Defending our Democracy.

 

There has been a heated discussion between Majorie Taylor Greene and Dr Anthony Fauci. It is one thing to disagree with Dr. Fauci on many issues, but Greene acted unprofessional by constantly interrupting him and refusing to call him a doctor. Greene's antics refuse to delve into the real issues of the pandemic and only expose Greene's fake Christian behavior. A real Christian doesn't use profanity all of the time, but Greene does. A real Christian doesn't disrespect the physical appearance of a black woman (like House member Jasmine Crockett of Texas), but Greene does. A real Christian doesn't slander, Greene does when she slanders Democrats collectively as Communists and anti-God extremists. We have to deal with science and public health to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. There is the racist myth that Fauci worked with the Chinese government to create the COVID-19 pandemic and its cover-up. The reality is that the far right ignores the necessity for public health measures to prevent future pandemics. These same extremists refuse to support adequate environmental regulations too. Lax health care measures contributed to the millions of people who died from COVID-19. Two fascists Brandon Fellows and Ivan Raiklin (who were involved in the January 6, 2021, coup attempt) were seated near Fauci. Fauci deserves legitimate criticism for his response to the pandemic, especially in its infancy, but he doesn't deserve death threats from MAGA cultists.

There has been a spirited debate between Monica McNutt and Stephen A. Smith involving Caitlin Clark, the WNBA in general, and other issues. The debate opened up the elephant in the room about Caitlin Clark. Many people support Caitlin Clark because of genuine appreciation for her three-point shooting ability (and her story), and other people support Clark because they want to promote a stereotypical image that the WNBA out to be in their bigoted lens (yes, some Clark supporters are stone cold MAGA racists. Let's keep it real). The truth is that Caitlin Clark (along with Angel Reese, and all rookie WNBA players) should be treated fair in the WNBA, but she (and all WNBA players) shouldn't be coddled. All sports are physical, including basketball. Likewise, there should be a balance between physical play and rejecting inappropriate conduct. She must earn her spot in the WNBA just like every other player. Chennedy Carter was given a fragrant one by the WNBA because of the hard foul she gave to Clark. McNutt said that previous WNBA players laid the foundation for Clark to walk on in the WNBA. Smith's argument is that First Take covers the WNBA more thoroughly than any other media outlet, and McNutt said you could have done that three years ago. Stephen A. Smith became speechless. Smith said that men are scrutinized heavily in sports, and McNutt said that welcome to the world of being a woman (who are heavily scrutinized non-stop in everyday life not just in sports). 

Smith made the erroneous argument that some WNBA players are targeting Caitlin because she is a white woman. That is ludicrous as plenty of WNBA players have experienced hard fouls, among women of every color. For example, Monica McNutt is right to say that Candace Parker has been targeted as a rookie without media coverage. Angel Reese recently experienced a vicious foul by a WNBA player too (which was harder than what Caitlin experienced from Chennedy). The WNBA as a whole shouldn't be generalized as a product of incidents. I watched the WNBA since its inception back in 1997 as a teenager. I still support the WNBA to this very day. I agree more with Monica McNutt's arguments. There is the false narrative that every WNBA player is hating on Caitlin Clark. Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe screaming at the black woman Monica McNutt is highly wrong. They should be more professional. Multiple things can be true. Caitlin Clark should be treated fairly, Clark shouldn't be coddled, the league doesn't revolve around one player alone, and we should support the WNBA via progressive means.

Trump and the GOP have made new attacks on the justice system, free press, and election. Trump hypocritically claims to be persecuted by the Biden administration, but he is silent on the massive racial discrimination and economic oppression that exists in society. Every year of his presidency, Donald Trump has submitted a budget that tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. For decades, Trump has been in legal trouble for decades for cheating contractors, running a scam university, and housing discrimination. The reason why many billionaire oligarchs support Trump, because they want to protect their wealth and have their tax cuts maintained. Democracy is at threat with Trump running for President. 

The stakes are clear in the 2024 Presidential election. Either we have democracy in America or not. It is clear that this time is the most important time in our history since the American Civil War. It is that serious. We have humans who embrace honor and dignity, and other human beings are followers of the greatest cult in the 21st century which is the MAGA movement. After Trump lied and called the Central Park Five guilty of being worthy of the death penalty, called the wife of Mitch McConnell a racist slur, convicted of a felony, found liable of raping a woman, promotes ending legitimate environmental regulations, and did other monstrous evils, you still have people who ally with Trump. This is shocking but not surprising as many people care more for a repugnant political ideology than equality and justice for all people. Billionaire oligarchs like Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Travis Kalanick, Steven Mnuchin, etc. supporting Trump are completely wrong in their hatred of the truth.

By Timothy