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.

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!

Until We Learn To Think First…

Many people are still pondering the dilemma in which we currently find ourselves. How did we get here? Where is here? We’re in the middle of a sink hole, where the erosion of our democracy is crumbling beneath us and there appears to be no way to save ourselves. We got here–to this place–in the middle of the sinking hole–because many people either refuse to think or don’t know how to think--before they vote!

How do we know? A quick review of 2016–helps those of us who are willing to think, understand how hatred and foolishness brought us here. There were those who hated Hillary Clinton so much they were willing to believe every negative piece of propaganda published and promoted about her. Then there were those who were foolish enough to allow their emotions to overwhelm a sense of duty and priority when Bernie Sanders was not the nominee–so they either didn’t vote or voted for a third–guaranteed–losing party. Had they thought about all the possible consequences of their actions–propelled without thinking–we might be in a different place. But they didn’t and we aren’t. Yes, I know the Russians played a role in the election, but does that mean, we were outsmarted by our adversaries simply because we refused to think?

I know a number of us could see right through the haze of confusing information that continued to bombard our sensibilities and did the right thing–not the party thing–the right thing. And that’s because we were thinking. I know many people who regret their actions because they refused to think their political party could lead them astray. What I’d like to know is–did it ever occur to any of them–to think about what was right or wrong, what was best for the nation?

Okay, so that happened in 2016 and people started thinking–just a little bit– in 2018 and we were able to set the nation back on course–at least in the House–bringing to a halt all of the policy decisions that devastate the poor and vulnerable. I mean, let’s face it–the only people who benefited from the “biggest tax cut ever” are the very rich, not the working class or poor and certainly not immigrants simply seeking a better life in America.

In 2019–on a local level–again the lack of thinking or at least right thinking–surfaced again. When people vote for a person because of a desire to see a particular race in office or merely on name recognition–we don’t always get the best person or even the right person in office–one who will address the needs of all, rather than just themselves.

So, here’s my solution–especially for Democrats if they want to win in 2020. Let’s stop talking “party” and start talking right and wrong, best and worst, and let’s begin with educating voters on how to research a candidate, what questions to ask them, and to think about how their lives will be impacted if a certain candidate(s) wins an election. It’s been said before and I don’t think it can said enough–Elections Have Consequences–and it’s usually the voter who suffers the consequences of their vote (or not voting) when thinking is not part of their process for making a decision.

Does the candidate demonstrate professionalism in their demeanor and interactions with others?

Is their public persona a reflection of their private persona?

Does the candidate have an understanding of the role they seek?

Will the election of their candidate cause a disruption in personal budgets? Will taxes rise?

Are they more concerned about the voters’ needs or their own?

Are they accessible to the voters?

Are they candid with voters when answering “vital” questions (not the garbage that has nothing to do with anything)?

Are they ambitiously pursuing a political career or they sincerely interested in making a difference in their local community?

Now, those are some pretty important questions when thinking about a candidate. What about the voter? What kind of questions should a voter ask of themselves? First of all, think about “motive” in choosing a candidate. Is it based upon race, age, gender or capability or simply–name recognition? Does bigotry tend to color perception of a person? What type of bias exist–within the voter–that will either impair or enhance perception of a person? None of these questions can be answered “with forethought” unless a person is willing to learn to think beyond the moment and more than just about self or feelings.

Our planet has been compromised and endangered because of people who cannot think beyond the moment. Climate change is real and having a person in the WH who only cares about making money and keeping his corporate lobbyists happy means, we’ll not long have soil in which food will grow that won’t kill us. We’ll not long have water we can drink or air we can breath without choking or coughing up the toxins in the air. That’s not the end of it–our children and grandchildren for decades to come will suffer because many of us–refused to think–before voting for someone who did not have our interests at the forefront of their plans.

The answer is very simple–every voter needs to educate themselves on the candidates and the issues and be willing to think. Democrats need to be available to educate voters who don’t know where to start finding information and promote thinking country over party, race, gender or religion. We need to learn to think before we act–gathering as much information as we can get in order to make a rational, logical decision about who gets our vote or how the issues will impact our lives. We only get one shot at selecting the right person during any election, so our one vote, must count the first time.

Until we learn to think first–we are going to allow the wrong person to be elected in just about every election–and then all we’ll have left–is complaints and fearfulness about our tomorrows. Access to the Internet, no matter which search engine is used, brings us that much closer to having sufficient information about any candidate–that will provoke thought and help us to make better decisions, in every election.

 

Election 2019

Once upon a time, I thought I wanted to run for president and when I found out how much that would cost, I decided to run for an open seat on our city council. Now, I’ve never been overly fond of politics or politicians, but I thought I’d give it try any way. What I learned is–I was right to distrust the political machinery, even in a local election. Corruption has a stench that reaches into the hearts of small towns as well as big cities.

I followed the procedures I was given to get on the ballot–getting the required number of signatures, filing all the paperwork and having it done before deadline. On Memorial Day–2019,  I was told I had a target on my back. I heard what was said, but really didn’t give it much thought. “What can they do to me?” I thought. I knew there was nothing negative anyone would be able to find on me and if anything were publicized, it would have to be because someone made it up. Well, they did, but that didn’t stop me.

So, about a month or two before the election on November 5, 2019, I found out the plot–an 83 year-old white man who had been the former mayor and councilmember was running for the council seat because he didn’t want another African American on the council (we had one who got there by manipulation). Then things got really juicy. I was provided the man’s historical stance in trying to keep Black people out of the city–from blocking the sale of a building to a Black Church, to manipulating the Council into buying the building–only to discover once the city couldn’t afford the upkeep and had to close the building, the building ended up in the hands of a Black Church, anyway.

The name of the city was changed because it included the word, “Detroit” because some people didn’t want the association with the bigger city. About 20 years ago, the Black population was insignificant to most, but since then (around 2008), the numbers have been growing and now, it is believed that 40% of population is Black.

In 2017, the city was sued by the Department of Justice for allegedly violating civil rights voting laws. In November of 2017, a Black person was elected (primarily because of split votes between five Black candidates). In June of 2019, the city and DOJ reached a settlement–the city would use Ranked Choice Voting to establish a pathway for minority candidates to be elected. I ran, but was not successful in my bid for the seat because (viola) the plot to keep me off the council worked (name recognition).

How did it work? The “former mayor” of over 20 years ago, put out campaign signs for himself, another council candidate and a mayoral candidate. Whether others were involved remains to be discovered, but I’m guessing, someone will talk and someone else will hear about it. With the three signs put together in various locations, it gave the impression the three candidates were running as a team or slate (and since the three candidates were white, it made the DOJ lawsuit very relevant). And apparently, that’s how a number of people saw it–manipulation at work.

On election day, November 5, 2019, before the polls closed, the spouse of one of the candidates for council (the incumbent) happened to hold a conversation with a poll worker that he didn’t know, was there for me (correction–he did know). He laid out the entire plan (that was misunderstood by source). “My wife and Henry (pseudonym)  will win, and Mary will get a 1000 votes, then we’ll offer her an opportunity to apply for an appointment” (contextually, this was not reported with full knowledge and understanding of what was being said. The 1000 vote reference was about past experiences for candidates to win).

I got 1061 votes and the next day when we were given the results of the election, I was asked to consider applying for the appointment of a vacated seat. (This blog post ignited conversations–perhaps needed conversations in order to clear the air of any all misunderstandings. However, looking at the “entire” situation, without parsing–the optics were not good and possibly led to the misunderstandings, but I am yet analyzing to understand the motivation that prompted this entire discussion).

While I was considering applying, I got the word not to take it because it had been pre-planned and was possibly in violation of the Open Meetings Act. The way it was explained to me, by someone who had first-hand knowledge of the manipulative way the council worked. Some time ago, a seat was vacated and a number of people applied for the appointment. After the interviews, some were told they were sure to get it, but they didn’t. One of the interviewees found out later that a member of the council was friends with the wife of one of the interviewees and had been promised the positioned. The other person felt this was a waste of his time and since that “policy” was apparently the status quo, he didn’t want me involved with shenanigans. I’m grateful for the info.

Here’s what was offered: I would get the vote for the appointment as long as another person didn’t apply for it. I have documentation of what was said, just in case one or more of parties involved happens to read this. I love paper trails. And for those reading, before jumping to conclusions, try to understand how I perceived what I did. Being a minority, brings a certain mistrust to a number of situations and when a person “watches” what happens (not just hears), I tend to look a little closer look at everything, not just one thing. I’ve been told before that perhaps, I’m too analytical and that may be true, but being analytical means I examine all sides of an issue before drawing definitive conclusions. Note: DOJ has since responded to an inquiry by me and confirmed what I already knew–name recognition used as a means to choose candidates–will not change using Ranked Choice Voting. Basically, nothing much will ever change unless a person changes their name and that still may not work.

So, my proposal to fill the vacant seat is to appoint the person who was already voted for by the residents, rather than have 4-member council (likely divided) to try to make the decision. Based upon the “vacancy” section in the city charter, the council appoints the person to fill the vacancy–“before the DOJ settlement decree” and since the rules for voting changed, there should also be a change  in filling a vacancy since the Election Results record shows, how the next person ranked on the ballots with the residents’ input. The one thing the “plotters” overlooked is who would win the mayor’s seat, but that’s for another article. In that article, I’ll explain how “manipulation” won the day over egos. After all, the same manipulation that worked the first time around–when five Black candidates were in the race, won again–vote splitting–a winning strategy.

Too bad manipulation won’t hold seat. Tick-tock–the 6 month clock is running! Being escorted out a bar for being drunk (and I can imagine disorderly) right before an election–is not a good look and certainly not a “good representation” of self or city.

More next time! Keep watching as the “world turns and manipulation rules” in Eastpointe, MI! At the behest of the residents, I’m going to apply for the appointment and we’ll see how that works, in 2019. If it wasn’t for the residents, I’d call it a day and move on with my life–still helping where I can–but without the weight of corrupt politicism as a burden.

Author’s note: While some folks were trying to block me from winning an election out of pure racial bias, they forgot to keep watch of the mayoral candidate–who just happened to be Black–and won. Talk about Irony!

 

 

I’m Convinced!

Reviewing news coverage about the number of incidents that occur between white people and the police and black people and the police, I’m convinced that there is a conspiracy by law enforcement officers to “kill black people” when they’re confronted, but to “save” the white people (with a few exceptions).

How many black people (predominantly male) have been killed just because of their skin color? Not many institutions will ever acknowledge the number because then they’d have to realize the stark truth of the matter–black people are targeted by their skin color, not necessarily by any alleged crime committed.

Eric Garner–killed when a white police officer refused to listen to him when he told him he couldn’t breathe. Why? I’m betting the mindset was, “one down and how many more to go?” Now, keep in mind, Eric Garner had no weapon of any kind. But then, a white male walks into a Walmart with bullet-proof vest and assault weapon and he’s, “talked down” with no one even drawing a weapon on him.

How many times must black men tolerate being profiled by police officers and “white citizenry” who proclaim fear for their lives just because a black person was in their presence?

Now, to get some perspective on the situation, let me ask this question: How many videos have been made and promoted on social media showing a black person calling the police on a white person just because they were taking up the same air space? How many times have we seen videos of white people, calling the police on black people just because they were black and then making up “absurd” excuses as to why they called. But then again, we’ve seen many videos in which white people harass and try to bully anyone of another ethnicity simply because. Is this the America we all love or is this the America trump has unleashed, full of hatred and bigotry?

I wish I knew Spanish well enough to hold a conversation within hearing range of a bigoted jerk just so I’d have a chance to tell them exactly what I think of them.

People who are fearful–have not love or humanity within them.

People who hate are fearful.

Since I do not fear people, nor do I hate them, I’m free to love all–primarily because I love myself and have love to give to others. I care about the plight of people and when I see injustice, I get angry and want to fight for the rights of others–no matter how many or who I’d be fighting against. I will always stand up for the marginalized groups that are targeted by bigoted, hateful people. We cannot allow hate to severely impact how our children live and play with others or how we all interact with one another. We are all human beings and I am convinced, once we understand that one simple fact and if we have even an iota of humanity within us, we’ll stop the hate!

I’m convinced–the only way we’ll stop all the foolishness we see reflected in our society right now is when we’re willing to sit down and talk “to” each other, not “at” each other. I’m convinced we’ll discover we have more in common than we don’t have; we all want to protect our children, live in a safe environment, and have the means to support our families. We should all want the planet to survive our existence so our grandchildren and great grandchildren will enjoy clean air and water and non-toxic soil so they’ll have food to eat. I’m convinced, I’m not the only person who feels this way and what I’d like to see is for everyone who “knows” not thinks, that all human beings deserve to be respected as such would do just that–treat other human beings the way any of us would want to be treated.

If we are unable to do that, I’m convinced we will have failed as Americans, human beings, and examples for others.  We don’t have to agree with everyone else, but we must learn how to disagree agreeably, respecting the rights of others to disagree with us, without calling them names or trying to dehumanize them. It is a very “weak” person who uses such tactics against other human beings.

I’m convinced–we can save the nation by putting aside our need to make us feel superior to others. None of us are superior to any others since we are all, flawed, imperfect beings. Now, let’s convince law enforcement, not to be fearful of black people, until they have ascertained credible reason to fear them. Let’s treat all transgressors of the law the same and try to save them for the judicial system to handle.

If you’re convinced of the same, I’d like to hear from you so we can work together to get America Back On The Right Track!

 

The Case For Truth

I don’t know about anyone who might happen upon this blog to read it, but for me–the truth means, no lies or misrepresentations are presented to mislead the populace and that information provided is supported with evidence, not just opinion. Sometimes simple syllogisms present truth in a very uncomplicated way, when accurate conclusions are readily identifiable.

For instance:

Donald Trump is a pathological liar (over 8000 lies have been recorded by Washington post). People who work for Donald Trump lie to the public on a regular basis. Therefore, working for Donald Trump requires one to lie.

His inauguration crowd was not the largest.

No one has told him he’s the best president in all history.

Not every world leader likes or even respects him.

He’s not a great businessman or negotiator.

There is no “national emergency” or crisis at the southern border other than the one he created.

President Obama did not “tap his wires.”

Hillary Clinton is not a crook and no one is locking her up, but look at all of his associates who have been indicted and some either serving time, or headed to prison. LOCK THEM ALL UP!

Democrats are not demons and do not condone infanticide.

Black people are not “too stupid” to vote for him; we’re far too smart to vote for lying, con man who cheated his way into the White House.

He lied about Stormy Daniels.

He lied about the country being safe from N. Korea.

He lied about releasing his taxes and his eternal audits.

He lied about having any business connections with Russia.

He lied about anyone in his campaign being involved with Russia.

He lied about ignoring the FBI and CIA and their conclusions about not granting Jared a top security clearance.

His cabinet members have lied about events that are easily fact-checked.

His Press Secretary lies every time she opens her mouth.

Kellyanne Conway lies to the public in every interview.

All of his sycophants lie to defend him. How do we know? From the RNC chairwoman to the least of the Retrumplicans–they all repeat (parrot) the same talking points–all lies.

All those who continue to support and believe him, must also be liars since they have no problems supporting a liar.

Retrumplicans lie to their supporters when they promote false propaganda, trying to incite fear and hatred. They don’t understand what “socialism” means and conflate it with their distaste for helping others or providing an avenue for equality for all.

Videos and campaign ads promoted by the Retrumplican party and trump–all lie–to keep their base confused and fearful.

I could do this for hours more, but I really have better things to do with my time, so–I challenge anyone reading this to provide factual, credible evidence that my premises about trump are wrong.

Provide me with the links to credible publications, print or digital and or videos that refute my claims and I’ll write a retraction of all I’ve said. Please don’t use any of the lying sycophants or news pundits to win an argument because whenever they’re asked a direct question, they deflect and change the topic or fall back on: but Obama, but Hillary, or trump has the absolute right… (citing constitutional authority rather than answering the questions). What’s really amazing to me is the number of times trump sycophants can “cite constitutional authority,” but ignore Congress’s constitutional authority to conduct oversight over the White House.

At any rate, contacting me is a breeze if it’s actually necessary and I’ll be certain to post replies and my comments.

For me, the bottom line is this–there’s a lake of fire prepared for all liars and I don’t plan to spend eternity, roasting in it–so for me–truth is essential. One would think it would essential for everyone, but especially those in a position of leadership.

And Jesus tells us, “We shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free.” I believe Jesus–who is The Truth and certainly never lies.

The Fallibility of Human Nature

Before we can understand how imperfect we are, we need to admit we all have imperfections and flaws. That said, let’s look at what happens when we refuse to see ourselves as we really are.

Take the daily news we tend to absorb. What motivates what we see or read? The headlines tend to grab us–based upon our individual stances or beliefs–and we’re often ensnared by the headlines and never read the details of an article or listen to the details of newscasts. Then, when we don’t bother with the details, but want to share what we just read or heard, we become arbiters of spreading *fake news* if in fact, what we shared was not truth. Allowing headlines to ensnare us is a human flaw–we all do it–and this is one of the reasons why we saw what happened in 2016–false headlines led many to believe lies about Hillary Clinton. Okay, this isn’t about Hillary, but it does serve to make the point being made–we are flawed human beings and sometimes, we allow our biases to interfere with good judgment.

Recent news (not fake, but very real) has revealed that Donald Trump is an un-indicted co-conspirator in crimes involving campaign violations (and others as we’ll soon see). He was listed as “individual 1” in a sentencing memo for Michael Cohen–his former fixer. At any rate, many people–including Republican elected leaders–have chosen to ignore the obvious because it doesn’t gel with their personal biases. In fact, Orrin Hatch (invisible glasses) has even stated that if trump has committed a crime, he doesn’t care. Kevin McCarthy has said, “if campaign violations is a crime, then we’d have to prosecute a number of people in Congress” (not exactly a statement that builds trust or faith in our elected officials). As a consequence, trump supporters (Cult45 and MAGAts), tend to believe the menace because he tweeted, “totally cleared the president. Thank you,” after the sentencing memo dropped. Why? He didn’t read the memo to discover he was referenced in it. And because of his ego and narcissistic tendencies, he would never admit it anyway, at least not publicly. Word on the street has it–he’s totally unnerved by the findings, but since his supporters only watch Fox News, they’ll never know the truth of the matter because–they’re not interested in truth, just in finding news that supports their thinking.

Someone on Twitter earlier today suggested that we go back to the Fairness Doctrine where all sides are presented in the media so then the consumer would be able to make wise decisions about the news. In theory, it sounds good, but wouldn’t it make more sense to educate the public in how to recognize credible sources of information? First of all, the consumer of information has to “want to know truth” in order to recognize it when it’s being told. How do we determine truth? What are the facts/evidence supporting what is reported? Who collected the facts/evidence and what is their reputation/credibility? What is their motive in collecting the facts/evidence and in the subsequent reporting? If the person presenting the information has extreme biases about what they’re presenting, can they really be objective in their perception of how the consumer will either receive or reject what they say?

Then, we have to take into account the “place” where the consumer of information is when they either hear or see certain types of information. On a good day, when everything is going our way, we can be a bit cynical about some of what we hear, but on the other hand, if we’re already soured about events surrounding us, we tend to only want to hear those things that encourage our being sour on everything. It’s human nature! It’s what we do!

Right now, many (not all) of us only want to hear the very worst about trump because it serves our purposes in knowing we were right about him all along. But are we right? Did we miss something in the process of wanting to be right? It’s possible, but that’s not the purpose of this article. I’m simply pointing out the fallibility of human nature and the fact that none of us are always right or always wrong. We’re simply human beings with biases developed over the course of lives. Sometimes, we’re wise enough to look deeper–see the details and change our perspectives, but that doesn’t happen too often. When we have hardened views on almost any subject, we’re only inclined to listen to those people who build pillars to support our views, rather than listen to those who deliberately challenge us to widen our horizons and hone our views based upon the facts/evidence we discover.

Today, we live in such a divided society that no matter what one person says (Democrat or Republican) they are judged because of stances they’ve taken with or without justification. We can move our society to a better place if all–everyone–regardless of party affiliation would simply take the time to *research* information, determining whether it is credible or not, analyzing the motivation behind what we use, before drawing any conclusions about any presented information.

Now, I’ll admit–I have some favorite news outlets and most of them will actually support my biases. However, when I hear things that don’t sound credible–I research–and I don’t care who said what. I’d rather take the time to research the information before spreading lies, creating undue animosity–which is what many people do. I know trump supporters don’t like the fact that *he lies* consistently, with no purpose at this point because we all know, he lies. The problem is–one day–he just might tell us the truth (though he and truth have no relationship) and no one will believe it because he lies. I encouraged him over two years to have someone read to him, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” I don’t think he ever read that or had anyone read it to him.

The really sad part is, he never read about Pinocchio either. His comprehension skills, to say the least, are negligible.  The proof of that statement is available in a video clip of him, “tossing a coin” to determine which team did what (Army vs Navy last weekend), but he took that literally. The “coin toss” is actually, flipping the coin, but he didn’t understand that and made a fool of himself and as a result, social media lambasted him. But I digress. The point of this is to encourage others to understand the need to research information from a variety of sources before we decide how we feel about it or spread it to others.  If we’re going to read or listen to *conservative* views, we might want to sprinkle enough information from the other side to come to a logical, rational conclusion. I’m reminded of the nonsense that was spread by conservative outlets about Hillary and the Parkland Students–created because of conspiracy theorists who had no evidence on which to base or promote their fraudulent theories, but they promoted them anyway and many gullible people, swallowed them whole.

Non-credible sources include: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tomi Lahren, Tucker Carlson,  Jeanine Pirro, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Common Dreams, New York Post, Fox News (Entertainment) Network, or anyone who cannot or will not provide facts/evidence to support what they say and that includes Jerry Falwell, Jr. Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, or Paula White or a multitude of other Evangelicals who lied to their congregations when they told them, “God chose trump to be president.” Where’s the evidence? Are they operating on feelings? Is it based upon The Word of God? The Character of God? Do trump’s actions align with the Word of God?

What the Evangelicals won’t tell people is how they have contrived for years to find someone who will do whatever they want done–under cover of the White House–for an exchange of money–the almighty dollar that speaks volumes for those who are greedy and corrupt. And yes, I’m calling out the Evangelical Community that lied to people and is still lying to people. They do not know God, or His Word, or His Character. If they did, they would not have told people God chose trump. It’s just that simple and that can be researched and proven by trying to align trump’s character and behavior with The Word of God.

But we know, the lying Evangelicals won’t tell people the truth, because they don’t want to admit their fallibility as human beings because to them, being a Christian means you can never be wrong. The reality is, being a Christian really means–we try to live like Christ–admitting our shortcomings, recognizing we’ll never be perfect and always seeking Him to guide us in all things. And when we “think” we’ve heard Him speak to us, we can prove it by aligning what He says to us with what He’s already said in His Word. God is not a man that He should lie or change His mind about What He’s said or the Purpose for which He said, anything.

God knows just how imperfect we are and the fact that we’ll never reach perfection as long as we are in a position to “choose” what we say or do. When we fall short, we acknowledge it, seek forgiveness and guidance and keep it moving, until the next time and there will be a next time. It’s what happens to fallible human beings–we are true to our nature.

 

 

The Best For Michigan

For Governor and Lt. Governor of MI Gretchen Whitmer and Garlin Gilchrist II

gretchenwhitmer.com

Sending our current Senator Debbie Stabenow to Washington

stabenow.senate.gov

For the newest Congressional Representative for MI09 Andy Levin

andylevinforcongress.com

For the Congressional Representative for MI08 Elissa Slotkin

elissaforcongress.com

For the Congressional Representative for MI10 Kimberly Bizon

electbizon2018.com

For the Congressional Representative for MI11 Haley Stevens

haleystevensforcongress.com

For the Congressional Representative for MI03 Cathy Albro

cathyalbroforcongress.com

For Attorney General Dana Nessel

dana2018.com

For Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

votebenson.com

For State Representative for MI107 Joanne Galloway

joannegalloway.com

For State Representative for MI18 Kevin Hertel

hertelforhouse.com

For State Representative for MI22 John Chirkun

johnchirkun.com

For State Representative for MI28 Lori Stone

electloristone.com

For State Representative for MI02 Joe Tate

tateformichigan.com

For State Senator Representing MI09 Paul Wojno

paulwojno.com

For State Senator Representing MI10 Henry Yanez

votehenryyanez.com

For Macomb County Clerk Fred Miller

thefredmillerspot.com

For Macomb County 16th Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Pyden

elizabethpyden.com

For MI Supreme Court Sam Bagenstos

bagenstosforjustice.com

For MI Supreme Court Megan Cavanaugh

cavanaughforsupremecourt.com

For MI State Board of Education  Judith Pritchett and Tiffany Tilley

For Regents for U of M  Jordan Acker and Paul Brown

For Trustees of MSU  Brianna Scott and Kelly Tebay

For WSU Board of Governors  Anil Kumar and Bryan Barnhill

For Eastpointe School Board  Chineva Early and Robert Roscoe

For Macomb County Commissioner Veronica Klinefelt

Come on Michigan we can do this for a Better Life for all Michiganders!

Vote for every Democrat on the ballot to make sure every citizen in Michigan has their voice heard for generations to come.

 

No More Lies!

Trump is averaging — AVERAGING — 30 false or misleading claims a day in the last seven weeks. And, per the Fact Checker, he often of late soars far above that average. As one example: On October 22, when he traveled to Houston to hold a rally for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), Trump, said 83 untrue things in a single day. 83!

A recent interview published in Vanity Fair reveals that trump said, “blacks were too stupid to vote for him.”

At a rally this past week, trump claimed that President Obama was the biggest liar because he said over a period of time, that people would be able to keep their own doctors (he thought was true at the time) 28 times. Yes, it was a promise that President Obama thought would happen with the ACA, but because of glitches in the program he had no control over, it didn’t come true. However, the lies told by trump number over 6 thousand, averaging 30 lies per day–since he was sworn into office.

He’s lying to his base about the danger of the “caravans” attempting to come into the United States illegally. He’s lying about the need for 5K troops, undermining the military use of soldiers to invoke fear.

He’s lying about Democrats wanting to “take your healthcare” when it has been Democrats fighting for access to healthcare for everyone. Republicans have 9 cases in court–to deny health coverage to people with pre-existing conditions through the ACA program. They know if they can deny people the right to health coverage for pre-existing conditions, it will effectively make the ACA ineffective and they can stop providing all coverage.

Some of the pre-existing conditions Republicans in congress don’t want covered are: cancer treatments, diabetes, asthma, pregnancies, mental illness/treatment, and opioid treatments. Now, days and hours before the Mid Term elections, they’re “lying” about covering pre-existing conditions only because it is Democrats fighting for the protections and they are discussing in their campaigns.

It’s time for people to wake up and some have. I’ve noticed a number of people on Twitter declaring they were Republicans, but are voting for every Democrat on their ballots with the hashtag #GOPVotingBlue! They are tired of the lies, the hatred, the bigotry, the fearmongering and lack of empathy and compassion they’ve seen from the White House. I don’t know if anyone could have imagined a resident of the Oval House complain that coverage of a “mass murder” at a Jewish synagogue interfered with the momentum of his hate rallies. Really? That was his concern. The media wasn’t covering his rallies, but were instead covering the loss of lives by a madman, stoked by fear listening to trump. And let’s not forget, the idiot trump supporter who mailed pipe bombs to those who have vocally criticized him–members of Congress, past presidents, celebrities and the media. He didn’t even take time to condemn the act.

So, if you’re as tired of the lies as I am, it’s time to do something about it. Democrats are not for open borders–we want sustainable immigration reform. Democrats are not trying to take anyone’s guns–we want common sense gun reform so that people won’t be able to walk into a worship service and gun down people with an assault rifle. Democrats want reduced taxes for the middle class and working families and want the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. Democrats want all workers to have a living wage and not have to work two and three jobs to survive. Democrats want consumer protections to make sure all can breathe the air, drink the water and eat food produced from soil that has not been contaminated by poisonous chemicals. Democrats want every person who desires a higher education to be able to afford getting one, without mounds of debt. Democrats want Senior Citizens to enjoy their final years without worrying about how they’re to eat, keep a roof over their heads or to pay for their healthcare. Democrats want every veteran who has served our country to have the benefits they need.

If you haven’t already voted, make sure you exercise your right to do so or this may be the last time.  Fascism–taking away the rights as guaranteed every American in our Constitution–is encroaching with trump since the GOP Congress won’t do their job. America has no need for a dictator and we won’t stand for having one.

The desperation people in hear in trump’s voice, invoking fear and hatred is real. That’s the only thing he’s not lying about, because he knows–a Democratic Congress will hold him accountable for everything he does and he will no longer have a free pass to rape the US Treasury or pass legislation that is vindictive and spiteful. But because he is so fearful and insecure, he will stoke anger and hatred among those who refuse to think for themselves and he hopes enough anger with arise for him to employ martial law–bringing in the military to keep order, while really establishing himself as the lone wolf–instructed by Putin–to destroy our democracy.

Oh, and the lies people hear in churches–are designed to keep those listening under control. It’s really a shame that many good people are sitting in churches everywhere, listening to the lies being told by church leadership–just to control them. They will never tell people the truth–God gives us choices and respects our choices. Religious folks simply want to control others and their bodies (except for the men). I will say this one more time–just in case people didn’t “hear” it before–

God did not choose trump to lead this country; fearful, hateful, bigoted people chose trump!

If people haven’t figured this out by now, God help them. But if they have, do like those who are now voting for Democrats–Vote Blue–because whether some like it or not, Democratic values are more aligned with Scripture than anything the Religious Right are demonstrating. Don’t take my word for it–read the bible for yourself (Matthew 25:31-45).  Of course, understanding the Bible would mean a person has a relationship with Christ and He is dwelling in their hearts, so full of love there is no room for hate or fear.

Did not Jesus tell us in John 8:32 that if we held to His teaching (not men’s), “We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free?”

We’re also told in the bible that Satan is the father of lies, a master of deception, and his only job is to kill, steal, and destroy. We see all the character traits of Satan in trump in all he says and does. His constant lies indicate who his father is, his invention of problems where there are none–deceptive to get media attention; he’s killing people by withholding subsidies for healthcare, stealing from tax payers on a daily basis, and trying his best to destroy our democracy. Pay attention, America!

I’ve already voted and I voted Blue–for the people–all the people! What are you going to do?