Let’s Get Started!

We’ve moved into the new year and I hope many of you have aspired to do great things for the greater good of all people. It’s time to get started!

We cannot hold onto all the things that didn’t work in 2018, but we must use the power of reflection and analysis to make sure we can plan better for 2019 and beyond. The problem with most of us–is human nature–the lack of ability to see or think beyond the moment and therefore, our plans often don’t succeed because we must always look beyond where we are and where we want to go, but where we can see ourselves at least two years beyond the moment. If we have to make adjustments to get there, we make the adjustments by having a contingency plan, included in our plan of action.

Okay, 2018 mid terms are over. Local elections are coming up in probably most states in 2019 and we must get ready now and in the process, determine how what we do with our local elections in 2019 can shape what can happen in 2020–the next presidential election. I’m super glad that Democrats won big in a number of states that changed the “faces” literally in The House and since most of the Senate seats are up next, we can do the same thing there–if we plan and start working towards the goal–right now.

Local elections are important because many of those persons who win, move onto the state and national election venues. We must know who it is we elect to any position of governance at the basic level. We need to know who our school board members are–their character and nature, the county commissioners, the city council members (whatever they are know as–assemblies, etc.). Before we work to elect them to State offices, what have they done on the local level that warrants our trust at another level? Are watching what they do? Do they have the interests of all people at the heart of their votes or is it just about personal agendas and they don’t care about the people? We must think about these things before committing our time and finances to anyone. We, the people who elect those who are supposed to represent us–must pay attention to everyone running for office. Electing people who have been in public service is a must–no matter what level that public service has been–it proves they have a heart for people.

Primaries are important! We must educate, inform everyone where we live on the importance of the primary elections in every state. Who ends up on the ballot for all general elections is decided by who wins the primaries. We must get people out to vote in all primaries at all times. If we don’t–we may not end up with the best choices for the general elections.

Character matters–we cannot afford to promote or elect people of questionable character and that has nothing to do with their sexual orientation, gender or religious beliefs. Are they trustworthy? Are they corrupt? Would we trust them with our children–our most precious resources? These and other questions like these are the types of questions we must be willing to ask. If we can’t get coherent responses or only get apathetic ones, we need to look for other candidates who can enthusiastically embrace and demonstrate our core beliefs–caring for humanity and in protecting our democracy.

With all of that being said, I’d like to encourage all who can–to help promote Democratic parties across the nation. I know many cannot afford to contribute financially to all (I can’t), but if everyone with a social media presence, promotes Democratic Candidates across the nation, no matter where they are, we can help make a difference. Right now, I’m thinking specifically about Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee. We can locate Democratic parties through Facebook in every state and encourage them by our support in helping them to find candidates who can win against every Republican who has stood in lock-step with trump–voting against the interests of the people.

If we get started now–we can help make a positive difference in every state across the nation, but we must get started now. Are you with me? Let’s get started! And make sure our promotion and support is about the issues–not trump. No matter what we say about trump, his supporters won’t be dissuaded so we must concentrate on the 68% of the population who will work to get the job done. Remember–Democrats have already demonstrated, we care about all the people and we must ensure that all the people have access to healthcare, veterans are taken care of, working citizens have livable wages, and a quality education is available for all. If you tend to forget, keep this blog handy and refer to it often–Democrats Care About All The People!

Black Voters Beware!

Though reports are just being revealed about the nature of Russian disinformation and misinformation, it is astounding to see how much they understood how easily manipulated Black voters would be. Most of the misinformation under the guise of accounts supposedly belonging to Black Lives Matter or other such accounts, they were able to feed Black voters information that intentionally targeted them to either vote for Republicans or not to vote at all.

The report reveals that the Russian trolls were able to convince Black folks to attend rallies that became chaotic and unruly resulting in arrests, create such animosity against Black politicians and the Democratic party that many chose to stay at home and not vote or to vote and write in ridiculous names for the presidential candidate, and then to me, the most appalling event was in having Black folks malign and disparage other Black folks if they dared to discuss being a Democrat.  When so-called professionals, deliberately attempt to undermine the democratic process by promoting misinformation, we have a problem. The only people who can alleviate the problem is the Black Voter by educating themselves to the facts.

I’ve written about this before in my blogs, but it warrants repeating to some degree.

• “The Inconvenient Truth About the Democrat Party” as told by Carol Swain, Ph.D. at PragerU is partial truth and to me a whole lie. This is a conservative production, deliberately attempting to conflate truth with their own narrative.
• Fox Entertainment Network is not a news show and none of the Black hosts or pundits will ever represent the Black Community. They are shills (especially Candace Owens) who are paid to get Black Americans to rethink their values and hopefully persuade them to vote for Republicans.
• The Republican party of the 21st Century is not the same party of the 19th or 20th Century. Common sense–if all are paying attention to what’s going on in politics–should rule. Republicans are responsible for voter suppression (shutting down early voting, closing voting locations, not counting all absentee ballots, criminally collecting ballots to either change them or to make sure they are never returned, to intimidation–having racist monitors at polling places). Just recently, we have seen election fraud in North Carolina by the Republican candidate–Mike Harris, and Republican legislators trying to subvert the will of the voters in Michigan (Rick Snyder) and Wisconsin (Scott Walker)–simply because they lost leadership positions to Democrats and yet they think they have the right to legislate incoming Democrat authority.
• Republicans are still trying to keep Americans from being healthy and this particularly true for Black Americans who may be stripped of healthcare coverage because of their mandates, designed to strip people of dignity and access to adequate healthcare, especially for those with preexisting conditions.
• Republicans are slashing educational budgets in Washington to make sure that Black communities don’t have the resources needed for a quality education from K-12 and beyond.
• Republicans are reversing consumer protections that allow us breathe cleaner air, drink uncontaminated water and eat food not poisoned by chemicals in the soil.
• Republicans are creating a mockery of economic wealth enjoyed only by the rich since most of us end up paying the costs for unwarranted tariffs on goods we all all use. Ask the farmers how this has worked out for them and then while you’re shopping, understand why a head of iceberg lettuce will cost $2 or more in the grocery store. Don’t get upset with companies falling by the wayside and closing shop, get upset with the idiot in the WH who thinks “trade wars are fun.”
• Republicans are also reconstructing what anti-discrimination laws look like and that directly affects what access most of us will have to educational systems and jobs.

The point of all this is to make the Black Community aware of what has been done to discourage our votes for those (Democrats) who actually attempt to make laws that benefit us. The more we know–especially those of us who have lived through the 50s and 60s–the more wisdom we have to pass along to the younger generations. We must provide them with all the tools they’ll need to be successful and to survive the onslaught of racism and bigotry that will exist for generations to come. We must educate ourselves to the truth, living in the present moment–taking what we learn from the past regarding political parties and using it to build a solid foundation for our future–as forward thinking Democrats.

BLACK VOTERS–LISTEN AND HEAR ME WELL–We are an important factor in every election–local, state and national and it’s time we started acting like we are part of the solution and not part of the problem. How do we manage that? We get involved–totally engaged in the political process making sure our concerns are heard and addressed and and making sure we’re willing to “work” to make it happen. Talk is cheap and the only prayers answered are those that are followed up with action. Heard the saying, “Action speaks louder than words?” It’s true, we more involved we are as a community of Americans of Color, the less likely we’ll be ignored and the greater the likelihood we’ll see legislative policies enacted that benefit us, and not treat us like we are “less than” anyone else.

Is this clear enough for you? If not, please don’t hesitate to do the research for yourself or contact other Black leaders in the Democratic party for resources or to contact me via the email listed on my campaign page: facebook.com/YesIAm2020. This is not an attempt to solicit your vote, but the email address on this page is public knowledge and has a phone number you may call and leave a message. I care enough about the Black Community and what we can accomplish through the political machinery to risk having idiots contact me, however–my political platform is to represent all Everyday Americans and if elected President of the United States, that’s exactly what I’ll do–sign bills and lobby for those which benefit all the people, not just some of them. We can do this–unified–when we understand who we are and how the forces outside of us attempt to keep us marginalized, disenfranchised,  and underrepresented in all arenas.

Find a local Dem club and get involved and then run for office–on the local, state or national level. Don’t just sit twiddling your thumbs and complaining–jump in where you fit in and work it to your advantage–to benefit the entire community. Our Vote Is Our Voice In Our Democracy!

Our Hope In The Lord, Not Impotent GOP!

For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:13-24 NIV

If we take off the rose-colored glasses and blinders and seek The Lord, we would understand why putting any hope in a delusional reality television celebrity was a waste of time, but could cost the United States dearly.

The uproar heard this weekend is enough to create in the heart of the sane, reasonable doubt about what 2016 Election really means. Across the nation, wherever the impotent GOP went, the outrage was heard and more felt by the constituents of those who refused to hear them. They lied by purporting falsehoods and propaganda–again–which is what caused reasonable people to believe the lies spewed.

There is no death panel anyone past the age of 74 will face. There is no need to use intimidation and fear as a tactic to keep senior citizens compliant–we proved it won’t work. There is no need for anyone to think they speak for all women, when all women made their voices known, on either side of the issues–women do not need men to speak for them or make decisions for them.

But then–in order to make points–or at least to appear to make points–the truth gets lost in the midst of the lies. Planned Parenthood does more than provide abortions--they provide birth control–which precludes the need for an abortion. They also provide women important health screening which could save lives. I’m really tired of the false rhetoric pushed by liars in order to gaslight people, promoted by InfoWars, Breitbart, and Fox News.

Of course, considering who is in the White House–sexual predators and abusers of women, it’s not difficult to understand the mentality that exists behind many of the budget cuts and policies–against women. When I heard an old, impotent GOP Senator refer to Elizabeth Warren as “little lady” in a belittling manner, I wanted to slap the grin off his face. So, now I get it–when they get too old for Viagra to hide their impotence, they take their frustration out on women–who are stronger than they are and will persist in their endeavor to expose injustice.

Many people who voted for the impotent GOP are now frustrated because they didn’t bother to listen to everything they said. They had no intention of recognizing women and they did a phenomenal job of turning women against Hillary. I remember hearing one woman say to a reporter, “a woman couldn’t be president because she has hormones.” I’ve seen a lot of hormonal women in action and indeed have been one, but I haven’t seen a woman act as stupidly as the toddler-in-chief. So, what’s his problem–too much testosterone enhancements or missing brain cells?

Instead of ramping up policies for law-abiding citizens (especially when invoking ancient rules on the Senate floor), these old, white men, should retire and sit at home watching sports or reading their latest edition of, “Why It Won’t Work Any More.” If you think I’m angry, you’d be half-right and I won’t bother to tell you about the other half. Before you think my comment is racist–against old white men–think again; if old black men or old Asian men or old Latino men (or any others) disrespected women, I’d say the same thing–but then again, it wasn’t old black, Latino, or Asian men who disrespected Elizabeth Warren–it was Mitch McConnell in support of his equally repugnant crony, Jeff Sessions.

Looking at who the majority is–sitting in both houses–old white men–we have to understand–our hope cannot be in them; our hope must be in The Lord and in those who hear Him speak to their hearts. We know the old impotent ones are not hearing Him for if they were listening and obeying; they would realize they work for the Americans who voted for them in the first place–not the president–who bullies.

For all the women who understand, our outrage is real and will not subside until the impotent ones are no longer in a position to make decisions for us–I applaud each and every one and know this–I, too, shall persist in making known all the injustices occurring as a result of old frustrated impotent men, who are afraid of strong women.

The Lord will prevail since it is apparent that He cannot count on the “impotent ones” to do what is right for all human beings; especially those in the United States. Nevertheless, we will persist and we will prevail because The Lord is on our side and with Him at the forefront of every battle, we shall know victory on every side.

Our hope is You, Lord! We are listening and we will obey!

Judge The Whole Matter

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiates 12:13).

News media will print anything to get your attention and broadcast things that are not totally true.

Before we judge anything we see or hear, we should investigate the truth for ourselves before we find ourselves being judged in the same manner as what we judged–people forming opinions without the benefit of full disclosure. Remember this–a half-truth is a whole lie! Satan is the father of liars and the master of deception. Don’t be drawn into his folly!

Let us endeavor to please God for we simply cannot please man!

Stimulating Wholesome Thinking!

“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking” (2 Peter 3:1 NIV).

When I read this passage this morning, I was reminded of the reason I write. I don’t expect people to agree with everything I say; not even some of what I say, but I write to encourage and stimulate wholesome thinking especially in how we treat people.

We live in a society where are constantly bombarded with everyone’s thoughts through various types of media–online media, television, radio, blogs, all the social media, books, magazines, hand-bills, posters, bill-boards, and online news commentaries. Some of the thoughts we read can readily be dismissed when we recognize the influence behind the thoughts. Some of the thoughts, we may actually consider to be genuine from rational people, until we continue to read what they write. And some, thoughtful writers will actually challenge us to think.

How do we know when we see “wholesome writing” that will ignite “wholesome thinking?”

If what someone says aligns with The Word, explains The Word, expounds on The Word, and is not judgmental, obscene, or profane, or full of hate; we can probably conclude that the writer is thinking wholesome thoughts.  If what someone says, denies or scoffs at The Word, is in opposition to The Word, then we know who is influencing the words they write. What they say will not lead to wholesome thinking, but to chaos and confusion designed to get people off track.

How far off track are we in our society today? Should not our thoughts be the same as the thoughts of Christ?  If we have the mind of Christ, should we not have the conduct of Christ? Should not our heart be as His–loving, full of compassion, and always forgiving?

Nothing in life is fair–God did not promise us fairness. He said, “the just shall live by faith.” So, don’t be bitter about things that didn’t “seem fair”, move forward and know that if we continue in The Word, we shall receive God’s many benefits and He is not slow to fulfill His promises to us! We are the “just” and “the righteousness of Christ” because He said so, not us.

Now, think on these things–whatsoever is pure, lovely, and of a good report–all leading to wholesome thinking. Remember to love and forget all the things that would cause you to hold onto bitterness and unforgiveness. Keep your focus on the prize ahead of you in Christ Jesus! Rational Thinking > Rational Decisions > Rational Behavior–towards all!