There Are No Lone Wolves

Good afternoon Sisters, Brothers, and Kinfolk,

I want to build on something that has been bothering me for quite some time.  As you may already know a white supremacist in California opened fire in a synagogue killing one and injuring several others. Authorities believe that the young man was a "lone wolf" and that he acted alone. Reports that I have read indicate that the young man left a manifesto filled with typical hateful, bigoted, and racist language.

What's bothering me, aside from the fact that there has been yet ANOTHER domestic terror attack committed by a white supremacist, is this constant desire by the media and law enforcement to label these pieces of trash "lone wolves". I don't know how or when that got started but it's past time for that shit to end. There are no lone wolves and it's time we stop pretending there are. These people are connected and these incidents are connected and I want people to stop pretending they're not.

These killers are linked to each other in a number of ways. They inspire each other. They are often motivated by each other's actions. They empower each other. They are often moved by the manifestos left by other white supremacists. They congregate with each other. Social media has made it easier for them to link up and share their hateful ideology. We hear authorities and the media talking about lone wolves but when you take a closer look it's easy to see that these beasts run in a pack.

The media in particular seems to be in love with this narrative that these white supremacists are social misfits who were radicalized by movies, video games, or some other nonsense. They often paint them as outcasts who lashed out at a society who didn't understand them(I happen to hate this shit btw). The truth though is that many of these people become radicalized by mainstream news outlets who continually push bigoted and racist narratives(but that's a topic for another post).

If we are truly going to be honest we are going to have to admit that these "lone wolves" are just furthering the bloody racist legacy of America. These "lone wolves" are the terrible children of the bigoted, hateful racists that built this country on a foundation of white supremacy. These "social misfits" are just doing what they learned from their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. These "outcasts" are motivated by a system that continues to promote racial bias and continues to perpetuate fearmongering.

So if it's all the same to y'all, I move that we retire the term "lone wolf". There are no lone wolves. There never were. These killers are bound to each other and born of a society that taught them that whiteness is superior to all things. Calling them lone wolves is a feeble attempt to wash one's hands clean and avoid taking responsibility. These wolves are your pups America. Own them.

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Establishment Democrats Are Still Afraid of Trump

Good Afternoon Sisters, Brothers, and Kinfolk

Over the weekend I read an article from the Washington Post stating how democrats should be wary of impeaching Donald Trump. The article implied that impeachment could likely do more harm than good. It stated how impeachment was basically DOA once it reached the senate and talked about how impeaching Trump could rally and energize his base. The article also floated the idea of formal censure as an alternative. Needless to say, with respect to the author, I found this article ridiculous (not to mention typical). The article did everything to reinforce the narrative that democrats are weak and will always back down in the face of opposition. It also reinforced the narrative that democrats, particularly establishment democrats, by and large are still afraid of Donald Trump.

I mean let's start with the idea of formal censure. I tweeted "Who believes that President Twitter Fingers is going to be moved an inch by formal censure?" Why would he even care? Censure is a weak, hollow, pointless gesture that would accomplish little beyond showing Trump that you're not going to do anything and showing your base that you lack the fortitude to hold him accountable. Now some would ask "Isn't impeachment also pointless because it's dead once it reaches the senate?". The answer is no. Impeachment would show Trump in no uncertain terms that democrats are willing to get up in him and fight him. It would show the base that they are not at all afraid and are willing to use every option at their disposal to defeat him. It would place the onus on Republicans to do their jobs and hold their president accountable.

Then there is the even more ridiculous notion that impeachment would rally and energize his base and encourage those who may be on the fence to get behind him. That is a bad joke. Anyone who votes for Donald Trump, knowing who he is, seeing how he has behaved, and knowing full well what he's done over the past 3 years, was going to vote for him anyway. Trump's base is already motivated and energized. They're already eager to vote for him again. Trump remains a habitual liar. Trump remains morally bankrupt. Trump remains a bigoted narcissist. His base and supporters know exactly who and what he is. It's WHY they are voting for him. What establishment democrats should be thinking about is how they can energize their OWN base. Showing you are willing to impeach an unqualified, lawless president would go a long way to garnering some confidence from those who you're counting on in 2020.

In my opinion fear of impeachment and this fear of Trump is rooted in the foolish notion that the path for victory for democrats is down the center. Establishment democrats still believe that they can "win over" independents who voted for Trump and moderate Republicans. This silly idea has been has been perpetuated by many prominent democrats and democratic presidential hopefuls. They are afraid to rile up Trump because they foolishly believe they can peel some of his supporters away. This is nonsense and will do nothing beyond taking the air out of their own base and ensuring another four years of Donald Trump fuckery. Establishment democrats have a long history of shooting themselves in the foot.

If democrats truly want to make a difference in 2020 they are going to have to let go of this irrational fear of Donald Trump and show some backbone. I mean let's be honest. If this were Barack Obama impeachment proceedings would've began months ago. Right now the image of democrats is still one of flaccid weakness and spineless ineptitude and this fear of impeachment is just another highlight. It's past time they take stock and start finding the strength to aggressively challenge Trump. Stop giving the bully your lunch money.

Thank you for reading.

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Aiding and Abetting: Gaslighting Apologists Who Are Still Caping for Police

Good afternoon Sisters, Brothers, and Kinfolk.

I've got some things I want to get off my chest. These days I've taken to writing to exorcise the demons that sometimes attempt to creep up on me. Writing truly is food for the soul.

Earlier today I saw two videos on Twitter. In one video police violently assaulted a Black man in an IHOP while his horrified wife looked on. The man committed no crime and it was clear from the video that the police escalated a situation which could've easily been resolved without conflict. At one point the police screamed and shouted in the distraught woman's face as she begged them to stop and not to shoot her husband. In the other video I watched as an officer violently attacked a Taravella high school student. A child. The child was sprayed, slammed face first into the ground, and punched in the back of the head. This is AFTER police attacked another child. Now it goes without saying that I am outraged by this videos and the despicable behavior of these corrupt law enforcement officers. I must say though that these days when I see these videos I'm a bit more outraged than usual. I'm a bit more angry. I'm a bit more frustrated. I'll explain why.

Black people, marginalized people, and PoC are no strangers to police brutality and systemic injustice. We've been dealing with this literally since the founding of this country. We have been fighting and resisting corrupt law enforcement since there has been law enforcement. Not only that but over the last two decades many people like myself have been warning that corrupt behavior by police has been on the rise. We've been warning that white supremacists have been invading and infesting police departments all across the country. We've been warning that the continued militarization of the police represents a clear and present danger to the community. We've been screaming these things for years at the top of our lungs to anyone who would listen.

Unfortunately though, our voices have been drowned out in favor of gas lighting apologists who continue to cape for the police. That's what has me more outraged than usual. The fact that there are STILL people who, after everything we've seen and continue to see, seek to protect and make excuses for corrupt agents of the state. These people are infuriating. I can't stand them. I won't lie. They are the worst kind of enablers. They are enemies of justice. They are enemies of progress. They lend validity to our oppressors. They make excuses for wicked behavior. They are the absolute worst and I can't stand these motherfuckers.

I mean what more do we need to see? We've seen corrupt officers attack children, attack the elderly, attack the disabled, attack the homeless, murder innocent people, and engage in some of the most heinous acts one could conceive. We've seen officers riding through neighborhoods in hummers in full military gear armed with weapons of war as if they are soldiers of fortune in some action film. We've seen them completely disregard the civil and constitutional rights of the citizens they are supposed to be serving and protecting. We've seen them almost gleefully engage in such behavior without any fear of repercussion.

Yet despite this, you still have people attempting to justify or dismiss corrupt behavior. You still have people who pretend that there isn't a problem with policing in America. You still have elected officials who act as if it's just a case of a "few bad apples" and not a nationwide systemic issue. If you are one of these people I hope you realize that you are a huge part of the problem. I hope you realize that you set us all back. I hope you realize that you cripple the efforts of those who are genuinely trying to make things better.

It's hard not to say "Fuck you" to you gaslighting apologists who continue aiding and abetting corrupt law enforcement. So I'll say it. Fuck you. Every last one of you. You do a disservice to the public. You do a disservice to the average citizen. You even do a disservice to law enforcement officers who may not be corrupt. You're in the way. You're holding us back. Your gaslighting fuckery makes all of this shit possible and I want all of you to know how I really feel.

I feel a little better now. Thanks for reading.

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The Mueller Report: An Aura of Ambiguity

Good afternoon family.

So unless you've been living under a rock you are aware that a redacted version of the Mueller report has been made public today. Pundits, journalists, news anchors, bloggers, and everyone with even a passing interest in politics has been buzzing about it all day. While I'm still reading it I must express that I'm dealing with a couple of sizable issues in regards to the report. Chief among these issues is that Robert Mueller and his team seem to have clearly gone out of their way to create an aura of ambiguity. After two years of investigation we get neither a full indictment nor complete exoneration. Instead we're getting this hazy kind of "We're not prepared to implicate or exonerate" narrative(at least that's my take).

That shit gets on my nerves if I'm to be honest. Maybe it's just me(and I'm fully willing to admit that it just might be) but after two years I think the public deserves some definitive answers. I mean if you want to say that Mueller's team felt they couldn't prove criminal conspiracy fine. That's a pretty high bar and you're probably going to need a smoking gun if you're going to make a charge like that stick. But just based off of what I've read it should be easy(again a least to me) to make a case for obstruction of justice. In fact much of the language in what I've read all but implicates that Trump himself attempted to obstruct justice. But instead of taking a clear stance Mueller seemed to deliberately back away from making a formal statement. I have no idea why.

So what this does is it creates more chaos, creates more questions than answers, and leaves the door wide open for random interpretation. Trump and his cohorts are claiming victory even though the report doesn't even come close to exonerating him. Worst of all, this all but assures that absolutely nothing is going to happen. Without any type of definitive language that implicates Trump committed a crime he and the rest of those grimey pieces of trash he runs with are going to skate. Democrats have already shown they're too shook to challenge Trump. Republicans have basically become Trump's bitches (yeah I said it) so they're obviously not going to do anything. So what we'll get is a week (maybe two) of victory laps from Trump sychophants on the right and conspiracy theories on the left.  But what we absolutely will NOT get is Trump and his criminal cohorts being held accountable or brought to justice.

So with that I'm going to take my time as I read this report. Because nothing is going to come of this and I think everyone deep down knows it. The democrats are too weak. The republicans are owned by Trump have no will of their own. This time next month almost no one will be talking about this (I'd absolutely LOVE to be wrong though). Which is a shame. Because based just on what I've read so far the truth is right there. But so far it seems Mueller and his squad are reluctant at best to stand on it.

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Now Is Not The Time For Tears

I told myself not to watch the recent segment between Anderson Cooper and Van Jones as they spoke about President Trump's deeply offensive and completely tone deaf press conference after the events in Charlottesville, VA.  I went out of my way not to watch it as it aired.  But today I watched it, against my better judgment.  I found myself frustrated and somewhat angry(as I knew I would be).  The thing is though, I was frustrated with Van Jones.

Let me explain.  Donald Trump is a repugnant human being who is completely unfit to be POTUS.  I've said this many times.  We've known this for a long time.  So his statements regarding what occurred in Charlottesville and his attempts to "blame all sides" for the violence that occurred and resulted in the death of a young woman came as no shock to me whatsoever.  Trump is garbage.  That's what garbage does.  But during that segment with Anderson Cooper, as he spoke I found myself very frustrated with Van Jones.  Specifically, I was frustrated with the tears.  As I listened to him I was overwhelmed with the thought "What the fuck are you crying for?".

Please don't misunderstand me.  Racism hurts.  Being hated hurts.  Being marginalized hurts.  I understand that.  I also don't believe Jones is less of a man or a human being for crying.  There is nothing wrong with a man shedding tears when he is in pain.  Sometimes we all must cry.  That said, now is not the time for tears.  White supremacists and Nazis have been emboldened and are aggressively seeking to push their agenda.  They have the open support of a bigoted, narcissistic POTUS who they have rallied behind.  We don't need tears right now.  We need strength.  We need courage.  We need to find the will to resist these people.

We need brothers like Van Jones, who have the visibility and platform to be heard by many, to speak with conviction.  To speak the truth to power.  We have been shedding tears for centuries.  Our tears have not moved our enemies one bit.  Our tears have not melted the hearts of our oppressors at all.  We have cried an ocean of tears and it hasn't changed the hearts who would crush us under the heel of their boots.  We need this strength and conviction right now.  We're going to have to lean on each other a lot in the coming days, months, and years.  We must steel ourselves.

There will be a time for us to shed our tears.  To release our emotion.  To nurse our wounds and to deal with our hurt.  To come together and let go.  To hug each other and cry it out.  But now is not that time.  No disrespect to the Brother Van Jones.  I simply believe now is not the time to be on television crying and acting shocked that Donald Trump is being who he has always shown himself to be.  We will have our time to cry.  Now is not it.   Thank you for reading.

Love, Honor, Respect, Protect

This message is for my brothers.  As a Black man I think that it is important that every so often I remind my brothers of this message.  It is one we need to hear and one we far too often forget.  It is a simple message really.  Yet as I age I'm learning that the simple messages are often the most profound.

Black men.  We have a duty to love, honor, respect, and protect the Black woman and the Black family.  We have a duty to our children.  We have a duty to our communities.  We have a duty to our sisters. It is an important obligation.  It is one of the staples of being a Black man.  We have an enormous responsibility.  It is not always easy.  In fact, it is often difficult.  But as Black men we must rise to the occasion.  Our sons are depending on us.  Our daughters are depending on us.  Our women are depending on us.  Our communities are depending on us.  We simply cannot let them down.

It is unfortunate that many of us are failing to uphold these important tenets.  Love, honor, respect, and protect.  Our women feel oppressed by many of us because far too many of us have mistreated them and not upheld the tenet of respect.  They don't feel safe with us because we've collectively failed to protect them.  In fact, many of our women live in abject fear of us and some of us have become predators in our own homes and communities. Many of our LGBTQ family see us as no different than the white oppressors we face as well.  This is because we greet them with the same hatred, bigotry, and contempt that the white man greets us with.  In this, we have forgotten the tenet of love.  With this behavior we bring dishonor to the Black family.  This cannot and must not continue.

Now this not an attack on my brothers.  This is not meant to shame us or belittle us.  Nor is this meant to make us the avatars for all things that ail the community.  This is a simple call to action. As Black men we are hated.  Despised.  Maligned.  Disrespected.  Oppressed.  I understand this.  As with most brothers, I've lived this.  But we cannot allow this truth, however terrible it may be, to be an excuse for why we  continually fail our women and our families. We are Black men.  We have a duty and an obligation.  We must rise above it. Simply put, we must do better. 

As I said above, this is a simple call to action.  No one ever said being a Black man in America was easy.  But my brothers we need to come correct.  Because too much is riding on this.  Our families need us.  We need to stand by our sisters.  Support them.  Respect them.  Love them.  Honor them.  We need to raise proud sons and daughters.  We need to stop ostracizing our LGBTQ family and behaving like our European oppressors.  We need to hold our brothers who are failing accountable.  We need to decisively deal with those predatory brothers in our community. 

It's not easy, no.  In many ways being a Black man is the most challenging thing you'll ever do.  But you, I, we....we owe it to ourselves and our community.  Love. Honor.  Respect.  Protect.  Don't ever forget these tenets my brothers.  They are the foundation which our community is built on. 

Thanks for reading.
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A Very Uncomfortable Truth

I've often heard folks ask the question "Why do Americans vote against their own interest?".  On the surface it seems like a legitimate question.  American voters tend to consistently vote against their own well being.  They seem almost eager to shoot themselves in the foot and employ politicians who couldn't care less about their needs.  Even when it's obvious that the policies and positions many politicians hold are detrimental to them, by and large American voters still eagerly and often aggressively support those who basically care nothing for them. 

Now the prevailing mindset is that many American voters are simply ignorant.  I admit there is some truth to that statement.  Many Americans are clueless as to how government works. Few take the time to examine the platforms and history of the candidates they support.  Few research.  Many simply vote down party lines. They subscribe to partisan rhetoric and nonsense and eagerly carry water for their party of choice.  So it's easy to see how people arrive at solely at ignorance.

Lately though I've been thinking.  I have a additional theory.  One that leads me to a very uncomfortable truth.  I submit that many Americans AREN'T voting against their own interest.  That many of them are aware of exactly what they are doing.  That many of them go in with eyes wide open when they place certain individuals into positions of power.  It doesn't make sense until you consider one simple truth: That many Americans are completely invested in systemic white supremacy and that is where their interests lie.

Think about it for a moment.  It's often why many Americans vote the way they do.  It's why they gleefully vote for individuals who wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.  Many Americans seem more than willing(almost eager) to suffer if it means marginalized people will suffer more.  It's why despite struggling they'll vote for politicians who consistently rob the poor and give to the rich.  It's why they vote for politicians who wipe their asses with the Constitution and consistently violate their rights. They'll gladly give up every right they possess if it means marginalized people remain subjugated.  As long as they have someone to look down on they can feel good about themselves.  They are voting for systemic white supremacy...and they know it.

They aren't voting for equal opportunity.  They aren't voting for clean air or water.  They aren't voting for education.  They aren't voting to keep our streets safe.  They are voting for systemic white supremacy. It's why they'll support a politician who cuts funding for public assistance but supports using tax dollars for a border wall.  It's why on one hand they'll claim they support religious freedom and in the next breath support a ban on Muslims.  It's why they claim to resist government tyranny but applaud (or look for excuses) when agents of the state kill innocent Black civilians.  They are voting for the bigotry that exists in their hearts, made manifest in government.

Lyndon Johnson said that "if you can convince the cheapest white man that he's better than the best Black man he wont notice you picking his pocket.  In fact, give him someone to look down on and he'll empty his pockets for you".  It was true then, it's true now.  Many Americans aren't voting against their interests.  They know what they want and they are willing to suffer to get it.  Sisters and brothers, that should disturb every last one of us.  Thanks for reading

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