Telling It Like It Is
by C.A. Matthews
Before I go any further, please watch the following short "Honest Government Ad" produced by The Juice Media:
This brilliant piece of satire is scathing, and yet it could be argued that nothing presented in its three minutes is unduly exaggerated or misrepresented. The cold hard facts are just that bleak, that bloody awful. Our friends in Australia at The Juice Media did their homework well.
The three main points of the video are summed up as follows:
1.) The Trump administration has completely (and possibly purposefully) mishandled the COVID-19 crisis, causing (at latest count) over 158,000 unnecessary deaths in the US with a fatality rate of 3.38%. There's no end to the COVID deaths and suffering in sight, since little to no national effort has been made to enforce stricter methods to contain the virus and universal health care (such as Medicare for All) has yet to be enacted.
2.) Any so-called "relief packages" passed by the Trump administration and the current Congress have been woefully inadequate to address the needs of the American populace. Instead, our leaders in Washington have further enriched the billionaire class and showered more tax breaks and free money on banks and corporations rather than helping out small businesses and families. Many Americans now face imminent eviction and hunger--if they're not already among the many millions unemployed.
3.) Our rights to peaceful protest and free speech have been abridged by a federal policing force akin to Nazi Germany's SS snatch squads. Hints that our upcoming presidential election could be cancelled or delayed have been dropped in late night Tweets. Instead, blame has (once again) been leveled at minorities and protesters rather than on our corrupt system of policing and governance in the US. All this under the guise of "patriotism" and "saving democracy" while, for all intents and purposes, effectively thwarting those cherished ideals.
Not too bad for a short satirical parody video, right? It really packs a punch!
The main reason I wanted to feature this "Honest Government Ad" was to emphasize the point that those who dare "tell it like it is" are often maligned, sometimes threatened (physically, financially and psychologically), and almost always ridiculed or ignored until it becomes apparent that these prophets' vision of reality was true all along. No doubt many will try to tear down the facts presented in the video or explain how Trump and Congress couldn't possibly be so cold-hearted. Still, how do you explain the thousands of unnecessary deaths and untold suffering that could have been prevented if anyone in Washington DC had an ounce of compassion for us ordinary Americans?
Nina Turner, former Sanders campaign surrogate and Our Revolution president, is one such brave soul not afraid to speak truth to power. She recently left the Democratic Party, and it was not a decision she took lightly. The lies, corruption, manipulation and plain old-fashioned greed of the DNC finally convinced her that playing their game wasn't going to bring about Bernie Sanders' "future to believe in." She felt she could no longer spend precious energy and effort on covering for a losing cause--a party that supports it corporate backers above all else. Nina has moved on to support the Movement for a People's Party.
They are lucky to have her.
Will Nina be maligned, ridiculed, ignored and threatened? Of course she will be! She has been treated similarly in the past, and so the future will hold no surprises for her in that area. But Nina will at last be able to tell it like it is without looking over her shoulder in fear, worrying what the party naysayers are saying and doing behind her back. Her newfound freedom may cost her dearly in her future political career, but in the end, I think it will be worth it. Nina's voice of truth and passion will never be tainted by association with the self-aggrandizing hypocrites of the DNC.
Telling it like it is can be both scary and liberating. "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house," as it says in the Bible. But, in the end, truth telling is what keeps many of us sane and capable to act and able to look ourselves in the eye in the mirror during these insane times.
And we need all the sanity we can get because...
The three main points of the video are summed up as follows:
1.) The Trump administration has completely (and possibly purposefully) mishandled the COVID-19 crisis, causing (at latest count) over 158,000 unnecessary deaths in the US with a fatality rate of 3.38%. There's no end to the COVID deaths and suffering in sight, since little to no national effort has been made to enforce stricter methods to contain the virus and universal health care (such as Medicare for All) has yet to be enacted.
2.) Any so-called "relief packages" passed by the Trump administration and the current Congress have been woefully inadequate to address the needs of the American populace. Instead, our leaders in Washington have further enriched the billionaire class and showered more tax breaks and free money on banks and corporations rather than helping out small businesses and families. Many Americans now face imminent eviction and hunger--if they're not already among the many millions unemployed.
3.) Our rights to peaceful protest and free speech have been abridged by a federal policing force akin to Nazi Germany's SS snatch squads. Hints that our upcoming presidential election could be cancelled or delayed have been dropped in late night Tweets. Instead, blame has (once again) been leveled at minorities and protesters rather than on our corrupt system of policing and governance in the US. All this under the guise of "patriotism" and "saving democracy" while, for all intents and purposes, effectively thwarting those cherished ideals.
Not too bad for a short satirical parody video, right? It really packs a punch!
The main reason I wanted to feature this "Honest Government Ad" was to emphasize the point that those who dare "tell it like it is" are often maligned, sometimes threatened (physically, financially and psychologically), and almost always ridiculed or ignored until it becomes apparent that these prophets' vision of reality was true all along. No doubt many will try to tear down the facts presented in the video or explain how Trump and Congress couldn't possibly be so cold-hearted. Still, how do you explain the thousands of unnecessary deaths and untold suffering that could have been prevented if anyone in Washington DC had an ounce of compassion for us ordinary Americans?
Nina Turner, former Sanders campaign surrogate and Our Revolution president, is one such brave soul not afraid to speak truth to power. She recently left the Democratic Party, and it was not a decision she took lightly. The lies, corruption, manipulation and plain old-fashioned greed of the DNC finally convinced her that playing their game wasn't going to bring about Bernie Sanders' "future to believe in." She felt she could no longer spend precious energy and effort on covering for a losing cause--a party that supports it corporate backers above all else. Nina has moved on to support the Movement for a People's Party.
They are lucky to have her.
Will Nina be maligned, ridiculed, ignored and threatened? Of course she will be! She has been treated similarly in the past, and so the future will hold no surprises for her in that area. But Nina will at last be able to tell it like it is without looking over her shoulder in fear, worrying what the party naysayers are saying and doing behind her back. Her newfound freedom may cost her dearly in her future political career, but in the end, I think it will be worth it. Nina's voice of truth and passion will never be tainted by association with the self-aggrandizing hypocrites of the DNC.
Telling it like it is can be both scary and liberating. "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house," as it says in the Bible. But, in the end, truth telling is what keeps many of us sane and capable to act and able to look ourselves in the eye in the mirror during these insane times.
And we need all the sanity we can get because...
The following are examples of activists who aren't afraid of telling it like it is. Watch and share their videos with others who are seeking the truth.
One of the most popular podcasters in the history of You Tube most certainly tells it like it is:
https://youtu.be/8h9CTXNujN0
"If you're an employer who pays a non-living wage, then you're not a job creator--you're a poverty exploiter. ...We live in a failed state." --Jimmy Dore
Another voice crying in the wilderness--Lee Camp--points out how our government seems to have an addiction to killing people.
https://youtu.be/Ox5rs4evx7k
An outsider who takes a closer look into what's happening in America and not afraid to share his views--The Rational National, Canadian pundit David Doel.
https://youtu.be/hpPQsn5Qaj
Jordan Chariton of "Status Coup" has made a name for himself by covering stories the mainstream media reporters tend to forget--like how there's still lead in the water in Flint, Michigan. https://youtu.be/q0A54XtpK0A
The Humanist Report's Mike Figueredo is an indie voice who doesn't hold back on the truth, no matter whose toes he may step on. https://youtu.be/OUzbdO5Vpgo
***
Tell the EPA to Stop Undermining Clean Air Protections During COVID-19
At a time when we should be strengthening clean air protections, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—against the advice of its own scientists—has decided not to enhance critical safeguards to better control dangerous air pollution. This inaction means up to 12,500 more people will die prematurely every year—and Black and Latino people, as well as low-income communities, bear a disproportionate share of the air pollution burden. The continued assault on our nation’s clean air safeguards is unconscionable, especially now, in the middle of a global pandemic that directly impacts respiratory health. Tell the EPA to step up and protect people’s health.
***
From Color of Change:It has happened again.
This time, in Detroit. A Black man was ruthlessly murdered by rogue cops. And the officers are still employed two weeks later.
On July 10, Hakim Littleton’s friend was being arrested by a swarm of cops -- and in the process, Hakim drew a gun, shot at an officer, and ultimately missed.1 After Hakim was tackled, disarmed, and lay face down on the ground, he was repeatedly shot, and one officer even shot him in the back of the head at point-blank range.
We’ll never know why Hakim drew the gun. He will never be able to tell what was going through his mind as officers swarmed them that day. But we do know that Hakim should still be alive. He did not deserve to be executed at point-blank range by the very people who “swear to protect” us.
Hakim’s murder was a public execution. We demand accountability for the officers, the police chief, and the entire Detroit Police Department for our Black brother.
Add your name to the petition to demand #JusticeforHakim.
Despite how carelessly the cops sprayed bullets at Hakim, Detroit police chief James Craig has spewed lies to the media, misrepresented what happened the day Hakim was murdered, and continues to conspire against Hakim by referring to the officers as “heroes.” The department even tried to hide the additional video footage that clearly shows Hakim was shot multiple times from behind as he lay face down on the ground. The video wasn’t released until local activists and community members demanded the footage more than a week later.
This callous behavior is nothing new for the Detroit Police Department.
The Detroit police were once the most deadly and notorious police department in the country.2 They lead the nation's largest cities in the rate of fatal shootings by police -- in just a five-year span from 1995-2000, they murdered 40 people. While that number has decreased, it was only due in part to the federal oversight they were placed under due to the overwhelming amount of police violence. And more recently, the city of Detroit has had to pay out tens of millions of dollars in police misconduct lawsuits, as a result of persistent police brutality.
#JusticeforHakim: Sign the petition to hold the entire Detroit Police Department accountable for murdering Hakim Littleton.
At Color Of Change, we have run far too many campaigns against the Detroit police department -- and that’s a testament to how violent their police force is. Just a few weeks ago while protestors rallied to put an end to police violence, Detroit police drove their SUVs into the crowd of protestors, showing a blatant disregard for their lives.3
Even against the backdrop of a global uprising against police violence, Detroit officers won’t stop abusing and murdering people.
We deserve to breathe and live free of persistent police violence. We deserve to have our loved ones come home at the end of the day. We are tired. Black Detroiters are tired. We demand accountability and we’re demanding it at every level.
That’s why we’re calling on Mayor Mike Duggan, Prosecutor Kym Worthy, and Attorney General Dana Nessel to 1) release the officers’ names, 2) fire them, 3) launch an independent investigation, and 4) Mayor Duggan to fire Chief James for his handling of the case.
Add your name now to demand justice.
Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Ernie, McKayla and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
1. "Protesters gather in Detroit after police shoot and kill man who officers say shot at them first." The Washington Post. https://act.
2. "How the roots of Detroit's police department helped spawn 1967 rebellion." NPR. https://act.
3. "Detroit police SUV drives through crowd after protesters climb on hood." Detroit Free Press. https://act.
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