Laura Bush on Burma is VP material

A rotten junta

The reason the Burmese junta has held unto power for 46 years has been predicated on their ability to govern the people and meet their needs.

However, it is clear that when a government lacks legitimacy amongst the people it governs, it clamps down on dissent, opposes freedom of expression, upholds tyranny over democracy and becomes a reclusive enclave reluctant to admit outsiders.

In what is a gross dereliction of duty; the government failed to warn the people of the approaching cyclone Nargis nor did they prepare the people for the impeding disaster that is set to claim well over 4,000 lives by official estimates.

Selfish military self-preservation

For a society that is so militarised, one would expect all resources and assets would be brought to bear in alleviating the suffering of the people in the face of such a disaster but is it evident that the military has only been concerned about entrenching itself rather than bringing good governance to the people.

The shameless situation that is reminiscent of the way the Russians handled the Kursk submarine disaster is now evident in Burma because they sure do not have resources, capability and know-how to handle the disaster and they have failed to realise that as members of a global community help abounds to bring succour to the people.

The junta would rather see their people die and suffer than to seek help; it is genocidal in context and basically unforgivable.

Call for action

It is time for all nations to really turn the screws on these generals; we at least owe the people of Burma as members of our humanity that much if not more that they be freed from these unconscionably evil people.

Seeing Laura Bush address a press conference on these matters this evening gave me the impression that she might well be an ideal candidate as John McCain’s running mate – in which case, neither Obama nor Clinton would have a chance over that Republic ticket – they need to clear up that Democratic nomination contest, PDQ!

Verdonk: Her misplaced pride

A sailor on dry land

A few weeks ago, I was on the tram from my neighbourhood to the Central Station when I saw a big poster set up at the Amsterdam Passenger’s Terminal showing a lady dressed up as a clean looking tar with hands on ship wheel.

The text on the poster was Trots op Netherland, which means “Proud of the Netherlands”, the lady in the poster was Mrs. Rita Verdonk who until last year was the Minister of Immigration and Integration till her actions brought down the government.

Lady Oddjob’s pride

In my blogs about her, I referred to her as Lady Oddjob and this was derived from the time when she decided to throw her hat in the ring to contest the leadership of her party (VVD) then, she persona and firebrand populism drew impressions of the Oddjob character in a James Bond film decapitating people by throwing his hat like a Frisbee.

She did not win that leadership contest but at the general election she polled more votes than the party leader and tried to unseat the leadership by sleight.

Eventually, she became unmanageable within the party hierarchy and she got kicked out of the party, hence this new incarnation of Lady Oddjob as leader of Trots op Netherland.

No leader at all

I have always been of the view that Mrs. Verdonk might be a good minister but she has no leadership or even decent team-working abilities in politics, she held everyone to ransom and in the process destroyed her party’s ability to continue in coalition after the elections because they lost seats.

Trots op Netherland is no new dimension in Dutch politics, it has nothing to do with being proud of the Netherlands, and rather, it would serve as a refuge for nostalgic, bitter, disgruntled and ignorant Dutch citizens who have been left behind by the changing times.

It would be the gathering place for the populist use of flawed statistics, poorly reasoned logic about problems with the Netherlands and a catchment for those who inadvertently seek greater instability for the country they want to be more prosperous.

We have seen the rise and fall of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn and the advent of Geert Wilder’s band of patriots called the Party for Freedom.

Bitter people

It needs the articulate verbiage of Senator Obama to give voice the real issue here which as the truth is best not spoken, he might have been expressing a frustration in not being able to break into the working class communities around America when he said, “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them, and it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations”.

Whether it was politically astute for Senator Obama to say that, say it in that way or try to rephrase it in some more digestible language, time will tell, but the is the truth as glaring as you will get it about populist parties and their causes.

The congregation of bitter people who cling to nostalgia, religion, guns, antipathy, anti-immigrant sentiment or some other so-called patriotic or nationalist cause in the name of taking back their country, which in fact, is taking their country back to the Dark Ages of economic stagnation, insularity and protectionism all of which would never yield good dividend in this global village we now inhabit.

Now, we live in a free country with the freedom to assemble for any cause we might be persuaded of, if the “bitter” people need a sort of representation in our political system, they are welcome to proselytise and they would find sympathisers, people who would lurk in the shadows providing substantial but clandestine support – democratic subversion, you might call it.

The proud are represented

I would contend that those who are really proud of the Netherlands have already spoken, they voted for the parties now in power who for all their foibles have more broad-based ideas for taking the Netherlands forward than saying anything that would panic people into running into the last refuge of the scoundrel – blind Patriotism. (Paraphrased from Samuel Johnson)

Iowa is not Bethlehem of Judea

A baptism of hope

I woke up to the news that Mike Huckabee, the Baptist preacher and former governor of Arkansas State had taken the Republican nomination for the Iowa State caucus. The man was born in a little town called Hope where a Bill Clinton was born too.

Hope and Change are the message that resonates from the lips of Barack Obama the first-term Illinois Senator who took the Democrat nomination beating Hillary Clinton to 3^rd place.

Indeed, I feel sorry for Hillary and her organisation which apparently failed to convince Iowans of her experience and leadership qualities, it is an unfortunate situation but not one that she cannot recover from – Next is New Hampshire.

Convinced for change

The Presidency of George W. Bush leaves us in no doubt that there is a renewed need for change and definitely one of great hope – people need to be inspired beyond the foreboding of war, famine, disaster, turbulent markets and pocket-book strictures.

The people need a Kennedy-esque vision of what they can do for their country which would in turn make their country work for them to greatness and achievement.

Senator Barack Obama seems to encapsulate that view and concept, it is a good thing, but the Presidency of America is not just the leadership of 300 million American citizens, it bestows the mantle of leadership that encompasses the whole of over 6 billion people of the human race.

The people of America are very well entitled to vote for local issues, but their leader would be a global leader of great importance to the peace and stability of the world – we do not have review the Presidency of Bush that much to see where relative inexperience garnered from being a State governor has lead us to a more restless world than when he assumed power.

I worry that Americans might be deluded into expectation of youth and right-sounding oratory without assessing the real substance of what it takes to lead the world by becoming the President of the United States of America.

New expectations

Now, the prospect of America having a black man as President means the country has moved by leaps and bounds, it does not mean that the issues of race are not still a problem, also the likeable prospect of a credible female President is something useful too, if America can be liberal enough to escape from the strictures of religious-driven male chauvinism to accept a woman as leader.

However, Iowa State, 26^th in land size and 30^th in population size which is not even a hundredth of the total in the United States is not the Bethlehem of old.- Out of Iowa shall not come the great leader that should take the world to new heights – the win in Iowa for Obama is a good and great one, but I still see Obama as better running for President in 8 years after having served as vice-President of the nation for 2 terms.

This job really does require experience, we need someone who would be ready and able on the 1^st day, the 20^th of January 2009 – Obama might be able, but definitely not ready to lead the world – there is a lot more to believing in a place called hope and it is not just in making us feel good.

The least significant

Note: The reference to Bethlehem comes from the prophecy about the coming of Jesus Christ – made in Micah 5:2 and recalled in Matthew 2:6 (NIV) - But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

Iowa is the first in the primaries and one of the least in the United States, but the political Messiah of the United States and the world will not hopefully be decided by the events of this morning.

Bargainers and Challengers

The white driver of bus 21

I overhead this on Bus 21 shortly after getting on from a meal at the 805 restaurant – usually, I take a black cab from London Bridge to the restaurant and the hop on Bus 21 back to London Bridge – black cabs rarely ply South London routes and I am rarely keen on mini-cabs.

Two (Nigerian) ladies, most likely grandmothers in their late 50s or early 60s and looking like they have been in London since year dot.

1^st: I am going to Manor House, is Bus 141 the right bus?

2^nd: Yes, it is, you can get it at Newington Green. It is better because of the cold than London Bridge.

1^st: Thank you. I thought so too, when I asked the bus driver, he did not answer me. I ignored him because I knew when I ask my people they would know.

2^nd: They are always like that.

1^st: He just looked at me - imagine this is the job he is paid to do.

2^nd: Don’t mind him, he is a white man.

Deep-seated feeling of discrimination

I squirmed and shifted in my seat as I tried to understand how a simple enquiry had turned into a full racist put-down, I have never been able to understand or appreciate how some people see everything through the lens of race, oppression, rights, deprivation, discrimination and antagonism.

Each time I have tried to reason this matter, I have almost always been branded a sell-out in extreme cases, otherwise the more benign but insulting moniker of coconut or bounty bar has sufficed even though it is just as damning.

I ruminated over this conversation to see ways in which I could sympathise with these women at the expense of the driver but could not arrive at any objective reason why the bus driver should attract such opprobrium – I felt the women had issues that they needed to deal with, but it was probably too late to re-educate them on these matters.

Don’t blame the driver

There might be reasons why the bus driver was not able to give the woman an answer apart from probable abruptness, rudeness or his inability to understand her because place names in London can be quite funny – Manor House however should not trip anyone like Southwark (Sudork); Leicester (Lester) Square or Marylebone (Marleborn) would.

Bus 21 runs a long route from Lewisham in South-East London to Newington Green in North London – a journey of 45 minutes. Bus 141 runs from London Bridge to Palmers Green going through Newington Green and Manor House Station which are just 6 minutes apart.

Probably, the man should have known, but his bus company is run by London Central whilst Bus 141 is run by Arriva London. Bus drivers are not necessarily guides, they might be able to tell you where to get off along a route but do not expect them to how to get beyond the limits of their route.

They are not like black cab drivers who do the knowledge and twice in one day I did catch black cab drivers out, one can only memorise so much of all the streets and routes in London.

The two masks for gaining advantage

I have always counted myself fortunate for being born in England, but most importantly for growing up in Nigeria, it meant I was not subject to the race and deprivation politics of the 70s and 80s and my identity as a black man was never at issue.

That is one part of my story that I can explain to some extent, though people have different perspectives of having Western citizenship albeit with African parentage and how to thrive in those societies; there is another perspective that amazed me when I read an article about Barrack Obama in the Time Magazine under the title, The Identity Card by Shelby Steele.

It explored the issues of Senator Obama’s mixed race parentage; the conflicts and balance between his white Mid-Western values and the Black Value System. Now, the American society is quite entrenched in race we can still find marches very much like in the 60’s happening - Jena, Louisiana is case in point in Septmber 2007.

However, there are some clear and interesting points this article raised when it talked about how black Americans gain advantage in the mainstream through bargaining and challenging. Reading this piece, I realised that it did not just apply to just blacks or Americans – it applies to every minority in means, status, ability, creed, idea or number in the whole world.

Bargainers and Challengers

I acknowledge the authorship of Shelby Steele in the excerpts below, because there is no better way to depict this than in the words of the author.

“

Bargainers make a deal with white Americans that gives whites the benefit of the doubt: I will not rub America's history of racism in your face, if you will not hold my race against me. Especially in our era of political correctness, whites are inevitably grateful for this bargain that spares them the shame of America's racist past. They respond to bargainers with gratitude, warmth, and even affection. This "gratitude factor" can bring the black bargainer great popularity. Oprah Winfrey is the most visible bargainer in America today.

Challengers never give whites the benefit of the doubt. They assume whites are racist until they prove otherwise. And whites are never taken off the hook until they (institutions more than individuals) give some form of racial preference to the challenger. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are today's best known challengers. Of course, most blacks can and do go both ways, but generally we tend to lean one way or another.

Putting this in the context of the conversation on the bus, I would think I fell on the side of a bargainer and the ladies were challengers. It goes on to say that Obama is a natural-born bargainer and that is why his quest for the Presidency is plausible, whereas the Sharpton and Jackson quest could not have garnered the broad spectrum needed to make a good run for that office because no one would want to vote for a scold.

Making ones way

In a broader context, the bargainer-challenger issue is not black-and-white but shades of grey, there are people who are more bargainers than challengers and vice versa, I do not have statistics to show which end is most successful but I would think the bargainers can secure a better deal than challengers.

Ditching the black and white labels and applying this to circumstances in life one can surmise that a challenge indicates you want to take ground - you then have to be equipped to take that ground off the occupier who is entrenched, equipped and strongly defensive of their position – very few win those kinds of conflicts and programmes put in place to address issues like that in terms of immigration and affirmation do not in the long term address root-cause issues.

Bargaining requires dialogue, seeking common-ground, education and civil action by peaceful means as employed by Gandhi in India and King in America, it is how to accommodate each other for the common good. Indeed, those who wield power sometimes have to be goaded into realising the duty, responsibility or just plain ethics and humanity of doing the fair and just thing.

Need for more analysis

A blog cannot in anyway properly address this deep social issue, but we can see bargainers like Mandela and challengers like Mugabe and Chavez and those in the middle like Gaddafi and begin to understand why a deeper study of this needs to be made.

This begins to give meaning to why Mugabe as a challenger is being revered for giving the white man a bloody nose but in the process failed to bargain for the sustenance of his country. It is sad however when a whole people gravitate on the excitement of the challenge, the clash or the confrontation as it makes good press unlike the quiet and slow activity of bargaining and diplomacy.

It is all well and good to challenge if you can win that fight, it is however necessary to be smart enough to choose the battles you can win and bargain on the ones you cannot.

Rushing to the refuge of racism as a means of making progress is a function of the burden of history we all carry; the community and society in which we have been raised; the possible ignorance of all parties involved and sometimes the lack of confidence and low self-esteem.

One group I have not covered here are the fundamentally defeatists who can neither challenge nor bargain, even both sides have a duty to inspire those to greater heights. Like I have written before, when social disadvantage is yoked with the feeling that the circumstance is destined and ordained - there is much work to be done for our humanity as a whole regardless of race.

Obama vs. Stupid is as stupid does

Generally, I welcome all comments that are made regardling anything I have written in my blog. I have only had occasion to specifically delete two comments because basically the wording was just completely off topic and unacceptable.

In maybe three circumstances, I have taken the comments and created another blog on the content for reasons that people eventually read of in the blog.

It is clear and important to each person that places a comment that they see this notice - Dear Reader, You are welcome to leave comments which might be used in other blogs. All SPAM reported.

However, today I have a comment on my blog that reads like a reasoned opinion but is crass to the extreme and inane bordering on the contemptible it is a display of ignorance most dark, that one may sympathise, at which point it is beginning to sound like praise. Stop!

I had written a piece last month about CNN's typographic error in captioning a picture of Osama bin Laden with Where's Obama - probably an honest mistake by CNN, like the commenter says; the rest just reads like foul effluent.

The comment - unedited

"sorry but obama's name sounds too much like osama. i am black and i would never want anyone named obama to be elected to the highest office of the US. that name, osama, obama instills terror in people. obama is finished because of his name. sorry obama, but that name is your Achilles' heel. and cnn made an honest mistake which will be made often because the names are just too much damn alike. stop playing the race card, brotha."

Associating names with others

When people go to great lengths to think up such stuff, one has to go to greater lengths to debunk such views. Barack Hussein Obama announced only on Saturday that he is in the race for the Presidency of the United States, he made that announcement in Springfield, Illinois on a cold day where a good 15,000 people had gathered to hear his message of hope.

For a while people have been obsessed with his name, but if we did take it apart, this man is 45 years old, his name in 1962 would have meant nothing than the joy of the parents at his birth and that is now his Achilles' heel as the writer says.

Over the years, Barack could now be associated with Hosni Mubarak, the President of Egypt or Ehud Barak, once the Prime Minister of Israel. Hussein could be associated with the late King Hussein of Jordan who many would remember fondly or Saddam Hussein of Iraq who the Americans supported through many atrocities before they pulled the rug from under him and sanctioned his judicial murder.

Then obviously, CNN has helped to associate Osama with Obama, note that one name is a first name and the other is a surname and let us not forget that once Osama and America were good friends when America aided Osama in getting the Russians out of Afghanistan.

These were names that were once sounded in the corridors of power and received taxpayers funding to perpetrate their deeds on behalf of America.

Stupid is as stupid does

"Sorry, but Obama's name sounds too much like Osama" - That is plausible, but are you so hard of hearing not to note the difference? Come on, if those names were used in any context where they were misplaced, dumb people would almost certainly know that terrorism is about bin Laden and the hope of Presidency is about Obama.

"I am black and I would never want anyone named Obama to be elected to the highest office of the US" - Hopefully, America is populated with people who are smarter, this probably feeds into something else that Chxta raised about Barack Obama, some Americans think he is not black enough, that country is rankled with the politics of race it is unbelievable and then I am accused of playing the race card.

"That name, Osama, Obama instils terror in people" - No doubt, it instils terror in stupid people who cannot see beyond their noses, even I would pray that a greater terror come upon them, we cannot have such people walking our streets; their judgment is impaired, their values are corrupt, their lives reprobate, they are beyond therapy and almost beyond redemption.

"Obama is finished because of his name. Sorry Obama, but that name is your Achilles' heel" - I remember many saying the same thing when he was running for the Senate and he won. Does the name of the commenter mean something like fool or idiot? What if he donned a Klu Klux Klan white hood and called himself Nixon - would he be more electable?

"and CNN made an honest mistake which will be made often because the names are just too much damn alike" - CNN probably did make an honest mistake, a mistake that was carried on newswires around the world despite their apology; having denigrated the man as you do now, it is convenient to paint him as a hate symbol and plead innocence. As for likeness, I made my point earlier. Do I allow the use of D*mn on my blog?

"Stop playing the race card, brotha" - On balance, I would prefer to play the race card than the fool's card, but whoever mentioned race anywhere? This so called honest mistake would have been highlighted for any other person regardless of colour. I think you are suffering from delusions of grandeur to address me as Brotha, we do not think alike and we are definitely not of the same stock. The greater disappointment is in how you highlighted our differences by what is atrocious commentary predicated on ignorance.

Surely, Barack Hussein Obama would be attacked from all fronts, but I hope would be at the higher level of principles, values, ideas, policies and motivation rather than tabloid sensationalism masquerading as informed judgment, it is really beginning to annoy me.

Obama is one quick wit - Howard trumped

Barrack of hope delivered

I am not writing much about Barack Hussein Obama who declared that he is in the race for the Presidency of the United States yesterday. He gave a speech that would inspire anyone to hope and promise.

Whilst I am still of the opinion that he is in this race too early, I am beginning to think Hillary Clinton would have a dilemma on her hands if she takes the Democratic nomination and needs a running mate.

Methinks John Edwards might not be as fortunate to play the second fiddle on this occasion having not really done much to augment the ticket of the John Kerry partnership of 2004.

However, Mr. Obama who is stridently against the war in Iraq has suggested that all troops be withdrawn by March 2008, however, whilst another man is busy trying to secure his legacy on the sacrifice of more American lives, this might not gain traction.

Nosey parker gets bloody nose

The more amusing development comes from Down Under where Prime Minister John Howard fulminated about the troop withdrawal idea saying it would completely destablise and destroy Iraq, create chaos and a victory for the terrorists – I would not explore that further, we all know how terrorists ended up in Iraq and they wee not there when Saddam Hussein ruled with tyranny.

So, a last question is thrown at Obama about this blast from the antipodean and he calmly acknowledges the recognition from afar with as much as saying he is flattered – then went for the jugular with pin-point accuracy.

I believe we have 140 thousand troops in Iraq, Australia has 1,400 troops, he is so keen on the war, he should send 20,000 more Australians to Iraq. Touché! He is not even asking that he square the numbers.

I am beginning to like this man and well, the moral of the tale is never meddle with a smart arse young and articulate ascendant politician, you might find out that you are too old a dog to learn new political tricks – John Howard has been Prime Minister of Australia for 10 years, surely, he must have seen this coming or he is losing his touch.

The hope in Hillary

It is official and no more an anticipation and with great elation, we receive the news, as the erstwhile first lady vies to make her husband first gentleman of America.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is in the race to win it and I hope she gets all the support required to launch America into a new decade of great promise and dignified superpower leadership.

There is no doubt that she would be cleaning out an Aegean stable that contains the toxic guano of a divided America, a polarized war of civilizations, a decimated Middle-East and a world order that makes the Cold War an inconsequential passing chill.

All this, the legacy of the prodigal son of politics, who probably makes his father wonder and wonder and wonder, what might have been if Jeb had vied for the presidency instead of George W.

The contest would be interesting; the prospect of a first lady president or a first African-America president would make for a vibrant debate as the primaries unfold.

I for one, do not believe that Barrack Obama is ready-schooled for this office, at least not for another 4 to 8 years, in fact, most likely after a two terms of Mrs Clinton.

Who Hillary would chose for a running mate would be seriously headline grabbing, I would for now suggest John Edwards, but these are early days as I book a ticket for the Presidential Inaugural of 2009 and get to kiss the lady.

O'Bama - Osama - Oh Bummer - Obama

Where’s Obama?

Sometimes, one has to resist the temptation to keep an open mind about an issue and nowhere is this most pertinent when innocuous spelling errors convey a radically different meaning from the main import.

This comes about in the light of the apology that CNN has issued during a programme hosted by Wolf Blitzer where a caption "Where's Obama?" appeared with Osama bin Laden being pictured.

Courtesy of Crooks and Liars.com

Obama happens to be the surname of the photogenic Afro-American senator who seems to be a promising prospect for US presidency probably 8 to 12 years from now, in my reckoning. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.

It smacks of rank sloppiness to have had a typographical error on names so prominent especially one that seems juxtapose “America’s most wanted man” with “America’s most promising future president”.

We are continually told that Osama bin Laden is the “World’s most wanted man”, I think not. China, India, Nigeria, Brazil and Russia have significant populations and there is no reason to desire the man for anything, America was the most affected by his atrocities, we should put that in context.

Names of the immigrants

However, for a country that was built and exists as land of immigrants, the time has passed when immigrants who moved to the US anglicised their names to appear conformed and integrated.

Time and again, we see names like Milorad Blagojevich, the governor of the state of Illinois or the popular California governor, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, a former president Eisenhower and even the culprit Wolf Blitzer where Wolf is probably a contraction of Wolfgang – all hardly native American – but no one exerts pressure on them to recode their names for simplification.

Oh Lordy, O’Bama

Senator Barrack Obama has however suffered much for his name, I remember the Economist suggesting before he was elected that he might be more electable as O'Bama – balderdash!

Our names are our identities, no matter how tongue-twistingly impossible they might be to others, there is no valid reason to adopt some alien pseudonym in craving acceptance, if your personality and quality of character shines through, people would endeavour to get your name as correct as they dare to.

From a more sinister perspective, this slip might have been a deliberate effort to denigrate Senator Obama, having created an image that exemplifies the revulsion of terror when America was almost brought to its knees – there should be much that CNN should be sorry for – this is the kind of thing as one commentator said would be seen on FOX News, well, we have just reached a new low point in reckless journalism.

The errors of our constitution

This reminds me of an episode in 1984 when I was the student representative of the EE II constituency in the Yaba College of Technology. I had obtained a copy of the Students Union constitution just at the time that the newly elected president, Kola Oladoja offered to make copies of the constitution for the members of the House.

When that constitution arrived, it contained 47 major errors which made it look like a rewrite of the constitution without following due process.

I was livid with rage that an elected official who had sworn to protect the constitution now seemed to have created his own constitution and I moved a motion to first pulp the material and then discipline the president, unfortunately, the officials of the house did not seem to realise the gravity of this offence.

Negating the context

In the 28 spelling errors, there were sentences like, “The official shall resent …” when it should be “The official shall present …”, the use of may when it should be must, perceive for receive – very much negating context, such that officers could not be brought to account on many pertinent issues.

This failure to deal with the breach of trust and confidence because of the unusual popularity of the President of the Students Union lead to a situation many months after when leading a student protest on the campus, the crowd lost discipline and grew riotous damaging campus property that the college was closed for months.

Our lesson

The fallout included many of us vocal political voices repeating years study which for me came to nought, the president himself was rusticated and it was rumoured that he probably came to an untimely end.

This, all because we did not have the guts to challenge the errors in our constitution, which should have lead to the instant impeachment of the president.

No, I do not take these errors lightly, and the one against Senator Obama is a slight almost unforgivable.