Author: Ezeocha Post

I am passionate about politics and the social challenges that faces our country. As a firm believer in the goodness of man, and at the risk of sounding naïve, I am convinced that when people of goodwill driven by gallant ideas come together to fashion out a better world, and pursue these ideas with energy and vigor, that somehow they will prevail. My blog will seek to provide a platform through which these gallant ideas can be birthed for a better and equitable world.

ABUSE OF THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION, THE ACLU QUAGMIRE, AND THE MUSLIM FAITH

blogFour days ago, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against a Wisconsin company that fired 7 Muslim employees for taking unscheduled time to pray. They were observing the teachings of their religion. They were practicing their faith as enshrined in the constitution of the United States. Yet they lost their job – their means of livelihood – consequently. Why?

On hearing the news, the first thought that may prop up the mind of an average Joe is that the discriminatory white employers is at it again. They hate Muslims. They are intolerant of the Muslim faith. And of course they hate those who do not look like them. So they fired them.

But are any of these probable claims factual in this context?

First, if the employers hated these Muslim employees, they wouldn’t have hired them in the first place.

But that is not the crux of the matter. The issue here is about an individual’s right to practice his or her religion as he or she deems fit at his or her place of work.

When an employer hires you, depending on your role at the organization, you can either have a one-time one-hour lunch break for every single day you walk through the front doors of the company. And the rest of your time at the company for that day will be dedicated to doing the business of your employer. Or for some who work at a high demand manufacturing environment, you can have a one-hour or 90 minutes allotted break time which can be broken down to 3 or less number of breaks (at the discretion of your supervisor) to give you time to rejuvenate yourself for optimum performance.

Now your break time, be it a one-off one hour lunch break, or a 90 minutes multiple break times, are yours to use for whatever personal use you deem fit. You can go on a date with it. You can pray to God with it. You can be on your phone for the duration of your break. Or just like me, you can go to the breakroom and seek out folks who do not work in your department and you know, network with them. You can put to any personal and private use your entitled break time for each day you go to work. It is your own. But once your break time is over, the rest of your time belongs to your employer who is actually paying you for those times. Whether your religion demands that you pray seven times a day or not.

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MY MANIFESTO (3)

BY

A REPUBLICAN PARTY CONTENDER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

subversiveAs your President and Commander-In-Chief, my solemn duty to America and to the American people would be to protect and defend the integrity of this great nation from both external aggression and internal uprisings.

On the count of external aggression, the prescriptions of our constitution and the prescriptions of the laws of the land are there to guide me on how to war against our enemies, defeat them, and return glory and spoils of war to the land. But when the aggression is coming from within, sometimes the laws are not clear-cut on how to address threats that seek to undermine our national security.

In recent times, it has been reported widely that citizens of this great nation have traveled overseas to fight for ISIS, a terrorist organization that is at war with the United States. And some of them after fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq have returned home to this country.

When our citizens go abroad to fight for an entity that is at war with us, they are denouncing their own country and taking sides with our enemies. Ipso facto, they declare themselves enemies of this great land. Subversives. And by every parameter should be considered as such.

Of course they were already radicalized and have no more allegiance to the United States. Hence their resolve to travel abroad to fight on the side of our enemies. Of course while they were abroad fighting for the haters of civilization, they would be indoctrinated further that America is the enemy and needs to be brought to its knees. And of course their indoctrinators after indoctrinating them are somehow convinced that they have secured for their evil agenda some devout disciples in these American citizens  – who by the way have unfettered access to every nook and cranny of our country   – who would do their bidding whenever they bid them to and whatever they bid them to. Hence ISIS’s promise to us that they ‘Will Raise the Flag of Allah in the White House.’

This is not an empty threat. That is why I called it a promise even though the caption on the newspaper where I culled it from captioned it a threat.

With their pedigree and the rate at which they have grown over the years, it would be remiss on our part to ever again underestimate ISIS and their threats. Our president was wrong when he referred to them as a JV team and they have repeatedly embarrassed him for such underestimation.

Never again.

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MY MANIFESTO (2)

BY

A REPUBLICAN PARTY CONTENDER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

There has been fierce debate across the aisle about how to fix our deficit, about the need to grow our economy, about the need to create lucrative and rewarding jobs, and about the need to – through a host of smart economic policies and programs – replicate the Clinton-era balanced budget and economic surplus.

By the way, as a Republican, acknowledging that a democrat achieved the great fit of securing for us economic surplus, and in partnership with a Republican House Speaker, achieved a balanced budget doesn’t make my politics bad. It rather reinforces my professionalism and statesmanship. Giving credit to whom credit is due is not bad politics. And should not be viewed as so.

So how do we reduce our deficit, create jobs, and accrue excess revenue for the treasury?

First, by incentivizing our youth to go to school to acquire the skills relevant for the 21st century economy. And how do we do that? By making access to funds for education easier for them. For all American youth and be it for graduate school, college, or community college education.

There are so many jobs in the IT and health sectors that are out there waiting for folks to fill them up. But we have a dearth of professionals who have the skills for these specific jobs. The caveat however is that some of the times folks are enthusiastic for these kinds of jobs but most of the times do not seek to pursue a career in them because they presume that these kinds of jobs are not for folks that look like them. The role my administration will play in this situation will be to encourage employers, especially those in Silicon Valley, to demonstrate through their recruiting processes that these jobs are up for anyone who have the required skills and not just for certain people. I will also encourage the institutions that grant funds to acquire these skills to make their process impartial so that anyone who is desirous of further education can have easy access to funds.  When more Americans are gainfully employed, the costs on government of social welfare such as unemployment benefits and food stamps will be reduced. When folks are gainfully employed rather than depending on government for handouts, the more money government will be making through taxes that folks will be paying. And the more the people who are employed and independent of the government, the more money that can be freed from the social nest to tackle other pressing needs the country do have, such as fixing our infrastructure. And fixing our infrastructure also creates jobs. This is an all-round win for the economy.

We have deficits because our revenues are less than our expenses; hence our need to borrow money to offset our budgetary deficits. To fix our deficit – that is, to stop borrowing more money and to start repaying our debts – we have to find more ways to generate more revenues. That is it. There is no other way around that. And one of the ways to generate more revenues for the government would be to raise taxes on Americans. So read my lips. I am a Republican and I will raise taxes on the rich. The poor and the middle class are already paying their fair share. Some are paying more than 25% of their gross income on taxes. I am not seeking to punish the rich because they are rich. But I will make our tax system fair. Hence as your president, I will propose to Congress an across-the-board flat tax rate of 25% for all Americans. I will not simply propose it to Congress and abandon the fight just like most presidents do after their State of the Union address. I will work hard with men of good conscience in Congress to make it a law. That is a promise.

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MY MANIFESTO

BY

A REPUBLICAN PARTY CONTENDER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

My opponent, Donald Trump has always talked about making America great again. Of course America is great. A country that consumes 80% of its domestic product is great. But I have no doubt that America can be greater than it already is. I also have no doubt that the glory days of this great nation still lies ahead. Therefore I will not promise you that I will make America great when it already is. Rather I want to promise you that if I am elected your president, that I will partner with you and your elected representative in Congress to make America greater and reclaim its promise.

As your president, I will not seek to deport the 11million illegal immigrants in this country.

Let me digress a bit.

I call them illegal immigrants because they entered this country illegally, and unlike Mrs. Clinton who has no conviction but goes wherever the wind blows, I will call them what they are –  illegal immigrants.

Mrs. Clinton was at a campaign event recently and during her speech, she referred to the illegals as illegal immigrants and that did not sit well with Hispanics in the crowd. And they booed at the remark.  And she changed her position there and then and said they are no longer illegal immigrants but undocumented workers.

That is not the kind of person you want in the White House. Mrs. Clinton is a person who will say whatever you wanna hear in order to get your vote even when her original thought is right and what you wanted to hear from her is wrong. She is also a person who does not have the courage to say to a supporter ‘hey, you and I see eyeball to eyeball on most issues but on this one, I respectfully disagree with you because you are wrong.’  She is not seeking to ride to the White House on the wings of her invariable policy positions upon which voters can vote her in as their president. She has no set of convictions or concrete position on issues.  She just wants to be president as an end in itself and not as a means to an end.

I on the other hand am seeking to be your president as a means to an end. And that end is to make your life better than it already is, to invest in educating our posterity, to create an enabling environment for businesses to create rewarding  jobs, to fund research and developments, to rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, to return our economy to its prior and enviable position as the largest of all economies, to restore our military to its prideful place as the unrivaled global force for good, and to lead the coalition of progressives who are passionate about solving our most challenging problems in contemporary times. Problems such as our broken immigration system, our dysfunctional and unfair tax code, and our biased criminal justice system.

Back to the issue of illegal immigrants.

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THE DILEMMA OF AN EVENTUAL CLINTON NOMINATION TO THE REPUBLICANS AND THE CHANGE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MUST MAKE TO PRECLUDE A CLINTON PRESIDENCY

Donald Trump is a .22 caliber mind in a .357 Magnum world.

blogBy announcing that he won’t be seeking his party’s nomination for the Office of the President of the United States come next general election, Vice President Joe Biden has literally handed the Democratic Party’s nomination to Hillary Clinton. Former first lady, former U.S.Senator, and former Secretary of State.

Hillary’s two out of four opponents in the first Democratic Party debate held earlier this month has withdrawn from the race for their party’s nomination. Only Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and former Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland are remaining on the Democratic Party field. But you can bet your money that the Clinton tide will easily sweep Senator Sanders and Governor O’Malley away once the primary season kicks in. You can bet your tuition money on that. Her campaign is poised to never repeat the mistakes and indiscipline they characterized their 2008 run. They are ready this time around. Suffice it to say then that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee for the 2016 presidential election and a breathe away from the Oval Office in 1/17.

A Hillary Clinton’s presidency has been trumpeted by Republicans as a third term for President Obama. As an opposition party, the Republicans see Obama’s presidency, irrespective of the progressive policies and programs the Obama Administration has put in place for the past 7 years, as a disaster. Hence a Clinton’s presidency will be a continuation of that disaster.

So assuming for a moment that Republicans are right, then who among their candidates or a combination of their candidates will be their weapon to prevent an almost palpable Clinton presidency from happening?

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THE FORGOTTEN ONES

nativaIn America, racial cohesion and racial injustice is mostly a conversation about the binary racial relationship between African Americans and Caucasians. And in recent times, that conversation has evolved to include Hispanics who has become an ever-growing ethnicity and political force. But African Americans who came from Africa, Caucasians who came from Europe, and Hispanics who migrated from Mexico and South America, are all visitors to America. Before we all came, Indians or Native Americans, the true owners of the land, have been living here. And if there are people who reserves the right to call themselves true Americans, it is Native Americans.

But take a look around America’s society today and you will find it very hard to see a visible population or representation of Native Americans in America’s scheme of things. They are not represented in Hollywood. In the 50 governor mansions across the country, none of the principal occupant is a native. They are confined to reservations as if they are leprosy that should be kept at bay in order to prevent it from infecting the larger American society. And for a president whose election embodies evolution in racial relationship in America, you will think that the Obama who appointed two women to the Supreme Court and who the country went rainbow under his watch, will at the least appoint one Indian to his cabinet. But that is not to be.

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PRIVACY, PROLIFERATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE 666 SERIAL NUMBER

BLINDSPOT -- "Bone May Rot" Episode 104 -- Pictured: Jaimie Alexander as Jane Doe -- (Photo by: Giovanni Rufino/NBC)
Serial Numbers engraved on the face of Jaimie Alexander who stars as Jane Doe in the NBC hit show BLINDSPOT — (Photo by: Giovanni Rufino/NBC)

Somebody wrote somewhere that we used to be private by default and public by effort. These days the reverse is the case. You cannot be able to use your smartphone or smart television without agreeing to so many privacy breaching terms and conditions you have no inkling what they are about. And your refusal to agree to these terms means you cannot be able to use that smartphone of yours, that television set you just bought, that app you are about to install in your phone, that software you just downloaded  on your computer, or even that GPS system in either your car or your phone. Forced surrender of our rights to privacy by technology companies in order for us to use their products. Products  which have become a necessity for our everyday human interaction. The new world order.

We used to be private by default.

Few days ago I was away at work when I got into one of my regular sensual thoughts for my wife. So I asked her to take and text me some sexy pictures to assuage the feelings pending my return to the house. My wife is raised in church. And as such she wouldn’t want anyone besides me to see any part of her body that’s not supposed to be public. Therefore because she could not guarantee that once she takes the picture, that Google+ would not typically pry on it and store it away wherever it stores away stuffs like that, she asked me to be patient and wait until I get home and get the whole package. I was disappointed kind of, but that was the price we have to pay to maintain some degree of privacy with our bodies in our marriage. But the most frustrating thing about it is that we purchased a phone with our money but we still have no control over it. Naturally once you purchase a product such as a phone with your money, you should be able to own it, and in the case of a smartphone, you should be able to uninstall any app in it, be it Google+ or otherwise that you think is snooping on you. Apps that store away any and every picture you take on your phone without your consent. But these tech companies built those spying apps into the phones such that you cannot uninstall them. I’ve tried without any success many times. Sometimes failure to even update them messes up the functionality of the whole phone.  So they own our lives as far as we use their products. And the way life is being constructed these days, it have become a necessity for us depend on these products for our daily living. Suffice it to say that as long as we want to continue to be able to have human interactions with our fellow humans, as far as we want to continue to be able to buy and to sell, and as far as we want to continue to be able to enjoy a little bit of entertainment with these products, we have to use these products. And using them guarantees that we have given up our privacy and the tech companies now own us. Necessity now equals surrender of our privacy. They used to tell us those days in church that without the mark you will not be able to buy or to sell. The time will soon be upon us.
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OPEN LETTER TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In times like these when no one in the filed seem qualified, honest, and patriotic enough to be the next President of the United States, this op-ed by a young high school senior is worth revisiting. Have a good read.

The Ezeocha Post

By Amanda Zheranova

Updated 07:43 AM CT, Monday March 23, 2015

Joe

Editor’s Note: Amanda is a Grade 12 high school student from Houston, Texas.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(EP) — Hello, Mr. or Madam President-Elect, my name is Amanda, a 17-year old high school kid from Houston, Texas. As a citizen interested in public policies and how they affect the lives of the common man, there are certain things that I will need you to do for us before your first 100-days in office runs through.

I do not know whether you will be a Democrat or a Republican. I do not really care. I only want the best man or woman for our country. And since the American people have chosen you, I accept that you are the best we have to lead our nation for the next four year.

If you…

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MY GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

 

IMAG1027I am married. A month shy of 3 years. I have a beautiful, intelligent, sexy, and well-educated wife. Who has been my cheerleader and best friend for life. Yeah. Yet as a fallible man, I had an affair. Don’t judge me until you walk in my shoes.

This write-up is neither about my wife nor is it about my affair. And it is not about the error of my ways. Rather, this story is about the favor that God has bestowed upon me through these two women in my life.

Here we go.

All my life I have prayed to God for 3 sons. Just 3 boys and no girl.  My preferences. I have believed that He will answer my prayers. And on several occasions I have shared my convictions about this with my friends and former coworkers, who chided me for my arrogance. I wasn’t arrogant. I was simply expressing my faith in the Scripture that said “the desires of the righteous shall be granted.”

4 months ago, God, through my wife gave me my first son, CKE II, who I announced his birth on this blog. On August 31st, God allowed my desires to continue to come to pass and gave me another son, who is as beautiful, as healthy, and as hearty as his older brother. A beautiful outcome of the affair that I had. And my heart has been filled with joy ever since.

I asked for 3, I have already gotten 2. I have no doubt that the next and last one will be a boy as well.

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FATHERHOOD. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING

I’ve had good sex. Very good sex. Awesome feeling. On numerous occasions. I’ve eaten those healthy cookies from Colorado laced with…. You know what. I’ve drank some very good wine and felt good drinking them. I’ve had fun, time and again, with friends, and done some pretty wild stuff. I’ve lived in 3 different continents, and experienced lovely cultures across 4 continents. And most importantly, I live in the USA, arguably the best country on earth. I have had fun in life. However, none of these compares to the fun am having right now being a father to my little angel and carbon copy, CKE II.

Every time I hold my boy, I feel alive, every time I hold my boy, I feel enraptured by goodness, every time I hold my boy, I feel beautiful, every time I hold my boy, I feel great, every time I hold my boy, I feel joy, every time I hold my boy, I feel responsible, everytime I hold my boy, I feel fulfilled. My boy is 8 days shy of three months, but that boy does act like an adult. He gets me. He is super smart. And he is a happy baby. He cries only when he is hungry, when he has pooed on his diapers, and above all, when he wants daddy to pick him up and hold him close to my heart. He is not a cry baby and once you meet his needs, he leaves you alone and retreats back to his wonderworld. My boy, is a bundle of joy.

His smiles. His smiles are huge and so enthralling it can humanize Lucifer. Hyperbolic. Isn’t it? But you get the gist. He loves it when I sing to him or when his mother read Bible passages to him. It puts him straight to sleep, and once asleep, he smiles through his sleep. Most of the time my wife wonders what’s going on in his dream that makes him smile so much. I often tell her that our son is flirting with girls. Funny. Isn’t it? Anyways, he is his father’s son. What else can I say? His facial expressions are too numerous my wife has gotten tired of capturing them on camera. He simply has too many.

His strength amazes us, especially considering his age. It takes both his mom and I to hold him in place anytime he feels congested and we feel the need to remove buggers from his nose. He kicks with both legs and he blocks with his hands. That boy is simply too strong for his age. Honestly speaking.

CKE II is a complete package of blessing, joy and beauty wrapped together by God and sent to my wife and I as a gift. He never gets sick. Have not been sick and by God, will not get sick. I talk to him and he talks back to me, always with a broad smile. Although I am yet to decipher whatever the heck he’s saying back to me. Probably couple of months down the road. But whatever he is saying to me now, I bet ya it is something good considering the big smiles on his face everytime he talks back to me.

Continue reading “FATHERHOOD. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING”

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