Friday, December 31, 2021

A Review of 2021

  

 

It is time to review about what took place in 2021. This year was a combination of victories and massive challenges in the world. This year started by the racist and xenophobic forces causing the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol (when evil people assaulted people, destroyed property, and stole objects). That incident set the precedent of how Republican extremists and overt terrorists have taken over the Republican Party leadership. This year was tough, and President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were inaugurated. This year saw massive vaccinations and a large percentage of Americans who aren't. This time saw crooked cops being convicted for killing innocent unarmed black people, and one vigilante being found not guilty (which was an unjust verdict in my view). This year saw the historic infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. It is one of Biden's greatest achievements. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics took place this year in Tokyo in the midst of COVID-19 protocols. Many athletes made records, performed greatly in an athletic fashion, and made known about the importance of respecting the issue of mental health (like Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and other human beings). 

With Delta and Omicron variants, the world had to deal with how important science is. Science via vaccinations and other precautions saved tons of lives. Trump not being President anymore in 2021 is certainly great news. 2021 exposed the hypocrisy of the moderates who wanted to blame progressives for everything, but some of them want to disagree with the Build Back Better Plan. We have seen unprecedented political and social upheaval in America and worldwide. Worldwide, the pandemic has harmed tons of people causing over 800,000 American lives. The extremism of the Republican Party never started with Trump. It just that the bigots in the Republican Party have increasingly shown their faces to show who they are. The fight for voting rights and domestic growth of our society continues. Protests in favor of human rights continue. Also, the threats to our democracy are very real in 2021 as we move into 2022.

 

President Biden finally said that he wants an exception for the filibuster to pass federal voting rights legislation. We know what it is happened. We have many states passing voter suppression laws not just restricting who can vote. These laws distort on who can count the votes and damage democratic institutions. We don't have much time here. This is the worst democratic crisis in America since the American Civil War. This is no exaggeration because of many reasons. We have increased hate crimes against black people and other Americans. We have massive gerrymandering increasing the power of pro-Trump Republican extremists. We witness a failed coup d'état against the American government. We have witnessed an insurrection at the Michigan state Capitol. We have the growth of hate groups and far right militias whose goal is to ruin the multiracial democracy of America. So, there should be pressure put on Congress to fight for voting rights. This responsibility is also on the moderates of Manchin and Sinema as most Americans want more protections for voting rights.

 

Breaking news is that the verdict is that Ghislaine Maxwell has been found guilty in the sex trafficking case. Maxwell was convicted of a conspiracy of worked with Epstein to abuse minor children (including trafficking minors too). She could face decades in prison. Also, she faces a perjury trial in the future. After Epstein's death, Maxwell was charged by the federal government. She has been found guilty on 5 out of 6 charges. We know for years that some of the super wealthy and other folks have been involved in heinous abuse of people internationally. The Epstein and Maxwell story shows how important the Golden Rule is. No one should manipulate anyone unjustly, and no human being should experience abuse. 30 witnesses have come forward to tell their stories.

 

Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Laila Ali, and she is 44 years old. For years, she has been a person with determination, power, and insights. She is a businesswoman who has worked in philanthropy, cooking, and other endeavors too. She was born in Miami Florida. Her parents are Muhammad Ali and Veronica Porche. She earned her business degree from California's Santa Monica College. She owned her own nail salon before she started boxing. She is one of the greatest women boxers of all time. Since she was 18 years old, she started boxing. Her first match was in 1999. Laila Ali faced Joe Frazier's daughter, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, and George Foreman's daughter, Freeda Foreman. Laila Ali never lost a match. Her last match was in 2007. She loves her husband and children. Also, she is an author. Being a role model for so many people, being a fighter for truth, and living her own life represent her qualities as a human being. I wish Sister Laila Ali more blessings. 

 

By Timothy

 



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