By Denrele Animasaun

“Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them”—Albert Einstein

They say, an eye for an eye, makes the whole world blind and this sort of bile spells trouble across the globe when common sense and dignity is thrown out for selfish reasons and dominance, there can only be trouble and more trouble.

As everyone knows that Trump, the presumptive presidential Republican nominee stood on the platform supposedly to” make America great again”. What he has done instead, is to whip up xenophobic, religious and racial tensions, dividing a nation and scapegoating minorities in his wake as well as making enemies of their neighbours.

If only the thin skin, self- proclaimed billionaire could heed the advice that those who live in glass houses should refrain from throwing stones. But no, not the Donald. He is way too proud, racist, misogynistic, and demagogic and trouble rousing to see or care. He had help and support from people who were hell bent on revenge and are gullible to see that Trump has only one person’s interest: that is, his own.

He is a consummate opportunist who will twist and finger point at every disaster and use it to his advantage. The Orlando shooting tragedy was just too good for him to leave well alone, he gets on his twitter first to congratulate himself, and then true to form, let his sheepish followers know that he has been right all along and the tragedy was what he had warned them about: one by a radical Islamist.

He chided Obama for not calling it out as he saw it: that it was an act by radical Islamists and by a foreigner. He laid the blame at the foot of the president and he accuses him of complicity.  Does this remind you of some people close to home?

Trump made the wrong move. And Obama got on the rostrum to denounce his comments as” inciting and peddling “dangerous” mind-set that recalled the darkest and most shameful periods in American history. He has stepped on the president’s toes once too many and it was indeed time to give an intellectual lesson to this over indulgent, misogynist, blown-up bully.

Obama said:” We hear language that singles out immigrants and suggests entire religious communities are complicit in violence” And he went on: “Where does this stop? Are we going to start treating all Muslim-Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? Are we going to start discriminating against them because of their faith?”

The opposition has systematically hindered Mr Obama at every legislative junction and they have breed division and fan the embers of racism, hatred and warped nationalistic sentiments that favour some Americans and structurally excluded others.  So they are  waking up not to the American dream but a living nightmare they refuse to moderate the use of guns and instead, they hide behind an obscure and archaic  second amendment; their right to bear arms  and their obstinate dogma has caused this tragedy and countless others. So they do what they do best: blame the minorities and the President, who is a minority too.

The Republicans created Trump mania and he played them like a fiddle. The Republicans have shown their true colours and it is not pretty.

They say, be careful what you wish for because you might get it. They have truly got the underbelly of the most undesirable showman, who thinks that he is the voice of the people! They have truly cut their noses to spite their faces.

What Trump does is to manipulate the people who are very gullible enough to believe his lies, that a section of the population is responsible for the problems in America.  He failed to acknowledge that the shooter was an American, albeit of Afghanistan descent but that would not have fanned the hatred. He vowed to temporarily ban Muslims and any other enemies of America, should he be president and of course he is also going to build a wall to keep the Mexican out!

Trump is a tyrant and a bully who picks on women, blacks, Mexicans, Muslims and all his political opponents and Obama, is top of his list.

What America should know that anyone that picks on a section of their citizens will pick on others whenever it pleases or displeases him? Hitler started this way not that I am saying that Trump has the capacity to go the whole hog. So it is about time that Americans wake up to what the rest of the world knows; that this emperor has no clothes!

Of course, Trump remains impervious to the warnings and cautions. He continues to accuse as he accuses President Obama of mollycoddling the terrorists: “President Obama claims to know our enemy, and yet he continues to prioritise our enemy over our allies and, for that matter, the American people”

And Trump said: “When I am president, it will always be America first.”  The very thought of it is worrying and Americans and the world would be in for a shock.

This is a man who only thinks of himself and his over inflated ego. Of course, it is up to the good people of America, if they want to be represented by this man. There is an effective way of dealing with the likes of Trump, and it is not to give them an ounce of oxygen of attention. The more you ignore them, the better for everyone.

Happy Father’s day

My father never talked to me about how tho treat people, every act of kindness I have ever shown another person was because I was trying to imitate him- Pamela McGrew

Father’s day is this Sunday and I would like to wish my father and others like him a wonderful father’s day!  I am lucky to have a father who truly cares, he continues to teach and guide me through life’s twists and turns.   A long time ago, I once went shopping with my dad and he refused to get some clothing for my brothers. He refused to get the trousers because they did not have enough for the other young boys living at our home. When I told him that he should get for my brothers alone and I reasoned that when these young people go home to their family, they don’t think about getting things for my brothers. He smiled and he said:”it is not what other people do that counts, it is whether you are doing the right thing that matters.  That is my dad and I never forget that life lesson.  He also told me, be friends with people who will add to your life and not subtract.  He is a staunch Muslim and he instilled that in us all.  My father has always been my hero and if I can be half as good as he is, then I am on to something good. Kolawole Muslim Adio Animasaun,  thank you for being my father, from me, my siblings and friends.