CASH IN THE APPLE FOR
01-17-17
By Cash Michaels
As we head towards the inauguration
of our nation’s 45th president, despite the troubling questions that
surround him, there are those who question that despite our many, many doubts
about him and his “vision” for America, shouldn’t we all just put all of that
to the side, and just “unite” behind him, working together for a “better”
future?
Well, I
know it’s a bad habit of many of us, but there are times I see tremendous value
in answering a question with an even more pertinent question, because doing so
reminds us of the context in which we really live, and what we really face
together.
Permit me
here to state something controversial, but true. Both the Russians and the
Republicans (and by extension the incoming Trump Administration) have something
very much in common – they both are very adept at bending and shading the truth
in order to conceal their true intent, that is until they actually do what
they’ve intended the whole time.
The
Russians see nothing wrong with taking over surrounding sovereign states like
Crimea, saying they have the “right” to do so.
The
Republicans say they have to suppress
the African-American vote, in the words of the US Fourth Circuit Court of
Appeals, with “surgical precession,” and redraw voting districts that pack the
majority of black voters into a handful of districts in order to reduce their
voting influence, again because Republicans
believe being in the electoral majority gives them the “right” to.
Ask
Russians why they have a clear documented record of attempting to influence
elections in other countries, including this one, and they deny it.
Ask
Republicans why they have a clear documented history of supporting old Southern
relics like Sen. Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, a man with a clear record of
opposing civil rights, for important positions like US attorney general, and
they deny there’s anything wrong with Sessions, or Robert Bork, or former New
York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
I mean, I
could go on, But you get the picture. Both the Russians and the Republicans are
good at dancing up a storm when they’re up to something, and both groups are
always up to something.
So back to
my answering a question with a question. Actually with several questions, if
you don’t mind.
Why weren’t
you who are asking about “unifying”
behind Donald Trump, just as concerned about “unifying” behind President Obama
when Trump and other miscreants raised
disturbing and erroneous questions about Obama’s citizenship and fitness for
office? What was “unifying” about that behavior, except whatever unity it
brought to those who vowed they’d always oppose the nation’s first black
president?
I could go
on about the disgraceful and demeaning way
Pres. Obama was treated for eight years, but allow me to ask more.
When it
became very clear that the Russians indeed took measures to influence our 2016
presidential elections, why were Republicans so overwhelmingly silent? Where
was the American unity then, which would have shown that no matter what our
partisan preferences, we, as a people and a nation would not tolerate even the
thought of a foreign power interjecting itself into our precious electoral
process? Where was the statesmanship from Trump and others on the right
strongly denouncing what Wikileaks was doing with Hillary Clinton’s emails,
knowing darn well that the shoe could be on the other foot next time (as Sen.
Marco Rubio, the only Republican to do so, said?)
What has
Trump and company shown us to make us believe that “unity” is not only
welcomed, but needed?
Attacking
Congressman John Lewis for saying flat out that he has no reason to trust
Trump, or trust the way he was elected, by attacking the black community, is
not an example of unity. Proving Rep. Lewis’ point that Pres. Trump is a
divider and not a uniter does not bring about unity and common purpose.
And what
amazes me is that Trump had a special meeting with entertainer Steve Harvey
last Friday, pledging to work with the
“Family Feud” man to help rebuild the inner cities, only to then publicly
belittle those areas in his backhanded response to Congressman Lewis the next
day by tweet, calling them “crime-infested.”
FACTS – not
all black communities are in the inner city, and not all inner cities are
“crime-infested.”
Finally,
the popular quip in defense of Trump is that Democrats haven’t “gotten over” losing the election to
him. That may indeed be true, but it’s not so simple. With the exception of
Election Night, when Hillary Clinton
displayed grace and leadership by calling him to concede (plus she and Pres.
Clinton will be at his inauguration on Friday), followed by Pres. Obama’s subsequent
grace and leadership in being as cooperative in the peaceful transition of
power as possible with the incoming Trump Administration, Trump has never shown
what can be considered genuine grace about his victory. Everything has either
been an unvarnished brag at one of his phony “thank you” tour rallies, or one of his blistering, infantile tweets that take the
art of stretching the truth to a new art form.
So my final
question to you Trumpites (or is it Trumpets, I don’t know), is how long do you
hope the rest of us will play dumb just to satisfy your thirst for power? If
this is what you call “making America great again,” I prefer to stay on the job
to make America good.
You see,
leaders can be “great” and still evil. But leaders who are evil, are never
good.
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-30-
SECRETARY HALL TO
HEAD MILITARY AFFAIRS
DEPT. IN COOPER
ADMINISTRATION
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Just three
weeks into his new administration, and there seems to be little question about
Gov. Roy Cooper’s commitment to diversity in his Cabinet, the most recent
addition being District 29 state Rep. Larry Hall (D-Durham), who recently
stepped down as House Minority leader for the Democrats in the NC. House after
two sessions, as secretary of veterans and military affairs.
Secretary Hall,
who took the oath of office Monday evening administered by Congressman G. K.
Butterfield at Peace Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, succeeds Cornell Wilson, who was appointed by
former Gov. Pat McCrory a that department’s first secretary in 2015.
Hall’s
appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation after it convenes the long
session beginning Jan. 25th.
Cooper made
the announcement last week at the Executive Mansion, saying that Hall, who
served in the US Marine Corps from 1976 to 1995 , “…will be working closely with people in Washington
concerning our military bases, and he will be working to make sure that North
Carolina veterans are treated like they should be because of their courageous service
on behalf of our country."
Hall,
61, was gratified to serve the new Democratic governor in a new role.
“I am honored to continue my service to the people of this state in
another capacity,” the Durham Democrat told reporters. “I come from a multiple
military family –the Marines, the Army, and the Air Force –and I have an
inherent love, appreciation, and respect for the military and our
veterans. Understanding what we owe our military and veterans in this
state and understanding the impact of the military and veterans on this
state, we will be working to ensure that not only our military and
veterans, but their families as well, receive the best care and the best
access.”
Hall
continued, “We will do all we can to ensure their position is recognized as an
economic leader in the state, and to ensure that position is preserved and
advanced. I am happy to be on the team to move North Carolina forward
with our new Governor.”
“Congratulations sir, looking forward to
your leadership in this important role,” wrote Durham’s African-American female
Police Chief Cerelyn Davis on Hall’s Facebook page.
Hall, who has
served in the NC House of Representatives since 2006, once served as vice
chairman of the Veteran Affairs Committee. He is also credited with leading the
state House Democratic Caucus in gaining the most seats under a
Republican-controlled legislature in 2014.
A native of
Durham, Secretary Hall grew up at Fort Bragg during his father services in the
US Army. He later graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte with
a B.S. with Honors in Political Science and Business, and earned his Juris
Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
During his 16
years in the US Marine Corps and Marine Reserves, Hall
has been awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the Marine Corps Reserve Medal,
the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and a Meritorious Unit Citation from the United
States Marine Corps. He later returned to North Carolina Central
University in Durham to teach at the School of Law and the School of Public
Administration.
In September, 2016, Hall was
named Legislator of the Year by Equality NC because of his “steadfast advocacy
of human rights and dignity” when he vigorously opposed the
Republican-sponsored House Bill 2, which critics said discriminated against gay
an transgender citizens.
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NORTH CAROLINIANS
HAIL OBAMA,
BUT DREAD TRUMP
PRESIDENCY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
On Friday,
Jan. 20, 2017 at the stroke of 12 noon, as Barack Hussein Obama officially
steps down from power as the nation’s two-term elected president of the United
States, controversial businessman Donald J. Trump will be sworn-in as the 45th
president , and his four-year term will begin.
As
elsewhere in America, North Carolina is virtually split between those sorry to
see the nation’s first African-American go, and those who are happy to see a
new Republican president take office, promising to “Make America Great Again.”
In the
black community, though, while there is generally pride in Obama’s historic
tenure, there is also trepidation about what the Trump presidency will mean for
the nation, and the world. At King Holiday celebrations across the nation, many
speakers praised the outgoing president, while lamenting the policies of his
successor.
"When men no better
than Klansmen dressed in suits are being sworn into office, we cannot be
silent," Opal Tometi, a Black Lives Matter co-founder, told a King Day crowd
in Brooklyn Monday.
In Atlanta, Rev. Bernice King, the
youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., told congregants at Ebenezer
Baptist Church prioer to her brother, Martin III meeting with the
president-elect, “At the end of the day, the Donald Trumps come and go. We still
have to find a way to create ... the beloved community."
Irving Joyner, law professor
at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law in Durham, and chair of
the NC NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee, laments that Pres. Obama’s historic
governance has come to an end.
“At the same time, I am filled with
pride that President Obama was able to make a significant contribution to the
goodness of the United States as its president,” Prof. Joyner said. “His
accomplishments, which are too numerous to list here, were achieved in the face
of the most concentrated and race-based efforts by the Republican Party
political leadership that was determined that he would not succeed. In spite of
everything that they threw at him, he made America great and moved this country
to another level and political reality. At the end of the day, he made us
proud.”
“Along the way to President Obama's many
successes and contributions, a new and more strident campaign of racism has
developed,” Prof. Irv Joyner said. “This development produced, in large part,
the surprising election of Donald Trump as the incoming president who was voted
into office by a decided minority of voters.
“As a result of the Trump brand
and caustic style of campaigning, his election has done much to divide
America and to create a heighted fear for the survival of the
democracy to which we are entitled. Following his election, Trump now has
the lowest approval rating of any president in U.S. history. The next four
years promise to be very challenging and stressful for African Americans, poor
people and other racial minorities.
“In response, we need to be vigilant, organized, politically
educated and committed to elevating the fight to secure and protect the
democracy,” said Joyner, “which we are entitled to in this country.”
When it comes to predicting what the future holds in a Trump
Administration, state Rep. Evelyn Terry, a Democrat from Winston-Salem, was
resolute.
“Puppetry comes to mind as
the transfer of power approaches,” Rep. Terry said. “We must do our job as good
citizens and remain hopeful and vigilant because the things that mattered to a
strong America still do matter: the economy, climate change/environment/the
planet; criminal justice system and affordable health care… ad infinitum. Remember this-- America is a democracy and
not an authoritarian government. As such peaceful dissent and voting by the
people can change anything, even purveyors of the seven deadly sins.”
-30-
STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 01-19-17
US REPs ADAMS AND
BUTTERFIELD TO JOIN BOYCOTT OF TRUMP INAUGURATION
[WASHINGTON, DC] Add the names of
North Carolina US representatives Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-1) to the
growing list of over 40 congressional members who are now boycotting the
inauguration of Donald J. Trump when he takes the presidential oath of office
Friday, Jan. 2Oth. Both say they are doing so to protest Trump’s attack on
Georgia Congressman John Lewis after Lewis called trump’s election “illegitimate.”
ATTORNEYS ASK FEDERAL
COURT TO ALLOW NC MEDICAID EXPANSION
[RALEIGH] Last
week, a federal judge agreed with Republican legislative leaders to block Gov.
Roy Cooper’s request to expand Medicaid services to poor North Carolinians.
This week, attorneys for the NC Dept. of
Health and Human Services asked the federal court to allow his request to the
centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to proceed. That request was
supported in court filings by the US Justice Dept., who also asked the federal
court to dissolve the temporary restraining order on the governor’s request.
The GOP says a 2013 state law prohibits the governor from expanding Medicaid
without legislative approval. Cooper disagrees, saying, “... it's frustrating
and disappointing that we're having to fight our own legislature in court to
get it done. Tax dollars already paid by North Carolinians are funding Medicaid
expansion in other states and we want to bring that money back home to work for
us here."
GOV. COOPER SAYS TALKS
CONTINUE TO REPEAL HB 2 LAW
[CHARLOTTE] Gov. Roy Cooper says despite a recent major
setback, he’s still in talks with Republican legislative leaders in the NC
General Assembly to have the controversial “bathroom bill,” otherwise known as
HB2, repealed when lawmakers return on Jan. 25th to begin the long
session. GOP leaders don’t want to do it unless a majority of their Republican
caucus are ready to move, but Cooper says the law could be repealed immediately
with a combination of Democrat and Republican votes in both the House and
Senate. Thus far, North Carolina has reportedly lost hundreds of millions of
dollars in sponsorships and events because of what many say is a law that
discriminates against gays and transgender citizens. The legislature failed to
repeal it after demanding that the Charlotte City Council repeal its ordinance
protecting LBGT people in December.
DNC CHAIRMAN CANDIDATE
REP. KEITH ELLISON SPEAKS IN NC FOR KING DAY
[WINSTON-SALEM] “If we confront the era
of Donald Trump, then you don’t need to get all scared,” Congressman Keith
Ellison of Minnesota told those gathered Monday at the Embassy Suites to honor
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday. “People before you stood up.” Rep.
Ellison went on to say that “responsible
leadership should bring people together” as Donald Trump becomes the new
president on Friday, Jan. 20th. Ellison, the first Muslim to serve
in Congress, is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders to become the next chairman of
the Democratic National Committee.
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