What’s It Going To Take?

What will it take for you to get involved?

Instead of just “reiterating” how important this election is, we need to start discussing why it’s important for everyone to be involved in preserving our democracy. We have seen how apathy and complacency lead to the dismantling of civil discourse and democratic values (having a choice) in the last 5 years.

I have voted in every election from the time I turned 21 in 1973. And since I was paying attention to politicians from an earlier age, I knew I would be a registered Democrat and voted accordingly.

The 2016 election was a pivotal moment for me. I knew when I saw Donald Trump ride down an escalator that we would have a hot mess on our hands and we did. I did what I could to help promote Hillary Clinton (including donating to her campaign), but it wasn’t enough. The divide in the Democratic Party was enough to open the gate for a trump win and a living nightmare for the rest of us. I still didn’t get it. And it wasn’t until I participated, by actively protesting in a “tax march” against him in 2017, that I finally understood. We cannot sit idly by and allow our “feelings” to guide us in making decisions that have serious repercussions for the nation.

For those who “hated Hillary,” I hope they have learned their lesson. First of all, the reasons I heard was the kind of stuff elementary school students would use. She did nothing to the individuals complaining about her not leaving Bill, or even in the Benghazi issue, because she was not calling the shots in Benghazi—a little detail that many have ignored. It wasn’t her fault that Congress ignored her requests and then did nothing until it was too late to do something for those killed. Hillary didn’t kill them or cause them to be killed—irresponsible politicians did.

Now, because of the dereliction of duty by most to vet all candidates thoroughly and to exercise “wisdom in voting,” we have to fight off the loss of democracy for all because of the haters in America. Our Freedoms hang in the balance of our time in existence. Rights that have been fought for and won are now being reversed because of white supremacists making decisions on the Supreme Court. Those who hate and are fearful of those who don’t look or act like them, are responsible for the mess we face.

Once again, we must understand history, in this country, in order to understand what we’re facing. Before the establishment of Roe v Wade to ensure the safety of a woman who chose to terminate a pregnancy, many women died at the hands of the unscrupulous and ill-equipped. Overturning the “decided” view and sending to the states to determine has turned back the hands of time and once again, if we the people, don’t’ do all we can to stop it, many women will die again.

For those states who have ruled that banning abortion was in the interest of the “fetus” and not the woman, we’ll see how this plays in the court of public opinion, globally. Pro-lifers—are not for “life” of any living, breathing human being outside of the womb. They are “pro-fetus” and all they care about is “controlling what women do with their bodies.”

Even when women may have to travel to other states to access healthcare they need, having to travel is akin to bounty hunters crossing state lines to hunt and return run-away slaves. In the 21^st Century, no one should be subject to such treatment and disregard.

So, while many think the current situation is just about the loss of “reproductive rights,” they need to think again. There’s more to the sinister plot on the Supreme Court and it all leads to white men controlling what women do—again. There are not content with controlling reproductive rights, there is discussion on the table to reverse a number of “settled law” precedents that include: marriage equality rights, privacy rights regarding sexual relationships, civil rights, having access to contraceptives, having access to a quality education and for the most part—human rights—with the exception of controlling what men can do.

As a result of the sinister plot being revealed on the Supreme Court, every eligible voter in the country needs to start thinking be yond partisan ideology and political party and get involved in the political arena to “preserve our democratic (having a choice) republic. If not, we will soon be a fascist nation with a dictator calling all the shots and forbidding our participation by negating our rights to vote.

As Americans—born in this country and having full rights as an American—we cannot allow the hateful and bigoted antics of the white supremacists organizations to ruin our country. We must get involved and we must vote for those who will protect our rights to vote (without trying to overturn an election when they lose) so that our children and grandchildren will have a chance to enjoy what we have fought for in times past. They should not have to fight the same battles that were already won, until a narcissistic megalomaniac won an election because “some were angry with Hillary.”

The time is NOW—in every primary election and general election for the next 20 years, for us to fight to retain our democracy! Vote Blue in 2022 and beyond!

https://youtu.be/J-YqnV0W4vc

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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!

When Lies Take Root!

Root network

Politically speaking, we have all seen by now how quickly lies take root and keep growing, like some tree roots—some of which are more pervasive than others. With many tree roots and plant roots, trying to kill them takes patience and persistence. With gullible people, the same patience and persistence, only allows them room to keep spreading—choking out the life of all those around them until the truth—just doesn’t matter anymore. 

Now some reading this might think—that’s not true. We can kill the roots of trees by digging them up or either cutting them up—removing them from the life source of the trunk, or we could poison the entire trunk until roots wither and die. But when we look at the roots of lies, the trunk is the political party—in this case—conservatives—who only want to make liberals look bad to other conservatives.

For years we’ve heard, “The Democrats want to take our guns!” Nothing could be further from the truth. Democrats have no desire to “take away anyone’s guns” we just want to protect the innocent from the foolish who either have no ability to control their behavior or lock up their weapons or they are fiercely determined to puff up their manhood with military style weapons that are designed to kill people, not defend. The arguments have been plenty and every time there is a shooting incident in which multiple people have been injured or killed, they are silent. The only voices heard are the Democrats, demanding common sense gun laws, to get guns out of the hands of people who are intrinsically evil. Why won’t the conservatives speak up (other than to utter, “thoughts and prayers”)? Their allegiance to the NRA keeps them silent and the donations coming into their bank accounts. So, until we find a way to “cut off the system that feeds them,” we’ll continue to have innocent people lose their lives because of the continuing spread of the lying roots.

During the 2016 election so many lies were told about Hillary Clinton that it would take writing a book to explain them all. But the lies people believed and spread which made no sense, were the most pervasive. They lied about her eating fetuses, holding children in a basement of a pizza parlor as part of a sex trafficking scheme, and her poor health. This essay is not intended to “re-litigate” that election, but to point out how quickly lies spread via gullible people who simply don’t want to know the truth. Perhaps, these “god-fearing folks didn’t read the scripture that states, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” And so, the fake news and lies, proved to be the death knell for Hillary Clinton’s election hopes—the source was not cut off soon enough.

So, let’s look at that source of lies and how their pervasiveness is yet impacting our political system—poisoning in reverse flow—from the roots to the exposed tree tops, promoting the truth. When an angry authoritarian blows his top because he lost an election and those in the same party, continuing feeding the gullible, soon the truth—though known by many, becomes a barrier to the party who wants to remain in power, no matter what and the lies are nurtured, promulgated by the right-wing media hosts who have no conscious and are certainly not “god-fearing.” The lies have prompted more lies and created more dissension between lawmakers who are now determined to make voting more difficult—especially for those who would not be voting for the lying roots, no matter how pervasive they become. It has yet to be determined, how these roots will die, and they will, because for every lying plot conceived out of sight, truth stands tall and visible, made known to all who are willing to hear the truth. The roots that lie, will curl and crumble, breaking into bits and pieces that will soon have no more life, nutrients—more lies—won’t feed them when the gullible (hopefully) wake up and see how they’ve been misled. They will stomp out the lies, burning the root network so they’ll never grow back.

The most pressing job every liberal has in this election cycle is to keep truth visible and constantly sustained and nurtured to combat the poisonous growth of lies that will lead to the death of our democracy. We must show the gullible, how the source of lies has misled them and give them reason to accept truth, over the lies. Now, for those who would rather believe the lies because the lies are more palpable than truth, there’s not much hope. However, no matter how difficult the task may seem, truth must be kept at the forefront of everything we do—repeating truth every time we hear the lies, until the nutritional system connected to the lies, is dead and no longer a danger to truth or our democracy.

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.

Oaths of Office

The Preamble Of the Constitution of the United States

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/

The Preamble of the Constitution of the State of Michigan

We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.

https://legislature.mi.gov

Both have significant Articles and Amendments detailing the responsibilities and obligations of those who are elected to office as it pertains to orderly progress of government. What is the most significant in both documents is the beginning phrase, “We The People” who determine who governs us. We, the residents of any state and citizens of the United States, have the final say over who governs and how they govern, however; most of us do not bother to know what role we play in how government works, but we are quick to complain when elected officials don’t do what we want them to do. The remedy for this chaotic mess is really remarkably simple—know who it is we vote into office—know where they stand, what they believe what their values are and how those things align with what we believe and how all should be treated.

Now, how many of us actually get to know the candidates before we vote for them? How many of us vote for someone simply because we recognize their name? How many of us actually pay attention to what people do once they get in office? How many of us contact our elected officials and let them know what we think of their performance? We are paying them with tax dollars, so we have a right to know and demand they pay attention to us—their constituents. If they do not or will not, they should never be re-elected, no matter how much money they spend campaigning.

Okay, that is the first thing of note, about why people should keep their oath of office, they were not elected to represent themselves, but the people who elected them.

So, what does an “oath” really mean? According to Merriam-Webster, “a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says.” It is a pledge or promise to do something.

An “oath of office” is therefore a pledge or promise to uphold the solemnity of the position and to do the best one can to fulfill the requirements of that office. This oath of office is different for the various “offices” one can hold.

The President of the United States takes an oath of office, all Senators and Representatives take an oath of office, all state and local elected officials, and appointed ones, take an oath of office, but how many really understand what it means, and will do what it is intended to do—abide by the pledges they take?

It is difficult, if not impossible to uphold a pledge or keep a promise if a person has no clue as to what they were saying or the ramifications of making that attestation when sworn into office. Considering the mess, we have in Washington with Senators and Representatives condoning seditious acts—we know they had no clue, and their constituents should hold them accountable and make sure they are never elected again. Unfortunately, most voters will not pay attention, or they will believe the lies they’re told and keep putting traitors into offices of trust—to the United States—not a person.

Promising or pledging to fulfill a performance “to the best of one’s ability,” should require a commitment to know what is expected and then do it. That means, a person should know about the position to which they were elected, know where and how to find information that needs discussion before they vote on it, and keep in mind, their vote should represent what is best for those who voted for them, not their own personal agenda.

Therein lies the real problem, gullible voters who put people into office who have no intention whatsoever of serving the needs of the people, but in serving their own—for their own glorification. The perfect examples are found looking at what elected Senators and Representatives are doing in Washington, who fooled the people (unless the people who voted for them are actually missing brain cells) who voted for them and now, by their actions, their votes and collective loyalty to a TwiceImpeached megalomaniac, they totally ignore the needs of the people to appease the megalomaniac. They are not upholding their oaths of office and unfortunately, most of their constituents appear not to care.

We see the same disregard to upholding oaths of office at state and local levels when people don’t know what they’re doing, and they’ve managed to gaslight constituents into believing they care or everyone else is against them (playing the victim or race card). We see people vote on issues that do nothing to protect or uplift the constituents, but do everything to keep people oppressed and now, in certain states, elected officials are actually voting to “suppress the vote of their electorate.” What are, “we the people” doing to allow such a thing to happen? Apparently, nothing, which is why those in office are doing what they do because they know, they can get away with it when their electorate is complacent and will not pay attention.

“We The People” (all the people) must do better. We must know and understand the oath elected officials take and hold their feet to the proverbial fire—challenging them every step of the way, when they choose to take a path that is not going to benefit the people more than it benefits them. It is time folks, for all those who are eligible to vote to vote and vote in every election, knowing who it is we are voting for and that they will uphold their oath of office for the people, and not themselves. It is in our hands and if we refuse to take control of the situation, whatever happens to this nation, our states, and local municipalities, is on us—not them. We have the power and it is time we exercised it, at every level of government.

We, The People, need to pledge our own oaths as the electorate.

“I pledge, as an eligible voter of my state and city, to exercise my right to vote in every election, for demonstrably qualified candidates who hold any office that impacts my life and living conditions. I also pledge to hold all elected officials accountable for what they do in office, whether I voted for them or not. I will not be silently complicit with any wrongdoing committed by any elected official and will therefore take every legal measure possible to ensure, that official, is never elected again.”

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.