He Can’t Handle The Truth

I like to write, which goes without saying that I am passionate about literacy and the written word. Having said that, I can recall reading somewhere that someone said, “I think therefore I am”. Now, I don’t say that to imply that what I think or write is “RIGHT”! But I hope my views though this vehicle will provoke conversation on a wide range of subjects and maybe some sane dialog that will lead to enhancing unity and intellectual civil discourse.

There are many-many concerns, as I see it, which is not in the best interest of furthering humanity. One, and maybe the most dangerous discourse, is the scary political environment today. For example, the challenger to president Obama and the vitriol of the right harkens, in my opinion, back to the days of Jim Crow. If you can’t remember this era or don’t know what this is; it was a time when overt racism was the law of the land. If you don’t agree, let me suggest that you view footage of some of the conservative gathering and you will see the faces of one hue.

But on this Sunday morning, I want to not do what I am accused of doing by some, which is to play the “race card”. Nonetheless, I’ll tell you that I have lived long enough to know that there are two constants in the American Diaspora. One is money and the other is race. I have seen, and believe true, that conservatives will say or do anything to support their position on matters relating concerning either. For example, the presumed challenger, who many republicans call “Him”, has a long documented history in this area. He will say anything – regardless of fact and more often than not fiction.

He gave a speech recently and started by saying – “Good morning”. The problem with that was it was in the afternoon. The accuracy of his statements went downhill from there. He blamed the president for the “weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression.” When in fact, it was the last president whose name they never mention who was responsible for that problem.

He went on to say that he would save “about $100 billion a year” eliminating Obamacare and accused the president of “taking a series of steps that end Medicare as we know it.” He made the claimed that the president had created an “unaccountable panel, with the power to prevent Medicare from providing certain treatments.” Incorrect, wrong, , not true, and fictitious. This is just an example taken from one speech delivered by Romney on a given day. Fortunately, there are fact-checkers.

Because he does not always, mostly not, tell the truth is hardly news. Voters and most knowledgeable people already know there are lies, damn lies, and politics. Certainly, Romney has abundant company in his mendacity. But the fact that fibs are routine doesn’t make them less insidious. Romney’s fast-and-loose play with the facts — deployed equally against his Republican rivals and Obama — is particularly disappointing because it is unnecessary.

PolitiFact has awarded Romney its “Pants on Fire” or “False” ratings for 32 claims. Among them are these: that Obama “didn’t even mention the deficit or debt” in his State of the Union address, that “our Navy is smaller than it’s been since 1917,” that Obama “never worked in the private sector,” that Obama “gave” the automakers “to the UAW,” and that “we’re only inches away from no longer being a free economy.”

The recent speech that I began with, where Mitt said “Good Morning”, alone had more than a dozen distortions, including allegations that: Obama “has failed to even pass a budget” (Congress passes budget resolutions, which the president doesn’t sign); Obama created a panel empowered to deny treatments under Medicare (the board can only make recommendations, and only if Congress fails to find Medicare cuts), Obama “has added regulations at a staggering rate” (the Business Roundtable just said it “lauded” the administration’s attempt at regulatory reform).

In that same speech PolitiFact noted that no fewer than three Romney claims merited their covenanted “Pants on Fire” rating: that Obama led “a government takeover of health care,” has been “apologizing for America abroad” and is ending “Medicare as we know it.” Romney’s assertions that Obama “is the only president to ever cut $500 billion from Medicare” and that eliminating Obamacare saves “about $100 billion” were rated false.

For Romney to resort to such gratuitous falsehoods discredits him, in my opinion, as a man ethically challenged and someone with limited moral character, and not the kind of man I want to be president. All of this and these kinds of untruths leads me to concluded that when you have nothing to say, you will say anything! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

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Drum Beats of Yesterday

The drum beat of the Republican Party’s dogma looms large in this political season as the GOP desperately try to find someone to unseat President Barack Obama. We have witnessed endless debates with the kind of political rhetoric unlike any that I’ve ever seen. Wait a minute; let me qualify that by saying not since the last Presidential election. At which time America, because of the republicans, was facing financial Armageddon and now in 2012 we are about to really see Armageddon; if one of these right wing-nuts were to become president.

I read an article recently written by the author Dr. Anthony Asadullah Samad where he said:

“Four years ago, they were predicting terrorist attacks in the first month of his administration if Obama was elected. Of course, it didn’t happen—but the rhetoric sounds good. The Republican’s “Big Three,” which many call the last three, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul sound like the Supremes singing “Baby Love” asking the American People, “where did our love go” for President Obama. Stands to reason it went the same place our love for every incumbent President facing re-election went…in the gutter. Mud-throwing is a professional sport in politics. No matter what the incumbent does, it will never be good enough for the party out of power. Same goes here.

The real question is how far are the Republicans willing to go to get Obama? Will they say anything to get Obama? Will they be, God-forbid, unpatriotic in their attacks of the nation’s Commander-in-Chief, that ended the war they started, soft-landed an economy that was falling fastest than a safe pushed off a roof, and had to fight for every single concession—even perfunctory tasks like debt-ceiling raises and payroll tax extensions. The rhetoric of refusing to compliment Obama, on anything, is not healthy for the national morale. Stands to chance that none of them would have done any better they been in the President’s shoes and the rhetoric toward healing our wounded spirits would be much different.

Under Nixon, Reagan and Bush II, the nation did what it was asked to do for the national good during recovering economies and re-election bids. The opposite party was asked to tone down the rhetoric for the good of the nation’s morale. There has been no such call from the Democrats for this President. In fact, some Democrats have added to the rhetoric. While the President has no party opposition (at this time), some in his party have kind of been getting their “digs in” on the slide… And then there’s the Tea Party rhetoric, an obstructionism that makes no sense.”

I could not have said it better. However, the difference in this election season is that the last crop of pretenders projected their bigotry vaguely in subliminal coded language. This “pool of fools” has no shame in their game. The race card is being displayed so transparently that Ray Charles can see it. One of these pretenders owned a lodge named “N-Word Head” and another had a news letter that espoused racial hatred so vial that one would think he was the Grand Wizard of the Imperial Knights. Another Republican candidate has said that “black children where better off during slavery” than today.

Wait there’s more! One of them has publically talked about succession. Another said, get off welfare and get a check. It was this guy who went on to say if you’re twelve years old you should be cleaning schools. This is not the same candidate who said if you’re black and twelve or thirteen this “buck” should be treated as an adult if he were to be punished in the criminal justice system.

Who are they talking too or speaking for? I seriously doubt these people would say that about an enemy captured in a time of war. Oh sorry, when they were in power they did and brought them to a place Called Gitmo.

This language takes me back to a time I thought had long past. This kind of thinking conjures up images of Bull Connor and Strom Thurmond. Let’s face it because the man duly election to be the Commander in Chief is a man of color. It appears to me from the rhetoric that is being hurled with such distinction that these folks have come from under the hood and taken off the sheets.

Whichever candidate might emerge as the GOP contender to which each of them has used the coded language like “take back our country”. They WILL DO damage under a cloak of cover and not worry about the law coming for them because they will be the law.

So, we are back to the question: How far are the Republicans willing to go to get Obama? Moreover, what will they do to us, if elected! And that’s my THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVE…

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Where did this guy come from???

I am proud to announce that I have moved “Thought Provoking Perspectives” to The John T. Wills Chronicles information portal. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my followers for reading and I humbly invite you to visit my blogs new home as it is as thought provoking as ever with much more information sure to empower you. In the ten days since the “Chronicles” launched it has received more than 3500 hits and hundreds of comments posted to the many articles, and I say again thank you for your support. Please visit: http://johntwillschronicles.com.

I just have to talk about a news story that has blown my mind. So I’ll get right to the point and ask the question that everyone is thinking but have not asked. “Where did THEY get this Negro?” I am talking about Alvin Greene the Senate nominee who won the South Carolina Democratic primary this week. I guess I should say first that he is from South Carolina, which might explain or answer the question, as they have had their share of odd characters. Mr. Greene, and I use that loosely, has the distinction of being the first African American to win a major party nomination for U.S. Senate in the state and faces the Republican Party Senator or maybe Tea Bagger Jim DeMint in the general election.

Let me tell you a little about this character Greene before I agree with everyone else except those who planted him into the equation. He won the Democratic primary race in June of 2010 with 58% of votes cast despite virtually no campaigning, no campaign spending, no website, no computer, no cell phone, and had only one campaign sign. He was in the Army and Air Force before an involuntary honorable discharge to which he says is a long story. He is currently unemployed and lives with his father. Ok, so far, not so good.

The state Democratic Party chairperson says she has not seen Greene since he filed the papers to run. Clarendon County Democratic Party Chairman Cal Land told local newspaper The Item that local party leaders have never met Greene. Lend went on to say, he had not attended any local Democratic events and had not responded to any invitations to local stump meetings. He did not attend the state Democratic Party convention nor did he file the legally required forms with the Secretary of the Senate or the Federal Elections Commission. He also said Greene attempted to pay his $10,400 filing fee with a personal check, rather than a check from a campaign account.

Now, this is where it gets messy: The day after the primary election, the media reported that Greene was facing felony charges stemming from a November 2009 arrest for allegedly showing obscene internet photos to an 18 year old University of South Carolina student in a computer lab. As a result of these charges, the South Carolina Democratic Party issued a statement calling for Greene to step down, saying:

“We are proud to have nominated a Democratic ticket this year that, with the apparent exception of Mr. Greene, reflects South Carolina’s values. Our candidates want to give this state a new beginning without the drama and irresponsibility of the past 8 years, and the charges against Mr. Greene indicate that he cannot contribute to that new beginning. I hope he will see the wisdom of leaving the race.”

Greene has refused to bow out of the race and emphatically stated that “The Democratic Party has chosen their nominee, and we have to stand behind their choice. The people have spoken. We need to be pro-South Carolina, not anti-Greene.” When asked to explain how he won Tuesday’s primary, Greene rambles for a bit and then concludes “just hard work,” which frankly appears to be revolutionizing the definition of “hard work.” The interviewer posed a follows up question, “You didn’t hold any campaign functions, you had no campaign signs, no campaign literature, no website, how did you work to get the name out, I mean what did you physically do?” Greene said, “I did just simple old fashioned campaigning, nothing fancy or expensive.”

I am going to give him the benefit of doubt although I don’t believe any of that old fashion stuff. Baffling is to kind, but let’s say that all the stars lined up and God sent him to deliver South Carolina. Has anyone asked his position on anything? Well the only thing I have been about to find about his platform was “jobs, education and justice.”Let’s be mindful that the U.S. Senate has only had a few blacks elected to that office and never more than on at a time. So, are we supposed to be leave that this guy is the beneficiary of Martin Luther King’s – I have a dream?

There has been speculation that he might be a Republican plant in order to stir up trouble in the Democratic Party in order to ensure his opponent an easy victory. Could it be that the Republican’s crossed over casting their votes for him? House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and other have suggested that Greene is a plant and has called for an investigation into the primary. I will say this, and I have lived in America for a half century, this notion, particularly after hearing him speak, is as ridiculous as the Governor going for a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Let me go back to the charges against him. The news report says he has not entered a plea or been indicted in connection with the obscenity charge. Greene asks: “I have not been indicted? Indicted? What does that mean?” His brother, according to reports, explained during an interview that a charge and an indictment are different things.

Greene’s now 19 accuser have said she didn’t know Greene was running. “I really wish I’d known before the election, so I could have said something so that people would have known who they were voting for.” She says, Greene asked her to look at pornography on his screen at a computer lab in a University of South Carolina dormitory and suggested, “Let’s go to your room.” Both her and her mother wants Greene to withdraw from the race adding one other thing: “We want this guy to crawl back under the rock he came from.” Enough said…

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