You Know Who Wants to Throw Out the Constitution

The constitution is the backbone of everything that America represents and stands for. The basic political and human rights detailed in the document have been copied and quoted by other nations around the world as they have drafted their own constitutions.

Approximately a week ago, you know who put out a statement that the constitution should be thrown out. And then, after the blowback became too much, he claimed it was “fake news”. As expected, many Republicans have called him out, but refuse to say that this takes him out of the running for the 2024 Presidential election.

This is not how an official of a democratically elected government reacts. This is what an autocrat or demagogue says and does to get to power or to stay in power.

There is a lot of talk in this country these days about being a patriot and loving this country. If the sentiments underneath these words are true, then we had better stop this man before he does any more damage to this nation.

P.S. The guilty verdict coming out of New York was a long time coming. Justice was served.

Politics Book Reviews: Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying America & Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution

It would be easy to think that those who we elect to speak for our needs in the halls of power are doing their jobs. A deeper dive reveals a lust for power, the need for influence to fill one own pocket, and the lack of care/responsibility to those who put them in office.

Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying America, by Dan Pfeiffer, was published last month. In short, it describes how both the carelessness of the social media companies and a right-wing conspiracy nearly led to the annihilation of this nation and our democracy. He also talks about how we can fight back and stop the lies before they destroy us.

Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, by Elie Mystal, was published in March. Mystal takes the legalese out of the Constitution and explains them in a way that anyone would understand. Complete with pop culture references and the occasional f-bomb, Mystal points out what is wrong with the law (i.e. racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ sentiment, etc), and how we can prevent the white patriarchy from dragging us back into the past.

What we need right now are two things: hope and a kick in the behind. These books provide both. By writing laymen’s terms, both Pfeiffer and Mystal are giving the average citizens the tools we need to fight against the growing threats of theocracy and fascism.

Do I recommend them both? Absolutely.

Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying America and Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution are available wherever books are sold.

I Hate To Say It, But We Should Not Talk About Impeachment, At Least For The Short Term

According to the American Constitution, a political leader at the federal level may be forced out of office via impeachment if he or she commits “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”.

Like many of you, I did not vote for a certain person in the 2016 Presidential Election and I have yet to agree or approve of the policies he has put into place. I also believe that the evidence that so far has been presented is legitimate and solid.

As much as I would love to see him out of office, I believe that for the short-term, we should not be discussing impeachment. My reasoning is the following:

1. Unlike a certain President who shoots his social media mouth off at every turn, Robert Mueller and his team are only showing their hands when they have concrete evidence. Without concrete evidence, it proves that the Russia Investigation is indeed a witch hunt and a waste of tax dollars. This of course, feeds into the idea that  he is innocent and being persecuted for no reason.
2. If he is impeached, then Mike Pence becomes President. From my perspective, Mike Pence would be a political nightmare.
3.   Unless it is proved that this person has committed a crime, starting impeachment proceeding over political differences starts a dangerous precedent that would destabilize this country in ways that I dare not even consider.
4. Impeachment subverts the will of the people, but again, that depends on how solid the proof is that a crime was committed.

Only time will tell if and/or when a certain person is removed from the highest political office in the land.  I only know that at this point in time, I believe that we should not be talking about impeachment until it proved without a shadow of a doubt that an impeachment offense was committed.

Thoughts On The New Israeli Law

The essence of a democracy is that all citizens regardless of creed, color, religion, family background, etc, are all equal.

In Israel, a new law was enacted that defines the country as “the Jewish nation-state”.  Normally, I support Israel and Israeli politics. But I cannot in good conscience, support this law.

While it is true that Israel is a Jewish nation and has been for thousands of years, there are other citizens who are not Jewish. They have every right to feel threatened by this law. It’s akin to removing the clause in the Constitution that creates a literal wall between religion and politics in America and stating that America is a Christian nation. Therefore, anyone who does not identify as a Christian does not deserve the same rights and privileges as those of the Christian faith.

One of the hallmarks of Israel, compared to the rest of the countries in the Middle East, is that it is a true democracy. Jews, Arabs, Christians, Atheists, etc, are all equal under the law. Women and members of the LGBTQ community are completely enfranchised. In their attempt to strengthen the Jewish identity of Israel, Israeli lawmakers are unwittingly played right into the hands of those who accuse Israel of racism and discrimination.

Israel is a beautiful country with loving people, exquisite scenery and some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. I hope that in spite of this law, it will remain so.

 

Putin Comes To America

No one goes through life without making at least one mistake. The hope is that most people learn from their mistake and try to prevent it from happening in the future.

But you know who is not most people. After the reaction of the American public to the speech in Helsinki earlier this week, a smart person would have thought twice about how to deal with Putin and the Russian government.

But you know who isn’t exactly the stable genius he publicly proclaims himself to be. After trying to save his skin by walking back on his speech, he decided that the smart thing would be to invite Putin to visit America in the fall.

If there was anyone else sitting in the Oval Office, this would be just another meeting between two world leaders.

But with you know who, this is not just a meeting between two world leaders.

Why don’t we just give Putin the American Presidency? Tear up the Bill Of Rights and throw the Constitution in a bonfire?

What Putin wants is to destroy the American democracy as we know it to be and you know who is stupidly playing into his hands.

Good job America, we really did vote for the best person for the job.

 

 

An Open Letter to Wayne LaPierre From A Concerned Citizen

Dear Sir

I watched the clip of you speaking at CPAC 2018 and I would like respond to your comments.

First of all, I wanted to confirm the full text of the 2nd amendment. It is as follows:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

While the amendment does not state that everyday citizens are barred from owning firearms, it does state that the right to keep and bear arms is necessary for an army to protect the lives and freedoms of the civilian population.

Please also keep in mind that the firearms that are available today are far more powerful that the firearms that were available in the late 18th century.

There are millions of Americans, myself included who do not want to take away your right to own a gun or any other rights listed in the Constitution. We are only asking for common sense gun laws that respect the rights of law-abiding gun owning citizens who are of sound mind, while preventing mass shooting like the one that happened in Parkland, Florida last week.

Why sir, must we again grieve the loss of 17 innocent people, most who were children because of a shooter who was able to legally purchase a weapon of war, and who has a history of mental illness?

While it has been proven that the shooter was not of sound mind, and that local authorities did not do their jobs as they should have, the fact still remains that a gun is responsible for taking the lives of 17 people.

Mass shootings have happened far too often in this country. We need you and your organization to step up and work with our government to prevent future events of a similar nature.

If this does not happen, I fear for the future of our country and our children.

Sincerely Yours,

A Concerned Citizen