I just have two tidbits of snark tonight … well, in truth I have a bunch more than two, but two is all I feel up to imparting tonight, for I am tired.
The 51st state?
Yesterday, the House passed a bill to make Washington D.C. the 51st state of the union, but that bill is almost certain to fail in the Senate. Not one single House Republican voted for statehood, and that is likely to be the case in the Senate, where the filibuster will demand 60 votes to pass.
At present 714,153 people live in Washington D.C. With only 61 square miles of land, DC has the highest population density in the U.S. Yet, the people who live in DC have no political representation, and the Republicans in Congress would like to keep it that way. Why? Primarily because DC has a majority Black population, and it is the goal of the Republican Party to keep as many Blacks as possible from voting, since they typically vote for Democrats. If you don’t believe me, just look at the 250+ voter suppression bills in process in 43 states at present — all aimed at keeping people of colour and the poor from having a voice. Republicans may give you a dozen excuses for their obfuscation, but when you cut through the bull, it boils down to the fact that if the people of DC had the ability to elect two senators, they would most likely elect Democratic senators and the Republicans don’t want that. Simple.
Of course, Republican lawmakers have come up with a multitude of excuses, such as Representative Glenn Grothman, who claims the district does not qualify for statehood because it does not have manufacturing, agriculture or natural resources. Or another who said it couldn’t qualify for statehood because it doesn’t have a landfill. But, at the end of the day, it doesn’t qualify because it has a Black majority. Apparently those excuse-seeking members of Congress have never actually read the U.S. Constitution.
Imagine those residents of the district … they live, they work, they pay taxes, they serve in the military … with no representation in Congress. I think the people of the district have been remarkably patient … and they deserve better than they’re getting.
One less racist cop
William Kelly was a Lieutenant in the Norfolk, Virginia, police department until he was fired earlier this week. The reason for his firing? He contributed to the legal defense fund of that teenage punk, Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter protest.
But, Kelly not only contributed financially, he also left a message for Rittenhouse on the GiveSendGo crowdfunding site, saying …
“God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong. Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
Did nothing wrong????? WTF??? The boy, at the time 17 years of age, wasn’t even old enough to own a gun … in fact didn’t own a gun, but he borrowed an AR-15 from a friend and ended up killing two and seriously injuring another! And a high-ranking police officer is applauding his actions??? Tell me again that we don’t need police reform in this country!
Chip Filer, Norfolk’s city manager, issued a statement …
“His egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve. The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable.”
And from the city’s police chief, Larry D. Boone …
“A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is to serve and protect them. We do not want perceptions of any individual officer to undermine the relations between the Norfolk Police Department and the community.”
So, there’s one less racist officer on the streets of Norfolk, Virginia tonight, but how many more in cities across this nation?
Filosofa's Word 