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Editorials/Columns
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‘Whites Only’ Trending Up
f there was any doubt re-
maining, concerning the amount of racist ideology that courses through the veins of the Republican party, I think U. S. Rep. Steve King, from Iowa stands as a perfect exam- ple that bigotry and prejudice among right-wingers is as strong as ever.
Last week, in a show of sup- port for Geert Wilders, an anti-immigrant candidate for Prime Minister in the Nether- lands, King tweeted: "Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with someone else's babies."
King's words could have been pulled straight from the 'How To be A White Su- premacist' handbook. With coded language like "our civi- lization" standing as a substi- tute for "white civilization" and the phrase "someone else's babies" being a surro- gate reference for "non-white children," King's tweet spoke to the core mantra of white na- tionalism. The idea that white identity must be protected, at all cost, from the genetic catas- trophe that would occur after mixing with, what they de- scribe as, the "mud races."
There is a reason why a for- mer grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, praised King's remarks..... King was, in essence, speak- ing his language.
Along with the wall to keep out Mexicans and the travel ban to keep out dark-skinned Muslims from almost every- where else, King's statement is just another reflection of the kind of America that is taking shape under Donald Trump's presidency. It is a version of America that, if peo- ple like King had their way, would have a "Whites Only" sign hanging from the neck of the Statue of Liberty.
What amazes me more than King's extremist views is the fact that there are Black peo- ple, like CNN's Parris Den- nard, who actually attempt to contextualize and defend King's comments.
What I can't figure out is how a person, who clearly doesn't fit the description of those who would exist within the confines of King's ideal world, could find it within himself to even try to defend this type of rhetoric?
How can a person of color, any color, read or hear King's message and not realize that
he's talking about them? I mean I get that some Blacks, Indians, Mexicans and Arabs are in denial to the point where terms like "nigger," "dot-head" "Wetback" or "sand-nigger" have to be used in order for their antennas to be raised.
But, like the old saying goes, if it walks like a duck, hangs around lakes and quacks, regardless of how much you may want it to be something else, the reality re- mains that you're dealing with a water fowl... Sometimes things are simply how they ap- pear.
While a few Republicans have come out to condemn King's position, we would be foolish to believe that many more don't share his views be- hind closed doors. I don't think it goes against reasoning to assume that King's bold- ness was due, at least in some way, to a significant level of support that gave him the courage to speak his mind.
Like Trump before him King discovered that, in this current environment, express- ing his true feelings about race to a white audience has its ad- vantages. And, unfortunately, for the rest of us, that means we shouldn't be surprised down the road when we begin to hear and see much worse.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
SB128: Florida’s Most Recent License To Kill
t has now become the most recent part of Florida’s “Stand
Your Ground” movement, except, this time, the contro- versial Conservative-brainchild has been given a more lethal welcome: Just last week, the Florida Senate moved to make what it called Senate Bill 128 (Stand Your Ground) a “shoot- first-and-ask questions later” dictum that placed the burden of proof not on the shooter, but on the one who was shot.
Conservatives throughout the state gave congratulations to predominately Republican senators in Tallahassee.
Bill 128 must now go before State House of Representative members, many who promise such a bill will not receive the warm reception it got in the Senate.
To our minds, not only is SB128 intentional in its mis- chief, but it is targeted to unleash a sentiment in our society such as has not been seen since the Civil Rights 1960s when criminal elements in our nation brought forth murder and mayhem in the name of constitutional home-security.
Humbug! What won’t work this time is the fact that the “Stand-Your-Ground” bill will unleash racist wrong-minded- ness and schizophrenia for anyone who has a gun and be- lieves he or she has a right to be afraid.
Therefore, we urge you to contact your state and federal legislators.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
Call Congress To Protest Budget!
resident Trump introduced a budget plan with reduc-
tions not seen since World War II.
Furthermore, Trump’s budget includes $1.7 billion for
2017 and $2.6 billion in 2018 to fund the building of an Alice- in-Wonderland wall on the Mexican border.
While the public was distracted by the “Russians-Hiding- Under-Our–Bed Connection,” as well as “non-existent Obama Wire Tapping,” Trump submitted the budget that cuts (and eliminates in some cases) drastically environmental protection, senior citizen programs and services to poor and low-income citizens.
Among the cuts are 17.9% to 31% reductions to the Envi- ronment Protection Agency, Departments of Labor, Agricul- ture and Education, the Treasury Department, State Department, Transportation Department, Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institute of Health.
Complete defunding is planned of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the Community Development Block Grant Program, Legal Services Corporation, Corpora- tion for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, and all long distance AMTRAK train services.
Moreover, the budget includes cuts to Meals on Wheels, FAA Air Traffic Control services, Job Training programs, and both climate change and clean energy research. Please, call Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio as well as Represen- tatives Gus Bilirakis and Cathy Castor at (202) 224-3121 to make your voices heard. By all means, let them hear you!
American Health Care Act:
Un-American, Un-Healthy And Un-Caring
P
A
“ ll the progress that we’ve made in control- ling costs and improving how health care is delivered, progress that’s helped hold growth in the price of health care to the slowest rate in 50 years -- all that goes away. That’s what repeal means. It would be bad for everybody. And the majority of Americans, even if they don’t know that they're bene- fitting from Obamacare, don’t want to see these benefits and protections taken away from their families now that they have them.” – President
Barack Obama
It’s no exaggeration to say
the Affordable Care Act of
2010 was one of the most sig- nificant pieces of legislation in modern American history, particularly in regard to its im- pact on communities of color.
Before the ACA, nearly a quarter of African Americans were uninsured. That rate has been slashed in half. Nearly 8 million now have access to no- deductible preventative care. The ACA’s expansion of Medi- caid was critical for African Americans, who make up nearly one-in-five enrollees. And the investment of billions of dollars in community health centers, which disproportion- ately serve Black neighbor- hoods, has helped to narrow health disparities.
Dismantling the ACA, as Congress and the President seek to do with the introduc- tion of the American Health Care Act, would be nothing short of a disaster for commu- nities of color and Americans over 50. It’s a windfall for the wealthiest Americans, wrenched from the poor, the sick and the struggling. In short, it’s un-American.
More than 24 million Americans could be uninsured by 2026, according to the non- partisan Congressional Budget Office. The White House’s own internal estimate places that number even higher, at 26 million.
The ACA is not perfect, but the American Health Care Act does not seek to address its imperfections. Its primary fea- ture is a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. Premi- ums for older customers will skyrocket to unaffordable lev- els, forcing many of them to forego insurance. It further re- moves the individual mandate, which requires most Ameri- cans to purchase insurance, and the employer mandate re- quiring large employers to provide insurance to employ- ees.