WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS (A BLACK WOMAN AND TWO FELONS)

by with One Comment PoliticsTrump Administration

Last week, Omarosa Manigault, formerly Trump’s lone Black advisor, did her rounds blasting the President. Of course, she wrote a book looking to cash in. Nothing new there. Besides, that seems to be the de facto move immediately following a relationship going south in Washington. But even more interesting, she’s claiming to have more than 200 recordings of her time in the White House. One can only guess what’s on those recordings. She’s also claiming that Trump is a racist and has said the N word. I’m not sure what’s worse, the fact that some pundits have suggested that such a tape would be a deal breaker, as if the President has shown no signs of discrimination rhetorically or policy wise, or the fact that Omarosa wants us to believe she didn’t know or think the President was a racist for the past 20 years until the moment Kelly fired her in the Situation Room.

Either way, this dog, as he referred to her in a tweet, might have his card and stop at nothing to ruin him… and in Trump fashion, get paid while doing it.

This week, as if things couldn’t get any worse, Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was found guilty on 8 felony charges including tax and bank fraud.

And his long time “fixer” attorney, Michael Cohen, who once vowed to take a bullet for the President, did the exact opposite and pleaded guilty to 8 felony charges including campaign financing violations.

Weeks ahead. Mueller and his team are clearly working hard. Omarosa will likely leak tape after tape as slowly as possible to ensure she cashes in for as much and as long as she can. Convicted felon Manafort’s second trial, where he faces charges of lying to the FBI and money laundering, begins next month in Washington, DC. Cohen has shown his true colors, the facade of being a loyal solider didn’t last long when he was faced with an ultimatum. Oh, and the mid-terms are coming up.

Can the Democrats gain enough momentum to win big and take back the House? With all this chaos surrounding Trump and the White House, if Dems can’t capitalize and convince voters to vote Blue instead of Red in November, this country deserves a Trump presidency and everything that comes with it. After all, the American people will have voted for him… twice.

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An Argument To Respect Omarosa?

by with One Comment PoliticsTrump AdministrationWomen's Rights

Should every citizen in this country be offended by the President when he calls a woman a dog?  A Black woman at that, considering the deep history of racism in this country when African-American’s were often referred to as animals in an attempt to degrade and further dehumanize them?  Minus the fringe, most would say yes… we should all be offended.

But this isn’t the first time he’s called a Black woman a dog, a female dog, aka a b***h. In the literal sense, he called hundreds of Black women dogs when he referred to NFL players as “sons of bitches” for deciding to take a knee in protest during the National Anthem.  In the ongoing debate of whether we should take Trump’s comments and tweets literally or figuratively, the media completely missed or ignored his NFL SOB comment as disrespect to their mothers, who all happen to be Black women. Perhaps it’s the American culture of sexism that seems to permeate all groups and often forgets women’s rights, especially women of color.

Despite the early morning tweet attacking Omarosa, which many would call sexist and racist, it’s hard to defend her.  Over the past two decades, she’s built a reputation on being arrogant, extremely rude, and overly confrontational toward anyone who has criticized Donald Trump.  It’s especially hard to defend her if you’re a person of color who doesn’t identify with the current Administration and their policies. In many circles, she’s considered a “sell-out”, and despite the lip service, she’s been cast away as someone who does not have the Black community’s best interest at heart.

And let’s be honest, it’s hard to believe Omarosa’s recent epiphany in realizing Trump is a racist and a bigot. Because for nearly 20 years of knowing him well, including 3 appearances on The Apprentice and her short stint in the White House, she adored him, publicly praised him, and vehemently defended him at every turn.

So for many people, regardless of how sexist, racist, or cruel the tweet might’ve been, they’ve made up their mind that Omarosa is not worth their time or effort. Can we blame them? Truly an important question considering America’s current political climate. Is it possible to remove our disdain for a person and recognize the bigger picture, which is that despite many of Omarosa’s past comments and actions proving to be detrimental and harmless, does she deserve respect and decency? After all, she’s a woman, a Black woman… just like the mothers of those NFL players Trump was referring to when he attacked them and their sons nearly a year ago.

“Every critic will have to bow down to President Trump.”  

It’s Deeper Than “I like Mike!”

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Last week, LeBron James opened his I Promise School in his hometown Akron, Ohio. The $8 million public school focuses on at-risk youth and their families. The kids get free uniforms, free bicycles and helmets, free breakfast, lunch, AND snacks… their families get food pantries, their parents get GED and job placement services, and if or when the kids graduate, they get to attend the University of Akron for free. That’s a dream come true for 240 kids and their families, and a hell of a good deed for a man who could easily be worried about his transition to LA or his multiple business ventures. Instead, he decided to give back in the most significant way possible.

Regardless of your political views, where you’re from or where you work, it’s hard not to feel good about such a story that will have a positive impact on hundreds of kids and their families from day 1. Right?

Wrong… Trump couldn’t help himself. LeBron did an exclusive interview with CNN’s Don Lemon about the school shortly after it opened. In the interview LeBron was candid about how he believed Trump has successfully used sports to divide us. In typical Trump fashion, he attacked LeBron and Don Lemon on twitter.

And if that wasn’t petty enough, he added “I like Mike!”, which on the surface just looks like a jab in the on-going and never-ending debate of who’s better, MJ or LeBron.

But when you dig a little deeper and read between the lines, you should recognize the legitimate criticism Jordan has received over the years for his apolitical positions and lack of support and charity for communities of color. Considering many of the kids in these communities have struggled, fought, and in some cases died wearing his Air Jordan sneakers, you quickly realize Donald Trump liking Mike over LeBron has nothing to do with their game on the court. One could easily insinuate that he prefers the rich, quiet, passive Black athlete who’s happy with his money and status, like Jordan, instead of the rich, vocal, and extremely active Black athlete who is intent on pushing the conversation and having an impact on his community, like LeBron.

You got all that from “I like Mike!”? Yes, we did. But you be the judge.

Don Lemon being the dumbest man on TV and LeBron not being smart are just the latest dog whistle tweets and remarks in a long history of Trump attacking the intellect of Black people. More and more Republicans are starting to push back on Trump and his rhetoric… they push back on Russia and his odd obsession with Putin, they push back on his trade policies… but never on race, never when he takes an uncalled for shot at a person of color.

Will any prominent Republican’s denounce his tweets on LeBron? Probably not. In a country where minorities will soon be the majority, Republican’s might want to think about to trying to appeal to all American’s. Letting sexist, racist, xenophobic comments and remarks go unchecked, even if it is from the leader of the free world, will catch up to their party sooner than later.

Questions From Helsinki

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

President Trump’s enormous misstep in Helsinki, heaping praise onto Putin was a strange misstep that casts doubt on what had seemed like a brilliant few months of politicking.  While the President has been repeatedly vilified in the news, his string of accomplishments had been growing, and it seemed in many cases that he was almost goading many of his opponents into vilifying him while positive results continued to stack up.

Tax reform has produced the lowest unemployment in the history of unemployment tracking.  His general style of creating chaos merely to create a trading chit has proved largely effective as a bargaining chip, while serving to simultaneously rally his base.  The trade war with China may yet yield results, and the short-term negative economic effects are largely offsetting (and probably keeping inflation in check while the market absorbs the cash influx of reduced tax burdens).  While they continue to look (unsuccessfully) for opportunities to create chaos and flexibility, North Korea is moving faster and harder than they ever have toward denuclearization having already dismantled several sites.

Related: Korean Reunification Will Never Work, And Here’s Why

The political fallout from child separation was neutralized (and perhaps made a political win) when he capitulated, causing Democrats to move the goalposts from “stop separations” to “abolish ICE” – leading to the massive primary upset of Joe Crowley by an incredibly talented (but incredibly socialist) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which distracted the party and dragged them horribly out of the mainstream.  His press secretary’s (Sarah Sanders) ejection from a DC area restaurant prompted calls for harassment of his entire administration – shaking America’s confidence in one of the few reprieves they had to offer the American people – an end to all the unsettling chaos of our current political discourse.

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A Peek Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests

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“Hahahahahah yeah too [sic] bad I’m fucking grounded nigger can’t do shit” – Josh Hader, October 20, 2011.

To be recognized as an All-Star in any profession is a high honor. To be recognized as an All-Star in any professional sport is a tremendous honor. To be recognized as a racist All-Star on the night you make your first All-Star appearance is a disgrace; depending on who you ask in Milwaukee.

Josh Hader is a 24-year-old pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Josh Hader is White. During last weeks MLB All-Star Game, various racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and xenophobic tweets from 2011 surfaced during the game (see above). Following the game, Hader was informed that the tweets had gone viral and with the help of his PR team delivered the usual platitudes that are given by White athletes in this scenario. By now, you know them well. The words “sorry” “ashamed” “misguided” are often carpet bombed through the statement which typically ends with a reassurance that the comments don’t reflect their current views.

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We’ve seen this scenario play out quite a few times over the last year. During the NCAA Men’s basketball championship in April, breakout star Donte DiVincenzo’s racist tweets surfaced during the game. After attesting Cam Newton’s sexist remarks at a press conference in October, Charlotte Observer reporter, Jourdan Rodrigue’s racist tweets were surfaced. To date, neither Hader, DiVincenzo, and Rodrigue have suffered any public consequence for their tweets. While the flippant tweets of teenagers are surely a glimpse into how they were parented and their mindset at the time, I fully accept that people’s ideologies can evolve from teenage years to young adulthood. Rodrigue continues her career at the Charlotte Observer, DiVincenzo recently signed a million-dollar NBA contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Hader was given a standing ovation by the Milwaukee Brewers fan’s when he entered the game this weekend. Yes, you read that correctly; the fans gave Hader a standing ovation. A visual, audible, and symbolic affirmation of his vile commentary. Don’t believe me, just watch.

In a week that included watching the sitting President of the United States bend the proverbial knee to the President of a foreign advisory, watching the Milwaukee fans rise to applaud Hader was by far the most disgusting act I saw last week. As I watched a large majority of the 36,000 fans applaud, I could only wonder what were their professions. Then I was reminded of Sterling Brown.

Sterling Brown is a 23-year-old basketball player for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Sterling Brown is Black. While standing in a handicap parking space, Mr. Brown was tased and violently arrested by the Milwaukee Police Department earlier this year. Body camera footage showed that Mr. Brown was compliant in the face of excessive force used by police. Mr. Brown is currently suing the Milwaukee Police Department for police brutality. Yep, and you guessed it, one of the arresting officers – wait for it – went on social media to boast about his arrest and make racially charged comments.

Juxtapose these events in Milwaukee and therein you’ll find a microcosm of not only sports in America but America. A White man is cheered for his racism in MLB and another receives a million-dollar NBA contract in spite of his racism. Meanwhile, a Black man in the NBA is brutalized by police for his existence and another continues to be blackballed by the NFL for exercising his right to take a knee to demand justice for it all.

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200 Strong Defend Maxine

by with One Comment Uncategorized

“As women whose ancestors have lived through the incivility of slavery, segregation, and all other forms of discrimination, racism, and sexism, as people who have historically been told to “wait” for justice, for freedom, for our turn, we consider it an insult to characterize Ms. Waters’ call for the exercise of our constitutional rights as uncivil and un-American.” 

On July 3rd a letter signed by nearly 200 Black leaders and allies was sent to Chuck Schumer and Nanci Pelosi. (The above passage is from the letter.) They expressed their “deep disappointment” in Democratic leadership for what they considered a failure to defend Rep. Maxine Waters. In fact, they’re arguing that Schumer and Pelosi did the exact opposite by publicly criticizing her and calling her actions “un-American.” In a strong defense of Rep. Maxine Waters they quickly reminded Schumer and Pelosi that Black women are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement – at a time when millennials and many in the Black community are questioning the Democratic Party’s leadership, this is probably one reminder that they’d rather not address. While the unusual mid-week holiday might buy them some extra time, it’ll be hard to escape this critique, which seems to be growing within the Democratic Party.

When Rep. Maxine Waters was asked about Schumer’s “un-American” comment, she responded…

“Well, I’m surprised that Chuck Schumer, you know, reached to do that. I’ve not quite seen that done before, but one of the things I recognize, being an elected official, is in the final analysis, leadership like Chuck Schumer will do anything that they think is necessary to protect their leadership.” 

Below are two more passages from the 2-page letter. If you haven’t read it, we encourage you to do so. Whether you agree or not with these 200 leaders and allies, it’s safe to say the old guard in the Democratic Party might be running out of time. Either way, being publicly challenged and reprimanded by your most loyal base is not a good look.

For Black women, who are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement, Congresswoman Waters is our shero… She continues the phenomenal legacy of leadership of Black women who paved the way for all women to break glass ceilings… Disparaging or failing to support Congresswoman Waters is an affront to her and Black women across the country and telegraphs a message that the Democratic Party can ill afford: that it does not respect Black women’s leadership and political power and discounts the impact of Black women and millennial voters.

We call on the Democratic Party leadership to step up and publicly support Congresswoman Waters… We further believe Congresswoman Waters is owed an apology for your public comments insinuating she is “uncivil” and “un- American” for challenging the Trump Administration.” 

Do you agree with them and their letter? Is there anything Schumer or Pelosi can say to calm the waters in their party? And does this signal a bigger problem within the Democratic Party – that their leadership needs to be replaced with millennials and more people of color?

Let us know what you think… your perspective matters.

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Was Michelle Obama Wrong?

by with 6 Comments CultureFeatured

In 2016, Michelle Obama left attendees at the Democratic National Convention in awe after finishing her speech in support of Hillary Clinton’s bid for President. A speech that will surely be remembered for decades was highlighted by her now famous moto that has probably been echoed and repeated more than a billion times since…

“When they go low, we go high!” 

In reference to not stooping to the level of a figurative bully, how could anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background or political beliefs disagree? It’s a perfect example to set for our children and followers alike. It’s also a courageous and impressive thing to say regarding an opposition who has taken shots at the legitimacy of your husband’s citizenship and faith, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, and who’s incited violence at his protests… to say the least. I don’t think anyone on the left would’ve faulted Michelle for stooping low. But she didn’t, she stayed high just as she informed and directed millions of people do to that evening in Philadelphia, PA.

Except, there’s one problem.

In reference to the 2016 election, she was wrong… dead wrong. Candidate and soon to be President Donald Trump went low, extremely low… and won. Hillary and Democrats tried to go high, much higher than Trump and his surrogates, and they lost. How did this happen?

Did Hillary run a bad campaign? Maybe

Did FBI Director Comey’s announcement about her emails hurt her campaign? Maybe

We could go on and on about who and what potentially impacted the election. But in the game of politics, can Democrats continue to go high when their opposition is willing to do whatever it takes to win?

Regarding our moral compass, the ramifications of going high have and will continue to cost Dems and their constituents a lot. Countless criminal justice reforms have been rolled back, LGBT protections have been reversed, environmental regulations have been cut, we’ve imposed tariffs on our allies, the Courts upheld his travel ban which could last for decades, he’ll get to nominate another Supreme Court Justice (Kennedy’s resigned – 6/27/18), and Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling which legalized abortion, will likely be on the table in the near future. It hasn’t even been 2 years, and that’s just a few of the going high costs that will hurt Dems for years to come.

So looking back, and looking forward, was going high worth it… when going so low paid off?

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The Spirit and the Letter

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

The Trump Administration’s policy to separate children from the undocumented adults they accompany has created outrage among Republicans and Democrats alike. We all know that the administration is taking a hard line on immigration. It appeals to their base. Attorney General Jeff Sessions invoked the Bible (Romans 13) in an effort to justify the new policy. This statement alone is concerning, coming from the mouth of a public servant. The First Amendment is in place to prevent religion from influencing policy or law.

So, what is policy? Policy is the plan that describes what the government intends to do, and the path to get there. Law is the end result of this plan. This means that the policy of arresting undocumented adults on federal charges and taking away the children they bring over the border may soon become law. 

There is a difference between law and policy, and the law says nothing about separating children from their parents. The law, in the most basic terms, describes apprehending undocumented aliens, charging the adults with a misdemeanor, determining if there are family ties with the children, and treating them according to an established process. The policy of the Trump Administration turns this process on its ear, not only by charging adults with federal felony charges, but with taking all children into custody. 

The Trump Administration lays blame on the Democrats, who it says put the law on the books. It appears to be referring to the “catch and release” policy (not a law) of releasing parents with children into society while awaiting their day in court. The Administration considers this policy a loophole and wants to close it. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claims further that the vast majority of children who cross the border are sent alone, or with an adult who is not a parent. I’m not going to dig deep here; my intent is to frame the situation. 

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website reports an alarming increase in the last few years in the number of family units and unaccompanied children crossing the Mexican border into the US illegally. This may be why the GOP is reluctant to condemn the new policy. 

However, there is nothing beyond this policy that outlines what to do with the people once they are apprehended. This is why we have a repurposed Walmart in Texas and the federal detention system will soon become overwhelmed.

Laws are subject to interpretation, even the ones that appear to be very clear-cut. The letter of the law is being enforced here. However, the spirit of the law is being ignored. The Trump Administration seems to interpret the law as giving no quarter (and using the Bible to justify it).

The laws are written in a way that removes the element of emotion, or at least tries to. However, humans are emotional creatures. Emotion drives interpretation and enforcement. Claiming adherence to the letter of the law while adding a cruel spin to it reveals a dark side of the Administration. One that is not very different from certain authoritarian regimes in the past and today. No compassion, no consideration of the human condition, and justifying it as a commandment from God. This is the worst sort of interpretation and hypocrisy. 

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You Can’t “Uninvite” Us, We Weren’t Coming

by with No Comment FeaturedSports

The Philadelphia Eagles, like any professional sports team that wins a World Championship, were invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishment. As a team with vocal players like Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, it came as no surprise that many of them chose not to attend the event, scheduled for today. When President Trump was made aware of the low team attendance that was expected, despite the fact that several Eagles publicly stating that they wouldn’t attend shortly after winning the Super Bowl, he “rescinded” his invitation citing the Eagles’ dislike of the NFL’s new national anthem policy.

Related: Anthem Penalties: We Are Who We Thought They Were

In the White House statement, Trump again associated standing for the national anthem with patriotism and respect for the military. It is unclear whether he is just too narrow-minded to understand the full depth of the issue, or if he just doesn’t care and sees this matter as a win for his base. Either way, he conveniently ignores why the players were kneeling during the national anthem last season, which was in protest to social injustice and police brutality (not to mention that the Eagles’ players did stand for the anthem every game last season). While Trump likes to argue that these men do not care about their country, a strong argument could be made that they actually care more about their country than he does because they recognize injustice and are actively working to address it and make positive changes.

Trump has made it clear that he does not have the ability to understand things past their face value. The Eagles decision not to attend, prior to being “uninvited,” is a sign that they’re doing something right as a group, which has proven to be active in combating social injustice in America. I hope to see them continue to speak up and support causes they believe in, regardless of the bullying tactics that Trump uses to discourage positive discourse.

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Normalizing Hate?

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Roseanne Barr was called to the carpet this week, after tweeting some incredibly incendiary racist comments. ABC canceled “Roseanne” the newly-rebooted sitcom she starred in. She shocked and horrified many, and has been publicly derided for her openly hostile tweets about Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to Barack Obama during his tenure in the White House.

First off, this is no surprise if you’ve been within earshot of Roseanne’s mouth, or in this case, tweets. She has a rich and storied history of spouting off hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories. But her latest circus act is perfectly acceptable – and even endorsed – by the POTUS. 

Related: Trump Is Not a Racist… He’s Worse 

Barr’s off-the-wall behavior is a mere symptom of our current social crisis, and throws it in sharp relief:

White supremacist rallies, and Trump’s refusal to condemn them. Muslim bans. Calling Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries. “Pocahontas.” “Grab ‘em by the pussy!” The “Wall.” Removing protections for LGBTQ people, people of color and low-income families. Removing environmental protections. Vilifying the Free Press. Undermining the very fabric of our system of laws by spouting unsupported claims that the FBI is the problem – not him or Russia. Eroding hard-fought protections and rights of anyone who is not white, male and rich. Actually, of anyone who isn’t Donald Trump.

Trump is the Great Pretender. He is pretending to care about our country, national security, and economy; yet, he is alienating other nations, ignoring the potential consequences of his posturing, and ripping our country apart. He feeds the small-minded the scraps of his “heroism,” while he works to undo the social progress of the last 60 years. Spinning like a hurricane, he destroys nearly everything in his path. 

A true leader works to support and protect the country and its citizens. Not just some of its citizens, or those who excuse the leader’s behavior because they get more money that way.

Can’t anyone see that the Emperor has no clothes? We can no longer think of these outrages as one-offs. This is a methodical and systematic unraveling of what this country stands for: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This is NOT normal, is it? 

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