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!

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.

Lies Have Consequences!

 

A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.  Many curry favor with a ruler and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts. The poor are shunned by all their relatives--how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes  understanding will soon prosper. A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. Proverbs 19:5-9 NIV

For whatever reason, I was not able to blog yesterday on the WordPress site. I'm going to conclude that it is a browser problem since I'm here today--on another brower.

At any rate, anyone watching the latest news--unfolding minute-by-minute knows all the lies that have been told are about to be revealed and the consequences--will be dire. Thankful that a Special Prosecutor has finally been appointed and I can now sleep well at night--knowing truth will be revealed.

I think--when all is said and done--I'll be vindicated in speaking truth when many chose not to think about what I said as "truth." That's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but the facts--are just that--and no matter how we might wish to change them, it's not going to happen. Lies have consequences--no matter who the liar is or what position they hold--the consequences will apply.
What's worse--at least from the perch from which I sit--observing all that occurs--is that some people never learn. When trump was supposed to be giving a commencement speech, encouraging those graduating--he turns the attention from them--to him--to complain about how unfair everyone is to him--"especially the media."

Here's the problem with the media--they report events as they unfold--and news outlets who actually exercise integrity in their reporting--take pains to make sure what they're reporting is based upon facts--not opinions and not an opportunity to "entertain" its viewers like #foxliestoday.

There's nothing I or anyone else can do to change the facts, but trump can change the outcome by simply tweeting his resignation.

That said--let me share something that is not a lie--my testing the waters for a presidential run in 2020. Here's the website: www.everydayamericans2020.com and on FaceBook fb.me/YesIAm2020.  I'm using every social media platform at my disposal to gather support and there's even a link to a survey on my Facebook Page for Everyday Americans.

Our Hope In The Lord, Not Impotent GOP!

For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:13-24 NIV

If we take off the rose-colored glasses and blinders and seek The Lord, we would understand why putting any hope in a delusional reality television celebrity was a waste of time, but could cost the United States dearly.

The uproar heard this weekend is enough to create in the heart of the sane, reasonable doubt about what 2016 Election really means. Across the nation, wherever the impotent GOP went, the outrage was heard and more felt by the constituents of those who refused to hear them. They lied by purporting falsehoods and propaganda--again--which is what caused reasonable people to believe the lies spewed.

There is no death panel anyone past the age of 74 will face. There is no need to use intimidation and fear as a tactic to keep senior citizens compliant--we proved it won't work. There is no need for anyone to think they speak for all women, when all women made their voices known, on either side of the issues--women do not need men to speak for them or make decisions for them.

But then--in order to make points--or at least to appear to make points--the truth gets lost in the midst of the lies. Planned Parenthood does more than provide abortions--they provide birth control--which precludes the need for an abortion. They also provide women important health screening which could save lives. I'm really tired of the false rhetoric pushed by liars in order to gaslight people, promoted by InfoWars, Breitbart, and Fox News.

Of course, considering who is in the White House--sexual predators and abusers of women, it's not difficult to understand the mentality that exists behind many of the budget cuts and policies--against women. When I heard an old, impotent GOP Senator refer to Elizabeth Warren as "little lady" in a belittling manner, I wanted to slap the grin off his face. So, now I get it--when they get too old for Viagra to hide their impotence, they take their frustration out on women--who are stronger than they are and will persist in their endeavor to expose injustice.

Many people who voted for the impotent GOP are now frustrated because they didn't bother to listen to everything they said. They had no intention of recognizing women and they did a phenomenal job of turning women against Hillary. I remember hearing one woman say to a reporter, "a woman couldn't be president because she has hormones." I've seen a lot of hormonal women in action and indeed have been one, but I haven't seen a woman act as stupidly as the toddler-in-chief. So, what's his problem--too much testosterone enhancements or missing brain cells?

Instead of ramping up policies for law-abiding citizens (especially when invoking ancient rules on the Senate floor), these old, white men, should retire and sit at home watching sports or reading their latest edition of, "Why It Won't Work Any More." If you think I'm angry, you'd be half-right and I won't bother to tell you about the other half. Before you think my comment is racist--against old white men--think again; if old black men or old Asian men or old Latino men (or any others) disrespected women, I'd say the same thing--but then again, it wasn't old black, Latino, or Asian men who disrespected Elizabeth Warren--it was Mitch McConnell in support of his equally repugnant crony, Jeff Sessions.

Looking at who the majority is--sitting in both houses--old white men--we have to understand--our hope cannot be in them; our hope must be in The Lord and in those who hear Him speak to their hearts. We know the old impotent ones are not hearing Him for if they were listening and obeying; they would realize they work for the Americans who voted for them in the first place--not the president--who bullies.

For all the women who understand, our outrage is real and will not subside until the impotent ones are no longer in a position to make decisions for us--I applaud each and every one and know this--I, too, shall persist in making known all the injustices occurring as a result of old frustrated impotent men, who are afraid of strong women.

The Lord will prevail since it is apparent that He cannot count on the "impotent ones" to do what is right for all human beings; especially those in the United States. Nevertheless, we will persist and we will prevail because The Lord is on our side and with Him at the forefront of every battle, we shall know victory on every side.

Our hope is You, Lord! We are listening and we will obey!

The Leadership Charge!

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.  Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. I Timothy 5:19-25 NIV

In Paul's letter to Timothy, instructions are given for those in leadership positions in how to govern and teach others as well as for himself. Any good leader--knows they need to have the wisdom of those who know what they're doing in order to lead others. Wisdom from above--is immeasurable and when followed--peace and love will reign.

We are living in an age where many people think that whatever they find on the Internet is credible. Those of us who know how to determine credibility of information know--without question--that not everything on the Internet is trustworthy and we certainly should not share the lies and falsehoods promoted by others. For when we participate in the spreading of lies--chaos reigns and reputations are destroyed. And then we are reminded by what Hosea said, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children."

We must remember that God sees all and more importantly, He knows our hearts and intent for everything we do. We mere mortals can only see what is exposed--not having the ability to read a person's mind, but if we are careful to observe a matter and seek Holy Spirit, we can accurately assess information gathered and draw conclusions--predicting what happens next.

There are so many false news outlets infiltrating the Internet, that I cannot begin to name them all, but I have seen how they operate. Many of the URLs--include the name of the party providing the information and we know is skewed to favor them and impugn others. The real travesty is that when people don't know how to discern the truth from the fiction, the gullible believe the fiction and will not hear the truth. When leaders--anywhere--but especially in the church--promote fiction as truth, they will have to answer to God, not only for what they do, but what they have led others to believe.

How do we discern truth from fiction in a news outlet? Look at the source--how many writers are involved? What is their source of information? What is the level of bias detected? Is this a true journalistic endeavor or is it simply a means for someone to vent? Blogs and most other social media posts are merely there for the purpose of espousing the writer or group's opinions and many of those expressed opinions are not based upon any legitimate facts. Unless the site is an actual news outlet (NYT, WSJ, WP, or local news chains), chances are--what is said needs to be verified or confirmed through another legitimate source. The other method to determine truth of a situation is by the end tags--.edu, .org or .gov. Some--not all--bearing the .com or .net tags are not credible sources and need confirmation. Research the author of the site and their credentials or expertise. 

As Believers--we should be able to discern truth from fiction by seeking the basis for what is said on The Word. Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth and we shall know the truth, if we have a mind to listen.

With the above premise--how can we then participate in vicious lies told to destroy a person's reputation without seeking credible witnesses? Specifically, I'm referencing the lies promoted and advocated by Fox News, Breitbart, and Alex Jones. The things they promote are based upon fractions of truth--becoming whole lies--and there is never credible confirmation of anything they promote. Does not Paul warn us about--participating in the sins of others in his letter to Timothy? So, if people publish lies and we promote the lies, are we not just as guilty as the person or entity who started the lie?

If what we see or hear cannot be confirmed by two or more credible witnesses--we should not partake in the character assassinations advocated by false news sources. Do we not have ears to hear, eyes to see, and Holy Spirit within to direct us in all things? If so, we need to rely more upon Him than in the production of fake news, designed to destroy--not only the targets of the lies, but the gullible who believe the lies. Facts are verifiable, while fiction--is just that--made up in the minds of those who promote it.

If what we do does not promote love, peace and harmony, then we might to re-think what we're doing and get our relationship with God right!

Judge The Whole Matter

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiates 12:13).

News media will print anything to get your attention and broadcast things that are not totally true.

Before we judge anything we see or hear, we should investigate the truth for ourselves before we find ourselves being judged in the same manner as what we judged--people forming opinions without the benefit of full disclosure.Remember this--a half-truth is a whole lie! Satan is the father of liars and the master of deception.  Don't be drawn into his folly!

Let us endeavor to please God for we simply cannot please man!

Stimulating Wholesome Thinking!

"Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking" (2 Peter 3:1 NIV).

When I read this passage this morning, I was reminded of the reason I write. I don't expect people to agree with everything I say; not even some of what I say, but I write to encourage and stimulate wholesome thinking especially in how we treat people.

We live in a society where are constantly bombarded with everyone's thoughts through various types of media--online media, television, radio, blogs, all the social media, books, magazines, hand-bills, posters, bill-boards, and online news commentaries. Some of the thoughts we read can readily be dismissed when we recognize the influence behind the thoughts. Some of the thoughts, we may actually consider to be genuine from rational people, until we continue to read what they write. And some, thoughtful writers will actually challenge us to think.

How do we know when we see "wholesome writing" that will ignite "wholesome thinking?"

If what someone says aligns with The Word, explains The Word, expounds on The Word, and is not judgmental, obscene, or profane, or full of hate; we can probably conclude that the writer is thinking wholesome thoughts.  If what someone says, denies or scoffs at The Word, is in opposition to The Word, then we know who is influencing the words they write. What they say will not lead to wholesome thinking, but to chaos and confusion designed to get people off track.

How far off track are we in our society today? Should not our thoughts be the same as the thoughts of Christ?  If we have the mind of Christ, should we not have the conduct of Christ? Should not our heart be as His--loving, full of compassion, and always forgiving?

Nothing in life is fair--God did not promise us fairness. He said, "the just shall live by faith."
 So, don't be bitter about things that didn't "seem fair", move forward and know that if we continue in The Word, we shall receive God's many benefits and He is not slow to fulfill His promises to us! We are the "just" and "the righteousness of Christ" because He said so, not us.

Now, think on these things--whatsoever is pure, lovely, and of a good report--all leading to wholesome thinking. Remember to love and forget all the things that would cause you to hold onto bitterness and unforgiveness. Keep your focus on the prize ahead of you in Christ Jesus! Rational Thinking > Rational Decisions > Rational Behavior--towards all!