I Mistakenly Gave You My Friendship, and Now I’m Compelled to Take it From You

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedPolitics

Author’s note: This is an actual message that I sent to a friend – someone I had known for many years. I felt it important to share with LCR readers who may be experiencing similar struggles. The content of this message has been *lightly* edited to provide clarity for general readership.

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I have given this a great deal of thought, and I feel I must say this. I have always tried to do my best to be open-minded to other opinions. And I will continue to do so. But my willingness to listen to opposing sides was carelessly abused Wednesday evening. You saw fit to use my Facebook post decrying the violence and loss of life at the hands of a mob incited by the sitting president as an excuse to peddle conspiracy theories. The photos of “proof” you provided were doctored to make uninformed, gullible people believe that Antifa – not Trump supporters – were behind the insurrection at the Capitol on Wednesday.

The real proof – not hearsay (you claimed that your “reliable” friend provided this “proof”) – is that the people in the photos were all identified as well-known Trump supporters, some of them active in QAnon – a bastion of the most horrible, outlandish conspiracy theories I have ever had the misfortune to hear. These people saw fit to bypass legal and peaceful means to air their grievances, violently pushing themselves into the building – breaking through windows and doors, shoving through barricades, overpowering a Capitol Police officer to the point that he suffered fatal injuries, and forcing another officer to shoot a rioter – directly resulting in loss of human life. This wasn’t a protest. This wasn’t a righteous “Second American Revolution”, or “Second Civil War”. This was an attempted coup by a mob of closed-minded, disgruntled people who voluntarily chose to swallow Trump’s lies and cult of personality hook, line, and sinker, believing his persistent, baseless claims of a stolen election just because he said so. There is no PROOF. The EVIDENCE for my claim is the FACT that the vast majority of judges didn’t see even enough evidence to allow a case to be heard. The highest court in the land, packed of judges that Trump himself placed, ruled these claims to be baseless and without merit. The blindness of those who refuse to even see the proof boggles my mind.

We had known each other for years. I used to believe that you, living and working in Washington as an advocate for disabled Americans, were a level-headed, critical-thinking human being, who cared about truth and facts. I tolerated your meek argument that Trump “was a nice person”, based on a single personal meeting, without evaluating him beyond what mask he decided to wear on that day.

I invite you to reply to my post and apologize as soon as humanly possible for your mistake of promoting photographs that have been proven to be doctored with the intent to redirect blame. I would hope that you would have the self-awareness to accept the abundant facts refuting the photos you posted – and that you state so in public. 

My heart is broken for my country, for the people who were injured and killed, for the duly-elected people who run our government as they fled to escape the violence in fear of their own lives – and for the friendship that I mistakenly gave, and now am compelled to take from you.

With deep regrets

Similar Read: Trump and Smokers

What a Disgrace, But Should Anyone Be Surprised?

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

“A hot mess… inside a dumpster fire… inside a train wreck.”

Jake Tapper’s initial response to the debate was about as accurate as you’re going to get in short summary of the shit we witnessed last night.

What we watched last night was a disgrace. A total embarrassment, and probably reason #985 why the rest of the world either laughs or shakes their head when you ask them about “America.”

Trump is a compulsive liar. He tried his best to lure Biden into a dog fight filled with personal insults, name-calling, and bravado only two old privileged White men could display. And Biden took the bait. (Not sure we can blame him.) The moderator Chris Wallace was terrible. Trump walked over him all night, literally all night. There was no decorum. No civil debate or dialogue. No substantive debate on the issues that really matter.

For many, the biggest moment came Trump refused to disavow White Supremacists. Not sure why this would surprise anyone. Nothing about his presidency or life frankly has “disavowed” White Supremacy. In fact, you can say he’s embraced it. Many would say he is one. Whether it’s “good people on both sides,” tax cuts for the wealthy, or just recently his attempt to end racial sensitivity training in federal agencies ‘because it’s racist’, we have to ask ourselves, what have people been paying attention to if that truly surprised them last night? Maybe it was his call for the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by.”

Either way, Trump has shown us who he is time and time again. After last night, they should probably cancel the remaining two debates. Our country is at an all-time low. Our democracy is at risk of failing, 200,000+ in the US are dead from a virus that literally every other country has under control, and we’re likely on the verge of a civil war. What a fucking embarrassment.

The Pepsi Challenge (Political Opinions & Social Progress)

by with No Comment Diversity & InclusionSocial Issues

Opinions should be innocuous and a matter of preference, and that has not been the case with political opinions. They’ve become so polarizing, that they’ve halted the political progression of this nation. Something no opinion should do. 

Have you ever been to a restaurant and the waiter asks for your drink order and you say, “I’ll just have a Coke?” The waiter sometimes responds, “I’m sorry, we only have Pepsi products.” With the exception of very rare sticklers to Coke products, almost everyone will simply order a Pepsi without giving it much thought.  Why? Because while most people prefer either Coke or Pepsi, it doesn’t prohibit them from enjoying a nice cold fizzy drink if their favorite isn’t available. No one is going to leave a restaurant for the protest of Coke products when the restaurant only has Pepsi products. You like Coke over Pepsi or Pepsi over Coke, yet your opinion on the soda is inconsequential and you have no problem drinking the similar alternative.

The current US political climate has allowed people to have political stances, stances that are quite damaging under the guise of “opinions.” 

Even more dangerous, opinions have superseded actual facts.

From the revisionist historical narrative that the American Civil War was fought over “states rights” and not slavery to holding dear to the belief President Obama was a Muslim (as if that would have been a bad thing anyway), their opinions have become shields for bigotry, thus the extreme polarization of issues. 

Related: Diplomacy and War: Know the Difference

Recent news has been filled with such opinions of Black Lives Matter vs all lives matter… maintaining confederate statues vs removing confederate statues… and the latest debate… how do people feel about Colin Kaepernick and the NFL player protests. “Opinions” on these issues mentioned above, specifically from those who identify as Conservative/Trump base, unequivocally go against a cause or people that have been wronged. 

“That’s just my opinion” simply isn’t valid for wanting to uphold honoring public places for a treasonous faction like the Confederate States of America. That “opinion” fuels the opposition and it’s a shield for an appreciation of the Confederacy, which you know… attacked the United States to uphold slavery. 

Yes, it seems as if this article is a dig at Conservatives/Trump base. For starters, you catch on quick; and second, yes, you are correct. Conservatives have become entrenched on opinions that side with the wrongdoing of marginalized people. Liberal or Conservative extremism is bad; however, Conservative extremism seems to be furthering the political divide in this nation for their relentless defense of bigotry and being anti-social progress. 

I want to do my part with those burning their Nikes… worried about Hillary Clinton emails… and seeing the need to honor Generals of a nation that went to war with their countrymen and attempted to secede from the United States. I offer you all a Coke and a smile… and if you don’t yell, “It’s disrespectful to the flag,” I’ll even see if I can get you a Pepsi. 

WITNESSING A BLUEPRINT IN MEMPHIS

by with No Comment CultureDiversity & InclusionFeatured

Scribbled on notepads in his study are the contemplations of a young man with a heavenly calling. With a skylight shining through an overhead window, a modern-day pioneer surrounded by sneaker boxes sketches his vision for a city in the Antebellum South.  In the coming weeks and months, those scribbles will blossom into palatable messages that will inspire and challenge the lives in his adopted community. Often only remembered as the location for the final living moments of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Memphis is in dire need of a rebirth. Once a major slave trading post, in 1862 during the Civil War, the Union Army recaptured the city of Memphis in an effort to emancipate those in bondage. Similarly, Pastors Jeremy and Tasha Louison are poised to capture the city of Memphis on behalf of the church they have been called to plant, Pioneer Church.

As someone who has raged against the machine of celebrity Christianity for the greater part of ten years, I have had a peek behind the curtain of a few mega churches. In Memphis, however, I had the pleasure of witnessing the grunt work that goes on behind the scenes of bringing to life a young church’s mission of creating an “environment where passionate, diverse, and spirit-filled people experience oneness with God and oneness with each other.”

After collectively working 100-hour weeks in their full-time careers and raising an energetic one-year-old, the Louisons can be found on Saturday evenings discussing edits to their announcements or dripping in sweat from moving tables and chairs in the sweltering southern heat. Absent are the smoke machines, Broadway-style lighting, Grammy-nominated choirs, and over-inflated salaries of pastors who are exempt from paying taxes. In an era where celebrity pastors strategically plant churches using the same business model as Starbucks, the Louisons have instead decided to adopt the model of The Apostle Paul: bringing the Gospel to the forgotten Gentiles of downtown Memphis. While other churches have decided to plant churches in affluent communities, Pioneer planted their flag where their message is most needed, in downtown Memphis. In an area that is riddled with abandoned commercial real estate and illegal prostitution is rampant when night falls, Pioneer Church is embodying what the Christian church is called to do in a modern world that is so in need of a life-giving message.

In the face of various naysayers who have stood on the sidelines shouting that the young couple’s vision was destined to fail, they have pressed on with a steely focus on the lives they have been called to impact. The congregants they lead steal away on Sundays to meet just as the congregants in the early church did: a small group of young men, women, and children finding oneness in their faith. A group that can be found exposing their wounds to one another while finding community through encouraging one another with love.

In 1967, a year before his death, Dr. King delivered a speech to a Philadelphia middle school where he posed the question, “What is your life’s blueprint?” A speech that is not as heralded as some of his more notable speeches, King encourages students to determine their own self-worth, to always achieve excellence in whatever work they put their hands to no matter the scale, and that there should always be a commitment to beauty, love, and justice. And in the place where Dr. King exhaled his final breaths, Pioneer Church is exhaling new ones by embodying that blueprint.

I swell with pride to call Pastor Jeremy and Tasha Louison my family. And after spending time in their home, I am even more eager to see their divine Blueprint come to life. I left their home reflecting on Chance The Rapper’s song, Blessings, as a benediction for that area of downtown Memphis: “Are you ready for your blessing? Are you ready for your miracle?”

Remove Confederate Statues? The LCR Responds…

by with No Comment Uncategorized

The descendants of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson have stated that confederate statues should be removed. Yet, many American’s still have mixed feelings about the statues and their place in society. Municipalities and institutions are scrambling trying to figure out what to do. Last week, the City of Baltimore and the University of Texas decided to remove their confederate statues overnight. Our contributors share their thoughts about the meaning of the statues, and what we should do with them…

“They say the victor writes history; however, when it comes to the Civil War, the monuments tell a different story. We need to stop paying homage to men who inspired the hate we saw in Charlottesville. If we keep the monuments in place, it creates the impression that we pay homage to those men that represented oppression and hate. If we look to move past history to a state of respect and equality, we need to remove them, acknowledge the facts of slavery and the negative effects we still see today.” – Center Single Mom

“We’ve been holding on to the past for way too long. It’s time to remove those statues so that there isn’t a constant reminder of the ugly times of our past. Instead of holding on to those statues, we should be examining why they mean so much in the first place. Why are some people so intent on holding on to symbols of oppression from the past? Is it because they aren’t ready for that time to be over? If that’s not it, then why the resistance? It should be understood that those statues and monuments represent an ugly period of time in our country’s history. Those statues are the manifestation of hate for a disenfranchised group of people that never deserved the ire to begin with. If we truly want to move past that time, the statues need to go. No one needs that constant reminder of a time charged with hate. It’s time to let it go.” – Center Left HR

“Union North won the American Civil War, slavery ended, and the USA attempted to move forward together with the Confederate South even after unspeakable violence. Imagine continuing to exist in a country where your ideas are not just rejected, but physically beaten out of existence. It can’t be easy for the surviving losers. Consequently, the Confederate monuments were probably meant to be pacifiers for the defeated Southerners and their “way of life” (heavily built around slavery). However, none of those Confederates are still alive (even if their grandchildren are), and slavery is an abhorrent idea rejected entirely by more than 99% of the population. Now these monuments only stand to encourage racism and antagonize black Americans who share the same rights as everyone else to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.” – Unaffiliated Humanist Musician

“Confederate statues belong in museums not public squares. The difference between statues of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson and statues of Robert E. Lee or Jefferson Davis is that the former never waged war against the United States. It’s also important to remember that many of these statues are not meant to be historic monuments – they were erected to intimidate African Americans. There is an important distinction between remembering the dark parts of our history and glorifying them.” – Center Left College Student

When Trump held his press conference after the Charlottesville incident, in a facetious tone he hinted towards removing statues of George Washington as well. An important question – is the fight to maintain confederate monuments rooted only in reminding black people of their ancestors being enslaved? I’m not sure, but that seems to be reason they were erected in first place. Perhaps a better question – will the inability of our political leaders to listen and understand the perspectives of all Americans, and not just their voting base, cause us to one day extol another in stone, despite great ambivalence amongst our citizens?” – Independent Atlanta Teacher 

LCR Perspective: Kaepernick Vs. The NFL

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Sierra Leone Crisis = International Silence ?

by with 2 Comments Media

Sierra Leone…

I am sick and tired of one tragedy being more noteworthy than another. I am sick of one loss gaining more awareness on social media platforms and support while another is ignored and lost in the dark.

This is my outlook on the Sierra Leone Mudslide disaster… 

499 dead. Hundreds are currently missing. Where is the world’s outcry? Where are the colored filters on Facebook for Sierra’s Leone’s Mudslide victims?

All hell broke loose in the early hours of Monday (August, 14, 2017), Sierra Leoneans woke up to devastating torrential rains that caused flooding and triggered a massive mudslide. Most the damage done was in the Mortormeh, Kamayama, and Kaningo communities, which are on the outskirts of the capital Freetown.

Sierra Leone government’s initial reports have indicated that as of now, over 499 bodies have been recovered, of that number 150 were children. Search operations are still ongoing. The bodies have been brought to the central morgue in Freetown, but it is estimated that the number of victims may increase to the thousands.

People have lost property, possessions, and hundreds are now homeless with nowhere to go. Most of these people are women and children, mothers and infants that need urgent help and care.

To make matters worse, health workers have warned of an impending health crisis since corpses have been left in the open and the mass burial of bodies is still underway.

There are agencies working on the ground who are doing their best to respond to the disaster, but due to the large scale of destruction it has been described as an unprecedented tragedy for Sierra Leone.

As this all plays out, I am baffled and enraged by the lack of outcry or support from the international community. It’s now Sunday (August, 21, 2017), and I note an echoing silence by some of the international leaders and communities around the world.

The lack of support or a response even is disgusting. Sierra Leone, a country in perpetual conflict has seen its share of trials and tribulations that range from Civil War to the Ebola crisis. This latest disaster feels like the one that is meant to break the people’s will.

The only good thing I have come to find out of this disaster is that African leaders around the continent have officially expressed their support and sympathy to the people of Sierra Leone. Countries like Senegal, and Ivory Coast have made substantial financial donations and sent relief packages to aid the rescue efforts.

Citizens of Sierra Leone who live abroad have also sent back support and assistance to Sierra Leone, but little to nothing else has been said or done by countries like France, UK, Germany, or the USA.

No one tragedy is above another, or holds less severity than another. The attack on Barcelona received support and attention from all the corners of the world, but a mudslide that kills over 400 people in Sierra Leone receives nothing but a whisper? 

This is the problem with the world. This is what makes us in the West isolated and unaware of what is taking place on our own planet. Our media covers only what it feels aligns with its agenda, and everything else is ignored and left in the dark.

I hope and pray that after reading this those who truly care for others will conduct some research on Sierra Leone and attempt to either help or at the very least bring attention to the situation.

We are part of this world, humanity is important, and it’s about time we actually act like it and hold others accountable for it as well.

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