THE BALLOT OR THE BULLET
Last week the nation experienced yet another mass shooting. This time, it happened on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing. The gunman killed three and wounded five others. The extra ammunition and “kill list” authorities said he possessed suggest the situation could have been even worse. By now, you’ve heard the fact that the US has experienced more mass shootings this year than number of days. Folk who want to see change have to recognize the choice before us. It’s “The Ballot of the Bullet” (to borrow the title of a Malcolm X speech). We know the gun lobby is the pimp and the GOP lawmakers who block gun reform are gunmakers’ “hoes.” We also know that over 75% of Americans (Republican and Democrat) want gun reform. In recent years, 60% of voters vote during presidential elections with other elections seeing a 40% voter turnout. That means literally millions of folk aren’t voting. But we don’t even need millions; just a few thousand more votes nationally could swing power away from “thoughts and prayers” advocates and give it to those who are tired of seeing masses of people gunned down.
THE REAL UPSIDE-DOWN
A US congresswoman, who is too ugly and vile to even name (Margarine Traitor Greed, or something like that), is openly calling for “red” states to separate from “blue” ones — an act in total opposition to the Constitution she took an oath to protect. The US Speaker of the House (Kevin McSorry) handed over all Jan. 6 US Capitol insurrection security footage to Fox News host and white nationalist favorite Tucker Carlson. An act so blatantly unfair and unethical it’s too obvious to even explain. Several GOP lawmakers slammed President Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine, saying “Ukraine ain’t our friend and Russia ain’t our enemy;” words consistent with the political party that was cool with their president (Teflon Don) colluding with and being in debt to Russia to the tune of multiple millions. The party of supposed “law& order” and “family Values” celebrated insurrectionists, “cleared” a child trafficking colleague (Matt Gaetz) and “forgave” a state AG (Texas) who has committed more crimes than Trump has lies. And these scoundrels have the nerve to tell us what is lawful, Christian and just, while acting in anti-law, anti-Christian and anti-justice ways. The show “Stranger Things” has a “real” world and an alternate universe called “The Upside-Down.” But what do we call our “real” world when lawless lawmakers define their evil as “good” and lawlessness the “law of the land”?
LESSONS FROM HISTORY
One important aspect of “history” is the lessons we can learn from it. To that point, let’s listen to the epitome of Black Resistance, Harriet Tubman, who shared these words while freeing her enslaved sisters and brothers—advice we’d do well to heed today: “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” Black people… keep going!
