THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR APRIL 16, 2026

                                                                    CASH MICHAELS

MY WONDERFUL WEEK OF WOKERY

                         by Cash Michaels

I don’t know about you, but last week, starting with the day after Easter, was a great week for eye-opening, mind-blowing discovery and re-examination for me. What made it such a special time was that all of it unexpectedly came in different forms, and ended with the pinpoint successful conclusion of the Artemus II moon mission and safe return of our four courageous astronauts.

Yes, last week was a great week for wokery, which, for the purposes of this commentary, I’ll simply define as awareness, leaving the racial component folks usually like to harp about out of it. There is no crime in being woke, for it shows that you’re willing to learn and grow, and be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new perspectives.

Folks who are anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) so want woke to mean something negative, but keep in mind, these folks don’t want you to know anything about our nation’s tattered history, feeling that the more you know, the least likely you are to buy into their corrupted version of the truth.

That’s a shame! People would prefer you not know anything about how we all got here, thinking that knowledge somehow makes us weaker. So they work overtime to change our history books, our laws, school curriculums, libraries, museum exhibits, government websites, etc. to ensure that we remain in the dark, that we remain asleep about the things we, as a society, have every right to know.

Well last week, I was among the millions following the extraordinary mission of the Artemus II space lunar fly-by and the four intrepid astronauts who represented all of us, regardless of race, gender, whatever, in man’s continuing quest to reach for the stars. Think of it - one of the most incredible sights we’ll ever see as inhabitants of this planet is every human being, with outstretched hands, attempting to, as singer Al Jarreau once sang, “touch the face of GOD.”

How did his song “Mornin’” go again?

My heart will soar

With love that's rare and real

My smiling face will feel every cloud

Then higher still beyond the blue until

I know I can like any man reach out my hand

And touch the face of God

You see, there is something truly humbling about seeing pictures/video of the Earth…the whole Earth, from the moon, knowing that those pictures are real. Knowing that for better or for worse, there we are …all of us…on this spinning global mass of rock, graced with oceans and atmosphere and life, kept firmly in place by gravity so we all don’t fly off into the darkness of space. We have no choice but to call this place home.

For me, the sights we saw from the Artemus II mission should reinforce the fact that we didn’t create this place we call Earth. Indeed, despite our many, many years of building and creating great edifaces and tributes to our own egos and accomplishments, none of us have ever come close to the handiwork of GOD.

None of us have ever come close to creating the great and continuing system of life we all exist by today. A blazing ball of fire in our extraterrestrial neighborhood that gives us sufficient heat and light to survive. A moon that stabilizes seasonal and climate patterns, providing us with vital gravitational pull that influences our marine ecosystem and biology. And stars, which help guide us at night, and provide vital elements like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen when they die, as well help maintain the gravitational orbits of planets.

Betcha never expected that I would be dropping some science on you this week, did you? But it’s true. Who else but GOD could design such a magnificent work of art mixing sight and sound and the elements, capped off with what can only be described as the great diversity of life? In my mind, the Artemus II mission last week reminded us…ALL of us…as to who really is in charge, who really does have the power, and that none of us are here by accident.

                                                       

The dramatic pictures we saw from the dark other side of the moon - a place no human eyes have ever seen before - reminded us that no matter how advanced we think we are, no matter how much we think we have achieved, we will always be in the age of discovery.

And that should humble us to the point of correcting our behaviors and attitudes towards one another as human beings. Don’t forget, it was just last week when the president of our nation - who recently portrayed himself as a Jesus-like deity (wonder what Evangelist Franklin Graham thinks about that) -  threatened to wipe out a “whole civilization” if he didn’t get what he wanted in war, and he seriously believes he has the power and the right to do so.

Such apocalyptic talk touched a nerve in the humanity the rest of us on this planet share, and he found out almost immediately that even though he may think of himself as GOD, or like GOD, he will never be loved or respected in the same breath as Almighty GOD, forcing him to back off such blasphemous utterances.

Watching that drama play out the way it did also greatly contributed to my wonderful week of wokery, and I’m grateful for it.

Another aspect of my glee last week was watching a documentary about  President John F. Kennedy, and how, when he was first elected to office,  promised to turn a disastrous NASA space program around, and have this nation landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

JFK promised we would no longer trail the Soviets when it came to exploring space (at that point, we had more experience exploring Earth because so many of our rockets either kept crashing or never got off the ground), and that promise was kept, long after his untimely death.

        Then, of course, there’s Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - three African-American women who served as human “computers” solving mathematical problems for NASA engineers back in the 1960’s. These ladies were celebrated in the 2017 hit film, “Hidden Figures,” and their powerful true story of working on the Mercury and Apollo space missions, and performing intricate calculations in their heads that most scientists needed machines to do, continues to inspire generations.

What was it that Apollo Astronaut Neil Armstrong first said when he walked on the moon July 20, 1969? “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

As I, along with the rest of the world, nervously watched the four Artemus II astronauts return to Earth Friday night, splashing down precisely at 8:07 EST as predicted off the coast of San Diego, I thought of some of the earlier pioneers of our space program who didn’t live to share their vision. Like forty years ago, and the fateful Challenger space shuttle explosion that took the precious lives of its seven crew members, particularly schoolteacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, and NC A&T University-trained scientist Ron McNair.

If it’s never been said before, McAuliffe, McNair and the rest of the Challenger crew gave their lives in pursuit of greater knowledge and greater awareness of the world around us, in the space that we all live in.

Watching the four-member crew of Artemus II splashdown safely in the Orion space capsule and so exactly, was a reminder to all of us that the search for knowledge continues. Going, as actor William Shatner iconically once said in the opening of Star Trek “Where no man has gone before,” and coming back with breathtaking pictures and information that will benefit us all. There’s still so much to learn.

We appreciate NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA pilot Victor Glover, and NASA Mission Specialist NC State University’s Christina Koch for their courage, dedication and expertise during the 10-day mission. They are four very special human beings who made history last week as they shared their “moon joy” with the world.

Dr. Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to go into space in 1992, said Friday night that the thing that connects and involves all humans on Earth to the Artemus II adventure is that though it was the United States that launched the mission, there were a lot of other countries involved in making it happen.

The Orion service module they flew in is European-made. Many of the NASA engineers who worked in various areas of preparing for the mission came from different countries. There was also the first woman to travel around the moon (Koch), the first person of color (Glover), and the first Canadian (Hansen) to do the same.

“I think that’s the story, about the evolution of where we’ve gone and what we have to do. And we get the most out of space when we have more perspectives,” said Dr. Jemison, who is a practicing physician as well as former astronaut. 

        NC State alumna Christina Koch said the mission taught her the value of working toward a mutual goal as a crew, and when she looked out at Earth, that’s what she saw, a crew that should be working together.

Finding the inherent oneness of man through our diversity. How, by working all together in harmony, and achieving victory in the process, we discover the essence of why GOD created us, and made us varied. 

        That’s something we should be celebrating together, not castigating each other for. Like Commander Wiseman said when the Artemus II crew returned, “It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”

                                              

        Wiseman, Hansen, Glover and Koch said what they saw on the Artemus II mission will change them for the rest of their lives. Maybe that’s what we all need on this Earth. A change of perspectives as to who we really are, and what we’re really supposed to be.

Kinder towards one another.

And that was my wonderful week of wokery.

Now, I dare you to say "wonderful week of wokery" ten times fast (smile).

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THE CASH STUFF FOR APRIL 16, 2026

                                       CARRIE EVERETT, MISS NORTH CAROLINA 2024

BODY OF MISS NORTH CAROLINA,

WHO DIED OF CANCER,

TO BE BURIED IN AFRICA

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

The family of Carrie Everett, the first woman to attend an HBCU who was selected to be Miss North Carolina, says her body will be taken to her native Africa for burial after her funeral services on April 18th.

Those services will be held in Auburn, Washington, where the family resides, as well as here in North Carolina on a later date.

Everett, 22, died surrounded by her family on Easter Sunday after succumbing to signet ring cell carcinoma, an advanced form of gastric or stomach cancer.

In an interview with Durham television station WTVD, Ms. Everett’s parents, grandmother and older siblings talked about how hard it has been after her passing to cope with the fact that she is gone at such a young age.

"It's hard. We're not going to pretend. It's been the hardest moment of our life as a family," said her mother, Mary Everett from their home in Auburn, Washington. 

The Everett family is originally from Liberia, and moved to Washington prior to Ms. Everett then moving to North Carolina to attend North Carolina Central University in 2023. She entered the Miss North Carolina competition, representing Johnston County, during her sophomore year, planning to graduate in 2027.

She won Miss North Carolina in June 2024, with hopes of going on to compete in that year’s Miss America Pageant, but never made it. 

Ms. Everett was the youngest of her siblings, and is remembered by them as being “compassionate and bold.” "She was never shy to tell the way she felt about things, sometimes not even sparing feelings, but that's who she was," said her older brother, Abenego Kondiano.

Her older sister, Rufina Everett, recalls the strength and courage Carrie displayed while battling the deadly disease.

"In this battle, she would always say she didn't set out to be an inspiration, but she wanted to fight to live so with her life she could love people," Rufina said.

Carrie Everett’s legacy will now live on as a symbol of strength and great promise. She loved singing, and attended NCCU as a vocal performance major.  Her family calls her a “true child of North Carolina.”

"Thank you for loving her, supporting her, [and] supporting her in prayer." Everett’s mother, Mary, said. “It meant a lot.”

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DESPITE POLLS, WHY IS IT

UNLIKELY FOR DEMOCRATS

TO RECLAIM LEGISLATURE?

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

According to three recent polls, a plurality of North Carolinians say they believe it’s time for Democrats to reclaim the NC General Assembly. Indeed, a series of national polls suggest that Democrats are in prime position to reclaim at least the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections, and possibly the U.S. Senate, so all arrows seem to be pointing in favor of the party out of power right now.

But back here in North Carolina, despite polls from Elon University, Catawba College, and a nonprofit organization, all showing Democratic support ranging from 41% to 48%, even if that were to translate into more votes for legislative Democrats in November, there is one thing that has, and may continue to keep Republicans in power regardless.

Redistricting.

As long as Republicans continue to be able to determine how the legislative and congressional voting districts are drawn, as they have since 2010 when they took over the legislature, they will be able to choose their voters simply by making sure the boundaries are redrawn so that a majority of voting districts yield Republican representatives.

Because of redistricting, it is quite possible for there to be a large Democratic voter turnout, and still end up with a Republican majority in both houses of the NC General Assembly.

Republicans are just one vote shy of a super-majority in the state House necessary to over-ride a governor’s veto on legislation, but maintain a veto-proof super-majority in the state Senate.

How hard would a full Democratic legislative takeover be at this stage? According to former Gov. Roy Cooper, Democrats would have to run Mark Robinson, the disastrous and disgraced 2024 Republican gubernatorial candidate who lost by 15 points, in all 170 districts.

Still, Republican legislative leaders, weary of the fact that North Carolinians, just like the rest of America, is angry with the controversial leadership of Republican Pres. Donald Trump, are cautiously watching the public opinion polls very carefully.

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THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR APRIL 9, 2026

                                                                   CASH MICHAELS

                                             A SHAME AND A DISGRACE

by Cash Michaels

In the quaint little home that my lovely wife and I share, hangs the U.S. Air Force uniform hat once proudly worn by her late father, a lieutenant colonel, right over his official portrait. And near the base of a staircase in our home is the neatly-folded American flag that the Air Force solemnly gave her mother at Arlington upon his death.

Neither the Air Force uniform hat nor the folded American flag specifically denote the fact that my wife’s father was a proud Black man who served his country with dignity during both the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War. They just prove that he was a distinguished and dedicated officer in our United States military.

Like so many other proud African-American members of the U.S. military, all he ever asked for from his country was a fair opportunity to serve, and to be treated like anyone else who had earned his country’s respect.

So the subject of African-Americans in the military who selflessly serve our country is a sensitive one for me. First, I’m immensely proud of their service, proud that despite a tattered history of mistreatment by the country they obviously love, they historically have put their lives on the line for it, ready to give their last measure, just like their white counterparts. In that context, there is no difference between white blood and black blood, especially during a time of war.

Both are precious when they are shed to guarantee the freedom our Constitution says we’re all entitled to.

When I think of such noteworthy and heroic African-American patriots like Crispus Attucks; Peter Salem; William Carney; the Buffalo Soldiers; the 369th Infantry Harlem Hellfighters; the Tuskegee Airmen; Navy Cross winner Dorie Miller (the hero of Pearl Harbor); the Six-Triple-Eight All-Black Female Army Battalion; the 761st Tank Battalion; Generals Benjamin O. Davis Sr. and Jr.; Air Force Four-Star Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr.; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Colin Powell; Four-Star Army General/Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin; Marine Corps Four-Star Gen. Michael E. Langley, and many other Americans of color who served and so loved a country that did not love them back, I can only express pride in their sacrifices, courage and contributions to this nation.

Who would I point to out of the many brave Black men and women who proudly served in our US military in terms of being the pinnacle of military excellence? It would have to be Four-Star General Colin Powell, who, beyond serving as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also rose to the level of National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.

The child of poor Jamaican immigrants raised in the Bronx and Harlem, NY, Powell, by his very life and career, showed that the US military (which he joined in 1958 after it was desegregated in 1948) was a place where African-Americans, despite the racism of the time,  could historically succeed, and show that they are as skilled, dedicated to service, and honorable as any other American in uniform.

In his 1995 autobiography, Powell, who died in 2021 after complications from COVID, wrote about being Black in the military:

“I did not feel inferior, and I was not going to let anybody make me believe I was. I was not going to allow someone else's feelings about me to become my feelings about myself. Racism was not just a black problem. It was America's problem. And until the country solved it, I was not going to let bigotry make me a victim instead of a full human being. I occasionally felt hurt; I felt anger; but most of all I felt challenged.”

Colin Powell was a patriot AND a proud Black man. History can never say otherwise.

Now, enter Pete “Unhinged” Hegseth - a modern-day racist, sexist and disgraceful Trump failure.

This clown wants so badly to be seen as a man’s man, it’s pathetic. He refers to himself as the “Secretary of War” of the “Department of War.” In fact, Hegseth is a prominent stooge of Donald Trump who is as qualified to be leading our superb US military, as a size four foot is qualified to fit into a size ten shoe.

By now you know that Hegseth is a loudmouth who used to co-host the weekend edition of the right-wing Fox and Friends TV show. Apparently there was at least one fan always watching, and that fan, Trump, offered Hegseth the job of heading up the US Defense Dept. if he were to be re-elected to the presidency. 

And what were Pete’s qualifications for such an important Cabinet post beyond -ss-kissing loyalty?

Besides serving as a US Army major in the Minnesota Army National Guard at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, he also headed up some veterans organizations. So Hegseth never wore a general’s or admiral’s star, or did anything to define himself as a seasoned military leader worthy of even shining a real general’s shoes.

On the downside, this clown conservative is on the record opposing women in the military (says standards were lowered for them) and believing Blacks in the military don’t measure up (because of DEI); in 2017, he had to pay $50,000 to settle a sexual assault claim (he maintains what allegedly happened was “consensual”); has a documented drinking problem and is a tattooed believer in a Christian Nationalist sect that may have white supremacist connections. 

Hegseth’s a wannabe, and yet there he is, an embarrassing testament to Donald Trump’s lineup of loyalty puppets who follow his every whim.

I’ve previously nailed Hegseth for “proudly posting videos of his “Christian” pastor extolling the virtues of denying women the right to vote, vowing to re-erect torn down Confederate statues (remember, he re-renamed Fort Bragg after a Confederate general), and sending secret attack plans to other top government officials via open commercial chat rooms.”

That’s what makes Hegseth so troubling. This clown isn’t serving his country. He’s serving his master.  It explains his careless bigotry against women and African-Americans who’ve earned their way up the ranks. 

Approximately 43% of active-duty military are people of color, but the upper echelon of leadership is sadly lacking. Trump and Pete want to keep it that way.

And now, in the middle of a war, old “Unhinged” Hegseth has borrowed one of those infamous executive order black markers from his boss, and unceremoniously crossed out the names of four qualified and vetted military candidates for one-star general that were headed to the Senate for approval.

Four - reportedly two Black and two female colonels. And per reporting from The NY Times, there are “more than a dozen” other senior military officers based on race, gender “or perceived ties to the Biden Administration” across all four branches of the US military he has allegedly intervened to block or delay promotion of in recent months.

Well-earned, qualified promotions that are normally determined by independent review boards. Defense secretaries traditionally don’t get involved.

And when the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George asked to meet with Sec. Hegseth about blocking those candidates, not only did Pete refuse, but he fired the man.

Remember last September when Pete told several hundred military leaders at Quantico that, “For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts?” he bellowed, with Trump listening and approving just off-stage.

“No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris,” he declared, adding that the US military will be returned to the “highest male standard.”

It's Pete and Trump’s political “War on Woke,” which includes firing the previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who was a Black general; the Navy’s top commander, who was a woman; and anybody else who supported an inclusive culture in the US military.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of NY, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants an investigation into the Hegseth racial and sexist bias mess of blocking military promotions.

“Public reports allege that these holds may have been motivated by political ideology, inappropriate bias, or immutable and constitutionally protected characteristics rather than merit,” Sen. Gillibrand wrote in an April 3rd letter to her committee’s Republican chairman. “Military advancement must remain strictly meritocratic and based on performance.”

        I couldn't agree more!

For the record, a “Dept. of War” spokesman disputes all of this, telling NBC News, "Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. Meritocracy, which reigns in this Department, is apolitical and unbiased."

        Yeah, as long as they're lily white, conservative "Christian" and male.

Y’all can talk about the outgoing US Attorney General Pam Bondi and gone-girl former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (you know, the wacked woman who enjoys shooting puppies and whose husband reportedly likes to cross-dress) all you want. After insanely unqualified and undisciplined FBI Director Kash Patel is also shown the door by a fed-up Trump, I’m hoping the days of “Sec. Of War” Pete Hegseth are also numbered.

But I fear Trump won’t fire Pete for being disloyal (because Lord knows Hegseth licks the back of Trump’s boots shiny clean, starting three-feet up), but because he’ll figure out that he really doesn’t need all the trouble that Pete brings.

Our military was gold standard long before Hegseth took over, and it will remain so after he’s gone. The only reason Trump keeps him around is because he’s tired of having his military leaders telling him what he can’t, or shouldn’t do. 

        But with General Dan Cain, the current chair of the Joint Chiefs, who is also loyal and onboard, what does Trump need goofy-as-hell Hegseth to share the spotlight with anymore? Cain might be whispering in Trump's ear right now. Wouldn't put it past him.

With a war crimes-prone, genocidal-likely president threatening to wipeout Iranian civilization, and lying to the world that Iranian civilians actually want to be wiped out, and profanely swearing to do so in the name of  “Allah,” making this a bona fide Holy War, it is very clear that “Unhinged” Hegseth has neither the brains, gravitas, nor decency to tell his boss to stop misusing our military this way.

         Fortunately none of that has happened yet, thanks to a two-week ceasefire, but a lot can happen in that time.

         Now comes the accusation that Hegseth “…is not speaking the truth to the president,” according to reporting from The Washington Post. Apparently Pete has been telling Trump for weeks that the Iranians are on their last leg militarily and couldn’t hurt a flea, only to have an F-15E fighter jet downed by an Iranian handheld missile, resulting in a wounded airman missing for 48 hours before he was found last weekend. An A-10 warthog aircraft was also brought down, embarrassing Pete and Trump after their ‘superiority of the skies” B.S.

Trump was out there repeating all sorts of inaccurate nonsense about Iran’s military capabilities, primarily relying on explosion videos from his “secretary of war.”

That’s the problem with a crazy sycophant like Pete. He always tells you what you want to hear, not what you actually need to know. And the Trump Administration, sadly, is full of these people.

        The price of gas and groceries under Trump and Pete Hegseth's war has gone way, way up. But the cost of human dignity and truth, has gone way, way down.

And from where I stand, THAT is a shame and disgrace!

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