RACISM CONTINUES TO AFFLICT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY-PART 1

In the past, I wrote about the subject of “racism,” and while that term continues to be a sensitive topic for discussion, I had to consider if I really wanted to approach this subject again. After careful consideration, however, I have concluded that a significant number of events have occurred since Donald Trump has been elected President that continue to produce ample evidence for me that twenty-first century racism, bigotry and hate have increased significantly.  Racism and the “Jim Crow” era have resurged with added vitriol and hate among some members of the Republican Party and various hate groups that identify with Republicans.

Neo-Nazis and White Supremacy groups suddenly seem highly visible following their recent violent riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left counter-protester Heather Heyer dead. The protest was largely void of Klan hoods, suggesting that neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are feeling more emboldened since Trump had verbally encouraged such hate and violence during his candidacy. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the number of hate groups is currently near the country’s all-time recorded high in 2011. The SPLC reports that as of 2016, there are 917 active groups. (That’s 100 fewer than the 1,108 groups reported in 2011.) The SPLC’s hate map identifies groups by tracking their publications and websites. Of those 917, more than 90 are neo-Nazi groups. California has the highest number with 79, followed by Florida with 63 and Texas with 55.

The purpose of this article is not to imply that all white Americans are racist.  On the contrary, most are loving American citizens who believe strongly in equality for all.  In fact, the majority of Americans who confronted the recent Nazis and White Supremacy groups in Charlottesville where White Americans even though the groups’ vitriol primarily targets people of color.

Racism is nothing new to African Americans and other minorities.  As a 75 year old senior citizen, I have personally experienced both blatant and subtle racism.  I entered Federal Service in 1961 and witnessed discrimination in hiring, promotion and work assignment practices.  African Americans were typically assigned to the docket, mail room or messenger pools regardless of how they scored on Civil Service and Federal entrance examinations.  However, after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, Federal agencies were required to establish hiring goals that opened a number of opportunities for African Americans and other minorities.  That was also a time when Federal Equal Employment Opportunity officers were hired by agencies to monitor progress.  Although these events were welcomed by the minority community, they were not readily accepted by members of the white community.  At my Federal agency, for example, some of my white colleagues would barely acknowledge African American employees within the confines of the building and completely ignored most while passing on the street.  However, after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968, when six days of riots erupted in Washington, DC, suddenly, white sentiment changed; politeness and courtesies were finally extended to African American employees.  It was unfortunate that a riot produced these results.

Much progress had been made in attempting to eliminate racism and bigotry; however, there was a significant set-back caused by members of the Republican Party when President Obama was inaugurated as the first African American President and re-elected to a second term.  Overt racist attacks became even more blatant through congressional Republican verbal assaults on President Obama, Attorney General Holder, and some African Americans in Congress.  We shouldn’t forget that a racist nucleus of mad white Americans has never supported racial equality.  In fact, their political representatives voted against both the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965.

The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to Civil Rights, more specifically, affirmative action on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, upholding the decision of Michigan voters — and by implication similar bans in California and six other states — to forbid the use of race as a factor in deciding who is admitted to state universities. In a 6-2 ruling, the Court brushed aside claims that such bans amounted to discrimination against minorities, ending constitutional challenges to the state ballot measures.

“This case is not about how the debate about racial preferences should be resolved,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said for the court. “It is about who may resolve it. There is no authority in the Constitution of the United States or in this court’s precedents for the judiciary to set aside Michigan laws that commit this policy determination to the voters.”

In a vehement dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor faulted her colleagues for what she said was their “refusal to accept the stark reality that race matters.”

The Constitution does not “give the majority free rein to erect selective barriers against racial minorities,” she said, reading her dissent aloud in court. She cited a brief from the University of California chancellors reporting on the drop in the percentage of African American and Latino students at UC Berkeley and UCLA.

To take away the rights of minorities is a shocking decision,” said George Washington, a Detroit lawyer who challenged the law. “With this, and the voting rights decision last year, it’s clear the Supreme Court is undoing the rights gained by blacks and Latino people in the 1960s and 1970s.”

To continue to weaken affirmative action policies and programs, the Trump Justice Department has redirected its Civil Rights division’s resources toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants, according to a document obtain by the New York Times.  That document, an internal announcement to the Civil Rights division, seeks current lawyers interested in working for a new project on “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.”

Although the coverage the Trump Justice Department got from the media on its new policy simply suggested that the Justice Department has having fallen into the hands of racists, the louder message was the one heard by conservatives. Although conservatives might have doubt about Trump’s conduct, veracity, and allegiance to conservative ideas, the “almost fired” Attorney General Jeff Sessions has given disgruntled Republicans one more reason to think their efforts to elect Trump were justified. For progressives, however, the Justice Department’s policy shift is simply a payoff to white racists and extremists who resent any help given to minorities.

CONTINUED IN PART 2

DONALD TRUMP, THE GREAT DEAL MAKER

Friday, March 24, 2017, was a good day for one president – and it wasn’t Trump.  Throughout his campaign, the Great Deal Maker consistently boasted about how prodigious his deal making skills were.  Yet, he couldn’t even get his Republican members to come together and support his first legislative achievement – Replace and Repeal Obamacare – even though during the Obama Administration, Republicans voted over 50 times to repeal this historic legislation. Trump was incapable of mustering at least 215 House Republicans to support him – “The thrill of victory (Obama), the agony of defeat (Trump).”  Finally at the last minute before taking a vote, House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the bill from the floor and proclaimed that Obamacare was the law of the land.  Of course Trump never accepts responsibility for his actions and was quick to begin the “blame game” first saying that he should not have listened to Speaker Ryan’s recommendation to proceed with repealing Obamacare, and that his failure to win was all Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s fault.  (Surprised that he didn’t blame Obama.)

Coming down the stretch, Trump attempted to “strong-arm” some House Republicans warning them that they would pay at the ballot box if they failed to repeal and replace Obamacare, but they just wouldn’t adhere to his bullying tactics.  Only Trump, Ryan and a few Republicans really supported what has become known as “Trump Care.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that Trump Care would leave 24 million people without insurance by 2026 who would have it under Obamacare.  While the Bill would reduce the deficit by $337 billion over the next 10 years, it does so at the expense of older people.  For example, older patients with low incomes would see big spikes in their premiums along with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs especially if they lived in rural areas where health care tends to be expensive. A 64-year-old making $26,500 would pay an average of $12,900 more per year in premium costs according to the CBO, and their insurance would not cover as much.  According to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday, March 23, 2017, 56 percent of U. S. voters disapprove of Trump Care, only 17 percent in favor and with 26 percent undecided.

Since he was sworn in on January 20th at President, it has been all downhill for the Trump administration.  With the courts blocking one of his most significant Executive Orders – the Muslim Ban – the firing of Michael Flynn, his National Security Advisor who has ties to Russia while also serving as a lobbyist for the Turkey government, Senate and House Intelligence Committees investigations of the Trump Administration ties to Russia, and most significantly, the FBI Director’s statement that he has, “been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” Comey said in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. “That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”

In addition, Senate Democrats have started to filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, primarily on the grounds that a president who is the subject of an FBI corruption investigation and who has nominated a judge who would have a life-time appointment should be held up pending the conclusion of the investigation.  Such investigation could very well include criminal charges.

Will Trump succeed with getting any significant pieces of legislation moved through congress, or with his big Trump Care loss, has he become an irrelevant president?  Moreover, since his approval rating is 36%, the lowest of ANY president at this point in his administration, will the Trump administration last a full term? We will all know soon enough, but that’s just my take.

ARE CHRISTIANS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT A TRUMP PRESIDENCY?

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America with a 37% approval rating, the lowest approval of any modern president.  Many supporters will be tuning in to witness this historical moment and millions more, like myself, will not even bother to view the event.  It was pointed out to me in a Facebook comment that I should consider 1 Peter 2:17, “Fear God, Honor the emperor.”  The NIV version says to, “show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” It’s not that I don’t honor the presidency nor does it have anything to do with an eye for an eye mentality or any malice against Trump, it has everything to do with character, integrity and decency, and in the view of most Americans including myself, Trump has none of these qualities. However, he is entitled at least to the same level of respect that he and others provided President Obama for over eight years.

Some may also erroneously conclude that I am harboring some kind of resentment or prejudice towards Trump.  On the contrary, this is simply my way of protesting the despicable person that he is.  The Constitution gives me the right to protest and even the Bible encourages protests against leaders who are wicked or whose authorities, policies or practices denigrate the very foundation of human decency and rights even through a “tweet” mentality.

King Darius was a good king but was influenced by some of his personally chosen administrators to pass a law that no one could pray to any god or man except the King and if they did, they would be cast into the den of lions.   Daniel knew that the law was signed yet he protested by going into his house and with his windows opened, he continued to pray to his God three times a day.  We all know how that story ended.  (Daniel 6:6-7&10).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three Jewish Believers who were thrown into a fiery furnace by a wicked King Nebuchadnezzar because they refused to bow down to the king’s image. (Daniel 3:16). There are other examples in the Old Testament that I could use to illustrate my point.

The New Testament is all about the Disciples protesting and standing firm on their beliefs. They even risked their lives to speak out about what they had no doubts about — that Jesus had risen from the dead, proving that he was everything he claimed to be…the Son of God. Many of them were put to death by wicked leaders. What would have happened to the Christian movement if they didn’t stand firm on their beliefs?

Jesus is our role model for Christian defiance against wicked leaders.  The New Testament records that the religious leaders hated Jesus so much that they arrested Him, tried Him, and brought Him to Pilate for a sentence of death. There were a number of things about Jesus that infuriated the religious leaders. These included: (1) The claims that He made; (2) The deeds that He did; (3) His threat to their religious system; (3) His threat to their way of life; (4) The people with whom He socialized; and (5) The lack of respect He had for their religious traditions, laws, and policies. While we have a biblical obligation to be under an authority, if Jesus and His disciples refused to accept wicked leadership policies, traditions and laws, surely we can too by engaging in peaceful demonstrations and other forms of protests.

Had it not been for the demonstrations and protests during the 60s headed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and others, African Americans and other minority groups would still be considered second and third class citizens not worthy of riding on a bus, attending a school of choice, or simply having a meal at a local diner.  The Trump policies supported by the composition of his cabinet are all designed to “Make America Great Again” by subjecting part of the population to the conditions, traditions, bigotry, tactics and schemes of the Jim Crowe era.  Jim Crowe was the name of the racial class system that operated primarily, but not exclusively, in southern and Border States between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a lifestyle imposed by a racist America.

Jeff Jessions, Trump’s choice for Attorney General, has a history showing a lack of support or respect for civil rights groups and organizations.  In 1986, Reagan nominated Sessions to be a judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.   At Sessions’ confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, four Department of Justice lawyers who had worked with Sessions testified that he made racially offensive remarks. One of those lawyers testified that Sessions had referred to the NAACP and the ACLU as un-American and Communist-inspired and that they did more harm than good by trying to force civil rights “down the throats of people.”  Yet this is the person who will have overall authority and responsibility for civil and voting rights.

God allows the people to choose wicked leaders such as Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, none of whom were accepted or anointed by Him. Although God sets standards, He allows us to choose wicked leaders contrary to His own will. “They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. From their silver and gold they made idols for themselves — that they might be cut off.” (Hosea 8:4).  Here is what the prophet Samuel said to Israel, “And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which you have chosen, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:18)God says, “You’re going to choose a king, the wrong king, then you’re going to come crying, ‘God, have mercy,’ but I will not hear you because of the king you have chosen.”

God does remove wicked leaders, and even though he anointed Saul, God was preparing David to be King of Israel.  “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled.” (1 Samuel 28:5).  Instead of taking his fear to God Saul made things worse by seeking God’s voice through a spirit medium. Strangely, God did speak to Saul, but He spoke words of judgment through an unusual appearance of the prophet Samuel. Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?  The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today”The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”  (1 Samuel 28:16-19). If God removed a king that He anointed, He could certainly remove a Donald Trump whom He didn’t anoint.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2). By our vote we are either going to have righteous leaders or wicked leaders. There are consequences when we choose a wicked leader. We will either rejoice or shed lots of tears.  I believe with a troubled spirit that America is in trouble because God has removed His protective shield around our country as a direct result of the election of Donald Trump.

Although politicians come and politicians go, God endures as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all nations including the United States of America.  We didn’t vote Him in, and can’t vote Him out. He is King forever, but this is just my take.