The Grinch that Stole Christmas – Trump & The GOP

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2020… over 300,000 deaths and over 19 million cases of COVID-19. A year has been taken away from millions of Americans because of poor leadership. Trump and the GOP’s bad leadership is not the cause of COVID-19, but there is no doubt that bad leadership (and the lack of good leadership) has been the cause of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Businesses have shut down, hotels, tourism, and restaurants have lost revenue. A stimulus relief bill was passed by the Democratic House of Representatives… in May 2020, but GOP refused to help American families. Late spring, Congress passed a one-time $1,200 stimulus and never released another stimulus. I’m honestly not sure if the GOP cares about people’s long-term finances, and their mental and physical health as well. Americans (who needed it) quickly went through that $1200. There is no way $1200 would have survived the remaining of the year. You do not need an Economic Class to know that the longer the debt, the bigger the debt, and Americans are hurting.

GOP math seems to believe that if you give people a one-time $1200 or $600 stimulus, despite most American’s living check to check, it’ll be enough to make ends meet. The President ironically put a halt on the relief bill, claiming all of sudden he is for a $2000 stimulus relief payment instead of $600. Meanwhile, millions are unemployed and that number increases by nearly 1 million jobless Americans a month. Americans are still being told to stay indoors and socially distance if or when they leave the house, avoid non-immediate family, and be safe. Some are nervous about becoming homeless, losing their cars, and how they’ll eat every day. But on Christmas Day, South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was golfing with President Trump. Meanwhile, by the end of the day on Saturday, December 26, 2020, millions were faced with losing their unemployment benefits, and on Dec 31, millions will lose eviction protection and the Government shuts down if not funded. 

Over 26 friends of President Trump were pardoned by the President. Many who have pleaded guilty and even murders were pardoned and the GOP is silent. Russia hacked in the government departments and GOP is silent. Trump used Georgia’s Run-Off election for personal financial gain with zero amount going to Georgia Republican candidates… and GOP is silent. In December 2020, the GOP voted to defund the state Police Departments after they campaign just the opposite. We’re constantly seeing that the GOP never has the interest of the everyday American at heart, instead, their personal benefits, which includes the wealthy. GOP has failed the American people in almost every area… healthcare, wages, infrastructure, funding for schools, hospitals, small businesses, homes, immigration, Civil Rights, and more, and as a result, this Holiday Season has probably been more stressful and tense for Americans than ever before. A time of the year usually meant for peace, celebration and cheer, has been literally stolen by the GOP. The Grinch that stole Christmas… that’s the GOP.

Similar Read: Trump and Smokers

Trump and Smokers

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Witnessing Jenna Ellis on Bill Maher a few weeks ago speculate that she will have to defend her right to practice Christianity under a Biden administration is reminiscent of other bad faith arguments (fear-mongering propaganda) made throughout history.

I performed at piano bars in Michigan when smoking publicly indoors was legal. It was horrible. My voice was constantly hoarse, my eyes agitated, my clothes always reeking, and my health in fluctuation. My exposure to second-hand smoke for 10 years will probably affect me later in life as if I was a smoker myself (I never was).

In the early 2000s, there were no gig opportunities that prevented smokers from blowing their poison into my lungs each night. Owners would never make a stand against this “bloc” of patrons. Many other performers and staff partook in the ritual so sadly, yet successfully peddled to consumers for centuries; only in the last 40 years proven to be a fatal and highly addictive (not to mention expensive) vice.

Luckily, good and healthy people fought like hell to outlaw smoking in public places in Michigan for the benefit of all, especially people like me.

It wasn’t easy. There was an army of propagandists and liars lead by the tobacco industry and legions of smokers, that tried to prevent their fortunes and way of life, respectively, from being changed.

“The bars will all close! You’ll lose all your business! You’ll drive away your best customers and thousands of bar owners, staff, and musicians will become unemployed!”

You would think the entire bar industry would close overnight if smoking was outlawed. The opposition to banning smoking was violent.

Of course, they were all not only wrong about these false narratives, but the complete opposite of their ignorant (and/or dishonest) predictions was true.

Smoking was outlawed. Bar business flourished. The lies were exposed.

It turns out that smokers still want to go out and socially drink regardless of their ability to smoke indoors. More importantly, an enormous chunk of the population who had stayed away from smoky bars now felt comfortable frequenting their local establishment.

“I can finally breathe when I go to a bar or restaurant. My clothes don’t reek anymore when I come gone from a long night. My allergies don’t flare up. I’m sick less often.”

*SMOKERS* were saying those things, not to mention the scores of non-smokers.

This phenomenon of lying, fear-mongering, and spreading propaganda to get what *you* want at *my* expense is par for the course for human history.

Now, they WERE right about a smoking ban diminishing smoking sales. That’s the only truth they could credibly argue. Cigarette sales declined and stocks went down.

Tobacco industry: lost money.
Smokers: slightly inconvenienced.
Everyone else: the quality of life, health, and opportunities skyrocketed.

So when I hear dishonest propaganda that communism will take root with a Biden administration (Biden is, was, and will always be a capitalist), or that religious practice will be oppressed (Biden is a devout Catholic), or that the military will be diminished (Biden’s son served), I just think of the smokers clinging to their way of life.

The stock market has already gone up. Biden attends church and prays the rosary, encouraging people of all faiths to worship freely as they wish. Biden has no plans to diminish or disrespect our military in any way.

However,

Trump: will lose power (and money).
Rich: will be slightly inconvenienced (when they pay more in taxes).
Everyone else:  the quality of life, health, and opportunities will skyrocket.

Similar read: The 37th Best Place to Live in America

You Didn’t Vote for Biden, You Voted Against Trump

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Earlier this month, U.S. residents across the country held their breath. An 8-month period of coronavirus, a slumped economy coupled with rising unemployment rates, and uncertainty about who our Commander in Chief would be invoked anxiety around the recent “unprecedent” presidential election. Even more, so many people including myself were exhausted by the constant racial profiling of people of color, particularly Black men and the fleeting protests surrounding abuse and violence against Black women in this country. So, we mailed in our ballots, raced to the polls, and watched our television screens as we waited for CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, or our relatives on Facebook to tell us who won the election. And then it came.

Four weeks ago, those who voted blue celebrated the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the first, Black, Indian, and woman Vice President of the U.S. Except we weren’t truly celebrating their victory. Instead, we were celebrating Donald Trump’s defeat.

I was frantically texting my family when it hit me. We defeated Trump and no longer were to be under a chaotic and destructive administration. But I realized there were still 73,786,905 people who voted for him, despite the lies, deceit, and manipulation. The people who voted for him still believed in him, reinforcing their support for white supremacy. From the “nice” suburban white mom to the raging “redneck” deep in poverty to the black republicans vilifying their race for a taste of political power, and the southern Latinx populations supporting Trump’s machismo and toughness, the other side of victory, defeat, matters as well.

And what’s also important is that Democrats, particularly those who are marginalized, don’t necessarily have the same agenda to equal the playing field. Kamala Harris being conservative in her role as District Attorney General of California hurt people of color – criminalizing them for their poverty. Additionally, Joe Biden sponsored the Crime Bill of 1994 that disproportionally affected people of color as well. We shouldn’t ignore this. Whether there’s representation on the federal level, doesn’t negate the brewing discontent and white fear on the local level and how progressive people can continue to be complicit in the systems that affect people of color, particularly Black and Brown folk.

So where do we go from here? I propose we continue to keep our leaders accountable for their actions and adopt a critical lens of politics that doesn’t put binaries on people because of their political party. We need to watch candidates closely and see their actions instead of their words. Politics is who gets, what, when, and how and for Biden he happened to run at the right time, arguably invoking our nostalgia for the Obama Administration. Nevertheless, communities are the ones who are catalysts of change and with the right checks and balances, we can continue to heal the nation.

Similar Read: An Imposter at the Homegoing

2020 Election… A Vote for Humanity

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[New Contributor]

With nearly 100 million people casting their votes early, this 2020 election has not only become a free for all for our democracy, but a fight for our humanity.  2020 has been, without a doubt, a complete shit show.  

Our President’s lack of preparation and response to COVID-19, his response to the ongoing systemic racism highlighted by the shootings of unarmed Black men and women by police, his slow refusal to denounce White Supremacists, and his personal attacks on members of Congress, the media and other individuals, has sent Americans further down the proverbial rabbit hole desperate for a way out from when we entered back in 2017.

The protests from his 2017 inauguration should have been an indication that our nation was going to be in for one hell of a term. If you weren’t convinced during his 2016 presidential campaign that maybe just maybe he was not the man for the job, Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma made that clear. It was evident by the slow response of the government during this time of crisis that our now President simply did not care; no empathy. How would you feel if a hurricane literally took away everything you had in seconds? I doubt you’d find comfort from our Commander in Chief, tossing you paper towels as a way to help alleviate the pain and suffering that you’d be experiencing.

His constant lies and disregard for basic human compassion leaves us to question: What kind of person is running our country?  

A 74-year-old man who never discovered that path to maturity and has remained an egocentric megalomaniac; a man that lives at the intersection of self-centeredness and limited judgment. A racist.

Racial tensions in this country have been felt for more than 400 years. Despite attempts to be subtle by our counterparts (White people… you’re not), we can see that shit plain as day. The death of George Floyd served as the tipping point for everyone.   The deep-seated pain of the past 400 years erupted overnight across America plunging us back in history as if were the 1960s. So what happens when the president exacerbates the racial tensions arising from the deaths of several unarmed Black men and women by police? We have the perfect recipe to incite a race war.   

Further down the rabbit hole we go. Here is where dissension among friends and family happen. Discord and dissension breed mistrust and where there is mistrust among people, there lies division. We cannot afford division. I have faith that as a nation, we care enough collectively to help impact change.

I have faith that this nation collectively gives a damn enough to impart change. Joe Biden is now President-Elect, and all of humanity depends on his presidency.

Similar Read: Should Biden’s VP be a Black Woman?

3 Scenarios in the 2020 Election… Which One Will Play Out?

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There are a few scenarios that could play out…

  1. Trump wins.
  2. Biden wins by a landslide.
  3. Biden wins, but it’s really close and we have a contested election.

If you’re a Democrat or supporting Biden, you’re hoping #2 plays out and we can begin to heal and get back to normal. Many would argue that normal wasn’t working for African-Americas and other minorities pre-COVID or pre-Trump, but the revolutionary crowd has been overshadowed by historic all-out voting efforts to rid the nation of Trump.

If Trump wins, COVID-19 cases and deaths will continue to rise until a vaccine is passed… who knows when that’ll be. If Biden wins by a landslide, I think most common sense people believe his administration will begin to take the necessary steps to reduce COVID-19 cases and ultimately deaths, prior to the arrival of a vaccine.

But if it appears that Biden has won by the narrowest of margins, expected a contested election. Hence why Trump and Republicans fought so hard to get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed prior to the election. You can argue that they actually didn’t have to fight that hard… soundbites from congressional hearings today are nothing but political theatre with no real influence to sway a nomination. We know that from watching the emotional testimony of Christine Blasey Ford at the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. As damning as it was, he was confirmed as if it never happened.

More than 350 lawsuits have already been filed throughout the country regarding votes and mail-in ballots. When there is an election dispute, which several already exist in multiple states, that dispute will go to a state court. However, if or when someone charges that a federal constitutional right has been violated, then it goes to the Supreme Court as it did with Bush v. Gore in the 2000 election. And to add context, that was just in one state, Florida. It could very well happen in several states this year.

With the unfortunate and untimely passing of RBG, and the overnight confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court now leans 6 – 3 in favor of Republicans. Voters should decide elections, not courts… especially when 3 of the deciding judges have been nominated by the sitting President who’s very fate lies in the balance.

Similar Read: RBG… A Critical Look at Our Leaders Staying in Office Too Long

Why Are You Watching the Debates?

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At this point, it may as well be a WWE event complete with a cage and metal chairs.

How does this version of “debate” (read: “shouting match”) help anyone decide who should lead our country?

Is the ability to be physically more dominant really the trait that defines a world leader? In this case, literally, an ape would be the best qualified President.

Physical human power as a measure of leadership has been obsolete since the invention of the gun. There is no leader in the last 100 years that has been in a hand-to-hand combat situation requiring superior strength or mixed martial arts training.

There has not been a situation, probably EVER, where military or diplomatic victory was achieved by a superior shouting or talk-over ability by one side.

The things that matter for assessing a President are their policies, past behavior, history of decisions, growth as an individual, resilience, and general presentation as a figurehead for our country.

If none of those issues are able to take the forefront in a Presidential debate, there is no point in anyone watching any more of them.

Similar Read: What a Disgrace, But Should Anyone Be Surprised?

What a Disgrace, But Should Anyone Be Surprised?

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“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.

RBG… A Critical Look at Our Leaders Staying in Office Too Long

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2020 has struck again. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at the age of 87. Her appointment to the court was historic and she fought long and hard as a liberal justice. While America mourns her death, I can’t help but worry about whom President Trump might pick to replace her.

It’s actually quite a paradox that America can’t fully grieve her death because we are more concerned about her replacement. And while we must be equally concerned about her replacement we should take a critical look at what led us to this juncture. A critical look at our leaders staying in office until their death is worth a discussion.

This year alone we have seen Representatives Elijah Cummings and John Lewis die in office. Both were ill before their deaths, just as Ginsburg. So why didn’t they expedite their retirements upon learning of their illnesses? There’s an argument that once you reach a certain age the brain slows down when you retire. There’s something about a routine work life that helps senior citizens age well and stay mobile as their mental faculties continue in full force. But what happens when our leaders get sick and refuse to step down with a proper succession plan?

I want to first examine former Washington DC, “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry, who died in office while serving as the city’s Ward 8 Councilmember. When he died in 2014 there was no plan on whom would succeed him in office. One day he was the council member and the next day the seat was vacant with no heir apparent. The political fallout resulted in nearly 20 people running for office.

We can look at the deaths of Cummings and see a similar pattern. He died, his wife ran along with several other people but ultimately Kwame Nfume wins, who was the previous US Representative for Maryland’s 7th District. Cummings didn’t have an heir apparent.

With Lewis, his death was a bit different. While it wasn’t anticipated, a replacement was quickly named, Georgia State Senator Nikema Williams. She will still have to run after completing the remaining of his term, but the point here is that he died in office.

In Ginsburg’s case, she could have retired while President Barack Obama was still in office. She would have been 82 at the time of her retirement during his last days as president. One can assume she hoped Secretary Hillary Clinton would win and wanted to leave the opportunity for Clinton to appoint the next Justice, but that’s not how the story ended. Clinton lost.

Now we have Donald Trump and we are in a position where we are wondering whom he might select as he’s already given the public a preview of his likely picks. But we arrive back at our original question. Why didn’t Ginsburg retire when she had all her mental faculties? Why not put America and a democratic president in the best position to appoint another liberal justice? Was it because the appointment would have gone to a Black leader? Was maintaining White Supremacy working in her hope that the next president would be Clinton? We don’t know, but what we do know is that her dying wish was to serve out her term and let the next president choose her replacement. Maybe she thought she would make it to 2021 to see if a new Democratic leader would be elected. And even that isn’t a given.

While her service to this country’s justice system is laudable, the way our leaders prepare to leave is important. And Ginsburg did not do her liberal colleagues on the bench any justice by staying in longer than her health would allow. America must learn this lesson. President Trump and Senate Majority Leader are already planning to push a nominee through for confirmation before the election which is in less than 50 days.

We can mourn Ginsburg’s death but we must learn a critical lesson. Banking on a Democrat leader to help save our country may never happen. And even when Democrats win we don’t know what he or she will exactly do.

Pass the button while there is still time. Time to recruit a new leader, time to mentor a new leader, time to truly show a successor the road map to be successful. We can admire legacy more when it is properly preserved.

Washington, DC US Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton is aging in her seat and should consider early retirement so she doesn’t go down in history like these other great leaders… leaving a powerful office untended due to political prowess to hold on.

Similar Read: GOP Hypocrisy Laid Bare

GOP Hypocrisy Laid Bare

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Mitch McConnell intends to have this Senate vote on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement for the Supreme Court. Trump is planning to announce a nominee as early as Monday before RBG is even laid to rest.

This is in direct opposition to statements that Senator McConnell and other Republicans made in their defense of the historic blocking of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland.

Of the many statements made to justify their unprecedented (yet legal) stonewalling, only one needs to be brought forth as evidence of the clear hypocrisy, dishonesty, and inconsistency of the means the GOP used to attain its ends:

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” McConnell said.

This was 11 months before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is already underway.

Many Republicans expressed dismay at the dangerous precedent it would set to not only block the nominee, but to refuse even a debate. Lindsay Graham said, “I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.”

There is bad faith here. There is deceit.

If McConnell and the GOP are more focused on war and victory than peace and compromise, they will be sad to learn that those who live by the sword also die by the sword.

Consequently, if a Trump Supreme Court pick is rushed through the confirmation process before the next Presidential inauguration, and the Democrats win back the Senate and Presidency…

The 2021 Democrats should balance the Supreme Court and appoint two additional Justices. They should also approve statehood for The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to gain four more senators. These are legal maneuvers and turnabout is fair play.

Similar Read: The Legacy of Notorious RBG – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Black Panther Is Our Solar Eclipse

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“The representation of black people in Hollywood, from actors to writers to directors to cameramen, pales in comparison to white representation. However, as when given the right path the Moon can eclipse the Sun, black talent can loom just as large as their white colleagues.” 

Back on August 21, 2017, a lot of folks, mostly white folks, woke up giddy as schoolgirls for what was going to be a very special day. What was all the excitement about? Well for the first time in 100 years the entire contiguous United States would experience a full solar eclipse. [A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and by doing so the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun.] In the words of Jay Z, it’s “lights out ladies” for about two minutes, and then its back to the regularly scheduled program. Millions of people brought special glasses because you can’t look directly into the Sun (cough Donald Trump), thousands traveled hundreds of miles to certain areas in the country to catch a glimpse of the total blockage of the Sun as opposed to a partial blockage – all of that for two minutes of joy. Granted the next eclipse expected to cover the entire US again won’t come until 2024 and then not until 2045, so one can understand why all the activity. And speaking of Trump, isn’t it really embarrassing our idiot president was out there looking at the eclipse holding his hands above his eyes and painfully squinting looking directly at the sun! With his wife beside him with the proper solar eclipse glasses on!

While the buildup for the solar eclipse was taking place, most didn’t understand the hype around it. A lot of black folk didn’t understand why white folk were getting so excited. The excitement should have been across racial lines; but this is America and there’s always a race factor. An eclipse is not only something to experience because of the rarity of the event, but it’s also the amazement that the Moon being 400 times smaller than the Sun can block the Sun and cause a total blackout – even if only for a few moments.

So now for what’s been a trending topic for some time and will continue to be, and no I’m not talking about that terrible rendition of the National Anthem Fergie did during the NBA All-Star game. I’m talking about the release of the movie “Black Panther.” By now you’ve probably read dozens of articles regarding the movie that have quite the range of topics and intent. Most have been lighthearted and fun like comparing “Black Panther” characters to Black Greek organizations, or to the Spike Lee heavy-handed styled articles in which folk are caught in their feelings about moviegoers wearing African garb and not fully knowing their history and purpose of said garb. [Side note, Killmonger would have supposedly pledged my frat, given his Black Panther suit was the flyest outfit in the movie, makes sense.]

For those who have a problem with people wearing African attire to see “Black Panther,” stop it! I can bet dollars to donuts the same people upset about African attire being worn are the same people who only bring that one bag of half-melted ice to the cookout, talks about how overcooked the food is”; yet, walks away with the most plates. So, let’s not mind them.

“Black Panther,” its success, and the celebratory feeling around it got me thinking it was akin to last summer’s eclipse. For months there’s been a buildup of excitement and eagerness for the release of the movie, much like there was for the solar eclipse. “Black Panther,” with a majority black cast filled with subliminal messages as well overt black issues, has already broken many box office records. The representation of black people in Hollywood, from actors to writers to directors to cameraman, pales in comparison to white people. However, like the Moon, when given the right path, black people can loom just as large as their white colleagues. Like the rarity of a solar eclipse in a specific location around the world, in the United States, the rarity for black people to circle around a positive event is sporadic.

Many Black people did not understand the jubilance around the solar eclipse just like many non-Black people will not understand the excitement our community felt when “Black Panther” was released, not to mention the rush to discuss every scene and cultural nuances in detail. Nuances and issues from the division between Black people in the Americas vs Native Africans, to African nations historically having agendas rooted in rarely wanting to mettle in affairs outside their own borders. Many non-Black people and even some Black people will say, “It’s just a movie, it’s not that serious,” and how can all of that be derived from a movie? This is true, inevitably it’s just a Hollywood movie about fictional characters and a fictional place – only so much should be taken from it. In comparison, a solar eclipse has been documented to have little or no impact over the area it passes. Granted, it’s how one judges impact. Impact doesn’t have to be permanent. Impact is equally about the attention and resonation something gives. A solar eclipse quickly happens, and if not timed right one can easily miss it. The celebratory feel for “Black Panther” will promptly leave as well and some will miss it. It will be up to those who traveled far and away, brought special glasses, and wore event T-shirts and saw the spectacle to tell others what they missed out on and why it’s vital to not miss it again. But as history has shown us with the solar eclipse, it usually takes a while for something that special to happen again.

This article was originally published on 22 February 2018.