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FREE OF RACISM DAY!

I was talking to a friend not too long ago about racism, racist attitudes, ugliness, and the scourge that it is on society as a whole and his remark went like this, “I don’t know about that. I’ve never experienced it.” He’s from Minnesota, white and proud of it.

This got me thinking. There are those who go about life thinking that just because they’ve never experienced it, racism doesn’t exist. Here’s the thing. Racism is a worldwide issue. It finds its foothold in societies and goes about its way calling it, business as usual. Then there are those who suffer because of it, their daily existence not just marked by irking a living like the rest of the folks do but with the additional burden of carrying that unnecessary load placed on their shoulders which is called racism, a heavy one that affects whole families including children as well and sometimes it makes “living” a living hell!

Does racism exist today?

“A huge number of people still don’t even believe that contemporary racism exists. Despite the mountains of empirical evidence confirming that racism is a part of almost everything, almost everywhere, almost all the time, people are still stuck in a conversation about whether or not it is even happening.”

I would like to invent a holiday and call it, FREE OF RACISM DAY!

It will be a worldwide call to arms so to speak and for this one day, global citizens will come together and boost each other up irregardless of race, religion, and or color. We will put our differences aside and celebrate as ONE people. There will be exhibitions highlighting achievements and we will celebrate each other’s uniqueness. It will be a call to stand together and to embrace each other as citizens based not on color, race or religion but as people who deserve equal treatment regardless of who or where they come from.

There is an International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which is observed annually on March 21st. It was established by the United Nations in 1966 to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa and it is to raise awareness and to fight against racism and discrimination worldwide.

Have you heard about it? I haven’t either. So let’s get the word out and not pretend that it (racism) doesn’t exist. It is there, it is alive, it is doing well and it is spreading like wildfire in today’s society of Nazi salutes, racist satire and full blown hate and ugliness.

I say AMEN to that!

Daily writing prompt

Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.

View all responses

George Floyd

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer brought widespread protests not only back home but globally, which in turn called for police reform and accountability where police brutality and racial injustice was concerned. Its historical significance came when Derek Chauvin, the police officer responsible for the murder was convicted and sent to prison. It also put a spotlight on systemic racism and racial inequality. Before that landmark case, it was rare “that police officers in the US are charged, let alone convicted for use of lethal force.”

George Floyd, an African-American, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. The video footage that went viral showed Floyd being pinned to the ground by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck. Bodycam footage showed Mr. Floyd saying he couldn’t breathe more than 20 times but to no avail. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes and Floyd was heard further saying:

“You’re going to kill me, man.”

Chauvin: ” Then stop talking, stop yelling. It takes heck of a lot of oxygen to talk.”

Mr. Floyd: “Can’t believe this, man. Mom, love. Love you. Tell my kids I love them. I’m dead.”

Six minutes after that, Floyd is non-responsive and pronounced dead an hour later.

Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. The verdict put the spotlight on police and their policing practices where people of color were concerned and it also showed “that police officers are not above the law.”

According to the NY Times, “despite the largest racial justice protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s and a wave of measures to improve training and hold officers more accountable, the number of people killed by the police continues to rise each year, and Black Americans still die in disproportionate numbers.”

Racism, systemic racism, police brutality and the murder of black men still continues. Hate finds a way to survive and in today’s climate of fascism on the rise, we’ll see more of the same all done in the name of progress or “hate” masquerading as justice.

Derek Chauvin is still in prison serving his concurrent federal and state sentences for the murder of George Floyd. He is projected to be released in 2037 for his federal conviction and 2035 for his state conviction.

George Floyd, however, will never see the light of day again. He is now a card-carrying member of the “killed by the police” club. The others were Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, who was 12 when he was shot by a police officer, Walter Scott, Alton Sterling and the list goes on…..

I’ve written about every one of these men and many more.

Major historical events? I would say those killings were major events, wouldn’t you?

Daily writing prompt

What major historical events do you remember?

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Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans Ad

Photo by Alina Matveycheva on Pexels.com

My platform has always been about bringing light to social injustices, racial inequalities, racism in all its ugly forms and anything else that is considered out of the ordinary and reeks of one thing or another. I’ve written articles on the shooting deaths of Black men by law enforcement to the plight of the Rohingyas and everything in between. Sometimes the atrocities are blatant and at other times, they are subtle and are aimed at disguising what is not evident at first glance.

The Sydney Sweeney jeans ad is about a pretty girl in a pair of jeans. Nothing spectacular and nothing else stands out unless you’re into jeans and what’s new out there. That’s just at first glance.

Take a closer look and something else emerges. The clothing company, American Eagle, faced its share of backlash when it was accused of promoting “eugenics,” by using wordplay on jeans/genes in the ad.

“Sydney Sweeney has good genes,” referencing Sweeney’s white, blonde and blue-eyed looks. Some have accused the brand of promoting, “eugenics,” and “Nazi propaganda.”

Eugenics is defined as a doctrine “adopted by the Nazis to justify their treatment of Jews, disabled people, and other minority groups.” It is a study on “how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics,” those deemed as sought after traits or of the blond and blue-eyed variety.

In the campaign, Sweeney posing in jeans is seen whispering:

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”

The video has since been removed from American Eagle’s social media channels but the backlash continues. The ad comes in the wake of President Trump’s White House policies aimed at slashing diversity efforts in the federal government and the targeting of immigrants. Some say, the ad is reminiscent of the Calvin Klein campaign which starred a 15-year-old Brooke Shields posing provocatively and therefore, just “an overt sexualization of a minor,” and nothing more. The problem to this theory is that Sydney Sweeney is no longer a minor.

The company has issued a statement saying, “the campaign is and always was about the jeans. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Agreed. However, trying to promote a message beyond that of “just about the jeans,” and using wordplay to get the message across is something else altogether. In the current atmosphere of, “let’s do away with all that is different,” this ad is more than alarming. My take on this is, they should have known better!

Daily writing prompt

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

View all responses

Trump Jong Un (Archives)

Update:

“We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.”

And celebrate he did. It was a show of force, Kim Jong Un style. Tanks rolled through the streets of Washington, D.C. and the petulant president got what he wanted. The cost of $45 million didn’t matter and neither did the additional cost of sending 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. marines to Los Angeles to curb protests which is said to be around $134 million and I might add his deport-them-all policy brought about. Add another $16 million to repair damages caused by the tanks rolling though the streets and you have a whopper as far as costs are concerned.

A “Wannabe Dictator” needs and wants unchecked power to do as he pleases but the millions who took to the streets yesterday not in awe of the parade but to show a united front where “kings” are concerned did a mighty fine job of putting a clamp on his power hungry grab.

It’s not enough that he has tanked the economy and has blown up the WTO system of global growth and stability. The man who loves jumping at anything he sees as a money making scheme is off and running to another debacle, one which is more to his liking.

Rumor has it that he wants a military parade for his birthday. Nothing new here, he has been hinting at it ever since he attended one in Paris for Bastille Day in 2017. If it takes place at all, it would fall on his birthday which is Saturday, June 14 and coincidentally it just so happens to be the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is rumored that the Trump administration is “reportedly looking to add a parade that would stretch nearly four miles, from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River, into D.C. How about Hegseth leading the charge, bare-chested and flaunting his tattoos and wearing the Amerian flag? Patriotic enough? Let’s not forget Musk doing the Nazi salute and Trump grinning from ear to ear.

The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?

Global economies are hanging in the balance and a full-blown Trade War is looming and hissing at the fringes so what’s missing? Let’s add a military parade to the mix why don’t we? One that proclaims America’s might as a superpower with a message that says, “Don’t fool with us!” Remind you of anything?

Enough said.

The Musk Hoopla! (Archives)

Looks like the bromance is off! The break up is front and center and the gloves are off! One House Republican went on to say, “He’s a complete joke. He had no idea what the f**k he was doing, whatsoever.” Another lawmaker added, “Nobody really wanted him here. We couldn’t wait to get rid of him.” Musk, on the other hand, had this to say about Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” He called it a “disgusting abomination” and called for the firing of “all politicians who betrayed the American people.” The pot calling the kettle black? Little Boy Wonder is out the door and he is not taking it sitting down either!

Trump’s major interview with Elon Musk almost got derailed because of a huge technical problem but it got back on track after a 40 plus minute delay and when it did, the bromance flourished between the former president and the Space X Founder.

The former president felt so safe in Musk’s presence that he went off-script and unleashed at least 20 false claims. He ran the gamut and let loose his falsehoods with Elon Musk giving him his undivided attention. The former Commander in Chief and all around liar gripped about crime rates, inflation, Global warming (of which he knows nothing about) and anything else he saw fit to throw into the mix. It didn’t matter if they were lies or gross exaggerations. Things like that don’t matter to a seasoned pathological liar and a true narcissist.

According to NPR, he told 162 lies and distortions in his news presser at Mar-a-Lago within 1 hour. The NPR team found at least 162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies in 64 minutes and that’s more than two a minute. “It’s a stunning number for anyone – and even more problematic for a person running to lead the free world.” They further added that, “what former President Trump did this past Thursday went well beyond the bounds of what most politicians would do.” The Musk interview was no different.

EU’s commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, cautioned X founder and Tech mogul Musk asking him to censor the interview to avoid “the amplification of harmful content.” He went on to say that Musk “has a legal obligation to comply with the Digital Services Act to fight the spread of misinformation as the man in charge of the platform used by over 300 million people worldwide.”

Musk’s reply went like this. “Take a big step back and literally f**k your own face!” The man is not a novice when faced with censorship. In July, EU charged X for failing to respect its social media laws. He also faced recent criticism for fanning the flames as far-right riots broke out in the UK claiming the perpetrator of the Southport stabbings was Muslim which was an untruth.

How smart is Musk? According to Noam Mendelssohn, a Software Engineer, “Elon Musk is not very bright. He’s an economic and business bully in the same line as Trump, but nothing more. Any engineer worth his salt, any person with basic physics knowledge or computer knowledge can shred his ideas.” He went on to add, “His solar plans are flawed, his calculations on his TED interview are about 100x off, Tesla was not his idea, he strongarmed his way in and his hyperloop idea being even worse.” So how did he make his money? Mendelssohn had this answer. “He has a hype that is believed by simpletons and he is making his money by being a snake oil salesman.” Two peas in a pod? No wonder the bromance took off like a rocket and is till flying around in space somewhere!

Joseph Costello, Harris campaign spokesperson, had this to say about the interview.

“Trump’s entire campaign is in service of people like Elon Musk and himself – self-obsessed rich guys who will sell out the middle class and who cannot run a livestream in the year 2024.”

The interview was a flop in more ways than one. Nothing new, same old lies, exaggerated insults coming from an “old” man who is trying to give his sagging and deflated campaign a helping hand but unfortunately for him, it is going to take more than what he has in that thing he calls a brain to do that!

Trump Jong Un (Archives)

Update:

Looks like it is going to take place, the parade that is. The estimated cost could be as high as $45 million. Trump says, it is, “Peanuts compared to the value of doing it.” Why?

There you have it, right out of the horse’s mouth!

It’s not enough that he has tanked the economy and blown up the WTO system of global growth and stability. The man who loves jumping at anything he sees as a money making scheme is off and running to another debacle, one which is more to his liking.

The cost of such a parade would be phenomenal but didn’t he say they’ve got 2 billion coming in each day from tariffs alone? Should be enough to cover the cost don’t you think?

Enough said.

Alice Weidel (Archives)

Update:

Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has been designated as a right-wing extremist entity and Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said the decision was “clearly politically motivated” and a “severe blow to German democracy.” The AfD attracted the support of two leading figures in the Trump administration. Elon Musk called on Germans to vote for the AfD and repeatedly posted his support for Weidel’s party and JD Vance said there was no place for “firewalls,” saying that free speech was in retreat in Europe. I guess there is a difference between free speech and hate speech. What’s in the future? It’s a wait and see approach.

The woman is openly gay, she lives in Switzerland, has two sons AND has a Sri Lankan partner. She is also now officially the AfD’s chancellor candidate as of this weekend.

Der Spiegel magazine had this to say: “If someone accuses the AfD of being misogynistic, homophobic or racist, they can say they have Weidel….”

According to Weidel, the first 100 days of an AfD government would see the total closing of Germany’s borders and turning back anyone with no documents as well as large scale repatriations. “I say to you quite honestly, if this must be called remigration, then let it be called remigration.” Those were her words but do you see some resemblance to you know who and his words? She also happened to describe Hitler as a “communist” and a “socialist” but conveniently left out “Nazi” in her chat with Musk.

Musk who? You know him. The Tesla guy with one foot in space and the other meddling in politics. You know what they say about Jack of all trades, master of none. Well, in his case, it’s working just fine for him. However, the billionaire is showing his true colors. He loves the AfD which stands for Alternative for Germany. It is a far-right and right wing populist political party in Germany. It opposes immigration especially that of Muslim immigration and it has been classified as a “suspected extremist” party. However, Musk in his wisdom claims that “only the AfD can save Germany.” He has become very vocal about his support of far-right, anti-establishment parties across Europe and more recently has been accused of meddling in Germany’s election process.

Have money, will meddle? Apparently so. The scary part is that Musk’s endorsement of AfD seems to have emboldened its presence and boosted its acceptance among the German electorate. He has gone on to say, “Chancellor Oaf Schitz or whatever his name is will lose.” Olaf Scholz responded with, “There are a lot of people on social media who want to attract attention with snappy slogans. The rule is: don’t feed the troll.” However, I like this one better. Elmar Brok, a former German MEP, called Musk’s comment, “the world domination fantasies of the American tech kings.”

Coming back to Weidel, AfD owes its prime-time position in German politics to her. It’s neo-Nazi image has been airbrushed and being promoted as a polite, and decorous populism thanks to the pearl necklace touting and pantsuit wearing Weidel. Under her guidance AfD’s vote share has risen to 22 percent, its highest ever at the national level.

However, it has been said that AfD has little chance of advancing or being part of Germany’s next government since working with the far-right is considered a major taboo because of its Nazi history. Needless to say the party is gaining momentum and it is making some people sit up and take notice.

Weidel once said, “As a woman, I also want to be able to take the last train home at night without fear,” referring to foreigners as her bone of contention. The well-traveled and educated Weidel’s entire career and lifestyle is in direct contradiction to her right-wing populist party’s doctrines which has led many to question her motives and what she is really about. Her former colleagues at Goldman Sachs have been posting videos and asking, “Here is Alice. What happened to her?” Is it the business woman or the right-wing populist?”

I’ll add, “Will the real Alice Weidel please stand up,” and “Mr. Musk, please sit down and be QUIET!”

Why Not Trump? (Archives)

Update:

I wrote this piece before Trump made it to the White House. His 100 days in office has been a nightmare. He has tanked the economy, allies are nowhere to be seen but he is not stopping there. Talks of recession are a daily prediction and he has launched an unprecedented global tariff war not to mention upending world order. Add his bold-faced lies to the picture and you’ve got more than a disaster in the making.

There are many reasons why “Orange Jesus” should not get within spitting distance of the White House again let alone take up the business of running the country from the bully pulpit.

At the top of the list of why Donald J. Trump should not be president of the United States is that the man believes that he is entitled to act with impunity and without any restrictions placed on him. He firmly believes that as the president of the United States, he is free to do whatever he likes and not be held ACCOUNTABLE for it. However, the truth of the matter is that the president is accountable to the Constitution, to the Congress and to the nation and that it is not a one-man show as he so believes.

Besides that, Trump has shown time and again that he is dishonest, a bully, manipulative, narcissistic and “crotch-grabbing” and in his world that is an added incentive to being rich and powerful and NOT a sign of disrespect to women. Add to that no remorse, no empathy, no conscience, no awareness of what is right and wrong and a full-blown ego that will not take a beating and you have a “monster” in the making. Why is he still in the running and made it this far? God only knows!

Lastly, citizen Trump is not very intelligent. We see this in his limited grasp of his vocabulary and the use of the English language. It is riddled with a few adjectives all speaking to the “ME” concept. It is ALL about him. Self-importance is his mainstay and add stupidity to that and you have a clown who knows not of what he speaks. Mind-boggling that he has made it this far.

The man will have substantial authority and power if he makes it to the White House again and that is a frightening prospect. If he makes it to the pinnacle of power, he will vent and throw his temper tantrums as he has done before and that is a given. He will not only be a danger to the country but to the people and the world as a whole. That folks is more than unsettling and downright dangerous.

Epic Trump Takedown! (Archives)

I’m reposting this again because what Nate White had to say about Trump still stands true. The man (not king) is on a path of destruction. Rule of law does not apply where he is concerned but then again why should it? He is a convicted felon with 34 counts to his name so how did he make it to the highest office in the land? A question many are asking over and over again. Ask Elon Musk is my answer. Watching Trump talk about criminals (the immigrant variety) and the home-grown ones is nothing short of ironic. People with tattoos and if you’re brown-skinned you’re a gang member no due process required. That was Abrego Garcia’s fate who is sitting somewhere in a Salvadorian Gulag. Is he still alive? No one knows for sure. However, the one with the tattoos is now the Defense Secretary and the “criminal” is talking about sending people off to Salvador to meet their fate while rule of law is going to hell in a handbasket!

Here is the best description of Trump ever and it was penned by Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England.

“Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. He has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace.”

He goes on to add:

“And in Britain we traditionally side with David not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs; Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more of a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.”

There’s more to this epic takedown and it goes like this:

“his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit…..He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W. look smart….if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws…..he would make a Trump….If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be a boxed set.”

Hands up if you disagree. Perfectly put together and it was an epic takedown if there ever was one!

Pete Hegseth (Archives)

Update:

Nothing much has changed. Hegseth is in the eye of the storm and many are calling for his resignation and rightfully so. He was unqualified for the job of Defense Secretary and still is and add incompetence and downright arrogance and you’ve got the answer as to why he should resign.

Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was sworn into his new role by Vice President JD Vance on January 18th.

“When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.” Was it missing? The warrior culture I mean.

He further added, “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness.” He also said, “this is the most important deployment of my life.”

All fine and good. Let’s take a good hard look at the 29th secretary of defense. First of all, he is the least qualified person to ever serve in this position. However, he has two things going for him according to Michael J. Hicks, an Opinion Contributor with USA Today.

“First he doesn’t give a whit about our Constitution. Indeed, he seems eager to fire generals based solely on their willingness to obey the legal orders of the reelected president.”

Hmm….

One of the two characteristics that make him a perfect candidate to serve under Trump.

Second, “Hegseth’s private life provides close parallels to those of the 47th president. Hegseth has cheated on at least two of his three wives, divorcing two.”

By the way, is the President aware that Hegseth once claimed on national TV that he hasn’t washed his hands for 10 years because, “germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them; therefore they’re not real.” He later claimed it was much ado about nothing. So, what does the 47th president and self-professed germophobe think about this and more importantly did they shake hands? He’s good-looking so germs don’t matter that much right?

Let’s look at Pete Hegseth’s tattoos. The man has multiple tattoos and two of them are often associated with extremist groups. The chest tattoo of the Jerusalem cross and an arm tattoo of the Latin phrase, “Deus Vult,” meaning “God Wills it.” Hegseth gave pushback saying, “I don’t give a damn – but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at (Trump’s) DoD.”

It did but for targeting immigrants with tattoos. Trump thinks immigrants with tattoos are all criminals. What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander? Not in this administration.

If you kowtow to the “new Messiah” all things are possible is the message. Tattoos, sexual assault charges and no qualifications don’t matter. If you do the bidding, you’ve got it made!