I had the misfortune of watching Faux News yesterday in order to ascertain how the conservatives plan to defend the indefensible: The Killing of Freddie Gray. Many vicious, hateful accusations and talking points were spewed to justify the use of excessive force by police to "subdue" African-American males.
Instead of letting the GOP get away with trying to create an anti-identity based solely on what they oppose and want to repeal, it's a good time to recognize who they really are as a party and what they truly stand for.
Sure, people get away with lots of terrible things until they don't. And Mike Pence found that out to his utter shock. "Really? Americans don't like it when you make it legal to be bigoted as long as you hide behind 'religious beliefs'? Who woulda thunk that?"
I went to a church service last night on the anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March at a small AME congregation. Mostly black, mostly middle class farmers. The minister, part time, as he is a farmer too, spoke passionately of the zeal of those protestors who stood up against injustice and of the cause that they lifted up. BUT, he also challenged the congregation to do more than just recall....
Selma received nearly universal acclaim from film critics. It got tons of publicity. So where are the crowds? Well, I live in very conservative Missouri in an area where there are few blacks but "12 Years a Slave" did rather well here. It was made for $22 million and made $188 million. So???
The Islamic Testimony Means Something Quite Different for Modernists versus Jihadist; and that could make all the difference.
Instead of seeing a psychotic cop-killer for what he was, some NYPD officers, their police union and prominent Republicans are exploiting this tragedy to validate the righteousness of their racism.
Cuba and the US have had a long history of adversarial relations. Yet we have diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Cuba didn't kill 50,000 Americans, but we have ostracized Cuba! Why? Why have we not done what President Obama has just done long ago?
In the end, no one can maintain their power because of the inverse property of power, every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. And that is our eternal job as the majority of human beings on this planet, to be that equal and opposite reaction to those who accumulate power and use it to gratify themselves at the expense of the lives and well being of others.
What we know confidently now is that torture did take place under the Bush Administration by the CIA, that it didn't work or help keep Americans safe, that it permanently undermined our nation's moral authority in the world and that there is absolutely no regret or apology from those who oversaw and committed it.
RECENT POSTS
I Believe in God, But I Hate Religion Part 2
The thought of eternal suffering is a significant motivator for those who are strong in their religious beliefs. It is also conducive to those who push various religious doctrines on their congregants to keep them in line.
People Are Stupid
“Democratic republics are more likely to perish through misuse of power than through lack of it.” — Tocqueville Democracy in America . It’s as if Tocqueville looked into the future.