Winter 2016

 


Winter 2016

2016 is here. So many changes have occurred in America and in the world culturally, socially, economically, and politically. Despite the year being 2016, the fight for justice remains the same. Regardless of the hateful rhetoric being displayed from many reactionary extremists like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, I believe in the human dignity of refuges, Muslims, black people, and immigrants. We have international solidarity with out Brothers and Sisters overseas. Intellectually, we will grow. We are against anti-Muslim hate and we desire Black Liberation. When black people are liberated, then the rest of the human ace is liberated. There are tons of heroic activists who are writing inspirational books, helping the poor, and advancing the black consciousness too. We live in the age of the 2016 Presidential race, we see ISIS, and we witness people standing up against police terrorism. We are reminded of the Dream and we will continue to fight for what is true and what is right. As for New York values, we know what New York values are. New York values include courage when NYC firefighters and other ordinary people saved lives during 9/11. New York values represent strength when NYC citizens have stood up for the victims of police brutality. Ted Cruz is just wrong and disrespectful. New York values include wisdom as tons of people in New York City have real insights and are standing up for the principles of egalitarianism, democratic rights, and social justice. That's NY values.

Afrikan Black Coalition should receive great credit for their actions. Divesting millions of dollars from the University of California that was used to fund private prison is a step in the right direction. The prison industrial complex has ruined lives, exploited people, and harmed the social fabric of communities nationwide. It has violated the voting rights of people too. Therefore, we are in this fight, so revolutionary change can exist for all in the human family. Wells Fargo has been involved in private prisons and has been sued by people for accusations of predatory lending. Using economic and political power can make real solutions come about. All levels of government must be held accountable for the mass incarceration oppressive system as many people have mentioned. We will confront the evil War on Drugs, and other injustices found in the criminal injustice system. We won't stop, because we can't stop. The Mall of America is totally wrong. Public debate even can include people debating on clothing items in a store peacefully. So, their policy of restricting protests weeks ago was a blatant violation of the First Amendment. The proposal from the Mall of America was very ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways. The BLM members listed by the Mall are heroes. Change never comes by respectability politics or working along side the system unconditionally. Change comes by directly opposing the mechanism of the system, sacrifice, agitation, and even using actions that risk jail time. The old civil rights heroes of the past were jailed for their activism against unjust laws. We are in solidarity with modern activists who want police terrorism to end in our communities, who want a clean environment, who want economic justice, who want stronger communities plus stronger families, and who want oppression to end.

There is a significant amount of Americans who are xenophobes, Islamophobes, and bigots. So, I'm not surprised at the high number of Donald Trump supporters. Trump has promoted hate, bigotry, and divisive rhetoric for years. To prevent every Muslim from going into America (as Trump wants) is fascism and that policy is what dictators agree with too. These people (who are Trump supporters) say that they want "their country back." The deal is that this country is not their country. This country is our country. Not to mention that I don't want this country to regress into a land where women couldn't vote, where forced sterilization was legalized in many states, or where black people suffered Jim Crow apartheid. Hate speech against Muslims has increased including vandalism against Muslim mosques in America too. Many innocent Muslims have been assaulted and verbally abused by callous, evil people. Cruz and Jeb Bush has spoke extremist rhetoric too. There are also white supremacist terrorists in America. Anyone who defends the immoral Japanese internment camps (which was supported by FDR) is someone that I have no respect for. This atmosphere is bigger than Donald Trump. Western forces bombed a civilian hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. We have the West being caught in torture and NSA spying. Racism and political reaction have always been associated with imperialist violence and war. Fifteen years of the “war on terror”—a period of continuous war unprecedented in American history—have caused people like Donald Trump to spew his evil words. In America, we have a huge amount of Islamophobia, which is against human values. I don't support Trump or his agenda. Also, there are many Americans who reject Trump's lies and desire justice in the world. At the end of the day, I will not back down. I will support economic justice and social justice.

We believe in peace, tolerance, brotherhood, sisterhood, and justice. We want to live in a world where there is tranquility and peace. Likewise, the current situation today shows us that we have a long way to go in fulfilling the same goal that we all desire. So, there is no peace on Earth in 2016. Yet, we will fight for it and we believe in the courage of the Savior of the Universe. We have to maintain the principle that this time of the year should not be used for the promotion of frantic merchandising or materialism. We have to stand up for what is right. It is not right to witness Western warplanes and drones bomb and kill plus maiming indiscriminately millions of people in the Middle East plus Africa. We see Germany and Japan remilitarizing in a way that haven't been witnessed in decades. We witness millions of human beings displaced by war and poverty. Many refugees suffer discrimination, assault, and barbed wire. Over 3,000 human beings have died in seeking to cross into Europe including 1,000 children.  Also, compassionate human beings have shown refugees compassion with open arms. In America, one in five children live in food insecure households and millions of people struggle to get income for basic necessities. We are opposed to xenophobia, jingoistic nationalism, communal hatred, and bigotry. When one Republican Presidential candidate (who is Donald Trump) called many Mexican people rapists and calling for the ban of all Muslims from entering the country, then we have a problem here. In Germany, Angela Merkel, the supposed promoter of the “welcoming culture,” declares that “multiculturalism is a sham.” Angela is wrong. In France, the ruling Socialist Party, seeking to enshrine a permanent state of emergency into the constitution. French leaders are bent on obtaining the power to strip dual citizens of their nationality, which is a measure last used in France during the mass deportation of Jews under the Vichy Regime (during the Holocaust). In the midst of this, there is still a remnant of people who know the truth. So, we believe in showing compassion to the tornado victims of the South. The Savior opposed the corruption found in the Roman Empire and he sacrificed his life for the lives of all. So, we should use this day to reflect, to pray, and to act in a positive fashion.

By Timothy