Banana Republic Blues
I never thought I would be comparing Washington DC to the Green Zone in Baghdad; however, the MAGA crowd brought us to the brink of a very un-American insurrection. Trump stormtroopers aimed was to overturn the will of the American people and, in true Jim Crow fashion, tried to disenfranchise African Americans and other minorities.
The MAGA crowd
I never thought I would be comparing Washington DC to the Green Zone in Baghdad; however, the MAGA crowd brought us to the brink of a very un-American insurrection. Trump stormtroopers aimed was to overturn the will of the American people and, in true Jim Crow fashion, tried to disenfranchise African Americans and other minorities.
The world citadel of democracy was brought low by a rogue’s gallery of white supremacists’, conspiracy theory nuts, and slavish devotees of the cult of Trump.
In Pictures: Trump' Stormtroopers
January 6, 2021 will forever be remembered as a day of infamy. You do not have to be Nostradamus to know what was going to happen next.
I kept my literary powder-dry on the outcome of the election. Like an exhausted boxer in the last round, waited for Trumps' spurious clowns to reach their logical conclusion and bow to the inevitable.
The fresh promise of a New year had barely ushered in when Donald J Trump and his merry band of ‘stormtroopers’ attempted to shred the Constitution in a failed de facto coup -so much for law and order.
There is plenty of blame to go around, and Trump is not the only one with blood on his hands.
The catalyst for the Capitol insurrection was based; on a web of hate, disinformation, and misguided racial animus. Social media and political toadies like Jim Jordan, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley -helped spread venom into the body politics. Furthermore, acolytes like Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, and Rush Limbaugh perpetuate the Myth of a stolen election. Grumpy ‘Moscow’ Mitch McConnell, William Barr exchanged their morality and patriotic duty for political power.
The communal ties that bind our nation have been torn a shred by a megalomaniacal faux tyrant, political poseur, and a mean-spirited dilettante.
Trumps' primary legacy is a nation ravaged by disease, economic devastation, and increased racial animosity. Therefore impeachment seems to be a 'fitting coda' to His four-year reign of terror and endless scandals.
Globally the image of America as a shining bastion of democracy has been shattered.
There have been a few profiles-in-courage on the Republican side: Senator Mitt Romney and Congresswoman Liz Cheney deserve praise for their commitment to truth and honor.
The future of the GOP cloudy on the horizon; a fratricidal civil war is looming between traditional conservatives and Trump-republicans. One can only hope, for the sake of our democracy, the better angels prevail over those who live in the alternative universe of hate and deception.
Hopefully, Joe Biden offers America a chance to reset. He will need all his political acumen to raise the American phoenix from the ashes.
America is a divided nation- One of the most disappointing aspects of the 2020 election despite some disastrous policies and chaotic reign, 74 million Americans still voted for the continuation of Trumps' strange brew of political Theatre.
Trump abrogated every oath he took to protect us from all enemies: foreign or domestic. He left an indelible dark stain on the psyche of our nation.
A major tenet of American democracy is the peaceful transition of power, this sacrosanct principle Trump sought to overturn in a demonic attempt to retain the White House.
With a failure to concedes election, Trump unleashed a motley crew of domestic terrorists on the nation without regard for life or liberty.
Rather than suppressing voter turnout, we need a new Republican party that competes for everyone's vote.
Time to choose country over party, virulent ideology, and political opportunism. We have stared into the abyss and seen the enemy within. Political philosopher, Edmund Burke: '...all that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to stand by and do nothing.' After the events at the Capitol, doing nothing no longer seems to be a viable option.
Black And Blue
Photos/Illustrations by Betsy Kiel
Central to this idea of seismic change is the issue of Police reform, which has to happen.
Being black in America should not be a death sentence.
Black In America
A fragile existence
Black In America
Photos/Illustrations by Betsy Kiel
Floyd, Taylor, Martin, King, and Arbery. These are just a few names in the tragic landscape of police brutality and vigilante justice.
After experiencing an episode of unconscious racial bias in the workplace, a colleague remarked so to voice. “Racism never sleeps.”
As an African American male, my interactions with law enforcement have been fraught with stress and a hint of menace. One night while walking home from work, I came within a hair-trigger of being yet another statistic of police over-reaction —Castile, Gray, and McDonald.
Guns were drawn, as I was mistakenly identified as being one of the usual suspects —Garner, Brown, Scott, and Rice.
I had a visceral reaction to the horrific murder of George Floyd. It was the ultimate grotesque perversion of justice and symbolized the painful systematic institutionalized racism endured by African Americans for over 400 years. In addition, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic deadly disproportionate impact on people of color allied to high unemployment and you had the perfect explosive ingredients for the social upheaval that followed.
The chickens of our nations ‘original sin,’ slavery, are finally coming home to roost. Decades of inequality in the realms of justice, health, education, and economic opportunity have left many bereft of hope and close to the edge.
We are now at a historic inflection point as a multicultural American coalition demands an end to racial injustice. This clarion call for change is now a global phenomenon, it would seem that change is at hand.
Central to this idea of seismic change is the issue of Police reform, which has to happen. Accountability and transparency need to be central tenets of any progressive moves to change the negative image many people have of law enforcement. Police union's intransigence ferocious defense of its members has meant that the successful prosecution of rogue cops is extremely rare, therefore, communities of color literally have a license to kill.
Police cannot be allowed to police themselves, and, for the public to have faith in the system, there must be independent oversight.
We need a paradigm in our approach to law enforcement in which police are seen less like an occupying army, but a more highly integrated community-based partner.
Last, bloated police budgets have added to the increased militarism of police departments nationwide. This trend was on full display as police dispatched peaceful protesters with brutal efficiency past Floyd’s death. With crumbling infrastructure, homelessness, chronic underinvestment in human capital, and a myriad of other social ills, perhaps it is time to change priorities and reallocate tax dollars.
The warrior psyche of law enforcement needs to evolve. It leads to the notion we are less than human and need to be policed over aggressively. Deadly chokeholds and the lack of transparency over officers' disciplinary records are positive metrics of change that need to be instituted.
The winds of change, are blowing as evidenced by the multicultural hordes who marched for George Floyd. Our shared humanity unites us, and we look forward to the day when black lives are truly valued, and the specter of police violence exiled to the distant past.