Stop Lumping ALL Older Black Folks Together

While watching CNN recently, I listened to the commentators talk about the impact the black vote will have on who gets the nod in the Democratic party to run for President.  The general consensus was (backed up by a recent  Poll) that Joe Biden had an overwhelming amount of support from black people age 65 and older. According to Michael Nutter, a former Philadelphia Mayor and current Democratic National Committee member, the assumption is, "You go with what you know.  A lot of folks know Joe Biden.  There's power and loyalty in that."  Why?  Because he was President Obama's VP?  He, just like many of the other white candidates, are pimping the black vote.

I'm not quite in that age group but I'm close enough and, for the record, I am NOT on the Joe Biden bandwagon.  As a matter of fact, most of the people in my circle aren't in his camp.  Many of us haven't forgotten how disrespectful he was to Professor Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings AND the fact that he didn't offer an apology until he officially entered the presidential race.  Those of us who read and listen to more than one news source may recall some comments printed back in 1975 when he was a Senator.  He was quoted by a Delaware publication as saying:

"I don't feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather.  I feel responsible for what the situation is today for the sins of my own generation, and I'll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago."

If you watched the most recent Democratic debate, you saw him avoid answering the question when a reporter brought up the comments he made in 1975.  Instead, he rambled on about how some black parents don't really know how to raise their kids.

Putting Joe Biden front and center as the CHOICE of the Democratic party is another media ploy---just like the media couldn't get enough of the soundbites and antics of Donald Trump during his presidential run.  I've said it before and will continue to say it:  The media is responsible for putting Trump in the White House.

Here's the truth about polls:  They can be shaped anyway you choose for the result you want.  I don't actually know what "overwhelming support by black voters 65 and older" actually means because I don't know how many voters were actually surveyed for the responses provided.  I do know that if you only interviewed 1000 people and more than 600 said they support Biden, that could be viewed as overwhelming support but interviewing only 1000 black people 65 and over is ridiculous when the population is more than four million.

I vote faithfully EVERY ELECTION even though I do feel, sometimes, that my vote holds little value (especially after the 2016 Russian interference).

If any political pundits do happen to read this, please be advised I am not on the Joe Biden bandwagon and I would appreciate it if you respect the fact that not all of us speak with the same voice when it comes to politics.  Thank you very much.

The Radicalization of White Evangelicals

#45 and Evangelical supporters

According to a recent survey, more than 60 percent of white evangelicals say Trump has not damaged the dignity of the office of the Presidency.  A whopping 99 percent say of these same white evangelicals say they are opposed to him being impeached from office.  They believe Trump represents their interests and their hopes for keeping America the kind of country they can identify with (code for "white privilege rule") and free from terrorism, immigration and crime.  They see him as their protector.

Not long ago, I saw a video posted on Twitter about a man who identified himself as a Pastor and declared there would be a war on Christians before the end of 2019 and he was heading to his bunker to prepare.

Yes, I do believe there is a war going on INSIDE the United States but the white evangelicals are the perpetrators.  They have picked up their crosses (and probably their guns) and declared themselves as victims of a war AGAINST THEM by the non-believers.  They have been radicalized and and say it's all "in the name of Jesus!"  As a follower of Christ, I am baffled at how a group of people who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus are behaving like white terrorists.

 Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of white evangelicals until I moved to the South and then I was curious as to why they call themselves evangelicals.  Is it because they believe they are God's angels placed here on Earth to make sure we are all "born-again" so we can go to Heaven and be one big happy family under God?  I think not---especially when you take into consideration that more than 80 percent of those who identify themselves as evangelicals voted for #45 in the 2016 election.  (Source:  Christianity.com).   Furthermore, a whopping 70 percent of white evangelical Protestants approved of #45 from July 2018 to January 2019.  And according to a Pew study, "White evangelical Protestants who regularly attend church (at least once a week or more) approve of #45 at rates matching or exceeded those of white evangelicals who attend church less often." (Source:  The Atlantic).

It's obvious these people have an agenda.  Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that have tolerated Trump's crass behavior and not spoken out against Trump's betrayal of Biblical principles. According to my Bible, #45 has broken at least FIVE of the Ten Commandments!  However, these white evangelicals have become his foot soldiers with their rallying cries against Muslims and other immigrants as they long for his Make America Great Again campaign slogan to become their reality.

Yes, these white evangelicals clearly have an agenda and they are willing to put their "religion" aside for their GREATER good.  It's no secret that they'd like to see a world without abortion rights and have applauded states like AL, GA, LA, KY, MS, MO, OH, AR and UT, who have all passed stricter abortion laws in 2019.  They are concerned that their white christian culture may be dissolving before their eyes so they need judges on the bench who will rule in favor of their causes.  They get what they want from #45 and he gets what he wants---their votes.  One hand washes the other but sadly, it'll never be clean.

The rest of America has been consumed by things like mass shootings, the impeachment inquiry, climate change, the unraveling of the Middle East, etc.  What we need to focus on is those white Christians who call themselves evangelicals and who have been radicalized in the name of Jesus. Remember, these are the SAME people who believe #45 was chosen by God to protect our nation.