Disgusting Acts

If you read, The Ultimate Snowflakes, here’s another perspective of how disgusting GOP Lawmakers are.

The Ultimate Snowflakes

How Disgusting Can They Get?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A bill pushed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that would prohibit public schools and private businesses from making white people feel “discomfort” when they teach students or train employees about discrimination in the nation’s past received its first approval Tuesday.

The Senate Education Committee approved the bill that takes aim at critical race theory — though it doesn’t mention it explicitly — on party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

Democrats argued the bill isn’t needed, would lead to frivolous lawsuits and said it would amount to censorship in schools. They asked, without success, for real-life examples of teachers or businesses telling students or employees that they are racist because of their race.

“This bill’s not for Blacks, this bill was not for any other race. This was directed to make whites not feel bad about what happened years ago,” said state Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is Black. “At no point did anyone say white people should be held responsible for what happened, but what I would ask my white counterparts is, are you an enabler of what happened or are you going to say we must talk about history?”

Does anyone remember when Republicans loved calling Democrats, “Snowflakes” after the 2016 election? I do! Now, it would appear that the FL GOP lawmakers are the ultimate snowflakes—fearful of what truth could do to their “precious children” and businesses. Give me a break!

They don’t want white people to feel “discomforted” with truth is discussed. Really? Discussion makes people discomforted? How about living with discomfort?

During Jim Crow laws—when, well you know, black people couldn’t drink at the nearest water fountain and had to seek the “colored fountain,” wherever it might have been residing. How about feeing discomfort when having to use the bathroom when travelling and there was no bathroom accessible because they all had signs saying, “whites only!” And let’s not forget, black folks getting hungry on the road, would certainly not be welcome into restaurants with their “whites only” signs. Just how uncomfortable would being hungry, having to use the bathroom, being thirsty or even finding employment that paid a living wage be—for black folks who were treated with disdain simply because of the color of their skin?

Let’s go back a little further into “true history” not the sanitized version apparently some were subjected to learning. How uncomfortable were the Native Inhabitants made to feel when their tribes were slaughtered, and their land was stolen? How about when those who managed to survive where restricted to land masses where it was unlikely much would grow there and they were left to fend for themselves? How uncomfortable were they when their children were forbidden to hold onto their language and customs because the “white people” thought they were savages? Who were the true savages? Those coming from Europe, supposedly to escape a King who wanted to determine what religion they practiced, and yet—here are their descendants—trying to impose their views upon people—who don’t look like them—again—for no apparent reason other than their fear of facing themselves through the looking glass, in a review of history. What a crock!

Okay, let’s go back to Jim Crow—just for a moment—how uncomfortable did they think black children felt going into “desegregated schools” when mobs of white people were standing in their way, trying to prohibit their entry into a building where the children sought to be educated? Do they think those children liked being called names? Do they think the parents of those children were comfortable in leaving their children with a group of haters, who in some cases—had no conscience at all in harming little black children—even while in a church? Was that a “comfortable situation” for the black families who lost children because of hate? But the haters of the 21^st century, think their children are far too precious to learn the truth about the history of this nation so they don’t want them to feel, “uncomfortable” with discussions of racism and hatred spawned by “white people.”

Are you still with me? Let’s talk about the “discomfort” George Floyd felt. We watched that on live television—a white police officer—torturing a black man to death, with “no evidence” of a crime being committed. Was George Floyd comfortable? Was his family who have watched how he was killed? Are the children of the FL GOP lawmakers going to miss that discussion because it might hurt their feelings to discuss how a black man was killed on live television simply because he was black?

I am so sick and tired of all this tomfoolery we’re being subjected to because of an allegiance to a monster—and that’s all it is. I know, people were filled with hate before they elected the monster, but really, must we continue down this dark road of denying history because it appeases his ego? If not for him, then to whom do we attribute this disgusting attitude?

No matter how hard GOP lawmakers try, they will never erase history! There was a time when they were the only ones with the “power of the press,” but that is no longer. Anyone with a smart phone can publish history as we have seen it. Students are going to read the “banned books” on their own because that’s what children do when they’re told not to do something.

Now, the real question is this—are the GOP lawmakers afraid of their own discomfort when knowledge of their actions or inactions are known? Are they afraid to acknowledge those ancestors who “brainwashed” them into believing lies? Is the truth really going to make them more “uncomfortable” than their children?

There are so many more questions that need asking and so much more needing to be said about the horrendous treatment of Native Inhabitants, slaves, and almost every other immigrant in this country who was not “white.” If I said any more, people would stop reading, so I won’t. But trust me, this isn’t the last of what I have to say—in a blog, in a video, or in a letter to editors. FL GOP lawmakers are the ultimate snowflakes!

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The Cruelty Didn’t Start With White Supremacists!

Inhumane cruelty has been with us for a very long time and it didn’t start in the new land, later called America. It began with those who lived long before any of us were ever thought about. For those who read the bible, the evidence is within the pages.

The Children of Israel were treated abominably and those who thought they were superior, treated those they thought were inferior with less dignity than the way they treated most animals. People were sawn (most notably, the prophet Isaiah) in half, women had babies cut from their stomachs with swords, they were left to starve to death, with some resorting to eating their children. But through it all, some of them survived and unfortunately, so did the inhumane mindset that has carried over into the 21st Century. Before anyone decides to refute this statement, think first, expand your knowledge base and know that some people are still treated as though they are less than human and not just in third-world countries.

But let’s move forward from the BC timeline and look at what has happened, historically throughout Europe and we can begin with The Catholic Crusades — killing anyone who crossed their path who refused to believe as they believed. Then, we can readily see what happened when Europeans who fled England came to this new land, perpetrated the same kinds of indignities they claim to have abhorred. The “religious” folks, established rigid standards and morals that most mere mortals could not have sustained. They are responsible for the burning of women in Salem and called them witches because they “did not understand” what they refused to acknowledge — women are people, too and should not be subjected to the whims of men.

Of course, we cannot forget how “white men” enslaved and massacred other human beings — The Africans they imported and the Native Inhabitants who were already here. Remember now — they did not want a king telling them what to believe or how to worship, but they enacted the same concepts upon others and were able to get away with it for hundreds of years. They beat and maimed and killed any who refused to submit to them. Many Native Inhabitants were killed out of a sense of superiority and those who weren’t killed were placed on barren reservations with the intent that they would die out the means to sustain themselves. Survivors have this uncanny instinct to keep living in spite of how they are treated and the same is true of the slaves and their descendants.

Without going into the entire roadmap of how this country began with racism and bigotry in the forefront — driving the need and greed of “white men” who cared less about trying to “understand” others, let’s start with America’s rite of passion with freedom from a king. The Constitution was written and enforced with consequences for those who dared to act like they were human, and that included women. Re-read and understand that women, Native Inhabitants, and Africans were never a consideration in the beginning and now, in the 21st century, there are some “white men and women” who are trying to take humanity in the United States, backwards, especially for people of color.

Though some may not understand how cruel and unjust it is not have a voice in what is done is this country, let’s review. When black people didn’t have a right to vote, laws were made to keep them from voting, and even when it appeared (after the Civil War) that some were given the opportunity (during Reconstruction), that right was revoked by Jim Crow laws that prohibited black people from living within the same areas as white people, attending the same schools, using the same bathrooms, drinking from the same fountains, riding public transportation or eating in restaurants and certainly didn’t allow them to stay in hotels. I remember traveling with my family and we always had to “pack whatever we were going to eat,” I learned how to use the bathroom off the side of the road without wetting myself, and understood, even as a child, there were not going to be any privileges given to me. Yet, we survived. When NAACP begin to be known in our little town, people had to sneak and meet at churches to keep the local yahoos from interfering. When black people could finally vote, in 1965, most did with dignity and pride.

Fast forwarding to recent years, when black people stopped being interested in voting because they didn’t like the choice of candidates, efforts were made once again to inhibit their ability to vote. Their names were expunged from voting records and now if they don’t have photo ID, they’re still denied the right to vote. But because black people as well as some others were fed up with the nonsense perpetuated against them, they decided in 2020 to vote in massive numbers and because they did, Republicans — those “white men who think they are superior to others” — once again are trying to keep black people from voting because they know, the informed black person won’t vote for them.

So, it would appear that Trumplicans — those Republicans who have pledged allegiance to a man, the same mindset of the people who came here to escape a king, have decided to “openly and without regard of any moral or ethical reasoning” are passing laws that are targeted to keep people of color and poor people from voting, and it appears that the only way to stop the stupid is to encourage two Democrats to stand with the party and get things done so no ones rights are violated. If they don’t join the party, they can be seen as being cruel and unjust, since those in power, will retain power and treat people anyway they want to without consequences. The trumplican party — of white supremacists — are indeed inhumane and anyone supporting their agenda, is just as inhumane as they are, regardless of what their political party affiliation is. There is no excuse — NONE — for anyone in their right mind to support, diminishing the rights of people to vote under the guise of “precluding fraud,” which is part of “Their Big Lie” promoted to appease a corrupt and traitorous maggot.

Now, to backtrack just a moment, remember the lynchings during slavery and Reconstruction? White Supremacists (disguised as law enforcement) are now openly killing black men and women and children for acts that don’t warrant pulling a weapon and yet, those same trumplicans (white supremacists) stormed the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection guided by the same maggot, who now controls the “Republican lawmakers” and they are making havoc of this land. There is no excuse for this behavior and one can only conclude, the Republican lawmakers are indeed just as cruel and inhumane as those in biblical times and their ancestors.

But here we are — in another voting rights quandary — and we know we cannot depend upon lawmakers to uphold their oaths of office and do the right thing. Therefore, we — the American Electorate — must stand up and speak out against all attempts to inhibit voting by anyone. We must remember that “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.” This is not a state-by-state problem; it is a problem for the entire United States of America and it is time for us to say, “NO MORE INHUMANE TREATMENT OF HUMAN BEINGS IN ANY MANNER AND THAT INCLUDES THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND HAVE ACCESS TO BALLOTS.”

We cannot depend on Joe Manchin or Kristin Sinema to do the right thing “with the party” so we must make every effort to “vote out Republicans” across the nation in 2022 and beyond. The only way, this country will be just and equal for all is for us, to make sure we elect the right people who have demonstrated humanity and compassion for all people, regardless of their skin tones, ethnicity, religious beliefs or sexual orientation — human beings are human beings and no one should be treated as a lesser human than another.

RISE UP AMERICA! WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME LEFT TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY. IF WE DON’T ACT NOW, WE’LL BE LIVING UNDER AN AUTOCRACY FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE!

Do we return to “slave mentality” allowing white supremacists to control the government or do we stand up and fight back — making this country, an America we all can love and be proud of? It’s up to us, so let’s take charge of the direction of this country like we truly care about it. Call or Write Senators and dare them to do the right thing for all Americans, not just some of them! Pass Voting Rights Reform that allows all Americans the dignity to choose who they want to lead this country.

Sanitized History

            Sanitize definition: to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc.

We sanitize our history.  We erase all kinds of social, cultural, and economic conflict from it.  We run away, in a sense, from ourselves, from what we and our ancestors – whoever they are – created.  Indeed, this history is highly peculiar, for it avoids acknowledging the accompanying social inequalities that capitalism (and any other economic system, for that matter) creates as it remakes society according to its own rules and imagination.  The matter of privilege — and of white privilege in particular, given the majority-minority state in which we live today — is largely relegated to the dustbin of history.  The truth be told, the silences in our histories speak as much truth to power as the histories we publicly uphold.

We must strive to teach a plural people’s history for Texas students in the twenty-first century.  A recent study by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) contains in it past, current and future projections for the public and nonpublic high school graduates of Texas from 1991-2022. (1)   According to this study, Texas Latino high school graduates will be greater in number than Anglo high school graduates beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.  By May 2020, the date through which the current social studies curricular standards under discussion will presumably apply, Latino high school graduates in Texas will number an estimated 156,000 students.  By comparison, by the end of the current decade Anglo high school graduates will number 102,000.  That is, the statewide spring graduating classes in May 2020 will host 54,000 more Latino high school graduates than their Anglo counterparts.

https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/126436

            While I was looking for a reasonable explanation and plausible definition of “sanitizing history,” I came across this article. There’s more, but I excerpted the two paragraphs to help support what I’ve said in another article and what I’m about to say in this one.

            The fear that “old white men” are feeling about becoming the minority is palpable in their attempts to revamp the voting rules (violating our constitutional rights) as well as with their reluctance to support police reforms. They are afraid—big time—and have been for some time because they (those understanding karma) fear being treated the way they have treated minorities of color. They can deny this all they want, but the proof is in how for decades they have attempted to erase large swaths of history in order to make themselves look like better human beings.

They have rather successfully brainwashed people with their revisionist histories about how awful white men are as human beings. It’s not all white men, just those who are racial bigots and would rather hate others than change their minds. When we look at how Texas changed the related content in history books to pacify their egos and allowed Texas students to be led by lies, we see the proof in some of the Texas legislators now—they didn’t want their children to know how horrible their ancestors had been, so they either erased the true history, or sanitized it so it would not seem so bad. They have eliminated the parts of history they find objectionable and unwholesome and offensive since they were the culprits. But they have also eliminated the opportunity for students in Texas to know truth, to see for themselves and to learn to think for themselves which results in not being controlled.

With this particular view of what it means to “sanitize history,” we begin to understand how or rather why textbook publications, supplying the Texas school districts, were so easily convinced to exchange the truth for a lie. In the long run, it helped those in powerful positions to ignore all the wrongdoings of “white men” for centuries.  The massacre of Native Inhabitants, treatment of slaves, Chinese railroad workers, Japanese Interment camps, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and generally racist policies that excluded or eluded most people of color in this land. But one thing is certainly true as pointed out by Richard Calderon, the author of the article referenced—white people will soon be the minority in the United States and perhaps, that is the real reason why “white lawmakers” are trying so desperately to keep immigrants out of the United States—especially those from Central America, the Middle East and Africa.

When “white people” use the bible to justify their behavior or attitudes, it is out of fear that “we” the others would discover the truth and lo and behold we have. We have discovered that Jesus was a person of color having come from the Middle East, He loved everyone, and had a real problem with slavery and hypocrites.  “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).  I am convinced that White Evangelicals that teach they are superior to others are the biggest liars on the planet and they lie to their congregations to control what they do and how they think. That is not to say that other religious denominations don’t do the same thing, but let’s get real, religions are designed to control people and convince them to swallow whatever lies they’re told.

Now, for those of us who know how to read and how to think, we know better. Many of us are “true Christians” and we know what is expected of us is that we are to love one another unconditionally. Therefore, if we are busy loving one another, we don’t have time to promote hate or fear of others because love conquers all. Love will even conquer the need of people to sanitize history for their own sakes, but will conquer the need of those who were mistaught to influence their need for truth. Fearful people, put undue constraints upon others, controlling what they’re exposed to and limiting their ability to develop critical thinking skills, especially about the history of our nation, the true, unsanitized version of history.

Yes, haters of truth—the world is not flat, the Holocaust and slavery were very real, vaccines have saved lives, Easter is not about a rabbit or chickens, parents buy toys for kids at Christmas, and no one human being is superior to another. Did you catch that? Truth matters, and Black Lives Matter as well as all others. Stop The Hate America—in order for us all to matter and to survive and thrive, we must stop hating and start loving.

Fear In The Absence of Love

The product of fear

When we allow fear to influence our direction in life and what we do, we lose sight of what “humanity” should lead us in doing.

Fear–an unpleasant emotion or thought that you have when you are frightened or worried by something dangerous, painful, or bad that is happening or might happen: (From the Cambridge English Dictionary—cambridge.org)

Fear–a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. (From dictionary.com)

Fear–an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger (From Merriam-Webster.com)

“Perfect love (unconditional love—my paraphrase) casts out fear.”

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18 NIV)

Now, that the definition has been addressed and a biblical concept has been made, let’s look at what fear has done in our nation.

            From the beginning—when the first colonists came to this country—they allowed fear of the Native Inhabitants to influence their decisions and actions. The Native Inhabitants were different—they looked different and had different customs—therefore, they must be “dangerous.” At least that’s the attitude taken when human beings were slaughtered because they didn’t look like or act like the invaders.  Never mind the fact that those same “dangerous human beings” helped the first colonists to survive in this land. When the “killing stopped” of the Native Inhabitants, the white people restricted them the most barren lands and forced them into reservations, without thought as to how they would survive. They did and now the United States Government has acknowledged the Native Inhabitants and attempted in some ways to amend the damage done through various laws and policies. Let’s never forget this one—very important fact—the Native Inhabitants were here in this land—FIRST.

            Moving on to 1619—when the first slaves from Africa arrived on these shores (and possibly before they left the continent of Africa)—they looked different, had a different language and did things differently. But white slave owners didn’t care about the fact that bringing them to a strange land would make them unable to comprehend what was expected of them since they didn’t speak the language. So, what did the white slave owners do? They beat the slaves into submission without ever considering what they were doing to other human beings.

            Thankfully, the Civil War helped to end slavery when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but it did little to assuage the fear white people had of black folks. Before 1864, there were more black and Native slaves than white people so they made unfair and horrendous laws to maintain control over them (minority rule). Afterwards, during Reconstruction, some white people continued to mistreat and abuse black people, especially the poor, uneducated white people who later made up a large percentage of the “white hate groups.”

            Looking back at history and truly understanding the “fear” white people have of black folks is evident in how they continually tore down and destroyed anything black people as a community attempted to build:

The Atlanta Race Riot

            (blackthen.com)

Hoke Smith was a former publisher of the Atlanta Journal and Clark Howell was the editor of the Atlanta Constitution. Both candidates used their influence to incite white voters and help spread the fear that whites may not be able to maintain the current social order.

The Atlanta Georgian and the Atlanta News began publishing stories about white women being molested and raped by Black men. These allegations were reported multiple times and were largely false.

On Sept. 22, 1906, Atlanta newspapers reported four alleged assaults on local white women. Soon, some 10,000 white men and boys began gathering, beating, and stabbing Blacks. It is estimated that there were between 25 and 40 African-American deaths; it was confirmed that there were only two white deaths.

Greenwood—Tulsa, Oklahoma—(Black Wall Street)

The neighborhood was destroyed during a riot that broke out after a group men from Greenwood attempted to protect a young Black man from a lynch mob. On the night of May 31, 1921, a  mob called for the lynching of Dick Rowland, a Black man who shined shoes, after reports spread that on the previous day he had assaulted Sarah Page, a white woman, in the elevator she operated in a downtown building.

In the early morning hours of June 1, 1921, Black Tulsa was looted, firebombed from the air and burned down by white rioters. The governor declared martial law, and National Guard troops arrived in Tulsa. Guardsmen assisted firemen in putting out fires, removed abducted African-Americans from the hands of white vigilantes, and imprisoned all Black Tulsans, not already confined, into a prison camp at the Convention Hall and the Fairgrounds, some for as long as eight days.

In the wake of the violence, 35 city blocks lay in charred ruins, over 800 people were treated for injuries and estimated 300 deaths occurred.

Chicago Race Riots (1919)

Termed “Red Summer.” On July 27, 1919, an African-American teenager drowned in Lake Michigan after he challenged the unofficial segregation of Chicago’s beaches and was stoned by a group of white youths.

His death, and the police refusal to arrest the men who caused it, sparked a week of race rioting between Black and white Chicagoans, with Black neighborhoods receiving the worst of the damage.

Rosewood Massacre (1923)

Spurred by unsupported accusations that a white woman in Sumner had been beaten and possibly raped by a Black drifter, white men from a number of nearby towns lynched a Rosewood resident. When the Black citizens defended themselves against further attack, several hundred whites combed the countryside hunting Black people and burning almost every structure in Rosewood.

Washington, DC Race Riots (1919)

However, Washington’s Black community was then the largest and most prosperous in the country, with a small but impressive upper class of teachers, ministers, lawyers and businessmen concentrated in the LeDroit Park neighborhood near Howard University.

By the time the “Red Summer” was underway, unemployed whites bitterly envied the relatively few blacks who were fortunate enough to procure low-level government jobs. Many whites also resented the influx of African-Americans into previously segregated neighborhoods around Capitol Hill, Foggy Bottom and the old downtown.

In July 1919, white men, many in military uniforms, responded to the rumored arrest of a Black man for rape with four days of mob violence. They rioted, randomly beat Black people on the street and pulled others off streetcars in attacks. When police refused to intervene, the Black population fought back.

Detroit Race Riot of 1943 (detroithistorical.org)

Like the successive rebellion that would erupt 24 years later, the Detroit Race Riot of 1943 was deeply rooted in racism, poor living conditions and unequal access to goods and services. The apparent industrial prosperity that made Detroit the “Arsenal of Democracy” masked a deeper social unrest that erupted during the summer of 1943. The KKK was active in the region and riots had already broken out in other cities.

Before and during World War II, workers migrated north to seek factory employment in such vast numbers that Detroit was incapable of adequately receiving them. Because black Detroiters were still treated as second class citizens, they suffered disproportionately from wartime rationing and the overall strains on the city. Factories offered employment but not housing, and because whites violently defended the borders of their segregated neighborhoods, black residents had little choice but to suffer in repulsive living conditions.

Detroit’s 200,000 black residents were marginalized into small, subdivided apartments that often housed multiple families. They were crammed into sixty square blocks on the city’s east side, an area ironically known as Paradise Valley.

Knoxville, TN Race Riot (1919)

In August 1919, a race riot in Knoxville, Tenn., broke out after a white mob mobilized in response to a Black man accused of murdering a white woman. The 5,000-strong mob stormed the county jail searching for the prisoner. They freed 16 white prisoners, including suspected murderers.

After looting the jail and sheriff’s house, the mob moved on and attacked the African-American business district. Many of the city’s Black residents, aware of the race riots that had occurred across the country that summer, had armed themselves, and barricaded the intersection of Vine and Central to defend their businesses.

Two platoons of the Tennessee National Guard’s 4th Infantry led by Adjutant General Edward Sweeney arrived, but they were unable to halt the chaos. The mob broke into stores and stole firearms and other weapons on their way to the Black business district. Upon their arrival the streets erupted in gunfire as Black snipers exchanged fire with both the rioters and the soldiers. The Tennessee National Guard at one point fired two machine guns indiscriminately into the neighborhood, eventually dispersing the rioters.

New York City Draft Riot (1863)

The Draft Riot of 1863 was a four-day eruption of violence in New York City during the Civil War stemming from deep worker discontent with the inequities of the first federally mandated conscription laws.

In addition, the white working class feared that emancipation of enslaved Blacks would cause an influx of African-American workers from the South. In many instances, employers used Black workers as strike-breakers during this period. Thus, the white rioters eventually turned their wrath on the homes and businesses of innocent African-Americans and anything else symbolic of their growing political, economic and social power.

The East St. Louis Massacre (1917)

During spring 1917 Blacks were arriving in St. Louis at the rate of 2,000 per week, with many of them finding work at the Aluminum Ore Company and the American Steel Company in East St. Louis.

Some whites feared loss of job and wage security because of the new competition, and further resented newcomers arriving from a rural, very different culture. Tensions between the groups ran high and  escalated when rumors were spread about Black men and white women socializing at labor meetings.

In May, 3,000 white men gathered in downtown East St. Louis. The roving mob began burning buildings and attacking Black people.  The Illinois governor called in the National Guard to prevent further rioting and conditions eased somewhat for a few weeks.

Then on July 1, white men driving a car through a Black neighborhood began shooting into houses, stores, and a church. A group of Black men organized themselves to defend against the attackers. As they gathered, they mistook an approaching car for the same one that had earlier driven through the neighborhood and they shot and killed both men in the car, who were, in fact, police detectives sent to calm the situation.

            Of course, we could go on for decades describing the indignities and inhumane treatment suffered by black people at the hands of white people and all because of their fear of black people. After the Reconstruction Era, fear motivated Jim Crow Laws which further limited the mobility and potential of black folks. All of this is documented in so many places that it would entail writing a book to list it all. But let’s take another look, with a microscopic perspective at events in recent decades—the killing of black males and females by white police officers. Without going into great detail about what is readily known and has been recently portrayed in the review of the practices of police officers who appear to not think twice about shooting a black person (suspect), but will go out of their way to treat known white killers with dignity and humaneness. Why? Fear of black people motivates the unjust use of force and eventual deaths.

            I’m not trying to relitigate the deaths of all those who died at the hands of police officers who appear to have racial bias. That would take too long and not many would read it, but I am trying to show how “fear” in the absence of love, leads to disastrous results. Until we learn how to love, unconditionally, all human beings (that’s not to say we have to agree with them), we will continue to see the ravages of human life at the hands of those who are fearful and promote fear to inflame others. What the world—especially those of us in America—needs more than anything else is “love” and understanding. Where there is no understanding of the experiences of another, we tend to fertilize fear with fearmongering and that has to stop.

The Courageous vs. The Cowardly

As much as many of us had hoped for an indictment of twiceimpeached, we didn’t see it happen because most of the Republican senators either had their balls in a vise or couldn’t find their spines. We knew that would happen. We’ve watched it for the last five years. Before I get too far gone into the cowardly acts, let’s focus on the those who rose to courageous status.

First of all, there were ten Republicans in the House who chose to impeach the person leaving the White House, who shall ever after be named (by me) twiceimpeached. They were the courageous in the House and they have also withstood the rancid behavior of those who disagreed with them, from within their party, the idiotic, upset over those who choose to operate with a sense of morality and patriotism (something others could have learned from). So we can applaud: Rep. Liz Cheney of WY, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of OH, Rep. Jamie Herrera-Beutler of WA, Rep. John Katko of NY, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of IL, Rep. Peter Meijer of MI, Rep. Dan Newhouse of WA, Rep. Tom Rice of SC, Rep. Fred Upton of MI, and Rep. David Valadao of CA. These are the courageous in The House and we owe a debt of gratitude for their stance in upholding a standard of decency, justice and their oath of office. 

From the Senate, these seven voted to convict twiceimpeached because it was the right thing to do under the circumstances: Senator Richard Burr from NC, Senator Bill Cassidy from LA, Senator Susan Collins from ME, Senator Lisa Murkowski from AK, Senator Mitt Romney from UT, Senator Ben Sasse from NE, and Senator Pat Toomey from PA. These are the Senators who deserve our thanks for standing up to a party that apparently condones insurrections and seditious traitors. 

One would think, since all have taken an oath to “preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States,” that finding someone guilty of trying to overthrow the government wouldn’t have been that difficult. But apparently, for the 43 who voted to acquit twiceimpeached, their political futures were far more important than upholding their oath of office. As a result of their cowardice, they have not just condoned the seditious act of a government overthrow, but have left the path forward open to a more ardent and dangerous attempt again, not just on the Capitol, but all government institutions. Attacks by domestic terrorists on the physical buildings are one thing, when our democracy is attacked and is now on the stage of mockery and derision for the entire world to see, an attack by foreign terrorists is inevitable. 

I have often encouraged others to only do the right thing and thereby avoiding doing the wrong thing. It would seem that someone should have reminded the cowards of such words. But then again, cowards are only capable of cowardly behavior. They have no spines or moral compasses by which to govern their lives. They are driven by a need to gain and retain power and individual wealth, forgetting they are elected by people who expected them to look out for their best interests. Condoning an insurrectionist and domestic terrorism puts the entire country at risk and when those from outside this country invade us, because we have shown them how, no one will be safe. 

Though I am not a Republican and would under normal circumstances, stand fiercely opposed to most Republicans and their political posturing to ignore the needs of the poor and vulnerable, I choose to stand with these who have determined to stand up, for right, even with all the backlash thrown their way. Cowards are always prone to using bullying tactics and I see the bulk of the Republican party in leadership, both on state and national levels as nothing more than a bunch of bigoted cowards. History will not be kind to them or their descendants and I hope they live a long time to see what their actions produce in this country and the reluctance on the part of other world leaders to pay attention to America as a leading force. 

Hopefully, we will all remember the courage of those who stood for America and our democracy in doing the right thing. Unfortunately, we cannot forget the cowards since we must do all we can to make sure they never succeed in the political arena. Every American must remember 1/6/21 as the most infamous day in the history of the 21st Century, when an American president incited an insurrection against elected leaders of the Executive Branch of government, placing the vice president and speaker of the house in imminent danger. One could assume from what has been revealed, the intent was to remove any possible means that would keep him from declaring martial law and retaining power for himself (and Putin). Call him, not by name, but twiceimpeached, so he will never forget his place in history. 

The Great Divider

We’re getting closer each day to the 2020 day of reckoning for all Americans. What will we do? The jury is still out on that question and primarily because, there is so much division in the land and it’s not just political parties.

We’re a nation divided–by gender, political parties, ethnicity, marital status, education, parenting status, and more importantly–constitutionally.

We currently have a Constitutional Crisis on our hands, created by the Great Divider himself. He has not only succeeded in widening the gap between black and white people, but he’s now succeeded in creating a gap between true conservatives and the cult who worships him, calling themselves Republicans, when they should be called Retrumplicans. The Senate–currently controlled by Retrumplicans–are in danger of moving our country from a democracy to an autocracy–allowing trump to dictate since they can’t expect him to lead in our democracy. Many are not paying attention to this situation because trump is the master of distraction and deflection. We–those of us who are paying attention, know his talking is not just talk, even though Retrumplicans are trying to say it is–he’s plotting to overthrow the United States of America–which makes him a danger coming from within. Since he is trying to “overthrow the government,” he should be charged with treason and removed from our presence and everything he’s done in the past four years–reversed–to help us get back on track within the country and in reestablishing the relationships we once enjoyed with other countries.

In addition to blatantly and openly discussing his plans to overthrow the government, he’s using this bully pulpit and social media platform to recruit his army–the white supremacists and other haters of people of color. His head honcho of the takeover is William Barr–who is simply a stooge being used to accomplish the means of which Putin and trump can revel in–if they are indeed successful. Let’s face it–they can only be successful if the rest of us–the 60% of Americans who do not support him–are ready to stand firm and ready to fight for what’s right. trump’s rhetoric and dog whistles have made it “safe” for the haters to openly, unmasked, target people of color without fear of punishment. They have openly attempted to interfere with voting rights by showing up at polls, trying to intimidate voters. They have openly stated that if trump loses the election, they will be ready to go to war. The haters are not the only ones who’ll be ready–locked and loaded–to fight back for justice and the American way based upon democratic principles, not blind loyalty to an idiot who only cares about himself.

Husbands and wives, entire families are divided about their politics because some believe one way and others believe another. There are some men who truly don’t see why trump is wrong for America and there are some women who are wrong about trump because they refuse to see how he denigrates women, holding most in disdain. The Supreme Court appointee he’s planning to make is not because he cares about the womens’ experience or credentials, but he’s considering them because he needs to find a way to manipulate the women’s vote. Intelligent, independent thinking women will never support a misogynistic, narcissistic pathological liar. The only women who support trump are incapable of 3-Dimensional thinking which is why they refuse to see him clearly.

Generally speaking, it is the college educated, independent thinkers or rather 3-Dimensional thinkers who see who trump is and see through all his BS and will not support him. They will stand up to him and fight back, even those who are in the Republican Party are not supporting all of his stupidity. They are finally putting country first, not political party affiliation. If only all Americans could see this clearly, we could live our lives in peace, but since that’s not the case, we will continue to have turmoil as the Great Divider keeps blaming the chaos and looting on peaceful protesters (trying to vilify BLM), instead of seeing the haters who are intentionally creating problems to blame on others.

This idiot is so good at dividing instead of uniting people, he has even managed to divide some of the same white Evangelicals who supported him in 2016 to come out against him in 2020. That’s the power of the Great Divider. Now, let’s look at some biblical reference to understand who’s at work here–Satan–the great fear-monger, hater, destroyer of peace and joy, manipulator, and certainly the divider-in-chief (working overtime in trump).

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NIV)

“And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14 NIV)

Please notice that peace, love and unity are a priority with God, so all that other stuff–is bound up in those controlled by Satan. For those who claim to know God and yet perpetuate hate–they lie to themselves and are simply religious, not Christians. They claim to be pro-life (actually pro-fetus), when they support a mass murderer who’s responsible for the loss of lives of 202,000 Americans–that is definitely not the actions of someone who is “pro-life.”

But as we can see–those of us who are not blinded by loyalty to a cult–the division is real, along with the COVID-19 infections, and the systemic racism, exacerbated by trump’s own lifetime of bigotry and racism.

Within his own administration, the children of parents who work for him–specifically, one parent, are seeking independence from their mother who supports the orange monster. Kellyanne and George–divided–because of the nincompoop’s influence.

Well, just consider this–we don’t have to be influenced by the Great Divider, we can vote for the one person who has experience at uniting people for the greater good of all, let’s make a decision to bridge the gap and unite under the leadership of Joe Biden–for peace and love!

• 

Your People–The Dead Give-Away

Behind this story — https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/09/12/freedom-georgia-initiative-wilkinson-county-blackwell-pkg-wknd-vpx.cnn a comment was made on Facebook that was a blatant put down of these families seeking to do something they thought was important to them.

So a bunch of black people bought some land to build a place for only black people???

Sounds like they want segregation back. Why did Civil Rights become such a big thing to end segregation just to have it brought back? I’m pretty sure all those people that fought for civil rights are rolling in their graves.

And if white people did this, we would be called racist and we would not be allowed to do that. Why the double standard???

And yes, I know that white people who are pro-African can live there. . .

My Response: Why does this upset you?

Her Response: Because your people fought for desegregation years ago just to have it thrown back into their face. And if white people did this we would be called racists. Don’t think I can say it any simpler than that. Those people want to keep the racism going.

And I don’t have to explain to anyone why I feel the way I do!!

She’s right of course, she doesn’t have to explain herself to anyone. Her response did all the explaining anyone needed to have.

Now, I have to admit, some other things this person has said in the past let me know that she was one of those people who simply tolerates black people, not really accepting them. I make the distinction between a person being tolerant, accepting, or racist based upon their conversations about black people. She is tolerant, but her public views, when guarded attempt to make her appear to be accepting.

Now, here’s the rub for me. She and some of her “friends” apparently begrudge this group of people having the ability to buy land to develop for a safe haven for black families and the group that bought the land has made it clear, they will welcome others whether black or not. My thoughts are: Has she not heard of the impact of slavery and the fact that black folks didn’t have access to property or land. Has she not heard of the Jim Crow laws in the south that cheated black people out of land? Has she not heard of the difficulty black folks had in renting in certain communities and they certainly had a hard time buying property in some of those same communities. So to blatantly begrudge (actually get angry about) a group of black families buying land is really puzzling to me. Perhaps, I didn’t put her in the right category — maybe she is a covert racist and doesn’t want to claim it. There are many people out there who truly are racist — covertly — the undercover, sneaky kind. The ones who’ll smile in your face and stab in the back the minute they get the chance. We’ll see.

But let’s get back to the families buying property to start up a town. That has happened once or twice before — in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Rosewood, Florida. The black families that once lived in these cities were massacred by angry white people, not black people. What were they angry about? I can imagine, the same thing — begrudging a group of people having the ability to start a town. My biggest concern for this family/friends group is that they aren’t overcome with hatred by white people and end up massacred, like those who came before them.

One would think, in 2020, almost a century later — that people would be able to get along and not begrudge another group anything they could accomplish. But here’s what I’ve discovered — there are some white people — not all — who resent a black person having a degree, having a profession, driving a decent car and living amongst them. That is the sad reality of the situation. Like I said, it’s not all, but we can see from the news — every medium — that the posturing exists across the nation. “We’ll put up with you, but we don’t like it,” comes across very clearly.

Well, you know, like the lady on Facebook who didn’t feel she needed to explain herself to anyone, I feel the same way. I don’t have to explain why I feel the comment was a tad racist, because it is. Whenever someone begins a statement with “your people” I’m inclined to ask, “what people would that be?” I don’t own any people so none of them can be mine (taking a literal view of the situation). My ethic make-up encompasses more than being black and I have the DNA tests to prove it, but then — I don’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone. So exactly, “who are my people?”

Another common complaint (the same lady has) is the attention the Black Lives Matter gets. She hates the attention because she really doesn’t understand and her common, default narrative is — what about the Native Americans? Why doesn’t anyone care about them? I’m guessing she really doesn’t know history or she’d know — it has been the white people in this country who have — massacred, disparaged, humiliated, belittled and enslaved other groups of people. We see that with “the border” and the ban on immigrants — God forbid more people of color came into this land. The Native Inhabitants of this land have been treated monstrously — had the land stolen from them and then those who survived the inhuman treatment at the hands of white men, were forced to live in restricted areas in which it was apparently thought they would not survive, in dry, desert-like environments. They did and many tribes are being compensated for the treatment they received at the hands of white men — history tells it better than I can or would even try. I have always had compassion for the Native Inhabitants because everything they had — the land, their language, their religion, and their right to educate their children was restricted by greedy, hateful white people. I do not refer to them as Native Americans because they were in this land before any of the Europeans ever got here and decided to call this land, America.

Another narrative that is a false one is that black people are lazy and don’t care about anything. This one person claims (sounds like repeat racist rhetoric by trump) that all the black people is make property value go down. From what I’ve been told in the city where I live, black people aren’t the ones not taking care of property, but realistically, it’s the white corporations who buy up the property to rent to black people seeking a better life who won’t take care of the infrastructure of the houses they rent, but they want their rent on time.

I really wish people would do some serious research (other than in a Confederate Bible) to understand the inequities forced upon people — especially those who are not white.

I’ve been working my butt off — trying to steer off racial unrest and ease the racial tensions, but I’ve come to realize, unless people are willing to see themselves and who they really are, nothing I do will matter. So, rather than spend time trying to convince the “toleraters” of anything, I’ll be seeking opportunities to work with those who are accepting of us to see what we can do make living in our community a better place for all.

So, the next time, someone uses the phrase with me, “your people,” I’m going to peel back my nice self and let loose on them, guaranteeing they’ll never want to speak to me again.

“Access Denied”

I’m not sure how many black Americans feel about all the uproar from those who don’t fully understand, why Black Lives Matter, or what it means to have been denied access to so much in this country that has made the, “wealth gap” between black Americans and white Americans so great. Simply put, from the time African slaves were brought to this country, we have been “denied access” to the basics that promote prosperity for the general populace.

For those who do not claim to be racist, I would like for you to take a walk-through history–via an actual book or Internet research to understand how the denial of access has kept people behind. For those who know and understand–I hope you’ll speak up to confirm what I say and I’m going to use the plural pronoun, “we” because my ancestors were part of the journey and the multitudes who were denied access.

• We were denied access to the native language of the many tribes brought to this country. Fear of what was being said, and not understood by white slave owners, forced African tribesmen to forego their native language to learn a new one–in captivity.
• We were denied access to learning to read or write the new forced language because the white slave owners knew, that once we learned how to read and understand the environment and how it purposefully kept people under control, we would rebel and fight for the freedoms we rightfully deserved as human beings.
• We were denied access to protecting women and children from being molested and raped by white slave owners who “raped the women” to expand their wealth of slaves without paying for more. Many of those women were raped in front of the men they had been given to for “procreating more slaves” and the men were prohibited from doing anything to protect their women.
• We were denied access to having our inventions patented because we were not considered “full human beings.”
• We were denied access to raising our own children when the “master” thought it was more beneficial to separate black children from their mothers so they could benefit economically.
• We were denied access to joining the military to fight in early wars and had to join all black regiments (check the history for yourself), there was more to the black regiments than the Tuskegee Airmen than many have no knowledge about.
• We were denied access to buy land or houses in specific areas and had to use white allies to purchase for us and then were denied access to equality of living in peace and freedom because white neighbors didn’t want us around them.
• We were denied access for the opportunity to go to school with white children (segregation).
• We were denied access to use public transportation in the same way as our white counterparts.
• We were denied access to college education and therefore established our own after a number of black people, sat in hallways, on the floor, grappling to understand what was said by white professors so they could also get a higher education.
• We were denied access to hotels, bathrooms, theaters, and restaurants and when were given access–we were seated in out of the way places so as not to upset or offend the white clientele.
• We were denied access to be accurately portrayed in the movies, and in television shows as a people with their own rich culture.
• We were denied access to economic growth–bank loans, mortgages, and other businesses. When some dared to defy the status quo and established their own access to economic wealth (Black Wall Street), angry, bigoted white people burned down the town and killed many of the residents.
• We were denied access to equal justice in all areas of our “so-called justice system. We were never given opportunity to prove innocence because were always judged guilty simply because of our skin tones.
• We were denied access to the same amenities of our white counterparts on trains, in bus depots and on buses.
• We were denied access to community amenities–the swimming pools, the tennis courts.
• We were denied access to healthcare and dental care and funeral homes–we had to establish our own which were not equal to the access others had.
• We were denied access to cemeteries–I guess dead black folks were a big threat.

So, I get why some people are up in arms with the current environment and awakening of reality–black people have a right to be angry and to protest the injustices suffered by our ancestors and what many are enduring right now–access denied–to being treated like a human being, American citizens, with justice for all.

The following is taken from a post on Facebook in response to someone bemoaning the fact that Black people wanted their own television station and colleges and universities–they did not understand why, so I responded. There was so much more, but at the time I read their post, only two things struck me to remember.

For Blinded Eyes–Historically

This morning, I woke up at 3:00 am and could not sleep, so I started scrolling through Facebook posts and ran across a post that got my attention. I cannot remember who wrote it, but perhaps, if they read through this one, they will know who are.

 

I do not remember all of it, but there are two things which struck me the most. You see, the post was bemoaning the fact that the author did not see the need for: BET (versus WET) or Black colleges versus white colleges. I wish I could remember more, but at 3:00 am, I guess I am doing good to remember this.

 

BET–the Black Entertainment Television–why? Because for years, there did not appear to be any room for black entertainers on most television networks. Most of the network productions portrayed black people as clownish or stupid, illiterate, and poor, with a few exceptions. The reason BET needed to be–because the WET (White Entertainment Television) (the author’s words, not mine) was all there was–and still does not adequately portray who black people are. But I want the author to remember think about this–exactly how long has the television industry been around and exactly how many shows accurately portrayed the black community? How long did it take for black entertainers to be taken seriously and given serious roles in the entertainment industry?

 

HBCU–Historical Black Colleges and Universities exist because for generations–white colleges would not allow black people entrance. The few black people who got into the hallways were left there–outside the classrooms, straining to hear what was said so they could keep up with the workload, but never accepted as part of the class. Historically, and apparently now, that attitude still exists today in some people who think black people are not good enough to get where they are.

 

I would ask the author and any who agreed with them to do some research and remember that the slaves were not allowed to learn to read, then they weren’t allowed into white schools, colleges, hotels, and when they were allowed into restaurants, they were seated “out of the way” of the white clientele.

 

If anyone is still reading this–that is a miracle, but I want to say this much. Instead of bemoaning or complaining about black people wanting equality and justice, remember what was done to us–and all the “access denied” that we endured, and yet, many of us have managed to do so much more than some white people who always had access to whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it–and we did not. My response is not meant to stir up more racial hostility, but to hopefully cause some to wake up–and understand, we are just trying to obtain what you’ve always had–“access to doing better.” Whenever I see a lack of understanding about the history of black folks in America, I will address it and I would hope that–it would open the door to conversations that matter and will make a difference to all.

I do not have a problem addressing issues when I see them, but I will take the time to respond in a coherent manner, that does not promote any further racial tension. What I will not do, is to ignore the obvious ignorance that some have displayed simply because they want to deny history, or never understood it.

 

 

 

No Checks/No Balance Of Power

Don’t know how many people feel about the current state of affairs in America with the lack of respect for our Constitution. Considering the fact that the Founding Fathers understood that at some point, the time would come when the balance of power would be challenged and we’re here. This White House administration has flatly refused to honor the Constitutional features of checks and balances and is operating as an authoritarian entity. That is not what America is supposed to be.

In 2017, the GOP Congress–both House and Senate–abdicated their responsibility to keep trump checked and in 2018–the people spoke and won the House. Even though the Democratic House has the Congressional Power to do its oversight, they are meeting roadblock after roadblock with the administration who obviously has much to hide from the public. And that’s the key. The White House is the “People’s House” and everything that pertains to the American public should be public knowledge–especially “private meetings with our adversaries, trump’s taxes, and his business financials. The liar-in-chief is hiding the truth for a reason and we, the American public, should not be left in the dark about what he’s doing or has done and we need to know how obligated he is to the murderous dictators he’s so fond of praising.

Granted, the House can’t stop who he praises, but they can take other measures that limit his ability to put America in harm’s way. An impeachment inquiry is needed ASAP! Donald J. Trump is a threat to national security since he obviously shares information with his foreign dictator buddies. He has openly revealed his plans to use Russian or any other foreign assistance to help cheat during the 2020 election. I’m absolutely sure our intelligence community is aware of all the communications he and staff make to ensure this happens. I’m equally sure that he can be stopped.

It’s time, House Democrats to put a lid on this situation before it boils over and severely creates a crisis of humongous proportions in which many will lose their lives. War with Iran is not out of the question and since his 4th of July charade was apparently an attempt to recruit to the military, he underscores that possibility.

There can be no balance of power within our government if every branch of the government is not exercising all of its ability to check the White House. Congressional Oversight is meant to be a check on the Executive branch in order to keep “all Americans” safe and secure within this country. We are failing miserably because Democrats follow the rule of law. So, the judicial branch, no matter how overtly biased in its composition, must adhere to the “intent and spirit” of the Constitution (as well as the words) to support Congress in their attempt to conduct oversight. Do The Right Thing to protect America and all those who reside within our borders. Let trump know–again–SCOTUS you are not his judges any more than our military is his military. Help Congress put a stop to the insanity, NOW!

**This message has been brought to you, the readers and to Congress by one fed-up American who is tired of the stupid. My name is Mary Hall-Rayford and I approve this message. If anyone reading wants to share and forward to their Congressional representatives, please feel free to do so.**