Information about Culture

The government shutdown for now from January 2018 is over. There has been massive support for the DACA policy. Many Democrats have capitulated to the Republicans in exchange for Mitch McConnell promising the Democrats that he will bring up discussions about DACA plus other immigration issues in February. The issue is that Trump has made it clear that he wants to build a wall, limit even legal immigration, and harm the lottery system. This comes after the second wave of Women's Marches which took place in January of 2018 worldwide. DACA encompasses about 800,000 immigrants (called the Dreamers, who came into this country as children trying to seek a better life). The weekend long federal government shutdown ended on Monday when the Senate voted 81-18 on a short term spending package that gives CHIP funding (which helps give health care for children) for 6 years and the government operates until February 8, 2018. Understandably, Alida Garcia (who is very heroic) and others called this compromise a betrayal. Many of the moderate Democrats and reactionary Republicans care more for their seats than freedom and justice. For the moderate Democrats to take the words of Mitch McConnell makes me skeptical. Just last month, the Senate majority leader got Republican Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake to sign on to the Republican tax-cut bill by promising votes on modest health care and immigration measures that never materialized. The GOP has been increasingly xenophobic for years.

It is no secret that Stephen Miller and Trump wants reduced family based immigration, end the diversity visa programs, and other overtly racist policies. Immigrants include black people too. GOP members have put off funding for CHIP or the Children's Health Insurance Program (that helps nine million children in low income families) for years and then they hypocritically accuse others of being selfish. By an 8-1 margin, voters told a recent Quinnipiac poll that DREAMers should stay in the U.S. Nearly 80 percent of people--including a stunning 64 percent of Republicans--think they should be allowed to become citizens, while another 8 percent want to maintain the non-citizenship status quo of DACA. We can care for children's health care and care for immigrants at the same time. Some political figures caving in to Trump is sad, but not surprising. The House passed the bill of 266 to 155. President Trump rescinded the executive order that was the basis of DACA, with the action to take effect March 5, when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement could begin rounding up DACA recipients using the personal information they had to supply to the government in order to be covered by the program. Trump is clear that he will not sign DACA policy (which means no stand alone bill) unless the wall, and other abhorrent policies are implemented. That is why resisting evil policies and defending human rights are always important.


There is a serious problem of economic inequality. It is true that according to Oxfam's annual report, 82 percent of global wealth in 2017 went to the top one percent, yet the bottom half of the world's population (or 3.8 billion people) saw nothing. Last year, we saw the largest increase in the number of billionaires worldwide in history. The number of dollar billionaires currently stands at 2,043, with a new billionaire created every two days. During this time, the world's economic elite and political representatives met in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. The super wealthy have wealth which was created by the labor of billions. “All over the world our economy of the 1% is built on the backs of low paid workers, often women, who are paid poverty wages and denied basic rights,” the report notes. Women provided $10 trillion in unpaid care work last year in support of the global economy, according to data cited by Oxfam. There was a recent survey by the International Labour Organization or the ILO. It found that almost one in three workers in emerging and developing countries live in poverty. The world's billionaires increased their wealth by $762 billion. This is enough money to eliminate extreme poverty worldwide. Much of the wealth of the super wealth are a product by inheritance, monopoly, and cronyism. The 500 richest people in the world are expected to hand down $2.4 trillion to their heirs over the next two decades, an amount larger than the GDP of India. Tax havens cause the super rich to avoid $200 billion in taxes. In little more than a day, a typical CEO in the US earns as much as the average worker will make in a year. The three richest people in the US owned as much wealth as the bottom half of the population, approximately 160 million people. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Seattle-based Amazon, recently became the richest person in world history with a net worth of $105.1 billion. He acquired his wealth on the highly exploited international workforce of about 300,000 employees in Amazon. Amazon workers in India make as little as $233 per month, while workers in the US average less than $13 an hour. Microsoft founder Bill Gates follows closely behind Bezos with $92.3 billion, while Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, claims a net worth of $87 billion. Economic inequality is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. Therefore, it's a pernicious evil that must be combated and gone.

Yesterday was the Birthday of one of the greatest singers of our time. Her name is Sister Anita Pointer and she is 70 years old. Amazing talent, family togetherness, and grace represent her whole persona. She was born in the great West Coast city of Oakland. Oakland is home to so many musical legends and heroic political activists who shown the world that love, strength, and determination will make real change happen. Many of her relatives were from Arkansas, so she traveled regularly into Arkansas in order for her to visit her relatives. Anita Pointer is also a civil rights activist who was apart of the freedom struggle during the 1960's and continues to speak out against police brutality and other injustices. She can play the saxophone too. She made classic records with the Pointer Sisters too. Yes We Can, Fire, Slow Hand, and other songs defined a generation in its depth and powerful vocals. She's a gorgeous woman. She is a songwriter too. Her love of music is very beautiful and I wish Sister Anita Pointer more Blessings.


Some sad news today is that the legendary musician Brother Hugh Masekela has passed away yesterday at the age of 78 in South Africa. For decades, he has shown his light of music to inspire change and to enlighten the daily lives of the human race. He has fought against apartheid during his youth and he lived to see its demise in South Africa by the 1990's. A lot of heroes in the anti-apartheid movement definitely motivate us to advance integrity and honor. He witnessed so many monumental changes in the Motherland of Africa and he stayed true to the art of music. He loved his friends and family. Social activism was a key element in his life as his songs regularly protested apartheid, slavery, and government corruption. He was a legend of Afro-Jazz and his accomplishments are always remembered by us. His song Soweto Blues were about making known about the Soweto uprising of the 1970's. This was when reactionary, fascists cops brutally murdered hundreds of black people (mainly black children) because black people wanted to learn their own culture in South Africa via progressive education. Hugh Masekela was more than a musical pioneer. He was a total legend. Camaraderie, excellence, and joy were part of his longevity. He was a singer, a trumpeter, and he had shown jazz too. He has helped his people in Soweto too in a nonprofit program. He has given back and we send our condolences and prayers to his family and friends. Determination was part of his repertoire. He was an innovator of music and his magnificent glory will persist forevermore.
Rest in Power Brother Hugh Masekela.

By Timothy