Early October News.

   

  

A lot of news are coming about. Congress has passed a bill to avert the government shutdown. The House just approved the Senate-passed stopgap funding bill. This comes to avert a shutdown by extending government funding through December 3, 2021. Also, the vote was 254 to 175 with some Republicans supporting the measure. The bill goes to President Biden's desk to be signed. The stopgap will will provide funding to help process and resettle Afghan refugees. It will give critical disaster aid for Americans harmed by storms and wildfires during this summer. These acts are good. Also, it is important to note that the current administration has unjustly deported thousands of asylum seeking black Haitian people who live in this Western Hemisphere. The economic situation is not just about political theories. It deals with families struggling with health care, mortgages, and other aspects of living. Many of us have a lot of money saved up, many of us have careers, and many of us have resources. Yet, there are many people in America who are homeless, who have their homes destroyed by natural disasters, and who are struggling to survive literally. That is why I don't shame people who have harsh economic conditions. That is not part of my philosophy or my creed. We want solutions to help people to get on their feet.

 

The other issue is about the infrastructure bill. This time you can't blame progressives for this. Progressives tried to compromise with the moderates, and the moderates like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin refuse to even meet half way. Democrats continue to negotiate Biden's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi desires to get a vote on the bill on Thursday night. Many progressives have said that they would vote no because of the bad faith of moderates being so intractable. The infrastructure bill has pre-K investments, bridges and roads being funded, community college growth, paid maternity leave, climate change activism, and other policies that will help millions of lives. We should overcome this stalemate. Many NBA stars are dealing with vaccinations. Kareem Abdul Jabbar said that he doesn't want anyone playing in arenas if a players refuses to be vaccinated. Many conservatives embrace unvaccinated NBA stars, but these are same ones who said the racist mantra of "shut up and dribble." The reality is that this virus is a big deal. It has harmed and taken the lives of innocent people in America plus worldwide. Today, there are mandates in many locations that people must be vaccinated to play or go watch the games. Lebron James is the best NBA player of this generation, and he has said that he is vaccinated. His voice is very influential and could inspire other basketball players to be vaccinated.

 

The deadly train derailment in Montana is representative of the need to improve U.S. infrastructure now. The train was an Amtrak passenger train in northern Montana. There were 3 people killed and at least 50 people injured. Cars of the trains tipped on their side. The disaster has trapped passengers and crew. People used ladders to rescue people. Amtrak is subsidized by state and federal funds, but trains mostly ride on rails that are privately owned by freight railroad companies like BSNF, which is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The Empire Builder train takes passengers on a 2,200 mile route from Chicago to Seattle or Portland via St. Paul, Minnesota. About 400,000 people ride cross country trains every year. Joplin, Montana had 84 degrees of heat which is a record during this time of the year. There is no modern high speed train travel in America. The Acela goes from Boston to Washington, D.C. that goes to 150 mph, but it is limited on where it's located. That is why you need a radical redistribution of wealth to grow infrastructure and allow the working class and the common people to democratically control the economy.

 

Yesterday was the Birthday of one of the legends of music. For decades, she has been involved in R&B, jazz, and soul music for generations. Showing honesty about her life and giving the public some of the most talented art in the world are part of her long contributions. She is Sister Miki Howard, and she is 61 years old. Her birthplace was in the great city of Chicago. Her parents are gospel singers Josephine Howard of The Caravans and Clay Graham of The Pilgrim Jubliees. Her mother allowed her to visit the homes of stars like Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples. Later, Miki Howard came into Los Angeles when she was 9 years old. She was influenced by jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson. She was a friend to Chaka Khan. Singer Augie Johnson helped her in music. Later, Miki Howard made many hits in the 1980's. Her great music is found in hits like Come Share My Love, Imagination, Come Back to Me Lover, That's What Love Is with Gerald Levert. A'int Nuthin' in the World (in 1989) was another one of her classics too. Howard was in the film Malcolm X in 1992 singing Billie Holiday's song of I Cover the Waterfront. She has made more music into the 21st century too. The channel of TV One outlined her biographical story in the 2016 film Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story. Miki Howard is an expert in music, loves her family, and is one of the many icons of excellent music for real. I wish Sister Miki Howard more Blessings. 

 

There has been some recent news about Ellen Pompeo cursing out Denzel Washington on the show of Grey's Anatomy. Ellen is gloating about it, and Ellen is completely wrong. First, when you are an actor or actress, you should show professionalism. Ellen said to Denzel that this is her show. No, this was Shonda Rhimes' show. No one should disrespect anyone at any circumstance. We're grown, and we should be treated as equals. Second, Ellen displayed arrogance, a false sense of privilege, and narcissism. Would she talk like that to Tom Cruise, Patrick Dempsey, or Matt Damon? The answer is no. As black people, we should never tolerate disrespect from anybody. Just because she is married to a Brother, doesn't mean that Ellen has the right to talk to any black person how she wants to. Ellen is the same white racist who said that who said on the View that the NAACP and HBCUs aren't relevant. So, Pompeo showed her hood, I mean colors for a while now. First, Katie Couric over-exaggerated an incident with Denzel and now Ellen Pompeo. This is why we, as black people, have to stay on code and watch our backs. I'm glad Denzel didn't take the bait and kept it moving.

 

By Timothy