dagblog - Comments for "Black History Month > American Exceptionalism"

The Trump administration is

rmrd0000 — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 15:30:36 +0000

In reply to The take home message from

The Trump administration is eliminating tracking of violent white supremacists to focus solely on Islamic radicals.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-cut-white-...

White supremacists are celebrating

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-is-setting-us-free-white-supremacists-ce...

The take home message from

rmrd0000 — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 14:08:34 +0000

In reply to A Politico article I just

The take home message from Trump and the Republican legislators in North Carolina is that Republicans want a dictatorship. Trump blasted a judge with Latino heritage during the Primaries. He is now blasting a white Republican judge. He does not want an independent judicatory. Trump views the media as his enemy. He views Democrats as his enemy. The protestors are his enemy. In North Carolina, the Republican legislature attempted to strip the newly elected Democratic Governor of most of his power. Modern Republicans are falling into line. Our fellow citizens who support Trump will not resist the dictatorship. We ignore this fact at our own peril.

Trump statement about Judge Gonzolo Curiel

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/donald-trump-univ...

Praise for Trump's racist statement from Steve Bannon's Breitbart site.

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/06/trumps-questi...

Trump settled the Trump University case for $25M

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/11/18/reports-trump-nears-settle...

North Carolina coup

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/19/did-the-gop-pull-off-a-...

The coup is now being battled in court

http://usuncut.com/politics/judge-blocks-nc-law/

A Politico article I just

barefooted — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 06:31:32 +0000

In reply to Thanks for the links! The

A Politico article I just posted "In The News" gives Rev. Barber a great deal of credit, as well as a path for Democrats to follow going forward.

Barber’s “Moral Monday” protest movement has by now gained national attention, but with the defeat of McCrory, the movement can finally point to an electoral success. And it has continued to gain momentum: In December, after a week of protests in response to the Republican power grab, in which approximately 20 protestors were arrested in acts of civil disobedience, commentators across the media sphere were discussing whether Republicans in Raleigh had lost their minds.

Thanks for the links! The

Danny Cardwell — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 05:36:30 +0000

In reply to Reverend William Barber was

Thanks for the links! The battle for the soul of the Christian spirit wages on. I have the utmost respect for Reverend Barber.

Reverend William Barber was

rmrd0000 — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 16:30:09 +0000

In reply to I'll have to do some research

Reverend William Barber was on "A.M. Joy" this morning. He notes that Trump was able to make a mockery of the National Prayer Breakfast by asking for prayers for "Celebrity Apprentice" because the breakfast is sponsored by white Christian Evangelicals who support Trump. Trump got the votes of 80 of white Christian Evangelicals. The Bible is. A message t the oppressed. Oppressors have captured the Bible and now we have so-called Evangelicals talking about a prosperity gospel.they are indifferent to the poor.The National Prayer Breakfast is now a perversion.

Reverend Barber expands on his message in an op-ed on MSNBC.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/oped-moral-outrage-after-national-pra...

In an article about the differences between black and white Evangelicals, author Lisa Sharon Harper explains the capture of the Bible by the oppressors, an idea expanded upon in her book "The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right"

Link to article

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/donald_trump_christians.html

Link to the book

https://www.amazon.com/Very-Good-Gospel-Everything-Wrong/dp/160142857X

I'll have to do some research

Danny Cardwell — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 05:31:17 +0000

In reply to Another excellent post. The

I'll have to do some research on Dugin. Thanks for taking the time to add some context and perspective to this post. I appreciate it!

Another excellent post. The

rmrd0000 — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 02:04:53 +0000

In reply to Black History Month > American Exceptionalism

Another excellent post. The first thing that came to mind was the vast differences that Christians have in their interpretation of the Bible. There are for example vast Disagreements between white Evangelical Christians and Black Evangelical Christians, especially when it comes to issues of justice.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/donald_trump_christians.html

Progressive Christians might point to Martin Luther King Jr aa a source for their Biblical ideology. Steve Bannon, would point to Russian Alexander Dugin, a white traditionalist, as the source of his moral code. Traditionalists believe that moral and religious truth comes from devine revelation and that truth is perpetuated by tradition. Dugin is an adviser to Putin. Dugin supports the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Bannon is not fully pro- Puti, but he does accept some of the ideology of Putin's adviser, Dugin.

https://thinkprogress.org/dugin-trump-bannon-2758aeab0a10#.lxep4patd

Bannon believes that traditionalism in the form suggested by Dugin will prevent the United States from being destroyed vy Liberalism and Islam. The Trump adviser praised Putin's message about the value of traditional values.

Trump and Bannon do believe in the view of the United States as the Christian city on a hill. They are willing to use extreme means to shape the country to fit their vision.

We are in perilous times.

Hmmm, I thought I was the one

PeraclesPlease — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 17:15:03 +0000

In reply to Thanks for the kind and

Hmmm, I thought I was the one who made *others* uncomfortable... ;-)

Thanks for the kind and

Danny Cardwell — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

In reply to When the CrookedPrez can give

Thanks for the kind and thoughtful words. We've come a long way and it's because people of good will and intentions made themselves uncomfortable enough to address issues bigger than themselves. I have been fortunate to have some very supportive friends who have helped me survive the craziness that is the south. Thanks for being the kind of person who's willing to be uncomfortable!

When the CrookedPrez can give

PeraclesPlease — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 06:50:00 +0000

In reply to Black History Month > American Exceptionalism

When the CrookedPrez can give a speech opening Black History Month without mentioning slavery, discrimination, Civil Rights or MLK's assassination, I'm gobsmacked.

On the other hand, especially during this crisis, I think your last 2 lines have it - I think it'd be much more useful to have a Black Future month - aside from Beyoncé having twins, a serious plunge into how to limit police brutality, how to open up blacks to more serious opportunity and participation in power, how to get past the Orangeman's crude stereotypes of inner cities, how practically to regain the vote and reverse gerrymandering. But more, a 2050 Vision of Black America, MLK's dream updated.

It has to be more than white kids and black kids holding hands. It has to be past blacks being a "minority" and being simply American, the way Scottish, Irish, German, Italian Americans are American - no hyphen, no fear walking in the grocery store or facing a cop, given the benefit of the doubt and all ears in a boardroom, expected to do well in school...

The Black Vision thing can't be all negatives and reaction to negatives - people get worn out. They need hope, optimism, not just an absence of fear. While there's much more to learn about black history, it's still the past. There was a flourishing in black culture discovering details of where they came from, and it was reflected in music, clothing, speech, philosophy, religion... but 50 years on, it's largely a trip to Williamsburg to see the colonists.

Yes, whites carry that past with them in that assumed God-backed manifest destiny, but blacks aren't going to find a similarly delusional and inspiring meme -more peace of mind and understanding and hopefully spurred creativity. History isn't just the breakthroughs - it's also the beauty of movement and changing styles and identity - it's an appreciation for sociology too that goes along with science and architecture and, yes, awe about wars and cruelty and natural disasters.

There's a lot of interest in Kurzweil's supposedly coming Singularity - are blacks part of it? (whether whites are as well is another discussion). Where will they be with nanotech, biogenetics, smart energy, evolved medicine, new ways of education? Consumers? Or co-Creators?

I guess it was Hemingway with his famous "the Past isn't dead - it isn't even past". How do blacks go back to the future, how do we as whites help them (and ourselves)? When do we evolve into a "we're all in it together" vibe? It's coming, but it's taken a long damn time.