Friday, February 05, 2016

The 2016 Democratic debate in New Hampshire

The debate in New Hampshire was the most contentious debate between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton so far. Both human beings came to fight and both of them fought for the votes in the New Hampshire Primary. Both of them criticized each other on ideological views and electability. Hillary Clinton accused Bernie Sanders of distorting her record and she insisted that she is a progressive with a rational plan to move forward. Bernie Sanders called Hillary Clinton as a person as a member of the establishment. The truth is that both major parties have links to the establishment and both parties in their leadership advance the neoliberal capitalist agenda point blank period exclamation point. Large corporations from Goldman Sachs to Chevron and both major parties. Hillary Clinton supports the disastrous policy of the NATO attack in Libya, which has caused Libya to have a civil war. She agrees with a no fly zone in northern Syria which will possible antagonize Russia. She has agreed with the Iran nuclear deal, but she said that she is willing to use military action against Iran if Iran “attempts” to receive a nuclear weapon. Clinton Foundation donors have direct ties to foreign nations, including a Saudi royal family member (the Saudi leadership is known for abusing women's rights, harming religious liberty rights, and funding terrorists), a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch/former Kiev parliamentarian, and an anti-Chavista Venezuelan media mogul.

After she became Obama’s Secretary of State, over a dozen foreign influence peddlers contributed around $68 million. Funding Clinton’s foundation buys influence. So does paying her millions of dollars for speechmaking – $2,935,000 from Wall Street banks alone from 2013 – 2015. Also, Bernie Sanders isn’t perfect either. His views on foreign policy is very similar to Hillary Clinton's views. He supports the neo-Nazi influenced Kiev junta in Ukraine. He opposes the self determination of the people of Crimea to resist Western imperial aggression. He supports Israeli policies unconditionally almost and he opposes reparations. It is the height of hypocrisy for Hillary to claim to be a progressive on every issue when she supports the death penalty, urged more drone bombings in many countries, etc. Also, the are questions that must be asked about Bernie Sanders’ views on gender justice (as he has not spoken enough in the debates about child care, gender pay inequality, etc.) and police brutality (as he talked cop reforms, but not an end to police occupations of our communities). Hillary’s has challenges with the Wall Street label while Bernie has a problem with expanding his message into issues relating to anti-imperialism and other points. Both people were on the defensive on many times of the debate while Bernie refused to expose Hillary’s militarist agenda, etc. The debate was dynamic and it showed how the Democratic Party just like the Republicans (in their leaderships) refuses to call for revolutionary, radical change in the world (where the U.S. Empire ends, where the War on Drugs ends, where the prison industrial complex ends, the privatization agenda of public schools to end, gentrification to end, etc. so justice can exist for all).


He has the right to run. There are a lot of candidates running for mayor currently. I heard of DeRay Mckesson last year. He has spoken about Black Lives Matter. He is wrong to compare the work of the TFA (which promotes privatization and its leadership advances the lie that poverty and structural inequality has little to no impact on educational outcomes) to the Black Panther Party's Children Breakfast program. The  Baltimore has been the victim of so much corruption, and disrespect by the oligarchy for decades. Also, we need to advance political independence. We can never worship the capitalist parties of Republicans and Democrats as divine or infallible. Therefore we are not just against police occupation and police terrorism in our communities. We want an end to the prison industrial complex and an end to imperialism. Historically, both Republicans and Democrats have been involved in imperialist policies constantly. We are in a global struggle against the system of racism/white supremacy, neoliberalism, and colonalism. Baltimore deserves to witness an end to water shutoffs. There should be no massive, unfair tax breaks to private developers, and job creation programs for especially Baltimore's poorest citizens is a must. Thousands of people in Baltimore have outstanding warrants for minor crimes. I believe in amnesty for those with outstanding warrants for nonviolent offenses. At the end of the day, the people should have the power and corporations should never had monopolistic power over the people. The tax system in Baltimore must be more equitable so the poor and middle class citizens in Baltimore can have economic fairness. There has to be programs to address housing issues in Baltimore. So, investment in the poorest areas of Baltimore is a necessity, so Baltimore can reach into its highest heights.


Certainly, it is immensely instructional to learn about Black History in February and throughout the year. Black History Month is part of my life and I will continue to love it for the rest of my life. Images convey messages, inspirational, and pristine themes of social activism. These images certainly represent our history filled with tumult, triumph, joy, and the wide range of human emotions. It is very important for people to know about Charlotte Forten, who was an amazing black abolitionist. She was a great black woman. Ruby Doris Smith Robinson was also a member of SNCC and she was a great civil rights activist. There was the great Dodge Revolutionary Union movement (or DRUM) in Detroit too from the late 1960's and the early 1970's, which advanced workers' rights and the human rights of our Brothers and our Sisters. Therefore, the richness of black history is certainly amazing. Also, black children should learn about this history, because the children represent our future. Nothing will turn us around since we have hope and we believe in moving forward plus achieving real justice that we all hold dear enthusiastically. It is a disgrace that Donald Trump is nominated a Nobel Peace Prize. His words of promoting ad hominem attacks, racism, and sexism are deplorable. He has been investigated by the government for discriminatory practices against black families. He wants no Muslims to come into America, which violates national and international law. His rhetoric is anti-human rights. For a long time, social activists defended the rights of black people, women, immigrants, and refugees. This defense of human, egalitarian principles is what we will continue to fight for. We believe in the dignity of humanity while the far right believes that some people should have total human rights (which is wrong). We abhor bigotry and intolerance while the far right relishes in advancing bigotry constantly. Therefore, the Dream lives in us. That Dream is that we would exist in a society where the general welfare is made real for all people. The views and agenda of Donald Trump not only encompass hate and anti-intellectualism, but it shows the war mongering essence of GOP extremists which is the antithesis of the principles of social justice, love, and peace. We want peace and justice to flourish in this world.


Before I answer the question (of whether reparations will come about), something has to be made clear. There are many far right people who lie about what reparations deal with. Reparations never dealt with giving money alone to people. Reparations is not about hating people because of skin color and reparations doesn't deal with promoting divisiveness in the world. The concept of reparations involves restitution for the international war crimes committed against black people in the world. Reparations deal with accountability, a restructuring of society, and the realization that criminal actions must not be omitted in the globe. Criminal actions should never be tolerated at all. Therefore, reparations deal with reconstructing society where poor black people can have affordable, quality housing, health care, and progressive education. Reparations involve with the policy that any business, who had direct involvement in the slave trade, has to be punished. Reparations also deal with making sure that there is not only justice, but restitution all over the African Diaspora. Reparations involve the outright end to the current prison industrial complex including the War on Drugs and making sure that the judicial system is made fair for all. That's reparations. One real lie made by the far right is that black people are socially inferior and therefore aren't deserving of reparations. That's a bold face lie. It is the racists who have shown massive terrorism and racist destruction in the four corners of the Earth. It is the crooked cops who have shown brutality and mayhem in our communities. It is the polluters who violate the law in poisoning the waters in Flint and have used fracking that has damaged the ecosystems worldwide. Many conservatives don't give a (concern) about the environment. Therefore, we don't need lectures about reparations when Jewish people, Japanese people, Native Americans, etc. received reparations after they have experienced massive mistreatment and murder. If they have received reparations, then we have the right to receive them too. So, I don't believe that reparations will exist in our lifetimes, because of the political circumstances of America today. Yet, I do believe that people have the right to fight for reparations regardless of the odds.


By Timothy

No comments: