To Justice Scalia: Shape up or Ship out

For the sake of argument I'll give Justice Scalia his protest, rule of law or not. What the good justice fails to remember, other than the fact that he marginalizes the gravity of his tenure through politically charged outbursts, is the Constitution was deliberately crafted with contradictions to allow future generations to sort them out as those contradictions became central confusions to our way of life. Without them we would need no Supreme Court in the first place. Those inherent contradictions give the Supreme Court a reason to get up in the morning. But Scalia acts like he would rather fuss incoherently in his sleep. The fact that there is an accommodation to allow additional states into the union complicates immigration policy. The fact that Jefferson bought Louisiana from the French complicates immigration policy. The fact that we fought Mexico for Texas and that Mexico historically disputed that border complicates immigration policy. The fact that the people of Mexico and Central America roamed the Pacific Coast seasonally for their livelihood long before California became a state complicates immigration policy. The fact that Arizona and New Mexico have only been States for 100 years complicates immigration policy. The fact that the 14th Amendment decreed former slaves as citizens complicates immigration policy. The fact that we have the power to impose the Monroe Doctrine complicates our immigration policy. The fact the we allow refugee status based on which corrupt government we support and which we do not complicates our immigration policy. And the fact that over two and a quarter centuries individual states have displayed such hard heartedness in application of states' rights that the federal government ultimately steps in to maintain uniformity of purpose legitimizes the need for a sovereign right of the federal government to effect and enforce laws that may otherwise complicate the relationships between the individual states and sovereign nations they can not make treaties with. So, Justice Scalia, stop acting like a child and begin to perform your duties according to the oath you took when your selection to our highest court was confirmed. Commit to calming the stormy waters of our contradictory existence or resign.

It's worse than I thought . . .

Black people, what y'all gonna do??? Why do you want to continue living here so quietly under these conditions? O.K. I understand your silence while white folks called Brother Obama everything but a child of God. Our "firsts" always have to be in the mold of Jackie Robinson. Now they're trying to force Brother Holder out for doing his job, defending the right to vote. I know a lot of you have been down that road before. Unfortunately, there are still too many whites who can't stand being led by a black person, let alone pay attention to what one has to say. What's the white man's plan? Just ask Mike Huckabee. Last October he urged a group of Ohio Republicans to impose their opinions by any means necessary, specifically urging preventing the opposition from getting to the polls through lying, cheating and stealing. His message is unprecedented in US politics, not that folks have not done these things before -- and gone to jail for it -- but for a respected party leader to say so publicly with impunity is a new low. Why they believe they can get away with such blatant lawlessness is because the president is black and well-meaning whites routinely give hateful whites a pass to do anything they want to denigrate black people, especially competent and decent black people. So far the haters are right. If this was just about politics it wouldn't be so bad, but the implications for black people in general are profound. Why? The Birther charges will remain an historical smear to Obama's birthright family and legacy, while stereotypically dangling over the heads of black people across the nation. You know what they'll say and get away with. Black people lie all the time and can't be trusted with responsibility unless they're on our side, that being right-wing Republicanism. Do you have any idea how long it will be before the next socially conscious black person will be taken seriously or get an opportunity to run for president? What's left are dyed in the wool tea party turn coats like Herman Cain and Allen West, both unfit for the office. African Americans willing to sing that tune will no longer be called black, nor will they want to be. Uncle Tom will roll over in his grave. Hey, just because I'm black doesn't mean I rubber stamp everything Obama does and says, but in general I support his well-meaning efforts. When I have not I have written and told him why not. As far as Republicans go, had Jeb Bush run for and won the presidency I would have been all right. John Huntsman would have been acceptable. In fact, it was only his big brother I have had a serious issue with in my lifetime, and I've been around since Truman beat Dewey. My theory has been regardless how bad the president, the Legislature and Judiciary would keep the Executive in check (see Watergate). That no longer is the case. The Tea Party has become puppet master of the Republican majority in the House, obstructive Republican filibustering slows progress in the Senate, and with the financial industry bank rolling both the Tea Party and the judiciary, who wins the presidency matters a lot. The immediate goal is to voter suppress Blacks, Hispanics, independent minded women, and those preferring alternative life styles out of relevance. So black folks, it's either fight or leave. Your right to fair and equal treatment is in jeopardy. Angry white men are making a stand to take back their country, as they put it. My fight was in the sixties. If Obama loses I'm packing my bags.

The Next Step

Sometimes the pundits are right, well partly right.  Occupy Wall Street Protesters, it's time to plan an end-game. Here's a suggestion.  Organize meetings among all the movement sites to adopt a platform, not a list of demands.  Yep, I''m talking about getting into politics in a real way.  The reality is we can never change the government from the outside.  The main reason is they got bigger guns and the jails.  And if you don't believe they will use them you haven't read our history from the fifties and the sixties.  It can always happen again, especially with this group of politicians.  We have to become the system.

Now for a platform.  It doesn't have to be complex.  After all, some of you are Democrats some Republicans, and some just want a fair shake.  We can argue over the little things later.  The big deals require common sense and willingness to negotiate.  As a member of the 99% myself, what I want from government is both fiscal responsibility and social responsibility.  And yes, we can have both, and afford them.  Both require a fair and responsible tax system.  One more thing.  Money is not the only form of speech.  We don't need to spend billions of dollars to gain real representation.  What good is social media if we do not use it to our advantage?  Once we have a platform one of three things will happen:  legislators will support us, legislators will oppose us and attempt to discredit us, or legislators will sit on the fence. The obvious fight is the opposition.   Those on the fence are waiting to be bought.  That's not how we roll.  So we know who we have to run against. We need to find champions to run against them and prove we are the majority, not them.  Remember, this platform is not about party, it's about priorities.  Elections should always address priorities, and priorities change.  When the legislature does not change as quickly as the public's predicament it's time to vote out the old and vote in the new.  That's why Representatives are only elected for two-year terms, and a third of the Senate faces the will of the people at the same time.  Of course the principals of our platform have to be applied at local levels as well. Another thing we must do is re-certify as many voters as possible according to the laws of the 38 states that have de-certified their voting status.  We must help to compile all the documentation those individual states require.  With the number of disenfranchised estimated at around 5 million, we will need an army to do this.  Such is the nature of voter registration today.  Then we can change the rules back and protect against them ever being enacted again.

Remember Obama's campaign slogan?  What I figured out two years ago, is change is happening, it just may not be what was expected by Obama or the Tea Party.  So all you Democrats, Republicans and Independents out there on the front lines, get involved in your primaries, find candidates with the intelligence and practicality to work for real answers, make sure the voting public can vote, and above all, first order of business along with jobs, jobs, jobs, close all those loopholes so Wall Street can never do to us again what they do to us now.  And if Corporate America wants move off shore and give our jobs to other countries, we can pass laws to make it easier to start our own businesses and make them pay a premium to use our natural resources and sell their wares here.  After all, not only are we 99% of this country we are 40% of the world's economy.