Cowards in The Capitol

          We have all seen the images of the insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021. Images of the assault and destruction that took place at our nation’s Capitol. We all know of the plans to execute Congressional leaders and we all know, those plans were incited by Donald J. Trump, the emperor with no clothes, the loser-in-chief, who thought he could overthrow the government because he did not want to give up his position.

          What the entire world is waiting to see, is whether or not, the current administration will have the guts to make sure there is a remedy, one that is severe enough to deter any possible similar action in the future. We know the Retrumplicans (though there were a few Republicans who stood tall) were too cowardly to vote for his impeachment—with the lamest excuse in the world. “He’s leaving the White House—what would be the point?”

Well, let’s see, what would be the point of pursuing a rapist, if he’s leaving his victim, torn and abused? What would be the point of pursuing criminal charges against a bank robber if he’s already left the bank? What would be the point of seeking an arsonist if they’ve already left the fire burning out of control? What would be the point of pursuing charges against a murderer if they have already left the scene of the crime?

The point of having consequences for any criminal or criminal activity is to deter it from occurring in the future. But then, cowards don’t understand that because they’re not really interested in upsetting their supporters—the ones who condone criminal acts in order to retain power—in spite of the fact that people died. No, the cowards in the Capitol are concerned that they may anger enough of their constituents who “love trump” that they’ll be faced with a primary during their re-election. In other words, their re-election prospects are far more important to them than upholding their oath of office, “to defend and protect the Constitution.” They would rather defend and protect an orange menace who didn’t care whether a mob harmed them or not.

Every one of them—the Retrumplicans included—in the House and the Senate were eyewitnesses to what happened when they were cowering in rooms, hiding from an incensed mob, seeking to harm them. They heard them—what they did and what they said—and none of what the Retrumplicans heard or saw when they returned to the Joint Session to certify the electoral college votes, deterred them from being cowards. They still took the cowardly way out (they had to protect their re-election potential) and objecting to certifying votes, in an attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters—who did not vote for the orange menace. They have yet to understand that 81 million is more than 74 million—so not only are they cowards, but they also need to hone their math skills.

The true heroes (of sorts) in the Republican Caucus are those who dared to do the right thing—look at that—the right thing, not the party thing. But of course the Retrumplicans didn’t see it that way and they are now on a rampage to make the “good guys” pay for being disloyal to the orange menace. They are smearing the names of those who weren’t “cowards in the capitol” and publicly lying about them, both those in House and the Senate.

In subsequent interviews—the Cowards—who have victimized themselves claim they are victims of cancel culture—forget about the fact they voted to “cancel the votes of millions of the black community.” They claim they don’t have a platform to air their grievances, but they manage to do just that on Fox News and other right-wing-nut networks, and by writing columns for newspapers (don’t understand why) trying to make everyone else the villain, when they refuse to see their part in what happened on January 6, 2021.

As a result of the Cowards in the Capitol, which is enshrined with barbed wire fencing and surrounded by National Guardsmen, the seat of government is no longer accessible to the public because there is still a threat, by extremists to do bodily harm, to lawmakers—from within and without. Had they just not been Cowards and stood up for right, the end of this threat would have been in sight because the consequences, would have been known and told, both near and far. And all the Cowards had to say, publicly is, “Joe Biden won a free and fair election. There was no fraud.” But the Cowards, yet remain silent, unable to utter the truth because the lies have bound their tongues.

We have a way to go yet before the final curtain falls on this theatrical piece of nonsense, but that final curtain call, will change the landscape for all for the next 150 years, while we wait for the hammer to fall on the Cowards in the Capitol.

2020 Pandemic

Other than thinking that 2020 was going to be the year we “fired trump,” I would not have guessed, had no inkling, 2020 would turn out the way it did. I knew a Corona Virus had hit China hard, but never thought we would see the devastating results we have seen in America and all due to the incompetence and narcissism of Donald Trump (yes, at last, I capitalize his name).

From January to March—we coasted—not recognizing the rollercoaster ride we were about to take and all the while, going about our “normal routines.” Now, we wonder if in fact, there was anything normal about those early months—especially now that we know trump knew in December what China was facing—well, actually what the world was facing, but he downplayed at the beginning and is now—at the end of 2020—still not dealing with the reality of this deadly virus as we can see in the 333 thousand deaths of Americans, with many more expected, by the time we reach the end of the year.

Our lives have changed forever.  What we thought was normal, is now a thing of the past. We are living in a new normal and no one can adequately predict how long the new normal will last which includes masking up—especially in close quarters with others. What we already know is that some will rebel and cost others their lives simply because they do not care about other people—though they will never admit it. That is the bottom line. Wearing a mask for them—infringes upon their freedom. They do not want to look like “sheep.” They do not want to maintain social distancing or follow any of the other guidelines determined by the experts—and of course—none of the rebellious are actually experts at anything other than complaining about “their rights,” while totally ignoring the rights of others, those of us who want to live a long life, totally unencumbered by the effects of COVID-19 or any of the mutated variants, now coming to light.

Many of us, while at home awaiting orders to resume our lives outside of our homes, took up baking. We baked and baked and baked and then we gained weight. Some of which, we have yet to shed because getting outside with mask-deniers is simply not worth the risk. So, we find other things to do—that are, unfortunately, not related to exercising. We watched more television, both news and movies. The news depressed us, so we retreated to heartwarming movies that gave us a bit of a reprieve from the devastating news of death totals across the country. We learned the art of video conferencing, thanks in no small part to Zoom, Google Classroom and Facebook Video Chats. Other companies have come aboard with the video capacity for those of us who are not corporate elites, but the retired and otherwise, working poor who can now communicate with family and friends without jeopardizing our health. Amazingly, churchgoers (not necessarily Christians) discovered they could actually worship God at home or enjoy church services via a video platform on their phone or laptop or tablet. How about that? God is everywhere! Of course, there is always a downside to just about everything, church leaders missed their offerings and so they filed lawsuits against wise government leaders who restricted the attendance of churches in person. We can see where their priorities lie—in the offering plate—not in the safety of their congregants.

We have seen throughout the four years of the current administration more blatant expressions of overt racism and bigotry than this country has seen in a long time. So much so that we have given the white women who make false claims against black people a name—Karen. The white males who are haters are more likely to kill a black person than to just call the police filing false claims, and then the black males, mostly, end up dead, for no apparent reason other than being black. We have seen protests arising from the disproportionate incidents of black deaths and we have also seen the total ignorance and lack of understanding of white people who simply choose to ignore the obvious. They have ranted against Black Lives Matter because they simply do not understand that the movement is not about ignoring the lives of others but highlighting the loss of black lives—specifically those killed by police officers or other angry white men. What we have seen in this country is the totality of ignorance abounding in people who refuse to research, using credible sources, and instead, choose to regurgitate the hatred and discompassionate rantings of idiots—including the orange menace. Though there have been some, as usual, who dared to stand up against the hatred and bigotry risking repudiation from members of their own families and certainly political parties and communities, the hatred abounds and swarms over communities of color with reverse racism, felt across the land. Too many people, so-called leaders in the black community, are engaging in efforts to vilify all white people, while promoting the antics of black people that are questionable, if not downright illegal.

We have watched while small businesses went under, not only because of the pandemic, but because rich lawmakers helped themselves to billions of dollars intended to help the small business owners. Families have suffered due to lost jobs and lost loved ones. The economy has certainly suffered, but it could have been saved sooner if those who have been and are still rebellious had just complied with the guidelines provided by the experts.

No doubt about it, this past year has been a rollercoaster ride for most of us and the end of the ride, is not yet known, even with the production of vaccines or getting vaccinated. All we can do to ameliorate the incoming year, is to remember this past year is to commit ourselves to doing better in caring about all. Mask-Up America, for as long as needed, without complaining or putting yourself or others at risk.

A Rightful Place In History

Deb Haaland, President-Elect Joe Biden’s pick as Secretary of the Interior, the first Native Inhabitant to hold a position in a presidential cabinet will be a welcomed sight for many.

While listening to him describe her background, I was moved to the past, a past before America was America and struggled not to be angry over the treatment and massacre of so many human beings. I have always had an affinity towards the “Indians” in movies and hated watching them being accused of something they didn’t do and then being killed. My stepfather loved watching cowboy movies and unfortunately, the cowboys always won. The depiction portrayed was that Indians were evil and the cowboys were the good guys except for the fact that some of the cowboys were just downright evil.

All the cowboys portrayed in the television shows of old were white. All the bad or evil people were either black or Indian. And this is what generations of people grew up believing, until now. Until now, most chose to ignore the history of this land. How the Europeans came to this land, were helped by the Native Inhabitants to survive the elements and to grow food they did not know. Then, after surviving tenuous situations, the Europeans repaid the Native Inhabitants by stealing their land, killing off entire tribes, and relegating them to dry arid lands (reservations) where they were expected to just die off. They did not just die off and Deb Haaland is proof that no matter how terrible her ancestors were treated, the Native Inhabitants of the land knew how to survive, all the torture and mistreatment they have endured.

And they will survive to tell the story, a better story than the Europeans would ever tell because of the history in the making. What is shameful is the fact that there are still people (of European descent) who still think Native Inhabitants are inferior to them and they publicly treat them abominably. But then again, we have a segment of our society who treats everyone who does not “look like them or think like them or worships like them” abominably, still.

Now, there are number of people who might be reading this who might be wondering why a black woman is so outraged at the treatment of Native Inhabitants. Perhaps, the outrage is because they are human beings, just as I am, and I understand how hateful it is to be treated with disdain because that’s exactly how my ancestors were treated. The Native Inhabitants were already here, my ancestors were brought to this land in chains and forced to forego their native languages and customs to assimilate themselves to the white European ways. Or maybe the outrage stems from the blood flowing through my veins that aligns with tribes of the land.

There is so much that I can say about ill-will and faux superiority of white Europeans that it would take volumes to say it all. The true (unabridged) history books tell the story, how elected leaders ordered others killed, and no one cared, how faux negotiations were made for land and then the white man stole the land, breaching the negotiations made in good faith, forcing the Native Inhabitants to be on the move, giving up their way of life, just to survive the atrocities lodged against them.

America could have learned so much from the Native Inhabitants, had they been able to put their robe of superiority in a closet and donned a robe of humility for a few hundred years. Had there been an ounce of humility in any of those who came across the pond to this land, slavery would not have been an issue that has kept human beings in bondage for hundreds of years and in a state that many would like to see that particular position continue. Like the Native Inhabitants, black descendants of slaves learned survival and because of their inherent innovative skills, are responsible for multiple creations that have helped make life easier for all, though they were not always given credit for their contribution to this society.

What is country needs, is a microscopic look into the history that has brought us to this place and understand that if change, real change is not initiated, America will cease to exist as we have known it and the planet will die without the bold, creative genius employed by descendants of slaves that has so often been ignored. The Native Inhabitants knew how to take care of the land to keep a supply of food and resources available and the descendants of slaves, knew how to create what was needed from the resources sustained. If anyone should be wearing a robe of superiority it should be the Native Inhabitants, who had it not been for them, white Europeans would never have survived living in this land.

But all things being equal—at least that is the fight of the 21^st Century, that we are all treated equally, and no one suffers injustice—watching this step up for Deb Haaland and a host of ancestors will be the beginning of something wonderful and I sincerely hope, those who insist onto holding to their bigotry will move out the way or be moved out of the way so freedom and justice can be enjoyed by all.

We Must Never Forget–The Republican Sedition!

Over 260,000 Americans are dead from contracting COVID-19 and trump plays golf.

Over 20 million people are in danger of losing healthcare coverage in the midst of a pandemic and trump plays golf.

Over 80 million people have elected a new president and trump denies, deflects, distracts, hinders, and plays golf and the Republican leadership, is silent–totally ignoring the needs of Americans and instead, attempting to protect their party’s power.

From the time Mitch McConnell entered the Senate, his entire motivation was to obstruct Democrats from doing anything. We saw it with Obama and then with trump, we saw McConnell rapidly approve every nomination of every person who would be pervasive in ignoring the needs of the people, but would put party over country. Everything that is wrong with this country–at this moment–is because of the hatred harbored in the hearts of Republicans who will never acknowledge that brown and black people are equal to them. We see with the conspiracy theorists, the Tea partiers, and all the rest who consistently and methodically attempt to make life harder for those who are not rich and have no access to obtaining wealth.

Education is the greatest pathway to accessing wealth and the person put in charge of the educational department–Betsy DeVos–is the actual nemesis of public education. She had no experience with public education–of her own or through her children and she has successfully mangled and destroyed any trust people have had in the government’s involvement with public education for all.

We see this with the appointment of judges to lifetime positions, who are racially biased against seemingly all non-white Americans, in an effort to keep them “in their place” which for many, is incarcerated when they don’t have “legal means” of providing for self and families.

The office of the Attorney General has been forever tainted with William Barr who has chosen to be responsive to trump’s pursuit of justice against his opponents than in acting as an independent operator of law and justice. Not only should Barr be removed forthwith with the new administration, he should be charged with malfeasance and obstruction of justice.

The list could go on for many pages, and as horrible as trump has been, we have to wonder about the 74 million people who voted to re-elect him. Do they illustrate the magnitude of hatred and racial bigotry in this country? Are they complicit in the deaths of 260,000 Americans? Are they willingly complicit in keeping the low-educated and ill-informed from accessing public education that would make a difference in their lives? Did they really want to see American Democracy come to an end in order to see a narcissistic authoritarian dictate what happens to everyone?

These are the same people who found fault with Joe Biden being genuinely affectionate towards others, but they found no fault with trump grabbing female genitalia. They see no problem with 26 women alleging sexual misconduct against trump, but choose to believe Joe Biden is a pedophile because they believed garbage because they’re incapable of thinking for themselves and drawing conclusions based upon solid research from credible resources. These are the same people who chant “lock her up” against Hillary when she’s never been convicted of anything. These are the same people who chanted,” lock him up,” against Joe Biden when he has done nothing worthy of an arrest, and certainly not a conviction. And yet, when Kyle Rittenhouse killed two people and injured a third, they contributed to his ability to be released on bond. To say these people–this 74 million Americans are stupid would be a gross understatement. They are hateful, bigoted, dangerous people who have no interest in law and order, but are interested in maintaining their “misguided assumption of white supremacy,” and they are all around us. Until trump, they were hidden–closeted while steadily planning on perceived plots against them–totally disillusioned by lies, not knowing how to separate truth from fiction.

Most of this 74 million people take exception to anyone claiming that “Black Lives Matter” and they deflect and distract, by imputing that “Blue Lives Matters,” without ever understanding or wanting to understand the entire purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead, they chose to believe trump who claims the BLM movement is a terrorist group, ignoring the fact that this group of people, were never responsible for the violence and vandalism that white supremacists committed to make it look like–the BLM group was responsible. Why? It is their errant, but inherent belief that white people are superior to non-white people and don’t deserve the same consideration as other white people and certainly won’t recognize any equality.

While many people stopped reading by the time they got to the second paragraph, those that continued to read are needed to help keep this country on the right track–keeping American Democracy intact–and the only way we can do that is to bypass Republicans at every turn. They have shown us (most of them, not all) they are not interested in American government being representative of all Americans, and only want to push forth an agenda that will legislate for the benefit of white people. This is not and should be the “American Way,” but it is certainly the bigoted way of governing.

What can Americans do to stop the effects of being laughed at on the global stage? We can do what’s right–and vote for Democrats in every election, in every city, township, county, state, island or cove. Democrats are not perfect people, but they do what’s right for all and when wrong–own it. Now is not the time for people to see themselves as Independents, when the country needs their total involvement in the process of governing for all. We need the best people, not the most republicans–as we’ve seen–especially in the Senate. We need to see the Democratic process at work in the Senate with appropriate background checks for every nomination and immediate consideration for every bill that comes to the Senate and the delaying tactics, must stop–NOW!

I wonder if the 74 million people who voted for trump understand how Mitch McConnell has hamstrung their ability to receive needed assistance through this pandemic. I wonder how McConnell and and Graham managed to be reelected–especially in light of their attempts to ignore the will of the people on the national level–with the lies about voter fraud–and all the court decisions against their lies.

America–all of us–black, brown, white, red–no matter what our ethnicity is or our faith or sexual orientation or gender–we are the only ones who can make a difference in this country and it is by our VOTE. WE MUST BE ENGAGED BEYOND THIS ELECTION AND INVOLVED IN EVERY ELECTION, to see American Democracy work for all.

Trashing Democracy

It is the 14th day of November, 11 days after the 2020 presidential election and the incumbent has lost his bid for re-election. Granted, over 70 million people tried to keep him in office, but considering who he is and what he has done that demonstrates a lack of humanity, what does that say about those who voted for him?

Just a brief recap–2016 trump supporters called Democrats snowflakes–said we were butt hurt over Hillary’s loss. I remember telling someone on another platform that snowflakes can be dangerous when they collect in a blizzard. I guess I was right–all of us snowflakes came together to create a wipe-out with the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.

In 2016, hostile journalists on Fox derided Hillary for removing herself from the media circus for some quiet reflection time. In 2020, trump has been a whiny brat–claiming voter fraud and all sorts of allegations for which they had no evidence. Now, in 2016, we know that Russia interfered in the election with disinformation and misinformation and they did the same thing in 2020, but those of us who pay attention were ready for them. Now, trumpsters are so upset they’ve retreated to a new social media platform where they can complain and get ugly without filters. That doesn’t hurt my feelings at all and for some reason, after a time, trumpsters chose not to engage with me on social media platforms. On those rare occasions they would actually try responding to something I said, they quickly backed off when they realized, I take no prisoners when it comes to fact-checking stupid.

But it’s not their fault that most are uneducated and ill-informed–that’s the way trump likes them. And ill-informed they shall be, especially accepting an entertainment network to be a real news network. From most of the statistics already analyzed, trump voters primarily consisted of low-educated white men and women who support white supremacy and some poorly educated black people and Latinos. Other than the highly corrupt GOP elected officials, not many seemed to think education was an important factor in supporting trump. Oh yeah, can’t forget to include the hypocritical evanglicalliars. Amazing how they managed to convinced their flocks to believe God put trump in office and yet, they bemoaned the fact that Barack Obama was president and as yet–haven’t acknowledged that Joe Biden has won the election. I’m guessing they’re waiting for God to make that pronouncement or they think He’s taking a nap.

Okay, I’m being a tad facetious. God doesn’t get involved with politics–He gives us freewill choice to elect whoever and He will always honor our choices. But here is why I know the God of heaven had nothing to do with electing trump–His Word tells us to, “Love our neighbors as ourselves.” There was never any neighborly love shown to our allies–Canada and Mexico, but lots of love for our adversaries–North Korea and Russia. I’m still convinced that trump was a puppet controlled by Russia all along and that the loss of this election puts both them under the microscope and all the corruption will be found–no matter how many documents the trump administration shreds. Right is right and what’s done in the dark or under the cloak of wrongdoing–shall certainly be exposed to the light of truth.

For those who don’t like to believe in facts and math, let me clarify this for you–the numbers some trumpsters believe to be true are the numbers that came in on Election night after the polls closed, but not after all votes had been counted. As absentee ballots were counted, trump’s lead dwindled to nothingness in the swing states he needed for a win. And now–to befuddle the madness in the trumpster realm, they’re claiming only the ballots cast on Election Day should count as “legal votes.” This effort to discount every ballot cast is an attempt by trump and his corrupt regime to trash democracy since he thought he would become an American dictator. In any election, every vote must be counted because each vote represents the voice of a voter. This is how democracy works–we get a chance to have a voice in our government.

In 2016, we didn’t whine–we went to work–educating and informing people of the importance of their vote and the issues that were important to them: healthcare, education, job security, and climate change. 2020 brought with it a pandemic so deadly we’ve lost over 240,000 Americans because trump, refused to tell Americans the truth about the virus and his delayed response, was deadly.

We knew what would happen in 2020 and it did. We, The People, spoke and spoke loudly.

So rather than enable the toddler-in-chief, it’s time for trumplicans (can’t call them Republicans because they have embarrassed the true party) to accept reality and convince the menace it’s over and he might as well cooperate with the transition of power. It will take place, with his cooperation or not and if without–his legacy will remain a huge stain in the history books that will never be erased. His place in the hall of shame will be highlighted and the infamy of this 1-term remembered for generations to come.

That said, I’m still waiting to hear from the hypocrites–those claiming to be Christians yet lie every time they utter the word, Christian. They know where to find me and I know where to find them and of course, they’ll have excuses up the wazoo to deny the election results. At any rate, let me offer an invitation to the inauguration on 1/20/2021 and let’s see who’s sworn into office. Finally, democracy is saved as is the soul of our nation with the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and no amount of fear-mongering is going to change that.

For a new day that includes all Americans!

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!

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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.

Can We Think American For A Minute?

Sometimes, some people get so lost in the political bickering between parties, I think we forget–we are Americans and therefore should be concerned about the plight of Americans as a whole. So, now would be a good time to think about what and who we support.

As an American, who is a registered Democrat, I support the right of a woman to choose–since God gives us freedom to choose–no one else should interfere with that choice.

As an American, I believe we all have a right to defend our homes, but I do not believe anyone needs to own military style weapons that are designed to kill multiple people at a time.

As an American, I believe affordable healthcare should be available to all since none of us knows when a health calamity could show up in our lives.

As an American, I believe hatred should never be condoned or promoted of any group of people simply because they look different or speak differently.

As an American, I believe justice should be rendered equitably and fairly for all people and no one should be above the law.

As an American, I believe all others have the right to live where they want to live and love who they want to love. I am not God and will have no say so in judging anyone at the end of our time, so I simply must love all as I am instructed to do.

As an American, I believe every child is entitled to a quality education no matter where they live or what their parents’ financial situation is.

As an American, I believe this is the only planet we will ever inhabit so we need to take care of it, not destroy it. We need clean air and water and to find energy sources that do not negatively impact the land or destroy wildlife habitats.

As an American, I believe I have the right to express myself without destroying property which is a violation of someone else’s right to their property.

As an American, I believe I have a right and responsibility to call out injustice and inequities when I see them and work to resolve them.

As an American, I believe I have the right to exercise and practice my faith—whatever that might be and not try to force my beliefs on others.

As an American, I have a responsibility to make wise decisions in choosing competent, responsible leadership in every election–leadership that represents and governs for all the people, not just a segment of the people.

As an American, I know truth is always better than lies, even if it hurts.

In reflecting upon all the above statements, there is only one presidential candidate who aligns with my beliefs about being an American, I hope all who read this, come to the same conclusion.  

“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.

 

 

 

When Do Black Lives Matter?

Of course, the question itself will bring about backlash from those with 1 dimensional (1D) thinking because it is not part of their message.

Well, it should be part of the message for everyone living in a community where the murder rate is beyond understandable. And yes, I am talking about black-on-black crime. It is unnerving and painful to acknowledge that the black community seems to be more concerned about the black lives taken by police, than those in their own community. Let’s face it–more black people are killed by other black people than those killed by the police.

Don’t get it twisted! I’m not saying there should not be a movement against police brutality against black people, but when is there going to be a movement against black people killing black people? The fact that black communities have become so desensitized to black-on-black crime makes those entire communities hypocrites when they protest police brutality and march in protests with BLM banners and wearing BLM T-shirts.

Until the black community wakes up–I mean really wakes up–and deals with the issues in their own back yards, on their own streets, how on earth do they think the killing of black people is going to cease? Yeah, the black community has myriad issues to deal with–poverty, illiteracy, mental illness, and homelessness, but are any of these issues a pass to commit crime? The drug-related crimes are over the top–not just those selling illegal drugs, but those committing crimes to get a fix. And then there is the greed, not need aspect of criminality in “the hood.” Carjacking, car theft, home invasions, and robberies. Now, these crimes are committed by every ethnic group, but stay focused–this essay is about black-on-black crimes.

People in the black community complain about the lack of opportunity and diversity in various places, but no one wants to own the problem with black-on-black crime. Why is that? Is it that “black lives matter,” only when the police are involved? Why don’t black lives matter daily, in every community?

Every year, new organizations rise and say they are going to solve the problem. Some may have put a “dent” in the problem, but the problem has not been solved. So many pastors and school leaders have attempted to stem the tide of violence and yet, the violence continues. Has anyone stopped to evaluate why? Has anyone stopped to think about emphasizing the need to stop killing each other in a manner that they see themselves differently? Has anyone thought about effective appropriate parenting classes would be in communities where the kids are angry and rebellious because parents are not parenting? How about parents teaching their children their value and worth before they ever start school? How about parents demonstrating, in front of the children, what it means to be a productive member of society? How about the church leaders stop passing the collection plate long enough to be an effective servant of God in teaching their congregations how to mentor children in their neighborhoods? When we as a community stop being so self-centered that we only care about us and seldom care about others?

When we learn to “love our neighbors as ourselves” real change will occur because love makes a difference. But if people do not love themselves, they are certainly not going to love others. So, let’s start with teaching people how to love themselves–displaying integrity, honor, and compassion. Until we do, the Black Lives Matter movement will continue to be a hypocrisy when black people, keep killing other black people.

Now do not think for a moment that I am advocating dissolution of the Black Lives Matter movement; I’m simply trying to put some perspective into the situation. We need police reform and it needs to begin with how police officers are trained, and continue as review on a regular basis–especially for those veteran officers who learned things one way and are reluctant or even rebellious about learning something new. When we as a people learn to respect all lives–especially those of our sisters and brothers of like skin-tones, maybe, just maybe–we can convince everyone else around us to respect us and our lives. Unless a person is defending their lives–no one should ever be killed–black or white or brown or any other ethnic group simply because of anger and a lack of inability to think before doing. Whenever people “react” to situations without thinking, they lose the ability to control a situation. Learn to respond and respect the lives of all.

Become a 3-dimensional (3D) thinker–thinking beyond what one can see or from just one perspective. When we do, we can solve problems and save lives.