Sunday thoughts.

I have some thoughts on this Sunday--- the day the hashtag #ObamaDay is trending on twitter. Something about it coinciding with the birthday of the guy occupying the White House from his bunker now.

First, the police officers in Atlanta who answered that call at the Wendy's South of the city must not have been watching the news for the past few weeks. What on God's green earth would cause you to shoot a fleeing suspect in the back? And with cell phone cameras rolling no less. My Lord! I shudder to think what was happening before these cell-phone cameras became a thing.

Please watch Dave Chappelle's new comedy special to understand the depth of black rage right now. 

And let me get this out of the way before I continue. I know some good police officers, most of them are people of color, and they have a tough job working these mean streets of Philadelphia. A lot of them are frustrated and want to quit the force. I would urge them not to. Now, more than ever, we need them to stay on and counter the behavior of the bad apples in their ranks. Especially the ones who sign up for all the wrong reasons, and are carrying around their biases against black folks and other people of color.

Which brings me to my second point: No one wants to defund police departments. That is short-sighted and foolhardy. Ask poor people living in the hood if they want to get rid of police departments via defunding. The answer will most assuredly be no. What we do want is the resources that police departments receive to be utilized in different ways. More and better screening and training of recruits. More community oversight agencies with well-intentioned folks running them. More resources for counseling,etc. And more incentives for good officers who step up and do the right thing.

My third point is the protests and unrest all over the country, and the clueless man in the White House who is hell- bent on starting a race war because he believes that this is the only way he will win reelection.

How else do you explain his coming out rally being held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his initial wish to hold it on June 19th? For you white folks who don't know, this day is celebrated by black folks because on June 19, 1865 slaves became officially free in Texas. I know, I know, it's two years after the Emancipation Proclamation but that's a different story for another time. Anyway, Mr. trump finally moved the date of his rally but it is still being held in Tulsa. Most black folks think that is even more significant, because Tulsa has a history when  it comes to race riots. If you didn't know about it already, now might be a good time to look up the Tulsa Massacres. 

And then, incredibly, he does it again. Mr. trump will give his acceptance speech on Ax Handle Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. Please take the time to Google what happened on that date in Jacksonville, Florida. Here, I will make it easy for you and give you a link. If you are paying attention, Mr. trump is two for two with his dog whistle to his racist friends.

Finally, speaking of Mr. trump. Remember when the news media made a big deal about Hillary's health during the campaign? I do. So I have to wonder: Why are they so quiet when it comes to Mr. trump's obvious issues with his health and his cognitive abilities? Did you see him walk down that ramp at West Point yesterday? Please take the time to watch the video. Even if you are trump supporter (heck, especially if you are a trump supporter) you have to be concerned. It was painful to watch. Clearly there is something wrong with the man. Of course the main stream media is refusing to talk about it, and you have to wonder why.

And can we talk about the two handed water bottle hold for a minute? WTF was that all about? Who uses two hands to hold a bottle of water like that? Honestly, if the water bottle fiasco doesn't worry you, well then you might have some serious issues as a trump cultist.

I have to wonder now what that quick and unscheduled hospital visit back in November was all about. Hmmm. They can cover up a lot of things, but given how much trump loves a photo op they won't be able to cover up his health issues forever. You can lie to us when he has his physical check- ups (if he weighs 235 pounds I am dating Emayatzy Corinealdi), but our eyes don't lie. We can see the physical deterioration and loss of cognitive abilities as plain as day.   

That's all my Sunday thoughts for today, folks.

Stay safe out there.