Supermoon Whitelash

Waiting for the supermoon was enough of a minor distraction to pull me out of my post-election doldrums. Then I saw this.

Former Reaganite and Trump anger translator Jeffrey Lord says Democrats started the Klu Klux Klan.  Understanding the truth behind this statement requires much more nuance than a hamfisted shill for Donald Trump is capable of, at least on camera. I followed the breadcrumbs to where this line originated. As usual, I expected nothing and I was completely disappointed.

When Bishop E.W. Jackson -- lawyer, staunch Republican, conservative political pundit, former radio talk show host and ex-marine, amongst other things -- was a nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia in 2012, he released a video through his organization S.T.A.N.D. (Staying True to America's National Destiny) to push an agenda called Exodus Now. 

His goal? To convince black people to leave the Democratic party. What motivated all this? The Democrat's support of gay marriage at the 2012 convention.

Bishop Jackson says that Black people should leave the Democratic party because Democrats are the ones who started the KKK. In the wake of this claim, Virginia State Senator Stephen Martin repeated it -- adding that Democrats also created Planned Parenthood. When Senator Martin realized that there is no evidence to support his claim regarding Planned Parenthood (or the Klan), he said he misspoke. By then, the misinformation was out there, parading itself as the truth, and the alt-right was off to the races, embracing this statement as a call to action.

During the most recent election cycle, the ads imploring an ethnic mass exodus from the Democratic party have been nonstop -- from Republicans who declare themselves "the party of Lincoln", no less.  Now, making a statement like "The Democratic party started the Klan!" is the gigantic turdbomb of epic proportions that any neo-con can use to dead-end a political discussion. And no one wants to dismantle it. 

A simple fact check and a brief history lesson proves that this statement is not entirely true.  

Political parties evolve over time.  In the 19th century, they simply didn't exist as we know them today. Instead of identifying everything and everyone as Republican or Democrat, it's much more helpful to see where the shift in white supremacy takes place, and take it from there. Why? Because each party is made up of people who think a certain way and that's what shapes the party's beliefs and defines its platform -- not the name of the party itself.  Over time, the white supremacists, racists and bigots have shifted from one party to another.   That's the American way. 

 

As a Southerner and an African-American woman that's two generations removed from slavery, the question I ask constantly is this: Which one of you are white supremacists and what party are you affiliated with now? Political parties are not stagnant, fixed, immovable. As white supremacists change directions and affiliations, the parties are redefined. What was liberal is now conservative, and vice versa. 

Yes -- during the 19th century, Democrats were much more racist than Republicans.  Were Klan members Democrats? In all likelihood, yes -- but the Democratic party didn't start the KKK.  Then the Civil Rights Movement happened, polarizing Southern Christians against the Democratic party. When African-Americans gained the right to vote and became Democrats, those white supremacist Southern Christian became Republicans. In this regard, Republicans weren't a force for civil rights. For the Dixie-crats who joined their ranks, they were a refuge from it.  Those KKK Democrats are Republicans now -- and celebrating their win in The White House.

For days after the election, I fielded phone calls and texts and DMs and IMs from friends near and far, offering support, asylum and solid advice.  I got a text from my German sibling in Berlin that made me very happy.  I've chatted with lots of musicians who say they're not working or associating with anyone who voted for Trump.  One friend couldn't stop crying.  Another didn't know what to do about her Republican relatives.  Because Thanksgiving.

No one wants to spend the holidays with parents who voted for a bigoted, racist white supremacist.  No one wants to buy Christmas presents for anyone who put the alt-right in The White House.  No one wants to spend any quality time with someone who refuses to acknowledge that by campaigning on hate and fear, Trump created this climate of
violence and open hostility against people of color, women, the disabled and LGBTQs.  This is what we're left with: everyone getting bullied, even children (it's become a disturbing trend); women getting groped when they least expect it; African-American college students, harassed; and yes, murder.



Like a monkey gleefully flinging it's own excrement, way too many white people are spewing all kinds of racial epithets in every direction and smearing their ignorance all over everything with a fervor that is nothing short of stultifying. A friend in his 50s told me that he didn't recognize his high school friends anymore. He couldn't believe the things they were saying. When I hung up the phone, I remembered that his ex-wife was Jewish. His daughters -- both in college -- were at risk. One of them was in a march somewhere on the west coast and some guy hit her in the head with a rock.

He felt helpless, scared.  "How do you know who the good guys are?" he asked me.  Welcome to my black world, I must have said. Or something like that. And then I laughed.

"But she's my Mom," a gay friend whispered tearfully.

"Does she know who Mike Pence is? Does she realize what she's done?" I said flatly. 

"Yeah," he said weakly.  "She keeps going on about how Trump is going to bring morality back..." And then his voice trailed off.  He's a musical theater performer. His husband is a musician. They've got Obamacare.  They've got a great life. And it's over.

The moon hasn't been this close to the earth since 1948 -- when African-Americans were at the mercy of home-grown terrorism by the Klan (all over the country, not just the South) and the federal government did nothing to stop them.  There'll be other supermoons that will make you press pause and look up and wax poetic, but it won't be this close again until 2034 -- and God only knows what this country will be like when that happens.  We won't be where we were in 1948 -- but where are we going? 

Hopefully, you did something momentous on Sunday night.  (If you didn't, tonight is your night.) MPB and I had a mutton chop at Keen's and ate like it's 1889. Then we went for a walk in the moonlight and this depression rose and floated away from me like smoke. By the time I got home, something had shifted. 

As this new reality sets in and the climate of hate refuses to go away, it'll be interesting to see and hear what your favorite artist has to say about any of this in 2017.

more, more, more...

more fallout about how patently clueless sarah palin is on the basics from jack cafferty's cafferty file in CNN's situation room. (in her interview with charlie gibson, she was not at all familiar with the bush doctrine.  where has this woman been since 9/11?  astonishing stuff...) what's disturbing at this point is how many neo-conservative republicans want her to step down for the good of the nation and her political party -- and how so many others insist that she's doing a great job.  like elizabeth hasselbeck on the view, for example. *sigh* 

are most republicans like ms. hasselbeck?  close-minded, unyielding and uninformed, blathering their way through any argument by talking over anyone else?  i'm not kidding when i say this: she has the intellectual maturity of a canned ham. seriously -- she is genuinely uninterested in considering anyone else's point of view, even when what she's saying (her vigorous defense of sarah palin to joy's hilarous observation) is pure idiocy.  she seems proud, that she is standing up to the liberals by spewing talking points like shrapnel. ew.

i don't want republicans to become democrats. i don't want to convert anyone to a particular way of thinking. i just want everyone to stop clinging to their ideology and listen to another point of view. ms. hasselbeck is a wierd case to me because she's on a show that's all about considering that other perspective -- and she doesn't do it.  if she's typical of what a republican is like -- because frankly, i don't know any -- we are going down like a freight train, a la freddy king.  but i digress.

i said all that to say this.

as we stand on the verge of tomorrow's vice presidential debate, i thought it would be a good idea to zip through these clips to get a glimpse of what the rest of the country is thinking. because like i said, i don't know any republicans.  

what black men think -- a response to the "Black In America" CNN special

in the face of media hype and bunkum surrounding the CNN special on the state of our nation, it's always a good idea to get an intelligent thought-provoking black response -- especially if that response is from a black american man regarding statistics of black american males.

i don't trust anything the media tells me -- about what's happening in the world, on my home turf and most definitely what's happening with me and my black community. it's simply not in their best interest to tell me the truth. and that goes double for the government.

enjoy.

cnn-nning

still processing the black in america series on cnn. much to think about, much to discuss. will get back to you after my well-planned overdose of fun this weekend.

check THIS out...

yes, i missed the CNN special Black in America: Black Women and Family. what can i tell you?my day had still had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off by early evening. maybe subconsciously, i wanted to miss it because i didn't want to have something else to be pissed off about, right about now. they'll rerun it ad nauseum, i'm sure.

in the meantime, here's an interesting twist: they're going to dissect all of it online, with experts and anchors and viewers oh my! you can send in commentary, video, you name it. they really want feedback. here's hoping they get it.

all i could think was, so what's the goal here? is it redundant to talk to me about what its like to be black in this country? are we attempting to uplift the race with stats about how well we're really doing? are we attempting to initiate thought-provoking conversations about issues like race and class? or are we trying to let white people in on something that they may not be aware of? and isn't it usually a totally different conversation when there are no white people in the room?

like i said, i missed the special. and unlike a lot of black folk i know, i'm going to make a point of watching it. still and all, having an online special is interesting. and yes, i'm definitely going to miss that, too -- i have an audition. more on that later.

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Soledad O’Brien Hosts One-Hour Online Special Featuring iReports and Interviews with Viewers, Experts

On Thursday, July 24, at 12 p.m. (ET), CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will host a live, one-hour online special entitled Black in America: Your Reaction on CNN.com Live, the site’s live, multi-stream video news service. Focused on CNN’s highly anticipated Black in America documentaries, the online exclusive will examine viewer reactions to Black in America: The Black Woman & Family, which airs tonight, Wednesday, July 23, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on CNN/U.S. During the CNN.com Live one-hour special, O’Brien will interview several prominent figures in Black America, as well as the documentary series’ producers about their 18-month investigation. CNN.com Live’s Black in America: Your Reaction also will feature a brief preview of Black in America: The Black Man, airing on CNN/U.S. Thursday, July 24, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

O’Brien will interview author and activist Maryann Reid about the themes discussed in her latest book, Marry Your Baby Daddy; as well as co-authors of Love in Black and White – former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, a public relations consultant and former journalist – about their inspiring story of overcoming obstacles in race and romance as an interracial couple in America.

During CNN.com Live’s Black in America: Your Reaction, O’Brien will speak with Bishop James W.E. Dixon, II of The Community of Faith Church at the King’s Dome in Houston – which this week is holding Black in America viewing parties and town halls – about his congregation’s reaction to the documentary. O’Brien likewise will showcase viewer reactions that were taped following other special pre-screenings of the Black in America series in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C.

O’Brien will present viewers’ and users’ firsthand accounts of the black experience and reactions to the documentary series submitted to iReport.com, CNN Worldwide’s first uncensored, unfiltered, unedited, user-generated community Web site. Online users may share their firsthand accounts of and reactions to Black in America through video, photo, or audio submissions to www.iReport.com/BlackinAmerica. Black in America, reported by O’Brien, examines often under-reported stories of the African-American experience, including fresh analysis from new voices about the real lives behind the stereotypes and statistics that frequently frame the national dialogue about Black America. Black in America: The Black Woman & Family airs on Wednesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), and Black in America: The Black Man airs on Thursday, July 24 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Black in America was filmed in high definition and will air on CNN/U.S., CNN HD and CNN International. The series will be available on iTunes and on video on demand (VOD) 24 hours following the premiere. Viewers should check with their local cable providers for VOD availability.

CNN.com is the world’s No. 1 destination for online and wireless news, garnering the greatest audience share among current events and global news sites. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide and its many partners to provide consumers with the most enriching, immediate interaction with news anywhere, seamlessly combining articles, videos, images, interactive features and user-generated content. CNN.com’s news video offering – both live and on-demand – is unparalleled on the Web. CNN.com’s recent awards include an Edward R. Murrow award, a National Headliner award and two EPpy awards.

CNN: Black in America

i have a bad feeling about this one.

what makes this especially frustrating is that i've received at least a half-dozen email blasts encouraging any black anybody to see it. i'm going to make every effort to watch both specials with an open mind.

first up: the black woman and family, on hdtv wednesday july 23th at 9pm.

Don't miss this CNN Special Report

on tomorrow night at 9pm, CNN will air Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination -- the day before the anniversary of the dreaded event. supposedly they've been given access to material that was completely off limits previously, including eyewitnesses, FBI documents, and the killer's room. this should be interesting. how cool that i don't have to turn to (white owned) BET for some kind of acknowledgement, that i can watch a program on a news channel that's fairly mainstream to see my story, my history. my theory is that when it comes time to making programming decisions at these networks, there are more and more black people in the room in positions of authority that can at least pitch an idea or make viable suggestions.

i have to admit: when i heard about this, i rolled my eyes and thought about last year's NBC News special about black women in america and how far off the mark they were. nevertheless, something in me is hopeful that CNN gets this right. trying just isn't enough. not anymore. we don't have that kind of time.

this is the first installment of CNN's Black In America series, so maybe the NBC News special got this ball rolling.

i know there's a documentary about it but here's what i want to see: a comprehensive expose about the chicago raid on the black panther party by the FBI's COINTEL-PRO that left fred hampton dead at the age of 20.

something in me knows that i'll see that movie when i make it.