Discernment on December 12, 2018.

One of the most important movements of activism right now is the yellow vest movement in France. The yellow vest movement is about promoting economic justice for French workers. This movement isn't just found in France. Belgian police were aggressive against Belgian yellow vest wearers too. Such protesters were in the Netherlands and in Iraq to combat contaminated water. In Burkina Faso, a Facebook group has been set up calling for such protests on December 13. It states: “So on December 13, 2018, across Burkina Faso, let us occupy without violence and pacifically every street corner and intersection in our neighborhoods in the cities and villages across the entire country to say: –No to the rise in fuel prices // –No to injustice in all its forms.” A group of Red Vests activists is in Tunisia calling for justice too. This shows that the worldwide workers' fight for justice is widespread. Marcon has betrayed the French people. He has been out to refuse to repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and spoke coded xenophobic language recently about wanting some debate on national "identity" and "secularism." The yellow vest heroes in France have experienced police brutality, tear gas, and arrests, but they are still going strong in their legitimate goal of freedom. Now, we have French cops brutalizing high school kids in a Paris suburb because they joined the Yellow vest protests. So, the truth is on our side.

We have another case of an innocent black woman being mistreated. The story is about how crooked cops unjustly arrested Sister Jazmine Headley while she was holding on her baby child. The NYPD ripped the one-year-old child (who is a little boy) from Jazmine. She had her charges dropped because of the pressure from real activists who wanted to see Jazmine Headley free from injustice. The criminal injustice system is terrible in how it treats black people, especially poor black people. Jazmine Headley deserves a total apology from those who unjustly arrested her and compensation. As black people, we want to just live our lives without oppression and without discrimination. We are a loving people. We love life. Yet, don't get it twisted since we will stand up for freedom like always.
Black Lives Matter.

Right now, Trump is lusting to build his silly wall on the U.S./Mexican border. He is threatening to have a government shutdown. Trump said that he is proud to shut down the government for border security. Trump is begging money to build the wall. The irony is that he is desperate for Democratic support to try to advance his xenophobic policies. Trump and Democratic leaders disagree on border issues in a White House meeting recently. When you see babies stripped from their mothers to be placed into internment camps, when you see Trump trying to allow troops to use rifles on refugees, and when you see Trump being blatantly xenophobic, then we have a problem. Also, we have to realize that comprehensive immigration reform is not enough as corporations readily like this moderate proposal. Total justice must come about. According to Maria Butina's plea deal, she admitted that she arranged the 2015 Moscow NRA meeting. She agrees to cooperate with prosecutors. She is the first Russian national to agree to plea with U.S. authorities involving this Trump campaign scandal. The NRA financed Trump in about $30 million. That is almost three times the amount of money that the NRA spent on Romney back in 2012. NRATV employees have been laid off. Mother Jones said that they may be illegal campaign coordination between Trump and the NRA.


No one should be surprised by Trump's actions. Trump has been bankrupt multiple times and has defrauded people involving Trump University. He hypocritically trying to lie about refugees while Cohen has said that he was in touch with Russian nationals seeking "political synergy" for the Trump campaign. There is one Russian person (who lobbied with the NRA) appearing to reach a plea deal. This Russian person was directed by Russia to go into various political functions. Bill Clinton was impeached by perjury and Trump has done way worse than perjury. Trump should be impeached. Also, we should use discernment. Non-black people like Cardi B and sellout colorists like Kodak Black ought to be not supported by us. Their lyrics and their views are total poison. I'm not a theocrat. Yet, I do believe in morality. That means that black folks should not be called slurs (regardless of how those slurs are used regardless of the context), women shouldn't be disrespected in songs, and unnecessary violence shouldn't be glamorized. Standing by your principles allows more real people to respect you than compromising for an industry that doesn't care for us in the first place.

After pressure, Mitch McConnell has said that he will allow a vote on criminal justice reform. This is a unique issue where people from across the political spectrum are in agreement that something has to be done with our broken criminal justice system. There are many people out of prison without any job opportunities, lax educational opportunities, and other problems that must be addressed. Many people can't vote even after they paid their debts to society. We know of the statistics showing how racially biased and class-biased the criminal system is. This issue has a long history. After the Civil War, many black people experienced the peonage system. Peonage was virtual slavery where many black people were forced against their wills to work in various locations under brutal conditions (and harsh treatment). The War on Drugs grew the prison industrial complex during the 1980's and the 1990's. Harsh crime laws existed under Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton (via his Crime Bill). Today, more and more people see the handwriting on the wall. The status quo doesn't work as it wasn't meant to work for poor and working-class people (only for large corporate interests and those among privilege). Therefore, laws must be changed and new laws must exist to promote compassion and true justice for all.

By Timothy