TCU 360

New Normal XV: Democrats, Republicans and Black Lives Matter John Burl Smith Georgia’s appointed senators Kelly Loeffler is seeking election for the first time, while David Purdue Jr. is seeking re-election and they have this good cop bad cop game going. Kelly Loeffler attacked “Black Lives Matter,” saying the “Black Lives Matter movement seeks to destroy American principles.” While the other guy, David Perdue Jr. is running ads with black people in them, intimating he has done a lot for black people. Prior to the election, black people did not know he was in the senate. Plus, he has only a token black on his staff, which is now visible to black community. Loeffler, on the other hand, is an avid supporter of the confederacy and white supremacy today. She is the post face for Republicans propaganda and disinformation campaign, which is why she condemned “Black Lives Matter,” calling the group socialists and communists that is “destroying our heritage.” The historical record shows that the confederacy, which she as a senator, actually declared “war” on the United States of America. These rebels fought a 5 year Civil War, actually tried to destroy America. And, during their insurrection, these rebels caused an estimated 620,000 casualties. Unlike the confederacy, “Black Lives Matter” has not caused a single death, as an organization. The 2020 presidential election, COVID-19, and “Black Lives Matter” movement protests are literally crazy driving Republicans. Now, Loeffler and Donald Trump’s latest bombshell targets American public school children. Trump and Loeffler are determined to force children into classrooms, which will be like Nazi gas chambers, since they have done anything to deal with COVID-19. However, their real target, of course, is black children, because over 60% of all urban public school students are black. Their demand to open public schools does not include white students in private schools, which white children attend overwhelmingly. In and of itself that is not racist, but the intent not to include black children, put them in the category with Trump and Loeffler’s quiet racism. With Trump having dismissed the coronavirus as a real threat to American’s lives, his reelection is all that matters to him, not black lives. For those, who believe and trust what polls indicate, are looking google-eyed at Former Vice President Joe Biden. They see him as a shoo-in for the White House and are coming out of the woodwork, claiming to be team players. I am not among them for those reasons. First back in April, although they were not hunkered down in their basements, as Mr. Biden, most Democrats were hiding out afraid to come out and take the lead attacking Donald Trump. But today in Republican dominated states like Georgia, Ohio, and Texas to name a few, Democrats, with their “rosy poll scenarios” are saying Mr. Biden needs “To Go Big, or he’s “Being too Cautious,” according to a story by Jonathan Martin of the NY Times. From the sidelines, they are attempting to micro-manage and pressure Mr. Biden “to expand his ambitions, compete aggressively in more states and press his party’s advantage down the ballot.” Such statements were not coming from moderates and conservatives, during the early dark days of May, when COVID-19 was ravishing New York City. However, in this coronavirus dominated 2020 battle royal, their shrill cries of “compete aggressively in more states and press his party’s advantage down the ballot,” is the wrong prescription for the wrong election. What they really want is for Mr. Biden to cover their backsides, after running from Trump the last 3 and 1/2 years, scared to open their mouths against him, however now, they want Mr. Biden to be their MAGA-phone against Donald Trump. I say, they knew this election was coming, and these moderate and conservative Democrats, I believe, thought they would have Trump to live with, but now coronavirus has scared the crap out of them, and they are running, trying to hide behind Mr. Biden. Looking for cover, after “soft balling” Trump’s disastrous COVID-19 response, their constituents are furious at them. Now, like Trump, their re-elections hopes continue sagging, and they want Mr. Biden to bail them out. They were so intimidated by Donald Trump, and mentally paralyzed; they have forgotten how to really fight to save their behinds. Next there is “Black Lives Matter.” White people simply need to get over it. “Black Lives Matter” is a force for good in the black community and we love it. They stepped up and took on the job older black leaders, “civil rights icons” and white liberals walked away singing from “Kum ba yah” and left the black community fighting on its own in the 1980s. Today, as with Ronald Reagan back then, moderate and conservative Democrats are afraid of Donald Trump, one hears their knees knocking, even when walking. Similar to how civil rights leaders joined white people to discredit the Invaders and black power, especially following Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination; they are trying to take the spotlight from “Black Lives Matter” activists. For those with short memories or slept through it all, “Black Lives Matter” began on 7-13-2013 with three black women organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. They began with nothing more than a hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. These beginner freedom fighters were motivated by the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a white man, who murdered Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in Florida in July 2013. Standing up for unarmed black people, who white policemen continue murdering, even today, these heroic black women were attacked by black and white leaders, even civil rights icons, who not only condemned them, but countered with “all lives matter.” Maligned, shunned even like the Invaders and other black power groups, back in 1968, after Dr. King’s assassination, BLM was driven underground. Now today, as police continue murdering black men and women with impunity, but to the surprise of everyone, “Black Lives Matter” rose from those ashes like a phoenix. They marched to the rescue, even before the black militia poked their heads out at Stone Mountain Georgia, like Shaka Zulu! “Black Lives Matter” emerged, showing up, pushing “Enough is enough,” following the 8 minutes and 46 seconds video, in real time, of George Floyd’s lynching. This multicultural coalition filled streets in cities around the world with young people from El Paso, Texas to Wellington, New Zealand. Republicans like Loeffler railing against “BLM,” call them “socialists and communists,” while Donald Trump called “BLM,” “a symbol of hate,” whereas before George Floyd’s murder, they all thought “Black Lives Matter” was dead. Another quick fact check here, I want to set the record straight about charges that “Black Lives Matter” is somehow associated with or in some way affiliated or sponsored by socialists and communist. During the Second Red Scare in 1954, US Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. (8-19-1954) designated the CP-USA as “an Agent of a foreign power.” AD Brownell used “The Communist Control Act (8-19-54), (aka the Smith Act, 18 USC § 2385), to drive the Communist Party USA out of the United States. Then J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI used trumped up charges to jailed black leaders, like Att. William L. Patterson of the International Labor Defense (ILD) and author of “We Charge Genocide,” which had been presented to the United Nations in 1951. So, there is no Communist Party in America for “Black Lives Matter” to belong; communist is a boogerman used by Republicans to frighten old white people. However, the real issue is not old white people but young white, black, brown, red, and yellow people of all cultures in America. I write about them because they are the ones on the frontline, not old civil rights icons and political opportunists who continue trying to undercut BLM, because they push for change daily, not only when the news media shows up. I look to activists like Kenidra Woods. Kenidra showed up for her first action, following Michael Brown’s police murder (8-24-2014). She is among those fighting for racial equity, social change and social justice. She leads protests in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Kenidra says, “Protests put everything in perspective for me. I asked myself, do they really care about us? That’s what I thought at age 13 when I began. Do I matter? Why am I hated for the color of my skin? So, I just knew in my heart, Kenidra, you got to stand up.” She networks with other vocal activists amid the pandemic, making Zoom calls. When Kenidra is not organizing protests, she engages celebrities, like “Riverdale” star Lili Reinhardt, while racking up views on Tik Tok, schooling the younger generation about racism. Some activists say that since the first protests back in 2013, “Black Lives Matter” has blossomed into a multicultural awakening. It has drawn to it an increasing number of white activists. For instance, Asbury Park, New Jersey, a beach town, which has deeply-rooted racial division and systemic racism. White people have historically lived on the east side of the railroad tracks and their maids and housekeepers, mostly poor people of color, live on the west side. This mindset has created a continuous conversation for lifelong activist Felicia Simmons. She is the chapter president for the National Action Network. Initially, Felicia organized a protest, after Maurice Gordon was fatally shot on the New Jersey Turnpike by a state trooper, just two days before George Floyd’s lynching. Without a permit, Simmons held a protest on the steps of the US Post Office. Expecting only a couple hundred people to show up, she was overwhelmed when nearly 10,000 people showed up. This is what “BLM” means when it identifies systemic racism, as the cause of the racial divide in America. “None of this is new. But this is the first time everybody watched George Floyd die for 8 minutes and 46 seconds,” Simmons said. However, no one saw Maurice Gordon die and nothing has been done about it. The truth of Maurice Gordon’s murder is still under the rug, where the New Jersey State Patrol swept it. Lastly, AWARE-LA (The Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere) is a Los Angeles-based organization that confronts white privilege, even among its members. Their goal is to reach out to other white people and educate them on the racial injustices in America and shift the burden for educating well-meaning white people off of people of color. SURJ (Show Up for Racial Justice) is a national organization that also works in the white community educating white people about their racism. The vast majority of older white people do not want to hear about their racism, so voices like AWARE-LA and SURJ are solely needed. Shelly Tochluk, professor of Education at Mount Saint Mary University-Los Angeles, has been a member of AWARE 16 years. She runs the organization’s Saturday and Sunday discussions on issues of identity, community, privilege and racism. “We look inside ourselves and ask, “What does it mean for us to be white people? How are we affected by what we’ve just heard, or what we’ve just experienced?” Tochluk asked. AWARE has an activist arm “White People for Black Lives,” which works in solidarity with Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles, the Movement 4 Black Lives and other black-led organizations. The fact that the pandemic lockdown and following George Floyd’s 8 minutes and 46 seconds murder, the organization has seen a surge in new members. In June alone, 3,500 new members were virtually oriented, according to Hannah Jurs-Allen, who leads new member orientation. “I think the combination of people having access to the information of how unjust our system and society really is and having the time on their hands that the pandemic created, frankly was like a whirlwind, creating the moment that we’re now in and people are hurting,” Hannah said. Anti-racism educator Jane Elliott told ABC News, “Allies should be prepared for consequences. They should be prepared to have their relatives stop speaking to them. Get ready to be spit on, get ready to be rejected. Get ready to learn about how unsafe it is to say, ‘I don't have to be white to be right.’” Her words recant and describe how times were during sit-ins and freedom riders back in the late 1950. Nothing has changed, when it comes to race. Now I come to the point of this post, young people. Once “BLM’s” protest exploded around the world, I wanted to give their work and activities a historical perspective regarding social change and social justice. For instance, my first goal was to help young progressives understand that “politics is the art of the possible.” Further that understanding would allow them to maximize their possibilities, if they “turned their street protests into street politics.” If they did that, they would see, even though their present possibilities, dealing with the system may seem small, but over time their efforts will yield greater possibilities with time. Most street activists got the message, and things began to happen. Just a couple of weeks back Former Vice President Joe Biden reached out and began meeting with young progressives. First, so-called moderate and conservative Democrats that were silent before it became clear Mr. Biden would capture the Democrats nomination for President, many saw BLM, the same as Republicans saw them. These Democrats would not open their mouths, cowering in fear of a Trump tweet to their white base against them, now they have lots of advice. With Mr. Biden’s overtures to young progressives, conservatives and moderates are afraid they are losing control of the Democrat Party. Now, that the situation is much clearer, they are counseling against reaching out to young radicals. Again, they want Mr. Biden, instead to put them on his back and campaigning to older voters, which would be their ride to reelection. The problem is, looking at moderates and conservatives’ voting records; one cannot tell whether they are Democrats or Republicans. These Trumpers in Democrat clothing, need to get off their duffs and do their own work to turn out their so-called base. They want Mr. Biden to fight over the votes of older votes, which at this point will vote either for Trumpers or Mr. Biden about equally, canceling out that vote for Mr. Biden, but are their only path to reelection. I have counselled that young progresses are votes Mr. Biden can get, if he simply reached out to them. Moreover, he did just that a couple of weeks ago, meeting with groups of leaders on the left. Mr. Biden agreed to work with them and develop the groundwork for a “green new deal, Medicare for all, sustainable economic growth beginning with badly needed infrastructure improvements, student debt relief, making college affordable for poor students, and a jobs program for young Americans, as well as other issues Trump has not even mention. These initiatives are beginning steps, and I remind, Mr. Biden is not in the White House presently, as is Trump. However, moderates and conservatives are missing the complicated new normal circumstances created by coronavirus and the lynching of George Floyd. That difference is where young people have taken the leadership for changing America. Moderates and conservatives are lagging behind on equality, social change and social justice issues, and are in trouble, because they are Republicans at heart. The “Black Lives Matter” protests have shown that our children are far more intelligent, energetic and text savvy than moderates and conservatives are willing to admit. Young progressive, “BLM” and other groups are coming together and readying themselves for the grind to November 3rd. But even more importantly, they constitute the largest demographic for the coming election. The 18 to 30 year old demographic constitutes the largest block of voters that Democrats have access and Republicans blew off during the impeachment hearing. I don’t believe young people have forgotten the fact that Republicans, except one, accepted lies and rejected the truth before their eyes to maintain their partisan. With that advantage, they hijacked the stimulus bill and gave trillions of dollars to big business and their friends. But more importantly, their refusal to convict the criminal in the White House pretending to be President has literally caused tens of thousands of unnecessary COVID-19 deaths. Young progressives have turned thumbs down on Trump because of his corruption, cronyism, nepotism, incompetence and dreadful performance down playing the coronavirus, not to mention gasing them, as they protested in Lafayette Park. Republicans with their vote not to convict Trump of crimes everyone knew he committed. The amounting death toll this nation now faces, every Republican in the US Senate bears the blame, because they kept a mad man in the White that has only thumbed his nose at COVID-19. Recruiting young progressives and “BLM” to help get out the vote, and prepare for Republicans’ planned voter suppression at the polls are keys. Young people will not be intimidated voting, nor will they be afraid to work the polls to counter harassment aimed at older voters in states that refuse to offer vote by mail. But even with that killing blow from young progressives, Mr. Biden still has first time voters that can be the nails in Trump’s coffin. They and many that have come of age, since 2016 are like sleepers who only need awakening. The Class of 2020, “The 400th” Generation, can be the difference, and can have an impact like no other graduating class in history. The Class of 2020 with their votes will be remembered for far more than their coronavirus shortened senior year. America needs them to step up, while showing up for democracy. They will be the class that came to America’s rescue and earn their place, as leaders, while redeeming our faith, giving 18 year olds the vote. Given a Vice Presidential choice, like Mrs. Michelle Obama, first time voters remember the Former First Lady, beside they grew up with Malia and Sasha. They see them as their peers and young people love to support people in their age range. First time voters remember what America was like for them when Former President Barak H. Obama was President. They, identically to me, would love to have such peace and tranquility once again. They are the “Hope Revolution” and we can help them launch the next generations’ of dreamers working to make America the nation we want it to be. The one thought everyone must keep uppermost in their minds is that if Donald Trump can utter such vile, demeaning and racist rhetoric from the White House and still get reelected; there is lots of hate in the hearts of American voters. With such an outcome black lives will not matter. Black lives will have less value than they did in the 1920s and 30s, when white people lynched and burned black people for entertainment. Our votes, with this election, can insure our children have a life worth living. The only thing standing between us and that are votes. We have the votes. So, let every American put their vote into the ballot box!!!!!!!!