Van Jones photo by Chris Mcpherson
Van Jones, the White House Environmental adviser resigned and claimed that there was a conspiracy against him. Jones was the Green Czar who once said that oil companies were killing people with genocide in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A journalist said that Jones was partially silenced for defending affected Nigerians.
Recently, he was accused of making derogatory statements against the Republican Party and apologised but the apology was ‘not’ accepted although he made the negative remarks after his appointment. He was also accused of signing a 9/11 petition that suggested that the government allowed terrorists to bomb the World Trade Center. Was he not screened before he was appointed?
The truth of the matter is that Van Jones is one of the most influential political radicals in the United States. He is also a political risk to the government because of his affiliations, strong policies and history of past activism.
Jones could easily sway the masses to support his green jobs agenda. According to TV host and political commentator Glenn Beck on Fox News, Jones used the Social Justice, Green Movement and Labour Unions to form the super power group called APOLLO ALLIANCE.
Becks argued that Jones is a self-proclaimed communist. President Barack Obama was allegedly linked to the Apollo Alliance and the best thing for Van Jones to do was to resign in order not to tarnish Obama’s image apart from the fact that he once called the Republicans “Assholes”. For the Obama camp, it was good riddance to bad rubbish but why employ a ‘communist’ in the first place?
The popular environmental activist may never call anybody an “Asshole” again because the so called “Assholes” diplomatically forced him to resign. *In the US and UK, people can be held accountable for previous statements. As they say, he who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones but Jones threw (verbal) missiles and paid for it with his ‘green job’.
Gani Fawehinmi: Death of a Legal Icon
Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN (1938 – 2009)
Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi (SAN) died after a battle with lung cancer last Saturday morning and threw Nigerians worldwide into ‘global mourning’. His death at 71 was very painful; especially to those who ‘worshipped’ him as their hero. Nevertheless, heroes do not die like ordinary human beings because they continue to ‘live’ by the memories and legacies they leave behind.
The man who was described in some quarters as a ‘one man riot squad’ because of his boldness to fight oppression will be remembered as a great African, legal icon and Nigeria’s foremost human rights activist.
Fawehinmi was the Madiba, Nelson Mandela of Nigeria but the major difference was that he never ruled Nigeria as a president. He was the ‘Godfather’ of the downtrodden who fought military dictatorship by insistently dragging Military leaders and the Federal Government to court. He was arrested, detained and jailed several times for ‘fighting’ injustices and holding political rallies.
He was a philanthropist who sponsored the less privileged to school. He also sponsored Nigerians (on holy tours) to Saudi Arabia as a dutiful Muslim. Fawehinmi is an irreparable loss to Nigeria. RIP.
Speech Therapy and the Mercury Prize
A new female rapper, Speech Debelle won the 2009 Mercury Prize for the best British album titled Speech Therapy. A lot of people were surprised because it is her first album and it is not yet in the UK album chart. She told the BBC that she wanted to do something different from other rappers and came up with Speech Therapy. Speech Debelle is 'down-to-earth'.
The Big Brother Affair
Glamour model, Sophie Reade aka Dogface won Big Brother 2009 (UK). She went through ‘hell’ when viewers thought she was pregnant just because she had a short affair with Kris in the house. She actually put on weight. A mini ‘kebab belly’ does not mean that a woman is pregnant. She denied the allegations even after telling a fellow housemate something about Kris. Whether she was pregnant or not was nobody’s business, was it?
