Tag: Barack Obama

Trump Racism Is Bad For America-Part II

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TRUMP RACISM IS BAD FOR AMERICA-PART ll

The Dark Jester

By T.K. McNeil

Trump Racism is Bad for America. I ended Part I of Trump Racism Is Bad For America by wondering aloud if we were about to return to the dark days of death squads, concentration camps, and gas ovens. Trump racism is obvious for anyone with eyes, ears, or a Twitter account. We are rocked out of our beds daily by angry and racially inflammatory 6 a.m. Tweets. Trump uses a practiced, coded language of dog whistles and red meat taunts that he pitches regularity to his MAGA hatted support base. The intent, an obviously planned effort to keep them agitated and ready for action. If nothing else, Trump’s base seems willfully ignorant and obsessed by fear. If Trump senses any ebbing in support he orders an extra rally, or maybe two; re-news attacks on the press; berates his pathetic Attorney General; but most notably, he intensifies attacks against immigrants, NFL players, and women. That’s how Trump racism works.

George H.W. Bus Approved Vicious Race Fear Attack Ads Against His Democratic Opponent Michael Dukakis

George H.W. Approved Race Fear Attack Ads Against His Democratic Opponent Michael Dukakis

Trump racism dressed as law and order. Have people forgotten Trump opened his campaign with an unprecedented tirade against Mexican “criminal, drug mules and rapists?” Trump has revived nativist themes that have not been heard aloud since George H.W. Bush. In 1988 HW supporters used the image of a black killer/rapist Willie Horton to effectively sabotage his opponent Michael Dukakis. Until now, that ad campaign was considered a true low point in political racist tactics.

Jump to today. In a similar tact Trump is replacing the face of black man Willie Horton with the brown face of illegal immigrant, and convicted cop killer, Luis Bracamontes. Hammering the anti-immigrant theme Trump claims that Democrats will open the country to criminals. Trump’s vitriol is toxic, but Trump is convinced that it was just such rhetoric that secured him the presidency. Instinctively, he keeps pushing the limits of what passes for barely acceptable political discourse toward an ever-darkening place.

More evidence of Trump racism keeps emerging.  Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney for over a decade opens up about Trump racism. On Friday 11-2-2018 Vanity Fair published a damning portrait of the president. According to Cohen, Trump made frequent racist comments, most particularly against blacks. Cohen claimed that Trump frequently used the N word and other demeaning statements made about black people, their intellect, their abilities, their communities and even their countries. Cohen confirmed to Vanity Fair writer Emily Jane Fox that language reported by Omarosa Manigault Newman in her book, “Unhinged An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House” was typically Trump. So, Trump doesn’t limit his hate; he hates everybody that isn’t orange.

Trump Racism Is Stoking Racial Fear And Hatred

Trump Racism Is Stoking Racial Fear And Hatred

Keeping the fire hot.  Trump has never stopped his campaigning. He has never become president of all the people. He is president of a core base and his goal is to keep them frightened and angry. He wants them fired up ready to attack whenever and wherever he points his accusatory finger. Trump racism is emerging more clearly as time progresses. Trump’s inflammatory language, reckless “otherism” and dehumanizing xenophobic attacks are clearly designed to divide the country.

Fear and Loathing is part of the performance.  It’s no surprise that we as a country have a scrubbed and shiny public face and a secret horrific Dorian Grey face.  That hidden-self, locked in the basement of our national identity is trying to come out of its imprisonment. All the while Trump, our Mad Hatter conductor, has had us on a head spinning ride of public debauchery, corruption and criminality. Trump careens from truth to delusion, to conspiracy theory, and back to racism all in blink of an eye.

Social Fears Are At The Root Of Trump’s Methodology.  That said, we all know that there is a portion of the American psyche that hates and fears immigration, that hates and fears the blacks, that hates and fears Jews, that hates and fears POC, that hates and fears the changing demographics of America, that hates and fears tomorrow, that hates and fears the unknown. Those societal fears are what Trump racism feeds on.

Donald Trump Uses The Flag And Other Symbols As Background Props For His Blatant Racism

Trump Uses The Flag And National Symbols As Background Props For His Blatant Racism

The foes of inclusiveness. The ability to whip the mentally susceptible and the White Supremacist extremist fringe into a frenzy of violence is easy to imagine. The increased racial and ethnic violence will become a growing problem as he continues to demonize the “others” in our society. This man has the biggest bully pulpit in the country and he is using it to inflame the worst elements of our society. He is using his position to promote fear and racial tensions as he divides the country with his Trump racist white supremacist agenda.

Ethnic and racial murder on the rise. The pipe bomb mailings, the synagogue massacre, the Kroger killings, the Portland light rail murders, the Heather Hyer murder are all separate crimes in separate geographical areas but with the same theme of racial and ethnic hatred.  There can be no doubt that Trump is pouring kerosene on the already raging flames of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment that fueled his political rise. Violence is easy to stoke but the ability to tone it down is not likely to be found in Donald Trump. This should be of concern for all of us. Stability is what makes our great American life possible, and Trump with his firebrand demagoguery could potentially destroy that essential of our life.

The noise is so loud.  Since Trump’s election; historians, political scientists and psychologists have frantically been sounding alarm bells. How is it possible that after decades of progress the United States in the early part of the 21st century would become the epicenter of a growing firestorm of racial, ethnic and religious hate activity? It is important to remember that Hitler didn’t load the cattle cars and he didn’t personally switch on the ovens. He had his core of radicalized supporters to do that for him.

The Swastika was originally a geometrical symbol for divinity and the Nazi's turned it into a symbol of hate

The Nazi’s Took The Geometrical figure For Divinity And Morphed It Into The Most Terrifying Symbol On Earth

12,000 year old trinket. Twelve thousand years ago in a small Neolithic community in the Ukraine an early human carved a small ivory swastika and left it to be found by a modern team of archeologists. The swastika symbol has been found in archeological sites across the world from that cold Ukrainian dig to Celtic burial sites in Great Britain.

Pawns of a maniac. In a remarkable 15 year time span a geometrical figure representing  divinity and spirituality morphed into the symbol of the most murdering racist regime of the 20th century. A regime that was directly responsible for the murder of millions of human beings because they were religiously “different” than the majority. The six million dead; nothing more than pawns in a world shaped by racism and barbarism. A world where a demagogue manufactured an enemy through fiery hate-filled rhetoric.

Taking action.  A charismatic leader can point with raging illogical rants against racial, ethnic and religious targets making them the “enemies of the people.” Simply put the demagogue (Hitler in this case) convinced his followers that “his” enemies were “their” enemies. Sadly, Donald Trump incites similar reactions from his supporters. Wanting to help him, these angry, fearful, and malleable people begin to search for ways they can take action. Some will act as individuals, while others will join “militia groups.” Before long the supporters will turn the fiery hateful speech into hateful action. Getting people to hate “others” is all part of the Trump racism model.

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Moving Backwards With Trump

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Moving Backwards With Trump

D. S. Mitchell

As a Progressive liberal I have clung to the base expectation that we, as Americans were moving forward, arguably slowly, but always in a forward trajectory toward social justice.  A journey toward more respect and equality between the sexes, the races, and the various religions. To a more open and honest place, where conversation about racism, sexism and every other negative-ism which have for so long separated us could be discussed. In that perfect progressive dream, people of varied colors, sexual orientation and diverse faiths came together without distrust or hate and together worked for the betterment of their community and the country.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States was a gigantic step backward for the country in so many ways.  From a historical perspective, there is usually no continuous imaginary “forward trajectory.” In fact, regression often comes after a period of steady social forward movement. This Trump Regression has caused many people that have never been active in politics to come out and join in a resistance movement against the hatred, bigotry and isolationism of this small, mean spirited man.

Trump attacks anybody and everybody. The man is not only a deranged narcissist, but a bigot, a racist a xenophobe , homophobe and probably two dozen other “phobics” that I don’t want to get sidetracked on,.  Trump is immoral.  And because of that immorality he is a danger to the morals, ethics and norms of propriety that guide our collective sense of civility.  His contempt for rules and his ignorance of policy is demoralizing and embarrassing.

Trump uses Twitter to attack his former opponent Hillary Clinton, his predecessor Barack Obama, his AG Jeff Sessions, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Rosie O’Donnell, Mexicans the transgender community, pipeline protesters and multiple other groups.  In fact, his attacks are nearly universal, except for Russia and Vladimir Putin.  He uses Twitter to inflame and agitate, to divide and aggravate, to humiliate and degradate.

Charles Blow in the NY Times described it this way, “multiple populations are being assaulted at once, across race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual identity.” He further added, “we were unprepared for the daily reality of living in a nightmare.”

Blow finished his piece with a reprint of the famous Martin Niemoller’s poem, which is seen in many versions.  Moeller was an anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor who was quite outspoken against Hitler and the Nazi movement and was imprisoned by German authorities until the end of WWII.  Niemoller’s poem and the “bystander” speech by Elie Wiesel are threads of the same theme.  Do not allow yourself to stand back and do nothing, do not be complicit through silence to the subjugation, persecution, and murder of your fellow man, no matter what color, race or ethnicity.

In an earlier post I talked about Wiesel and his bystander speech, so  like Charles Blow, I will reprint Martin Niemoller’s famous and frightening reminder that we must always be alert to injustice and when seen, point it out and push back against its dangers.

“First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out–because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out–because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out–because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Wow. That pretty much sums it up.  Doesn’t it ? I wish I could put such simple words together for such perfect impact.I pray this period of Trump Regression will be only temporary. And hopefully, this disgusting vision from the past will be short lived and in fact will be the catalyst for a new generation of Progressivism and tolerance. Don’t allow the targeting of individuals or groups to occur on your watch. Speak up, speak out. Do not be silenced. Join the Resistance.

Calamity Politics is here to be a voice for the Progressive community.  I try to present a relevant and engaging article on a near daily basis. I admit right now that I am pretty irritated with the activities in Washington, D.C. and am airing my anger and frustration through my somewhat snarky posts.  But, in the current irritable political climate it is understandable.  Have a great day. It is beautiful and the beach and Lily thinks it’s time for a walk.

Join the Resistance

Dar

STALLED INVESTIGATION

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Stalled Investigation

D. S. Mitchell

My Hackles Are Up

We have our hackles up here at Calamity News and Politics. The sanctity of our institutions are at risk. Our U.S. political system is sliding into the sewer. It is looking really bad around the White House, like a great sink hole is opening up at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue. The lies, the deflection, the distractions are centering themselves, now around Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA). Devin Nunes is the Chairman of the House Intel Committee. Nunes has created a firestorm over the last week.

Recusal Time

Mr. Nunes was part of the Trump transition team. That fact alone should require him to recuse himself from investigating possible collusion between the Russian government and the Donald J. Trump Presidential Campaign.  Nunes says that his personal connection with Trump and his staff will have no effect on his committee’s investigation. Because he says he was involved “after the campaign”.

Investigation

My thought on his explanation is, bull shit.  Nunes has a relationship with Trump and his associates, most of whom were involved in both the campaign and the transition team. Having a close relationship with those being investigated spells bad news.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Nunes doesn’t find himself thrown off that  big Trump bus, anytime he’s no longer useful.

Morphing Accusations

Approximately three weeks ago, Donald Trump, President of the U.S, accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of “wiretapping Trump Tower” (a felony) in a 6:00 a.m. tweet rant.  All the intelligence agencies called the accusations false.  Trump keeps blurring the lines of what he meant by “wiretapping”.  Each day it has morphed slightly. The accusations now include spying microwaves and television sets, surveillance photos, telephone conversations between foreign entities where names of American citizens were illegally unmasked.

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TRUMP SHELL GAME

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Trump Shell Game

By D. S. Mitchell

Putin Land

Calamity News and Politics doesn’t want you to grab the pitchforks and torches yet, but that could become a necessity. The noise around the Trump White House and it’s growing descent into Putin Land is quite alarming. Just because I’m a liberal. I’ve noticed red-necks are always quick to label me a “red” or a “commie.” Strange considering I’ve never even met a Russian. Since Trump began his campaign, the United States political scene has been dominated with Russians. Unheard of in American political history.

A Long Time Here

I’ve been around the U.S. political scene for a long time. I was born in 1946, I was small, but I remember Truman as president. The campaigns of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Carter, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama and now Trump are still vivid. Not once, did I ever hear any of these men, until Trump, espouse a Russian dictator as a great leader. Putin is a criminal who is known to kill his political enemies. And Trump thinks Putin is  “an amazing leader”. Peculiar to say the least.

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