It’s Not Even a Bandaid

Police reform isn’t likely for minorities in America

The jury has convicted Derek Chauvin on all counts for murdering George Floyd. Chauvin faces a maximum sentence of 12 1/2 years on the most serious count, unless the DA can show aggravating circumstances. While Chauvin is being held to account for his actions as a police officer, it isn’t even a bandaid in the field of police reform. In fact, during his trial other acts of police have caused injury and death to others. One only has to look to the suburb of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center.

There a 25 plus year veteran officer shot and killed Duante Wright, a Black man, over what started out as a traffic stop for expired registration. It seems, according to the Brooklyn Police ex-chief, that ex-officer Kim Potter supposedly mistook her firearm for the Taser she carried. That seems absurd considering the great differences in weight, and design of the two items, but that fight is for another day. The Hennepin County DA’s Office quickly charged Potter the day after she resigned from the police department.

Duante Wright’s murder was just another example of police operating with a superiority complex. Yes, reportedly Mr Wright had an outstanding warrant, but the officer should have considered other options for taking Mr Wright into custody. It’s just a case of an officer refusing to be stopped from making an arrest. It’s become endemic within policing that an officer ignored is an officer enraged at the audacity that a person refuses to follow the authority of the officer.

Also, consider the case of the 13-year old boy shot and killed by a Chicago Police officer. Adam Toledo was shot after following the orders of Officer Eric Stillman to drop the gun Toledo appeared to be holding and to raise his hands. After raising his hands he was shot by Officer Stillman. If Adam Toledo was complying, why was he shot? Once Adam’s empty hands were raised he wasn’t presenting an immediate threat to Officer Stillman or the public. At that point Officer Stillman had options for taking Adam into custody, but failed to exercise any of them. Has policing become so skewed in this country that police now believe themselves incapable of doing anything less than using deadly force?

The conviction of Derek Chauvin is being celebrated by many, but others are standing on the other side of the jury’s verdict. Take Fox News extreme right mouthpiece Tucker Carlson. His take on the jury verdict is that the jury voted to convict because they (the jurors) didn’t want to be attacked by mobs if they acquitted Derek Chauvin.

“The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial came to a unanimous and unequivocal verdict this afternoon: Please Don’t Hurt Us,” he said on his show, according to Raw Story’s article.

Now, we know Tucker Carlson peddles the outrageous. If any behavior is to be maligned or twisted, Tucker is likely the one to spout off to his viewers. His commentary shouldn’t be considered to be actual news of any kind. Even his own network argued that viewers should be skeptical of Carlson’s comments and a federal judge agreed when tossing out a lawsuit against Carlson. That said, too many on the far right look to Carlson for their understanding of the activities he “reports” on. To the American people, perception is reality. By his comments Carlson appears to think that the police are always right. Of course, he’s not the only talking head at Fox News who pander to extremist right viewers.

According to the Washington Post, there have been 984 fatal shootings by police in the last year. While only a small percentage of fatal shootings by police are classified as unjustifiable, it’s not the only evidence of the attitude of police towards the very citizens they are exercising authority over. While deadly force is the worst case, other interactions by police show their contempt for the general public and minorities especially.

A NJ.com article reports that Perth Amboy police in New Jersey stopped a group of teens, mostly Black and Latino, riding bicycles in the city. Now these teens were seen to be riding their bikes in traffic, at times causing a hazard to traffic. When the group stopped for officers, one officer told the teens that their bikes “are supposed to have licenses and all that kind of stuff.” The unidentified officer went on to promise the teens that their bikes would not be confiscated by police. That didn’t last. Another officer, reportedly a Sergeant, ordered the six officers at the scene to confiscate the bikes. When one of the teens argued with this second officer, he was arrested, handcuffed, and placed in a patrol car. Was this the way to appropriately handle this situation? Wasn’t the verbal warning by the first officer sufficient? Apparently not since the second officer decided that they needed to be showed who’s boss in Perth Amboy.

Policing is not a profession for people incapable of using good judgment and discretion. It’s a tough job and a dangerous job at times. However, it’s also a job that hardened officers against the citizenry and brought them to the position of believing they hold unaccountable authority over everyone. Derek Chavin’s conviction will no more bring positive change to policing across America than did other cases of excessive/deadly force by police.

The ultimate responsibility for the failure to bring nationwide change to the policing of this country falls on the public. Those Americans who are agitating for change aren’t enough. The great majority must join their voices to the demands for change. Unfortunately, this will not likely happen since most citizens either agree with the police, or are afraid of standing out on the “wrong” side of this issue.

The attitudes of police in general won’t change until the public forces that change.

Until next time

More on the Second Amendment

Discussing differing views

On March 24, 2021, I wrote my article called “Dark Ages of the Second Amendment”, which you can read here. To give a quick recap of the article, I wrote that reasonable gun laws are not an infringement of a person’s Second Amendment rights. Firearms being outlawed completely would certainly be an infringement, but since we can own firearms (and I do), reasonable laws can, and should be enacted. Nor would I ever support the confiscation of all firearms in the United States, whether or not the Second Amendment existed.

I received a comment that same day from a person identified as Alan Sexton. In his comment he stated that my views of the Second Amendment were totally irrelevant. He believes any gun law is an infringement. He went on to say that “to the chagrin of the anti-gun crowd, many folks on the political left hold the same view as folks on the right.“

I wrote a long comment in reply to his second comment that any laws are an infringement, but for some reason WordPress failed to post the comment. So, I’m going to recreate the my comment as an article instead.

Let me begin by saying that I once held the same beliefs as Alan, for over 20 years. But, as I saw more and more murders (from individual killings to the mass killings) happening I came to change my views on the Second Amendment. I was also a conservative of the Republican Party during that period as well. Now, either “party” are anathema to me since neither party serves the people.

In my reply, I asked some questions that I hope Alan will read here and give substantive answers to in the comment section of this article. I also offer Alan the opportunity to write an article that I will post on this blog. I guarantee that I will not edit your article in any way. The opportunity is yours to educate people on your Second Amendment beliefs in detail. My email link is listed on my Contact page.

Okay, so off I go.

The Second Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.“

We will dispense with the part about a well regulated militia, since I (likely as Alan does) believe that is totally separate from the second part dealing with “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. The discussion comes down to what law(s) infringe on the people’s right.

My first question to Alan was that if any firearm law/restriction can not be enacted, then why has the Supreme Court not handed down a ruling that states that no laws may be enacted?

Next, by your beliefs are you stating that:

• Firearms should not have serial numbers (Gun Control Act of 1968)?
• Federal Firearm Licenses are illegal?
• Convicted felons can purchase, possess, and carry any firearm they desire?
• People with serious mental illness can purchase, possess, and carry any firearm they desire?
• There should be no age limit on the purchase, possession, and carrying of a firearm?
• People can possess and carry firearms (whether concealed or openly) into any state legislative building, the US Capitol, any court (including the US Supreme Court), any police station, any jail or prison, any place of worship, any bar/tavern/lounge, any primary or secondary school, any hospital, and so on?
• People can purchase any possess firearms like the M240 machine gun, the M249 SAW, the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, a grenade launcher (M79 or M203 as examples), etc…?

My next question Alan is, how do you propose to deal with the mass shooting incidents that have caused multiple deaths (Atlanta, Boulder, and – just last night – the FedEx building in Indianapolis as examples)? There have been so many that this is a reasonable question. Now, I concede that no law will stop all of these types of incidents, but some could be deterred with reasonable firearms laws. Is America just suppose to shrug our collective shoulders and say “that’s life”?

Alan, how do you propose the removal of any and all firearm laws/restrictions to attain your belief in the Second Amendment?

When the founders wrote the Second Amendment the firearms of the day were black powder, single shot, weapons. Are those then the weapons allowed to the people? Plus, many states wrote laws prohibiting slaves from owning/possessing firearms. Were those laws unconstitutional? Whiles slaves were counted as only 3/5th’s of a person for determining representation, they were classified as people. Also, in 1837 the State of Georgia enacted law to prohibit the carrying of small firearms, concealed or openly. In 1845, the Georgia Supreme Court, using the Second Amendment to reach it’s decision, overturned the portion of the law prohibiting the open carrying of a firearm. The Court left intact the portion of the law prohibiting the concealed carrying of a firearm.

I’m seriously interested in hearing your reasoning on each of the questions I have asked. By answers, I don’t mean just the mantra that the Second Amendment prohibits any infringement (laws or restrictions) on the right to keep and bear arms. This is your opportunity (or anyone else’s who is interested) to educate everyone on the Second Amendment. I also encourage people who are pro-gun control to articulate their reasoning as well.

I hopefully await your comments Alan.

Until next time

Dark Ages of the Second Amendment

Conservative lies about the “right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

I am an owner of firearms, as allowed by law. But, I do not believe the Second Amendment provides the right to unrestricted firearm ownership.

The latest tragedy of a mass shooting, resulting in ten deaths, in Boulder, Colorado, is just another reason of why the lies of the Second Amendment arguments by conservatives need to be put in it’s grave once and for all. Americans are fed untruths by gun proponents and gun “rights” organizations, much as the priests tell parishioners what the Bible says and what they are to believe.

There is nothing in the Second Amendment stating that ANY law pertaining to gun restrictions infringes ownership and is unconstitutional. It is the blindness of regular citizens and the lack of their use of common sense that continues to breath life into this belief. Constitutional “rights” are infringed every day. Freedom of speech in the First Amendment does not give a person the right to scream fire in a darkened theater, the freedom of peaceful assembly does not give the right to block roadways, sidewalks, building entrances, or carrying out the lawful (and constitutional) exercise of government, for example.

Plus, the Second Amendment allows for “infringements” on the right to keep and bear arms. No citizen is allowed any weapon they wish to own. Ergo, owning a bazooka, or a machine gun, or a fully automatic assault rifle without a federal firearms license, or a sawed off shotgun (meaning a barrel length under 18 inches long), or a grenade, are all unlawful. It’s common sense. An individual has no reasonable use for any of these weapons and it is the proper behavior of the state and federal governments to enact laws preventing or restricting their ownership. Conservatives and gun rights groups don’t want you to know this, they want you to listen to their preaching only.

It is reasonable to restrict firearms and their ownership. Even conservatives believe this when it aligns with their political beliefs. I don’t see conservatives fighting to allow gun ownership by people with felony criminal convictions or allowing minors to own firearms. It’s their dual standards that allow firearms to be possessed and used that led to the murder ten innocent people in Boulder and eight innocent people in the Atlanta area, and on and on. Why do any of us need weapons that hold 20 or 30 rounds of ammunition in a rifle magazine, or more than 10 rounds in a pistol magazine? How is restricting magazine capacity an infringement of one’s Second Amendment rights? In fact, if laws prevented the ownership of semi-automatic pistols, that law wouldn’t infringe on your right to own a firearm. Revolvers holding six rounds in the cylinder would be legal to possess to protect yourself or your family. If it takes more than six rounds to stop a threat of death or serious bodily injury then I suggest the user is a bad shot and needs time on the range.

Further, the conservative gun rights folks continuously fight to extend the meaning of Second Amendment rights into other areas, such as the right to carry a handgun concealed without a permit and to carry it anywhere, such as the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives (yes lady, I’m talking about you). Yet, concealed carry laws do exist and haven’t been overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Laws are meant to protect the people in a society, not to allow crimes to be committed. Would any law have prevented the mass shootings in Boulder or Atlanta? The answer is no. But, had only a revolver been used, the shooter would need to reload after six shots. This would have given people a chance to flee or even stop the shooters. Reloading a revolver isn’t as fast as changing a pistol or rifle magazine. Oh sure, if the shooter has a revolver quick loader and plenty of practice in reloading a revolver with it then it might not change the outcome. However, the huge majority of people do not have this type of training in sufficient amounts to make them experienced experts. I know this is true since I’ve owned quick loaders for revolvers and did regularly practiced with them.

Yet, the conservative lies on the Second Amendment continue and allow such tragedies to happen. Is it altruism on their part to protect the rights in the U.S. Constitution, or is it money and political power that drives their motivations? Personally, I believe it to be the latter. Politicians want the backing of groups like the NRA and the Gun Owners of America to bring them funding for their campaigns and votes to continue their hold on power. I’ve never liked, nor been a member of, the NRA or any gun rights group. They exist only to attack any attempt at reasonable gun control. If these groups didn’t exist, would the majority of the American people demand more laws restricting gun ownership? I’m betting they would. Every mass shooting says yes, we need laws restricting gun ownership, just as much as we need some laws protecting the right to own a firearm.

Conservatives, especially Republican members of the U.S.Congress and State legislatures, are wrong and are supporting evil by fighting against any gun laws in America. Their actions are self-serving. They care not about the people they serve, just the money and power they can get.

All we can do as reasonable, common sense, people is to give the survivors and families of the mass shootings our condolences for their loss and promise them all that we will fight for reasonable laws, like assault rifle and high capacity magazines bans, universal background checks, and waiting periods to receive purchased firearms to help protect America. It is time conservatives grow up.

Until next time

A Quick Love Letter to my Fellow Leftists

Do better; everyone is watching.

I say this with the utmost care to a vast majority of leftists I see engaging in online spaces, even ones I’m friends with personally: stop being so awful for a few minutes. I’m not talking about your politics here. I’m also not talking about being “polite” to fascists, cleaning up your cuss words, leaving toxic people in your life, or pretending to respect people like Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell or whomever. I’m talking about what you choose to criticize.

Your enemies aren’t the only ones who hear you when you talk (in fact, more often than not, your enemies don’t hear you at all) – your allies do, too. When you criticize a right-winger online for his poor grammar instead of the fact that he just advocated for the death of Black prisoners? Your ESL and dyslexic allies hear you. When you criticize Melania Trump for being a gold-digger or having lewd photos that exist of herself or having “way less class than Jackie Kennedy”? Your sex-worker and sex-positive allies hear you. When you criticize Donald Trump for wearing diapers or shaking when he drinks his water? Your disabled allies hear you. When you mock contemporary politicians for dressing “worse than” old politicians, for being “ugly” or overweight? Your fat and body-positive allies hear you. When you equate fascist beliefs and willful ignorance to a lack of education, or worse, mental instability? Your allies who could only afford a GED and your mentally ill allies hear you.

You are seen when you laugh and what you laugh at means something. Your allies hear you, and what we hear we understand to mean that these qualities – you find them detestable. They make the people you don’t like even worse, and that means that the only reason you tolerate those qualities in us is because you do like us. The modern political left is supposed to stand for progress and equality. What do those words even mean if we aren’t fighting for them for everyone? You can’t claim that you support human rights for all and then turn around and imply that any of these things you ridicule in your opponents makes them less human, less moral. You can’t advocate for your allies in one breath and mock them in the next. Besides, there is so much else to criticize about our political opponents – so much that is wrong with their ideology itself, so much that is truly morally detestable. Why do any of us lose ourselves in pointing out the things that don’t matter and the things that, often, catch the people we’re supposed to be fighting for on the backswing? Donald Trump is not a horrible man because he’s orange – he’s a horrible man because he lies and believes some people inherently deserve to die. The conservative movement is not horrible because it’s undereducated – it’s a horrible movement because it’s rooted in prejudiced ideology.

Should we be fighting for better education, mental health support, disability assistance, all that? Of course. But you’re doing the exact opposite when you add the lack of those things to the “bad” column for people you already can’t stand. Please, do better. Our movement will be so much bigger if we can make real intersectionality the bedrock.

A Rant of Sorts

It makes me feel better

I started working on my musings of a hypothetical change to Socialism in America a few days ago. But, then I was interrupted by watching CNN and reading my internet news aggregator, and became distracted.

I have remained distracted and can’t get into the frame of mind to continue my musings. How can I when so much else is happening that should be holding everyone’s attention in the run up to the November 3rd election?

Are you sick and tired of the inept politicians of the “two” political parties and their sycophant followers? When did America get to the point to where they give up any independent thought and just follow along like sheeple? The issues mean nothing to the followers. The get told their respective leader will “fix” it all and that’s good enough for them. They don’t ask how or for any specifics that will reveal the truth of their leader’s plans. Instead, they go with the “just trust me” attitude projected at them.

I know that a large number of Americans don’t give a damn about politics until it’s time to elect a new President. The party affiliated don’t even listen to all the politicking going on before the election. They don’t need to since they’re mostly party line voters. They exercise their right to vote and immediately return to tuning it all out until the next election.

What these very followers do is fail their countrymen and countrywomen by abrogating their duty to work to make the Republic the nation it should be. These “silent” Americans are the very people who bring the divisiveness to the United States of America. They are too blame for not stopping the destruction of the country by the obscene rich and their corporations of destruction.

There are those of us in this country that are trying to overturn this ugliness called Capitalism, with it’s subordinate political structure to keep everything in place so that they can continue their quests for mega-riches and power over the rest of society. You, who sit on your asses in your oblivious life, caring not one bit for the hell all around you, allow this to happen.

You people are responsible for the suffering of the people. You people are responsible for allowing repressive leaders to rule over us all with disdain, laughing at us for our ineptitude. You people are responsible for the elite you allow to continue stealing the resources of the nation. You people are responsible for making the people poor, sick, tired, hungry, and mistreated. You people are responsible for allowing the continuing of centuries of racist hate that flows through America.

You people, you silent Americans, are responsible for condemning America to become a third-world country. You people are responsible for standing in the way of what is truly life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This America has had it’s chance. You people have had you chances. It’s no longer your right to interfere with the changes that must be made.

Stand with those fighting for a new America, or get run over and left behind. It’s your choice Silent America.

Until next time

Dead on Arrival: The US Constitution

A Document to enslave, suppress, and oppress the American underclasses.

I was 18 years-old when I joined the military. I took an oath to the US Constitution, as stated below:

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

I lived up to my oath I made through my military service and for long after I left the service. I believed in the importance of the US Constitution to American society. I was prepared to defend the US Constitution when arguments about the Constitution arose. I believed that our society could not survive without it. I chose to overlook any parts of the Constitution that were defective, such as in Article 1, Section 2, wherein Black people (meaning slaves primarily) were to be counted as 3/5th’s of a person for determining representation in the House of Representatives and for taxation. I believed this rule became null and void with the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. I never questioned any part of the nation’s founding document. It should never been in the Constitution in the first place, but it was added to protect slavery and get the Constitution ratified.

I should have questioned it though. Now, when I look at the Constitution, I see a document written for the elite class only. It was written to keep the elite as the rulers of America. It was to keep all of the underclasses loyal to the demands of the elite. This is the living legacy of the Constitution right up to today. We are taught of the rights each of us have been “granted” and the prohibitions that the government can not use against the people. But, it’s all a lie because there is no equal treatment of all people.

I figure many are shouting, “No, that’s not true.” It’s your right to disagree, but it’s mine to maintain my current belief about the Constitution. The Constitution implement sdifferent ways of determining who represents us in Congress. Originally, for example, Senators were elected by the state legislature until the adoption of the 17th Amendment on April 8, 1913. Yes, it can be argued that the state legislatures were the representatives of the citizenry of the state, but were they?

The Electoral College is an obsolete in the need to determine the President of the United States. In our current technological country, there is no reason that the popular vote should not select a president. As with anything, there are opponents and supporters of the Electoral College. It would take amending the Constitution to end the Electoral College system. Or, completely scrap the Constitution and write a new one more designed with the current state of American society as the focus. My personal belief is to scrap it, along with the current political and economic systems that we have. I’m a socialist, what would you expect me to say, we should fix it?

With the current protesting ongoing in America, the Constitution’s Bill of Rights are being violated on a regular basis. Look at the 1st Amendment. Freedom of the press is ignored as members of the press reporting on protests are attacked, assaulted, and arrested by the police. Freedom to peacefully assemble has resulted in protestors being gassed, shot with pepper balls, rubber bullets, and violently assaulted by police, and hauled away to jail after being arrested – with bogus violations of law being charged. Yes, there is violence at protests, but they are by groups of people who hide among the lawful protestors before setting off looting, arson, attacks on police, and riots. Many of those arrested are held in confinement without charge and later released, a clear violation of the 6th Amendment. Oh, and about the arson, looting, and rioting, when has any demands for major societal changes been accomplished peacefully?

Tell me again how the Constitution protects the rights of the people? Lets go further. President Donald Trump has ordered that cities that he declares are in a state of anarchy should be stripped of federal funding. The memo sent to the, not ever honest, US Attorney General from Trump states, as reported by the Daily Beast:

“For the past few months, several state and local governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law, disempowering and significantly defunding their police departments, and refusing to accept offers of federal law enforcement assistance. To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government’s promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities.”

Show me where in the Constitution Trump has the authority to do this? Don’t give me any garbage about “preserving and protecting” the Constitution. The protests are not an attack on the Constitution, in fact rights are being exercised that are protected by the Constitution. Trump is just exercising his supposed “absolute power” he thinks is his right. There is NO authority for absolute power in the Constitution and there is NO prohibitions in the Constitution to prohibit such delusions.

Plain and simple, the US Constitution is outdated and insufficient as a governing document for the United States. It’s time that it is burned and a new model, suitable for the America that now exists, be put in it’s place. But, I figured people will cling to the Constitution unto death.

Until next time

Republican Hypocrisy

Pisses Me Off, But isn’t Unsurprising

At a time the country, or at least a part of the country, are mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Republicans jump right to the politics of the situation and are already pushing for a quick vote on a successor. Senator Mitch McConnell leads the move to speed things along.

We know that in 2016, Republicans said that the next President should select the nominee to fill the Court vacancy. But, of course, Republicans are now manufacturing “reasons” that things are different now and they must get a 6-3 conservative court right away.

That will create a Supreme Court that rules by following their political ideology, instead of the law. The rollback will be used to destroy 70 years of moving the rights and equality for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ forward. This will drag the United States back to Jim Crow. Discrimination and racism will, once again, become the “law of the land” and allow American conservatives and right-wing extremists to have society belong to “right thinking” White American men. Is this the America of equality we should return to?

Women will be property once again, with not right to control their own bodies. Their will be even more domestic abuse by the men who believe they alone have the rights guaranteed in the US Constitution. We know abortion will be illegal once again, and women thrust into poverty because they know – for whatever reason – they are not ready to raise a child. What will the Republican’s, from their anti-welfare beliefs, say to the impoverished women? They’ll be told that “it’s your problem, not ours.” I’m pro-life, but know any woman has the right to decide for themselves, without scorn. Is this America women’s lack of rights you want again?

American healthcare advances, meaning the ACA, will be rolled back, Millions, tens of million, will once more find they have no options to get even basic healthcare needs met. People with pre-existing conditions will be stopped from getting health insurance, or will pay excessively high premiums for limited benefits if they want health insurance. Free clinics will be where they have to turn. But free clinics, as wonderful as they are, will not be able to provide the same level of care. Medical debt will increase, destroying even more of the ability of people to keep their heads above water and survive. I have been under that kind of medical debt. It beats you down every day, making the future look bleak and unpromising. Is this the America of healthcare you want to live in?

Workers will see rollbacks to worker rights. Rights to equal pay, the right to unionize, workers compensation when you are injured on the job too. Likely, workers will find their rights to sue employers gone. Rights to paid leave will be removed, with medical and family paid leave at the head of the list. Corporations will be able to return to running sweatshops without fear. They could scale back on medical benefits, turn a blind eye to offering education benefits, overtime hours “reconfigured” to prevent paying overtime all together, and allowing hazardous working conditions. There’s more that could get changed, much more. Is this the America you want to work in?

Republicans love private Christian schools and will pass laws, that would be supported by a conservative Court majority, allowing the taking of funds provided to public schools to pay for a child to go to private schools. Court conservatives will be able to make pseudo-Christian beliefs in schooling the law of the land. We could see America fall back to racial education standards of “separate, but equal” for minorities. Money will talk and education will suffer greatly. Is this the America we want again?

Lastly, the possibility of a conservative court backing a fascist like Trump turning American into the evil fascist nation of this millennium. Your very existence held by one man, to do with as he whims. A nation where the common person will either tow-the-line or be severely dealt with. Your voice will be muffled. Your “incorrect” beliefs getting you removed from society to some “re-education” camp. Is this the political America you want to live in?

If you want to stop any of the potential outcomes from happening, then you better scream loud and hard to the US Senate to get them to stop. Be angry, I am and the Republican Senator of my State has already heard from me. Bombard your Republican Senators, if you have one, with your demands. Do it everyday if you have to until you get a satisfactory pledge that they won’t back approving a nominee to the court until after January 20, 2021!

This is a battle for the the very beating heart of America! Deciding to sit on the sidelines shows your support by your silence to Republicans. Do you care enough to fight for it?

Well, do you?

Until next time

BLM Violence

Is it Bad or Necessary?

I strongly support the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. There has been enough systemic racism against Black Americans and now BLM is holding the federal and state government’s feet to the fire in demanding an end to this ignorance and hate against them and all people of color. Only White America can bring and end to it all or continue to be the roadblock to prevent equal rights and treatment to BIPOC America!

In a Time online article, “more than 93%—have been peaceful” in a review of BLM protests by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Over 7,750 BLM protests were reviewed by ACLED to the percentage of violence at the different protests.

But, is “peaceful” how Americans see the protests? From the Time article, “ACLED highlights a recent Morning Consult poll in which 42% of respondents believe “most protesters (associated with the BLM movement) are trying to incite violence or destroy property.” Is violence, whether by BLM, the authorities, or white supremacist groups, actually worthwhile to gain White America’s support for the end to racism in America?

In a USA Today online article is showing how support for BLM is falling due to violence at their protests. It appears to me that BLM gets the blame even when the violence was from the authorities or other groups. From the article, a “Civiqs tracking poll is particularly interesting for understanding the dynamics at play. Net approval for the Black Lives Matter movement peaked back on June 3 and has fallen sharply since.” Will this decline in approval give the government and Donald Trump a stronger belief that more violent force can be used against BLM protestors participating in peaceful protests?

President Trump, with the public support of his political appointees, will continue to cast protestors as thugs and anarchists in order to inflame voters into believing that all protests are violent and that only he can bring an end to the violence. He wants votes, so he will cast his opponent as being behind the protests by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Trump seems to be winning the people over in how they see the BLM movement.

As to the violence, it’s been necessary anytime a country has gone through a revolutionary change of it’s form of government. Good examples are the French Revolution (1789 – 1799) and the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783). The first overthrew the French Monarchy and the second overthrew the British Monarchy’s control of the 13 colonies. Violent revolutions and revolts have occurred from present back through c. 2730 BC. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the protests are anything less than demanding revolutionary change to government.

Many Americans are supporting the demands for new government. These Americans are called Socialists and Communists by anyone to their right politically, including Democrats. Socialists and Communists believe Capitalism and the current governmental system are the oppressors of people and human rights and that it must all be completely changed to attain equality in all things for all the people. That means violence will occur. Unless America gets behind the movement for change and equality, more blood will be shed. We will not apologize for it and know that White America can bring it to an end, if they want to.

Until next time

Open Letter to the Filthy Rich

Multiple Multi-millionaires and Billionaires in America

Dear Filthy Rich People,

How can you people standby and watch Americans get evicted from their homes because the coronavirus put them out of work? It’s bad enough that so many individuals and families face food insecurity daily, for which you do nothing. It’s bad enough that million upon millions of Americans now have no health insurance, for which you did nothing.

What many of you have done during this pandemic is to continue to make money, large amounts (obscene amounts) of money. Money you made off the working men & women of America and some of you made money off government largess. From March to June 2020, Jeff Bezos has made $48 billion and he’s done nothing to help Americans in critical need of help! Others of his ilk haven’t made as much, but they’ve still made billions.

You, the filthy rich, could stop the evictions to save an estimated 17 to 28 million people who will be homeless. This is not the Great Depression of the 1930’s. There is no reason that you, who made your money off the sweat of American workers, can’t intervene. Now, I know you’ll say that President Trump signed an Executive Order preventing evictions. Well, yes and no. He sign an EO containing language about evictions. As reported in a Forbes article, “Trump’s order doesn’t actually extend the federal eviction moratorium. Instead, it calls on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to “consider” whether an additional eviction ban is needed.” Saying he did is just another in a long line of falsehoods Donald Trump has told to America.

So, knowing there is no stopping evictions at this time, what are any of you doing to stop it? Worse, how many of you filthy rich are the ultimate landlords of housing in America? But, you’d rather quietly sit back and allow these people to be evicted. The only thing likely to get you off your asses, is if you start losing money. Then, and only then, will you care. By your behavior, you filthy rich, you are showing your prejudice, bigotry, and racism!

Black and Brown minorities will be affected by evictions more than White Americans. According to an article from The Center for Public Integrity, “it’s deeply troubling,” said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing. “We’ve known for some time that there is a tremendous risk of extremely low-income renters being harmed by this crisis and being evicted, and we’ve known that such evictions would have a disproportionate impact on Black and brown and extremely low-income and historically marginalized people.“

Have you filthy rich no morals, or are you too busy worshiping the almighty dollar? Good old Capitalism, again, takes priority over human life. It seems to be that the only thing you can show the world is how you exploit people for your own personal gain.

Unemployment, food insecurity, eviction, and illness are all that common people “get” in this time of a pandemic. You rich folks are too uncaring to prevent evictions, to provide a sustainable stipend for people to be food secure, maintain their health, and to have no fear of what comes tomorrow.

You rich people are the animals of American society!

Sincerely,

John Common Citizen

Until next time

Even the best of us need to blow off steam from time to time.

Christians and Their “Sins”

Christianity as a Weapon is Against the Teachings of Jesus

I consider myself to be a Christian. I fundamentally believe that which is written in the Bible, but I am unsure of the intent of many portions of the Bible. I believe there is much that is unknown to us as well. God told us all he wanted us to know, not all He knows. I believe in science and also that science and the Bible are not incompatible with each other. I have also become a very strong and extreme believer of the very far left politically. I find no conflict between my political and my religious beliefs.

Now that you know where I stand I want to make a very clear statement to both Christians and non-Christians. Religious beliefs should NEVER be used as a weapon against any person, for any reason, in order to condemn behavior or pronounce judgement. If you believe otherwise, please show me in the Bible where Jesus granted such behavior to mankind?

You can’t, because there is no passage in the New Testament that would support the belief that you can. Jesus brought peace and love, not hate and divisiveness. For a minute, think of yourself as one of the Jews in John 8, who stand behind an adulteress they brought to Jesus. They wanted the women to be judged and stoned, as was the Law of Moses. Jesus told the Jews that “he who is without sin among you, let him cast a stone first.” In the end the Jews departed and Jesus gave the women forgiveness and told her to sin no more.

Now, how many of you Christians have no sin? I certainly have sin and I ask Jesus for forgiveness for my sins. There is not one Christian who is without sin and there never will be. We are taught that we are all sinners and that only Jesus was without sin. What do you say now about your behaviors when using Christianity against another?

You, self-described Christian, have no moral right or authority to use your Christianity against another! To do so is a sin! Religious beliefs are private. They should be, for Christians, taking the teachings of Jesus and using them to live by and whatever sins you make are a private issue between you and Jesus. No one else.

If you want to judge someone, you should judge yourself only. Then, you can take your judgements to Jesus and ask forgiveness for judging yourself (along with any sins you need to be forgiven for). Only Jesus Christ has the righteousness to judge us and he will on our judgement day. Only Jesus Christ decides whether we will be allowed in Heaven or be sent to Hell for eternity.

So, the next time you run into a person you know to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, do not preach at them and do not condemn them when it is not your place to do so. The next time you have contact with a drunkard, do not preach at them and do not condemn them when it is not your place to do so. The next time you have contact with someone who is committing adultery, do not preach at them and do not condemn them when it is not your place to do so. Getting the picture yet?

You should properly follow the teachings of Jesus. Bring love and peace to others and let our Lord Jesus handle the rest. Be a Christian of true moral standing, not a shell to hide your self-supposed superiority. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

May God’s Blessings be upon you. Go in peace.

Until next time