₦airaland Forum

Lande,

What kind of prayers do you have in mind? Prayer for outward acceptance or prayer for inner alignment with your spirit?

Why would Obama keep Gates as his Sec. of Defense if his plan is to hand over control and pull out of Iraq before summer of 2010? If President-Elect Obama's intention is to boost military presence in Afghanistan and push into Pakistan to defeat Al Qaida, then what role of significance value would Gates be playing in all of that?

First, Iraq war has ebbed down and the military mission has succeeded so far with the surge. The political stability and government administration is what needs to be shored up with additional support. President-Elect Obama himself had said repeatedly during the primary face-off with Hillary and also in the general election campaign against McCain, that America's continued presence in Iraq does not in any way measurably improve or guarantee the establishment of political stability and indigenous control of Iraq by the Iraqis themselves and that he was vehemently in favor of exiting out of Iraq. If he will keep his word, then any plan for Iraq should be one where the military is pulling back and diplomats are increasing their engagements with Baghdad. If any continuity is directly relevant it is that of the State department, and not Pentagon.

Second, Afghanistan. . . . we've been here before! America funded mujaheedins and freedom fighters in the 80's to kick USSR ass when it invaded Afghanistan. Much of the fighters were imported from neighbouring Islamic states. Of note, Pakistan got paid by US to join in the war against Soviet. That war lasted for 10years or a little more. We are now entering the 8th year in the war against terrorism and again, Pakistan got paid for its participation. It might be worth asking why Pakistan, in spite of knowledge and open admission of their support for Taliban and Al Qaeda, would be allowed to develop nuclear weaponry, unrestricted and free of IAEA monitoring but yet was excluded as an axis of evil, while Iraq - a country that had no weapons of mass destruction - was an evil state on the fringe of destroying humanity with a "vial of anthrax". The priorities were misplaced in 1979, they were misplaced in 2001 and they will continue to be misplaced on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Ground zero is not in Afghanistan and it is not in Iraq, it's in Pakistan. Al Qaida and Taliban cannot migrate West because Iran does not sympathise with them; they cannot go North because Tajiks and Uzbeks are aligned to Russia; but they gan go East to Pakistan where they find alliance with the Pashtuns. It makes sense then to take the war to Pakistan and block their gateway into and out of Afghanistan, thereby choking their subsistence. Now, you need a tactical command on the ground but the mission is already squandered. US and Europe, through NATO, is taking the gains of 1979 USSR-Afghan war and attempting to tame Taliban and Al Qaeda into a managable force that in the event, God forbid, of a confrontation in the Eastern bloc, these combatants could become war front assets against the enemy. To accomplish that, you deal a blow sufficiently powerful to demoralize but not too lethal to cause permanent scar or a complete wipe out. If I am wrong in this assessment, then I challenge anyone else to come up with an alternate theory to explain why US is quick to over run Saddam's Republican Army in Baghdad but seemed befuddled and dizzy, in association with NATO, on what to do with Taliban jihadists in Kandahar. True, Gates was a specialist on Russia back when he worked in CIA, but this is not about Russia. Or is it?

Two of Bush's cabinet secretaries were experts on Soviet - Robert Gates (Defense) and Condoleeza Rice (States). The difference in their fields of expertise is that Gates was an operative, whereas Rce was an academia. On the terms of his campaign promises on Iraq, Gates is less of an asset to Obama than Rice is. None of them is a worthy asset to him on Afghanistan or Pakistan. If we look ahead and past those two wars and consider what could happen with unpredictable moves by Russia and Iran, especially with Russia's increased presence in South America, it makes sense to retain a Secretary of Defense who also doubles as a Russian expert and a counter-weight to both Putin and Medvedev conitellpro background. The retention of Gates by President-Elect Obama is a wise choice. It suggests that his replacement will more than likely mirror the same background - an avid anti Soviet-, unless the scenes change in the diplomatic circles. I hope the offer of Sec. of State to Clinton can be withdrawn. Facing Russia with Gates and Clinton is a misstep. Conflicts of interest, though not intended, are bound to arise.

Madagascar, not Mozambique.

The title is a song that goes :

This little light of mine, Im gonna let it shine; This little light of mine, Im gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

The moral of it is to bring brilliance to bear on one's soul as the individual look outward in his/her perspective.

My mention of Obama was in passing, he was not the subject of the thread. The theme of the story is expanding minds for broad understanding of social issues - domestic and international. I mentioned Obama to cast significance on the story.

T, on point! We need to get it together.

Exploitation;
Slavery;
Rape of a virgin land;
Violation of indigenous rights of nature;
Collateral asset at the expense of Sovereingty;
A gateway to human rights abuse;
Massive shift to ecological balance;
Beginning/ Escalation of political corruption.

The discussions that led to this agreement didn't just start yesterday, there is more to the story than meets the eye.  There is a catch to that 99yr term.   Why 99 and not 100?  What difference does an extra 12month make in a 99yr partnership - there is something hidden in that number.  Can you provide more scope?  This ties in with that thread on industrializing Africa.

Cayon, [size=16pt]HI FIVE [/size] back at ya! Thanks!

I'm worried Negro you beginning to make Black people sound really dumb. Yes some of us should of been drowned at birth but come on babe!

T,
You are generalizing there. Don't take my expression out of context. I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

I have a great investment in Nigeria and a desire to see us Nigerians get a grip on our own government and society. As long as I continue to claim myself, proudly, as a Nigerian, then I represent other Nigerians in my speech and actions everywhere I go and in everything I do. I expect the same of other Nigerians and hope that they will have this consideration in their attitude. So that when a Nigerian opens his/her mouth to speak the effect is a powerful impression that represent us all. So when you introduce yourself as a Nigerian, people give you a respectable audience because of the credibility that has already gone forth ahead of you.

T, don't worry about me representing you but I think you need to worry about your fellow Nigerians that vote for politicians with sentimental emotions and not logical reasoning. This is all I'm saying. I don't know why it became an Obama issue. Won't you agree with me that if we begin to make wise choices in our politicians, instead of inbred cultural leanings, that our country will be better? Do you not agree that if we shape up our public conducts and utterances that our image around the world will improve? Don't you agree with me that each one of us here can be an influential change agent in that call?

Let me know which you disagree with.

This caption has been around for a while but it's still very potent and funny. Thought I'd recycle it again.

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
___________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh,
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?

WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?

WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?

WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

. . . if only people listen. however history shows that most voters vote with their heart and not their brains, some have no brains

Tosh, that's the scary part! Remember Patrick Kennedy, Mark Foley, Larry Craig? These men are congressional representatives voted in on sentiments and turned out to be assholes. In both Kennedy and Foley case we were told that their actions can be attributed to mis-judgement brought on by drinking. If a person cannot make clear and wise decisions on issues of his own personal well being, what can you expect of him in matters relating to the well being of other people? These men were voted in to legislate and pass laws. Going by their show of irresponsibility can you imagine what depth or lack of was brought upon to bear on their vote on the floor? I don't blame them, I blame brainless people that voted them in. It's important to know the candidates and what they stand for before they are voted into office. None of these have anything to do with Obama, it's a general measure of principle that needs to be applied if voters genuinely expect accountability from their government officials.

They heard Palin speak and knew there was a very good chance this "politically dumb woman" could be the next president. Anyone with half a brain would of voted for Obama.

Wassup T? Long time no see. . .

In response to you I have to say the worship started before Palin appeared on the scene. If you ask each person to write a short essay on why they are voting for or against Obama, much of the people voting for him will tell you it's because he is black.
That's an insult to the brain. It was so bad that some actually believed, faithfully, that his Presidency will solve problems for Blacks in Africa. What is monumental is the historic milestone. It's a celebratory mark for all of us but the stupor was maddening - it reminds of the car dealer that promises to approve loan application for a jobless person. It's true he can get the loan approved but who looses when the payment is not made?

I voted Gore in 2000 babe. I was against Bush for his record as Governor in Texas but I liked the GOP platform for that year because they had formulated the "New American Century" ideology and I loved it, even though I would not vote for republican Newt Gingrinch who was my congressional representative that year.

I did not vote in 2004. I still liked the Republican agenda but I detested Bush for his mis-management of it and would not vote for him. I did not vote for Kerry because he was intelligent but was an ineffective leader - he lacked self-assurance and boldness and would have tuned up to be a "woosie" commander in chief. Very maleable and easy to manipulate.

Yes, Guantanamo prison has a countdown, thanks to Obama for standing up for justice.

During the primaries and continuing on to the general election campaigns we discussed political choices and how Americans, but Blacks in particuler, just blandly accept candidates without thoroughly understanding the policies they are pushing and how this truly end up becoming a painful outcome for the voters.

As you all know, I am defiantly opposed to Barack Obama's message of "change" even though I agree in principle with his old ideals to marshall the grassroot into a coalition. My vote for him was a vote for the grassroot and not because I am convinced in his push for change, even though I desire for that to happen. There are many of you that wish me to be like you; accept Obama without quesion. Someone even went to the extreme and said I hated Obama. Maedan was the only person here that envisioned possibilities for a 2009 or 2012 or even a 2016 Obama Presidency.

I know that the election is over but I want to appeal to those of you who genuinely want "change", that change begins wth you and not in a double-mouthed politician that is asking for your vote to the state legislature or the US congress or the Oval office. You must understand what they stand for and the best way to do that is to enlighten yourself about the government - your city council, your county government, your state government, your congressional district, the federal governmnt and indeed the united nations. Above all, our knowledge in foreign countries are resources that we can employ to bring "CHANGE" to our own country, Nigeria. It does not make sense to vote for change in aother man's land and yet we refuse to fight the cause for change in our own motherland, whether we currently live in it or not.

Not everyone of you readers need this information I presented below, however a lot more of the people in here in NL need their sense of social awareness and political identity heightened. This is not a criticism but an honest suggestion for those interested in enlightening their mind. There is a lot of blank minds out there when it comes to civic knowledge. Grown adults that do not know the name of their congressional representative or the elected officials in their state executive office.

Read this report.
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/content/our_fading_heritage_11-20-08.pdf

Take this test on your own with no help. If you fail the test, retake it with online help. Compare your scores and see how much you have improved.
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx


Go here and read the 1999 constitution of Nigeria. .
http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/const.htm#N

Compare it with this one from 1960 where reference was made to Her Majesty The Queen. Save a copy for interest - this is the independence version.
http://www.nigeriacongress.org/resources/constitution/nig_const_60.pdf

Are you interested in the various traties between Nigeria and other entities and sovereingties? Type name of country in the field "Party".
http://db.lib.washington.edu/wti/wtdb.htm


You want to know about international legal cases? Go here . . .
http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3&p2=2


These are some of the sites I use to get my information on domestic and foreign affairs, they are in public domain sites. As you use them often you will encounter other sites that are private and exclusive to subscribed membership only. Join them if you believe you will gain from their information.

Knowledge is power, expand yours and never let anyone limit your capability. Be defiant, challenge, question, ponder, reflect. . . never keep still, take risks, succeed, fail, improve, apply lessons learnt and succeed again. Bring your Nigerian ingenuity forth. We are best known for our aptitude and brilliance, let's keep it polished. Never let it dull, never.

David, I hear you. My opinion is given already.

I thought he was going to give State to Susan Rice. I believe Powell might end up becoming Secretary of Defense, but I could be wrong.

What do we get in 2009, an Obama administration of change or a Clintonian administration of reuniteds?

Has there been any appointee so far that did not serve under Clinton? Oh by the way, that question is rhetorical.

What should be expected with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Does Obama and Biden think she will take orders from them? Back to my first question - are we getting an Obama rulersip or a Clinton annexation?

I think this is goodnews to David Axelrod
Conclusively I think this is goodnews as it gives the Obama administration an opportunity to isolate Al-Qaida from Islam.

If you look at it from an American news consumption, yes the rhetoric is good news. However, if you look at it tactically, it is not a good news.

Afghanistan is a cross-road of many interests; past, present and future. What I think will end up happening is Obama declaring a military success after two years and bringing the troops home from Afghanistan. Here is why I said so.

Ahmadinejjad reaching out to him was a calculated move. He is sandwiched between Iraq and Afghanistan. If as promised, Obama indeed pulls out of Iraq, then the only collateral bargain that Ahmadinejad has to shield itself against a military attack is Afghanistan. Obama is planning to increase troops to Afghanistan, so then as he withdraws from Iraq expect some insurgents from there to shift base to Afghanistan. Also, expect that Iran will influece ground battle as they did with Iraq, to keep American trrops bogged down for an extended period long enough to acquire nuclear. If they acquire nuclear America is in a very very bad position, for the simple reason that it will now be sandwiched between two nuclear nations.

Al Zawahiri message is a lure, an attempt to cause Obama to take unilateral decision to violate Pakistan's sovereingty by pursuing Al -Q and thereby escalating the problem beyond Afghanistan and into Pakistan. In addition to everything else, going into Pakistan will no doubt cause China to voice opposition - too close for comfort!

But does Africa need to industrialize to develop?

Yes, Africa need to industrialize to develop. We were industrious before colonialism. The problem we have now is one of dis-orientation and psychological defeat.

The head is the glory of any human endeavor. When it is aligned correctly it navigates itself. Once in a while it might loose its tracking, but it soon regains bearing and self-corrects to gain ground. Its guidance is sought by lost ones trying to make it home before dark.

When the head is mis-aligned, it goes around in a circle and even though it is locked into a meaningless merry-go-round it in fact believes it is gaining ground. It never lifts its eyes up to behold the sun setting on the horizon, contrarily they are focused on the moving feet; that's the only measure of its progress as it dances in its own shadow. It must depend on an outer influence to help correct its gyroscope, which soon after anyway will return to that perplexed circular path.

Africans, we need to get our heads right.

So is industrialization still the answer or should Africa focus on a different route to development? Is Africa ready to fully industrialise? Should there be an industrial revolution in Africa?

Yes, we must industrialize. No, we are not ready. No, before industrial revolution we need cultural revolution.

Industry does not exist as a stand-alone of society. It must subsist on the people. The culture is the people. Industry is the web-network of intewoven connectivity that tie people together for commercial inter-dependency. So that whether you are exchanging commodities by trade by barter or by monetary cash or on credit, each partner in that exchange is formulating competition. When you compete then you improve. When you improve then you become better in your skills for comparative advantage. When you have the skills to increase your output then your productivity goes up. The more people there are with productive output then the community can experience growth and people become vested in the resulting cooperatives that will evolve.

There is no technology out of Europe, America, Russia, China. . . or anywhere else, but Africa has the minerals and resources to sustain it. The industries of the West subsist on the riches under our feet.

Liberia has rubber, Kenya has coffee, Sudan has gum arabic, Nigeria has oil, South Africa has diamond, Ghana has gold, Niger has uranium, . . .

We need to ask questions. . . we must query the options. . . is it possible that we could create an African trade board, a continental trade gateway?

Instead of independent trade treaties with isolated nations the West should come through the trade board for their needs. Each African country invested in the central output will make it more likely that as nations struggle to compete continentally for shared output and revenue then they focus more on what connects them together and less on what differences exist between them. The economy of scale will create benefits on many front.

We need to recalibrate the gyroscopes in our heads and break the cycle of dependency on the West to come and rescue us financially, if anything, they should be the ones begging Africa for concessions. We can do without their cellphones and cars and computers. . . in comparison, they cannot do without our cocoa, rubber, uranium, gum arabic, and everything else underneath our feet. It can be a healthy partnership between us and the West, a partnership of balance. But first we need to cultivate balance at home. The price of cocoa and diamond should not be dictated in Europe or America, it should be called by the African Continental Trade Board.

But will they also suffer because their executives, lacking the motivation that big bonuses are thought to provide, will not do their jobs well?

You are correct bonus is a motivation and its approval is tied to the company performance. What happens if the company didn't meet its performance goal? In effect, you can say no passing grade, no bonus! However, that message is usually the pep talk for senior directors and below. Above them and at the executive level the bonus is tied to the service contract. Company performs or not, executive gets paid!

Congress can regulate that without regulating free market. Don't expect it to happen!

With the burden of Bush strapped on his back, we expect that. What we don't expect is a candidate that doesn't have any weight strapped to his back but yet in a survey of 2,772 people he led the other guy by only 221 favorable responses. That's a dismal performance! Yeah McCain stinks, Obama is worse!

I don't blame Obama. He is a rookie and this is what rookies do untill they get their footing right. I blame Howard Dean. That stupid, weak willed sob must be fired. Fire the punk and put Hillary as head of DNC so somebody can take this fight to RNC. Before September is over you all will be begging Hillary to be your Presidential nominee. Democrats are doomed, thanks to Howard Dean.

I still stand by that statement even today. Don't confuse Obama's win as any strategic success by Dean; it doesn't exist! Obama's win is a rejection of Bush and a political success for Obama. The outcome is not a strategic victory for the Democratic platform whether in the Presidential run or the gubernatorial run, it's not even so at the congressional elections either. You can see the evidence of that post-Nov 4th and if you were to conduct a survey at the electorate level asking people who their congressional representatives are then you'd be surprised at the high number of respondents who do not have a clue or for that matter articulate what the Democrats platform stand for. So yes, Dean's tactics was a failure. Democrats have Obama campaign machine to thank for their nationwide success; believe it!

David,

In reference to our discussion, you are mixing apples and oranges. Consider the following for a minute and see how it fits in with my position -

Statement: Sony is regarded as a very knowledgable person on International Affairs.

Fill in the blanks to draw the same meaning as above statement -

Statement: Sony is _______________

(a) well-travelled

(b) well-visited

David, you are presented with the above scenarios, what is the correct answer?

You have made some serious errors in judgement. It's our first encounter so I will be gracious and let you save face this time. Next time you make this blunder in response to my post. . . I am coming for you jugular! I don't scour google for knowledge, I camp in libraries for my knowledge. Discuss google answers with like minds as yourself that love to cut and paste from search engines and web databases. Ok?

If you can't find any, then you should weigh the last question against this one:

With all his travels, as Negro claims, how many written opinions or relevant policies on foreign policy did Bush espouse before becoming President?

If the answer on the second position is still zero, then regardless of whether he traveled or visited, Bush did not formulate any policy relevant to his Presidential ambitions, despite that he had more than ample resources and opportunities to do so both as a Harvard graduate and as the first son of G.H. Bush.

This validates the objectivity of my post. Now you need to validate the objectivity of your billboard; if it was not emotionally minded I don't know what else to call it.

Let me give you a brain exercise.

With all his visits, as you claim, how many written opinions or even policies on foreign relations did Bush espouse before becoming President?

Give your answer.

Tentative placements in the Obama camp -

source US NEWS and World Report.


http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/11/11/al-gore-colin-powell-caroline-kennedy-in-obamas-administration.html

David,

We should leave this to the public opinion to judge. My contention, before you rail-roaded it with your envious presumptions is this:

Public administrators at the high level of government are vetted for positions. The vetting includes, amongst other things, reviewing their resumes and policies and opinions. Nobody cares about places you visited unless if it's in relation to a security clearance to be sure that you have not acted counter to the interests of the Federal Government. Your policies and opinions weigh heavily on what your beliefs are and in which you can contribute to the progress of the nation. An administration will not appoint an academic blank to fill a position when the field is saturated with innovative minds that have intellectual opinion on the subject appointment. For a President, having a broad mind about the world is very essential. Obama in his campaigns visited Middle East and Europe but the reference point of credibility for his international exposure came from his background in Hawaii, Indonesia and other places he grew up in. This is attested to by his many references to those upbringing and background in his book. That background is believed to be the principal reason why after leaving Harvard he turned down offers for six figure salary on Wall Street to go instead to grassroot advocacy in Chicago.

On the question of how to rank G.W. Bush, I stated that we would have to look at the presentation of Sarah Palin for a VP title, a position many believed she is not qualified for on account of her academic standing - no policy formation on anything outside of Alaska; she has however visited other parts of America and indeed other parts of the world. That parallel, in retrospect is the root for why Bush ended his Presidency as he did with foreign policy failures. To cap that, I opened by inferring that I did not need to go into all these lenghty narratives which I just did above because you have mentioned a number of them already.

Now, I don't know why it is easy for me to look at what you wrote and assess it with depth of mind and conclude on the direction you were heading but it is difficult for you to understand what other readers with depth of mind like myself understood as legitimate response. Unless of course you were not seeking objectivity but out hunting for a misstep that you could amplify as erroneous. You succeeded in the amplification when you posted what you thought was an error on the billboard, but failed to prove it as an error. You cannot interprete visit to equate travel. One is done for leisure, the other is done for a productive goal. If after reading all of the above, not scoping for material to put on your billboard, you still disagree, then I leave you with your shallow mind and will not bother to school you on objective analysis.

Anyway, let me say this, . . . . I got better things and more objective minds here to share views with you than wasting it addressing the warped viewpoints of an envious person.

Enjoy the rest of the day David.

Bush never traveled outside US until he became President, can you believe it!

Of all I said in that post, this is the one you highlighted to question. Not just highlighted, but you made it bold and put it on a billboard for the world to see. Your question is not genuinely to get understanding but to ridicule and embarrass. This is why you used so many negative words in that response. There is a anger seething beneath the surface and this is my reason for asking you, . . . what's your point?

I repeat, it is an intelligent dialogue when you are talking about academic interests of a President. You probably do not see it so because your agenda is focused more on destroying the credibility of the respondent than it is on objectivity. Do you not see that? It is clear!

You are focusing on his visits, which is ceremonial. I am concentrating on his travels and inquisitions into cultural diversities.

I have noticed that there are a handful of people in NL who lack sufficient broad mindedness in social discussions, particularly their brain exhaust fast in its expansiveness and they must therefore substitute for that call of scholastic aptitude by demonstrating brute instincts, such as negative branding and curses as well as false portrayal of the opponent's winning argument.


I started by saying this : David hit some important notes on it already that I believe may be omitted from Bush's memoirs when his Presidential library is commissioned

David, if your intelligence is anything to go by what does this opening tell you relative to the rest of the narratives in my first post? Before you respond with instinctive brute let me help you - it means that I am talking about his understanding or lack thereof of world politics and not about who or where he visited.

Now, let's see how you respond. . . .

Negro, i expect you to be mature enough to admit that you LIED

Whats your point?

On what basis do you make this erroneous claim? Is there a way to measure "cultural curiosity"?

LIED, erroneous claim. . . . whats your point? Yes, there is.

I am even more shocked that you made a claim you did not properly verify

LIED, erroneous claim, did not properly verify . . . what's your point?

So your question above is invalid

LIED, erroneous claim, did not properly verify, invalid . . . what's your point?

ridiculous

Frankly you don't know what u're talking about

David,

LIED, erroneous claim, did not properly verify, invalid, ridiculous, don't know . . . far too many negatives in your response. Did I steal your wife or something, what's your point?

If I come from a background similar to one that George Bush came from, my exposure to the people of the world and opinion of them would by far extend beyond just handshakes here and there, smiles for the camera hither and thither . . . and to add dimension, you can see the effect of that difference in the measurable success of Bill Clinton, compared to George Bush. Bush has not written any paper or book on world affairs. . . labeled himself the Leader of the World and and yet no literary work to demonstrate an intellectual legacy. , . . . . and you want to defend his laxity with visits with leaders in foreign countries, beyond that what does he think of those places and their people?

Makes me question your aptitude and intelligence?

On the scale of social democracy, Nigeria is not where USA is. If we want to democracy I am open to beat that discussion to death. Is democracy the right way for Nigeria to govern or are we clamouring for democracy because that is what they practice in the West?

Do we need to have a discussion on the best fit system for our unique country or should we just blindly follow , like Zombie, and adopt the caucasian system? There are many attributes that are totally irreconciliable and inharmonious between a white culture and a black culture and until we identify and become self-determinant in our own destiny, democracy, however much we preach it will not resolve our grievances and pains. Who are we fooling?

I agree that witnessing a barbaric action as we see on the video causes the spirit to recoil in anger and sadness but nonetheless, our Nationality is not the cause of the problem. Our collective conscience at the global level need to be reawakened to the fundamental and basic needs of the soul for certain naturally endowed rights.

David,

George W, the first son of George H. W. Bush, had no cultural curiosity outside of US borders. I am shocked you countered me with those claims of his visits to places outside US. I would expect more than mere visits from someone who had nurtured the ambition of one day becoming President from back when he was at Yale and Harvard. Should he have had the curiosity to expand his knowledge and exposure to the global communities that he would one day hopefully lead? I say yes. His travels to Mexico is like Palin saying I see Russia from my backyard. Im sure if it was not for security reasons Alaskans will be criss-crossing into and out of Russia like they do with their other neighbor Canada. Texas borders Mexico and of course as Governor of Texas I would hope that he travels to that country often for bilateral interests.

Much of his foreign policy failures take root in his limited perspectives on global affairs and that was due to lack of exposure generally. The adventures of global travels and curiosities would have come handsomely handy in his skills on foreign relations,not necessarily at an expert level but they nonetheless become point of reference in building bridges and more particularly in his ability to see the humal element in other cultures foreign to his caucasian heritage.

when sean bell was murdered , y dint u start d outcry, and c if naijas will not follow,

Kreamiedol,

You see, I told you! You are a buffon!! You just finished singing Zombie and then you turned around and say if I had started the outcry on Sean Bell people will follow. I need to read what you just said in context of your song and my earlier response that this is a problem for humanity. A lot of people have college degree but only a handful are truly intelligent.

i was just wondering why some folks are noticeably absent

You must have looked for me in the wrong place, I am here always.

so when folks were passionately discussing issues of grave importance all you were interested in was satisfying your gambling drives?

I did not see any contribution from you worthy of mention as passionate discussion much less of any importance.

NEWSFLASH - When you trade stocks and futures you gamble!

i though you are among those who insisted that obama will not win at all

I'm glad it was just a 'thought".

just know that darfur is not a gambler. to think that rationality for you is centered on gambling makes me strongly believe that you have anti-social personality disorder.

I am following the model of wealthy people who have taken risks with their finances to build and accumulate riches - Warren Buffet, George Soros, Robert Murdoch, etc. . . If it will make me rich, I proudly claim that label and I'm on that path forward to realising the American Dream.

i recommend u go find a psychiatrist immediately

I see how deep your passionate discussions have been.

Sylve, Thanks. I like to shut people up who are idiotic in their perspective.

people like you are the reason nigeria as a place will never change. why would a nigerian forum be more concerned about happenings in america than nigeria?

JJ,

I have news for you - we just did with Obama! Unless you want to tell me that Obama was running for Presidency in Nigeria.