You plant a demon seed
You raise a flower of fire
See them burning crosses
See the flames higher and higher
Bullet the blue sky
~ U2 – Bullet the Blue Sky
I’ve been a U2 fan from the age of 14. I thought Sunday Bloody Sunday was iconic and it was the first time I saw music as a form of activism. It helped that U2 were singing about South Africa and calling for Mandela’s release from the tyranny of fascism. It resounded with many of us at our school.
Over the years, I saw Bono’s ambitions turn to hypocrisy as he too refused to criticise Israel’s massacre of children. It took two years and enormous pressure from musical peers for him to be back on my playlist after he finally admitted there is a genocide.
Prophetic words
Words he used back in the eighties are prophetic now:
From the firefly, a red orange glow
See the face of fear
Running scared in the valley below
Bullet the blue sky
U2 – Bullet the Blue Sky
Last year opened with nukes on the table, this year the red buttons were in hand. There is a madman running the world, and I’m not referring to #Netanyahu. An oil guzzling, thieving, terrorist came out the gates like a bullet to the blue sky. He stole #Venezuela and liberated them from their oil.
You still don’t own Venezuela
Well, that’s what he says but even if you kidnap the president and beat up his wife and then parade them down America’s streets like we are in the wild west, that doesn’t make you the owner of Venezuela, or it’s oil.
If you change Wikipedia or you write on a map with koki pen, you still don’t own Venezuela. If you have meetings with all the “magnificent oil companies” and they fall flat as your dastardly plan collapses on your orange face in an oval office, you still don’t own Venzuela.
We were still reeling from the hijacking of a country without consequences when we learnt, that much like South Africa, if you kidnap the president you’re still left with his rotten cabinet. And let’s be fair, if they did this here, they’d need a cargo plane to kidnap all the relevant crooks and a May Day parade with floats to show them all on the street.
I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. But if you vote in stupid people, you get stupid results. And South Africa knows that lesson more than most Americans. This stuff is comparable to Zuma years. And just like what we lived through then, there is so much more to the story but it’s certainly time America called for #RegimeChange.
Bubbling with oil
The next target on the #TrumpDaar is also bubbling with oil: Iran. A thorn in the side of America and Israel for decades. We watch as Iranians take to the streets in what we are told is a call for “regime change” where in fact it exactly like #ZumaMustFall.
Why are Iranians protesting? Their economy has shut down due to bad governance and heavy sanctions (from the US, but we’ll not make a fuss of that), the “regime” is appalling and treats people like dirt. Like us, Iranians just want to earn a living, live a life. Breathe. Have at least Maslows hierarchy of needs. They want “regime change” just like we do.
Here we’re too lazy to protest like the Iranians, we still have a hobbling economy but sanctions are a heartbeat away. The Iranians don’t need “external interference”, much like we wouldn’t want that either. And many people died uprising in yet another #ArabSpring. And all the time ‘Merica is telling us they need to pull a trigger to stop this madness.
The hypocrites
‘Merica, it’s time we had a chat. We’re watching your “sky ripped open and the rain pouring through this gaping wound”. When will your pelted citizens rise up and remove the tyrant?
America tells us that we should look at Iran and how badly they treat their citizens, that Iranians are on the streets right now calling for “regime change” and your country is taking notes as Boston starts to look like Tehran. As ICE agents run amok in the cities declaring war on their own kin.
You want to know what it looks like from here, ‘Merica? Civil war, you hypocrites.
Outside is America
Outside is America, America
Run, run
Into the arms
Of America
~ U2 – Bullet the Blue Sky
France, Germany and the UK denounce government violence against protestors in Iran while police in their own countries use violence against peaceful pro-Palestinian protests. Hypocrites.
Israel – actively committing genocide, ethnic cleansing and laying Gaza to waste, bombing Lebanon and Syria and expanding illegal settlements in The West Bank – is “deeply concerned” that Iran might be compromising the human rights of its citizens. Hypocrites. How dare you? #RegimeChange
And the rollercoaster rolled
Venezuela on Monday, Iran on Tuesday, Greenland on Wednesday and so the rollercoaster kept my stomach in mid air the entire January. I’d open Instagram or a news app gingerly and put my hands over my eyes before I’d peep to see if the button was pushed.
#Greenland seems to be the next hot spot for the tangerine, so strategic and left wide open by little bits of paper that were signed with ink that had to be left to dry. There were no soldiers in #Greenland over Christmas but today, a very different conversation. #RegimeChange
Half my column is already about this old terrorist’s shenanigans while he’s been puppeteered around the world. What have the other tyrants had to say? Well Putin told NATO, if they even think of sending any form of warfare to Russia, they will be obliterated in one day. He said that Ukraine is strategic for him, but NATO countries are not. He dared them to test his weapons.
Then there was Kim, the kid with nukes, Yong Um, he said he stands with the Russian bear. Turkey said any interference in Iran by Israel will be met with retaliation. Britain told its sons to prepare for war. Can we unpack that a minute? Have you seen a 19-year-old British kid? If they haven’t got an emotional support animal then they’ve definitely got a PlayStation. Is that why? Are our kids going to be flying drones via their basements?
#ReneeGood
Because if it’s hand to hand combat you’re envisaging, they’ll be tired by lunch and be complaining that the crusts that are still on their sandwiches, well on their gluten-free sushi or whatever – you know what I mean. What are we doing, world? I feel like shouting, “world shut your mouth, shut your mouth, stick your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth” (with thanks to Julian Cope).
I haven’t even started on #ReneGood and how she was shot in the head after she told the same ICE agent that she’s not angry with him and he cussed at her after he shot her – three times. Three! It is terrifying that some people honestly do believe that this was a proportionate response in any way you watch that video and there were SEVERAL ways to watch that video.
No ICE agent was dragged or hurt, unless you’re talking about his ego. And so, the protests dialled up the volume for #RegimeChange as America exploded before they even read some of the contents of the Epstein files. #RegimeChangeNow
Flipping Trump the bird
Trump walked into his safe space, the assembly line of motor manufacturing. He was babbling when one of the workers called him a “pedo protector” and Trump “flipped him the bird”, that’s what they call it in “Merica. We call it a zap sign or a middle finger (far more civilised). The guy was fired and today, at last count, he has 350K USD in a GoFundMe account as America again calls for #RegimeChange
Outside it’s America
Run, Run
Talking about #Pedogate and the like, the Clintons were subpoenaed to court about the Epstein Files but they refused to go. They watched Zuma, didn’t they? Outside it’s America. This morning I read that the VP of Venezuela, a Zio plant, handed her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump even after the Nobel people said you can’t transfer a peace prize.
Nothing is going to happen in Venezuela that benefits the people and if you believe otherwise you need to read to keep reading.
Bringing it back home
I have to bring this back to home as the naval warships fill our waters and Iran’s ships can’t work out if they should stay or go. “If they stay there will be trouble, if they go it will be double.” (with thanks to The Clash). We are definitely part of this playbook even though we too are rudderless and ill-equipped. We too are calling for #RegimeChange
South Africa started its great trek back to Gauteng as the holiday makers left behind the memories of surf and sand to face the big race and the smoke. We left behind over 20 souls in the waters. So many drownings. One in particular made an impact on our tiny town.
A matriculant went snorkelling off shore in Ponto and never made it back. He was wearing a full face mask and may I take this terrible tragedy to beg your indulgence. Do not use a full-face mask, ever. Take it from a diver. It’s asking for trouble. Those things should be banned. #RegimeChange #RIPWickus
The matric pass mark
We’re “back home” away from the Kruger’s flooding and fires in the Cape. We saw the #MatricResults where South Africa got an A+: a 98% pass mark. If you pull my left leg, it has bells on it and will play you a Xmas jingle. Our pass mark is based on 30%. That’s an F! and it stands for exactly what education you have: F/OL.
This patting on the back and false smoke up behinds is followed by back-to-school madness. Why do you ‘rents always leave it until the day before the event? #RegimeChange
I was still reeling from the assassination of #DJWarras and here we are almost at the end of January twenty twenty six did you get your fix? I met Warrick, a real gent and a master of his craft. Sorry friend, your passion for ghetto land #RegimeChange got you killed. And then apparently they got the guy, and there is footage to boot. Nice, open and shut case? Nope, footage will not be shown. And the “guy”, well he says he didn’t do it. #RegimeChangeNow
I’m speeding up because the words they have left the page already… They say you shouldn’t doom scroll but have you seen the quality of the doom scrolling?
AdHoc committee is back
#Level10FloodWarnings. I haven’t been in the water for a week the rain keeps pelting the women and children, #Knysna has about eight days of water left until #DayZero as people start to stockpile a resource that is destroying parts of our country with its abundance.
My cheer up of the week is that the #AdhocCommittee into the #SAPSInquiry is back and we kicked off with #NastyPhalane. Now this oke has a demeanour you wouldn’t tire of kicking. I am first in line, here it is: Phalane, you delivered a 180 plus page affidavit and then told the committee that it was too long for them to do in a day and then tried to scuttle away?
You’re not the Clintons, matey. Stand and be tested. You have a bad attitude and you’re one of the biggest crooks, one of the first to be subject to the “step aside” rule, that’s how blatant your corruption was. You needed a regime change. There’s testimony coming from Paul O’ Sullivan, the rogue PI, have your popcorn ready, at least if Netflix goes down we will always have parliament and we never did change our analogue transmission.
Dion George’s regime change
No need to worry, my South Africa. I have certainly not done my country justice with this report. But I leave you with this: #DionGeorge did a little regime changing of his own. He left the DA telling the world that the Steenhuisen and his Uber Eats bill should be where our attention lies.
The opposition has been captured by the ANC. Looks like they’re making plans to keep the regime. Be on your toes, South Africa, we have some regime changing to do of our own.
Oh, I almost forgot. #CatMatlala almost had his own airport terminal, more next week! Cheers for reading/watching this. I’m back, I’m wide awake, I’m not sleeping.
Apologies to U2 for butchering their lyrics throughout this piece, but you took too long to make a stand, Bono, so you owe it to me.
“In 2026, if you still believe the US invades for human rights, it means something else. It means you have seen enough evidence to know better and chosen not to. It means the story of American innocence matters more to you than the bodies that story is written on. At that point the problem is no the empire. The problem is the part of you that needs the emoire to be innocent.”
@NXT888 Sony Thang. As seen on X
I’m Tonya Khoury, founder of Acumen Media.
