Stefan

Neither Barack Obama, nor any of his family, avoided assassination because of 44's abilities. It was because we had at the time, a Secret Service that was determined to keep alive and keep from harm our nation's first Black President and the First Family. Obama is brilliant. A man so inspiring, even a few Conservatives were in awe of him. People around the world knew Obama's greatness even though many in the U.S. refused to acknowledge it. Unlike those with who don't understand U.S. political history, I never put all my faith in Barack Obama. I knew better. Those who did and who now claim they are disappointed, are not really disappointed. You were naive. Did you really think four centuries of brutal hatred would be erased by electing a single Black man to the White House? WTF were you expecting? You did not understand this country's awful history of the realization that it runs on the whims of not just brazen and bigoted White people, but now White without consciences who are rich and who are powerful enough to elevate or deflate certain politicians and programs. The country needed a change and a big slap in the face for being stupid. That is why Barack Obama was elected. But was blocked by racists in Congress. Gee, no surprise there. Why were you surprised? Dumb azz third party voters and an ego-driven Socialist named Bernie Sanders then undermined Hillary Clinton's quest for the White House. Believe it or not, there are an awful lot of really stupid Black people who didn't want a White woman President. So they sat on their backsides and allowed a maniac to take the White House.

We are nation of terrible writers. PERIOD! I am not talking about the writing in scholarly journals because, um, name the scholars in these discussion forums? Also, name any scholarly journal that contains essays and scientific analyses, but also employs writers who use someone else's quotes every few paragraphs. No one who has learned to write correctly does that. And that's the problem. Because most schools in the U.S. fail to teach writing. It is an afterthought. Which is why you will occasionally come across online the publishing of teachers' notes to parents that contain misspellings, bad grammar and sentence misconstruction. If teachers can't write correctly, what makes anyone think they are qualified to teach their pupils how to write? If one disagrees with a stance, particularly in online forums, a rebuttal written response can be offered. And it is best if one keeps this to a minimum of five paragraphs. Which is the exact basic standard for essay writing. The very fact you are defending such horrible writing skills is proof of what I say. We are the Dumbest of the Dumbed Down countries on this planet. Not only do we accept Mediocrity, we revel in it. The following is a teacher's first hand account of his teaching experience. He does recall one particular student. https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/why-are-americans-such-lousy-writers/

From Health.com website analysis on Environmental Racism: “Pollution is not race neutral,” Colleen Callahan, deputy director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, tells Health. “Instead, race matters in the distribution of environmental hazards, dirty air, and polluted soil and water. Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color (BIPOC) systematically experience greater environmental hazards, and fewer quality parks and other positive environmental benefits, compared to white communities.”

Sending prayers and good thoughts to Chevdove for her father.

Troy, I do not expect perfect grammar and spelling on any news forum. But if you want the truth, Black news forums have the most emotional and angry participants. And some are quick to show their immaturity because they take offense immediately. I am not female, so I do not enter Women news forums. There are a lot of Conservatives who also cannot hold their temper. But on most general news forums, there are always good writers who are patient and would rather wait for further explanation before tossing a stick of dynamite. It depends on the topic. Some issues generate intense emotions such as Israel and U.S. relations with Muslim countries. Or Barack Obama. Reparations for descendants of Black Slaves and discussions of Black American achievement also generate a lot of discussion, some of it quite nasty. But on Black forums, I've run into a lot of people who will look at a single paragraph and are ready to blow their top. Personally, I don't expect to find wordsmiths on forums unless they have nothing else to do. We are a nation of terrible writers. But I eschew childishness and those who express disdain for anyone simply because their worldview does not match that of their churlish detractors. Folks should at least try to be polite. Now, Troy, are a terrific writer. And I enjoy reading your comments. I'm on a search for good conversation and hopeful and truthful thoughts for the Black Community. Oh, and some darn good humor.

Because you and Pioneer, (who seems to lack the ability to write complete paragraphs), were so intent on being negative on someone else's opinion. Turns out that opinion, as I told everyone weeks ago, would be correct. You operate a book selling website. And some on here disparage good writing? You should celebrate someone who communicates through the written word. Just as I admire your efforts to get books on the Black Experience into the hands of those who want them.

Welcome to the universe of the disappointed, the disillusioned and the disenchanted. I learned about these feelings in 1968 when the world lost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. This is not so much the result of getting behind a particular political candidate or leader of a movement. It's the realization that the world truly is cruel and there are scores of individuals who have no problem cutting short someone's life if it means years of mayhem and discord will ensue. Sen. Barack Obama was not the Messiah too many Black people believed he would be. Our long standing problems with racism, discrimination and poor education would not disappear. Reparations cash would not be flowing freely. To this day, I remain amused by Blacks who thought all of our problems would be over because we elected a Black man to the White House. Do you know when we are getting close to being viewed as true equals? When we are treated like Jews. Because Jews have received many an apology for the Holocaust as well as reparations. When the U.S. Congress and perhaps, a sitting President, manages to eke out a national apology for centuries of Chattel Slavery, a huge psychological barrier will have been pierced. Until then, the struggle for full acceptance will continue.

Yeah, the United States is a nation of poor writers. And it always will be. Don't ask me what Black social media websites I go to. There are not that many that deal with politics and current affairs. So, I've been on a lot of Conservative websites and sometimes a few Leftist ones. I leave if there are nothing but petulant children within. Do you expect sub-par writing for the books that are offered on this website? Would any of your customers purchase a tome that boasted rebuttals of the manuscript every two lines? A change of book themes every three pages? I taught Writing. I trained news reporters. But most importantly, I stay well informed. Most schools do not put an emphasis on good writing. Which is why one sees a mish mash of poor sentence construction, lack of coherent themes and wild and disparate claims that are never proven on many news forums. Oh, and let's not forget the ubiquitous childish putdowns when posters run out of intelligent things to say.

Oh, now all of a sudden, my predictions and comments on the election don't mean anything. Spare me. I was right all along and I proved it conclusively.

Daniellegfny, I can find the evidence quickly. I just refuse to do so for someone who appears lazy. You want me to do your work for you. Do your own research. Because if there's one thing I know about Trump supporters: Most of them are bereft of writing talent. They just holla a lot. Which means nothing. These are the reasons you claim for supporting Trump. 1. First Step Act. (Supposedly meant to streamline federal prison sentences, but not all inmates are eligible. The only problem is that Trump has to be dragged kicking and screaming to support this bi-partisan legislation). 2. Building the Wall. (The Border Wall was never completed and Mexico had no intention of ever paying for any part of it). 3. Operation Warp Speed (A joke, since Trump has always ignored Covid-19, lying that he did not want a panic. The death toll is past 270,000 dead in this country. And Trump's stupid interference and his goofy adviser Scott Atlas compounded the health emergency by telling people they didn't need to wear masks). 4. Peace in the Middle East. (There's no peace in the Middle East. With Israel openly assassinating Iranian generals and scientists and secretly bombing Lebanon and Syria, what peace are you talking about?). 5. Return of hostages from China, North Korea, Turkey and Africa (We had hostages in China, Turkey and parts of Africa? You mean there were Americans imprisoned in Egypt. Who was held in China and Turkey?) 6. Joint law enforcement actions in Suffolk County. (Who cares? The White people who live out there make life horrible for Black citizens). 7. Making NATO take more responsibility for its defense (Really? Russia's going to invade Western Europe? What drugs are you on?) 8. Energy Independence (You mean oil dominance and Beltway corruption). You're damn right I demand good and sensible writing. I taught it in two business colleges. And I got paid well for it. I have seen little good writing on Black social media websites. Just a lot of anger and childish putdowns, but no definitive effort at discussion. Now, either you reply in short essays with your points instead of this line by line rebuttal nonsense, or I will ignore you. Because I believe you cannot form coherent thoughts and keep them going for a while. I taught my students to do this. Why can't you?

I peruse several news websites a day. It is habit I picked after I became a Journalist. Over the next two and half decades as I became a Senior News Editor, the numbers of websites grew to six or seven a day. This is why I write with authority. I don't guess. I don't have to insult anybody or cast doubt on their mental acuity. I let my writing do my talking. Well, since you relied only on your personal experiences during this election, let me offer you a few professional observers' viewpoints. The following news snippet is from the BBC News website and is dated Nov. 22, 2020. “Despite his election defeat, President Donald Trump can boast a success that has intrigued pollsters - he was more popular with ethnic minority voters than in 2016. "Some might find this surprising given that his critics so accused him of racism and Islamophobia. Trump denies the charges and has accused Democrats of taking African Americans voters for granted. "The Republican president gained six percentage points among black men, and five percentage points among Hispanic women. It means some voters changed their minds, after either not voting or voting for another candidate in 2016.” (End BBC News snippet) The following is a special report to the Atlanta Voice: #Election2020: ‘How Did 12 Percent of Black Men vote for Trump?’ November 16, 2020 By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire Juan Williams posited that he’s a Black man born in a Latin country and grew up in a Spanish-speaking family. The author and Fox News political analyst then stated a head-scratching fact that many still find difficult to rationalize. “It stuns me to see that President Trump set a record last week by attracting the highest percentage of the non-white vote of any Republican presidential candidate in the last 60 years,” Williams wrote in an editorial for The Hill. Perhaps must stunning, lamented Williams, “How did 12 percent of Black men vote for Trump?” Although an overwhelming majority of Black men, 80%, voted for President-elect Joe Biden, support for the Democratic presidential ticket reached a new low among Black men in 2020, according to the NBC News poll of early and Election Day voters. In the same poll, 8% of Black male voters were reported to have cast their ballots for alternative candidates. In Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, of all Blacks casting ballots, 95 percent of Black men and 96 percent of Black women chose him, NBC News reported. Four years later, Black women’s support remained at 96 percent for Obama’s 2012 re-election. However, the black male vote decreased to 87 percent. In 2016, when the nominee was Hillary Clinton, Black men dropped even further to 82 percent, while Black women’s support for Clinton remained high at 94 percent. Biden came close to matching that this year, garnering the support of 91 percent of Black women. ( End Atlanta Voice news snippet ) So, my viewpoint is correct. Black people did in fact, support Trump in larger numbers than they did in 2016. Just as I predicted the voting totals would bear out. The attached photo is not mine. I copied it from that Atlanta Voice story I quoted. But like my short essay, this image is also proof of what I had predicted. That young Black men were supporting Trump this election. I was right.

Daniellegfny, I refuse to do research for anyone who has the freedom to watch the news or read current affairs on at least two websites daily. If you want to converse with me, combine your sentences into a post. Only those who cannot write want to discuss a sentence at a time. This is a news forum. People write in news forums.

Troy, I was looking for a way to do this. Never found it. Now, about this thread: I am certain Pew Research Center will prove my contention correct. That more Black people voted for Trump this time around. I think you already got your anecdotal proof in the form of Daniellefgny. I don't put any faith in personal observations because this is just one or two individuals at a certain time, in a certain place and in a certain country. Imagine if I simply used Pioneer's salty posts to stand in for combined writing, intellectual and maturity of Black men in the U.S. I prefer evidence that I can read from those who are learned. Are you telling me that most of the books you offer on your website are based on only one or two sources?

Reparations for descendants of Black Slaves would NOT be a gift. The outlay would be for unpaid labor and there are legal precedents for this. If descendants of Black Slaves in the United States were to ever put in a claim for past and continued pain and suffering, the amount due would include the future tax revenue of the country for the next 20 years.

danielkegfny, I have not been on here in a while. Blessings to you and your family and everyone else on here. You directed a comment to me, so, I will respond: The only Republican I ever voted for is the late Jacob Javits, who many would consider a Liberal for his time. Republicans tend to not like or always dismiss Black people and our achievements. Trump has a long standing history of antipathy towards our people. He and his father refused to rent apartments in their buildings to Blacks. He’s likened most Black nations as chithole countries. After George Floyd was murdered, Trump blamed the looting and real estate damage on Blacks and our allies. He ignored mounting evidence that the violence was started many times by his Proud and Boogaloo Boys and other racist groups. Eventually, even some police chiefs admitted the same. Trump never had a problem insulting a race of people that he and most his ardent supporters believe should have never been viewed as equals in the first place. This is the essence of his deranged revulsion that Barack Obama won the White House. Not once, but twice. And many folks whom I worked with over the years often likened Trump to a Nazi. I came to share their opinion. For those who question such a view, the parallels lie in Trump’s love of Authoritarianism, Racism, Ethnic Myths and his ready use of dehumanizing language. The main reason Trump fired his Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, is because his SecDef stridently opposed using the country’s military against his fellow citizens. Imagine if Esper had agreed with Trump. Resisting Trump’s regime might have resulted in thousands being shot, imprisoned or even kicked out of the country. And maybe a similar fate awaited their friends and relatives. According to the Washington Post and the New York Times, Trump is said to call his most strident supporters most of the day and mutter to them that we won the election, over and over. You are entitled to your opinion Danillefgny. I will not stoop to disrespecting you by quoting your posts line by line and then offer disparaging comments on each. I made my living by writing so I prefer to be mature and just respond with whole and appropriate comments.

Daniellegfny, I agree. The Israelis have been trying to widen the Jordan River and they want to find a solution for all the sinkholes opening up in Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea. Saw a documentary on it. Just imagine if our Black Communities received Israel's outlay of $20 billion a year in materiel, cash, grants and deferred payments. Military and aid for Israeli and its security forces likely pushes that figure much higher. Yes, Israel is good at water reclamation and desert irrigation. So is Dubai and the UAE.

Troy, I am used to being disagreed with. But with mature individuals. I gave up on the ridiculous, the set-in-their-ways and the self-promoting liars a long time ago. What I find hilarious in this second decade of online discussion is some grown butt man resorting to immature personal attacks when little is at stake except the truth. Looks like I proved my contention with news story snippets: More Black men are expressing their support for Trump. I just met another not far from where I live earlier today. He told me it was the first time he had ever voted. He was either in his late 20's or early 30's. And he wanted me to help him fill out his mail-in ballot because he wanted to vote for Trump. I get many of the people here are your friends. Makes no difference. Any person who feels the need to call another ignorant or employ schoolyard taunts is a news forum fraud. And I am saying this as Black man who went on Conservative Political Forums and kept his cool. Like I said, I am far from ignorant. I still would like my forum account closed. As I said, I admire what you're doing with the website. More people should read and many more should learn to fact check using Google or any good encyclopedia website. This way, we can cut down on the frustrated ones who cannot get around logic and facts.

Pioneer, you lost your temper. People who immediate resort to personal attacks are __________ fill in the blanks. I'm from a different generation. I see no need to grandstand or make up chit. I proved my point with the news snippets. Troy, I wish you well. I like the website and hope you generate real interest in book reading and buying, not just in Africa, but elsewhere as well. I actually had been coming here the past week to find a button that said "close account." Could never find it.

Black investors, individuals and groups cannot offer many African leaders what they really want: Water and sewage systems, modern roads, power plants, mining equipment and modern railroads. This is why China is in Africa. This does not mean we should not try. I love Troy's ideas. We won't get anywhere if we do not read and do not promote our own history, stories and lives. But China's investment and interest in Africa is certainly not benign, depending upon what news source you prefer. Beijing's leaders definitely want control of Africa's vast mineral wealth and Nigeria's oil resources.

Pioneer, now you get it, don’t you? Why are so many young Black men choosing to support Trump when all this guy has done is vilify, denigrate and insult Black people? You just cannot believe it, can you? Join the club. That was the reason for my thread starter and why I wanted to know how some folks on this forum felt. But the huge difference between you and I is that my more than two decades in print journalism as a reporter, Web Editor and Senior New Editor allows me to view even controversial issues with getting personal. In my thread starter, I said there is no hard evidence for poll numbers. We may not know that until the voting numbers and analyzed and sifted. However, I have since posted a few graphs from a few news stories. I do not have subscriptions to the newspapers that I really want to read and post news stories from. Since I never posted the full stories, I'll just call it anecdotal evidence. If you know only one Black person who is going to vote for Trump, I don't know what to make of that. I know several personally and I’ve discussed this matter with many more online. It was not a Black man who brought this change in political choice to my attention. It was a former boss who remained friends with me. He’s White, as was the overwhelming number of folks I worked with. If we Black reporters had had Mentors back in the 80's, a lot of us would have stayed in the business. But most of us get drummed out by racism, overbearing and biased editors or White folks who should have never been allowed in a news room in the first place. But they knew somebody. One of the first Black Trump supporters I met online was a nice guy who lived in Los Angeles and who told me Trump would win, help Black small businesses and help him personally save on taxes. His prediction came true. Trump won in 2016, but fell short of this gentlemen’s belief that the New York racist would garner 10% in Black support. It was six percent, according to Pew Research. What disappointed me about you, Pioneer is how quickly you lost your temper and resorted to personal attacks. That’s silly. I simply presented a thread starter and like a lot of people who disagree, but never investigate, you got hot. Three days ago, the Washington Post published a story on this phenomenon of Blacks men turning to Trump by the thousands. Journalists are news messengers. I'm retired, but motivated by the specter of Black people being forced to relive the 60's if Trump is re-elected. Stop tossing rocks. That has never suppressed the truth.

Pioneer, I assure you that I am not ignorant. One of things that makes me laugh are the number of people who live in the United States who think they know everything. There is no one who fits that description. The idea for my thread starter did not just pop into my head. I've been reading snippets of the same thoughts around the Internet for a while. One big reason my editors loved having me on their staff is because I always did research. I did a little of it here. Just to show that my aim is not division, but truth. I guess that bothers some. Too freaking bad. There are no hard numbers, but there is certainly anecdotal evidence of what I wrote. The following is from FiveThirtyEight website: Trump Is Losing Ground With White Voters But Gaining Among Black And Hispanic Americans By Geoffrey Skelley and Anna Wiederkehr Filed under 2020 Election Published Oct. 19, 2020 There’s a well-known truth in politics: No one group swings an election. But that doesn’t mean that the demographic trends bubbling beneath the surface can’t have an outsized effect. Take 2016. President Trump won in large part because he carried white voters without a college degree by a bigger margin than any recent GOP presidential nominee, though there had been signs that this group was shifting rightward for a while. From the Wall Street Journal: Democrats Scramble to Win Over More Black Men Some black voters are attracted to what they describe as President Trump’s tell-it-like-it-is demeanor, surveys found WASHINGTON—Some Democrats are sounding alarms within the party about its outreach to younger black men, saying it was not doing enough to appeal to these voters even before a nationwide wave of protests amplified the discontent many black Americans feel toward their political leaders. The following is an Op-Ed published in the Fayetteville Observer ... Why would Black men support Trump? Start with Ice Cube Erika D. Smith Los Angeles Times For weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out why polls keep showing that a small, yet still politically significant, number of Black men are likely to vote for President Donald Trump. Then along came Ice Cube and his Contract With Black America, and suddenly it’s all a little clearer. For those who haven’t been keeping up, the Los Angeles rapper — who by his own admission only started paying attention to politics this year — has admitted to working with the Trump administration, basically agreeing to act as an independent adviser on behalf of all Black people. (For the record, as a Black person, I did not agree to this.)

I am not sure what is going on with most of today's White cops. So many seem intent on pulling their guns to enforce their authority and their orders. Investigators ignore eyewitness accounts, which according to law enforcement dogma are notoriously unreliable. I do not subscribe to that theory. But nothing will ever convince me that that Derek Chauvin wanted to show his authority and supposed superiority to everyone. He calmly kneeled on George Floyd's neck knowing full well he was ending the man's life.

The phrase I used is "according to various estimates." There is no hard data and most opinion writers cite what they have gleaned from talking to others involved in the issue they are presently focusing on. The idea for the thread starter came from my former Managing Editor who is doing research on the defection of Black men to Republicans in this election. I was a Mod of Black forums on FB and a lot of Black men expressed an intense dislike of Serena on her choice of a mate. And I never said Caucasian. I used the term the complainers employed: White man. Your personal feelings do not matter in this issue and will never alter or diminish what I read. I wanted your thoughts on Blacks turning to Trump.

According to various estimates, 21% of young Black men will vote for Trump this time around. I am curious to why some believe this is occurring: Because it's no secret that Black women vote in higher numbers than Black men and tend to be much more loyal to the Democratic Party. Black women have always been the most reliable and the most loyal supporters of Dem Party candidates, especially when it comes to House. Believe it or not, a lot of young Black men get emotional over skin hue, a mixed person being called Black (think Kristen Welker) and tend to listen to their favorite celebrities rather than considering true facts. And maybe that is the reason so many younger Black men are now leaning towards Trump. Many Black men still attack tennis great Serena Williams for marrying a White man. Even though I've countered many times that Serena did not marry a White man. She married a man she fell in love with. It is hard to defeat ignorance. And we are seeing it in action. I think the Black Race will suffer badly in a second Trump term. Already, Trump has signaled that he would support Sudan and Egypt if they waged war against Ethiopia over its nearly completed Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River. The dam in Bameza, Ethiopia, just 15 miles east of the country's border with Sudan. I hope the turnout is huge.

Joe Biden has been on the campaign trail. You had no idea that Naomi Osaka has a Haitian heritage? You sound like one of those really angry White dudes I encountered moons ago on Conservative news forums. Short on facts, long on rage. Of course, I have time to spare. I used to tutor at Literacy Volunteers, work nights at at homeless shelter and acted as volunteer photography for community organizations and schools. I can't do any of that in the midst of this pandemic. I'm retired.