A few years ago, politicking or political commentary was strictly ensconced in intellectualism, and strategies and tactics. Today, the reverse is the case. It comes like a brute power of an invading army - brawl, brutish, culminating in a brutal takedown of imaginary enemies. Whether in Nigeria or the United States of America, it is no longer about brainpower, but hacking, invasion of privacy, and economic sabotage. And the game is played according to the rules set by Cambridge Analytical and its offsprings. We've never had it so bad.
June 08, 2012, I published a long essay about the US Presidential election on my Blog and on my Facebook Timeline. And it was titled "Obama: Citizen United, Invisible Resistance, and the Hacking of American Democracy," and it succeeded in shaping the trajectory of the campaign and the entire election. The essay articulated commonsense talking points that the American press later stylishly dubbed "the definition of Mr. Romney." Mr. Romney, being President Obama's opponent in the Presidential contest. It wasn't a hide and seek game; therefore, it was expected that they would unravel the source or the author of the essay. Subsequently, all eyes were on me, on my Facebook posting and every piece on my blog. And unfailingly, they would immediately respond, or develop a counter-attack theory or rebuttal to my opinion. And that was the game, the modus operandi.
A few months later, satisfied with the tremendous boost the essay impacted on the campaign in favor of my candidate, I decided to take a break and abstain from opinionating. However, at a regular interval, I would go to friends' Timeline and contribute to interesting discussions.
One day, a topic on religion was under discussion at a friend's Wall about the absence of religion or religious card on the Presidential campaign. I chip in and argued that the absence of religion on the Presidential election can only be explained because of Mr. Romney's deep connection with the Mormon faith. Adding to that, I said that were it not for that reason, Mr. Ralph Reed, the Director-General of Christian Coalition (a conservative/religion think-thank group), would have turned the entire campaign into one of a religion brawl. I was wrong. What Mitt Romney campaign team did that afternoon was something like in a movie.
The Facebook discussion took place around 9 a.m Eastern Time US, and by evening time, Mr. Ralph Reed was in the news at a hurriedly arranged Press Conference along with Congressman Paul Ryan, Mr. Romney's running mate. They flew him to Washington DC from only God knows where to disprove one smart Alec, that indeed, playing a religious card is inviolate and he is not encumbered from playing it in the Presidential election. In the Press Conference, he vehemently and unequivocally injected religious cards into the campaign and called, yes, called President Barack Obama "anti-Christ" among other unprintable epithets. That was it. The Mitt Romney Campaign did not go after me personally, but they took a bold step to prove to my audience and their base that playing a religious card is in order. That was then. And it was strictly about the issue and substance.
Today, nothing is defined. Everything goes, in a pattern reminiscence of WWE Raw (American Television Wrestling Program). Campaign tactics are now more like a page taken from a mob scene, replete with lies, ethnic chauvinism, and unfounded allegations. They will invade your privacy, trace you to your house, and even declare on TV where you are blogging from. To them, it is no longer about the truth, the search for the truth, or the electability quotient. It is now a campaign of hatred, intrigue, personal destruction, and tortoise interference with business expectancy by any means necessary.
What about Nigeria? It is worse.
This author pride himself as Politically or Ideologically Progressive. He was, unfortunately, one of the vocal progressive commentators in social media who argued eloquently and consistently in 2015 that President Jonathan is not good enough and should be rejected at the poll. As fierce, strident, and brutal as Jonathan takedown was, invasions of privacy and hacking of personal accounts, were taken off the table. Apart from the usual brutal slandering from a guy called "Dere" (someone I am beginning to think is Reno Omokiri) on the pages of Sahara Reporter, Vanguard Newspaper as well as Punch, it was mostly a fun debate and name-calling here and there. Once at Sahara Reporter platform, Dere dude called me "Alex the Letter Writer" for contradicting him and his views about Mr. Sonala Olumhense. Apart from that, nothing personal. It was just a debate. By the way, President Jonathan was not just called unprintable names, some openly paraded his coffin and simulated his burial ceremony. Today, that's an abomination.
The worst scumbags on the face of the earth today, are the people managing President Buhari's attack machines. Whether the President is aware of the harm these spineless sadists have unleashed and continue to unleash on innocent Nigerians, I do not know. They are perpetuating their invasion enterprise under the supervision of a bunch of cowards and insecure slave drivers. They would invade your privacy and Facebook account, and publish your email address and the password at a dangerous website. They introduced a dangerous trend to public debate and identity theft. They would buy and acquire the Facebook accounts of certain individuals from your community and use these accounts to torment you, discredit you, and harass you.
That is where we are today in global politicking, the ages when cowards and spineless opportunists are deploying state resources to invade your privacy and continue to feed on privileged information to cause you economic harms. It is no longer business as usual. But the one thing I know, it doesn't always last long. There were Hitler and his enablers. Where are they today? They are still being hunted. What about Sani Abacha, Idin Amin Dada, Emperor Bokassa, and President Nixon? Go back in time, it always never ends well.
June 08, 2012, I published a long essay about the US Presidential election on my Blog and on my Facebook Timeline. And it was titled "Obama: Citizen United, Invisible Resistance, and the Hacking of American Democracy," and it succeeded in shaping the trajectory of the campaign and the entire election. The essay articulated commonsense talking points that the American press later stylishly dubbed "the definition of Mr. Romney." Mr. Romney, being President Obama's opponent in the Presidential contest. It wasn't a hide and seek game; therefore, it was expected that they would unravel the source or the author of the essay. Subsequently, all eyes were on me, on my Facebook posting and every piece on my blog. And unfailingly, they would immediately respond, or develop a counter-attack theory or rebuttal to my opinion. And that was the game, the modus operandi.
A few months later, satisfied with the tremendous boost the essay impacted on the campaign in favor of my candidate, I decided to take a break and abstain from opinionating. However, at a regular interval, I would go to friends' Timeline and contribute to interesting discussions.
One day, a topic on religion was under discussion at a friend's Wall about the absence of religion or religious card on the Presidential campaign. I chip in and argued that the absence of religion on the Presidential election can only be explained because of Mr. Romney's deep connection with the Mormon faith. Adding to that, I said that were it not for that reason, Mr. Ralph Reed, the Director-General of Christian Coalition (a conservative/religion think-thank group), would have turned the entire campaign into one of a religion brawl. I was wrong. What Mitt Romney campaign team did that afternoon was something like in a movie.
The Facebook discussion took place around 9 a.m Eastern Time US, and by evening time, Mr. Ralph Reed was in the news at a hurriedly arranged Press Conference along with Congressman Paul Ryan, Mr. Romney's running mate. They flew him to Washington DC from only God knows where to disprove one smart Alec, that indeed, playing a religious card is inviolate and he is not encumbered from playing it in the Presidential election. In the Press Conference, he vehemently and unequivocally injected religious cards into the campaign and called, yes, called President Barack Obama "anti-Christ" among other unprintable epithets. That was it. The Mitt Romney Campaign did not go after me personally, but they took a bold step to prove to my audience and their base that playing a religious card is in order. That was then. And it was strictly about the issue and substance.
Today, nothing is defined. Everything goes, in a pattern reminiscence of WWE Raw (American Television Wrestling Program). Campaign tactics are now more like a page taken from a mob scene, replete with lies, ethnic chauvinism, and unfounded allegations. They will invade your privacy, trace you to your house, and even declare on TV where you are blogging from. To them, it is no longer about the truth, the search for the truth, or the electability quotient. It is now a campaign of hatred, intrigue, personal destruction, and tortoise interference with business expectancy by any means necessary.
What about Nigeria? It is worse.
This author pride himself as Politically or Ideologically Progressive. He was, unfortunately, one of the vocal progressive commentators in social media who argued eloquently and consistently in 2015 that President Jonathan is not good enough and should be rejected at the poll. As fierce, strident, and brutal as Jonathan takedown was, invasions of privacy and hacking of personal accounts, were taken off the table. Apart from the usual brutal slandering from a guy called "Dere" (someone I am beginning to think is Reno Omokiri) on the pages of Sahara Reporter, Vanguard Newspaper as well as Punch, it was mostly a fun debate and name-calling here and there. Once at Sahara Reporter platform, Dere dude called me "Alex the Letter Writer" for contradicting him and his views about Mr. Sonala Olumhense. Apart from that, nothing personal. It was just a debate. By the way, President Jonathan was not just called unprintable names, some openly paraded his coffin and simulated his burial ceremony. Today, that's an abomination.
The worst scumbags on the face of the earth today, are the people managing President Buhari's attack machines. Whether the President is aware of the harm these spineless sadists have unleashed and continue to unleash on innocent Nigerians, I do not know. They are perpetuating their invasion enterprise under the supervision of a bunch of cowards and insecure slave drivers. They would invade your privacy and Facebook account, and publish your email address and the password at a dangerous website. They introduced a dangerous trend to public debate and identity theft. They would buy and acquire the Facebook accounts of certain individuals from your community and use these accounts to torment you, discredit you, and harass you.
That is where we are today in global politicking, the ages when cowards and spineless opportunists are deploying state resources to invade your privacy and continue to feed on privileged information to cause you economic harms. It is no longer business as usual. But the one thing I know, it doesn't always last long. There were Hitler and his enablers. Where are they today? They are still being hunted. What about Sani Abacha, Idin Amin Dada, Emperor Bokassa, and President Nixon? Go back in time, it always never ends well.
"You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
"I will [e]set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With [f]long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
AMEN.
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The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.