorn? What is it about geopolitics and or human psyche in which Foreign Aid is not steered to where the need is greatest? Where is Bill Clinton?
Haiti, though a poor nation, she does have a population of the most courageous people on the face of the earth! Haitians have faced and confronted sundry adversities and have always tethered through, weathering the storms, almost with equanimity. It is important to make this point and mention the tenacity of the people of Haiti, even in the midst of the most severe earthquake in human memory. Haitians, despite the extraordinary toll in terms of human lives lost, are managing to carry on, as close to a semblance of normalcy as possible.
It is sadly the case that tents wearing thin from wear and tear , rain, sun and other natural from the elements. Haitian people have become understandably weary. This was illustrated recently by The New York Times feature article, in which so many Haitians were crying out for help in letters to the entire world which described the very pathetic and abject human conditions which persist in Haiti, over ten months since the earthquake in January.
Planners had hoped by now that 130,000 tent dwellers would have been resettled, but so far, after almost a whole year since the earthquake, only 10% resettlement have been achieved .The fragile and flimsy temporary accommodations are disintegrating. Tarpaulin tents are fraying under the elements, formerly white tents now grey, and torn, exposing two million inhabitants to more sufferings and hardships
There is still no water, no electricity available to all regularly and on steady, or reliable basis, there are continuing concerns for disease outbreaks of epidemic proportions, such as cholera and other diseases which are exacerbated by unsanitary conditions. The congested tents camps environment in which Haitians displaced by the earthquake now live, is said to be suffused and reek with raw sewage and rain water flowing in the camp being a common sight
It is really sad that 2 million Haitian are still homeless more than 10 months after earthquake which killed 230,ooo people. It is so disconcerting that our microwave culture with short attention span, have forgotten or at least, have allowed the plights and predicaments of Haitians, victims of the worst earthquake, are abandoned and their abject conditions have receded to the back burner and recesses of our consciousness.
We spend two trillion dollars tangling with real and imagined enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and yet, we do not have the will and courage to provide basic human needs to the two million persons still homeless in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti?
It will be recalled that in the aftermath of the cataclysmic earthquake in January, there were almost a sense of eagerness by and between nations to openly compete and be seen as the largest donor and the best helper of the hapless people and nation of Haiti, but, almost a year has passed and only three nations, namely, Sweden, Norway and Brazil, have followed through and keep their promised and delivered on the monies pledged to Haiti relief and reconstruction efforts.
Almost a year after the earthquake almost unhinged Haiti and thrust upon her, extreme and extraordinarily dire circumstances, transitional shelters remains how two million Haitians live and, these transitional housing are even grossly inadequate, unavailable, while the existing ones are deteriorating and are now in tattered conditions.
The reconstructions which were much heralded, has not come to be or come to pass. Land ownership uncertainties remains a major problem, an obstacle and impediment to redevelopment. AID organizations have publicly stated that they wont put structures on land without knowing or ascertaining title holders
The presence of debris and rubbles from the earthquake is still pervasive and predominant in the landscape of earthquake ravaged areas of Haiti.
More than ten months after of the January 12, 2010 earthquake and 2 million Haitians still live on the streets in full public view, subject to the elements, heat, the rains, mudslides and hurricanes.
2 million Haitians are still subject to disease outbreaks such as cholera, dysentery and diseases from poor living conditions, poor sanitation and impure drinking source.
During the blitzkrieg in the aftermath of the earthquake in January, more than sixty nations promised money and material aid in excess of five billion dollars, but, six more later, only Brazil, Norway and Sweden has fulfilled and redeemed their pledges; but why is this the case? But where are the nations who made loud promises and thereby deceived all of us, while giving Haitians false hope, and now, disappointment?
It will be recalled that in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake on January 12 in Haiti, there were what appeared at the time, as quite extraordinary volumes of pledges and promises of financial and material support for the beleaguered people and nation of Haiti. There was what most thought and saw as an unprecedented outpouring of support. Where is everybody? Where is the press and media coverage? There were 24 hours and seven days a week coverage by journalists everywhere, soon after January 12.
That was then! But ten months after the cataclysmic earthquake and the deaths of more than 230,000 persons in Haiti, and the simultaneous displacements of millions of others in Haiti, the loud promises and pledges have not been fulfilled. It is certainly the case that more than 65 nations pledge what at the time appeared to a record amount of money, but, it is sadly now the case that only a microcosm among those nations have kept their promises and on camera pledges. As at this writing, only Brazil, Sweden and Norway have fulfilled their national pledges to the people and nation of Haiti.
The romance has worn off, the television cameras have moved away from Haiti and pledges are unfulfilled. My favorite journalists at CNN, the socially responsible Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta aired a prescient, profound and yet heart wrenching on the ground report from Haiti, reports which clearly indicates that the situation in Haiti has deteriorated since the departure of the klieg lights which were beamed on Haiti 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake disaster on January 12, 2010. Journalists across the world need to be asking questions again.
There is a need to keep the focus on Haiti, just so we all ensure that promises and pledges which were made, supposedly in good faith, are redeemed and there is accountability and transparency on the part of donors and recipients alike. It is too often the case, that donors make loud announcements without following through, and too often, the local populations are misled into believing that the billions of dollars promised were in actuality delivered, except that such gargantuan monies were mismanaged, misused or looted by local authorities through corruption
It will be quite nice to hold donors to account, audit them, just as we would demand auditing the recipient to ensure that reasonable expectations on the part of recipient nation and prospective beneficiaries are not misled. It is the case that social disenchantment and upheaval often arises from this sorts of expectation versus. It is such a shame that there remain this huge gap between very public ostentatious promises-pledges, and actual fulfillments of these genuine expectations.
We should spare thoughts for Haiti and Haitians. There are unfinished business and there are certainly many matters which have arisen and still arising. We concede there is a global economic downturn, but, that makes lives of Haitians even much worse.
We should spare thoughts for and about Haiti and Haitians, our people, in this great time of relief and reconstruction... the work in rebuilding Haiti, has only just begun in the most meager terms, we should keep the focus and attention on the progress on ground in Haiti. Haiti is the First Black Nation on earth. Haiti started the ball rolling toward political freedom and emancipation for continental Africans and all peoples of African descent...
Haiti and Haitians are still being punished for that singular audacity and temerity? Or what else explains this neglect of the human needs which remain unmet in Haiti? Haitians are a generous and a resilient people... they will not be broken... We should do EVERYTHING through engagement, and participation in the relief, reconstruction and rebuilding of Haiti.. Haiti and Haitians need our support for physical and metaphorical complete recovery. We should all do our part. Keeping Haiti and Haitians in our minds is a part of that.
Saudi Arabia just ordered weapons of war. The Saudi Kingdom is billions of dollars on arms and the government of the United States is facilitating these arms purchases which will lead to obvious arms race. And today, two million Haitians can use 1 percent of these monies for relief, reconstruction and rebuilding and even retrofit Haiti, but instead, they are thinking of food and shelter, basic survival needs which are still absent almost a year later. And the band plays on, monies by squandered worldwide.
We should all do our parts. Keeping Haiti and Haitians in our minds is a part of that. Haitians are not thinking. Haitian victims of abject conditions are left to wallow in squalor, even as they still need the mere basics of human existence; Haitians are thinking of food and shelter, the basic human survival needs, and necessity
The rain season is on, full steam and our people in Haiti are still under flimsy shelters. Ten whole months after the earthquake devastation and what at the time appeared to be an outpouring of supports and donations!
It now obvious why we must keep our attention on what is happening and the eventual outcomes. Would many of the promises and pledges made on camera by the world be kept?
Please help Haitians and Haiti, would you, please?
Consequential Thinking: Thinking Big Versus Thinking Small
Consequential Thinking: Thinking Big Versus Thinking Small
Written by Paul I. Adujie
When the history of the world is written, whether we succeed as a nation, or what becomes Nigeria’s role and place in the world, will be determined by, our preference of the big picture over myopic and parochial worldview, in connection with resolving our national issues, deciphering where our national interests are hinged, upon which positive national outcomes that we seek and should passionately desire, would be attained.
Thinking big and thinking small, have important consequences that impact all of us, and the varied outcomes our lives presents to us all, this is human thinking, that are translated into our actions, behaviors or conducts, and naturally, some consequences are pleasant but at other times, some undesirable results are wrought upon humankind, in our fiendishly complicated world; Thinking big or beyond oneself, while forsaking instant gratification or self-ingratiation of the individual, is most desirable for our progress, this is what enthroning a common-good mantra would do for Nigeria and our developmental advancements.
All past and present human advancements, were, at some points, just mere figments of individual imaginations, these human advancements were just merely wild dreams, which means, all the magnificent castles on earth, the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, moonlanding and all, were once, just castles in the air, until they were brought forth, and actualized, through the critical thinking and positive determination by person or persons; Conversely, thinking small requires self-absorption or self-flagellation and self-indulgence or some form of individualistic extremism, with all its attendant negative impact on whole communities, societies and countries; I believe Nigerians are currently witnessing a locust-style suffusion by existentialists of the worst types, there are now too many me-first and me-firsters, me me me have become the predominant mantra, as it were. Instead of savoring the wonderfulness of Nigeria, instead of letting Nigeria be our uncontested favorite country on earth!
I make bold to assert, that Nigerians are great thinkers; Our national challenges and even uncountable failures have arisen, not because were are an unthinking lot, evidence abound, of Nigerians’ intellectual robustness and sturdiness, we have excelled, notably and remarkably, in every fields of endeavor, in every professions in both Nigeria and abroad, particularly, at home, where a reading of any policy documents or deal papers, readily reveals, how well-crafted Nigerians policies are, serving as wonderful exemplars of our intellectual prowess, we are only found lacking, however, when it comes to the implementations of these well-crafted policies, as with good laws in the books, that are not enforced or wonderful concept projects, that not executed and implemented to their logical fruition and advantage, Nigerians are by and large, great thinkers, no doubt.
We urgently need to tweak our policy implementations, to become consistent with our well crafted policy formulations, to begin to prevent the usually anguished or undesirable outcomes, that have created cynics out of too many Nigerians, as we have become unbelievably frustrated with exasperations, over past and continued public policy failures; What Nigerians lack presently therefore, are essentially, the desires and fortitude to think beyond self, the passion to think big, and take possession of the entire forest instead of the frequent internecine fights over a few trees that belong to us all, Nigerians must think less of self, we should think more about our communities, our societies our country and the possible effects or consequences that our actions or, behaviors and conducts have on our collective interests, here defined with restraint, as common-good or national interests.
Here is a hypothetical example of some Nigerians' current thought processes, and disastrous consequences produced from the sorts of small thinking mindset, note the actions and the dire consequences that follows; Paul is customs officer, due to his greed, poverty of mind or thinking small etc, he accepts bribes from a gun smuggler, who brings into Nigeria, an automatic pistol handgun, through one of the ports of entry, where Paul is stationed, subsequently, Paul, his father and best friend are killed in a botched robbery or in a politically motivated rampage, killed with the smuggled pistol, allowed into Nigeria, because Paul as a customs officer neglected and refused to enforce the law that prohibits pistol smuggling.
Of course, in real life, it is rare to have such direct connection of cause and effect or actions and repercussions, but this is essentially how consequential thinking works, those who engage in consequential thinking, forbear to take certain actions, because of the high probability of the foreseeable consequences of such actions, anticipating such adverse consequences, informs the big thinker to eschew a form of conduct, a big thinker in this instance would have upheld the laws against the smuggling of pistols, Paul’s inability to uphold the law, refuse the smuggler’s bribe, while confiscating the illegal pistol, caused subsequent havocs, as we shall soon learn, Paul was of course motivated by personal greed and short-term money benefit, that he would accomplish from the bribe, but nemesis caught up with Paul, his family and friends, as the pistol became useful, in teaching a perverse lesson to Paul who abetted its smuggling.
In another hypothesis, let say Paul receives a contract to establish a power station, to facilitate electricity generation, for the enhancement of industrial/commercial and domestic processes, suppose Paul purchases secondhand or refurbished electricity generation equipments, with short or limited lifespan and as a result, growth and development are stifled in industrial/commercial endeavors? And on the domestic front, this will mean no electricity for domestic comforts, such as air conditioners, electric fans and refrigeration etc would not be had, all due to Paul’s small thinking, and as result of his unwillingness to look at the big picture, but imagine if Paul purchased the right equipments, secured the applicable warranties, including technical service agreements that assures follow-up and after-sales service by the manufacturers and or distributors? We will all have and enjoy our money’s worth in service satisfaction.
Suppose, that the ubiquitous Paul, furthermore, enjoyed the receipt of construction contract, and he undertakes to do a shoddy job or leave the construction uncompleted or perhaps, because he is so well connected, Paul brazenly abandons the construction job outright? He has the political leadership on his payroll, literally in his pocket? And so, Nigeria ends with bad roads, roads with gullies and crater sized holes, where will Paul, his family and friends, who he wishes well, drive their cars? Paul has subverted his own interests, his family’s and friends’ interests in plying a well constructed road, commerce is impeded, death and sufferings results from the death traps, that our highways have since become, Paul is effectively Kobo wise and Naira foolish! We are all in this together
On medical supplies and equipments, we are all very familiar and know the facts regarding the consequences of fake medicines as ticking time bombs? So also, are inferior or malfunctioning substandard medical equipments, if a refusal to think big leads Paul to supply fake medicines and bad equipments, it quite likely, that Paul, his family and friends, could become direct victims of the iniquities Paul committed, in supplying fake medicines and bad medical equipments to our hospitals and healthcare facilities, Paul’s fraud plays some roles in giving our countries undesirable labels of denigrations, including certain death for those who become consumers of these fake drugs or receipients of inadequate service from faulty and substandard equipments.
There are a million examples, similar to the patterns outlined above, where individual greed or debauchery, portend dire consequences for our country, as outlined for all to see, the roles, that we have played and some continue to play individually, in our country underdevelopment, regardless of our position as minions or as the all-powerful oga-pata-pata, whether as messengers, clerks, commissioners, ministers, governors or even the president, we elevate or debase, depending on our preferred mantra, do we think big or small, do we prefer instant gratification or deferred benefits for the best interest of all and country? Do we not clearly see the perversities wrought by these corruption and depravities?
Nigerians who usurp their positions of public trust, for their personal benefits, betray themselves and all of us, invariably and inevitably, they betray the common-good of our country; Imagine, what would happen, if all the public policies in Nigeria were faithfully and thoroughly implemented to their logical conclusions and brought to fruition? What would have become of the Ajaokuta steel project that was first conceived over thirty years ago, how about the national identity card project that is more than twenty-five years old, then add the different phases of the Kainji Hydro Electric projects and the fabled manufacturing of a made in Nigeria car? Imagine all the other dead and moribund projects?
Imagine if contracts were executed promptly and completely, otherwise, for any failures, to promptly and completely execute projects, imagine if there is certainty of punishment, imagine if those who inspect project execution or those who supervise and verify completions and compliance, were incorruptible? Further imagine, if there was certitude of punishments of contractors that are found responsible project failures or for poor project execution or implementation, (these were the good sides of Buhari/Idiagbon) punishing errant contractors and project implementors.
Schools and hospitals will be built and equipped and agreements for follow-up maintenance would be scrupulously monitored and terms enforced;
Power plants would have brand-new turbines and generators installed, service agreements without inflated costs or illegal ten percent, to make enforcers look the other way, continued maintenance regimen, would ensure abundant generation and regular electricity supply for all, there will be a welcomed untimely death of the importations of personal electricity generator sets, ridding our society of the associated pollution by noise, the soot and fumes.
This also means that our roads will regain their formerly pristine conditions, just as our Paul, his family and friends, others will be spared from the lethal bullets from an automatic pistol that is smuggled into Nigeria with bribes, and the willing bribe taker customs officer or Police officer at road checkpoints, who are too willing to wave aside our laws, and the lethal dangers an illegal gun clearly present, as inherent in the smuggling of an automatic pistol (clearly not for hunting lions!) but just because a few Naira notes have changed hands as bribes, human heads may be smuggled?
We should not be competing against ourselves, we should not allow our national interests to suffer, we are not in the business of defeating ourselves. We must think big and bigger!
In producing a safe, developed and advanced Nigeria, all Nigerians must act as if we are all quality control expert in factories, in the manufacture of a product called national interests of common-good, and we must show and exert determination, not to allow impure products pass into our quality products, we must rid our production of impurities and poisons, we must maintain our market share or our place in the world, we cannot in good conscience complain, if we allow our personal and transient interests or some distractions, override our collective responsibilities, that ensures that our common interests are guaranteed.
Personal interests must take a back seat, the competition should favor overall national interests, this can be done, only by enthroning consequential thinking on a large/wide scale, without consequential thinking, some people engage in corruption, and needles greed, the accumulation of resources for their personal use, wealth that rightly belong to the public treasury, some Nigerians have reportedly siphon more money than any one person can use in a lifetime, entire lifespan, more than any human being can utilize, even if they have a lifespan, spanning a thousand years!
Without consequential thinking, some Nigerians have accumulated wealth outside Nigeria, and they prefer to continue to needlessly accumulate properties, instead of even investing in Nigeria, this has led some critics to wonder why we seek foreign infusion of investment, when, wealthy Nigerians prefer their money and children in “safe-havens” overseas! The pillaging would stop, when and if, those engaged in it, realize the best interests is served in a developed and advanced Nigeria, instead of stealing Nigeria’s assets and wealth, public resources, for the reinforcement of the growth and advancements of other countries’ economies, just as we sometime hear of wasted, confiscated or abandoned looted assets from Nigeria, stashed overseas, that could have been put to work, in contribution to putting Nigeria in good stead.
On the whole, it must be appreciated, as it is the case, that our actions or inactions and or omissions, complicities with these, (all of the above acts that defeats national interests) have had dramatic negative effects and impact on Nigeria, hence, on all of us, these dire consequences, are much more than what I am sufficiently equipped in eloquence to express, I sincerely wish that I could demonstrate more succinctly, the types of egregious behaviors Paul typified in the hypotheses, these sorts of behaviors ought to be severely punished, but our present society permits the likes of Paul to wangle their ways out of legal troubles or impediments. We must stop undermining our national aspirations!
Paul avoids repercussions for his criminal behaviors and criminal enterprise, he is on the lose to commit other crimes, or to be in complicities, aiding others to sneer at our laws; Nigeria must let the rule of law and due process surpass all other loyalties, allegiances, affiliations and affinities, as Nigeria undertake efforts to ensure the certainty of rewards and punishments for every citizen, and ensuring the certitude of punishment for citizens especcially like Paul in the numerous hypothetical examples above, Nigerians citizens who aid and abet crimes and all others in complicities, that continue to thwart our collective progress and advancement in Nigeria, such wayward citizens deserve to be visited with the fullest extent of our laws, and them some.
It is equally the case, that the far reaching implications of these nefarious activities, as we know them, the sorts that Paul regal in, in the aforementioned examples, all these improprieties, contraindicated here, affects all Nigerians, Paul, his family and friends in real life, would not be the only affected,of course, many more innocent persons, unsuspecting Nigerians, would be affected adversely as well, our communities, society and country are subjected at different levels, to Paul’s anti-social and criminal behavior, from whence comes the radioactive-like fallout of the corruptions infestations,and the debilitating consequences, that have mushroomed in our country.
Thinking big and always preferring our collective interests in positive ways, benefits us individually and all of us as a collective, it is really a win-win proposition, and it is very simple and realistic, just as the benefits are apparent; From my big picture perspective, these are the ways we can move from words to action, steering our country into rebirth and renaissance, and the exact opposite is also true, as have it have been clearly apparent and responsible for our slow march or standing-still, to development and progress.
All Nigerians who are passionate about our homeland, must now resolve henceforth, to think big, to think of the big picture, to think of the common-good that would arise or be achieved, as we become more contemplative and deliberative, in our actions and behaviors that affect Nigeria, so that, every opportunity presented is explored to the fullest by Nigerians in the consequential thinkers’ mode would do, the opposite of the numerous havocs committed by Paul in the above example, but if we persist in behaviors like Paul’s, we cannot continue to wonder why too many things are not the way we want.
Paul clearly subverted his interest and society’s interests at large, in general, and on the long run. We most certainly, must desist from undermining our national purpose.
We must eschew poverty of mind and spirit, and must instead elevate community and national interests to its pride of place and accord it the priority that it deserves, over and above our personal interests, nothing must be pursued in denigration of our common-good, no more parochial, myopic and shortsighted actions, that are sure to produce results that defeats us all; Nigeria’s development, progress and advancements, depends on the re-orientation, the refinements of all Nigerians and in this, we must not fail.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
When the history of the world is written, whether we succeed as a nation, or what becomes Nigeria’s role and place in the world, will be determined by, our preference of the big picture over myopic and parochial worldview, in connection with resolving our national issues, deciphering where our national interests are hinged, upon which positive national outcomes that we seek and should passionately desire, would be attained.
Thinking big and thinking small, have important consequences that impact all of us, and the varied outcomes our lives presents to us all, this is human thinking, that are translated into our actions, behaviors or conducts, and naturally, some consequences are pleasant but at other times, some undesirable results are wrought upon humankind, in our fiendishly complicated world; Thinking big or beyond oneself, while forsaking instant gratification or self-ingratiation of the individual, is most desirable for our progress, this is what enthroning a common-good mantra would do for Nigeria and our developmental advancements.
All past and present human advancements, were, at some points, just mere figments of individual imaginations, these human advancements were just merely wild dreams, which means, all the magnificent castles on earth, the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, moonlanding and all, were once, just castles in the air, until they were brought forth, and actualized, through the critical thinking and positive determination by person or persons; Conversely, thinking small requires self-absorption or self-flagellation and self-indulgence or some form of individualistic extremism, with all its attendant negative impact on whole communities, societies and countries; I believe Nigerians are currently witnessing a locust-style suffusion by existentialists of the worst types, there are now too many me-first and me-firsters, me me me have become the predominant mantra, as it were. Instead of savoring the wonderfulness of Nigeria, instead of letting Nigeria be our uncontested favorite country on earth!
I make bold to assert, that Nigerians are great thinkers; Our national challenges and even uncountable failures have arisen, not because were are an unthinking lot, evidence abound, of Nigerians’ intellectual robustness and sturdiness, we have excelled, notably and remarkably, in every fields of endeavor, in every professions in both Nigeria and abroad, particularly, at home, where a reading of any policy documents or deal papers, readily reveals, how well-crafted Nigerians policies are, serving as wonderful exemplars of our intellectual prowess, we are only found lacking, however, when it comes to the implementations of these well-crafted policies, as with good laws in the books, that are not enforced or wonderful concept projects, that not executed and implemented to their logical fruition and advantage, Nigerians are by and large, great thinkers, no doubt.
We urgently need to tweak our policy implementations, to become consistent with our well crafted policy formulations, to begin to prevent the usually anguished or undesirable outcomes, that have created cynics out of too many Nigerians, as we have become unbelievably frustrated with exasperations, over past and continued public policy failures; What Nigerians lack presently therefore, are essentially, the desires and fortitude to think beyond self, the passion to think big, and take possession of the entire forest instead of the frequent internecine fights over a few trees that belong to us all, Nigerians must think less of self, we should think more about our communities, our societies our country and the possible effects or consequences that our actions or, behaviors and conducts have on our collective interests, here defined with restraint, as common-good or national interests.
Here is a hypothetical example of some Nigerians' current thought processes, and disastrous consequences produced from the sorts of small thinking mindset, note the actions and the dire consequences that follows; Paul is customs officer, due to his greed, poverty of mind or thinking small etc, he accepts bribes from a gun smuggler, who brings into Nigeria, an automatic pistol handgun, through one of the ports of entry, where Paul is stationed, subsequently, Paul, his father and best friend are killed in a botched robbery or in a politically motivated rampage, killed with the smuggled pistol, allowed into Nigeria, because Paul as a customs officer neglected and refused to enforce the law that prohibits pistol smuggling.
Of course, in real life, it is rare to have such direct connection of cause and effect or actions and repercussions, but this is essentially how consequential thinking works, those who engage in consequential thinking, forbear to take certain actions, because of the high probability of the foreseeable consequences of such actions, anticipating such adverse consequences, informs the big thinker to eschew a form of conduct, a big thinker in this instance would have upheld the laws against the smuggling of pistols, Paul’s inability to uphold the law, refuse the smuggler’s bribe, while confiscating the illegal pistol, caused subsequent havocs, as we shall soon learn, Paul was of course motivated by personal greed and short-term money benefit, that he would accomplish from the bribe, but nemesis caught up with Paul, his family and friends, as the pistol became useful, in teaching a perverse lesson to Paul who abetted its smuggling.
In another hypothesis, let say Paul receives a contract to establish a power station, to facilitate electricity generation, for the enhancement of industrial/commercial and domestic processes, suppose Paul purchases secondhand or refurbished electricity generation equipments, with short or limited lifespan and as a result, growth and development are stifled in industrial/commercial endeavors? And on the domestic front, this will mean no electricity for domestic comforts, such as air conditioners, electric fans and refrigeration etc would not be had, all due to Paul’s small thinking, and as result of his unwillingness to look at the big picture, but imagine if Paul purchased the right equipments, secured the applicable warranties, including technical service agreements that assures follow-up and after-sales service by the manufacturers and or distributors? We will all have and enjoy our money’s worth in service satisfaction.
Suppose, that the ubiquitous Paul, furthermore, enjoyed the receipt of construction contract, and he undertakes to do a shoddy job or leave the construction uncompleted or perhaps, because he is so well connected, Paul brazenly abandons the construction job outright? He has the political leadership on his payroll, literally in his pocket? And so, Nigeria ends with bad roads, roads with gullies and crater sized holes, where will Paul, his family and friends, who he wishes well, drive their cars? Paul has subverted his own interests, his family’s and friends’ interests in plying a well constructed road, commerce is impeded, death and sufferings results from the death traps, that our highways have since become, Paul is effectively Kobo wise and Naira foolish! We are all in this together
On medical supplies and equipments, we are all very familiar and know the facts regarding the consequences of fake medicines as ticking time bombs? So also, are inferior or malfunctioning substandard medical equipments, if a refusal to think big leads Paul to supply fake medicines and bad equipments, it quite likely, that Paul, his family and friends, could become direct victims of the iniquities Paul committed, in supplying fake medicines and bad medical equipments to our hospitals and healthcare facilities, Paul’s fraud plays some roles in giving our countries undesirable labels of denigrations, including certain death for those who become consumers of these fake drugs or receipients of inadequate service from faulty and substandard equipments.
There are a million examples, similar to the patterns outlined above, where individual greed or debauchery, portend dire consequences for our country, as outlined for all to see, the roles, that we have played and some continue to play individually, in our country underdevelopment, regardless of our position as minions or as the all-powerful oga-pata-pata, whether as messengers, clerks, commissioners, ministers, governors or even the president, we elevate or debase, depending on our preferred mantra, do we think big or small, do we prefer instant gratification or deferred benefits for the best interest of all and country? Do we not clearly see the perversities wrought by these corruption and depravities?
Nigerians who usurp their positions of public trust, for their personal benefits, betray themselves and all of us, invariably and inevitably, they betray the common-good of our country; Imagine, what would happen, if all the public policies in Nigeria were faithfully and thoroughly implemented to their logical conclusions and brought to fruition? What would have become of the Ajaokuta steel project that was first conceived over thirty years ago, how about the national identity card project that is more than twenty-five years old, then add the different phases of the Kainji Hydro Electric projects and the fabled manufacturing of a made in Nigeria car? Imagine all the other dead and moribund projects?
Imagine if contracts were executed promptly and completely, otherwise, for any failures, to promptly and completely execute projects, imagine if there is certainty of punishment, imagine if those who inspect project execution or those who supervise and verify completions and compliance, were incorruptible? Further imagine, if there was certitude of punishments of contractors that are found responsible project failures or for poor project execution or implementation, (these were the good sides of Buhari/Idiagbon) punishing errant contractors and project implementors.
Schools and hospitals will be built and equipped and agreements for follow-up maintenance would be scrupulously monitored and terms enforced;
Power plants would have brand-new turbines and generators installed, service agreements without inflated costs or illegal ten percent, to make enforcers look the other way, continued maintenance regimen, would ensure abundant generation and regular electricity supply for all, there will be a welcomed untimely death of the importations of personal electricity generator sets, ridding our society of the associated pollution by noise, the soot and fumes.
This also means that our roads will regain their formerly pristine conditions, just as our Paul, his family and friends, others will be spared from the lethal bullets from an automatic pistol that is smuggled into Nigeria with bribes, and the willing bribe taker customs officer or Police officer at road checkpoints, who are too willing to wave aside our laws, and the lethal dangers an illegal gun clearly present, as inherent in the smuggling of an automatic pistol (clearly not for hunting lions!) but just because a few Naira notes have changed hands as bribes, human heads may be smuggled?
We should not be competing against ourselves, we should not allow our national interests to suffer, we are not in the business of defeating ourselves. We must think big and bigger!
In producing a safe, developed and advanced Nigeria, all Nigerians must act as if we are all quality control expert in factories, in the manufacture of a product called national interests of common-good, and we must show and exert determination, not to allow impure products pass into our quality products, we must rid our production of impurities and poisons, we must maintain our market share or our place in the world, we cannot in good conscience complain, if we allow our personal and transient interests or some distractions, override our collective responsibilities, that ensures that our common interests are guaranteed.
Personal interests must take a back seat, the competition should favor overall national interests, this can be done, only by enthroning consequential thinking on a large/wide scale, without consequential thinking, some people engage in corruption, and needles greed, the accumulation of resources for their personal use, wealth that rightly belong to the public treasury, some Nigerians have reportedly siphon more money than any one person can use in a lifetime, entire lifespan, more than any human being can utilize, even if they have a lifespan, spanning a thousand years!
Without consequential thinking, some Nigerians have accumulated wealth outside Nigeria, and they prefer to continue to needlessly accumulate properties, instead of even investing in Nigeria, this has led some critics to wonder why we seek foreign infusion of investment, when, wealthy Nigerians prefer their money and children in “safe-havens” overseas! The pillaging would stop, when and if, those engaged in it, realize the best interests is served in a developed and advanced Nigeria, instead of stealing Nigeria’s assets and wealth, public resources, for the reinforcement of the growth and advancements of other countries’ economies, just as we sometime hear of wasted, confiscated or abandoned looted assets from Nigeria, stashed overseas, that could have been put to work, in contribution to putting Nigeria in good stead.
On the whole, it must be appreciated, as it is the case, that our actions or inactions and or omissions, complicities with these, (all of the above acts that defeats national interests) have had dramatic negative effects and impact on Nigeria, hence, on all of us, these dire consequences, are much more than what I am sufficiently equipped in eloquence to express, I sincerely wish that I could demonstrate more succinctly, the types of egregious behaviors Paul typified in the hypotheses, these sorts of behaviors ought to be severely punished, but our present society permits the likes of Paul to wangle their ways out of legal troubles or impediments. We must stop undermining our national aspirations!
Paul avoids repercussions for his criminal behaviors and criminal enterprise, he is on the lose to commit other crimes, or to be in complicities, aiding others to sneer at our laws; Nigeria must let the rule of law and due process surpass all other loyalties, allegiances, affiliations and affinities, as Nigeria undertake efforts to ensure the certainty of rewards and punishments for every citizen, and ensuring the certitude of punishment for citizens especcially like Paul in the numerous hypothetical examples above, Nigerians citizens who aid and abet crimes and all others in complicities, that continue to thwart our collective progress and advancement in Nigeria, such wayward citizens deserve to be visited with the fullest extent of our laws, and them some.
It is equally the case, that the far reaching implications of these nefarious activities, as we know them, the sorts that Paul regal in, in the aforementioned examples, all these improprieties, contraindicated here, affects all Nigerians, Paul, his family and friends in real life, would not be the only affected,of course, many more innocent persons, unsuspecting Nigerians, would be affected adversely as well, our communities, society and country are subjected at different levels, to Paul’s anti-social and criminal behavior, from whence comes the radioactive-like fallout of the corruptions infestations,and the debilitating consequences, that have mushroomed in our country.
Thinking big and always preferring our collective interests in positive ways, benefits us individually and all of us as a collective, it is really a win-win proposition, and it is very simple and realistic, just as the benefits are apparent; From my big picture perspective, these are the ways we can move from words to action, steering our country into rebirth and renaissance, and the exact opposite is also true, as have it have been clearly apparent and responsible for our slow march or standing-still, to development and progress.
All Nigerians who are passionate about our homeland, must now resolve henceforth, to think big, to think of the big picture, to think of the common-good that would arise or be achieved, as we become more contemplative and deliberative, in our actions and behaviors that affect Nigeria, so that, every opportunity presented is explored to the fullest by Nigerians in the consequential thinkers’ mode would do, the opposite of the numerous havocs committed by Paul in the above example, but if we persist in behaviors like Paul’s, we cannot continue to wonder why too many things are not the way we want.
Paul clearly subverted his interest and society’s interests at large, in general, and on the long run. We most certainly, must desist from undermining our national purpose.
We must eschew poverty of mind and spirit, and must instead elevate community and national interests to its pride of place and accord it the priority that it deserves, over and above our personal interests, nothing must be pursued in denigration of our common-good, no more parochial, myopic and shortsighted actions, that are sure to produce results that defeats us all; Nigeria’s development, progress and advancements, depends on the re-orientation, the refinements of all Nigerians and in this, we must not fail.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Republican Party Infighting Deepens
Republican Party Infighting Deepens
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Tea Party fringes of the Republican Party have now won elections in Alaska, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York etc. The ultra right conservatives in the Republican Party are pressuring and pushing the party into a corner!
The extremists amongst conservatives, are pushing mainstream Republicans to adopt extreme positions on many public issues. In New York for instance, the governorship candidate, Carl Paladino who advocates an extremely irresponsible fiscal policies, such as a $20 billion cut in Medicaid, cut tax by as much as 10% among other outlandish claims and public policy position adopted by Palladino.
It will be recalled that Carl Palladino, it was, who stated that he would have used Eminent Domain to seize and confiscate Park51 property of the developers of the now controversial so-called Ground Zero mosque, in order to frustrate the developer from completing the project.
The electorate will find these outrageous positions on public policies unacceptable and vote against them, come midterm elections in November.
Carl Palladino has found himself in awkward positions more than once, he is vulnerable on many counts. He has been known to peddle racist jokes and redistribute tasteless pornographic materials through emails.
Carl Palladino is an upstate billionaire developer, who is very unconventional in his campaign style, public policy proposals and positions, as well as even matters of personal comportment and political finesse. He has already made gaffes and goofs, before and during the run up to the election primaries.
Rick Lazio on the other hand, was sidetracked by his own fixation on the so-called Ground Zero Islamic Cultural Center controversy. He cloned the issue and sought to make it his sole campaign issue, apart for occasional scurrilous references to Mr. Andrew Cuomo and how dysfunctional Albany, the state capital has become. Rick Lazio, was, clearly, not served by his choice to be fixated on one issue, the building of a mosque, blocks from Ground Zero. An area in lower Manhattan bustling with trade and commerce, including strip clubs, gaming and gambling halls and pizza parlors etc.
The wins in New York, Delaware etc by the Tea Party fringe elements in the Republican Party, could spell relief for Democrats in November. A factional and splintered Republican party, should enable the Democrats to successfully wrest the positions from the Republicans
In both Delaware and New York, two ultra conservative Republicans political neophytes have in effect bruised mainstream of the party, by upturning electoral order in Delaware and New York respectively.
It does however remains to be seen, whether these little known Republican newcomers could prevail against well established Democrats on November 2, 2010 at the midterm elections.
Karl Rowe, a Republican operative, has dismissed Christine O’Donnell as a nonstarter who will not fare well against the Democratic nominee in Delaware. Apart from Karl Rowe, there are many in the Republican Party, who are seething and licking their wounds from the fights with ultra conservatives and fringes of the Republican Party with the Tea Partiers and Birthers as the arrow heads. Many Delaware Republicans are moderates, and had worked against Christine O’Donnell who they thought extreme, unethical and unelectable. Christine O’Donnell, may therefore face and uphill task in the November elections, as mainstream Republicans may not rally around her, when it will count the most.
These deepening infighting and acrimony between mainstream Republicans and the extreme fringes of the party is rapidly whittling down what have, all through the spring and summer, as resurgence by the Republicans. Tea Party victories this September could quite likely turn Pyrrhic in November as there are no symmetries between Tea Party and mainstream Republican Party, as they in fact tend to cannibalize and polarize each other with endorsements and retaliatory endorsements and dueling campaigns replete with mean attacks.
After this primaries in the various states, there were reports of celebrations and jubilation in Delaware by the Democrats who are obviously of the belief that a defeat of Congressman Michael N. Castle by O’Donnell is a favor to the Democrats as they will coast to victory, come November.
There are now Democrats who would tell you that Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin Tea Party phenomenon could be a blessing in disguise. Tea Party has accomplished a major feat, successfully splintering the usually disciplined Republican Party conservatives.
There are reports of angers and disgusts, in both Delaware and New York, reports of anger within the Republican Party leadership, rank and file, over what is seen as opportunities handed over to the Democrats by the Tea Party wins in Delaware and New York.
There will be Wednesday morning second-guessing. Why did Rick Lazio refuse to actively engage Carl Palladino?
But could Tea Party candidates produce victories in November 2010 similar to Senator Scott Brown type victory in Massachusetts? Will Tea Party enthusiasm, support and energy levels be sustained or produce election victories in November? Or will it be the case the Tea Party fringe exuberance will evaporate without the support and coordinated efforts between the extremes of the Republican Party?
In other races in New York, Congressman Charlie Rangel easily won his nomination to continue to represent the Upper West Side Manhattan congressional district. This, despite the strident criticism from the press and media, and even suggestions by many, including President Obama that Charlie Rangel step aside, as consequence of pending ethical charges. Charlie Rangel, despite the ethical cloud, has won the nomination to continue to represent his district in congress.
Voters in Charlie Rangel’s constituency have expressed skepticism in connection with the ethical charges against him. Some say that the congressman is merely being singled out from a congress with ethical reputation which most do not find beguiling or worthy of emulating.
Charlie Rangel easily defeated his five challengers or rivals, and this essentially assures his retention of his seat in congress. As his district is heavily Democratic, and ultimately, nominees from the district are virtual shoo ins.
At the governorship of New York contest in November, will be between Andrew Cuomo and Carl Palladino. Andrew Cuomo, the current Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of the state of New York, he is the son of political scion, Mario Cuomo, himself, a lawyer, and former three terms governor of the state of New York. Andrew Cuomo won easy nomination for the governorship as Democratic candidate.
Andrew Cuomo will face an amalgam of Carl Palladino and Rick Lazio, who apparently are configuring a working political relationship, which will make the almost limitless self-funding of Carl Palladino available in conjunction with mainstream Republican Party funding, tagged with the support of New York Conservative Party.
This sorts of coalition could give Andrew Cuomo a good fight, it is in fight the only fighting chance Palladino nad Razio etc could have against a robustly funded and supported Andrew Cuomo who on primary night laid low, even as Palladino referred to him as Andrew Status Quo Cuomo!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Tea Party fringes of the Republican Party have now won elections in Alaska, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York etc. The ultra right conservatives in the Republican Party are pressuring and pushing the party into a corner!
The extremists amongst conservatives, are pushing mainstream Republicans to adopt extreme positions on many public issues. In New York for instance, the governorship candidate, Carl Paladino who advocates an extremely irresponsible fiscal policies, such as a $20 billion cut in Medicaid, cut tax by as much as 10% among other outlandish claims and public policy position adopted by Palladino.
It will be recalled that Carl Palladino, it was, who stated that he would have used Eminent Domain to seize and confiscate Park51 property of the developers of the now controversial so-called Ground Zero mosque, in order to frustrate the developer from completing the project.
The electorate will find these outrageous positions on public policies unacceptable and vote against them, come midterm elections in November.
Carl Palladino has found himself in awkward positions more than once, he is vulnerable on many counts. He has been known to peddle racist jokes and redistribute tasteless pornographic materials through emails.
Carl Palladino is an upstate billionaire developer, who is very unconventional in his campaign style, public policy proposals and positions, as well as even matters of personal comportment and political finesse. He has already made gaffes and goofs, before and during the run up to the election primaries.
Rick Lazio on the other hand, was sidetracked by his own fixation on the so-called Ground Zero Islamic Cultural Center controversy. He cloned the issue and sought to make it his sole campaign issue, apart for occasional scurrilous references to Mr. Andrew Cuomo and how dysfunctional Albany, the state capital has become. Rick Lazio, was, clearly, not served by his choice to be fixated on one issue, the building of a mosque, blocks from Ground Zero. An area in lower Manhattan bustling with trade and commerce, including strip clubs, gaming and gambling halls and pizza parlors etc.
The wins in New York, Delaware etc by the Tea Party fringe elements in the Republican Party, could spell relief for Democrats in November. A factional and splintered Republican party, should enable the Democrats to successfully wrest the positions from the Republicans
In both Delaware and New York, two ultra conservative Republicans political neophytes have in effect bruised mainstream of the party, by upturning electoral order in Delaware and New York respectively.
It does however remains to be seen, whether these little known Republican newcomers could prevail against well established Democrats on November 2, 2010 at the midterm elections.
Karl Rowe, a Republican operative, has dismissed Christine O’Donnell as a nonstarter who will not fare well against the Democratic nominee in Delaware. Apart from Karl Rowe, there are many in the Republican Party, who are seething and licking their wounds from the fights with ultra conservatives and fringes of the Republican Party with the Tea Partiers and Birthers as the arrow heads. Many Delaware Republicans are moderates, and had worked against Christine O’Donnell who they thought extreme, unethical and unelectable. Christine O’Donnell, may therefore face and uphill task in the November elections, as mainstream Republicans may not rally around her, when it will count the most.
These deepening infighting and acrimony between mainstream Republicans and the extreme fringes of the party is rapidly whittling down what have, all through the spring and summer, as resurgence by the Republicans. Tea Party victories this September could quite likely turn Pyrrhic in November as there are no symmetries between Tea Party and mainstream Republican Party, as they in fact tend to cannibalize and polarize each other with endorsements and retaliatory endorsements and dueling campaigns replete with mean attacks.
After this primaries in the various states, there were reports of celebrations and jubilation in Delaware by the Democrats who are obviously of the belief that a defeat of Congressman Michael N. Castle by O’Donnell is a favor to the Democrats as they will coast to victory, come November.
There are now Democrats who would tell you that Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin Tea Party phenomenon could be a blessing in disguise. Tea Party has accomplished a major feat, successfully splintering the usually disciplined Republican Party conservatives.
There are reports of angers and disgusts, in both Delaware and New York, reports of anger within the Republican Party leadership, rank and file, over what is seen as opportunities handed over to the Democrats by the Tea Party wins in Delaware and New York.
There will be Wednesday morning second-guessing. Why did Rick Lazio refuse to actively engage Carl Palladino?
But could Tea Party candidates produce victories in November 2010 similar to Senator Scott Brown type victory in Massachusetts? Will Tea Party enthusiasm, support and energy levels be sustained or produce election victories in November? Or will it be the case the Tea Party fringe exuberance will evaporate without the support and coordinated efforts between the extremes of the Republican Party?
In other races in New York, Congressman Charlie Rangel easily won his nomination to continue to represent the Upper West Side Manhattan congressional district. This, despite the strident criticism from the press and media, and even suggestions by many, including President Obama that Charlie Rangel step aside, as consequence of pending ethical charges. Charlie Rangel, despite the ethical cloud, has won the nomination to continue to represent his district in congress.
Voters in Charlie Rangel’s constituency have expressed skepticism in connection with the ethical charges against him. Some say that the congressman is merely being singled out from a congress with ethical reputation which most do not find beguiling or worthy of emulating.
Charlie Rangel easily defeated his five challengers or rivals, and this essentially assures his retention of his seat in congress. As his district is heavily Democratic, and ultimately, nominees from the district are virtual shoo ins.
At the governorship of New York contest in November, will be between Andrew Cuomo and Carl Palladino. Andrew Cuomo, the current Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of the state of New York, he is the son of political scion, Mario Cuomo, himself, a lawyer, and former three terms governor of the state of New York. Andrew Cuomo won easy nomination for the governorship as Democratic candidate.
Andrew Cuomo will face an amalgam of Carl Palladino and Rick Lazio, who apparently are configuring a working political relationship, which will make the almost limitless self-funding of Carl Palladino available in conjunction with mainstream Republican Party funding, tagged with the support of New York Conservative Party.
This sorts of coalition could give Andrew Cuomo a good fight, it is in fight the only fighting chance Palladino nad Razio etc could have against a robustly funded and supported Andrew Cuomo who on primary night laid low, even as Palladino referred to him as Andrew Status Quo Cuomo!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ambassador John Campbell Is An Undiplomatic Loud Mouth!
Ambassador John Campbell Is An Undiplomatic Loud Mouth!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
There is nothing to know or learn about and from Ambassador John Campbell, if there is at all, it must be that, he is not a friend of Nigeria! If he were, he would not so frequently and in most offensive regularity, engage in writing scripts for would be coup plotters, political opportunists, anarchist which might lurk within and outside Nigeria.
John Campbell is no expert on anything Nigerian. If he is an expert at all, it has to be on one thing and one thing alone, which is, his undiplomatic and uncharitable willingness to paint worse case scenarios regarding Nigeria, at every turn.
It will be recalled that some Americans, while debating policy on Nigeria have, during the past several years announced that Nigeria will disintegrate in about fifteen years. This latest salvo by John Campbell fits those preconceived notions and predilections often exhibited to often by some, towards everything Nigerian, nay, African, where everything is without redemption and nothing good is possible or is sustainable.
We should ask, what and who made John Campbell an expert on Nigeria anyway, his stint as a United States representative in Nigeria for a few years?. John Campbell’s predictions about Nigeria stemmed from wrong predicates and premises and his conclusions are clearly wrong, and should be dismissed.
Nigerians will do well to compare Martin Indyk the former American ambassador to Israel for several years with John Campbell’s very damning public comments, articles and now, an unflattering book about Nigeria. Ambassador Martin Indyk does not exaggerate or engage in hyperbole against, despite all that is known by the public regarding the contentious relations between America on the one hand, and Israel and her neighbors on the other. Ambassador Martin Indyk does not engage in slash and burn against Israel as John Campbell obviously enjoys doing against Nigeria.
Nigerians should ask why John Campbell regularly announces to the world, that the sky in Nigeria is falling? His latest diatribe on Nigeria followed his pattern of demonstrated pessimism about Nigeria as illustrated by most recent article, titled, “Nigeria On The Brink, What Happens If 2011 Elections Fail”
Well meaning Nigerians should demand to know why, if John Campbell has any viable connections with either the political establishment in America and Nigeria respectively, why then, is he not using such connections for the benefit of the historically cordial relationships between the United States and Nigeria? Why does he need to frequently shout fire, fire, and conflagrations ever so often?
John Campbell has instead resorted regularly, to pedestrian rumor mongering at frequent intervals.
It is quite possibly the case, that some Nigerian pessimists, upon reading John Campbell's latest dire predictions and extremely ominous forecasts, regarding Nigeria, these Nigerian pessimists would jump up and down with shouts of Aha! We knew it, we knew it, and the Americans have confirmed it!
It can be imagined that these Nigerian pessimists think of John Campbell as having the requisite pedigree or qualifications on matters Nigeria. All westerners to always claim possession and or to have exclusive preserve, of this “superior” knowledge about Nigeria, Africa, and in fact, about the whole world!
The only notable exceptions being, perhaps, the whereabouts on earth, of raggedly Osama Bin Ladin. Or the massive American intelligence failures in the run up to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and American Defense headquarters, Pentagon. And the massive American intelligence failures which neglected to anticipate the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the USSR.
The wrong-headed American invasion and occupation of Iraq and the silly expectations, by some American officials, who predicted that Iraqis will dance in the streets, while throwing flower petals at the feet of Americans troops, whom Iraqis would hail as liberators, indicates this trends in public policy failures on the part of the American political establishment.
The failure to anticipate the magic of China’s double digit economic growth and ascendancy as a dominant superpower ranks up there as well, in public policy ineptitude on the part of the Americans. And yet, John Campbell, a part role player in this American establishment is an “expert” on Nigeria?
John Campbell comes across as busily writing scripts for disasters and miseries for Nigeria, when there so much happening here on the home front in America. The Chinese economy is in audacious upsurge and unprecedented growth, the American economy is quite in the opposite trend with high rates of unemployment and in free fall. There is mounting public debt as deficits in the trillions stares America in the face. America and other western nations are in clear trepidations over China emergence, particularly, China’s ability to fund America’s public debts as well as compete with western nations for resources on the African continent. There is an economic meltdown in America, there is mass discontent and disenchantment in America.
In the face of all this, John Campbell, seeks to lecture Nigerians and Nigeria on public policy failures? The sad thing is that, some Nigerians may actually listen to John Campbell, take him seriously and even allow themselves to be guided by the nuisance value of John Campbell’s preachment to us!
All Nigerians will do well, to ensure the success of the forthcoming scheduled general elections in January 2011. Ensuring smooth elections is in Nigeria’s best national interests, and in doing so, we will be doing no favors to interlopers and inter-meddlers such as John Campbell. Nigerians and Nigeria do not need outsiders with pretensions to what is best for Nigeria. Nigerians and friends of Nigeria must ensure that the precipitous predictions by persons and entities such as we have in John Campbell does not come to pass.
Nigerians will do well, in pronouncements and actions, so that we do not fall victims sinister rumors and into John Campbell's worst case scenarios. There is no time like now, to redouble our efforts, just so, we do not fulfill John Campbell's false prophecies and fatalistic fantasies.
It should be clear to all Nigerians by now, that John Campbell should not be seen as just a messenger or some sorts of teller of “bitter truths”. He instead, has repeatedly portrayed Nigeria as always chaotic, and at the brink of total collapse or as if always at the precipice of catastrophes. We should not take his word for it, that we are dancing at brinks of extinction. We should do nothing to play into his abominable and obnoxious scripts.
Nigerians should see through John Campbell's very paternalistic preachment and condescending manner towards Nigeria. John Campbell's articles and now, his book which scandalizes Nigerians and Nigeria, his actions are indicative of the contempt he reserves for us Nigerians and Nigeria.
Nigerians ought to and should in fact, denounce John Campbell and others like him, for fanning the embers of our family squabbles. We should, for our own purposes, ensure that our diversities in regions, ethnicity, religions cultures and languages are seen always as attributes which services our national interests in mutually beneficial ways. Nigeria is a plural society and that is a wonderfully positive thing which we must emphasize often, instead of our minor and infinitesimal differences emphasized and exaggerated by John Campbell.
Nigerians and friends of Nigeria should boycott John Campbell’s forthcoming book. The book is a calculated insult to us Nigerians, for it scandalizes Nigerians and Nigeria most offensively.
John Campbell’s book is a crime against us. Our boycotting the book effectively is the best way to send a message to the writer that crime does not pay. And send a message to him, to the effect that his scandalous book about us and out nation will not be rewarded or made profitable for him, not by us, at least.
He must not be rewarded for his repeated crimes against Nigerians and Nigeria, with his notoriously reckless, irresponsible and yet, extremely toxic predictions about our very existence. John Campbell and persons like him, constitute existential threat to Nigeria continued corporate existence as a nation.
John Campbell’s latest article published recently, identical in title and subtext with his forthcoming book. It is scandalous and offensive. It is loaded with suggestions to those who might engage in opportunism,
John Campbell should be told to cease, desist and refrain from his persistent silliness about Nigeria. He should stop peddling anarchy, disasters and catastrophes with the hope of finding Nigerian buyers.
Nigerians are urged, in reaction to John Campbell's latest exercise in gloom and doom predictions, which he insists must be Nigeria's fate, the question reasonable persons should ask and answer, is; What Purpose Does John Campbell's Public shaming of Nigerians and Nigeria serve? What is the benefit to Nigerians and Nigeria in John Campbell’s portrayal of Nigeria as helpless sheep on the way to a destined doom in a slaughter house or abattoir? Nigeria is not the only plural and multicultural multi-religious and multi-ethnic and multilingual nation on earth. And Nigeria is not the only nation which may experience election impasses and deadlocks! Nigeria’s democracy is imperfect, but show me a perfect democracy!
After all, there have been several elections this year, worldwide, with inclusive results or outcomes, notably in Britain, Iraq and most recent amongst these, is the case of Australia. These other nations managed to have survived election deadlocks, without total collapse, anarchy, civil wars and disasters or catastrophes.
Even Iraq, made fragile by America's invasion and occupation, has not collapsed or disintegrated from her election impasse, why should John Campbell or any reasonable person suggest that Nigeria is much more fragile in comparison with the now war ravaged Iraq? Why is that Nigeria would not survive election impasse and deadlock ? Could this be because we are Africans?
Why is total collapse and military coup, wars, and disintegration the highlights and the only possible outcomes in John Campbell careless forecasts for Nigeria?
Nigerians and lovers of Nigeria will do well to discount and discountenance John Campbell's rabble rousing gloom and doom worst case scenarios.
Nigerians are a keenly aware of our national issues and challenges. Our national challenges are made more clear to us, in the run up to the general elections in January 2011 even without outsider meddling in our internal affairs.
Nigerians and Nigeria must engage in these forthcoming necessary political process and emerge triumphantly. We do not need John Campbell or anyone for that matter, predicting our national demise. The forthcoming elections too, will come to pass without disasters and all the negative outcomes from John Campbell’s uselessly fuzzy crystal balls.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
There is nothing to know or learn about and from Ambassador John Campbell, if there is at all, it must be that, he is not a friend of Nigeria! If he were, he would not so frequently and in most offensive regularity, engage in writing scripts for would be coup plotters, political opportunists, anarchist which might lurk within and outside Nigeria.
John Campbell is no expert on anything Nigerian. If he is an expert at all, it has to be on one thing and one thing alone, which is, his undiplomatic and uncharitable willingness to paint worse case scenarios regarding Nigeria, at every turn.
It will be recalled that some Americans, while debating policy on Nigeria have, during the past several years announced that Nigeria will disintegrate in about fifteen years. This latest salvo by John Campbell fits those preconceived notions and predilections often exhibited to often by some, towards everything Nigerian, nay, African, where everything is without redemption and nothing good is possible or is sustainable.
We should ask, what and who made John Campbell an expert on Nigeria anyway, his stint as a United States representative in Nigeria for a few years?. John Campbell’s predictions about Nigeria stemmed from wrong predicates and premises and his conclusions are clearly wrong, and should be dismissed.
Nigerians will do well to compare Martin Indyk the former American ambassador to Israel for several years with John Campbell’s very damning public comments, articles and now, an unflattering book about Nigeria. Ambassador Martin Indyk does not exaggerate or engage in hyperbole against, despite all that is known by the public regarding the contentious relations between America on the one hand, and Israel and her neighbors on the other. Ambassador Martin Indyk does not engage in slash and burn against Israel as John Campbell obviously enjoys doing against Nigeria.
Nigerians should ask why John Campbell regularly announces to the world, that the sky in Nigeria is falling? His latest diatribe on Nigeria followed his pattern of demonstrated pessimism about Nigeria as illustrated by most recent article, titled, “Nigeria On The Brink, What Happens If 2011 Elections Fail”
Well meaning Nigerians should demand to know why, if John Campbell has any viable connections with either the political establishment in America and Nigeria respectively, why then, is he not using such connections for the benefit of the historically cordial relationships between the United States and Nigeria? Why does he need to frequently shout fire, fire, and conflagrations ever so often?
John Campbell has instead resorted regularly, to pedestrian rumor mongering at frequent intervals.
It is quite possibly the case, that some Nigerian pessimists, upon reading John Campbell's latest dire predictions and extremely ominous forecasts, regarding Nigeria, these Nigerian pessimists would jump up and down with shouts of Aha! We knew it, we knew it, and the Americans have confirmed it!
It can be imagined that these Nigerian pessimists think of John Campbell as having the requisite pedigree or qualifications on matters Nigeria. All westerners to always claim possession and or to have exclusive preserve, of this “superior” knowledge about Nigeria, Africa, and in fact, about the whole world!
The only notable exceptions being, perhaps, the whereabouts on earth, of raggedly Osama Bin Ladin. Or the massive American intelligence failures in the run up to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and American Defense headquarters, Pentagon. And the massive American intelligence failures which neglected to anticipate the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the USSR.
The wrong-headed American invasion and occupation of Iraq and the silly expectations, by some American officials, who predicted that Iraqis will dance in the streets, while throwing flower petals at the feet of Americans troops, whom Iraqis would hail as liberators, indicates this trends in public policy failures on the part of the American political establishment.
The failure to anticipate the magic of China’s double digit economic growth and ascendancy as a dominant superpower ranks up there as well, in public policy ineptitude on the part of the Americans. And yet, John Campbell, a part role player in this American establishment is an “expert” on Nigeria?
John Campbell comes across as busily writing scripts for disasters and miseries for Nigeria, when there so much happening here on the home front in America. The Chinese economy is in audacious upsurge and unprecedented growth, the American economy is quite in the opposite trend with high rates of unemployment and in free fall. There is mounting public debt as deficits in the trillions stares America in the face. America and other western nations are in clear trepidations over China emergence, particularly, China’s ability to fund America’s public debts as well as compete with western nations for resources on the African continent. There is an economic meltdown in America, there is mass discontent and disenchantment in America.
In the face of all this, John Campbell, seeks to lecture Nigerians and Nigeria on public policy failures? The sad thing is that, some Nigerians may actually listen to John Campbell, take him seriously and even allow themselves to be guided by the nuisance value of John Campbell’s preachment to us!
All Nigerians will do well, to ensure the success of the forthcoming scheduled general elections in January 2011. Ensuring smooth elections is in Nigeria’s best national interests, and in doing so, we will be doing no favors to interlopers and inter-meddlers such as John Campbell. Nigerians and Nigeria do not need outsiders with pretensions to what is best for Nigeria. Nigerians and friends of Nigeria must ensure that the precipitous predictions by persons and entities such as we have in John Campbell does not come to pass.
Nigerians will do well, in pronouncements and actions, so that we do not fall victims sinister rumors and into John Campbell's worst case scenarios. There is no time like now, to redouble our efforts, just so, we do not fulfill John Campbell's false prophecies and fatalistic fantasies.
It should be clear to all Nigerians by now, that John Campbell should not be seen as just a messenger or some sorts of teller of “bitter truths”. He instead, has repeatedly portrayed Nigeria as always chaotic, and at the brink of total collapse or as if always at the precipice of catastrophes. We should not take his word for it, that we are dancing at brinks of extinction. We should do nothing to play into his abominable and obnoxious scripts.
Nigerians should see through John Campbell's very paternalistic preachment and condescending manner towards Nigeria. John Campbell's articles and now, his book which scandalizes Nigerians and Nigeria, his actions are indicative of the contempt he reserves for us Nigerians and Nigeria.
Nigerians ought to and should in fact, denounce John Campbell and others like him, for fanning the embers of our family squabbles. We should, for our own purposes, ensure that our diversities in regions, ethnicity, religions cultures and languages are seen always as attributes which services our national interests in mutually beneficial ways. Nigeria is a plural society and that is a wonderfully positive thing which we must emphasize often, instead of our minor and infinitesimal differences emphasized and exaggerated by John Campbell.
Nigerians and friends of Nigeria should boycott John Campbell’s forthcoming book. The book is a calculated insult to us Nigerians, for it scandalizes Nigerians and Nigeria most offensively.
John Campbell’s book is a crime against us. Our boycotting the book effectively is the best way to send a message to the writer that crime does not pay. And send a message to him, to the effect that his scandalous book about us and out nation will not be rewarded or made profitable for him, not by us, at least.
He must not be rewarded for his repeated crimes against Nigerians and Nigeria, with his notoriously reckless, irresponsible and yet, extremely toxic predictions about our very existence. John Campbell and persons like him, constitute existential threat to Nigeria continued corporate existence as a nation.
John Campbell’s latest article published recently, identical in title and subtext with his forthcoming book. It is scandalous and offensive. It is loaded with suggestions to those who might engage in opportunism,
John Campbell should be told to cease, desist and refrain from his persistent silliness about Nigeria. He should stop peddling anarchy, disasters and catastrophes with the hope of finding Nigerian buyers.
Nigerians are urged, in reaction to John Campbell's latest exercise in gloom and doom predictions, which he insists must be Nigeria's fate, the question reasonable persons should ask and answer, is; What Purpose Does John Campbell's Public shaming of Nigerians and Nigeria serve? What is the benefit to Nigerians and Nigeria in John Campbell’s portrayal of Nigeria as helpless sheep on the way to a destined doom in a slaughter house or abattoir? Nigeria is not the only plural and multicultural multi-religious and multi-ethnic and multilingual nation on earth. And Nigeria is not the only nation which may experience election impasses and deadlocks! Nigeria’s democracy is imperfect, but show me a perfect democracy!
After all, there have been several elections this year, worldwide, with inclusive results or outcomes, notably in Britain, Iraq and most recent amongst these, is the case of Australia. These other nations managed to have survived election deadlocks, without total collapse, anarchy, civil wars and disasters or catastrophes.
Even Iraq, made fragile by America's invasion and occupation, has not collapsed or disintegrated from her election impasse, why should John Campbell or any reasonable person suggest that Nigeria is much more fragile in comparison with the now war ravaged Iraq? Why is that Nigeria would not survive election impasse and deadlock ? Could this be because we are Africans?
Why is total collapse and military coup, wars, and disintegration the highlights and the only possible outcomes in John Campbell careless forecasts for Nigeria?
Nigerians and lovers of Nigeria will do well to discount and discountenance John Campbell's rabble rousing gloom and doom worst case scenarios.
Nigerians are a keenly aware of our national issues and challenges. Our national challenges are made more clear to us, in the run up to the general elections in January 2011 even without outsider meddling in our internal affairs.
Nigerians and Nigeria must engage in these forthcoming necessary political process and emerge triumphantly. We do not need John Campbell or anyone for that matter, predicting our national demise. The forthcoming elections too, will come to pass without disasters and all the negative outcomes from John Campbell’s uselessly fuzzy crystal balls.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Democrats, Timid, Timorous & Tentative; But Why?
Democrats, Timid, Timorous & Tentative; But Why?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
President Obama is famous for his delicate balancing acts and his suave Olympian neutrality. President Obama’s unflinching and unyielding dreams of bipartisanship is legendary and Olympian in proportions.
These are some of the attributes which Richard Stengent, Editor in chief of Time Magazine, described recently, as Mr. Obama’s sweet reasonableness, a politesse and reasonableness, which does no good for Mr. Obama. This above the fray intellectually suave decorum of Mr. Obama, as it is, remains a wedge between the Democrats’ proper rendition of current American narrative in the lead to midterm elections in the fall of 2010; And there could be repercussions in November.
Obama as candidate, always appeared to be ahead of his opponents in ideas and responded to counter everything the opponents conjured up, or hurled at him, but now, President Obama and his Democratic team have been on the defensive since inauguration. Obama seem not to be able to say the right thing anymore or when he does speak his mind, he tends to prevaricate, soon after.
Why can’t Obama and the Democrats find the audacity to mock Republicans’ wrongheaded prescriptions for the economy? Tax Cuts for the rich, the rich who currently, are not investing now and not hiring. Republicans prescribe, on the other hand, Freezes on Spending, and both prescriptions are silly, and are contrary to what most American economist recommend, particularly so, in view of the fact that the economic dire strait in America, was brought about by the Republican Party, with George W. Bush in the White House, the time Americans were plunged America this economic recession-depression.
All through the preceding 15 months, Obama allowed and the Democrats were sleepily complacent, and in that vacuum default position by the Democrats, Republicans and their surrogates and proxies in Tea Party , adversaries, to frame the issues or hijacked American national issues and narratives; And as a consequence, the American electorate have been indoctrinated to see Obama Care as profanities and expletives and Grandma Death Panels became the ultimate obscenity core pornographic voyeuristic expression. Senator John Kerry, similarly allowed the Bush Campaign to define him in 2004, Senator Kerry, a war hero was given a downward definition, and Mr. Bush who actually evaded or dodged the Draft or conscription for war in Vietnam, came out smelling like roses and strong on national security.
And now, in eerie resemblance-recurrence, and with roughly 50 days to midterm elections, some Democrats are campaigning against their party policies, in trepidation of seething electorate, enraged and made dangerous and potent weapons against the Democrats by the Republicans, who have put Americans, as Mr. Obama rightly put it, in the ditch, through recklessness. Democrats are now even afraid of the S word also known as Stimulus! But why? Just because Republicans are now against everything the Democrats stand for and the Republicans even use to stand for? Are the Democrats spineless? We know that the American economy can use another stimulus package, to help generate jobs in this jobless recovery. Another stimulus package geared toward public infrastructures renewals, expansions and rehabilitation. Why are Democrats now afraid to even mention Stimulus Package now? Oh, yes, Republicans spendthrifts during the last 8 years, are suddenly self advertised as deficit hawks and Democrats are suckered?
This silly ambivalence on the part of Democrats in the past, was what led Vice President Al Gore to distance himself from President Bill Clinton as Gore ran against Governor George W. Bush, this was how Bush was inflicted upon America, winning against Gore, a better qualified presidential candidate and an incumbent vice president who served with Mr. Clinton, Clinton who produced surplus and whose administration fostered a robust economic growth!
The silly symbolism of redecorating the Oval Office smack in the middle of this jobless recession, and the additional double fault of having Michelle Obama the first lady go on vacation in Spain and shaking hands with the king of Spain a gesture which would have drawn snares from the surviving passenger of Amistad slave ship, just as it has with many American voters who thought the American first lady entitled to vacations but then asked, why in Spain instead of somewhere in New Orleans or Hawaii for frequent flier miles.
The facts and evidences are on the side of President Obama and the Democrats. But, there does appear to be spinelessness, timidity, timorousness and tentativeness as if dictated by the Republicans and their surrogates or proxies Tea Party extremists.
Or how else does anyone explain and even pretend to justify the firing of Shirley Sherrod? An African American woman was fired unfairly, by a United States president of African descent or his agent. She was fired in a preemptive overreaction and overcompensation, to support the fact that Mr. Obama and his administration is post racial and would hack an African American down, if and when accused of anything, even before the details, the facts and evidence are available? And to be fair, we know and we will mention that Mr. Obama has personally assuaged the feelings of Ms. Sherrod. But the blunder remains a dent and stain on Mr. Obama as an over-doer in his sanguine intellectual impartiality when issues concern peoples of African descent.
There is this overdrive and over-extension and overtime work, not to appear to favor African Americans. As a consequence, three African Americans and counting have left the Obama administration under pressures, in less than two years of the Obama administration.
Delicious irony in all of this, is, it is sadly the case that the overconfident Republican Party opponents of Mr. Obama, have happily achieved a snatching of the narrative from the Democrats. But the truth is, it was the Republican Party administration of President George W. Bush which led America to the two foreign wars and the requisite deficit spending. Republicans are adept at manipulating the emotions of the American electorate. Republicans see politics as war, Republicans know how to cynically manipulate the electorate on every issue, national security, war, religion, the deficit, unemployment etc. Very calculatingly and cold in their executions of such ploys. But the Democrats are incapable of fighting dirty? Or at minimum, the Democrats should wake the electorate up from short attention spans or willful amnesia. After all, the Republicans are the root causes of all American current challenges and crises, other than the multiple variables of normal or usual economic cycles.
It was the Republicans who awarded tax cuts and tax relief to the super wealthy in America, the super rich who are less than 1% of the American population. And yet, it is the Republicans who are happily announcing their relentless efforts to block and be a blockade to every efforts by Mr. Obama and his Democratic Congress to repair and unravel the funk in which the Republicans have led Americans into. Republicans are not tentative, timid, timorous or measured! It was the Republicans who engaged in multiple foreign wars and thereby overextended the American empire financially and militarily. It was the Republicans whose era of lax or dearth of regulatory regimen, led to the breaches of financial levees and dams on the road to financial implosion and continuing imbroglios.
The Republicans are audaciously and arrogantly engaging in revisionism, and announcing to short-attention span Americans that the current double deep recession and jobless recovery is the fault of Mr. Obama and the Democrats!
The Republicans are with a straight face, also badgering the American electorate with hoodwinks silly platitudes that they the Republicans are the fiscally prudent conservative hawks, while the Democrats are the spindrifts who are splendidly unconcerned with American burgeoning and bludgeoning deficits spending. Republicans and their Tea Party surrogates and proxies, are overconfident, Democrats and fixated in ambivalence and second-guessing themselves and their own liberal agenda!
The Republicans are the financially fiscally disciplined political party which is angling loudly to offer tax cuts to the wealthy while America pursue two foreign wars and tackles double dip recession? Republicans are the deficit hawks who initiated bailouts for too big to fail companies, a policy which Mr. Obama and the Democrats had to adopt? The Republicans often act and make pronouncements, locked step and barrel, the Democrats on the other hand, never seem capable of acting in unison, or stay on the message or have, maintain and sustain party discipline and cohesion! The Democrats risks squandering the November 2008 great mandate given Democrats, as the electorate repudiated the Republicans resoundingly.
Politics and political competition in a democracy is like war or military action. The unwritten rule of war is kill or be killed. Similarly, the rules of engagement in political interactions, electioneering campaigns etc, require the candidates or leaders to be proponents of the issues. A talented and creative political leader must define, assert and persistently promote core ideas, ideology and be issues driven.
The reality of current American politics is such that the Republican Party, and its leaders are often the ones who define the issues and in effect, American national narrative. But, the Democratic Party members are seemingly always playing catch-up
Neoconservatives asserted themselves and defined the issues, foreign and domestic, in all respects, with regard to American public policies, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including of course the deregulation regime, which led the American economy, by extrapolation, the world economy to its current comatose state. The parlous state of the job market, or the so-called jobless-recovery, is a direct relationship with Republican Party public policies for the preceding 8 years prior to the ascension of the Democrats to the control of the US Congress and the White House.
But despite these glaringly clear incontrovertible antecedents of the Republican Party and their cronies, it turns out that the Democrats are always the ones on the defensive and apologetic hot-seat, when in fact, the Democrats are the ones who are just now doing the heavy lifting of cleaning up the messes which was created by the wrongheaded policies of the Republicans
President Barack Obama finally seem to have gotten the point of the forthcoming elections in November 2010 or the so-called midterm elections, as referendum on Mr. Obama himself. He has started to realized that his entrenchment in unavailable bipartisanship is unhelpful to him and the Democratic Party. Republicans have confessed to their unreasonable desire to obstruct and derail Mr. Obama’s agenda, and worse, Democrats seems timid, timorous and tentative in articulating to the American people, how we got the in the mess in the first place, through these same unapologetic Republicans. And so, I chuckled elatedly, when Mr. Obama started to sound, finally, as a wounded lion or a snake with an injured tail!
Mr. Obama implored Americans to put America on Drive and not in Reverse. D for Democrats of course, and R for Republicans; and in the contexts, a vote for Republicans would be to return American public policies in Reverse and Return to the sordid 8 years of the Republicans at the helms of American affairs, while a resounding vote for the Democrats this November midterms votes, would be votes of confidence in what the Democrats have been trying to accomplish in the preceding couple of years since Mr. Obama’s inauguration on January 20, 2009.
Democrats need to remind voters why the Republicans were voted and booted out in November 2008 general elections. American voters must be reminded precisely how we got to the funk in which we are now. American voters must have their mind refreshed to the effect that, Republicans got us all into the monumental mess and the Democrats are merely doing the clean up of the huge mess created by the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz crew, hence the American voters themselves resoundingly repudiated the Republicans and their ineffectual wrongheaded policies. And, the question should be asked of the voters, who wants return to those terrible days?
The economy is still in a jobless recovery, the foreign wars are still debacles and quagmires of controlled chaos. But do we really want to return to the days of Bush-Cheney unilateralism? The voters must be told that the economy is still is in “the day after a nuclear meltdown” and we do not want to return to another firing of another atom nuclear weapon, even as we try to clean up the 8 years which lead up to the meltdown mess which we now confront.
Democrats should let the Republican and Republican lackeys, Tea Party etc, latch unto joblessness refrain, the Democrats should explain to the voters how the joblessness came about and took root at the cusp of Mr. Obama’s ascension to the White House. In essence, Democrat should tire of making the case that the Democrats inherited three wars, two foreign, Afghanistan and Iraq, and then, the global economic meltdown and necessary corporate bailouts of banks, financial institutions and American automobile industry, with the exception of Ford Motors
The midterm elections are for the Democrats. Democrats should define the issues and let Republicans retain their infighting within the Republican Party as to who is more extreme on wedge and fringe issues such as the construction of mosques in New York City, California, Tennessee and Wisconsin etc. Let the Republicans duke it out with the Tea Party interlopers and gofers
If President Obama and the Democrats stick to enunciating concisely, how we got to where we are in Afghanistan, Iraq and the domestic economy which Republicans left in autopilot, corporate laize affaire and of self-regulations and self-policing hence the current foreclosures, joblessness with PSTD in from Afghanistan, Iraq, New Orleans and PTSD from joblessness, PTSD from joblessness etc, Democrats, sticking precisely to the refrain of efforts which the Democratic Congress and White House have made, contrasted with the Republican Party of No, the Republican Party of obstructions and deliberate thwarts of Democrats agenda for the electorate, Democrats will prevail in November 2010. But being timid, timorous, tentative, and or apologetic will not help the Democrats, it will make them look like part of the problems created by the Republican Party, which the Democrats have been trying to unravel, tackle or solve.
Recent election primaries have clearly indicated positive outcomes for the Democrats, where they engaged in vigorous explaining of President Obama’s legislative accomplishment within the Democratic Party arrangement and entire legislative agenda as achieved since January 20, 2009. President Obama accomplishments in the first two years have been very impressive and only comparable to the New Deal Era legislative agenda outcome of the Roosevelt age.
President Obama and the Democrats will do well to run on the exemplary record of legislative and policy accomplishments. Explain, claim it, own it, and bask in it! Let the electorate know that Health Care Reform is good for everyone. Let the electorate know that regulatory reforms for banks and financial institutions is an imperative. Let the electorate know that the Republicans dug a huge precipice pit and crevices, from which the Democrats are working day and night to dig us all out of! This is the way to victory for the Democrats.
There is nothing that the Republicans and for that matter, their surrogates and proxies in the Tea Party have that I want. But, I do hope that it is not too late for President Obama and the Democrats to articulate the American narratives, where the nation is and how we got there and all the efforts made so far by President Obama and the Democratic Congress. President Obama’s Press Conference at the White House, his first in many months, is a good start, before that, his appearances in Milwaukee and in Cleveland, respectively, were impressive. President Obama should remind the voters of the losses he inherited, and now that he owns the inheritance of humongous blunders by Republicans, explain all the bold and audacious actions taken so far and other actions contemplated and the obstacles which have been placed by the party of no!
President Obama seems to have found his voice again, he appears to have found his fighting spirit and now states the high stakes clearly, very clearly, at every opportunity. It is hoped that these efforts are sustained and are not too late. A positive outcome is sorely needed and it hinges on the Democrats’ ability to state the case again and again, and run on their impressive record of achievements since January 2009, many accomplishments, particularly legislatively, in the preceding 15 months or since President Obama’s administration.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
President Obama is famous for his delicate balancing acts and his suave Olympian neutrality. President Obama’s unflinching and unyielding dreams of bipartisanship is legendary and Olympian in proportions.
These are some of the attributes which Richard Stengent, Editor in chief of Time Magazine, described recently, as Mr. Obama’s sweet reasonableness, a politesse and reasonableness, which does no good for Mr. Obama. This above the fray intellectually suave decorum of Mr. Obama, as it is, remains a wedge between the Democrats’ proper rendition of current American narrative in the lead to midterm elections in the fall of 2010; And there could be repercussions in November.
Obama as candidate, always appeared to be ahead of his opponents in ideas and responded to counter everything the opponents conjured up, or hurled at him, but now, President Obama and his Democratic team have been on the defensive since inauguration. Obama seem not to be able to say the right thing anymore or when he does speak his mind, he tends to prevaricate, soon after.
Why can’t Obama and the Democrats find the audacity to mock Republicans’ wrongheaded prescriptions for the economy? Tax Cuts for the rich, the rich who currently, are not investing now and not hiring. Republicans prescribe, on the other hand, Freezes on Spending, and both prescriptions are silly, and are contrary to what most American economist recommend, particularly so, in view of the fact that the economic dire strait in America, was brought about by the Republican Party, with George W. Bush in the White House, the time Americans were plunged America this economic recession-depression.
All through the preceding 15 months, Obama allowed and the Democrats were sleepily complacent, and in that vacuum default position by the Democrats, Republicans and their surrogates and proxies in Tea Party , adversaries, to frame the issues or hijacked American national issues and narratives; And as a consequence, the American electorate have been indoctrinated to see Obama Care as profanities and expletives and Grandma Death Panels became the ultimate obscenity core pornographic voyeuristic expression. Senator John Kerry, similarly allowed the Bush Campaign to define him in 2004, Senator Kerry, a war hero was given a downward definition, and Mr. Bush who actually evaded or dodged the Draft or conscription for war in Vietnam, came out smelling like roses and strong on national security.
And now, in eerie resemblance-recurrence, and with roughly 50 days to midterm elections, some Democrats are campaigning against their party policies, in trepidation of seething electorate, enraged and made dangerous and potent weapons against the Democrats by the Republicans, who have put Americans, as Mr. Obama rightly put it, in the ditch, through recklessness. Democrats are now even afraid of the S word also known as Stimulus! But why? Just because Republicans are now against everything the Democrats stand for and the Republicans even use to stand for? Are the Democrats spineless? We know that the American economy can use another stimulus package, to help generate jobs in this jobless recovery. Another stimulus package geared toward public infrastructures renewals, expansions and rehabilitation. Why are Democrats now afraid to even mention Stimulus Package now? Oh, yes, Republicans spendthrifts during the last 8 years, are suddenly self advertised as deficit hawks and Democrats are suckered?
This silly ambivalence on the part of Democrats in the past, was what led Vice President Al Gore to distance himself from President Bill Clinton as Gore ran against Governor George W. Bush, this was how Bush was inflicted upon America, winning against Gore, a better qualified presidential candidate and an incumbent vice president who served with Mr. Clinton, Clinton who produced surplus and whose administration fostered a robust economic growth!
The silly symbolism of redecorating the Oval Office smack in the middle of this jobless recession, and the additional double fault of having Michelle Obama the first lady go on vacation in Spain and shaking hands with the king of Spain a gesture which would have drawn snares from the surviving passenger of Amistad slave ship, just as it has with many American voters who thought the American first lady entitled to vacations but then asked, why in Spain instead of somewhere in New Orleans or Hawaii for frequent flier miles.
The facts and evidences are on the side of President Obama and the Democrats. But, there does appear to be spinelessness, timidity, timorousness and tentativeness as if dictated by the Republicans and their surrogates or proxies Tea Party extremists.
Or how else does anyone explain and even pretend to justify the firing of Shirley Sherrod? An African American woman was fired unfairly, by a United States president of African descent or his agent. She was fired in a preemptive overreaction and overcompensation, to support the fact that Mr. Obama and his administration is post racial and would hack an African American down, if and when accused of anything, even before the details, the facts and evidence are available? And to be fair, we know and we will mention that Mr. Obama has personally assuaged the feelings of Ms. Sherrod. But the blunder remains a dent and stain on Mr. Obama as an over-doer in his sanguine intellectual impartiality when issues concern peoples of African descent.
There is this overdrive and over-extension and overtime work, not to appear to favor African Americans. As a consequence, three African Americans and counting have left the Obama administration under pressures, in less than two years of the Obama administration.
Delicious irony in all of this, is, it is sadly the case that the overconfident Republican Party opponents of Mr. Obama, have happily achieved a snatching of the narrative from the Democrats. But the truth is, it was the Republican Party administration of President George W. Bush which led America to the two foreign wars and the requisite deficit spending. Republicans are adept at manipulating the emotions of the American electorate. Republicans see politics as war, Republicans know how to cynically manipulate the electorate on every issue, national security, war, religion, the deficit, unemployment etc. Very calculatingly and cold in their executions of such ploys. But the Democrats are incapable of fighting dirty? Or at minimum, the Democrats should wake the electorate up from short attention spans or willful amnesia. After all, the Republicans are the root causes of all American current challenges and crises, other than the multiple variables of normal or usual economic cycles.
It was the Republicans who awarded tax cuts and tax relief to the super wealthy in America, the super rich who are less than 1% of the American population. And yet, it is the Republicans who are happily announcing their relentless efforts to block and be a blockade to every efforts by Mr. Obama and his Democratic Congress to repair and unravel the funk in which the Republicans have led Americans into. Republicans are not tentative, timid, timorous or measured! It was the Republicans who engaged in multiple foreign wars and thereby overextended the American empire financially and militarily. It was the Republicans whose era of lax or dearth of regulatory regimen, led to the breaches of financial levees and dams on the road to financial implosion and continuing imbroglios.
The Republicans are audaciously and arrogantly engaging in revisionism, and announcing to short-attention span Americans that the current double deep recession and jobless recovery is the fault of Mr. Obama and the Democrats!
The Republicans are with a straight face, also badgering the American electorate with hoodwinks silly platitudes that they the Republicans are the fiscally prudent conservative hawks, while the Democrats are the spindrifts who are splendidly unconcerned with American burgeoning and bludgeoning deficits spending. Republicans and their Tea Party surrogates and proxies, are overconfident, Democrats and fixated in ambivalence and second-guessing themselves and their own liberal agenda!
The Republicans are the financially fiscally disciplined political party which is angling loudly to offer tax cuts to the wealthy while America pursue two foreign wars and tackles double dip recession? Republicans are the deficit hawks who initiated bailouts for too big to fail companies, a policy which Mr. Obama and the Democrats had to adopt? The Republicans often act and make pronouncements, locked step and barrel, the Democrats on the other hand, never seem capable of acting in unison, or stay on the message or have, maintain and sustain party discipline and cohesion! The Democrats risks squandering the November 2008 great mandate given Democrats, as the electorate repudiated the Republicans resoundingly.
Politics and political competition in a democracy is like war or military action. The unwritten rule of war is kill or be killed. Similarly, the rules of engagement in political interactions, electioneering campaigns etc, require the candidates or leaders to be proponents of the issues. A talented and creative political leader must define, assert and persistently promote core ideas, ideology and be issues driven.
The reality of current American politics is such that the Republican Party, and its leaders are often the ones who define the issues and in effect, American national narrative. But, the Democratic Party members are seemingly always playing catch-up
Neoconservatives asserted themselves and defined the issues, foreign and domestic, in all respects, with regard to American public policies, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including of course the deregulation regime, which led the American economy, by extrapolation, the world economy to its current comatose state. The parlous state of the job market, or the so-called jobless-recovery, is a direct relationship with Republican Party public policies for the preceding 8 years prior to the ascension of the Democrats to the control of the US Congress and the White House.
But despite these glaringly clear incontrovertible antecedents of the Republican Party and their cronies, it turns out that the Democrats are always the ones on the defensive and apologetic hot-seat, when in fact, the Democrats are the ones who are just now doing the heavy lifting of cleaning up the messes which was created by the wrongheaded policies of the Republicans
President Barack Obama finally seem to have gotten the point of the forthcoming elections in November 2010 or the so-called midterm elections, as referendum on Mr. Obama himself. He has started to realized that his entrenchment in unavailable bipartisanship is unhelpful to him and the Democratic Party. Republicans have confessed to their unreasonable desire to obstruct and derail Mr. Obama’s agenda, and worse, Democrats seems timid, timorous and tentative in articulating to the American people, how we got the in the mess in the first place, through these same unapologetic Republicans. And so, I chuckled elatedly, when Mr. Obama started to sound, finally, as a wounded lion or a snake with an injured tail!
Mr. Obama implored Americans to put America on Drive and not in Reverse. D for Democrats of course, and R for Republicans; and in the contexts, a vote for Republicans would be to return American public policies in Reverse and Return to the sordid 8 years of the Republicans at the helms of American affairs, while a resounding vote for the Democrats this November midterms votes, would be votes of confidence in what the Democrats have been trying to accomplish in the preceding couple of years since Mr. Obama’s inauguration on January 20, 2009.
Democrats need to remind voters why the Republicans were voted and booted out in November 2008 general elections. American voters must be reminded precisely how we got to the funk in which we are now. American voters must have their mind refreshed to the effect that, Republicans got us all into the monumental mess and the Democrats are merely doing the clean up of the huge mess created by the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz crew, hence the American voters themselves resoundingly repudiated the Republicans and their ineffectual wrongheaded policies. And, the question should be asked of the voters, who wants return to those terrible days?
The economy is still in a jobless recovery, the foreign wars are still debacles and quagmires of controlled chaos. But do we really want to return to the days of Bush-Cheney unilateralism? The voters must be told that the economy is still is in “the day after a nuclear meltdown” and we do not want to return to another firing of another atom nuclear weapon, even as we try to clean up the 8 years which lead up to the meltdown mess which we now confront.
Democrats should let the Republican and Republican lackeys, Tea Party etc, latch unto joblessness refrain, the Democrats should explain to the voters how the joblessness came about and took root at the cusp of Mr. Obama’s ascension to the White House. In essence, Democrat should tire of making the case that the Democrats inherited three wars, two foreign, Afghanistan and Iraq, and then, the global economic meltdown and necessary corporate bailouts of banks, financial institutions and American automobile industry, with the exception of Ford Motors
The midterm elections are for the Democrats. Democrats should define the issues and let Republicans retain their infighting within the Republican Party as to who is more extreme on wedge and fringe issues such as the construction of mosques in New York City, California, Tennessee and Wisconsin etc. Let the Republicans duke it out with the Tea Party interlopers and gofers
If President Obama and the Democrats stick to enunciating concisely, how we got to where we are in Afghanistan, Iraq and the domestic economy which Republicans left in autopilot, corporate laize affaire and of self-regulations and self-policing hence the current foreclosures, joblessness with PSTD in from Afghanistan, Iraq, New Orleans and PTSD from joblessness, PTSD from joblessness etc, Democrats, sticking precisely to the refrain of efforts which the Democratic Congress and White House have made, contrasted with the Republican Party of No, the Republican Party of obstructions and deliberate thwarts of Democrats agenda for the electorate, Democrats will prevail in November 2010. But being timid, timorous, tentative, and or apologetic will not help the Democrats, it will make them look like part of the problems created by the Republican Party, which the Democrats have been trying to unravel, tackle or solve.
Recent election primaries have clearly indicated positive outcomes for the Democrats, where they engaged in vigorous explaining of President Obama’s legislative accomplishment within the Democratic Party arrangement and entire legislative agenda as achieved since January 20, 2009. President Obama accomplishments in the first two years have been very impressive and only comparable to the New Deal Era legislative agenda outcome of the Roosevelt age.
President Obama and the Democrats will do well to run on the exemplary record of legislative and policy accomplishments. Explain, claim it, own it, and bask in it! Let the electorate know that Health Care Reform is good for everyone. Let the electorate know that regulatory reforms for banks and financial institutions is an imperative. Let the electorate know that the Republicans dug a huge precipice pit and crevices, from which the Democrats are working day and night to dig us all out of! This is the way to victory for the Democrats.
There is nothing that the Republicans and for that matter, their surrogates and proxies in the Tea Party have that I want. But, I do hope that it is not too late for President Obama and the Democrats to articulate the American narratives, where the nation is and how we got there and all the efforts made so far by President Obama and the Democratic Congress. President Obama’s Press Conference at the White House, his first in many months, is a good start, before that, his appearances in Milwaukee and in Cleveland, respectively, were impressive. President Obama should remind the voters of the losses he inherited, and now that he owns the inheritance of humongous blunders by Republicans, explain all the bold and audacious actions taken so far and other actions contemplated and the obstacles which have been placed by the party of no!
President Obama seems to have found his voice again, he appears to have found his fighting spirit and now states the high stakes clearly, very clearly, at every opportunity. It is hoped that these efforts are sustained and are not too late. A positive outcome is sorely needed and it hinges on the Democrats’ ability to state the case again and again, and run on their impressive record of achievements since January 2009, many accomplishments, particularly legislatively, in the preceding 15 months or since President Obama’s administration.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Koran Burning Epitomizes Islamophobia In America?
Koran Burning Epitomizes Islamophobia In America?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
An obscure pastor of an equally obscure church in Florida is leading efforts to burn copies of the Koran throughout America and perhaps worldwide, on September 11, 2010. The charlatan who parades himself also as pastor of this tiny church of less than fifty members in Gainesville Florida, is the latest cannon fodder in latest upsurge in attacks, against Muslims in America.
Reverend Terry Jones, an evangelical, of Dove World Outreach center in Florida is reported by Gainesville Sun Newspapers to be a known rabble-rouser who has in the past erected a billboard pronouncing Islam as religion of the devil. He was required by the local council sundry religious leaders in Florida to take down the profane and offensive billboard; the billboard occurred well before Terry Jones latest egregious prank!
This errant pastor is notorious for obnoxious, outrageous and provocative behaviors, even though he is surrounded by a progressive and liberal college community in Gainesville Florida. The good thing is, there are redemption in all of these. Many Americans have, in public pronouncements condemned this flame throwing “man of god” this pastor’s bigotry and prejudice has not met with approval or assistance.
General David Paetreus the military overall commander of American military mission in Afghanistan, have publicly decried and rebuked the pastor, saying that the pastor’s silly pranks could inflame emotions and endanger American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another renowned military man, Lt. Gen. Russell Honore rtd condemned the antics of pastor Terry Jones and described the pastor as stuck on stupid
This pastor Terry Jones claims to have direct links with God, but an American comedian Jay Leno actually joked that the pastor should actually be in God’s blacklist or no call list! He has been getting attention by being outrageous.... Islam is of the devil billboard and kids with T-shirt proclaiming same
Jackie Levine a reporter with Gainesville Sun Newspapers reported that pastor Terry Jones has refused to be swayed by consequences or even death threats; he has been denied permit and local religious organizations are against this... it is frustrating and appalling
"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.
“Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.”
Would a pizza shop or porn shop near Ground Zero does that erode the sacred nature of the hallow ground? Or Why did the federal government build a federal building on African Burial Ground near City Hall and 26 Federal Plaza on Broadway some fifteen years ago, despite entreaties by African Americans against it?
More and more Americans have been very vocal in denouncing pastor Jones, a United States State Department spokesperson, P. J. Crowley aptly described pastor as insignificant and of no consequence and as such, the pastor’s views should not be mistaken as the stances of over 300 million Americans in the general populace. Another American, Professor Marc Lynch of George Washington University, commenting publicly, opined that the spate of Islamophobia in America is making things more difficult for America’s relationships with nations with Muslims populations. This is particularly so, as America is battling to win hearts and minds to stem anger toward America, anger which have been exacerbated by American presence in Afghanistan, Iraq and military activities in Pakistan as well.
Various acts of violence, arson, bigotries, prejudices and emotional invectives have been directed against American Muslims as the have fasted during this Ramadan month Rick Lazio, a governorship aspirant in New York, former Speaker of American House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich and other Republican conservatives, who are usually beneficiaries of Evangelicals and the religiously pious right-wingers, are surprisingly careless and reckless with religious freedoms for American Muslims.
These political opportunists, have insisted that Islam and Muslims in America are at the verge of imposing Sharia legal system on the United States. The fact and the truth is, American courts already incorporates certain elements of Islamic laws into matters of family law, estates and trust issues in adjudications.
Pronouncements by the ilk of Gingrich and Lazio etc now make it difficult for anyone to dismiss increasing Islamophobia in America as a matter in the fringes or isolated to the emotionally loaded debates about a proposed Islamic Cultural Center on the block and lot number also now known as Park51
We have written about this pattern attacks against Islam Muslims several times, reporting that Islam and Muslims are under attack, pressures and even siege in America, there have been attacks across Ameica against Muslims in California, in Tennessee and also in New York City beyond the issue of Park51. The campaign against an Islamic Center blocks from Ground Zero is snippet, a mere camouflage by those with hidden agenda to besiege Islam and Muslims and generalize offensively against both.
Islamphobia in America is not limited to the debate about the proposed Islamic cultural center blocks from Ground Zero, it is taking place in far flung places throughout America. There was a recent arson against a mosque project in Tennessee, construction equipment were set on fire, expansion in California and elsewhere, have been similarly opposed in the most vehement and violent ways, all these, far from New York City Ground Zero emotional bigoted debate about the so-called proximity or too close for comfort, for some, to have a mosque.
Attacks against Islam and Muslims have become the new xenophobia in America, and perhaps throughout the world. After all, this practice of constantly presenting Islam and all Muslims as dangerous have raged in Europe in many nations of Europe as well.
Islam, Muslims are the issues, Ground Zero is merely a pretentious cover and camouflage for those bigots who are too chicken, too sissy and too pussy cat to come out and just say they are against Muslims and Islam.
Islamophobia is in the upsurge in America, there is no doubt about it. Some Americans who are unhappy about having someone such as Mr. Obama as president of the United States, have continue to insist that he is a Muslim, even though, Mr. Obama is the same man accused of being a member and follower of Reverend Wright church in Chicago for over twenty years
Allegations and accusations have resurfaced against President Obama, to the effect that he is a Muslim and a defender of Islamic radicals. The otherness of Mr. Obama has the subtexts of race, color, and bitterness of Republican Party and their Tea Party surrogates. The “otherness” of Mr. Obama continues to bother a segment of the American population, some continue to insist it has nothing to do with race!
President Obama of the United States, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City and President Jonathan of Nigeria, have made reassuring and comforting statements in defense of Islam and Muslims. President Jonathan made Nigeria proud, by taking a very public stand with a published statement in support of Islam and Muslims as he urged American authorities and the American people to ensure that Muslims and Islam have adequate protections and safeguards. In a statement also published on his Facebook page, President Jonathan of Nigeria, a multicultural, multi-religious plural nation, he said the following: It has been brought to my attention that Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach USA plans to burn copies of the Qur'an sometime in September this year.
I hereby urge authorities in the United States and men and women of goodwill around the world to prevail on Pastor Jones not to do anything that would assault the sensibilities ...of our Muslim brothers and sisters.
This action can not be justified at anytime and certainly is doubly unjustified coming at the holy month of Ramadan. I would urge Pastor Jones to be mindful of the Golden Rule taught by Jesus Christ: Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you. To my Muslim brothers and sisters, I urge you to show restraint while we deal with this issue as we continue to build and strengthen our fortress for religious tolerance and continuing peaceful co-existence.
A Reverend Richard Cizik is of the opinion that evangelicals, ultra conservatives are the principal drivers and that they are indeed, the ones pushing the spread of Islamophobia nationwide in America.
Our visit to Ground Zero and to the proposed and now controversial Islamic Cultural Center on Park51 revealed that many Americans are standing up to the bigots and those engaged in Islamophobia.
There were many Americans with placards proclaiming support for proposed project, while condemning the unfair and unreasonable critics of Islam and Muslims. All told, it is the case there are widespread irrational criticisms directed at Islam and Muslims throughout America. Expansions of existing mosques and the constructions of new mosques have been met with tidal waves of barrages of attack. Illogical and unreasonable attacks, motivated by political opportunism and bigotry.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
An obscure pastor of an equally obscure church in Florida is leading efforts to burn copies of the Koran throughout America and perhaps worldwide, on September 11, 2010. The charlatan who parades himself also as pastor of this tiny church of less than fifty members in Gainesville Florida, is the latest cannon fodder in latest upsurge in attacks, against Muslims in America.
Reverend Terry Jones, an evangelical, of Dove World Outreach center in Florida is reported by Gainesville Sun Newspapers to be a known rabble-rouser who has in the past erected a billboard pronouncing Islam as religion of the devil. He was required by the local council sundry religious leaders in Florida to take down the profane and offensive billboard; the billboard occurred well before Terry Jones latest egregious prank!
This errant pastor is notorious for obnoxious, outrageous and provocative behaviors, even though he is surrounded by a progressive and liberal college community in Gainesville Florida. The good thing is, there are redemption in all of these. Many Americans have, in public pronouncements condemned this flame throwing “man of god” this pastor’s bigotry and prejudice has not met with approval or assistance.
General David Paetreus the military overall commander of American military mission in Afghanistan, have publicly decried and rebuked the pastor, saying that the pastor’s silly pranks could inflame emotions and endanger American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another renowned military man, Lt. Gen. Russell Honore rtd condemned the antics of pastor Terry Jones and described the pastor as stuck on stupid
This pastor Terry Jones claims to have direct links with God, but an American comedian Jay Leno actually joked that the pastor should actually be in God’s blacklist or no call list! He has been getting attention by being outrageous.... Islam is of the devil billboard and kids with T-shirt proclaiming same
Jackie Levine a reporter with Gainesville Sun Newspapers reported that pastor Terry Jones has refused to be swayed by consequences or even death threats; he has been denied permit and local religious organizations are against this... it is frustrating and appalling
"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.
“Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.”
Would a pizza shop or porn shop near Ground Zero does that erode the sacred nature of the hallow ground? Or Why did the federal government build a federal building on African Burial Ground near City Hall and 26 Federal Plaza on Broadway some fifteen years ago, despite entreaties by African Americans against it?
More and more Americans have been very vocal in denouncing pastor Jones, a United States State Department spokesperson, P. J. Crowley aptly described pastor as insignificant and of no consequence and as such, the pastor’s views should not be mistaken as the stances of over 300 million Americans in the general populace. Another American, Professor Marc Lynch of George Washington University, commenting publicly, opined that the spate of Islamophobia in America is making things more difficult for America’s relationships with nations with Muslims populations. This is particularly so, as America is battling to win hearts and minds to stem anger toward America, anger which have been exacerbated by American presence in Afghanistan, Iraq and military activities in Pakistan as well.
Various acts of violence, arson, bigotries, prejudices and emotional invectives have been directed against American Muslims as the have fasted during this Ramadan month Rick Lazio, a governorship aspirant in New York, former Speaker of American House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich and other Republican conservatives, who are usually beneficiaries of Evangelicals and the religiously pious right-wingers, are surprisingly careless and reckless with religious freedoms for American Muslims.
These political opportunists, have insisted that Islam and Muslims in America are at the verge of imposing Sharia legal system on the United States. The fact and the truth is, American courts already incorporates certain elements of Islamic laws into matters of family law, estates and trust issues in adjudications.
Pronouncements by the ilk of Gingrich and Lazio etc now make it difficult for anyone to dismiss increasing Islamophobia in America as a matter in the fringes or isolated to the emotionally loaded debates about a proposed Islamic Cultural Center on the block and lot number also now known as Park51
We have written about this pattern attacks against Islam Muslims several times, reporting that Islam and Muslims are under attack, pressures and even siege in America, there have been attacks across Ameica against Muslims in California, in Tennessee and also in New York City beyond the issue of Park51. The campaign against an Islamic Center blocks from Ground Zero is snippet, a mere camouflage by those with hidden agenda to besiege Islam and Muslims and generalize offensively against both.
Islamphobia in America is not limited to the debate about the proposed Islamic cultural center blocks from Ground Zero, it is taking place in far flung places throughout America. There was a recent arson against a mosque project in Tennessee, construction equipment were set on fire, expansion in California and elsewhere, have been similarly opposed in the most vehement and violent ways, all these, far from New York City Ground Zero emotional bigoted debate about the so-called proximity or too close for comfort, for some, to have a mosque.
Attacks against Islam and Muslims have become the new xenophobia in America, and perhaps throughout the world. After all, this practice of constantly presenting Islam and all Muslims as dangerous have raged in Europe in many nations of Europe as well.
Islam, Muslims are the issues, Ground Zero is merely a pretentious cover and camouflage for those bigots who are too chicken, too sissy and too pussy cat to come out and just say they are against Muslims and Islam.
Islamophobia is in the upsurge in America, there is no doubt about it. Some Americans who are unhappy about having someone such as Mr. Obama as president of the United States, have continue to insist that he is a Muslim, even though, Mr. Obama is the same man accused of being a member and follower of Reverend Wright church in Chicago for over twenty years
Allegations and accusations have resurfaced against President Obama, to the effect that he is a Muslim and a defender of Islamic radicals. The otherness of Mr. Obama has the subtexts of race, color, and bitterness of Republican Party and their Tea Party surrogates. The “otherness” of Mr. Obama continues to bother a segment of the American population, some continue to insist it has nothing to do with race!
President Obama of the United States, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City and President Jonathan of Nigeria, have made reassuring and comforting statements in defense of Islam and Muslims. President Jonathan made Nigeria proud, by taking a very public stand with a published statement in support of Islam and Muslims as he urged American authorities and the American people to ensure that Muslims and Islam have adequate protections and safeguards. In a statement also published on his Facebook page, President Jonathan of Nigeria, a multicultural, multi-religious plural nation, he said the following: It has been brought to my attention that Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach USA plans to burn copies of the Qur'an sometime in September this year.
I hereby urge authorities in the United States and men and women of goodwill around the world to prevail on Pastor Jones not to do anything that would assault the sensibilities ...of our Muslim brothers and sisters.
This action can not be justified at anytime and certainly is doubly unjustified coming at the holy month of Ramadan. I would urge Pastor Jones to be mindful of the Golden Rule taught by Jesus Christ: Do unto others as you would want others to do unto you. To my Muslim brothers and sisters, I urge you to show restraint while we deal with this issue as we continue to build and strengthen our fortress for religious tolerance and continuing peaceful co-existence.
A Reverend Richard Cizik is of the opinion that evangelicals, ultra conservatives are the principal drivers and that they are indeed, the ones pushing the spread of Islamophobia nationwide in America.
Our visit to Ground Zero and to the proposed and now controversial Islamic Cultural Center on Park51 revealed that many Americans are standing up to the bigots and those engaged in Islamophobia.
There were many Americans with placards proclaiming support for proposed project, while condemning the unfair and unreasonable critics of Islam and Muslims. All told, it is the case there are widespread irrational criticisms directed at Islam and Muslims throughout America. Expansions of existing mosques and the constructions of new mosques have been met with tidal waves of barrages of attack. Illogical and unreasonable attacks, motivated by political opportunism and bigotry.
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