Tag: civil rights

Opinion

Moving forward

The Democratic controlled House of Representatives and Senate is where the action is for rebuilding the base of the republic. Joe Biden has told us what he wants to do, but he needs congress to make it a reality. Trump has been impeached but now should be convicted and banned from ever holding office again; unless we want to see more like him in the future. The COVID19 pandemic threatens to morph into a new threat with variants overtaking vaccines if we do not act quickly to finance the fight against it. Assistance for people financially damaged by the pandemic and the rest of the economy is needed sooner to prevent more damage later. Civil rights for all Americans to be treated with dignity is urgent as our society battles extremism and hate. Climate change has it’s own timer and does not care if we respond or not, but if we care for future generations the time is now. Democrats have been given control and now must show supporters that they really care about the issues important to voters. I am hopeful that we will see boldness from congress and the Biden administration. Stay focused and be ready to provide feedback and support to your representatives and the administration.

Opinion

The Fear of God

Republicans like Ted Cruz continuously lie with impunity about the Paris Climate Agreement and other issues. Cruz implied that Joe Biden cared more about what the citizens of Paris cared about than the citizens of Pittsburg (borrowing a line from Trump). The idiocy of the line could not be resisted and a Democratic representative asked if the Geneva Conventions were about what the citizens of Geneva cared about. Republicans like Cruz and Hawley do not care about the truth because they do not respect the voters in a system where the conservative media supports lies to support an evil agenda. Evolutionary Biologists say that when events occur that are ruthless and amoral they are not an accident. The events are attempts to maintain an advantage for future generations and the perpetrators. There is no consequence for Republicans lying because there is less fear of God than the prime motivation of maintaining an advantage. The old saying is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Trying to create advantages for progeny is as old as humanity, but it easily turns into evil (we used to have royalty that claimed their inherited advantages came from God). Every respectable American must be focused on their soul and character before party. Too many Republicans have sold our in the pursuit of power and the rot threatens to destroy the country. More information about the degeneracy and corruption of the Trump administration will be coming out. Make sure that you hold the line and ask your representatives to do the same and not allow the truth to be a casualty of the pursuit of power. Stand up for the truth and the soul of our nation. Make sure that criminality does not go unpunished, or worse rewarded and invited to return in the name of white power.

Opinion

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” “Why America may go too hell.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this MLK holiday every American needs to reflect on current events and where we go from here. The two quotes in the title of this post are great words to ponder. I don’t want my country to go to hell, but we seem to be drifting in that direction. Our culture has become toxic to the decency and dignity of the average citizen. America has media empires built on consistently lying to advance a viewpoint that some people are better than others, and democratic government is a problem. We are far away from believing that all men are created equal, or that the truth will set us free. Evil and selfish people believe that they should control other people while getting a pass for themselves because they are part of an entitled group. We used to believe that some people were royalty and they had special entitlements, now we are fighting the racist lie with the same foundation. There is nothing that says we will make it to a better future for all humanity. Dr. King and great leaders have tried to save us from our worst impulses, but we live in a world where people are fine with supporting evil. The rationales for supporting treachery, corruption, and authoritarian creatures like Trump are increasingly absurd, but Republican majorities of citizens continue to do it. The level of degeneration in our country is dangerous, it will take every decent person to protect our democracy and hope for a better future. Dr. King said that we will get to the promised land; I pray he is right. Be ready to support American institutions, the dignity of your fellow citizens, hold evil accountable, and protect our republic.

Opinion

Accountability

The American legal system has to capture and punish the terrorists and criminals who assaulted and sacked the US Capitol. The mere fact that this must be stated is an indictment of systemic white supremacy in America. Many Americans think the Capitol assault was not a big deal, and a few people got out of control. The same people would be ready to declare war and invade another country if the same assault had been staged by Iranians or Chinese. If the attack had been staged by Black Americans the death toll would have been tremendous. America has an issue with racism, and it threatens to become a lot worse if white supremacist terrorism is not dealt with appropriately. The focus of the attack was to take the defeat of Donald Trump and create victory by deleting unwanted votes (both minority and white votes). The plan was a repeat of what took place in 1876 to end Reconstruction, beginning the Jim Crow era of racial marginalization and segregation. The lies about the election being stolen were not challenged by most Republicans or the conservative media echo chamber. Truth and justice were not even speed bumps in the pursuit of a reinforced system of white supremacy. Whether people claimed to be evangelicals, QAnon, proud boys, or Klu Klux Klan, the truth was not deemed to be worthy of consideration to keep a lying Trump in office for four more years. Four more years of corruption, abuse, and lies to create a revised America that no longer respected the Constitution. For America to move forward in strength we must believe and act as if ‘knowing the truth will set us free’ to paraphrase Jesus.

Opinion

American vigilance

The sacking of Capitol by seditious domestic terrorists should have the attention of every American. The terrorists have different belief systems according to reporting. A good deal of the terrorists are white supremacists who want a violent civil war to achieve their goals. Another portion of the terrorists are Qannon conspiracy believers who have lost touch with any known reality, and believe the country is run by evil pedophiles (No one can explain why these people support Trump who hung around with an accused pedophile). Another portion of the terrorists are reported to be religious fundamentalists who believe our society of individual freedom should not exist, and a dictatorship controlling all behavior is preferable to a democracy. The remainder of the terrorists are apparently lost souls who believe that Trump is somehow their savior. The reality for Americans who love our republic is that we face a real and committed threat to our way of life. The common focus of the terrorists is to bring about an authoritarian government that can exert more control over personal freedom. All authoritarians promise their followers special status that others do not enjoy as long as they follow orders (See Timothy Snyder). Right now the terrorists are focused on terrorizing Democrats and our government leaders, once they win that struggle they will come after us. The land of the free and the home of the brave must be just that right now. Be ready to support President Biden, his administration, and our elected lawmakers at the federal and local level because patriotism has never been more important.

Opinion

The Jim Crow Caucus

Several Republican Senators and representatives have shown their true colors and sought to undermine voters as the determining factor in our government. These Republicans believe that what they want matters more than what the people want, and they do not care about destroying the Republic. Citizens will have to display discipline as Trump and his minions threaten violence to overturn the election. The group of Republicans refusing to accept the certified results from the states will likely focus on diverse voting populations to nullify results they don’t like. Trump has not been a great president or even an average one. Trump has been a cruel racist president who wants to take the country to a previous time when minorities were subservient. Foolish people believe this is Trump’s gift to their whiteness, but intelligent people realize he wants everyone to be subservient to him and his empty soul. The Republicans in some cases are accepting their own results from the vote, but not those going to the other party. The vote is the greatest non-violent tool that we have to shape our future to paraphrase the late John Lewis. We are witnessing evil in our time and we must make sure every bad actors are held accountable in the media, at the ballot box, and in the courts. We are not going back deeper into Jim Crow, we will continue the fight to end it in all forms, and gain equal respect for all citizens.

Opinion

A threat to our country

The largest threat to the vision and hope of the American republic is not White people or Black people, it is ignorant people who want others to think for them. Thomas Jefferson said “if a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be.”. America is under threat from liars and corrupt politicians who have no regard for their sheepish voters who continuously support them for vague reasons. The reasons people support liars and crooks are vague most likely because they do not want to state they are based on controlling and disrespecting others. The ignorant, lazy, and modestly entitled must learn that there is a better life possible when everyone can rise to their potential, and not be systematically repressed or terrorized. Freedom is not free, but it is cheaper than tyranny and injustice. Research and vote in every election!

Opinion

Change and hope in the air

We are living through dark times and of that there is no doubt. The assault on our democracy is fueled by a portion of our fellow citizens, but the majority of the voters spoke clearly that they wanted a change and it appears we will get it. Front line health workers were the first to receive the vaccine in our country at the same time that we are smashing new records for infection rate. Lies have gotten us to a point where America’s strengths were turned against it and chaos became a daily feature of life. We have observed that IT CAN HAPPEN HERE. Going forward I am hopeful that more Americans will stay involved because they realize that there is not someone else who will take care of things. We have got to make sure that the wisdom of the crowd is able to come forth by protecting and expanding the right to vote, and the ease of voting. Americans cannot allow a super citizenship to emerge and create an oligarchy or dictatorship. I hope this is the last time we come so close to losing our republic for another hundred years, but I know that each election brings the possibility of new peril. Research and vote in every election!

Opinion

What price for treason?

Republican congress people and attorney generals have signed on to a lawsuit that seeks to nullify the votes of millions of Americans and reinstall Trump. The lawsuit has been rejected by the Supreme Court, but the attempt has been officially made to disregard the votes of American citizens by elected officials. What price should elected officials pay for trying to insert their wishes over the votes of citizens? This is a treacherous attack on our constitutional republic. I think that it is important for any citizen who votes in the district of a traitor to organize for their removal. The lists of the representatives and attorney generals is available online. Find and review the names of these disrespectful cowards to Trump, and make sure they are never allowed to hold public office again to protect our republic!

Opinion

Be prepared to stand up against hate and insecurity

In an excellent New York Times opinion piece titled The Resentment That Never Sleeps, Thomas B. Edsall boiled down the facts of our current politics. Voters support Trump against our constitution because they are afraid of losing status and need their fellow citizens diminished to feel good about themselves. It is appalling that people are so empty inside that they want a dictator to attack women and minorities to feel good. Our current situation is that dark and we must face this darkness directly to defeat it. A quote from the article: Building on psychological research on status-seeking, we argue that at the core of extreme political discontent are motivations to achieve status via dominance, i.e., through the use of fear and intimidation. Essentially, extreme political behavior reflects discontent with one’s own personal standing and a desire to actively rectify this through aggression. – source “Beyond Populism” research paper. Lyndon B. Johnson said it more simply: “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he wont notice your picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” It is time for Americans to embrace our constitution and the truth to defend the dignity of all people, and hope.