Thanksgiving 2019 Part 5

The Ukraine/Trump scandal

Fiona Hill and David Holmes gave testimonies to the House about the impeachment inquiry. Fiona Hill gave a powerful testimony. She denied that Ukraine was involved in U.S. election tampering. She made the point that Russia propaganda is very strong to try to make up theories about what happened. Putin's wants Ukraine to be blamed for election tampering in America. She was eloquent, and GOP lawmakers questioned Fiona Hill constantly. Yet, she kept her consistent views on the situation. After key witnesses have given their voices, the future is here. People want to know more information about Rudy Giuliani. Some people want to give this information to the Judiciary Committee. Congress will fully back in session soon. Schiff said that Trump believes that he is above the law. I believe him, because Trump has shown an arrogance in the midst of legal subpoenas. Giuliani acted on the orders of Trump and others to conduct a bribery and extortion scheme in trying to get dirt on the Bidens. There is no question that Trump is one of the most corrupt Presidents in 45 years. That's evident on how many in his cabinet are either indicted, quit, fired, or caught up in various scandals. That is because we see Trump pardoning actual, repugnant criminals and glorifying police misconduct in a speech. The facts matter. The quid pro quo is real, and that Trump administration must experience real accountability.

Today, more public impeachment inquiry hearings continue. Kurt Volker and Tim Morrison have given their sworn testimonies. Before them, a lot of developments occurred. National Security Council Ukraine expert Alexander Vindman have given his piece including Jennifer Williams (or a member of Vice President Mike Pence's staff). Adam Schiff spoke up to refute the disrespectful, scurrilous attacks on Vindman and Williams. Schiff said that Vindman shed blood for America and he opposed the attacks on him from many personalities from FOX News (or Trump TV). Republican Devin Nunes doesn't like the media. The reality is that the media is protected by the First Amendment, and Nunes is a supporter of the racist, sexist, and xenophobe Donald Trump. The media has every right to criticize the policies from the Trump administration. Vindman didn't want false narratives about Ukraine to be promoted. Vindman came to America when he was 3. Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes criticized Republican for questioning Vindman's patriotism. Vindman said right matters, and the audience applauded him after he made that statement. Volker said that the Ukraine aid package was linked to a public Biden probe.

Nancy Pelosi has said that Trump's obstructing firsthand witnesses from testifying before impeachment committees is wrong. She also said that Trump is explicitly using bribery by abusing his oath by withholding military aid to Ukraine unless Ukraine investigate his political rivals for political purposes. Trump said that his call to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was perfect. Obviously, he's a liar. Ambassador Taylor and George Kent have shown conclusive, credible testimony in public and under oath. These witnesses are experts. Pelosi said that the bribe was about to grant or withhold military assistance in return for a public statement of an investigation. Many Democrats are using definitions of the crime that the Trump administration has done. Trump has done criminal actions, and he must be impeached as mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (who is a California Democrat) said that bribery is a potentially impeachable offense. This is different than what Nixon has done. Trump has tried to use a foreign nation to try to him benefit an election (and he has tried to force his cabinet to refuse to testify).

The impeachment hearings are in the public. This is a historic time that deals with the Democrats defending democratic institutions. Republicans are calling the hearing a sham and theatrical. Yet, a legal hearing is not a farce. Some people who testified were the two witnesses Bill Taylor and George Kent. There has been new evidence tying President Trump to Ukraine meddling. Trump is clear that the Trump and Zelensky meeting was tied to the probes on the Bidens. Nunes was wrong to assume that Ukraine was involved in the 2016 election meddling. Taylor said that the actions of the White House trying to leverage security assistance wasn't normal. According to Taylor, Sondland said that Trump cares more about the Biden investigation than anything else. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was very clear that this hearing is about the preservation of checks and balances, of maintaining other democratic principles, and ensuring that future Presidents won't go down the road of Trump. Schiff said that the administration refusing to allow senior officials to testify before Congress is an abuse of power. There is no excuse for a sitting President to solicit aid from a foreign government to influence an election. Bribery is wrong and these acts are impeachable offenses. These witnesses are under oath saying these things. Without question, we live in very unique times.


Stephen Miller should resign. He has promoted the Muslim ban and a lot of anti-immigrant policies, even in support of restricting legal immigration. There are Stephen Miller emails that reference to white nationalist and anti-immigrant views. The SPLC has released the emails to the public. They are from 2015 and 2016 that have Miller promoting white nationalist websites and views. Stephen Miller has communicated with Brietbart. Miller promoted a book called Camp of the Saints which is a racist book. It degraded migrants too. Stephen Miller influences the Trump administration on immigration policies. Many of the richest people on Earth desire not even a penny more in taxes of the super wealthy. That is the true shame. Many billionaires own a large part of America. The rise in the polls of Elizabeth Warren has caused many in the super wealthy class to flip out. FDR was so much for them that they tried to end his progressive New Deal plans. FDR helped to create Social Security, and back then Social Security was taboo. Today, you have plans for Medicare for all and a Green New Deal that billionaires like many in that class refuse to accept. As Biden trails in the polls in many areas, the elites can't stand it. The hypocrites yell about taxes, but taxes are legitimate when they are fair to invest in our future. Social inequality is an issue in this 2020 election whether people like it or not.

*The Democratic debate days ago was held in Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It has all 4 interviewers being women which was historic. Also, it has 10 candidates debating each other. There were passionate discussions, agreements, and uniform condemnation of the policies of Trump. That is why these candidates are in the stage at the first place. Each candidate expressed their typical views. Warren and Sanders wanted corruption to end in Washington. Biden talked about marijuana and moderate positions. Buttegieg defended himself and he is beloved by the media, because if Biden doesn't win the nomination; some in the media want Pete Buttegieg to be his replacement. Amy Klobuchar promoted the centrist line that structural change isn't possible but she promotes bold policies. Her politics won't eliminate homelessness, health care disparities, police terrorism, or imperialism. She is the one who called Israel a beacon of democracy.

A Google search can prove that she is wrong on that issue. She is the one who said that Sanders and Warren wanted rich kids to go to college for free which is not right. So, she does represent the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris debate Tulsi Gabbard and Buttegieg debated Tulsi too. Tulsi is an old school non-interventionist. She is right on many issues of foreign policy about how the neo-cons' extremism must be opposed. America should never be the policeman of the whole world. We can give foreign aid, we can negotiate, we can form alliances, etc. Yet, America shouldn't rule the world. She has said that she opposes unjust wars. She has visited the dictator Assad. I don't believe in the slur that she is a Russian asset, but Tulsi has to do a better job in defending herself. Tulsi should overtly call Assad a war criminal. Kamala had powerful moments especially in exposing the corruption of Trump. Andrew Yang was great in explaining automation and deindustrialization. Bernie Sanders made history by saying that the Palestinians are human beings too. That was a powerful moment in the debate. Cory Booker wanted the interests of black people represented by the Democratic Party. Biden made the mistake about ignoring Kamala Harris in the Senate. He corrected himself. Many issues weren't found in the debate like the right wing coup of Bolivia, gun violence, reparations, and other topics. The red baiting Steve Schmidt has some nerve to condemn socialism when he doesn't know its history or famous socialists like Fred Hampton, DuBois, Norman Thomas, and even Dr. King embraced democratic socialism. This is not unusual. Republicans and many moderate Democrats care more for imperialism, red baiting, and the status quo than liberation.

Conclusion (for Thanksgiving 2019)


For long centuries, America has existed with heroes and villains. Many American heroes were Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X, John Brown, and other people. We know who the villains are. Now, I reject the extremes of some believing that America is all perfect (and must be genuflected without legitimate critique) and the other extreme that America can never redeem itself to be better than the past. Part of redemption is acknowledging the imperfections of the past. You still have people today trying to minimize the genocide of the Native Americans and the enslavement of millions of Africans which I find to be very disrespectful. History teaches us that courageous Americans of every era of the journey of the United States of America worked hard to fight injustice while recognizing the real imperfections found in America at the same time. Trump’s criminality, bigotry, hypocrisies, sexism, xenophobia, narcissism, and profane rhetoric are evil plus repugnant. We should lift people up not tear each other down in an inappropriate way. As the impeachment of Trump looks over the horizon, our august, intrepid principles of democracy, justice and human liberation remain presently in our hearts. Over many years, some people have given up and left the faith. Yet, I will not. I still believe in Black Love and Black Liberation. I still love Africa and truth with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I will honor the sacrifice of my ancestors and my relatives after almost four decades of me living on this Earth.

One of the most important news in the Americas is the coup in Bolivia. Evo Morales isn't perfect, but he shouldn't be treated like this. He was overthrown, and a right wing Senator has declared herself President in defiance of the Constitution of Bolivia. The Senator's name is Jeanine Anez or the leader of the nation's right wing opposition party. She lacked the constitutionality required number of lawmakers to approve her appointment. Anez has a known history of making racist attacks against indigenous Bolivians. Morales (who is an indigenous man) has resigned under threat of the Bolivian military and police forces. Anez lacks a legislative quorum. Many people are opposed to this coup. Bolivia now is a very impoverished nation. It has the risk of civil war. Now Bolivian workers and others face armed troops and authoritarian forces. The police over there blocked the supporters of former President Evo Morales from going into the area of Congress at La Paz. Many people are resisting this coup. Trump celebrated the coup. He said that he wanted Venezuela and Nicaragua to be next to be forced to accept right wing government. It is no secret that imperialists from Washington, D.C. want Latin America and South America to be made in the image of Western imperialists. U.S. imperialism thrives on economic exploitation and war plus violence (just like the conquistadors' genocide against innocent, indigenous people thrived on exploitation centuries ago). Imperialism is antithetical to democracy, because imperialism is about the violation of human rights at the expense of the growth of oligarchy. Morales is part of the indigenous population. Therefore, we have to be clear about advocating independent people having their own freedom.

I respectfully disagree with Barack Obama on his comments about we must not go too far to the left in our presentation in getting votes. Both major parties have gone to the right since 1968 especially. Bill Clinton was a moderate. George W. Bush was a conservative.I don't believe that the Congress today in 2019 would have passed Social Security, Medicare, or even the Civil Rights Acts. America's political establishment now is so far right that talking about something quaint like forgiving student loan debt is compared by some to being in league with Karl Marx. Revolutionary change has changed the world. Abolitionists and the slave revolts were revolutionary acts of rebellion against state-sponsored slavery. These weren't moderate undertakings.

Tons of black people were rescued from tyranny as a product of the heroic efforts of great human beings. Revolutionary change by definition will save the lives of millions of people beyond just token "improvement." What's rooted in reality is being tired of some cops killing innocent black people, tried of homelessness including poor scapegoating, tired of oppression, tried of some centrist status quo, and tired of capitulating to people who don't like us. It is clear that Wall Street and the military industrial complex supports Bloomberg, Biden, and the rest of the centrists. Record income inequality, massive xenophobia, and injustice are evils; As a black person I have the right to speak up (my ancestors contributed heavily in building up this nation). If you want to be free, then don't be lukewarm. As Yeshua said, be hot or cold and pick a side plus stand up for the truth. Victory is definitely our aim, and we still believe in hope plus truth.


By Timothy