Friday Developments in Mid April of 2018

Recently, Comey has released his book. James Comey was once a FBI Director who was fired by Donald Trump on May 9, 2017. Unsurprisingly, his book has criticized Trump on his leadership skills and other matters. The book is like a tell all and it is very personal. Trump has personally shown disdain and hatred about Comey and Comey has shown disgust about Trump in his book as well. Many Republicans don't like him or James Comey because of his criticisms of Trump. Many Democrats don't like because of his investigation of the Hillary Clinton campaign. "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership" is the title of the book. His book describes in detail Trump's insecurities, his anger, his lies, and his narcissistic attitude. It is no secret that Trump readily executes illogical policies that harms the rights of so many Americans. He even endorses waterboarding and makes no bones about slandering (via profane language) peaceful NFL protesters knelling. For years, many people have tried to tell the public that Trump is a reprehensible person. Yet, some people still support Trump out of ideological extremism instead of utilizing legitimate logical analysis. James Comey has spoken his mind and confirmed what many of us has been describing about the Trump administration for a while now. Today, we are in a new era. Trump, so far, has refused to be interviewed by Mueller's team. We have events in Syria going on and we have many important domestic issues that we must solve. So, we live under the most bizarre U.S. administration in American history. This is an accurate description of the Trump regime.


Also, I don’t believe in Governor Jerry Brown wanting to send 400 National Guard troops to the Mexican border. This only emboldens Trump and his xenophobic allies. It places the lives of migrants in risk too. Trump has attacked undocumented immigrants in bigoted, racist terms when they seek a better life. Also, many of them are of black African descent. So, anyone claiming that we (who are black Americans) have no vested interests in defending the rights of immigrants is a liar. Brown said that he wants to use National Guard to support operations and he claims that they won’t round up women, women, or detain people. That’s hard to believe since Trump said that he wants National Guard troops to send the Customs and Border Protection logistics and surveillance plus support. He or Trump has slandered refugees seeking asylum in America as desiring to ruin American society. Trump has praised Jerry Brown too. Trump and Brown omit that immigrants face unprecedented threats. Many immigrants are raped and abused in detention centers. Many migrants suffer harassment and hate crimes. Also, many immigrants have been deported even if they have committed no felonious crime. We know how some want outright war with Russia and Syria. Russia and Syria are not democratic nations and their leaders are authoritarian autocrats who shouldn’t be glamorized. Putin and Assad aren't heroes. Yet, even Russia and Syria shouldn’t be militarily invaded.

We know that many Republicans are anti-immigrant, but some Democrats are as well. Some of them abandoned DACA for the sake of promoting “border security.” The previous President deported 2.7 million immigrants, which is the most in American history. Even Diane Feinstein in 2006 voted to support building a border wall with Mexico. Many immigrants die in crossing borders too. We know that the refugees fleeing Central America is a result of the U.S. support for military dictatorships and death squads spanning more than one century. The U.S. supported coup of democratically elected President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya is totally unjustified. We reject the scapegoating of immigrants. We know that the oligarchy uses divide and conquer tactics against both U.S. workers and immigrants as means to eliminate solidarity among us. Also, the global oligarchy (not immigrants) is responsible to the social crisis that resulted in the massive inequality economically that we see. We witness the richest three billionaires own as much as the poorest 160 million people in America (which is about half of the American population). Mass shootings, police brutality, unwarranted surveillance, lax wages, increased costs to health care, massive war, austerity, deteriorating infrastructure, etc. are not caused by immigrants. They are caused by capitalist neoliberals who cares more for power and profit than human liberation. That is why every immigrant, regardless of status, deserves total equal human rights.

Recently, Paul Ryan has officially retired during this year. He is a person who wants to spent time to his family. He is a well known man who not only supported Donald Trump. He has supported the GOP agenda of Ayn Rand economics, far right extremism, and other Tea Party positions. He is the person who faithfully advanced austerity policies which crippled legitimate social programs from the poor and working class human beings. Paul Ryan loved the disgraceful GOP tax bill that expands economic inequality. People know what works. What works involve investments in our infrastructure, increased taxes for the super wealthy, international cooperation, the protection of our civil liberties, union rights (including collective bargaining), a stronger social safety net, a living wage, expansion of health care services, and policies to abolish racism & discrimination. So, people like Ryan want to crush the New Deal, but they have failed. There could be a blue wave by the midterms in November of 2018. We shall see. Our justice advocacy remains.

Today, Mariah Carey has admitted to having bipolar disorder. She has made the great point that people with mental health issues shouldn't be demonized or stigmatized. They deserve love, respect, and compassion. Mariah Carey also has gone into treatment and is doing so much better emotionally. We know Mariah Carey as one of the greatest vocalist in history. Yet, we also know of her fun loving spirit, her wit, and her perseverance against obstacles. Her story is a very important one which shows that those who experience mental health issues are our Brothers and our Sisters. They merit our respect and appreciation. This is the week when Jackie Robinson signed to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers during 1947. He was the first black man to play for the MLB during the 20th century after WWII. He would make his MLB debut on April 15, 1947. He suffered an immense amount of disrespect, but he kept forward to inspire other athletes to go ahead and express their talents. He opened a door and saw massive changes in society. Also, it is important to recognize the Negro Leagues as they brought talent and great inspiration for our community in the African American community including for Americans in general. Jackie Robinson married a wonderful woman named Rachel. Rachel was his rock. To this very day, Rachel Robinson is a defender of racial justice. Jackie Robinson's heroic actions in baseball and outside of it is noteworthy. He supported Dr. King and wanted economic development.

By Timothy