Monday, November 16, 2020

A Summary of Facts

  


By August of 2020, there was the Postal Service Crisis, where many Americans feared that mail wouldn't be sent on time. This comes after mail in voting was predicted to heavily increase by the end of the 2020 Election (which did happen). By September 4, 2020, many North Carolina counties started to mail out absentee ballots to voters. This started the official start of the official Presidential election. Early voting in the state won't start for another 6 weeks. Biden blamed Trump for the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump continued to promote disinformation and deception. Later in September, Bob Woodward's book of Rage was released. It documents how Trump told Woodward back in early February 2020 that Trump was playing down the virus, because he knew that it was deadlier than the flu. For Trump knowing the seriousness of the virus that early and not telling the American people the seriousness of this problem proves that he is one of the worst Presidents in American history. Trump downplayed the book as a "political hit job," but Trump said these words on tape. Woodward wasn't lying. Trump and Biden including Harris and Pence tour all over America from Nevada to Virginia to advance their campaigns. By September 17, 20202, U.S. District Judge Stanley Allen Bastian issued a nationwide preliminary injunction to block the Postal Service from implementing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's changes calling them, "a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the postal service." The Pennsylvania Supreme Court extended the state's mail in ballot deadline to November 6, 3 days after the election on the same day. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on September 18, 2020. Early voting starts in many states on September 20, 2020. Ranking choice voting comes to Maine via the Maine Supreme Court. Biden has his first virtual fundraiser on October 1, 2020. By October 1-2, Trump and the first Lady Melania Trump test positive for the coronavirus. Biden and Harris campaign in Phoenix, Ari which started a bus tour in the state. Trump is known for his habitual lying by calling Kamala Harris a communist and a monster on October 8, 2020. On that day, the FBI arrested 13 armed militia members who plotted to kidnap governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan over her policy of dealing with the pandemic. On November 1, 2020, the Texas Supreme Court rejected a petition submitted by Texas state representative Steve Toth and 2 other Republican candidates running of office, who are wanting to invalidate nearly 127,000 drive thru votes in Harris County, Texas. Trump supporters use vehicles to block traffic in many places from Texas to New York. Deadlines for mail in ballots for many states ended by November 2, 2020.  To the end, many Republicans seek to prevent many votes in Texas to be counted, but they failed. Election Day was in November 3, 2020. Lines existed. Most states' deadlines for mail in voting were on Election Day. Judge Sullivan ordered the U.S. Postal Service to sweep mail facilities in key swing states to find mail in ballots. 

 

By the early night, many people were concerned that Trump would ink out a small victory. Yet, 2020 a'int 2016. The first sign of this change was when Arizona was called early to flip from Trump to Biden by 11:20 pm. by FOX News of all places. The people voted nationwide. There were long lines. There were people sacrificing their time to vote. Provisional ballots were counted. Poll workers, pollbook operators, greeters, election captains, and other people worked long hours to make sure that this election would have the highest turnout in American history. 

 

November 3, 2020 was the date of the start of the end of the 2020 Presidential Election. No one knew the winner originally. Many states were too close to call. Biden addressed his supporters  and urged patience that the vote will come. He is confident that he would win the election. Immediately, Donald Trump said that he won the election which is a total lie. Trump hypocritically claims that he won the election, but wants the voting to stop which would deprive millions of voters (both Biden and Trump supporters) their right to have their votes counted. The Associated Press on November 4th projected Biden to have won Arizona. Absentee and mail in ballots continue to be counted in many states. On the day of November 4, Trump officials filed a lawsuit to try to stop the voting in Michigan. They want a recount in Wisconsin. They sued in Georgia. They sued in Pennslyvania. These actions are not actions of a person who is confident. Trump knows that he lost this election,  but he is arrogant and a habitual liar. On the same day, Biden won Michigan and Wisconsin which once were in it for Trump in 2016. This flip is historical and represents the sign that change has come. Protests by pro-Trump supporters are in Arizona, because these Trump supporters want every vote count. Biden calls for calm in November 5, 2020. The courts readily dismiss Trump's challenges and lawsuits. There is no evidence of a conspiracy of massive voting fraud in the 2020 election. By November 6, 2020, Biden's votes greatly excel Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia. By November 7, after Biden wins Pennsylvania, Biden is over the required 270 electoral votes to be named President elect. Kamala Harris is the new Vice President elect. Both candidates have the most popular votes received by a Presidential candidate in history. Many people, in various, areas of America celebrate in Atlanta, in NYC, in Philadelphia, in Detroit, in D.C. , and in other locations of America. Trump refuses to concede. Biden gave a message of reconciliation of wanting to end the harsh rhetoric in desiring for Americans to come together. Trump supporters protested in front of various state capitol buildings in America. Nevada and Georgia go for Biden. Georgia will have its recount as its victory was narrow. The hate MAGA rallies existed in D.C. on November 14, 2020. Trump lied and said that Biden has won because the election is rigged. Obviously, the election was not rigged. Now, we have the Biden transition team continuing to work on their policies, propose cabinet members, and desire their changes in America (including to eliminate pro-Trump executive orders that promoted the Muslim ban, etc.). 

 

The 59th quadrennial Presidential Election of 2020 was the most important election of our lifetimes. There is no other way to put it. I knew by instinct that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would have more popular votes than Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Biden and Harris won the election by electoral votes and by their political views. The economic distress, the effects of the pandemic on the American people, the increased political polarization, and other factors contributed to the reality of Donald Trump having only one term in office. Trump's racism, sexism, xenophobic, narcissism, habitual lying, and anti-intellectualism turned people off. The Biden victory included ta diverse coalition of black people, young people, the disabled human beings, other people of color (the Latino people, AAPI, Native Americans, etc.), college educated human beings, progressive activists, anti-Trump Republicans, other minorities, and tons of diverse human beings who said that Enough is Enough. This Trump era literally saw lives being lost from police terrorism to the virus. The 2020 election was the highest voter turnout since 1900. Biden received the most voters cast for a candidate in an U.S. Presidential election. This election started with diverse candidates battling for the Presidency. There were Democrats, Republicans, The Green Party, the Libertarian Party, Kanye West's Party, and other candidates vying for leadership positions. Biden and Trump had the most influence in the 2020 Election., Record mail in ballots were in existence because of the ongoing pandemic. The campaign issues of the 2020 election were about the pandemic, the economy, health care, the environment, police brutality, racial discrimination, and other important topics. Many polls failed to show the silent, quiet Trump supporters even in 2020. That is why many pollsters have to go into the drawing board in developing a better analysts of how people's views would change over time. Many thought that white women would vote for Biden in a slight majority, but white women support for Trump increased. Mostly black Americans voted against Trump and for Biden. Victories for Biden in Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada outline demographic shifts in America. America is becoming more progressive, but the reactionary Trump movement is very powerful still. 2020 is unlike any other year of my lifetime. I haven't seen any other year like 2020 in recently memory since 1968. To witness the first African American and South Asian American woman as Vice President, who is Kamala Harris, is certainly amazing to witness. I'm glad that Trump was voted out of office. Yet, we embrace our politically independent, progressive thinking. A Biden/Harris Presidency will be praised, critiqued, and analyzed legitimately just like any other administration. 

 

Thanksgiving is a national United States holiday that has existed for a longtime. The concept of thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God about living, about having our food, and about the blessings that you do have. Very few people get to live in our time. It is certainly a blessing to live, to learn, and to grow during the 21st century. On Thanksgiving, parades would exist. Yet, we have a pandemic, so massive parades in America aren't going to happen in a massive way at all. People are suffering, and the pain is very real for families who have lost loved ones due to the virus. Many human beings consume foods like turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, potato salad, stuffing, yams, macaroni and cheese, rolls, various cakes, cranberries, etc. During my childhood, I didn't know of the complex origin of Thanksgiving. To this day, many people in 2020 don't know the actual history of Thanksgiving either. Now, I do. Many people understand the real Thanksgiving via investigations and tons of real research. First, it is very clear that for thousands of years (long before the 1600's), many religions celebrated the thanksgiving ethos of giving thanks for the processes of the existence of the Universe. The Thanksgiving that we are talking about deals with the Mayflower and the European interactions with Native Americans long centuries ago. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in America, Canada, some parts of the Caribbean, and Liberia. The celebration of the blessings of food production and other things in life are commonplace. The U.S. Thanksgiving celebrations relate back to the Protestant Reformation era. The Protestant Reformation was created by Martin Luther. It started when many Catholics tried at first to reform the Catholic Church, because the Vatican leadership used evils like indulgences, the Inquisition, religious persecution, and other forms of corruption. Erasmus was one man who wanted reforms in the Catholic Church too. Erasmus was an excellent scholar of religious studies. After the 95 Theses, the Vatican refused to change, so the Protestants were formed. It is obviously clear that I don't agree with many doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. I don't agree with calling priests father, I don't agree with forbidden priests to marry involuntarily, I don't believe that Mary was a perpetual virgin, and I won't called the Pope the Vicar of Christ. It is clear that purgatory has no scriptural basis of fact in any circumstance, and I don't believe in transubstantiation (as the book of Hebrews is clear that Jesus Christ offered up one sacrifice forever being on the right hand of God the Father).

 

By the early 16th century, the Vatican refused to reform, and Protestants developed their own religious institutions. Wars existed among Protestants and Catholics until the 1600’s. In England, there were the Puritans and the Pilgrims. These two religious groups would relate to the American Thanksgiving story. Now, the divine rights of kings heresy is very similar to the Pope falsely claiming divine authority. Back then, King James I ruled the United Kingdom. King James I was right to disagree with many doctrines of Roman Catholics. His problem was that he made it his business to persecute Baptists and other separatists who didn’t want to submit to the state church. Many people who disagreed with the state church were imprisoned and killed during the early 1600’s. The Anglican Church was nearly identical to the Catholic Church in their ecclesiology. That is why many Baptists, Puritans, and other Protestant separatists left the UK and came into America. They wanted religious liberty. They realized that a king in the UK (and in other places in Europe) having authoritarian power is antithetical to democratic rights. Now, some of them did the wrong thing in murdering Native Americans and enslaving innocent black Africans. I want to make that perfectly clear. Also, William Schaw worked with King James VI of Scotland. William Schaw (who was accused of being a suspected Jesuit and holding anti-English views during the 1590’s. We know about the pro-Jesuits zealots involved in the evil Gunpowder terrorist plot in England) helped to build castles and palaces. Some claim that he was an important figure in the development of Freemasonry in Scotland (as he was involved in the First and Second Schaw statues). Early Thanksgiving ceremonies were in Virginia by 1607, in Charles City County, Virginia in 1637, and were created by the French plus the Spanish during the 16th century.

 

First, it is important to make a distinction between Puritans and Pilgrims. Pilgrims came into America first while the Puritans came into America later on. The Pilgrims were overt Separatists. They wanted to leave the Church of England completely. They formed the Mayflower Compact in establishing their religious and political views. They wanted a more democratic model of governance for their adherents. The Church of England oppressed the Pilgrims so much that they migrated to the Netherlands first. The Dutch welcomed them. Later, they traveled from Holland (or the Netherlands) into North America. They settled on Plymouth. The Puritans were completely different. They wanted reform in the Church of England without breaking away from it. They wanted to purify the Anglican Church by removing Roman Catholic doctrines from it. They created the Massachusetts Bay Colony which was a strict theocratic society. It has so much strict theocratic laws that some separated from that colony. The Pilgrims were working class, poor people with folks like William Brewster. The Puritans were upper middle class, some were educated, and some of their members were John Endicott, John Winthrop, etc. The Quakers came into America too. Quakers believe that each human being has the ability to have the access of the light within or that God is in every one. The Quakers rejected swearing oaths, believed in the priesthood of all believers, they believed in religious toleration, many of them had cordial relations with Native Americans, and some became ardent opponents of slavery. The Pilgrims’ journey to North America was a dangerous one (they came to Plymouth on December 21, 1620). Many people were sick and the climate was cold.

 

The Pilgrims came into a land where a plague killed most of Native Americans except for the Patuxent. A harsh winter killed many Pilgrims. Later, Squanto (or a Native American Patuxent member who learned English and was once a slave in Europe) taught the Pilgrims to catch eel and grow corn. He was sent by Samoset or the first Native American to see the Pilgrims. The Wampanoag leader Massasoit gave food to the colonists during the first winter. They or the Pilgrims had their Thanksgiving in 1621. 50 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans were there. Four adult Pilgrim women cooked the food. Their names are Eleanor Billington, Elizabeth Hopkins, Mary Brewster, and Susanna White.

 

On March 16th, 1621, a Native American from the Saco Tribe of the Abenaki people named Samoset met the Englishmen for the first time. Samoset spoke excellent English, as did Squanto, a bilingual Patuxet, both having been taken back to Europe earlier as slaves. It was these two who served as interpreters between the colonists and the Wampanoag Native Americans, who, lead by Chief Massasoit, outnumbered the settlers. Decades before 1621, the Wampanoag fought European oppression of their lands. There are only two contemporary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving: First is Edward Winslow's account, which he wrote in a letter dated December 12, 1621. The complete letter was first published in 1622 showing the following information:

 

"Our corn [i.e. wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

 

The second description was written about twenty years after the fact by William Bradford in his History Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford's History was rediscovered in 1854 after having been taken by British looters during the Revolutionary War. Its discovery prompted a greater American interest in the history of the Pilgrims.  It is also in this account that the Thanksgiving turkey tradition is founded. 

 

The Pilgrims and the Puritans embraced Calvinistic views. John Calvin invented Calvinism. An imprisonment of Calvin, however, also took place in May 1534. It has been debated on why he was imprisoned for. Many authors say that Calvin was imprisoned because of a specific "reason." John Calvin formed a theocratic state in Geneva, Switzerland where many people were executed for theological disagreements. Bernard Cottret, author of Calvin: A Biography, a favorable treatment of Calvin’s life and work, has provided accounts of the torture and execution of heretics (who denied the Trinity. I believe in the Trinity, but I don't agree with killing people who disagree with me on the Trinity) and those who were merely suspected of committing crimes in Geneva.  Calvin died in 1564, apparently despised by the citizens of Geneva. Even the Bible is clear that you don't murder people if he or she disagrees with your theological views.  Jesus taught to ‘turn the other cheek’ instead. None of the Apostles taught action against unbelievers but instead taught the believer to seek them out and present the gospel in love. Dave Hunt wrote a book entitled, "What Love is This?" that refutes many of the doctrines of Calvinism in a compassionate, eloquent fashion. I recommend his book. Calvin claimed to disagree with Catholicism, but he established his brutal empire like a "Pope" in Geneva.  To this day, many undercover Calvinists would try to infiltrate Baptist churches and other churches in trying to promote their doctrines. The Bible is clear that God wants everyone to wake up. 2 Peter 3:9 mentions that, "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."


 


The 1623 harvest was large as well.  At first, the Native Americans and the Pilgrims had peaceful relations. Later, we know the rest of the story. Squanto worked with other tribes in forming trading plans. Massasoit, Squanto, and other Wampanoags were captured by Corbitant or the sachem of the Narragansett tribe. Myles Standish wanted to execute Corbitant. Standish injured many Native Americans. Later, Myles Standish and his men murdered Native Americans like Massachusett leaders when they posed no threat to them. Myles Standish was a murderer and a war criminal. Standish’s raid ruined a more peaceful relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. William Bradford admitted to this. The Pilgrims' only close ally was the Massasoit led Wampanoag tribe. Standish was the military leader of the Plymouth colony. The Pequot War and the King Philip’s War came later.

 

The 1637 Massacre in Mystic caused at least 700 Native Americans to be murdered by Europeans. Men, women, and children Native Americans were burned alive, and their buildings were destroyed. William Bradford or the Governor of Plymouth praised the massacre in sick terms by the following words: “…Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword; some hewed to pieces, others run through with their rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud and insulting an enemy."

 

“This day forth shall be a day of celebration and thanksgiving for subduing the Pequots," read Governor John Winthrop’s proclamation.

 

You couldn’t make this stuff up. This is real and these massacres against Native Americans are totally evil plus disgusting. Later, Pequots prisoners were executed. Pequot women and children were sold into slavery in the West Indies. The Pequot War killed most of the Pequot peoples.

 

King Philip was the younger son of Massasoit. He didn’t want more settlers to take more Native American lands. The mysterious death of the Christian Native American John Sassamon caused war. Some believe that Sassamon wasn't murdered, but Sassamon's death was caused by an accidental fall in a frozen pond. By the end of the 1600's, Native Americans experienced genocide, and many left the region. Metacomet moved many of his people to New York. Sadly, his wife and 9-year-old son were captured and sold into slavery. Brokenhearted, he returned to his homeland - and was soon killed. Many Puritans were complicit in the slave trade where they oppressed black African people (i.e. Puritan ship owners began a slave-trading business by raiding the coast for Native American people and trading them for black African human beings). Also, scholarship like Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz's "Indigenous People's History of the United States" is ignored in academia and popular culture. The early English colonizers and capitalists wanted to go into America to promote the myth of white spiritual supremacy and to expand their resources. Today, many Native Americans suffer various forms of oppression like diseases, homelessness, dilapidated and vermin-infested housing, substance abuse, inadequate education, unemployment, and police brutality. Likewise, we acknowledge many Native Americans standing up for justice back then and today in 2020. So, we desire true liberation. Therefore, we know the truth. Having empathy towards the indigenous people means that we can never glamorize killers and murderers like many European imperialists were.

 

One of the most important elections of our time is the 2020 United States Senate runoff election in Georgia. Georgia is a much more progressive state than even 10 years ago. The runoff races are Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock vs. Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Jon Ossoff vs. Republican David Perdue. This election is a microcosm of the future of America. If the Democrats win, they will control the Senate and all 3 branches of the government. If the Republicans win, it would be difficult for a Biden administration to pass progressive legislation. Black people contributed the most for a Biden victory in Georgia. Now, the runoff elections will start by January 5, 2021. This is an interesting time to be alive. Millions of dollars are coming into both runoff races. Like usual, the Republicans Loeffler and Perdue have resorted to red baiting in trying to lie about Warnock and Ossoff. We know that Perdue mocked Kamala Harris' name in a disrespectful way. We know that Loeffler lied and said that every progressive wants to harm nuclear families, form Marxism (when people have the right to agree or disagree with Marxism. That is part of free speech rights. I don't agree with Marxism), and ruin American society. Loeffler is a staunch Donald Trump supporter (who has spewed vile racist, sexist, and xenophobic words for years). Loeffer made the lie that Black Lives Matter collectively is about the removal of Jesus from church, the disruption of nuclear families, promotes violence, and harbored anti-Semitic views. These words are the talking points of the far right. To answer that, I am a person who is a product of a nuclear family. Yet, my nuclear family shouldn't be used as some prop to disrespect other types of families. Anti-Semitism is wrong, but calling for the liberation of Palestinian people isn't anti-Semitic. Righteous Jewish people and righteous Arabic people desire peace in the Middle East without terrorism and without occupation. No one who is Jewish or Arabic should be oppressed in the Middle East or anywhere on Earth. No rational person wants to eliminate Jesus from churches. Violence done by crooked cops and white racists are readily ignored by the far right politicians like Perdue and Loeffler. Peaceful protests  are not related to violence. Loeffler only wants the American flag to jersey and licensed apparel. That is silly, because people should have the right to have the American flag or political messages on their jerseys. Loeffler hypocritically lectures others on divisiveness, but she supports the divisive political figure of Trump. Trump has defended the Confederate flag and Confederate statues. The WNBA has issued a statement disagreeing with Kelly Leoffler's views. Ossoff (who is Jewish) said that Perdue made an anti-Semitic remark about him. Progressives like Stacey Abrams and others are organizing a get out the vote program to increase voter turnout, because less voter turnout has historically been part of runoff elections. Cliff Albright is the co-founder of Black Votes Matters in Atlanta, Georgia. He said that the election will come down to turnout. Voting matters. That is why Georgia has turned blue now. Rev. Raphael Warnock is the pastor of Atlanta's famous Ebenezer Baptist church where Dr. King and his father preached at during the 1960's. Ossoff exposed Perdue as being investigated for insider trading, his refusal to take the pandemic seriously, and and his other policies. Helen Butler is the leader of the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda. She said that younger voters growing contributed to the victory of the Democrats in Georgia. The Black Lives Matter protests after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor inspired the youth to vote in higher numbers too.  Republican voter suppression efforts failed to make Georgia red. The ultimate point is that the sports world and all of us can't be silent. Silence is betrayal, and we have the right to use our action to stand up for freedom and justice. You can't stop change. Georgia is changing, and Georgia is a progressive state of the South. 

 


One of the biggest religious deceptions is how most Evangelical Christians have supported Trump and his agenda. This is truly ironic as they lecture people on adultery and morality. Yet, they excuse Trump who said that he doesn't ask God for forgiveness, who says racist comments, who made sexist remarks about women, who probably committed adultery, and who has allowed authorities to break up children from the arms of their parents (near the border) involving immigration. It is the height of hypocrisy for deceivers like Paula White and Pat Robertson to praise Trump when he does things in the opposite of what a real Christian should act like. They talk about the imperfections of the Democratic establishment (which is well known from their compromising, their advocacy of neoliberalism, and complicity in imperialism), but they are silent on the pro-Trump Republicans who have opposed Medicaid expansion, promoted voter suppression efforts, and refuse to fight back against police terrorism against black communities nationwide. Many Evangelicals are silent on the suffering of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. They are certainly the reason why many people have an mistrust of Christians in general when tons of Christians are doing the right thing and are contributing heavily in establishing positive endeavors (in their lives). Paula White said the racist words of praying for the angels from Africa to stop Trump's election defeat, but why did she specify Africa? We know the reason. Also, Paula White said that people, who have criticized her, can call her, but she refused to respond to Roland Martin's emails when Roland told her "Let's talk." Extremists like Paula White, Billy Graham Jr., Jerry Falwell Jr. and Pat Robertson are afraid of debate, because they have no legitimate argument to support Trump's wicked agenda. Many of them refuse to debate Rev. William Barber, because Barber talks about poverty, gun control, economic inequality, the environment, and other social justice issues. The far right's old lie and canard is that if you believe that all people deserve health care as a human right, if you believe that human beings are created equal and are deserving of equal rights, if you believe in civil rights, if you believe in the separation of church and state, and if you disagree with Donald Trump, then you're a Marxist (or a puppet of the Frankfurt School in being anti-God). The truth is that people have every right to disagree with Trump on numerous issues. That is not being anti-God, but it's being pro-truth. Trump is known for wanting the death penalty of the innocent Central Park Five. Trump has raised the Bible up as a prop at St. John's Church after he allowed police authorities to violently remove peaceful protesters at Washington, D.C. Trump said that the communion was a little "cracker" and a little wine. Those words make a mockery of communion. The communion is a symbolic remembrance of what Jesus Christ did on the cross and beyond.  Many deceived religious people brag about voting for Trump, when Trump brags of grabbing women in their privates, passed a tax law for the super wealthy primarily, and praised dictators like the President of the Philippines. Trump has endorsed racial profiler Joe Arpaio and other people. There are many racists, false teachers, or deceivers who endorse Trump like John Hagee, Tila Tequila, Sarah Paolin, Michelle Bachmann Jerry Falwell Jr., and other folks. Donald Trump has expressed sympathy to males who have been accused of abusing women or making racist remarks like Roy Moore, Steve Bannon, Corey Lewandowski, Roger Ailes, Bill O'Reilly, etc. This situation didn't start with Trump. For centuries, slave owners, Confederates, Jim Crow advocates, Southern Strategy lovers, and now Trumpists have existed in favor of privilege instead of justice for all. Many Evangelical extremists worship Capitalism more than they worship God. That is why the Prosperity gospel is so common. They (or far right people) legitimately criticize the evils done by Stalin and by other Communist extremists, but they omit the war crimes done by capitalist extremists complicit in the Maafa, the Shoah, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and other evils spanning centuries. They say that free market capitalism is ordained by God, but they omit that the time of Jubilee is about all debt being cancelled (which is antithetical to capitalism. Capitalism is amoral being concerned with individual profit beyond moral considerations). The NT is rather clear on condemning the love of money, pride (1 John 2:16), covetousness (Luke 12:15), competition for the sake of economic exploitation (James 4:1-14), and other evils. The Golden Rule is about treating your neighbor as yourself. The lust for profit drives modern day capitalism which is no different than Stalinist communism. That is why there is a link between laissez faire capitalism and social Darwinism. Capitalism is not God, and it's not infallible. Communism is not God, and it's not infallible either.  God is God.  It is not a sin for the government to provide the general welfare to the people, as true government is made up by the people for the people. Even the Constitution in Article I, Section 8 cite the right of Congress to invest in our infrastructure federally via money. When profit above people becomes the primarily goal of deceived spiritual people, than those people are blinded by greed. Many Evangelicals omitting GOP voter suppression efforts, the military industrial complex, massive environmental problems, and other issues is a shame. Trump is the symptom of the long disease of far right extremism in our world. The words of the Declaration of Independence show the truth that human beings are created equal, created in the image of God, and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Human individual ingenuity should be respected along with collective power to make change too. Caring for the needs of the people is the prerequisite in growing a just society. A regulated economy makes a big difference in stabilizing markets and insuring true freedom for humanity. Freedom is about the freedom of speech, the freedom of religious liberty, the freedom from want, and the freedom to have real justice in our world. Also, freedom is about eliminating evil by promoting justice and insuring tranquility. Now, imperialism is wrong, because it is a wicked system of plunder and abuse of humanity including resources. It rejects the truth that every person is born equal and with God-given rights. It promotes racism and exploitation economically (that benefits the few over the many). Communism in its modern sense existed as an reaction to Imperialism. I don't agree with Communism, because many Communist states restrict religious freedoms and other basic democratic freedoms that are unjust acts to take. Communism in the Stalinist formation restricts Political and Spiritual freedoms, while Imperialism (as perfectly shown by the wicked British Empire) restricts Political and Material freedoms.  For us, we believe in spiritual freedom, political freedom, and material freedom (where we, the people, allow elected representatives to allow the government to promote the General Welfare of the people). The 80% of Evangelicals who voted for Donald Trump are part of the deceived who have chosen a racist extremist instead of true principles of equality and justice. That is the truth. 

 


One of the most interesting finds of my ancestry was finding out that many of my distant paternal cousins live in West Virginia and Indiana. Many of them don't know a single thing about me, but I know my ancestry. To start, many of my paternal ancestors came from the Eastern Shore in Virginia. My 4th great grandfather was George Perkins I who was born in 1815. His wife was Esther Perkins.  Their son was George Perkins II (1847-1932). His son was Sophonia Perkins (1870-1926).She was my first cousin. She married Sam Casey (1863-1938) and the couple lived in North Carolina. Their daughter was Nannie Rebecca Casey (1890-1943). She married Charles W. Smallwood (b. 1888). This couple moved from North Carolina into West Virginia. The couple had many children like James Bethel Smallwood (1923-1981). James was my 3rd cousin. His wife was Geneva L. Cox (1922-1995). James Bethel Smallwood was born in Glen Ferris, West Virginia. His children are the following people with Geneva L. Cox: Kay Frances Joyner Sr. (1940-1997), Doretta Ann Smallwood (1941-1995), James B. Smallwood Jr. (1944-1981), Mary Letty Smallwood 9b. 1947), Geneva Smallwood (1949-2006), Sarah Jane Smallwood (b. 1953), Debroah Zoe Smallwood (b. 1955), Emma Smallwood (b. 1956), Sandra Jean Smallwood (1958-2015), Ricky N. Smallwood Sr. (1962-2000), Joseph Smallwood, and Howard Smallwood. My 4th cousin Deborah Zoe Smallwood (born in 1955). She was born in West Virginia (at Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia on February 18, 1955) and moved into South Bend, Indiana. She married a man named Thomas L. Dye (b. 1953). Their 2 children are Tommy L. Dye Jr. (b. 1973) and Ophelia Geneva Dye (b. 1986). Both Thomas Dye and Ophelia Dye are my 5th cousins. 


 


By Timothy


 

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