Tag Archives: Politics

Jim Crow 2.0

As an American citizen and upon living most of my adult life in a racist and increasingly fascist racial caste system, it’s plain that Whites who fear loss of power and economic dominance will stop at nothing to keep it including resorting to violence. White supremacist ideology is a hatred that impacts too many hearts and minds in the so-called United States of AmeriKKKa. The current attack on Advanced Placement African American studies is its current offense.

I can recall many years ago that I told a colleague, an Ethiopian immigrant woman, who esteemed herself better than me (perhaps due to pedigree or station in life), that when White people “feel” threatened, they will resort to violence, murder. She seemed genuinely surprised at my declaration, possibly because she did not recognize its truth, or because until that point in her life no Black American, a member of the African diaspora, had dared to confront her with the harsh realities of AmeriKKKan racism. Reflecting on these realities led me to this Washington Post article regarding the revival of anti-Black fascism in AmeriKKKa. States’ attempts to stop AP African American studies courses only serve to heighten the awareness of this important and necessary curriculum.

Like most Black people in AmeriKKKa, I too have personally experienced racial hatred at several points in my life, some overt, but mostly they were subtle forms of racism, e.g., a job denial or a discouragement to even try, a harsh judgment regarding my character or nature, or even the general underestimation of my intellectual capacity. Growing up in New England (back in the day) it was the more overt forms of racism usually racial epithets in the form of “nigger” or “go back to Africa” a place to which I’d never been. Nonetheless, these things rarely deterred me, given my resilient nature and capacity to stand. A Black person standing and not bowed down is also something a white supremacist hates. It’s a sure sign to these ignorant souls of a loss of control that must be put down at all costs.

Once again fascist, racist haters are banning books and preventing the truth about AmeriKKKan history from being taught in school. After all, white supremacist haters must control the narrative at all times, the primary reason it was illegal to teach Black people to read during slavery. AmeriKKKa’s anti-Black propaganda and the relentless dehumanizing of Black people have been effective tactics for centuries. Sadly, some Black people have also bought in, like the corrupt Black cops who murdered Tyre Nichols.

At this stage, I believe that until the so-called United States of AmeriKKKa repents and atones for its original sin of slavery and its brutality compounded by Jim Crow apartheid and white supremacist hate, she will not survive or thrive. Reverend Wright was right (look it up). There comes a reckoning. AmeriKKKa is like a drug addict that can’t kick the habit. One day, that drug of racism will destroy you, and it will be your own fault. First, your image and glory are marred, but then your wealth is destroyed (that thing you love) because you won’t turn to do what is right. Oh, well.

So, where does AmeriKKKa go from here if it doesn’t change? Down and likely out of its dominant and influential position in the world. It’s already begun.

Cross Connection Finds Good Trouble

With zero notice, Cross Connection hosted by Tiffany Cross was canceled by MSNBC only days prior to the 2022 midterm election. Speaking out and speaking truth as a Black person is clearly like walking through a mine field in a snow storm. Though I did not watch Cross Connection regularly, I found Tiffany Cross’ commentary to be truthful. In fact, these days I hardly watch MSNBC and not because of any disdain, but rather the constant ugly political news thrust upon us all by white supremacists and right-wing extremists. It was TC (fox) who called Tiffany Cross a racist for rightly exposing him and his right wing bigots, and it seems MSNBC has bought in. Tiffany standardly served truth straight up with no chaser. Here’s another truth, MSNBC is corporate America, and Black women are rarely supported in corporate America. If we don’t stay in our place then…well, Tiffany is proof of retribution.

Isn’t it curious how Black people are always held accountable yet White people like tucker or trump and his minions never seem to be. She spoke too plainly. She exposed too many truths. She made too many White people uncomfortable. Is this her media lynching? Should only White men be allowed to speak so freely and placate an increasingly fragile White America, i.e., Joe Scarborough? MSNBC has made an executive decision and the cable news platform will need to navigate the fallout. This cancelation looks bad, misogynist, and frankly racist, and her callous release has offended many in the Black community. It’s time for Black journalists, pundits and subject matter experts to stop esteeming cable news platforms like MSNBC as a badge of acceptance or bonafides. MSNBC is not that deluxe apartment in the sky.

Tiffany has been silenced on MSNBC, but her voice will be lifted up in many other spaces. She’s more dangerous now than ever before — unbought and unbossed. She’s free. Lemonade baby, lemonade. Maybe she’ll join Roland Martin, and the two can compare notes on how so-called mainstream media handles Black people who won’t bow down. John Lewis encouraged getting into good trouble; I’d say Tiffany Cross has found a measure. Head up Tiffany. Beware Joy Reid. Seasons come and go, but only the steadfast prevail.

Criminal Intent

In these final days of the 2022 Midterm campaigns, the GOP has played its “crime” trump card. It’s a familiar racist trope that has been used for years by Republicans to scare White people into voting for them. Sadly, it works. “Crime” is the age-old euphemism for Black people. After all, it was Lee Atwater who developed the Southern Strategy under Reagan and the Republicans successfully leverage it with regularity. Case in point, George Herbert Walker Bush defeated Mike Dukakis with the infamous Willie Horton ad campaign.

What the GOP won’t tell voters is where the crime is really happening. You guessed it, in red states. In a recent report by Third Way entitled The Red State Murder Problem we find that murder rates are highest in cities run by Republicans. In 2020, eight of the 10 states with the highest murder rates voted for trump. GOP hypocrisy and lies are boundless. In fact, the biggest criminal appears to be trump himself, the titular head of the Republican party, with at least 55 uncharged criminal offenses since 2015.

So, what is the answer? Democrats must fight back with messaging that frames Republicans as the party that is anti law and order to include the fact that most, if not all, of the GOP does not follow or adhere to the U.S. Constitution that they claim to love. It is the GOP that refused to condemn the trump insurrection of January 6th and whitewashed the violence against Capitol Police officers. It is also the GOP that is fomenting The Big Lie. Democrats’ messaging should continue to drive this point while also emphasizing public safety.

November 8th is election day. If we are to preserve the U.S. democracy, get out and vote, and when you do, VOTE BLUE up and down the ballot. Don’t cede the U.S. democracy to a fascist GOP.

Luther on the Trail

Barack Obama is on fire. He’s hit the campaign trail in the final stretch of the 2022 Midterms and it is clear that he is unrestrained. In fact, Keegan-Michael Key‘s “Luther” character no longer needs to translate for Obama, he’s good all by himself. From social security to women’s reproductive rights, the former President has sharply and rightly attacked the GOP while exposing just how unhinged and crazy the GOP has become. It’s time to take the gloves off, so-to-speak, and in an ever-increasing toxic political environment, speaking truth is apparently a dangerous thing to do. The recent attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, is case in point. Whatever it takes, get out and vote, then VOTE BLUE up and down the ballot. Don’t cede the U.S. democracy to a fascist GOP.

trump & Covid-19

trump has Covid-19 and because of 3.9 years of LIES, many Americans simply did not believe it to be true. His debate performance was classic trump. Bullying. Lies. He can’t debate since he doesn’t know anything. Many on social media assumed that trump knew he utterly failed in the first debate and probably didn’t want a repeat, and beside that the next debate format was in the style of a Town Hall. He can’t handle that format. trump’s in his white supremacist bubble and engaging with the American people outside of his cult is dangerous for him.

So, how sick is he? We’re getting conflicting reports. trump’s putting up video to keep his toxic “manly” image in front of his base. More importantly, how many people did the White House infect? Turns out the Amy Coney Barrett SCOTUS theft event was a superspreader. After that, trump traveled to Minnesota and probably knew he was already exposed to Covid-19 by time he went to his New Jersey fundraiser at Bedminster. Dangerous Donald strikes again. Folks better get tested.

On The Economy: Sequester, Revenues, and Timing

Lets Make a Deal

Jared Bernstein’s blog On The Economy breaks down how the Republicans could have had a much better deal on spending cuts a few months ago. A combination of timing and GOP sedition are bringing the country to the economic brink, yet again. Republicans refuse to govern with the first black President. How many more scenarios like this do we need to draw this conclusion?

The New Republic: Original Sin

Failed GOP

Sam Tanenhaus writes a compelling article in The New Republic about the inevitable decline of the GOP if it remains the party of just white people, which is its current trend. The GOP not only needs to change its messengers, it needs to change its message. The Republican Party of the present day is certainly not the party of Lincoln, but, more apparently, the party of John C. Calhoun. Conservatism has become the code word for bigotry with many Republicans channeling Jim Crow Dixiecrats. I’m happy to say that the Southern Strategy is exposed and failing.

…the GOP is in jeopardy, the gravest since 1964, of ceasing to be a national party.

The article offers a great history lesson of conservatism and the GOP in America. During the 20th century, liberalism is equated to communism. Sound familiar?  But Tanenhaus details that John C. Calhoun, pro-slavery politician and author of “nullification” (also known as state’s rights) influenced countless conservatives for more than a century, including William F. Buckley, Jim Crow proponent and the founder of National Review magazine, Barry Goldwater and the GOP icon, Ronald Reagan.

The politics of “nullification” is nothing new yet it is veiled in the rhetoric and claims of “big government”. It is simply the desire of some conservatives, to no longer be a part of our democratic collective. Tax avoidance is the ploy used to “starve the beast” or make sure that certain groups or factions that are deemed undesirable by the extreme right-wing do not benefit from taxpayer dollars.

We hear the echoes of nullification in the venting of anti-government passions and also in campaigns to “starve government,” curtail voter registration, repeal legislation, delegitimize presidents. There is a strong sectionalist bias in these efforts.

As Tanenhaus asserts, the GOP strategy is a losing strategy stuck in a bygone era of white supremacy. The country has changed both philosophically and demographically, but I surmise the GOP will be the last to acknowledge that fact.

The State of the Union, Stronger

SOTUTogether, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.

I am frequently inspired by President Obama, and tonight was no exception. I thought Mr. Obama’s State of Union speech was very good overall. It was well-delivered and touched on the policy issues that are at the forefront some of our country’s most vigorous debates — gun control, immigration reform and sequestration to name a few. The speech was chock full of policy and struck a tone that demonstrates that Mr. Obama is leading in his second term with a greater resolve.

The surprise for many in the speech was the President’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour, and his announcement to bring 34,000 American troops home from Afghanistan this year. Great news after 10 years of war. The President also brought several visionary, forward thinking ideas to the speech, but what I found most interesting about the speech was Mr. Obama’s vision for America’s economic future through innovation. As well, Mr. Obama’s vision for education in America from preschool to post-secondary remains a consistent theme in many of his speeches. The Washington Post highlights five takeaways from the State of the Union speech, and the Los Angeles Times provides a breakdown by topic.

For me, what separates Mr. Obama from so many other leaders in American politics today is his focus, perseverance and willingness to be a pioneer and trendsetter in the face of great obstinacy and resistance from the GOP. His Presidency is progressing toward being truly transformational for the future of the United States. Forward.

Immigration Reform

Immigration ReformOn January 2nd, the White House ruled that foreign spouses and children can stay with their U.S. citizen relatives if they are applying for green cards (permanent residency). This is another step in the right direction as the Obama Administration moves toward comprehensive immigration reform. Nancy Pelosi mentioned immigration reform in her remarks at the opening of 113th Congress, but there was no mention from John Boehner. President Obama has promised to introduce an immigration reform bill shortly after his inauguration that will give legal status to approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants. I think he will do just that. Besides, something must be done on immigration reform in his second term, and after garnering 71% of the Hispanic vote in the 2012 Election, I think that President Obama has a mandate.

The Republicans will charge that President Obama needs to secure our borders, but Mr. Obama has been doing that and more. In fact, according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Obama Administration in FY11 alone almost 400,000 immigrants were deported, and in FY12 over 400,000 immigrants were deported. Recent deportations, within the last fiscal year, and as a matter of priority, fell into the category of immigrants who were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors as the Obama Administration fine-tuned its deportation policy.

One might ask, what happened to the significance of the sonnet, “New Colossus” inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free“. Or does this phrase only have application if the immigrant population is European? Conservative Republicans do not want immigration reform, and if the GOP remains on its same course, immigrants who may someday become U.S. citizens represent yet another constituency with whom they will have no influence, especially Hispanic immigrants. With the political composition of 113th Congress, immigration reform promises to be another gritty battle for the Obama Administration. Nonetheless, now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform.

Read the ABC Univision piece: Analysis: 6 Things Obama Needs To Do for Immigration Reform

The Emancipation Proclamation, 150 Years Later: Hear the Many Voices That Cried Freedom

EP2On the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Time Magazine examines this historic abolitionist document.

“This is truly a democratic literature. It begins in the late 1600s as far as the records show, mostly with religious writings. What’s in here are writings of every genre: there are sermons and religious tracts; there are novels and poems and plays and short stories and magazine articles; there are even children’s books and alphabet books with little rhymes that areabolitionist. Everything you could imagine in terms of human utterance and the scope of human imagination.”

Read the full article at http://nation.time.com/2013/01/01/the-emancipation-proclamation-150-years-later-hear-the-many-voices-that-cried-freedom/

By Jan. 01, 2013