Wednesday, September 05, 2018

Revelations.





There is the news about the Brett Kavanaugh hearing. First, some facts have to be known. Some believe in the strict constructionist deception (or original intent) as promoted by Jefferson and others. That notoriously regressive view believes that we must always interpret laws by the Constitution as it was intended from when it was written (which is from the 1700's). The problem with that assumption is that many of the creators of the Constitution were slave owners and had no intention to promote equality for black people. The Constitution in its orientation is never static. It evolves as time goes on, because human society evolves in reaching into more progressive heights. For example, the Constitution once legalized slavery and counted a black slave 3/5s of a man. That was wrong and racist obviously. That is why the Reconstruction era Amendments banned legalized slavery and extended rights to black people. There was a time when women couldn't vote. That is why a future Amendment was passed that gave women the right to vote during the 1920's. So, we can't look at 18th century lens on every constitutional issue since laws change and evolve regularly to suit the agenda to promote fairness, equality, and justice in our land. This is exemplified in the implied powers. So, Kavanuagh gave his opening statement. Many Senators have talked about issues in very stern terms. The issue is about Kavanaugh's views on civil liberties, women, affirmative action, the power of the executive branch, workers' rights, and other matters (as found in his court decisions). There is no question that he loves his family.

Likewise, we judge Supreme Court candidates on their fidelity to the Constitution and on whether that person promotes equal justice under the law or the interests of the oligarchy alone. It is no secret that Brett Kavanaugh (who embraces Trump, who is a person who makes a mockery of the rule of law and Trump is a notorious racist and he embraces an imperial Presidency) adheres to massive deregulation and a very powerful executive branch escaping even legitimate inquiries. Many documents haven't been revealed for adequate evaluation as it relates to Kavanaugh. This is unprecedented. This is serious as Supreme Court decisions can totally change society for decades to come. So, we have to see how this plays out and fight for our rights. I'm on the side of the rights of the people. I believe in civil liberties, affirmative action, voting rights, a strong social safety net, environmental justice, the advancement of the general welfare, and human rights in general.

Bob Woodward's new book about the Trump White House is eye opening. Woodward said that Trump aides worried that he doesn't know what he is doing and if he was a danger to national security. Woodward is a known credible journalist and a person with meticulous sources. Fear: Trump in the White House is the title of his new 2018 book about the Trump administration. Bob Woodward wrote that Trump failed to accurately grasp basic national security issues. Mattis, according to Bob Woodward, said that Trump has the understanding of a fifth or sixth grader. Woodward also revealed that many Trump aides stole papers in order in their minds to "protect America." Trump's former personal lawyer John Dowd, according to Woodward describes the President as a liar who he doesn't want Mueller to interview him because of his habitual lying. Dowd has denied that claim. We do know that Trump is a notorious liar and a bigoted extremist. Trump is known to use vulgar language. The only way out of this situation is for Trump to either be impeached or he must resign. The American people and the world deserve better than this.


 I never commented on Jasper Williams' comments until now. Here are my views. What he said in the funeral of Aretha Franklin was not only disrespectful, but it was filled with lies. His views are the same far right, extreme talking points spewed all of the time. He claims that a single mother can't raise a boy to be a man. That's a lie since historically many single mothers including Aretha Franklin raised children into being great men. I was raised by a 2 parent household, but I know plenty of great men who were raised by single parenthood. Single parenthood exists by many factors by death in the family and other reasons. To assume that every single parent would create automatic dysfunction is the definition of respectability politics and a misogynistic perspective. Another example of misogyny is another pastor inappropriately touching the singer Ariana Grande. For Boyce Watkins to support that pastor shows how wrong Boyce is. There are strong families which include single families, 2 parent households, blended families, and other types of families. He talks about black on black crime when that concept is illogical.

Crime in America is based on proximity. Since most of America is mostly homogeneous ethnically in communities nationwide, most crime is intraracial. This exist because of proximity and socioeconomic factors not because of Blackness. Not to mention that Williams is wrong to assume that black people aren't fighting intraracial crime in our communities. For years and decades, black activists have used protests, after school programs, mentorships, and violence stopping measures in order to fight intraracial crime. Today, we know that crime rates are declining in the black community since 1980. Black teen pregnancy rates have declined in the U.S. since 1992. Therefore, Jasper Williams promotes respectability politics and a male supremacist view that is antithetical to equality and egalitarianism. A single black mother shouldn't be scapegoated for every problem in our community. In real life, I know many great single black mothers handling business. Also, there are many black fathers who take care of their children whether that father is married or not. He said that Black people don't respect black lives which is a totally false generalization. The truth is Black Lives do matter. Even Stevie Wonder had to say that Black Lives Matter, which is true. There are plenty of black people who love their Blackness, who love each other, and who cherish camaraderie in the lives of black human beings. In the final analysis, we have to address poverty, education, police brutality, and other important issues. There is no solution without addressing racial oppression and economic oppression. We have to fight structures of evil and build in our communities. Addressing real issues isn't an excuse for some to issue false statements about the black community. I do believe in God. I just don't believe in oppression.

Black Lives Matter.

By Timothy


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