Stories I Started But Didn’t Finish. Which One’s Deserve Completion?

Jared Kushner is a Baltimore Slumlord. Apartments Infested With Mice.

“We expect all landlords to comply with the code requirements that protect the health and safety of their tenants — even if the landlord’s father-in-law is President of the United States.” Baltimore County Officials

Donald Trump has been on a Twitter attack against Democrat Congressman Elijah Cummings or the Maryland 7th District which covers most of the urban areas of Baltimore, and suburban Howard County. The median income is…

Say It Loud! I’m Racist And I’m Proud (A Pictoral Essay of Trump’s America)

Never got past the title on this one.

Will Joe Biden Maintain A Huge Share Of Black Votes?

Joe Biden entered his campaign for President leading by a large margin, much of it provided by black voters It mat seem counter-intuitive that Biden would be the recipient of so many black votes given there are two black United States Senators in the race; Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. Black voters are highly pragmatic and are hesitant to throw their support to someone they believe cannot win. A June poll showed Biden getting 40% of the black vote. After the thrashing…

When Conservatives Try To Tell You What You Need To Be Concerned About

I often visit a legal blog,

“Tis Better To Have Loved And Lost…”

Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all.” I’m observing more and more that singles of my generation are giving up on the prospects of love, deciding the risk of losing it, greater than they could bear.

They tell themselves and others that they want love but create insurmountable barriers to preclude any possibility. Love doesn’t come with a warranty and should it fail you don’t get your investment in time, money, and emotions back.

This settling for not love manifests itself in many ways with even more justifications. Some wistfully dream of love but create an impossible standard, forged to avoid the shortcomings of all that came before. Any imperfection is sufficient to eliminate potential candidates whilst the person in judgment can pretend they’re, “still trying.” More than once I’ve heard women want someone to be, “like my father.” Reflecting on the unconditional love shown them over a lifetime. Others with a different paternal relationship, pine for what their father never was to them.

Men in their pride and stoic resolve, typically can’t admit even to themselves that they long for love. Instead, they settle for something less which gets them some of the trappings without those sticky commitments and the risk associated with them. Some women do the same, having “friends” on their own terms, giving themselves the illusion of control.

The bottom line is that fear is far more dominant than hope and people are choosing to avoid love, even stay in loveless marriages and relationships. All for not wanting to put themselves through the emotional upheaval that comes with falling in and out of love.

The Trump Presidency. How Did You Really Think This Would End?

I probably will get to this one.

Untitled

When the government does something so heinous they have to hide what they’re doing, you know it’s bad. They have released a few photos of teenage boys playing video games, mostly a different group of immigrants than those forcefully separated from their parents at the border. No sign of the girls and toddlers? Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Director Kirstjen Nielson said she “didn’t know,” where the girls were? She also said the Trump administration doesn’t have the policy to separate children from their parents, although Chief of Staff John Kelly, Senior Advisor Stephen Miller, and even President Donald Trump say differently. Nobody has said where the girls and toddlers are?

We’ve heard from a few of the girls on an unauthorized audiotape released by Pro Publica. We heard young girls, reportedly between ages 4–6, crying for their parents. Calling for their mama or papa, in one case asking if her aunt could pick her up? Those young girls are somewhere… the government won’t tell us.

Trump doesn’t want you to see pictures beyond the few his DHS department has released. They tell us of comfort, security, health services, and games. Cameras are not allowed in. Elected officials are mostly turned away. Those few that have seen inside speak of cages, mylar blankets spread out on the floor, what under any other circumstance would be called child abuse of the boys that have been seen. Where are the girls? Where are the toddlers? Why won’t the government show us or tell us? Our government is now being compared unfavorably to Boko Haram, holding girls hostage to attain a political gain. What trauma is Trump willing to inflict to get his wall?

The United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned America for its policy of stripping children from their parents. Trump and U.N. Secretary Nikki Haley responded by withdrawing its membership in the Human Rights Council. The United States and Human Rights are no longer to be mentioned in the same sentence without drawing attention to the hypocrisy of the Trump Administration. Where are the girls? Where are the toddlers?

Trump blames the Democrats on what he and Sessions did. John Kelly spoke of this very policy a year ago. The latest polls show 55& of Republicans are in favor of this zero-tolerance policy. If Republicans hate so much being seen as racist, perhaps they should stop doing racist things?

The children fleeing to this country from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico are seeking refuge from the certain terror and possibly death they face at home from gangs and cartels. They undertake dangerous journeys under the calculation that it is the only chance for safety and perhaps life itself. Some are under threats of being killed unless they pay money they do not have. They get to America… land of the free, only to see their children kidnapped, some never to be returned, until Trump blackmails the legislature to give him what he wants, using children as pawns.

Sooner than later, the girls and toddlers will be found and the conditions they have been placed in will be revealed. What will be the result of the trauma these children and their parents are facing at the hands of Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions, John Kelly, Kristjen Nielson, and the 55% of Republicans that support them. The girls and toddlers will be found, their stories will be told, and the blame will be certain. But for now… where are the girls? Where are the toddlers?

I usually write a story in one sitting. Some require additional research but I turn off all distractions and write until I’m finished. These are the stories where that didn’t happen and for whatever reason never got finished. I have from time to time mined the unfinished stories and completed them. These are the orphans. Let me know which ones deserve life?

Is Mitch McConnell Above The Law?

After the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted against removing sanctions on Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska, Mitch McConnell and the Republican-led Senate approved the removal of sanctions which allowed the move suggested by the Treasury Department to take effect. Days later, Deripaska announced plans to build a $200 million aluminum plant in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky. McConnell personally lobbied for the vote indicating Deripaska and his children would not benefit personally while allowing for the “much needed” plant to be built.

In reality, Oleg Deripaska still owns 35% of the company building the plant. He got his percentage of stock owned below 50%, theoretically losing absolute control, by transferring $78 million in shares to a fund controlled by his children. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchen said Deripaska’s children would “in no way benefit from sanctions relief.

You may be familiar with the name Oleg Deripaska as it has come up often during the investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election and the trial of former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort. Deripaska associates received private internal polling data from the Trump campaign. Manafort also discussed the “Russian Peace Plan” with Deripaska which was all about removing sanctions on Russia, imposed for their interference in our elections.

As Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell has sole control over what measures are allowed votes in the Senate. He has routinely blocked bills passed in the House from being voted on that would have strengthened America’s efforts to resist Russian influence. McConnell has single-handedly left America possibly more vulnerable in 2020 than we were in 206. A recently released bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee said Russia hacked into state election systems in “all 50 states.” McConnell knows this and keeps change from happening.

McConnell and his family have also received significant financial support from China. The family of his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao owns a shipping company which does a lot of business with China. McConnell has received millions in gifts from his father-in-law along with large political contributions. That shipping company, The Foremost Group, has commitments for hundreds of millions in loans from a Chinese government-owned bank. McConnell said he was “proud to have had the support of my family over the years.”

“I’m proud to have had the support of my family over the years.”

McConnell’s has helped keep the heat off Russia before and since Trump’s election. He opposed President Obama making public the extent of Russian interference. He said he’d claim it was partisan. Since the election, he’s consistently called for the end of the investigation, joining the President in calling it a witch hunt and a hoax. McConnell is benefitting personally and politically from protecting Russia and China while they make moves to harm America. The Washington Post just published an opinion page saying Mitch McConnell is a Russian asset. On Twitter, he’s trending as, “Mitch McConnell is a Russian,” and “Moscow Mitch.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/454989-washington-post-columnist-accuses-mcconnell-of-doing-putins-bidding

The question is no longer whether McConnell is illegally profiting politically and personally from his ties to Russia and China, it’s what are we able to do about it?

It’s theoretically possible he could be expelled from the Senate with a two-thirds vote but that isn’t going to happen with this group of Republicans. Mitch has kept them from taking difficult votes and kept hope alive for their own re-elections. Like any other Federal official, he could be impeached by the House of Representatives and could be referred to that same reluctant Senate for a trial. Like dozens of Trump officials before him, McConnell could refuse to testify in any House proceedings and ignore subpoenas to appear. Even if the House impeached Mitch, this Senate would not convict.

Lastly, the FBI or some other arm of the Justice Dept. could arrest Mitch for any crimes uncovered. The Justice Department just announced it will not prosecute William Barr or Wilbur Ross on criminal contempt charges for failure to obey subpoenas. We can expect nothing different in the case of Mitch McConnell.

Unfortunately, the list of people apparently above the law is much longer than Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. The recent appearance of Special Counsel Robert Mueller before two House committees revealed several Trump administration officials and family members lied to the FBI (a felony) and are going unpunished. The only remedy likely to get results is a Hong Kong-like revolt of the people marching in the streets. Until then, Mitch is safe from everyone but the voters. We can only hope.

Trump Brings Back Federal Executions. “The Ratings Will Be Huge!” (Mostly Parody)

Attorney General William Barr announced the return of Federal Executions almost twenty years after the last execution. The process of reinstating the death penalty after almost twenty years will involve an administrative review and establishment of execution rules including drug protocol and amounts for lethal injections and surviving present and future legal challenges. The Department of Justice was asked by the last Attorney General Jeff Sessions, to find a way to reinstate executions which they announced today.

At a hastily called press conference. President Trump announced the first five executions will be televised, beginning in December to coincide with the birth of Christ. The first five include three white men (including a member of a white supremacist group that killed a family of three), one black man and a Native American. Trump later apologized to white supremacists and assured them that future executions will consist of mostly minorities.

In related news, a no-bid contract was issued to the Trump Organization to handle all television rights and event management. Spokesman Eric Trump pointed to their experience with the Miss Universe Pageant and said he was encouraged by early discussions with pay-per-view companies. After the initial five, future executions will be programmed to run against future Democrat debates and primaries. He planned to continue but lost his train of thought.

When questioned about the controversial three-drug cocktail previously used in Federal executions. Trump said, “We’re just going to use one drug, it’s called pentobarbital, and it’s the number one drug for killing people, we are also going to look at bringing back hanging and firing squads. Maybe we’ll have a drawing the day before. I think we’ll have Ivanka pull a card out of a bowl, wouldn’t that be great? The ratings will be huge!”

Despite the announcement of specific dates for the executions, beginning December 9th. Given the administrative processes to be completed and pending and likely future lawsuits. The five convicts can feel secure in making plans for Christmas, New Years, and the Fourth of July.

The Trump Effect: I Was Told To Go Back To Africa

It was just a matter of time although it was sooner than I expected. To be fair, it was more of a suggestion, put to me as if it was for my benefit.

“ Given your hatred of America, you do have choices like just being African. It is a win-win situation for you. You will thank me once you assimilate there. For you see you are the winner by returning to Africa”

I confess I edited this quote to add a comma and hyphen because… punctuation. The person that shared this bit of advice is a regular commenter on a legal forum we both visit. He’s anonymous as are many of the cowards on the Internet who are suddenly emboldened in the Trump era.

I’m not upset about being told to go back to Africa. It’s not news there are racists out there that will say on the Internet what they wouldn’t in person. It’s the other part that equates disagreeing on policy or criticism of Donald Trump with a “hatred of America.”

I checked some of his earlier posts and saw:

“ Stop hating America or leave it. Pretty simple”

How easy it must be to justify hatred by turning everyone that disagrees with you into someone who hates his/her country. This same person wipes away facts by discrediting the source, a convenient way to not face reality.

It’s no surprise there’s racism on the Internet. What’s disappointing is that among a bunch of regulars, the ones that would take great umbrage at being considered racist. stood by and said nothing. I’ve reached the point where I’ve concluded you’re either with racists or against them. No middle ground.

View at Medium.com

This is Trump’s America. His former Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon said:

“Let them call you racist … Wear it as a badge of honor.”

Trump followers are equating racism with patriotism. The crowd in Greenville, NC that chanted, “Send her back.” After preening at the moment and disavowing them the next day. Trump came clean and called them “Patriots,” never finding a racist moment he didn’t like. And now, anyone that criticizes him is unpatriotic, and if you’re a person of color, you should leave.

I don’t know how this ends, or even if it ends. Even if Trump loses the 2020 Election, it will be hard to put the genie back in the bottle. It’s not only okay to be racist but to randomly start telling people of color to go back to their country. The President does it after all, and people of color I don’t agree with hate America. In my opinion, it shows more love of this country to stand up and say something when you see things going wrong. Attacking other Americans is what’s unpatriotic.

My anonymous friend goes by the screen name Estovir. The motto of the Agrupado Mission is “Esto Vir,” it means, “Be a man.” It asks them to follow the call of God and be a beacon of light for the world. Somehow he misunderstood God’s meaning.

Is Anyone Actually Leaving The Republican Party?

Republicans rage at being considered racist. They remind us of the old days when they were considered, “The Party of Lincoln.” Indeed, the Party’s roots were in opposition to slavery. What they lacked was conviction. The slippery slope began in 1877 when they achieved a political goal by removing Federal Troops from the South, ending Reconstruction and extending the invitation to Jim Crow.

View at Medium.com

Republicans looked the other way as most of the evils of slavery were revisited on the freed slaves in the South under another name. They went as far as to make sure Federal Troops would never return to American soil with the enactment of Posse Comitatus.

View at Medium.com

Then came the 1960s; disgruntled Democrats fled their Party after the Democrat-led passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and The Voting Rights Act of 1965. The angry, racist Democrats were welcomed with open arms. President Lyndon Johnson stated, “We have lost the South for a generation.” That was three generations ago.

“We have lost the South for a generation! – LBJ

Whatever date you wish to pick that Republicans stopped being the Party of Lincoln, they are now surely the Party of Trump. Watch any Trump rally; whether the chant is “Lock her up,” “Build the wall,” or most recently, “Send her home.” The Trump administration bans Muslims, calls African nations, “shithole countries,” pries brown children from their families at the Southern border. Not bothering to collect information to facilitate their eventual return. They fiddled as Puerto Rico drowned.

In the only area Donald Trump fails to discriminate, his Twitter attacks target Republicans as well as Democrats. Those that fail to please him are ridiculed and threatened mercilessly until they get on their knees and kiss his ring. Rather than stand up to Trump, they seemingly respond, “Yes sir, may I have another?” Does anyone ever remove themselves from association with the racist demagogue? Does anyone simply leave the Republican Party?

The easiest ones to measure are the elected officials. Dozens were either removed from office or decided not to run for reelection in the 2018 midterm elections. On the state level, State Senators or Assemblymen in three states; California, New Jersey, and Kansas became Democrats. Their common theme is that the Party under Trump has become “too extreme.”

“This is largely a product of the Trump phenomenon, President Trump has blown the lid off of this party. It starts to look like a personality cult.”

Patrick Murray — Monmouth University Polling Institute

On the national level, Rep. Justin Amash recently left the Republican Party to become an Independent. He was one of four non-Democrats to support the resolution against President Trump’s racist attacks against four minority Democrat Congresswomen. If you didn’t know about Trump’s racism when he engaged in housing discrimination in the 1970s, settling twice with the Federal government when sued. Or when he was the main cheerleader for the Birther Movement, claiming President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Even if his appointments and policies didn’t convince you, surely his telling the four women to go back to their country is proof positive. But do any Republicans really care?

There doesn’t seem to be any mass exodus from the Republican Party like when Democrats left that Party for not being racist enough. Polls show Donald Trump’s popularity increasing, especially in the South (no surprise). If one were to draw a conclusion, it’s that while Republicans resent being called racist, actually being racist doesn’t bother them We’ve reached the point where pretending not to notice just won’t do. You’re either with the racists or against them. If you’re still in the Party despite Trump’s actions throughout his term, guess which category you fall in?

I have no data as to how many regular Republicans have had enough, deciding to either take their Party back… or leave. CNN ran an interview with 8 Texas Republican women who aren’t swayed by anything Donald Trump has said or done. While they seemed like lemmings, following their leader off a cliff. I’ll be willing to stipulate they aren’t representative of the entire Party. But if there any reasonable ones left, they aren’t speaking up.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/07/17/women-trump-voters-react-attacks-on-congresswomen-kaye-ac360-vpx.cnn

In a Democracy, assuming Trump doesn’t successfully negate the Constitution, castrate Republicans in Congress and stack the Courts. A strong Republican Party would be a good thing. Unless that Party has been taken over by a racist, white supremacist spreading vitriol wherever he goes. That the Republican Party is lost has become clear. The unanswered question is, why do so many of its members stay?

The Controversy About The Flag And Why It Doesn’t Only Represent Patriotism

A mostly manufactured controversy has arisen when the actor Chris Pratt was criticized for wearing a “Don’t Tread On Me” Flag shirt. The flag is used by multiple patriotic organizations and sports teams but has also been adopted by various far-right political groups and gun rights organization.

One Twitter user said,

“Nice shirt… Only people I see with that flag are alt-right racists,”

Fox News went crazy and is using this opportunity to attack, “the left,” and “liberals,” for daring to criticize patriotism and the US flag. That flag, also known as the Gadsden flag after the General that designed it during the Revolutionary War; was never an official US Flag but did represent a time when all men were not deemed created equal. Below is a look at all the official US flags in history and some of the things that occurred while each flag flew. The flag can be a patriotic symbol, it is also fair to condemn the abuses which have taken place in its name.

1776–1777

Articles of Confederation establishes rights for “free citizens.”

1777–1794

The first Fugitive Slave Act is passed

1795–1818

Slaveowner Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner. He believed blacks to be “a distinct and inferior race” and “the greatest evil that afflicts a community.” The third verse celebrates the death of slaves.

1818–1819

Slaves complete reconstruction of White House

1819–1820

The House of Representatives agrees to the Talmadge Agreement barring slaves from Missouri, this led to the Missouri Compromise admitting them.

1820–1822

The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a Slave state.

1822–1836

At Monticello, VA. 130 former slaves and other possessions of Thomas Jefferson were sold at auction.

1836–1845

In Cincinnati, OH, rioters attack blacks and white abolitionists for fear blacks would take their jobs.

1845–1846

Texas enters the Union as a slave state

1846–1847

Missouri allows Interstate trading of black people

1847–1848

The State of Missouri prohibits freed slaves from receiving an education.

1848–1851

Congress passes another Fugitive Slave Act mandating government participation in recapturing escaped slaves.

1851–1858

Under this flag, the Supreme Court overturned the Missouri Compromise and opened up slavery to all the territories.

1858–1859

The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott Case ruled a black man had no rights.

1859–1861

The last slave ship arrives in Mobile Bay, Alabama

1861–1863

New York City draft riots, hundreds of blacks wounded or killed.

1863–1865

Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest orders the massacre of mostly Negro Union troops attempting to surrender, (Hands Up). A 25-foot statue, visible from Interstate-65, exists today on private property in Nashville, TN. He was an early member of the Ku Klux Klan and was honored in 2019 by the Tennessee Governor.

1865–1867

The “black codes” are passed in all Southern legislatures in the former Confederate States. Slavery by another name.

1867–1877

Reconstruction ends when the Federal Government withdraws all Federal troops from the South under a compromise over the Presidential election. It Made Southern Legislatures White Again.

1877–1890

Jim Crow becomes the law of the land in the South

1890–1891

Eighty-five black Americans were known to have been lynched in 1890

1891–1896

The Supreme Court legalizes “Separate but Equal” giving rise to Jim Crow

1896–1908

Eight blacks were killed by whites in Wilmington, NC

1908–1912

Major cities implement legalized segregation specifying black and white neighborhoods. These include Baltimore, Dallas, Greensboro, Louisville, Richmond, Roanoke, and St. Louis.

1912–1959

Oklahoma National Guard troops bombed Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK

1959–1960

Three days before his trial, Mack Charles Parker is beaten to death in his jail cell for allegedly raping a white woman.

1960-Present

Donald Trump is elected President and appoints Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

Symbols of a Time Long Gone

“Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said
Don’t look back, you can never look back”

Don Henley — Boys of Summer

I’m old enough to know what a Deadhead sticker is. For those not old enough or mellow enough to recognize, it’s the logo for The Grateful Dead; an American rock band whose dedicated followers were known as, “Deadheads.” In another lifetime, I worked at an arena when “the Dead” performed three consecutive nights and it was quite an experience. Loyal Deadheads followed the band from stop to stop, some for a couple of nights, others for a month or more according to their means. Without regard to how wealthy their followers had become over the years. Standard attire was a tye-dye shirt, jeans, and sandals or flip flops. Many arenas require shoes for entry but once inside and past security, it wasn’t uncommon to kick off the footwear and run barefoot through the building. When the lights went down, the joints came out.

The lyric quoted above points to the incongruity of a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac; the very symbol of conformity and being part of the establishment. Owning a Cadillac is a statement that you’ve given up the indiscretions of youth. The Deadhead sticker is a tie to a time gone by.

There are other symbols that should be unrecognizable but are unfortunately quite popular in our culture and our politics. They include the Confederate Flag, the Nazi Swastika, and a newcomer, the red and white MAGA hat. MAGA is supposed to stand for Make America Great Again. But it becomes more clear daily it represents a return to some of the worst abuses in our history; with “Again” being the equivalent to a return to white supremacy.

After the death of founding member Jerry Garcia. The Grateful Dead has continued to tour under other iterations. Four of the founding members toured this summer as, “Dead and Company,” and can be seen next in Riveria Maya, Mexico on January 16, 2020. You can still buy Deadhead memorabilia but for the most part, it’s tucked away in a closet or dresser drawer, awaiting the next gathering of fellow Deadheads. Unfortunately, symbols of hate are on display daily, sometimes accompanied by racist chants like, “Jews will not replace us,” or, “Send her back!”

While the racist symbols of hate never actually went away. It took this President with both active and implied support for white nationalism and attacks on people of color across the world, to make it okay to remove the hoods and publicly announce ones hate. Steve Bannon recently told a European nationalist group that when called racist, “wear it like a badge of honor.” It’s illuminating that the more the President engages in race-baiting and attacks on people (mostly women) of color, the higher his ratings go.

Republican leaders went to Vice-President Mike Pence to try to get the President to distance the Party from the racist chant in Greeneville, NC where they chanted, “Send her back” referring to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar who Trump had singled out for attack. Trump’s disavowal lasted 24 hours before he praised the “patriots” in the crowd and renewed his attacks on Omar.

Would that these symbols and those who promote the worst of what they represent, simply fade away. Trump is betting that the more racist his language and policies, the greater his support will be among his base and those that secretly agree with him. He’s betting that racist America will support him and he will remain President after the 2020 Election. The rest of us, still a majority in this country (but by a disappointingly small margin) need to prove him wrong.

The White House is currently under occupation with a group comfortable with all those negative symbols. They retweet Neo-Nazi memes, support Confederate statues and flags, they ban Muslims and rip babies away from brown immigrants at our Southern border. They tell black and brown women to go back to their own country.

What we must do. What we absolutely must do is cleanse our high offices of those who promote or even accept the racism they proclaim in voice, deed, and symbols wherever they exist. When the Governor of Tennessee honors the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, there is no acceptable excuse, he must go. When lawmakers and even the Supreme Court support racial gerrymandering as long as you call it something else, they must go. And when the purported leader f the free world is the worst of them all, he too must go. At some point, those that seek the answers in their distorted view of the past must be made to look forward, accept that America was never white and therefore cannot be made white again. Time to move forward.

“A little voice inside my head said
Don’t look back, you can never look back”

To the Black People that Chanted, “Send Her Back!”

I saw you! Not just the #BlacksFor Trump guy (Maurice Symonette) that shows up for all the rallies. He, along with Diamond & Silk have made supporting Trump their hustle (bless their hearts) and it isn’t them I’m concerned about. Let me also say I don’t begrudge black Republicans who have joined the Party for whatever reason. In my opinion, traditional Republican values like reducing the deficit have given way to going along with a despot to avoid angry tweets but if black Republicans wish to try to effect change from the inside, more power to them. I’m speaking to the black people who attended the Trump rally July 17, 2019, in Greenville, NC and chanted, “Send Her Back,” to accompany Trump’s verbal attacks on a US Citizen who immigrated as a child from Somalia, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

If I had a chance to talk to you, I’d inquire as to what you were thinking at the moment? When you were part of an almost all-white mob, calling for literally sending Omar back to Africa. What was on your mind? Don’t you realize that the people in that crowd weren’t limiting their call to send her back to Representative Omar? Given the least opportunity, they would send you with her, along with your family, your black friends, and anyone that looks like you.

Since before the end of slavery, there have been calls to send blacks back to Africa and it wasn’t always the usual suspects. Thomas Jefferson in his, “Letters to the State of Virginia,” called for sending slaves to Liberia, having earlier expressed that whites and blacks couldn’t live together peaceably. Abraham Lincoln considered sending them to Africa and also using freed slaves to colonize Central America. Donald Trump is nothing new, just more crude and disgusting. But I already know who Trump is, I want to know about the black people chanting, “Send Her Back!”

Did you sense any hesitation? Did you wonder if your foremothers and forefathers were rolling over in their graves? Did you once wonder if you were doing the wrong thing; supporting a racist and attacking someone you once might have called your sister? Or maybe you’ll wait for Fox News to offer an explanation to hang your hat onto to explain away your despicable behavior? Trump is Trump and he is who he is. I’m wondering about you, how will you explain this to your children, or are you very proud? I’d love to hear back from you.

The day after… Trump tried to distance himself from the chant. He says he started talking right away (actually 13 seconds passed while he basked in the moment). He distanced himself only after Republican leaders went to Vice-President Mike Pence and begged him to get Trump to disavow the racist chant and not tie the Republican Party to racism once again. Trump has not apologized, surrogates Kevin McCarthy lied and said, “it was a small group off to the side.” He added, Trump “didn’t call the Representative by name.” (he did). But again, I know what has become of Republican politicians, they have sold their souls. My concern is for my black brothers and sisters however few that chanted, “Send Her Back!” The next chant may be about you.

Do “Bernie or Bust” People Have a Plan B?

Anyone that remembers the 2016 Democratic Primaries and campaign, knows the Bernie Sanders voters were all in. Aided by a combination of the DNC, Russian hackers, Wiki-Leaks, and Donald Trump; Bernie loyalists feel he was cheated out of the Democrat nomination and should be President of the United States. They were totally pissed and didn’t join forces with Hillary Clinton voters to defeat Trump. Enough Bernie voters stuck to their mantra and decided to take a chance on “Bust,” either voting for Trump, 3rd Party candidate Jill Stein, or no one at all. The question is, what are they going to do this time?

A Presidential campaign has ebbs and flows. It’s way too early to state with certainty the outcome today before even the Iowa Primary has taken place. But if the election were held today. Bernie Sanders would finish far out of first place. The best day of his campaign was his first, bringing in $5.9 million from 220,000 individual donors. Joe Biden had yet to enter the race and he was the clear leader. Sanders still has a loyal base, but he is no longer the leader. In one recent poll of New Hampshire voters showed Bernie in fifth place. Behind Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and even Mayor Pete Buttigieg. It’s time to face the prospect that Bernie will lose again. This time without the familiar refrain that he was cheated. So what will the Bernie voters do?

There exists today a “Bernie or Bust,” Facebook page with 16,000 members. In addition to information about his, “Medicare For All” plan, there’s whining about “unfair media coverage” relative to other candidates. There’s the suggestion he runs as an Independent if not the winner. There’s a sense of entitlement you’d never find in the Kamala Harris or Cory Booker camps. While Biden perhaps feels he should inherit the nomination due to his service as Barack Obama’s Vice-President, nobody has a greater sense of entitlement than a Bernie voter. So if he again loses… what are you prepared to do?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/672954589505436/

Democrats (of which Bernie Sanders is not one) are hoping that all Democrats will coalesce behind the ultimate nominee to defeat Donald Trump, which is the ultimate goal, right? Say what you like about Trump’s base, they’re loyal, and he can get 40% of the vote without regard to what others think of him. Bernie Sanders running as an Independent could severely damage the chances of whoever the Democrat nominee might be. Will Bernie be the Democrat-aligned Independent, more concerned with defeating Donald Trump than his personal agenda? Or will he try to keep hope alive, continuing to run without any hope of winning? Will Bernie be a team player, or will he or his followers lead a bust movement as they did before? Time will tell.

You’re Either With Racists, Or Against Them

There is no sitting this fight out. Failure to take a stand against racism is in fact taking the position that racism is acceptable. For some people, racism is like Judge Potter Stewart once described pornography, “But I know it when I see it.” For others, including defenders of President Donald Trump’s racist tweets. (One might reasonably ask, which ones?). They never see or hear the evil which is racism in order to defend the source.

The fight against racism will not be won and lost during the Presidential campaign or in the halls of the Senate or floor of the House. It will ultimately be one when We The People make clear that racism is unacceptable. Until there are actual consequences, those that engage in it will continue because more often than not, it serves a purpose.

For Trump, the best excuse for his racism is that it’s an appeal to his base; a political ploy. Of course, he wasn’t a politician when he was sued by the Federal government twice for Housing Discrimination against minorities in New York. He wasn’t a politician when he was a cheerleader for the Birther movement, claiming President Obama wasn’t born in this country. Nor when he placed a full-page ad in the New York Times advocating for the deaths of the Central Park Five who were later exonerated by DNA evidence.

“Maybe hate is what we need if we’re gonna get something done”

Never one to apologize, to this day he still attacks them and vilified the settlement they received from the City of New York.

“It’s a disgrace!”

Racism doesn’t begin and end with Trump. It would be wishful thinking that voting him out of office will be the end of racism any more than it died when Barack Obama was voted in. The Internet has given people the ability to express what’s on their mind, often anonymously. Without the fear of immediate repercussions, although some have lost their jobs by going too far on social media when they thought no one would notice.

If the same energy people use to identify, shame, and remove people from positions of influence over our children and/or our laws was extended to include your co-worker or neighbor who feels comfortable enough to share their racist views. Racism if not wiped out, could be driven deep enough into the darkness that people rightfully fear expressing it in word or deed.

What cannot be acceptable is for public officials to support the racist actions of another because it meets their needs. By supporting, ignoring, deflecting, minimizing, or mischaracterizing what we all know to be true. They are as big a problem as the original offender and should be evicted from office as well. They are not only allowing racism to exist but to prosper. To see racism and do nothing, is racist in and of itself.

When the Supreme Court turns its back on racist redistricting and gerrymandering; policies expressly designed to reduce the power of minority voters and representation. That’s racist. By allowing the proponents to declare their purpose was merely partisan and not racist. SCOTUS has aligned themselves with the racists. This is the body that gave us Plessy v. Ferguson, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and more recently Citizens United has given up the pretense of being against racism. Even the decision on race they hope we applaud is flawed. Brown v Board eliminated school segregation in name only, adding “with all deliberate speed” to dilute the result, The Supreme Court won’t eliminate racism. It must be we the people.

“We conclude that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts”

Racism is a thing not to be lived with but a thing you destroy. Endeavor both to eliminate it and not to practice it. The first thing to do though is deciding which side you’re on, take a stand. You’re either with racism or against it. If you’re with it… bless your heart. The arc of history is said to be bending towards justice. If you’re against it, you can neither be passive or silent. See something, say something… do something. You might start with elected officials from the President on down who either use racism, excuse it, or both. Anyone who justifies racist tweets or policies must be removed, if you do nothing, you’ve chosen a team.