Nikki and the S word.

It's easy to come up with the answers to certain historical questions in life. Who was the first president of the United States? What is the name of the country that attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor? What was the date of the terrorist attack on the United States orchestrated by Osama bin Laden?  If you guessed George Washington, Japan, and September 11, 2001, move to the head of the class. (If you guessed John Hanson for the first question you're just a history snob, and you probably have better things to do than read this post.)  And of course there is this gimmie: What was the cause of the Civil War between the states? These would all be easy questions for any typical school aged child in the United States. If you are running for president of the United States, and you are the former governor of a Southern state and high ranking government official, you shouldn't have to even think about it. But that's what Nikki Haley did when she  attempted to answer this question asked by a gentleman she considered a "democrat" plant.  

Nikki went all pretzel with her attempt to answer the question because she did not want to offend republican voters. Particularly those MAGA loyalist who she is still trying to court. In the world of half of republican voters, and most MAGA loyalists, the Civil War was more about good Americans just wanting to hold on to their property without the government telling them what to do, than it was about enslaving and cruelly treating  fellow human beings. This part of American history has been completely whitewashed by the American right, and Nikki Haley knows this. So rather than show some courage and speak the truth about the real reason for the Civil War (or as they call it in the South: 'The War of Northern Aggression') Nikki chose to dodge and obfuscate. It was painful to watch this Indian American daughter of immigrants, as she tried not to offend republican voters, explaining away the Civil War as some government overreach gone bad. 

Nikki Haley might or might not win the republican nomination to be president. Right now it's not looking good for her, but things could change. The thing is, she was gaining momentum. She did it by being a typical double-speaking politician who tried to be all things to all people. Shifting positions and giving nuanced takes to not get locked into a box that she couldn't talk her way out of later on. 

It's been working for her so far, and even her slavery misstep might not hurt her in the long run. I just wonder how she lives with herself.   

"The first thing I should have said was slavery," Haley said on "Cavuto Live" Saturday. "I completely agree with that. When you grow up in the South, slavery is a given. Like when you think of the Civil War, you know it was about slavery. That's never been in question."

Sure Nikki. Until the next time you're in front of a right-wing crowd.  If only you had the moral clarity to speak the truth. That would have been so refreshing.   

Season's greetings.

Happy holidays to you and your families, field hands! 

Let's enjoy these freedoms while we can. With the 2024 elections looming, and a strong possibility that the Scrooge might be our leader, we don't know how much longer we will be able to enjoy these freedoms. 

Peace on earth and goodwill to all. 

Five-alarm warning.

 I'm getting tired of sounding the alarm.  Mr. Trump told America in no uncertain terms, that if he is reelected he will be a dictator from "day one".  And still, incredibly,  there are folks out there who don't believe that he poses a serious threat to this country and everything we stand for. (I see you Chris Cuomo and Mitt Romney.)  Just imagine, almost fifty percent of the people who will vote will no doubt vote for this guy, and there is a really good chance that he could win. His surrogates are already plotting how to get revenge on his perceived enemies, and those enemies include members of the press.  Yikes!

I am going to post an excellent article I read recently about this very subject, it was written by Marc Elias writing for Democracy Docket.  After you read it I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Here goes: 

"Donald Trump is plotting to overthrow American democracy. It is not a secret, and he is not subtle. The only question is whether enough people will care enough to stop it.

Trump is not hiding his intentions for a second term. Echoing Hitler’s rise to power, he has called his political enemies “vermin” and promised his supporters that, if elected, he would be their “retribution.”

Trump’s enablers have outlined a plan for him to replace tens of thousands of career civil servants with MAGA loyalists and to take personal control of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute his political rivals. He is almost certain to use an old law — the Insurrection Act — to convert the military into his personal domestic police force.

Since his power comes from a bottomless capacity to lie, he has contempt for the free press, which he calls the “enemy of the people.” He recently suggested that the government should censor or shut down media platforms he dislikes.

His most brazen attacks on democracy manifested in the aftermath of 2020. Since his loss to President Joe Biden, Trump has advocated for discarding lawful ballots, tampering with election certification and throwing out entire states’ results. 

He supports voter intimidation and voter suppression, often with a racist dimension. Recently, he unveiled a new “guard the vote” strategy, urging his supporters to monitor the vote-counting process in blue cities like Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia. If Trump regains power, these abuses would just be the beginning.

Though state laws generally govern elections, Trump would assuredly use the federal government to seize voting machines and ballots. Anyone who thinks that a re-elected President Trump would not insist on controlling ballot counting and certification has simply not been paying attention.

Trump’s attack on the legal system would not be confined to spurious criminal prosecutions of others. He would also use it to personally benefit himself and his most violent supporters. 

He would almost certainly pardon all the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Worse, he would abuse his office to block his own criminal prosecutions. 

Regardless of the law, he would immediately take steps to fire all the prosecutors in the two federal cases against him. Who would dare stop him? The DOJ and the military would become a weapon to end all four criminal cases in which he is a defendant, while initiating retaliatory criminal investigations against others

If all of this sounds terrifying, it is. If this sounds unrealistic, then you have learned little from history of how democracies are replaced by despotic regimes. Hitler did not come to power in a coup, but rather from democratic elections. The same is true with many of the authoritarians today.

Even if you doubt that this is correct, it is not a risk worth taking.

Blaise Pascal, the 17th century mathematician, is responsible for the foundation of modern risk theory. In his famous “wager” he argues that even non believers should live a life as if God exists. If God does not exist, the downside of living a pious life is relatively small; but, if God does exist, the consequences of living a lavish life are infinitely bad. The lesson: measuring risk requires one to consider not only the likelihood that an event will occur but also the consequences if it does.

Trump will do anything to win in 2024 and the Republican Party will aid and abet him at every turn.

You may believe that the likelihood of Trump destroying democracy is low. You may think he will lose the election, or that our system of checks and balances will hold him back.

But what if you are wrong? " {More here} 

Maybe things aren't so bad after all. I am not alone in sounding the alarm. Hopefully a lot more people will hear it. 

 

Poll position.

Democrats are freaking out over some recent polls showing Joe Biden losing to the former guy in five of six key swing states, and being down four points to him in total overall vote count. I have one word for you: Relax. This is the American press pushing for a close race so that they can improve their ratings around election season. Note how much you have been hearing about these polls of late? That is not by accident. They have an agenda. I don't know one old black person who has ever been called by a pollster. Still, having said that, there are some issues with Uncle Joe and how his presidency is going.  First and foremost, they have a messaging problem.  Biden's administration has been doing some really good things, and they have put the country back on the right track after the train wreck we experienced during the four years that the racist game show host was in charge. 

There are other issues to be sure. The age thing is real. Although I will note for the record that the former guy is just a few years younger, and his cognitive skills, based on some of his recent speeches, are even worse.    But perception is reality, and the perception is that Biden is too old. Personally, I would prefer if some of these old politicians would get off the stage and give the younger folks a shot to run things. But for now, for better or for worse, it looks like we are stuck with Biden.  

Biden and his people also have an enthusiasm problem when it comes to black folks. He better hope we don't stay home this coming election, or he will be toast. Regardless of who his opponent will be.  Having said that, don't believe the polls that say that the racist game show host has twenty two percent of the black vote. That will never happen. Never!  Black folks know the true nature of folks like the former president.  And no matter how hard his people try to make us believe that he is some kind of black savior,  he will never have our trust or our support. There is just too much history there. 

So buckle up people. We are a year away from America picking a new president. Expect all kinds of craziness from here on out. The man leading the republican field may be in jail, and the democratic candidate might decide that the grind is too much and decide to ride off into the sunset and cool his heels on a Delaware beach for the rest of his life.  

This should be fun. 

To all you Veterans out there, than thank you for your service! 

 

Trying times.

 Thomas Paine said it best: "These are the times that try men's souls" . What is happening now in the Middle East is a culmination of decades of hatred, fury, and a complicated geo-political tug of war that has no end in sight.  Hamas, with their brutal and savage attack on innocent Israelis citizens, have unleashed the anger of the world community, and endangered the lives of innocent Palestinians living in Gaza as well.

 Surely they had to have known that the Israeli government would retaliate. And now, because of the response from the state of Israel, the city of Gaza, and innocents living there, are going to be living in hell for the foreseeable future. Two million people living on  a strip of land of about 145 miles, and they have no way out.  

We have all seen the horrific images of the attacks of innocent Israeli citizens, and we are left to wonder, what could cause this type of hatred towards a fellow human being?  What level of religious zealotry would cause one to act with such depravity towards babies women and children? 

This is why I fear so much for this country. I see a lot of parallels between the hatred manifested by some in this country towards others. The same religious zealotry aimed at an easily persuaded population. The same fervor to coalesce around like-minded people who are consumed by their hatred towards others who don't share their values. 

Last night the leading presidential candidate from one of America's two major political parties, made fun of the middle name of a former president, in order to draw a racist response from his followers. A few days ago, right after the attacks in Israel, he danced off the stage after talking about those attacks. This man could very well be the next president of the United States.  Think about that for a minute..... 

We should all hope for peace in the Middle East, and we should be vigilant about what transpires in this country. I know it seems like we are a million miles away when we watch the horror of what is taking place from our television sets. But look around you. Pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing. If you do,  you are going to realize that it's all a lot closer than you think.  

   

Name this movie.

 

One of "us".

 

I just saw a report that most republicans believe that the January 6th insurrection was a democratic inside job to make their dear leader, Donald trump, look bad. I mean, seriously? How can we even have  a normal debate with these people?  What would make seemingly normal people show this type of cult like devotion to an obvious charlatan?

I have a theory, and you can stop reading now if the race card offends you. Yes, it's all about race. There is no other explanation for it. Donald trump has brilliantly built himself up as America's first white supremacist president in the modern era, and that is just fine with a certain segment of the white population who believes that their country is being taken away from them, and that those other people are turning it into their country. Donald trump doesn't have to say the quiet part out loud, because most white Americans who live with that fear see a sort of savior in trump. So what if he is a fascist? He is our fascist. He will protect our way of life. He will take us back to the days when our superiority wasn't questioned. In other words, he will make America great again.  

This is why, no matter what, Mr. trump will always have a large segment of the population in his corner. No matter how many crimes he is charged with, no matter how many women he rapes or brags about assaulting, it won't matter. It drives other Americans nuts. Those of us who consider ourselves normal and who want to see the better angels in others want to believe that the people who support him really  believe in their hearts that he is just a guy that means well and his policies will help them in the long run. That is not true. Go back to my second paragraph and read it again. It's an uncomfortable truth, and if we can't come to grips with it the cult of Donald trump will forever have us perplexed.

The British writer, Nate White, penned a brilliant essay about why the Brits don't like Mr. trump. It's worth a read. 

Another essay could be written about why so many Americans like Mr. trump. The answer would be simple: He is one of us.  

Fear the chair.

 

I will never understand the internet. I don't understand what drives clicks and makes one particular story more popular than the other. This story of the brawl in Montgomery, Alabama has captured the imagination of black America in ways that you can't imagine. There are memes, jokes, and articles, which makes the point.  As black folks, we have rallied around the folding chair, and we are so damn proud of our people for not sitting back and taking it anymore when we see injustice unfolding (pun intended) before our eyes. 

If you have been living in a cave, I will give you a quick synopsis. A black security guard was doing his job and trying to keep a private boat out of the docking area while a commercial ferry was approaching. A  bunch of  boaters (who all happened to be white) jumped the poor guy and all hell broke loose. He was trying to hold his own but the numbers were just to much for him. Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of black strangers decided to jump in and help him. One guy literally swam across the harbor to help. He is now affectionately being called Alabama Aqua Man in black circles.  The fight that followed is all over the internet, and the folding chair has now become a symbol of black resistance.

So let's try to analyze what transpired. I have been trying to figure out if this brawl was purely racial or just some citizens feeling bad for some guy that was getting his ass kicked by a bunch of drunks. But then, I have to ask myself: If the guy getting his ass kicked was white, would all those black strangers have stepped in to help? If there were a bunch of black guys beating a single white security guard, would a bunch of black strangers step in to help the white security guard? Would a bunch of white strangers jump in to help the lone white guy getting his ass kicked?  To the latter question I would say no, to the first question, I would say, yes. But I am not so sure, which is what makes this all kind of fascinating to me. 

A quick personal story. I went to high school in Jamaica. It was a boarding school, and there were kids there from all over the world. I had a close friend, Franz Newman, who I hung out with all the time.  (He is living somewhere in Canada now, and I don't think he would mind me using him for this story.) Franz is Jamaican, and proud of it. But he is from a German settlement in the Southern part of the island, and he had blue eyes and blonde hair. I remember him fighting an African American kid who happened to be from New York, and he (Franz) was getting his ass kicked. Who do you think I jumped in and tried to help? Yep, Franz. Why? Because he was Jamaican, and he was my friend. In that moment, my friendship, and my national and ethnic loyalty, took priority over any racial one that I might have. It's complicated, I know. But that was my experience back then, and I was a product of my environment. 

My guess is that because of the times we are living in, black folks have become hypersensitive to these types of interactions. So now, more than ever, we see everything in the context of race. I am also guessing that those white folks who jumped that poor security guard might not have done it if he was a white guy doing his job. So them, too, have become racialists in their every day interactions. It's where we are now as a country. And I suspect, sadly, that we will be seeing a lot more Montgomery, Alabama type racial brawls in the days to come. 

Thoughts? 

Jason's Lyrics.

 

I can take or leave country music. Some of  the music is decent, but I can do without some of it as well. My significant other, on the other hand, loves the stuff. She knows all the artists and lyrics, and we fight on long drives about me having to listen to one country and western station after another. 

I bring this up because of the latest controversy involving a country and western star who thought it was cool to write a song about small town "values" by taking on black folks and our struggle here in these divided states of America.

 I'm cool with artistic freedom, and controversial lyrics,  but I am not cool with hypocrisy. Jason Aldean and his people knew exactly what they were doing when they wrote and produced this song.  I could actually live with the song on its own, but when I saw the video that goes with it, I was like...whoa!  Live and in living color from the site of a horrific lynching back in the day, and the imagery of black folks in the most negative light you can imagine.  

My man is trying his best to bring back Sundown towns. And he is promoting violence and intolerance for good measure.    

Here is a take from Candace McDuffie, writing for  the Root: 

"Jason Aldean has done his best to defend the music video for his latest single, “Try That in a Small Town,” which has been the center of controversy for the last 48 hours. On Monday, the decision was made by Country Music Television (CMT) to pull it from the air.

 Many believe it’s because the conservative singer filmed the video in front of a Tennessee courthouse where a Black man was lynched (CMT hasn’t confirmed if this was the reasoning for its removal). More specifically, the setting was Maury County Courthouse in Columbia where in 1927, a white lynch mob hung a young Black man named Henry Choate from a second-story window.

In the “Try That in a Small Town” video, that same courthouse is draped in an American flag while Aldean sings painfully obtuse lyrics in front of it like:

“Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk/Carjack an old lady at a red light/ Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store/Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like/Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/Stomp on the flag and light it up/ Yeah, ya think you’re tough.”

Aldean didn’t stop there. The courthouse also has clips projected onto it showing numerous protests, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations. They are in conjunction with stills and footage of the aforementioned liquor store robberies and carjackings. However, there is significantly more footage of the protests throughout the video. 

By lyrically and visually equating meaningful rallies condemning police brutality to violent crime, Aldean is shamelessly touting how much he—and this country, quite frankly—devalues Black life. However, he took to Twitter on Tuesday to insist that this isn’t the case:

“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far....Try That In A Small Town’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”'

There may be no lyrical reference to race, but knowing that police brutality disproportionately affects Black and brown people and choosing to disparage those protests in the visuals for “Try That in a Small Town” completely contradicts Aldean’s defense." 

 [Source] 

 This is the same guy who was playing on stage when a mad man slaughtered a bunch of people in Las Vegas, Nevada. You would think he would know better. 

But hey, these are the times we are living in . Folks on the right will now make him a hero, and he is going to make a lot of money playing to their inner demons. 

All this and the guy isn't even from a small town. He is from Macon, Georgia, and the last time I checked that ain't no small town. My aforementioned wife, on the other hand, is from a small town. Really small. Like one stoplight small, and the people in that little corner of Louisiana are honest and decent, and there are plenty black folks who live there. But this song by Aldean was not meant for them.  

So let's be honest with ourselves, it's not about the size of the town, but rather like minded people coming together to hate in unison. 

The Supremes strike again.

I see that the Supremes are at it again. It's not enough they can just flaunt their disregard for ethics and decency in our faces. They are now making laws that hurt disadvantaged and marginalized people. They are ignoring precedent, and they are forgetting their place as one of the three branches of government by overreaching to the executive branch. 

I am not surprised that they gutted race based considerations for admissions to institutions of higher learning. This was their goal all along. It's stunning, though, that they said that this ruling does not apply to military institutions. It's as if they are cool with letting our children go in the bunkers but not in the boardrooms. The military institutions can let in all the black students that they want to, but not the prestigious state schools and Ivy League schools such as Harvaaad. That is reserved for the children of privilege (see white), and the well connected.  The children of those who can afford to fly Supreme Court Justices on private jets and treat them to million dollar vacation packages. 

I saw an Asian American mother on twitter telling her daughter that they finally made it. They finally struck down Affirmative Action and now it will be an even playing field for everyone. She actually wrote that everyone will now be judged on "merit". Poor thing.  Maybe she is still too new to America to see that she is being used, and that she is totally misguided.  But she will learn.  She will see that the "pick me" immigrant and minority will never have a seat at the table, and they will never achieve the merit based result that they rightfully want. The game is rigged, and whether it's in college admissions or in the workplace,  they will soon learn that Mr. Charlie always wins.

The small portion of seats that African American children take in these schools (5%) is not what is preventing the vast majority of Asian American children who are qualified to get rejected. They better turn their attention to the legacy admissions, and the money that the well connected pay to get their children a seat in the freshman class to see where the real problem lies. 

It wasn't only race based admissions. The Supremes saw fit to tell a bigo..I mean a "Christian" who has a business that is open to the public, that it's cool to discriminate against LGBTQ people because of free speech. Think about that for a minute: What's to stop Bubba in Alabama from preventing black folks from stopping at his gas station to get gas? If we are not careful, history will repeat itself. I can see us going down that road (pun intended) again. Ask an old black person about the Green Book. 

The right-wingnuts have a six to three majority on the court, and the tfg's appointees are all young. This out of control unchecked court will be doing damage for some time. Clarence (Clayton Bigsby) Thomas, the world's second back white supremacist, will be in Coon heaven for years to come.   

Let this is be a reminder to all you folks out there who sit on the sidelines every election day instead of voting: Elections  have consequences. You are seeing that play itself out in real time.

 

Charged!

I am pretty sure that none of you reading this were shocked by the federal indictment of Donald J. Trump for his "alleged" myriad of crimes having to do with his handling of classified documents after he left office. Thirty seven counts is a lot. Thirty seven! We all saw this coming. Mr. Trump has never had any respect for the rule of law, and he has always believed that he is above it. Now, finally, he will have to answer for his alleged crimes against the American people. 

Over the next few weeks you will be hearing the spin and gaslighting coming from the right. They will tell you that these charges are all political, and that they have nothing to do with the law.  Don't believe them. The truth is, if this had been anyone besides a former president who leads a cult of about thirty five percent of the voters in the republican party, he would have been charged and tried a long time ago.  He would more than likely be cooling his heels in one of the many federal detention facilities in our country as I write this.  

Still, I love the irony of all this. Here is a man who called for his political opponent (Hillary)to be locked up before she even had a trial, and for the death penalty to be handed down on five young men for a crime that they have been since exonerated from committing.  And now, he and his cult members are crying foul. They are saying that his arrest is political and never should have happened.  But I read the indictment in its entirety, and it's solid. I would recommend that if you are skeptical about the veracity of the charges, you do the same. And unless you are a member of the MAGA cult, I m sure that your conclusion will be the same. 

Donald J. Trump was indicted by a grand jury made up of ordinary citizens with no political agenda. They looked at the facts and came to the same conclusion: Donald J. Trump should be charged with these crimes. He will now have his day in court like any other ordinary citizen, and we will wait to see if justice will be served. 

This is a sad time for America. Imagine a former president being charged by the department of justice with committing crimes that could undermine our peace and security in the world. I would argue that an even sadder day, was when we elected this grifter and narcissist to be our leader in the first place.  Old black folks like to say that when someone shows you who they are, believe them. 

We have always known who Donald J. Trump is, so this indictment should not surprise any of us.  

Now let's just hope that justice will be served. 

Tim Scott does not want to be defined by his blackness. His party will do it for him.

 

I recently ran across an article about Tim Scott, Senator from South Carolina, and declared republican candidate for president, which I found quite interesting.  Mr. Scott is African American, and I think the fact that he is running for President of the United States is a good thing. What's not good, though, is the reason he is giving for running, and the message that he hopes that his candidacy sends. He recently appeared on The View, and I will give him credit for at least attempting to debate the merits of his positions. 

Anyway, here is the article about the aforementioned Mr. Scott. It's a bit harsh, but I actually agree with most of what the author had to stay. 

"Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) hopped in the 2024 presidential race Monday with a campaign speech in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina.

Scott employed language similar to every other Black evangelical politician: “Victimhood or victory? I choose freedom, hope and opportunity.” “I disrupt their narrative.” And more language suggested that he refuses to be defined by his Blackness.

In his most attention-grabbing comments, Scott diminished the existence of racism to what appears to be a largely white audience.

“For those of you who wonder if America is a racist country, take a look… at how all of God’s people come together… because unconditional love binds hearts together,” Scott said. “We are not defined by the color of our skin; we’re defined by the content of our character. If anyone tells you anything different, they’re a-lyin’!”

Scott doubled down on this inherently flawed idea as a guest on Monday’s episode of ” The View ,” suggesting that the American playing field is level because Black folks have achieved high-level jobs within the U.S. government and elsewhere (though the audience reserved their boos for when he regurgitated the asinine suggestion of his competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, that Disney is “indoctrinating” children with evil LGBTQ propaganda.)

Most sensible Black folks see through this bullshit like a Ziploc bag. For the woefully uninitiated, however, I’ll put the snark on hold, just for a second: Racism is forever. And it’s everywhere, including America. That no one is dragging Black folks by their noosed necks behind moving cars in the open anymore doesn’t suggest it’s completely nonexistent in all its forms.

Look no further than the 2016 election of Donald Trump, which galvanized the tiki-torch protesters and U.S. Capitol insurrectionists to say all the quiet parts very loudly in a manner I hadn’t seen before in my life. Having working eyes and ears and suggesting that racism is a thing of the past is like passing the third grade convinced that the Earth is flat.

Yet, Scott is just one of several charisma-free, cookie-cutter conservative House Negroes propagating the notion that Black folks bucking up and letting go of that pesky racism issue that apparently hasn’t been an issue since the mid-20 th century is the true anodyne for all our problems. When these clowns vie for their respective political thrones, it’s almost always on the back of Black Democrats whom they insist are playing the “race card” as victims.

In 2004, Alan Keyes was installed by Illinois Republicans as a carpetbagger to challenge Barack Obama for the state’s U.S. Senate seat. An avowed evangelical Christian staunchly opposed to affirmative action and abortion, Keyes was curb-stomped by a young Obama during his unprecedented ascendancy. Keyes was a puppet for white Republicans, and everyone saw through him.

Despite his failed presidential bid, the late Herman Cain made his millions by slinging Godfather’s Pizza and having a keen business and investment acumen. Though Cain made it a point to let everyone know that he got out of the mud all on his own despite having been born a Black man in the 1940s Deep South, his Black ass most assuredly benefited from affirmative action . May he rest in peace and all that.

Larry Elder, the patron saint of Black conservatives, has spent his decades-long radio career espousing the virtues of being a sellout. He even created a self-aggrandizing documentary, 2020’s ” Uncle Tom ,” in the hope that people listening to all his buddies talk about how cool it is to be a Black conservative might influence more people to vote for Trump again.

Elder tried to take California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat in a 2021 recall election. He’s running now for president in 2024 , at which he’ll also fail.

I know I must include Herschel Walker in my polemic, since he was the loudest Black Republican candidate before Scott to downplay racism . But I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen such an obvious Uncle Ruckus-shaped pawn in my life, so despite the eye-wateringly amazing progress he made in last year’s Georgia Senate race before losing to Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, I never took Walker to be a serious human.

These morons all have one thing in common: When it’s time to get elected, the white Republicans they courted drop them like used napkins and the Democrat they challenged ultimately gets the office.

(Perhaps the only exception to this rule is almost the most dangerous: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, has the power to constitutionally send America back to the late 1800s. All while being openly financially shady .)

Outside of politics, there’s a gaggle of sellouts who, despite being born and raised to two Black parents in the 20 th century, have built sizable social media followings spewing “post-racial” rhetoric so absurd that I’m unconvinced that most of them actually believe their own hype.

Candace Owens is not a stupid woman ― I don’t believe she’s achieved the success she has in her mid-30s while lacking a fundamental understanding of the limitations society will always attempt to heap upon a dark-skinned Black woman. She’s simply riding the white supremacist wave to secure a bag, which makes her worse than the nakedly racist white people we expect it from.

For my bread, the image of Owens and her buddy Ye ― who, despite being a wildly successful billionaire, still longs for white acceptance – draped in “White Lives Matter” T-shirts last year is far more disgusting than a bunch of white incels hoisting tiki-torches.

I agree that Black people shouldn’t embrace victimhood as a crutch to keep us from achieving the goals we desire. But there’s a wide chasm between rejecting victimhood and suggesting that racism died with Jim Crow, or that we’re “post-racial” because we elected a Black man to the White House in 2008.

Racism is not our utter inability to accomplish the goals of our white counterparts. It’s our need to work a bit harder to do so. To be more agreeable and palatable. To go the extra mile to prove that we belong in spaces in which we’re not traditionally expected… spaces in which we literally weren’t allowed at a time when our parents walked the Earth.

Recognizing the perpetual existence of systemic racism and working to mitigate its effects should be part of every human’s social contract ― even for those who benefit from it.

Even if Trump manages to stay out of prison, Scott won’t come within spitting distance of the Republican nomination in a race that includes Ron DeSantis . But as he goes through the process, he’ll learn just how squeaky-clean his closet must be to even be considered for the Oval Office as a Black man… a lesson Obama had to learn before him.

Scott will be forced to compare his experience with all the ridiculous shit that Trump did, only to get elected anyway. Then perhaps he’ll finally understand racism.

CORRECTION : A prior version of this story referred to the incorrect President Bush in one instance." [Source]

Tim Scott has a very optimistic view of race in America. The problem is that most Americans in the majority population, especially those in his party, do not share his sense of optimism and hope for race relations in America. It's a party that is led by Donald Trump, a man who has made it cool for poor white folks to hate again.  So with that said, I am not quite sure where Mr. Scott's vision fits in with all the hatred and bile that has festered in his party over the past few years. 

Still, I wish him luck. He will need it.   

   

   

Google has a problem.

 

Just a note to you field hands. I tried posting an article a few days ago and it was shot down by the gatekeepers at Google. Why? Because they thought that it was offensive. (I can assure you it was not.) 

Those of you who know me know that I do not post offensive content. (At least not anymore.) I allow offensive comments, because I believe in free speech, but my posts are never offensive. 

The problem is that there are not a lot of folks at Google who look like I do, and they do not understand that that when I write the word *****  it is not meant to be offensive. The fact is, most of the people who look (and think) like I do consider the phrase field ***** a term of endearment. They are not offended by it, and neither should anyone else.  As for the phrase house *****, it should be no more offensive than the words snob, or clueless. If I had written an article about snobbish or clueless people, I am sure that it would have been allowed.  But such is life with the new gatekeepers. They decide what is offensive and what is not.  

Maybe at some point I will be allowed to repost the article, but for now,  I am reconsidering my relationship with Google. 

Sadly, after over fifteen years and millions of page views, it might be time for a change.

   

The top ten house Negroes in America. (Latest edition.)

Before I get into my list, I want to acknowledge the passing of a great man; fellow yawdie and icon, Harry Belafonte. A true field Negro in my humble opinion. The man was extremely talented, and he unapologetically fought for the rights of the downtrodden. He was also the personification of class and dignity. He will be missed. May he rest in power.  

I was thinking about Mr. Belafonte as I sat to write my list of the top house Negroes in America. They are the exact opposite of him and everything that he stood for. 

Anywhoo, without further ado, here are the top ten house Negroes in America. (Note that some Negroes such as Clarence Thomas are just a given for this list, and they are already in the House Negro Hall Fame. Therefore, some of the usual suspects will not be included on this list. I will have a Hall of Fame edition later.) 

  1. Byron Donalds, Congressman from Florida: I don't know how many times I have to say this: being a black conservative is not an automatic qualifier for this list, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. We need different points of views in a debate about how to move forward. But being a black conservative just to jig for the FOX crowd without any knowledge of the issues makes you a house Negro. 

2. Jason Whitlock: The bad toupee alone gets him house Negro recognition. But seriously, this clown should probably be in the House Negro Hall of Fame with Clarence Thomas.  I am going to include him on this current list because he has inserted himself into every high profile case where a person of color has been wronged, and, like a true house Negro, he has taken a contrary position to be patted on the head by his far-right benefactors.  

3. Charlamagne  the God:  I am not one of these people who believe that artists, athletes, and entertainers should not speak up politically, but I do believe that when you have a platform you have to choose your words wisely. And, most importantly, you have to do some research on the subject of which you speak. This Negro has done none of the above, which puts him in the house. 

4. Candace Owens: Another potential House Negro Hall of Fame candidate. She is back on this list because she continues to contribute to the downfall of political discourse and has captured the zeitgeist of the moment. Her writings for the Daily Wire, with titles such as: The Left And The Devil Tell You Lies So You Will Despair" is just gross and incendiary. 

5. Harris Faulkner:  Lying on the air to appease your FOX masters is not cool. To the house, Harris.   

6. Young Urban Terrorists: Gangbanging, selling drugs in your community, and killing other young black men for no real reason is house Negro behavior.  There is nothing cool about not getting an education and earning an honest living.  

7. Deion Sanders: I'm not mad at Coach Prime for taking the money and moving on to bigger things at Colorado, but taking a shot at JSU and the poor black folks of Jackson, Mississippi, on your way out of town, was house Negro behavior. 

8. Joseph Ladapo, Florida Surgeon General: This Negro altered the vaccine study in his state to appease his Master, Ron DeSantis.  That's as houseish as it gets. 

9. Vivek Ramaswamy, GOP Republican candidate: I know this guy probably resents being on this list because he doesn't consider himself a Negro. But I have some bad news for him: In America, a person of color such as himself, is considered a Negro. Having said that, calling for the abolition of the FBI with no alternative, and attacking transgendered children, is house Negro behavior. 

10. Kristina Karamo, Michigan Republican party chair: This election denier has called BLM members Marxist witches, accused Beyonce of secretly recruiting Black Americans to Paganism, and used Holocaust imagery to oppose gun control proposals. One has to wonder how she  made it this far with these extreme views. I think it's called the power of the house. And any Negro willing to sell their soul will be welcomed inside.  

*This post was previously written and was not published as the  gatekeepers at Google found it offensive.