Most importantly, the
theocratic terrorists ought to be condemned for kidnapping innocent Sisters in
the first place. I am glad that Nigerians are demanding the government to do
its job stronger. The Nigerian government has that responsibility to use more
firm methods in finding the missing children. The State Department can do many
things in this situation like working with the international community in
putting pressure on Nigerian authorities, so that they can more aggressively
try to rescue the missing human beings. We should all be outraged too. In
Nigeria, there should be more grassroots organizations (including communities
banding together as a means to find the missing girls) support that advocate
political and social independence in Nigeria. There has to be greater economic
development in Nigeria too. There has to be a bigger emphasis in healthcare, education,
etc. Nigerians can also inspire its President to receive international
assistance in finding the missing girls (excluding a neo-imperialist agenda,
because human lives are at stake and this is an emergency). Additionally, there
should be a mass movement to grant human rights to people irrespective of
religion or gender. There should be more organizations formed, activism
executed, and even other methods being shown too beyond protests. Abayomi
Azikiwe & Olufemi Ijebuode have great research on African issues too.
In the final analysis, Nigeria should use their resources to find the missing
Sisters along with international support. The Nigerian President should welcome
international help on finding the girls via massive pressure. The Nigerian
actors, actresses, business leaders, educators, lawyers, doctors can show more
visibility on this issue internationally (as a means for the world community to
understand the plight of the missing people). I have no issue with massive
search parties among Nigerians to find the missing girls too. Individually,
Nigerians should continue stand up for black girls and black females in
general. We all express sympathy for the missing girls and their families.
Income inequality is a threat to world peace and social stability in the world.
More financial experts are talking about the dangers of economic inequality
more and more now. The few at the top (with vast oil resources) have much wealth while the poor suffer
without experiencing the rightfully economic justice that they rightfully
deserve. Nigeria's ethnic strife, economic inequality, and political issues
must be addressed as a means for Nigeria to reach its full potential as a
beautiful nation. Samuel James' article entitled, In Nigeria, oil divides the
rich and poor" discusses this issue in an amazing fashion.
Learning lessons
from the past is key to creating a better future for humanity. The Haitian
Revolution is now over 210 years old. That doesn’t mean that we ignore the
lessons from that powerful, inspiring Revolution. Therefore, we should learn
about the strengths and weaknesses of the New Deal as a means to create
economic justice for our people (not reactionary economic ideas embraced by
elitists). Any legitimate job created is valuable regardless if it is a
government job or a private sector job. Just because there is less government
jobs in comparison to private jobs, doesn’t mean that any government job is
evil or a sin. Things can change. The future could witness an upsurge of public
workers. Public workers are diverse. They deal with construction, environmental
infrastructure, and other occupations (not just department work). There are
people of many backgrounds (racial, ideological, gender, or otherwise) that
want a comprehensive, national jobs plan. The issue is that reactionaries hate
this and are in opposition to this. I understand many things. I understand that
Reaganomics failed. I understand that from 1945 to 1975 (with more taxation on
the wealthy and huge investments) caused the highest GDP growth in American
history (possibly in world history along with the poverty rate cut in half).
So, we know the truth. In the 1920s, fully half of all Americans could not make
ends meet. Roosevelt's New Deal programs had reduced poverty to about 20 percent
in the 50s. Johnson's Great Society reduced this to 11.1 percent by 1973. If
such real policies can work in Finland, Norway, Sweden, etc. then such policies
can work in America. Some talk about fantasy. 100 years ago, folks called Social
Security as a fantasy. Also, 100 years ago, folks considered a Voting Rights
Act including other potent civil rights legislation fantasies. Yet, when
Brothers and Sisters struggle and fight (for cooperation and for the general
welfare of humanity), then things demonized as fantasies can be changed into
authentic realities. I will never love an economic philosophy that was involved
in enslaving my race at all. That is purely the point. An end to imperialist
wars, an end to QE, an end to record bailouts, an increased taxation to the
super rich, an end to the War on Drugs with alternatives, and real investments
are needed to create a better reality for the human race. Governments have
created jobs for thousands of years. Also, many government jobs do deal with
construction, science (NASA, etc.), transportation (i.e. Amtrak),
infrastructure (i.e. the Postal Service), etc. So, folks are in error to assume that the government can't create a single job. That is a lie. Folks can have a Yawn since they want to ignore history. See, a wicked economic system put
our ancestors in chains (It has also ruined environmental locations, harmed workers’
rights so much that workers fought back, and increased economic inequality).
Dr. King, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and our other heroes outlined great
critiques of that economic system too. I have their quotations. The skeptics can ignore
that all they want, but that is history. Wall Street has harmed Main Street in
many ways too. The Great Recession taught us all that austerity, sequester,
Reaganomics, record income inequality, and other evils are detriments to the
progress of society. Also, I never discounted the value of private jobs at all.
I just mention that neoliberalism is immoral. All people have the right to your views
and I have the right to mine. Many black people have trouble in economic
mobility, because of many of the conditions of poverty not because of laziness.
Dr. King was right to call the ghetto a domestic colony. Black people have the
right to move from it or to transform the ghetto where slums are replaced with
affordable, decent housing. Great schools and great jobs can never come unless
there is a combined effort of public and private resources. History shows us
this. Privatization including corporate greed (that is antithetical to human
need) have caused mismanagement and corruption too. Poverty rates have declined
worldwide via a comprehensive effort among private power, public power (among
all levels of government), and dedicated individuals.
There are individuals who certainly
believe in certain beliefs. They have the right to believe in your views on economic
issues. Me, I decline it. Also, we are the United States. Many cities in poorer
white communities have suffered too. Many cities (with mostly white and mostly
black populations) suffer not because of the policies from Finland. Many cities
suffer because of austerity, unfair trade deals, deindustrialization, lax
investments, economic inequality, poverty, and other socioeconomic issues. That
is easily explainable. It has nothing to do with true progressive actions
(since many Democrats running those cities followed Reaganomics or
neoliberalism along with massive austerity cuts just like many Republicans).
Also, I am a political independent. So, the skeptics can call me whatever you wish. These reactionaries certainly love economic views that Malcolm X and Dr. King reject. Also, we can
solve crime, poverty, and unemployment issues with an increased minimum wage
(including an economic Bill of Rights as advocated by Dr. King), an end to QE
plus Wall Street bailouts, an end to the War on Drugs, an end to the war on
terror, increased taxation on the super-rich (which they can afford), true
investments in our communities (from both the public and private sectors), and
other real solutions. Also, teenage pregnancy has decreased in the black
community. From 1991 to 2010, the rate of births to black teens, 15-19, fell by
more than half, with a full 9 percent drop just between 2009 and 2010 alone.
Likewise, from 1980 to 2008, the birthrate for all black women under 18 fell by
more than half. Crime rates have declined in black communities nationwide since
the 1970's. There are more and more black Sisters in colleges and owning
business now. There are many black people making great economic successes. As
for SNAP, 64 percent of black recipients who come on to the program, move off
the program rolls within a year, suggesting that benefit receipt is, for most,
a short-term and transitional reality, rather than a long-term condition. For
cash assistance, about half of blacks who enter the program will be off the
rolls within 4 months, and 7 in 10 will be off within a year. We have a very
long way to go, but we are not out of the woods. I acknowledge the problems of
Democrats like many of them being too reactionary on many issues (like Bill
Clinton on his policies involving the prison industrial complex). So, the truth
is that reactionary ideologies and retrograde discrimination have harmed much
of the black community. Here are other facts. Personal disposable income has
grown nearly 6 times more under Democratic presidents. Mixed economies have worked
in Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, etc. Also, ghetto is a term
describing a location not a state of mind. Many folks living in the ghetto have
an upright character. I find it highly offensive for some to say ghetto (to be
used as a slur against the poor) when folks with bad character exist across
socioeconomic backgrounds. Many people are poor by no fault of their own. It is
that same economic system that brutalized our people, exploited our people, and
harmed our people in other ways.
Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) has grown 7 times more under Democratic Presidents. Corporate
profits have grown over 16% more per year under Democratic Presidents (they
actually declined under Republicans by an average of 4.53%/year). Republican
Presidents added 2.5 times more to the national debt than Democratic
Presidents. As Michelle Alexander points out in THE NEW JIM CROW, a central
part of the current evil is the prison industrial complex, fueled by the
"war on drugs" initially started under the Nixon administration and
it greatly expanded under the Reagan administration. There has to be a ban on
mandatory minimum sentences, giving ex-felons voting rights and job
opportunities (after they fully paid their debt to society), spreading of medical
marijuana, and funding for drug treatment programs that can help nonviolent
people who experience drug addictions. These are specific plans not
generalizations. Also, I advocate a massive, comprehensive approach in
transforming the ghetto. I never discounted the role of private organizations.
I believe in an all of the above approach as I have maintained. You can ignore
that if you wish, but I will not. There is no evidence that massive austerity
will cause a massive change in the black community. Many middle class blacks
need to stop their arrogance. Many of them have arrogance in blaming the poor
without witnessing the complexities of poverty. Many of the middle class blacks
fear the poor of their own people as a means to escape their responsibility to
help their poorer Brothers and Sisters. Many of them are scared and frighten of
white people instead of loving black people. Dr. King said interesting words on
this issue: "...Middle-class values stress the importance of career and
money. These were not the values which led to the civil rights movement; these
are not the values which lead to positive social transformation..." We
need both educated black people and grassroots black people too as a means to
help our people. It is not an either or proposition to me. Some have listed many names.
I am not moved by stereotypical rhetoric. Also, welfare has been drastically
cut by Clinton and other President. Most black people don't have welfare
Section 8 is not even a totally free system. Folks can be stripped of Section 8
via violations. Section 8 is not some free ride. Most black poor people in
America are not on welfare, are not on the corner dealing drugs, and most are
working as best as they can. Folks from across the political spectrum believe
in responsibility, accountability, and honor. So, some using reactionary stereotypes against people that disagree with them are evil. We know that
the economic corruption from Wall Street and the derivatives market contributed
to the Great Recession (which occurred first under a Republican President). The
Great Recession has harmed the black community and black people collectively
never created it at all. Nothing massively changes unless we as a people
address poverty and other socioeconomic issues in our communities. We need to
improve our morality, strengthen our family, and allow our children to be
respectful in the world. Yet, that is not enough. We have to change
institutions and confront racism, discrimination, and poverty to see our people
to reach its highest potential collectively. It is truly a fantasy to expect
nothing short of revolutionary solutions to address the needs of the poor and
the oppressed. Not all welfare is evil either. Studies have documented the
benefits of a slight minimum wage increase. Any social dysfunction can be
solved not by authoritarian, theocratic policies. It can be solved by improving
education, increasing the minimum wage, and instituting public plus private
programs to address the needs of the community. These items are beyond welfare.
We can both improve our morality and radically transform society wherefore the
oppressed have justice. Also, both genders are entitled to equality as Malcolm
X has said. See, Ella Baker, Gloria Richardson, Betty Shabbaz, Myrlie
Evers-Williams, etc. were not in the back of the bus (of our struggle for black
liberation). They were standing up fighting for our liberation via great
leadership. Men and women have the right to express great leadership. It is
always part of my thinking to reject following Eurocentric notions of gender.
Fundamentally, black feminists are not monolithic. Many black feminists (who
never created the Maafa, never originated the War on Drugs, never created
modern oppression, in America, and never created Jim Crow either) do not hate
the nuclear family, love black men sincerely, and seek humane justice. Not all
single mothers are monolithic either. Some single mothers exist, because of
many reasons. These single mothers should not be demonized unfairly. BLACK MEN
SHOULD NOT STAND IN FRONT OR BEHIND BLACK WOMEN. BLACK MEN HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO
STAND ALONGSIDE BLACK WOMEN TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
Malcolm X had it right when he said the following words about women:
"...If you are in a country that is progressive, the woman is progressive.
If you’re in a country that reflects the consciousness toward the importance of
education, it’s because the woman is aware of the importance of education. But
in every backward country you’ll find the women are backward, and in every
country where education is not stressed it’s because the women don’t have
education.” There is not a single piece of evidence that all black
feminists abhor the nuclear family, abhor men personally, or want to witness a
complete breakdown of society at all. Folks have the right to agree or disagree
with feminism. The fundamental point is that all humans are created equal and
all humans should have basic human rights. Also, before Steinem, there were
Black Queens and black women having great power were realities in the
Motherland. Therefore, black people have every right to believe in fairness
among both genders not antiquated, Victorian, and Eurocentric views on gender
at all. African history and culture greatly praise the power of Women. So, males
and females should be treated with dignity and respect. Males and females have
equal value.
Larry Elder is
wrong on many levels. He is the man that defended the war on terror (including
the Iraq War, which has brought deaths, torture, extra occupation, and other
evils against people globally, especially people of color. Our ancestral homeland
has been exploited as a product of this wicked, unjust, criminal, and evil war
on terror. Massive amounts of wealth have spent to benefit the military
industrial complex while the poor suffer in America plus globally. Our people
have a rich legacy of being anti-imperialist). Elder ignores income inequality
and capitalist exploitation too. The fact is that David Sterling has a history
of being involved in bigotry and he was accused of anti-discriminatory policies
against minorities involving housing. Elder ignores that, because he places
guilt totally on the woman, instead of rightly placing blame on the racist
Donald Sterling. Sterling was never forced via coercion to make those
statements, mistreat players, or to be charged with violating federal law.
Sterling did that out of his own volition. It is ironic that the same ones
yelling about personal responsibility refuse to want to make Sterling to have
personal responsibility for his words and actions. It is the same ones
lecturing about post racial fantasies, but their fantasies have been totally
refuted with the deeds of Bundy and Sterling. Elder has expressed the views of
reactionaries for years. People who responded to Sterling's words are
expressing free speech too. A cooperative society is superior to an objectivist
(or selfish, individualist) society. "Pastor" Manning slandered
Africa in disgusting terms. He is a traitor. The worse one is Jesse Lee
Peterson. He called the First Lady names that I can't repeat here. Jesse Lee
Peterson makes Manning look like a "saint." He or Jesse Lee Peterson
once said that the Maafa was like an uncomfortable plane ride and he was glad
of slavery. I listened to what he said on YouTube. So, he is wrong and a truly
sad individual. To reactionaries, the free market is God literally. We know
that there is no quantifiable evidence that the free market is omnipotent or
perfect at all. There are legitimate regulations in ecological affairs,
economic affairs, and other affairs as a means to stabilize society. Many GOP
members blocking a minimum wage increase outline the extremism of many of them.
Many of them don’t care about the poor or seeking poverty to be eliminated at
all. The vast majority of Americans want an increase of the minimum wage, even
most Republicans. The Republicans in large measure have rejected public
investments in a national jobs plan when they hypocritical claim that they want
a jobs bill. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a new report on
Tuesday on the impacts of raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and $9 an
hour. It found that a $10.10 minimum wage, implemented by 2016, would mean
higher earnings for 16.5 million workers, resulting in $31 billion more in
higher earnings. It would also lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty. If
you work hard and play by the rules, then you should be rewarded. We know that
massive austerity & sequester failed globally. A $10.10 minimum wage
would mean a direct raise for 16.7 million workers, according to the Economic
Policy Institute, who would then have more money in their pockets to spend on
goods and services, boosting the economy. It also found that a gradual increase
to $10.10 by 2016 would increase wages by $35 billion, which would boost GDP
growth by about $22 billion. So, the facts are here. Folks have the right to
advocate eliminating unfair tax breaks, ending unjust wars, ending bailouts to
big banks, and increasing the minimum wage. A living wage for humanity is just
plain commonsense point blank period.
By Timothy
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