The Coronavirus Pandemic Should Be the Jumpstart to a Revolution?

by with 7 Comments CultureFeaturedGen ZhighlightPolitics

The Coronavirus pandemic has become the #1 issue worldwide, causing widespread panic, anxiety, and isolation. I’ll admit, I originally thought the virus would be a fleeting issue; but as the death toll rises and countries lockdown, the seriousness of the situation can no longer be underestimated. I’m concerned for those who are most vulnerable to the virus, and the emotion that I find myself feeling the most is anger. The United States government has failed to properly respond to the Coronavirus outbreak, and this failure has shone a major light on the fact that the U.S. is horrifically flawed down to its’ very core, and has spent years devaluing, mistreating and oppressing anyone who doesn’t belong to the 1%. Most of us have already been aware of the many social inequities going on in this country, but this virus is now waking others up to how bad things truly are.

On March 7th, ABC News tweeted about a man with Coronavirus that worked several shifts at Hobart’s Grand Chancellor Hotel instead of self-quarantining. This is dangerous because his actions will more than likely cause harm to those who came in contact with him. However, his actions point to the larger issue of poverty in the U.S., as he is just one of many workers that have long been forced to put their health & the health of others in jeopardy because being fired or missing a paycheck could lead to their downfall. In addition to this, people are afraid to even get tested because of the expensive medical bills, another example of just how rampant poverty is in the supposed “best country in the world.”

Moving on to the closure of K-12 schools and universities, the Mayor of New York confirmed that NYC public schools are closed until April 20th; however, it was originally reported that the schools wouldn’t close since 114,000 homeless students depend on school meals to eat. Numerous colleges across the country have sent students home and will have classes online. But, this immediately raised concerns about the number of homeless students who depend on their college for housing and food, who were basically being thrown to the wolves. None of this is okay and it’s shameful that this country acts as if it is.

The fact that so many people are being forced to choose between their health or losing their job, and that tons of students are living in extreme poverty with no access to food or shelter outside of the schools they attend is not an individual issue, but a structural one. The United States is a rich country with enough money to guarantee things like healthcare, paid sick leave, and food/housing for its’ residents, but those who have the power to do this simply choose not to. Billions of dollars are poured into things like the military budget—so imagine what this country would be like if the money were put towards things that are actually needed, like healthcare or canceling student loan debt?

Furthermore, Coronavirus has shown that progressive policies that have been shut down for years are doable. The NYC Council Speaker, Corey Johnson, announced on March 15th that eviction proceedings would be suspended statewide until further notice (Miami Dade will be doing the same). In Bexar County, arrests for minor offenses have been suspended to prevent crowding in prisons. In Detroit, residents who’ve had their water shutoff will have their service turned back on. My question is, why did it take a pandemic for these things to be done? People have spent years calling for these actions to take place! Many of us are aware that evictions, mass incarceration, water shutoffs, etc. are backward, cruel and unnecessary, and should have ended a long time ago. But we were repeatedly told that this was impossible and that these things somehow needed to happen for society to function. Now that we’ve seen firsthand that that’s bullshit, and that our government has always had the power to make decisions that actually make life easier/better for us, we cannot allow things to go back to the way they were. Once the pandemic is over, those in power will attempt to go back to business as usual, but we can’t let them do that.

I urge everyone to let this moment radicalize them, and to demand that the rights being given to us during the pandemic remain. Greed and selfishness have been the heartbeat of this country for too long. People have stood up and fought back in the past, and this pandemic has been a breaking point for so many of us. It’s my hope that from this point on, people will stand up and fight back in a way that has never been seen before. In the words of Assata Shakur…

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” 

Similar Read: Spreading Consideration: How the Coronavirus Pandemic Can Teach Us to Care

A Trillion Dollars in Afghanistan… So How Did We Fix This?

by with No Comment FeaturedGlobalPolitics

On December 9, 2019, the Washington Post published documents detailing how for nearly two decades the US spent nearly a trillion dollars in Afghanistan (please note, this doesn’t include Iraq). So how do we fix this?

Let’s not use this piece to discuss current political fights on being unable to afford health care for all of us or why we cant relieve student debt or the current reduction to SNAP recipients.

Today we will look at talks that have gone on in the military since the conflict began. Once, Afghanistan was referred to as America’s forgotten war as Iraq stole the headlines. In the year 2004, I was preparing to be a military officer by 2006. The concern of classmates then was, “how can we lead and train troops who saw combat while we are only studying now and the wars would be done?” Little did we know…

Since the wars have gone on, the talk was always this isn’t a single war, but the explanation you would get in honest informal talk was these were 6, 9, 12, 15 or God forbid 18-month wars. Once a new unit came in, they had their way of doing operations and what was previously done would be forgotten. And if I’m being totally honest, I was guilty of it to. Whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, in both places I was apart of “our predecessors are jacked up and our replacements don’t get it yet.“

In combat, you have three fights. In simple terms, there is the tactical fight, the operational fight and the strategic fight. Tactically, force vs force and owning a geographical area, I bet on us any day. Even operationally, our military will is undeniable. Then you get to this thing called the strategic fight and this is where it gets murky.

So how do we fix this?

I had a Sergeant Major who I considered a teacher tell me to ask two questions; what’s next, and who needs to know? Tactically and operationally, this is not so difficult, but strategically, that is a bigger problem. Now, I ask you to match that problem with a military system that frowns if you say “I don’t know.” Imagine a system that your evaluations and career depends on producing results and showing gains towards a desired goal. Imagine leaders who are convinced beforehand they know the problem and answer (hint: it leads to cherry-picking data).

So how do we fix this?

In the military, we have this concept we call a self-licking ice cream cone. The data pulled can tell any story you want (and often a favorable progressing story is told); but in Afghanistan, nearing two decades and a trillion dollars, the story told is extremely complicated.

So how do we fix this?

Again, that’s complicated. We all know someone who served but really, only 1% of the population serves, so there is an extreme disconnect and lack of ownership and/or true investment.

Strategically, saying have one strategy and sticking to it sounds good, but in combat, variables are fluid and can change instantly, there is no one size fits all. You need to know your objective and accomplish this BEFORE variables change, BUT the enemy ALWAYS has a vote as does other regional and global actors.

So how do we fix this, and importantly, how do we prevent this you ask? It’ll take a nation as a whole. Not every war is Desert Shield/Desert Storm where ground operations are done in under 100 hours. That is part of the problem.

I want you to think back… When have you ever heard, “this war will be long, operations will be tough, we’re going to spend trillions and your kids not yet born will one day be fighting this same war.” The answer is never… we always here how it will be business as usual and the political proclamations made publicly are held up by the military and championed by the press.

So how do we fix this? Next time conflict arises, don’t cheerlead. Ask those tough questions to leaders and the press. If misled hold those leaders accountable, but also know if our leadership changes, that’s a variable change that also may affect our actions…. so I leave you with one question, so how do we fix this?

Similar Read: Diplomacy and War: Know the Difference

War Taxes and Other Radical Ideas From the Left

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

Joe Biden is the clear front runner in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination. Regardless of his tone-deaf comments and self-inflicting blunders, his poll numbers haven’t wavered and the race is his to lose. With that being said, nearly every Democrat trailing him is willing to say and do anything to gain traction, including radical ideas and “sound good” policy.

Bernie Sanders, who is second in most polls, just proposed cutting student loan debt, all $1.6 TRILLION. It sounds good, but unrealistic by any measure and a weak attempt to gain traction. Student loan debt can be crippling, and maybe that’s why so many people have quickly jumped on the Bernie bandwagon after he made the announcement… some probably knowing it sounds too good to be true, and others really believing it could happen (if he wins of course). Let’s just say we defer to the former.

If that wasn’t a stretch goal, last week Beto O’Rourke proposed a “war tax”, which would require non-military households (so roughly 99% of the population) to pay a “war tax” to help cover the health care of veterans of newly-authorized wars. Healthcare for veterans, including mental health and other related services for them and their families, should be a primary concern of every White House administration. We can safely say both parties have dropped this ball. But more taxes to address this issue isn’t the answer, and if Beto didn’t know that before his announcement, Twitter quickly confirmed that it’s a nonstarter. While the taxes would be nominal, it’s still a bad idea thrown at an even worse problem.

Household income…

  • Making less than $30,000/year would pay $25
  • Making less than $40,000/year would pay $57
  • Making less than $50,000/year would pay $98
  • Making less than $75,000/year would pay $164
  • Making less than $100,000/year would pay $270
  • Making less than $200,000/year would pay $485
  • Making more than $200,000/year would pay $1,000.

Just a thought… Considering we budget more for our military than the next 7 countries combined, why don’t we start by allocating a small percentage of that to veterans healthcare? I think we’ll have enough… to still say we budget more for our military than the next 7 countries combined. 

Twice As Good To Get Half of What They Have

by with One Comment EducationFeaturedGen Z

The cheating scandal involving Yale University, Stanford University and the University of Southern California, etc. has confirmed what people of color in this country have known for years: being wealthy and White stacks the odds in your favor.

Many people believe that being a hard worker, dedicated and honest will make any goal attainable. Sadly, that’s never been the case.

Federal prosecutors charged 50 individuals—including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman—for bribery. They bribed college officials by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their children’s standardized test results manipulated, fabricating their kids’ athletic credentials and having their children falsely diagnosed with learning disabilities for extra testing time, which was used to cheat.

The irony of this situation is not lost on me. This behavior is the exact type of “scamming the system” that people of color are often accused of. High school senior Kamilah Campbell from Florida had her SAT results flagged after retaking the test and going from a 900 to a 1230. Her results were deemed invalid and Campbell “felt like she was being accused of cheating.” After being unsatisfied with her original score, she received a tutor, utilized the Princeton Review Prep Book, and took online classes. Black people are often lectured, told not to expect handouts and to simply work harder if we want any semblance of success. Kamilah put in the extra work and was still punished for it. Whenever we make any type of strides, the goal post is moved once again.

I realized that parents involved in the scandal likely did what they thought was best for their children. This led me to remember the story in which a Black single mother was jailed for attempting to do the best for her kids. Kelley Williams-Bolar, a mother living in Ohio, was prosecuted on felony charges after using her father’s address to have her children enrolled in another school district. All Kelley wanted was to keep her children safe and give them access to a better education. She spent nine days in prison, was placed on probation for three years and given 80 hours of community service. Similarly, Tanya McDowell, a mother from Bridgeport Connecticut sent her son to a school in a different district and was convicted of first-degree larceny. Unlike Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, these women don’t benefit from the privileges of being White and wealthy.

The education system is not equal and children of color often get the short end of the stick when it comes to the quality of their education. Kelley and Tanya did what they deemed necessary to give their children better opportunities; however, Loughlin and Huffman had no reason to do what they did. Their privilege gave their kids access to the best tutors, internships, extracurricular activities, and connections that would have allowed their kids to succeed whether they were capable or not. These women should be prosecuted and be punished the way that the system punished Kelley and Tanya. In fact, these women should be punished to a much higher extent.

The most painful part of this story is knowing that money allowed unqualified students to be given spots at the country’s best universities; meanwhile qualified students who did the work necessary to excel legitimately were denied. I’ve witnessed firsthand the work that lower-income students put in so that they can fund their college education: spending hours applying for scholarships, working tirelessly to excel athletically/academically to receive full rides, going into debt from taking out student loans, and posting GoFundMe’s to receive the money to continue their schooling. This scandal comes as no surprise because the playing field is not, and has never been equal. Laughlin’s daughter, Olivia Jade, stated that she did not care about school, and simply wanted to attend for the “experience.” For many people of color, attending college is more than an experience. For many of us, college is a lifeline. It’s a chance for us to improve our circumstances and create the life that we dream of living. Olivia Jade reducing university to nothing more than a chance to attend games and party is a testament to how rich people live in completely different worlds than everyone else. This scam is a testament as to how even if lower-income people of color work twice as hard, the wealthy can rely on money to cut to the front of the line. 

Similar Read: Segregated Rosters

Barack Obama… The Man Vs. The President

by with No Comment Uncategorized

“One can have profound respect for Barack Obama the man, and one can also show no support or care for Barack Obama the President.”

A week before leaving office outspoken President Obama critic Tavis Smiley penned a brief, yet direct, letter of appreciation towards President Obama. The message of appreciation was titled, “A Letter to Obama, In Gratitude and Love.” In summary, Mr. Smiley detailed his appreciation for Barack Obama the man and his character and grace as President. There was no mention or thanks regarding Barack Obama’s accomplishments as President. I’d argue that Mr. Smiley’s lack of appreciation for President Obama is appropriate, and similar to Mr. Smiley, I was a strong critic of the President as well. Despite the criticism, Mr. Smiley stayed the course for Obama by voting for him twice, which something I did not do. I know, shocker! A black man who didn’t vote for Obama?!? Yes, and I’ll easily explain.

Like my fellow fraternal brother Tavis Smiley, I appreciated Barack Obama the man. I thank him for his sound mind and spirit and efforts in attempting inclusion of all American interests in his policies. From the moment I voted for him in 2008 to the point I was greatly disappointed followed by his final days in office, make no mistake about it, I admired Barack Obama.

Mr. Smiley was very outspoken against President Obama during his presidency. Obama’s lackluster response to the Trayvon Martin case and the fact that Black Americans lost great economical ground in America during his presidency were two of the main issues in which he criticized Obama.

I personally stopped supporting President Obama due to his failure to pass universal healthcare in 2010. I don’t want to hear anything about what he couldn’t do. Democrats controlled Congress and it could have been done. If he would’ve passed universal healthcare, what’s going on now in the Republican led Congress regarding the healthcare debate would’ve been much harder to do. Moving on… Obama failed to revise the tax code, failed to make social security solvent or even attempt to make it solvent, failed to address the next economic bubble of student loans/education cost, and last but not least failed to address draconian federal drug laws.

Sure, my social media timelines are filled with people posting pictures of the Obama first family and support for Obama. However, I wonder if that support is for Obama the President or Obama the man. Obama the man, from what we know is as honorable as they come. Obama the President, well, I’m glad I can order my politics a la carte. For that’s a dish I prefer not to have.

Tavis Smiley: A Letter to Obama, In Gratitude and Love