THE AMERICAN DREAM: VOTE 2020 NOV. 3RD

By Sean C. Bowers

In his own botched, flowery, contradictory admissions of knowingly publicly downplaying the COVID 19 DEATH THREAT in February, 45 has dead Americans blood on his hands, his watch, and his record along with that impeachment tattoo.

            The question becomes “Where is the Republican Party when your candidate openly lies to you, then gathers you together, makes you sign a wavier, and knowingly exposes you to a double-dip super-spreader of the virus threat, topped off with his dung heap, 20,000 LIES UNDER D.C., DEEP!

            Abraham Lincoln, is probably pole vaulting in his grave as the Republican Party watches this clown trounce the U.S. Constitution with his Panty-mime, PIE-rations of fact-less tactless Fiddle Faddle babble.

            Republicans who stay on the U.S.S. LYER are still lying and carrying yet more of his dirty water. Have you no semblance of a soul, of honor or decency? When you lie along with him, you become a TAINTED diminished servant of his Cult of Chaos and Disorder. (PRINCE album title Shout-Out) Republicans lying in the liars’ den makes you an accomplice to the crimes against America and all of her citizens, for whom you and 45 work.

            It was bad enough when he was openly racist (Charlottesville) and embarrassingly sexist (20 pending cases brought against him so far). 45’s ripeness worsened when he was (S)exposed as a misogynistic, pampered, elite, rich, White-Privileged abuser of women, publicly caught on tape, the first time (on the Billy Bush bus).

            You already played the Party Over America card in the impeachment trial, Republicans. So now, ALL Americans can plainly hear 45 blowing himself up on the Bob Woodward’s “Rage” book tapes. Are you really stupid enough to try and keep spinning this up-hill narrative,-of-endless-length LIE garment, shielded from facts and truth, to your graves?

            The untold UNNECESSARY damage done so far by SIR-DIM-NIMROD to the American people’s spirit, psyche, pocketbook, and worldwide reputation will exact its price. Since none of you ever met a tab you liked, it will be curious when the total bill of responsibility or reckoning comes due. You know 45 isn’t picking up that tab or any other checks (or balances.) So that leaves you, Republicans, and the rest of US Americans in the middle and on the progressive left to cover the check for his excesses.

            This moment feels Nixonian in scope with Bob Woodward asking, “What did he know and when did he know it and say it?” Unvarnished, in his own words coming out of his mouth. No frame, No “Got ya!” No excuses, just your own words coming directly outta’ ya’ lying PIE-HOLE. Thanks again for the great reporting, Bob. The nation owes you a debt of gratitude twice that can never fully be repaid. 45 actually thought he could spin you Bob, as if you were one of the President’s (Republican) men.

            He must have thought you would become just another one of his lackeys who doth-not-protest, his crimes of the incest-ual anti-truth-isms of the Viral-Con-Spiral-Ethereal of his mind’s Empire-icle.

            The choice is clear, the election draws near. In 45 there is something OFF, perhaps Russian mixed and made, intentionally-design-flawed-the Mental-HITJOB- Molit-OFF.

The nation’s about to vote and unceremoniously DUMP TRUMP.

Are you Republicans ever going to admit you were wrong, all along, to follow this (1) guy’s WHACKED Cult? We are at that Proverbial fork in the road- biblical term from that Book you held upside down after using our troops (whom you later disparaged as “suckers and losers”) to remove peaceful protesters. Republicans, stand for the Republic. You are forced to choose loyalty to America or to 45, your Liar-in-Chief.

            It gives me no joy to write this. No amount of “I told you so’s,” or “You were right,” will ever fix all the things broken and damaged by 45’s Cult of (Hostile) Personality.

Bottom line: No one person is ever bigger than the game, bigger than the nation, bigger than the American Dream, bigger than the systems put in place to protect every citizen, and never, never, bigger than, US. 

Sean C. Bowers has written the last twenty-two years, as a White Quaker Southern man, for the nations’ third oldest Black Newspaper, the New Journal and Guide, of Norfolk, VA, about overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. Over fifty of his latest NJ&G articles (2008-2020) detailing the issues can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website. Contact him directly by e-mail V1ZUAL1ZE@aol.com  NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 33 years) has always been his publisher.

Local Voices

Reparations:

To Be Or Not To Be?

By John L. Horton

 I just finished reading the latest issue of TIME Magazine (double issue, September 21/28, 2020). The magazine has a feature/society piece about the “Rosewood massacre” (circa 1923), where nine survivors and descendants have been awarded some “reparations” ($2.1 million), by the Florida state legislature.

          It was pointed out that this action was a single, arduous effort to repay a sliver for that horrendous event in American history. It has been suggested that the surprising success of the Florida case could offer a model for a new generation seeking justice for historical wrongs.

         Meanwhile, it should be noted that national support for reparations is a hotly debated issue along racial lines: 72% of Blacks support compensation; only 14% of whites support such a measure. (ABC News/Ipsos poll).        

Previously, I have written an article (“Beyond Reparations”) on this very topic for The Guide. Moreover, the issue of reparations was discussed during the recent Democratic presidential debates, with several candidates (Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris) favoring some type of reparations for Black Americans affected by slavery.

Recently while taking an evening walk in my neighborhood, I had a very interesting conversation with the “wise man on the streets”  on whether or not African Americans would be getting “reparations” any time soon.  I was “chastised” by the wise man on the streets, as if I had just asked a stupid question or made a silly comment.

      According to the wise man on the streets, “Man, we ain’t gonna be getting any reparations, now or never.”  Furthermore, he went on to say, “There are some things that black folks are just going to have to get over, and this ‘reparations thing’ is one of them.  White folks and the government ain’t gonna give us no 40 acres, no mule, and just like white folks ain’t gonna be giving up their guns.  Hell, if we got a mule, it would probably be blind, cripple and crazy, with a bad case of running bowels.  Man, that be true!  So, black folks just need to get over it!” 

     Then, the wise man on the streets goes on to ask me a series of questions related to reparations.  “Do all white folks have to pay us reparations?  Do any black folks have to pay reparations?  What about those white folks whose ancestors fought and died to abolish slavery, not only during the Civil War, but before and since – do they ante up, too?  What about recent immigrants who have come to America, will they have to pay black folks, too?” 

     Other pertinent questions were painstakingly asked by the wise man on the streets.  “Who is going to be the keeper of the reparations funds and/or investments?  What form or content will the reparations come in?  Who decides this?  Who/what decides the equitable division of reparations?  Who determines who gets how much of what, and how?” 

     As the heated conversation with the wise man on the streets continued, he wanted answers to other important questions.  “How much black/African American blood does one need to qualify for reparations?  Who/what determines this?  What if only one parent is black, or part-black?  What if there is a minority of black blood in your family tree?” 

     The longer our conversation lasted, the more highly agitated the wise man on the streets became with me.  He wanted answers to more in-depth reparation questions.  “Is everyone who ‘qualifies’ for reparations going to get a full share, or some percentage thereof?  What about highly successful or wealthy African Americans, will they also be eligible for reparations?  And, who is going to be responsible for coming up with the money to pay black folks?  How is this ‘payment’ going to be collected?”

      Our conversation about the “pros and cons” of reparations continued for several hours.  I made my impact upon the wise man on the streets.  He certainly made an impact upon me.  I must say that I understood where the wise man on the streets was coming from.

These were just some of the questions that concerned the wise man on the streets.  He hopes that answers to his reparation questions will be forthcoming – soon.  Otherwise, he sincerely believes that “black folks ain’t gonna be getting any reparations, now or ever.”  Moreover, he profoundly believes that “all this talk about reparations is just another ploy by the ‘powers that be’ to divide black folks against themselves and against other Americans.”

      My conversation with the wise man on the streets left me thinking…deeply and critically.  Is he right, or is he wrong?  Is he correct in his thinking, or is he flawed?  So much for the wise man on the streets.  In parting, I ask of you, what do you think about reparations for African Americans?  What do you think about the wise man on the streets?

John L. Horton lives in Norfolk and is a frequent contributor to this newspaper.