Black Voters Beware!

Though reports are just being revealed about the nature of Russian disinformation and misinformation, it is astounding to see how much they understood how easily manipulated Black voters would be. Most of the misinformation under the guise of accounts supposedly belonging to Black Lives Matter or other such accounts, they were able to feed Black voters information that intentionally targeted them to either vote for Republicans or not to vote at all.

The report reveals that the Russian trolls were able to convince Black folks to attend rallies that became chaotic and unruly resulting in arrests, create such animosity against Black politicians and the Democratic party that many chose to stay at home and not vote or to vote and write in ridiculous names for the presidential candidate, and then to me, the most appalling event was in having Black folks malign and disparage other Black folks if they dared to discuss being a Democrat.  When so-called professionals, deliberately attempt to undermine the democratic process by promoting misinformation, we have a problem. The only people who can alleviate the problem is the Black Voter by educating themselves to the facts.

I've written about this before in my blogs, but it warrants repeating to some degree.

• "The Inconvenient Truth About the Democrat Party" as told by Carol Swain, Ph.D. at PragerU is partial truth and to me a whole lie. This is a conservative production, deliberately attempting to conflate truth with their own narrative.
• Fox Entertainment Network is not a news show and none of the Black hosts or pundits will ever represent the Black Community. They are shills (especially Candace Owens) who are paid to get Black Americans to rethink their values and hopefully persuade them to vote for Republicans.
• The Republican party of the 21st Century is not the same party of the 19th or 20th Century. Common sense--if all are paying attention to what's going on in politics--should rule. Republicans are responsible for voter suppression (shutting down early voting, closing voting locations, not counting all absentee ballots, criminally collecting ballots to either change them or to make sure they are never returned, to intimidation--having racist monitors at polling places). Just recently, we have seen election fraud in North Carolina by the Republican candidate--Mike Harris, and Republican legislators trying to subvert the will of the voters in Michigan (Rick Snyder) and Wisconsin (Scott Walker)--simply because they lost leadership positions to Democrats and yet they think they have the right to legislate incoming Democrat authority.
• Republicans are still trying to keep Americans from being healthy and this particularly true for Black Americans who may be stripped of healthcare coverage because of their mandates, designed to strip people of dignity and access to adequate healthcare, especially for those with preexisting conditions.
• Republicans are slashing educational budgets in Washington to make sure that Black communities don't have the resources needed for a quality education from K-12 and beyond.
• Republicans are reversing consumer protections that allow us breathe cleaner air, drink uncontaminated water and eat food not poisoned by chemicals in the soil.
• Republicans are creating a mockery of economic wealth enjoyed only by the rich since most of us end up paying the costs for unwarranted tariffs on goods we all all use. Ask the farmers how this has worked out for them and then while you're shopping, understand why a head of iceberg lettuce will cost $2 or more in the grocery store. Don't get upset with companies falling by the wayside and closing shop, get upset with the idiot in the WH who thinks "trade wars are fun."
• Republicans are also reconstructing what anti-discrimination laws look like and that directly affects what access most of us will have to educational systems and jobs.

The point of all this is to make the Black Community aware of what has been done to discourage our votes for those (Democrats) who actually attempt to make laws that benefit us. The more we know--especially those of us who have lived through the 50s and 60s--the more wisdom we have to pass along to the younger generations. We must provide them with all the tools they'll need to be successful and to survive the onslaught of racism and bigotry that will exist for generations to come. We must educate ourselves to the truth, living in the present moment--taking what we learn from the past regarding political parties and using it to build a solid foundation for our future--as forward thinking Democrats.

BLACK VOTERS--LISTEN AND HEAR ME WELL--We are an important factor in every election--local, state and national and it's time we started acting like we are part of the solution and not part of the problem. How do we manage that? We get involved--totally engaged in the political process making sure our concerns are heard and addressed and and making sure we're willing to "work" to make it happen. Talk is cheap and the only prayers answered are those that are followed up with action. Heard the saying, "Action speaks louder than words?" It's true, we more involved we are as a community of Americans of Color, the less likely we'll be ignored and the greater the likelihood we'll see legislative policies enacted that benefit us, and not treat us like we are "less than" anyone else.

Is this clear enough for you? If not, please don't hesitate to do the research for yourself or contact other Black leaders in the Democratic party for resources or to contact me via the email listed on my campaign page: facebook.com/YesIAm2020. This is not an attempt to solicit your vote, but the email address on this page is public knowledge and has a phone number you may call and leave a message. I care enough about the Black Community and what we can accomplish through the political machinery to risk having idiots contact me, however--my political platform is to represent all Everyday Americans and if elected President of the United States, that's exactly what I'll do--sign bills and lobby for those which benefit all the people, not just some of them. We can do this--unified--when we understand who we are and how the forces outside of us attempt to keep us marginalized, disenfranchised,  and underrepresented in all arenas.

Find a local Dem club and get involved and then run for office--on the local, state or national level. Don't just sit twiddling your thumbs and complaining--jump in where you fit in and work it to your advantage--to benefit the entire community. Our Vote Is Our Voice In Our Democracy!

Letter to American Congress

Dear lawmakers:

As a citizen in this already great country, I find it incumbent upon me to remind you of your obligations and responsibilities for all Americans since you chose to run for the office you currently have.

Most people think politics is a dirty business and want no part of it. I'm sure in the beginning of your political career you probably thought the same thing, but you were determined to make a real difference in what happens in this country and to make lives better for all. Unfortunately, you like so many others before you, have forgotten about the importance of people and have instead become inured to the plight of the poor and working class in order to keep your position by caving to those with money. "The lust of money (will do anything to get it) is the root of all evil." And it appears that particular passage of scripture (from most bibles) is true. Greed and the need to satiate a desire for power has been a disruptive factor for many in Congress. I hope this does not describe you, but if it does, it's time to make a change.

Most Americans realize by now that had it not been for the interference by Russia in 2016 election that many of those in Congress and certainly the person in the White House would not be there. We know you knew about the cheating and it's time you're held accountable. Since truth and integrity were not part of the plan to get what you wanted from the beginning, we don't really expect truth and integrity to find its way back into your lives, but we can hope. While we're waiting, we're demanding that you exercise the Constitutional right of oversight of the White House before there won't be any of us left.

Unless you are totally blind and deaf and ignorant, lacking the mental capacity to see that greed and corruption are what brought us to this place, you know it's time to remove Donald J. Trump from the Oval Office and Mike Pence who is complicit in the knowledge that greed was the motivator and criminality the end results. We do not need criminals or those who are criminal-minded to be in positions of authority in America. And we certainly don't need a dictator-wanna-be demanding loyalty from others, seeking praise and attention to appease his insecurities.

The continued existence of our democracy is up to you. Everything that happens--all the bloodshed and deaths--are on your hands. You are responsible. If you no longer have a conscience, you will still stand before God and be judged for all you've done--good and bad. If you plan to hear, "well done," I suggest you do well and govern for the sake of all the people and not just for the Koch Brothers, the Mercers and Murdochs of this world and certainly not for the Russians or the money they give to keep their plan going--to destroy democracy. If you have family, you should care about how the history books will note this passage of your life.

Thank you for being a true, patriotic American in responding the needs of the people and just remember, compromise is not a bad word and neither is bipartisanship if we want to keep America moving forward and not sliding backwards.

Sincerely,

Everyday Americans

 

The Fallibility of Human Nature

Before we can understand how imperfect we are, we need to admit we all have imperfections and flaws. That said, let's look at what happens when we refuse to see ourselves as we really are.

Take the daily news we tend to absorb. What motivates what we see or read? The headlines tend to grab us--based upon our individual stances or beliefs--and we're often ensnared by the headlines and never read the details of an article or listen to the details of newscasts. Then, when we don't bother with the details, but want to share what we just read or heard, we become arbiters of spreading *fake news* if in fact, what we shared was not truth. Allowing headlines to ensnare us is a human flaw--we all do it--and this is one of the reasons why we saw what happened in 2016--false headlines led many to believe lies about Hillary Clinton. Okay, this isn't about Hillary, but it does serve to make the point being made--we are flawed human beings and sometimes, we allow our biases to interfere with good judgment.

Recent news (not fake, but very real) has revealed that Donald Trump is an un-indicted co-conspirator in crimes involving campaign violations (and others as we'll soon see). He was listed as "individual 1" in a sentencing memo for Michael Cohen--his former fixer. At any rate, many people--including Republican elected leaders--have chosen to ignore the obvious because it doesn't gel with their personal biases. In fact, Orrin Hatch (invisible glasses) has even stated that if trump has committed a crime, he doesn't care. Kevin McCarthy has said, "if campaign violations is a crime, then we'd have to prosecute a number of people in Congress" (not exactly a statement that builds trust or faith in our elected officials). As a consequence, trump supporters (Cult45 and MAGAts), tend to believe the menace because he tweeted, "totally cleared the president. Thank you," after the sentencing memo dropped. Why? He didn't read the memo to discover he was referenced in it. And because of his ego and narcissistic tendencies, he would never admit it anyway, at least not publicly. Word on the street has it--he's totally unnerved by the findings, but since his supporters only watch Fox News, they'll never know the truth of the matter because--they're not interested in truth, just in finding news that supports their thinking.

Someone on Twitter earlier today suggested that we go back to the Fairness Doctrine where all sides are presented in the media so then the consumer would be able to make wise decisions about the news. In theory, it sounds good, but wouldn't it make more sense to educate the public in how to recognize credible sources of information? First of all, the consumer of information has to "want to know truth" in order to recognize it when it's being told. How do we determine truth? What are the facts/evidence supporting what is reported? Who collected the facts/evidence and what is their reputation/credibility? What is their motive in collecting the facts/evidence and in the subsequent reporting? If the person presenting the information has extreme biases about what they're presenting, can they really be objective in their perception of how the consumer will either receive or reject what they say?

Then, we have to take into account the "place" where the consumer of information is when they either hear or see certain types of information. On a good day, when everything is going our way, we can be a bit cynical about some of what we hear, but on the other hand, if we're already soured about events surrounding us, we tend to only want to hear those things that encourage our being sour on everything. It's human nature! It's what we do!

Right now, many (not all) of us only want to hear the very worst about trump because it serves our purposes in knowing we were right about him all along. But are we right? Did we miss something in the process of wanting to be right? It's possible, but that's not the purpose of this article. I'm simply pointing out the fallibility of human nature and the fact that none of us are always right or always wrong. We're simply human beings with biases developed over the course of lives. Sometimes, we're wise enough to look deeper--see the details and change our perspectives, but that doesn't happen too often. When we have hardened views on almost any subject, we're only inclined to listen to those people who build pillars to support our views, rather than listen to those who deliberately challenge us to widen our horizons and hone our views based upon the facts/evidence we discover.

Today, we live in such a divided society that no matter what one person says (Democrat or Republican) they are judged because of stances they've taken with or without justification. We can move our society to a better place if all--everyone--regardless of party affiliation would simply take the time to *research* information, determining whether it is credible or not, analyzing the motivation behind what we use, before drawing any conclusions about any presented information.
Now, I'll admit--I have some favorite news outlets and most of them will actually support my biases. However, when I hear things that don't sound credible--I research--and I don't care who said what. I'd rather take the time to research the information before spreading lies, creating undue animosity--which is what many people do. I know trump supporters don't like the fact that *he lies* consistently, with no purpose at this point because we all know, he lies. The problem is--one day--he just might tell us the truth (though he and truth have no relationship) and no one will believe it because he lies. I encouraged him over two years to have someone read to him, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." I don't think he ever read that or had anyone read it to him.

The really sad part is, he never read about Pinocchio either. His comprehension skills, to say the least, are negligible.  The proof of that statement is available in a video clip of him, "tossing a coin" to determine which team did what (Army vs Navy last weekend), but he took that literally. The "coin toss" is actually, flipping the coin, but he didn't understand that and made a fool of himself and as a result, social media lambasted him. But I digress. The point of this is to encourage others to understand the need to research information from a variety of sources before we decide how we feel about it or spread it to others.  If we're going to read or listen to *conservative* views, we might want to sprinkle enough information from the other side to come to a logical, rational conclusion. I'm reminded of the nonsense that was spread by conservative outlets about Hillary and the Parkland Students--created because of conspiracy theorists who had no evidence on which to base or promote their fraudulent theories, but they promoted them anyway and many gullible people, swallowed them whole.

Non-credible sources include: Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Tomi Lahren, Tucker Carlson,  Jeanine Pirro, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Common Dreams, New York Post, Fox News (Entertainment) Network, or anyone who cannot or will not provide facts/evidence to support what they say and that includes Jerry Falwell, Jr. Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, or Paula White or a multitude of other Evangelicals who lied to their congregations when they told them, "God chose trump to be president." Where's the evidence? Are they operating on feelings? Is it based upon The Word of God? The Character of God? Do trump's actions align with the Word of God?

What the Evangelicals won't tell people is how they have contrived for years to find someone who will do whatever they want done--under cover of the White House--for an exchange of money--the almighty dollar that speaks volumes for those who are greedy and corrupt. And yes, I'm calling out the Evangelical Community that lied to people and is still lying to people. They do not know God, or His Word, or His Character. If they did, they would not have told people God chose trump. It's just that simple and that can be researched and proven by trying to align trump's character and behavior with The Word of God.

But we know, the lying Evangelicals won't tell people the truth, because they don't want to admit their fallibility as human beings because to them, being a Christian means you can never be wrong. The reality is, being a Christian really means--we try to live like Christ--admitting our shortcomings, recognizing we'll never be perfect and always seeking Him to guide us in all things. And when we "think" we've heard Him speak to us, we can prove it by aligning what He says to us with what He's already said in His Word. God is not a man that He should lie or change His mind about What He's said or the Purpose for which He said, anything.

God knows just how imperfect we are and the fact that we'll never reach perfection as long as we are in a position to "choose" what we say or do. When we fall short, we acknowledge it, seek forgiveness and guidance and keep it moving, until the next time and there will be a next time. It's what happens to fallible human beings--we are true to our nature.

Democracy Undermined By GOP

It's bad enough to know that Republicans can only win an election when they cheat--by various means--gerrymandering, voter suppression and now--inhibiting the ability of incoming, newly elected Democrats--subverting the will of the people.

First, it was North Carolina--when remaining GOP legislators--deliberately and with malicious intent, passed legislation to keep the new Governor from having full authority of the office of his job.
Jealousy and hatred ruled and apparently, set the stage for other states to follow their odious example.

Now, after the 2018 Mid Terms, Wisconsin, Michigan, and perhaps, Pennsylvania and Utah are experiencing similar issues with corrupt, un-American, Republicans who disdain our democracy.

If and when outgoing governors--sign these bills into law--limiting the authority of incoming
governors--they are traitors to their state and to the democracy that most of value. In a democracy, the rule of the people--when they vote--should be honored and respected. The people, by their vote--voiced their choice in who they wanted to govern them. Anyone else interfering with that process is guilty of violating constitutional rights of the people and infringing upon the rights of elected officials --curtailing their ability to do their job--govern for all the people.

This is beyond shameful, but so indicative of hate-filled, bigoted people. The once respected Republican party has become a party of disingenuous zealots who only care about controlling people, not the people themselves.

Rick Scott--in Wisconsin--will bear the shame and tainted legacy he leaves.

Rick Snyder--in Michigan--who has already left many with dubious thoughts about him because of the Flint water situation--will also bear the shame and leave a further tainted legacy when he leaves. It's a shame and embarrassment to the Republican party and it should leave a really sour taste in the mouths of all who support this kind of subversion of elections.

I believe this behavior is a concerted, planned ploy by the Republican Governors Association (RGA) to deny incoming elected officials their right to govern and in the case in Michigan, we know Republicans are angry that the top positions elected will now be held by women--and like the misogynists they are--they're trying to control what the women do--as if they need babysitters.

The people of Wisconsin are fighting back, just like those in North Carolina (on the heels of re-doing their election because of election fraud) and those of us in Michigan, will not lay down and let repulsive Republicans get away with this effort to thwart the voters. In our democracy--we have a constitutional right to choose who we want to govern us and the fact that there are those who choose to "rampantly push through legislation out of spite" during lame duck sessions--reveal how much they hate our democracy.

Those supporting repressive and probably illegal practices of subverting a voter's constitutional right to choose who they want to govern, should be sanctioned and never allowed to hold public office, anywhere.

The People--in every state--have a right to choose who governs them and how they choose to do so, not the outgoing legislators--passing dubious bills--limiting authority of duly elected leaders.

It's Time To Fight Back, America

In Every State That Tries To Deny

The Rights Of Duly-Elected Leaders!

We Need To Outlaw Lame Duck Legislation That Interferes With The Authority of In-coming Leaders!

I'm In--Are You?

Write, call, fax, email, tweet your legislators who are trying to interfere with the democratic process and let them know, you're paying attention and you will make sure they're never elected for anything, ever again. This behavior is fraudulent and they should all be sued for "subverting democracy and the constitutional rights of voters." Check your state's government websites for contact information for your legislators and get busy. I've been involved in the protest in the capitol in Lansing, emailing, faxing, and calling, and tweeting the legislative leaders and the governor. We must stand up and fight back, if we're to maintain our democracy.

Our Vote Is Our Voice And It Matters!

Protesters at Michigan Capitol--I'm on the end "live streaming" event.

Get Involved!