Friday, April 30, 2021

The 100 Days of the Biden Presidency.

 

  

 

President Joe Biden gave his address to Congress on Thursday. Biden's Presidency is the paradox of being progressive on many issues while having a foreign policy that is a mixture of good things like a withdrawal from Afghanistan including on some issues with supporting many neo-conservative thinking. Biden stridently criticized white supremacist extremism. Biden is right to do that, as far right white racist terrorism is the biggest domestic threat in American society (as proven by many studies even by the FBI's own research). Also, Biden praised the historic occurrence of 200 million Americans being vaccinated. He also wants key legislation passed from the George Floyd Policing Act to the infrastructure agenda. Biden wants to raise taxes on the super wealthy. These tax increases will not deal with the vast majority of Americans, but most GOP Congressional leaders reject any tax increase at any circumstance. The irony is that Republicans accuse Biden of being divisive, when Biden has gotten out of his way to seek bipartisanship in his legislative goals. That tells me that Biden is not a super far left man. His career has been dealt with his moderate views. Yet, we live in an emergency in America from the pandemic to record police brutality against black people (and other oppressed people). One of the most surprising things about the Biden Presidency is his progressive stimulus law that has helped the lives of millions of Americans, their businesses, and their other livelihoods. President Biden has gone to Georgia on Thursday to fight for voting rights in Georgia after the new Georgia law blatantly has violated many voting rights.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina said that America is not a racist nation. You already know how I feel about that statement from the Senator. Before I show my views on that issue, let's look at history. Black people are the victims of the Maafa, slavery, the peonage system, Jim Crow apartheid, police brutality, discrimination, and other evils in America spanning centuries. So, obviously, America is a racist nation. That doesn't mean that good people don't exist in America. Tons of great, upright, righteous people live in America. It is just a racist, classist, and xenophobic system dominates American society unfortunately. That is why we have to do activism and legitimate actions in changing society into a system of justice for all. That is our goal and precept. Vice President Kamala Harris said that America is not a racist nation. I respectfully disagree with Kamala Harris. It is obvious what America is. Kamala Harris is right to say that we have to deal with the racism found in America. We want to transform America into what it can become. The irony of Senator Tim Scott (who admitted that he was stopped by cops and suffered racism) is that he complains about people using race in divisive terms, but he sugarcoats the seriousness of calling out racial oppression in pro-Republican terms. Republicans now promote defunding schools, promote anti-voting legislation, and desire austerity (which are anti-black policies). Scott can't on one hand say that he wants the temperature to go down, but he falsely accuses Democrats collectively of using race as a political weapon. The fact of the matter is that we can't be lukewarm on this issue. There must be a ban on chokeholds and qualified immunity must be addressed. We have to be firm and forthright in eliminating the system of white racism from our society. The fact that Tim Scott supported one of the most racist Presidents in American history, who is Trump, while talking about reconciliation is the height of a contradiction.

 

Some breaking news is that the feds have raided the home and office of Rudy Giuliani. We know that senior DOJ officials under Trump blocked the execution of the Giuliani search warrant last year. The judge approves the execution of a search warrant. The FBI and the DOJ had to convince a judge that a possible crime took place at the place of the search warrant is desired to be promoted. The Southern District of New York is investigating many issues too. This search warrant is about the Ukraine probe of financial corruption. Investigators are looking for evidence of a crime. The feds have gathered Rudy Giuliani's electronic equipment. The feds have seized Rudy Giuliani's iPad, iPhone, and his laptop. 

 

Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Erica Monique Campbell, and she is 49 years old. Inglewood, California is the place of her birth. She has a long gospel career with her sister Tina Campbell in the group called Mary Mary. People from my generation know exactly who Mary Mary is. She had her own solo career in recently years too. Erica Campbell represents the new school group of gospel artists with songs about God mixed with R&B sounds at times. She won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album. She has hosted the Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell with the comedian Griff. Being part of Mary Mary, she earned 4 Grammys, Stella Music Awards, Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, 2 American Music Awards, three NAACP Awards, and a BET Award. One of Mary Mary's greatest songs is In the Morning. I love that song. Shackles (Praise You) was their song from May of 2000 that I heard of just before I was 17 years old. Even back years ago, I love their music. Erica can sing for real like her sister. Erica Campbell's solo album came out in 2013 called Help. That album was heavily praised. Her husband is Warryn Campbell. She loves her husband and her 3 children. In 2014, Warryn and Erica Campbell started a local Bible study program in Los Angeles, California. The following year, Warryn was ordained as a pastor. In 2015, the couple founded the California Worship Center, which meets in North Hollywood, Los Angeles Erica Campbell remains the same, and we appreciate her walk with the Heavenly Father and his only begotten Son.  Erica Campbell is a great human being.  


Yesterday was the Birthday of a late legend. She can sing her heart out. Not to mention that her outstanding songs are timeless. We know about her story and her pain. She suffered a great deal. Yet, she had great strength, and her talent has inspired the world. She was the late, great Sister Tammi Terrell. Philadelphia was the place of her birth. Also, Tammi Terrell had a close friendship with Marvin Gaye. They loved each other like brother and sister. For her career, she was a star of Motown Records. Motown had black soul, and they appealed to people of every color with their songs. With Gaye, Terrell scored seven Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." She sang since the early 1960's. She was engaged to Dr. Ernest Garrett or the doctor at the hospital where she had been treated. One of her greatest songs was If This World Were Mine in 1967 featuring Marvin Gaye. Tammi Terrell was a black woman with a sweet spirit whose life was short. Yet, her spirit was enormous, and her legacy in music remains forever glorious. 

Rest in Power Sister Tammi Terrell. 


 

By Timothy

 



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