Spotlight - Trump Calls Out The Pope - And Won

Say what you want about Donald Trump, he does challenge the most interesting people. None more interesting than the Pope. When is the last time you remember anyone challenging the Pope?  The bottom line is Pope Francis took a swipe at Donald Trump and the results were truly telling.

The criticism was aimed at Trump's proposal to build a wall on the US-Mexican border. He said, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Donald Trump did not hesitate to respond in kind. He said the Pope was being manipulated by Mexico and he had no right to criticize a person's religious beliefs. He even called the Pope, "disgusting."

This montage of quips was quickly buried by the media. How fast the story disappeared was eerily similar to the movie Spotlight. Further debate of the Pope would have led to constructive discussions about the walls the Pope has placed around Catholics. Popular media outlets knew it would not be long before Donald Trump went on further to discuss the Catholic abuse problems. In a sense, the media protected the Pope from talking about the impenetrable wall that still exists with Roman Catholic priests that abuse children.

The real story is the lack of a story once Trump was correct. He did not provide a quote for them to create ratings. Instead, he demonstrated that the media will not deconstruct the policies of a popular Pope. Instead, they want sensationalism from Donald Trump, because we crave sensationalism over substance. 

It Takes A Village To Remove A Barrier For People With Disabilities

The United States has been a leader in the fight for individual rights for people with disabilities. Over the past 75 years, we have enacted significant laws to ensure that equality is a reality for our most vulnerable citizens. The most significant legislation is the American With Disabilities Act. This law required that businesses provide equal access to products and services to anyone with a disability. Soon after the law, access was greatly improved. We forget that stores at one time did not provide wheelchair access, bathroom access, and adaptive equipment to ensure people with disabilities could be equal participants in our society.

Back in 1990, President Bush signed the American With Disabilities Act. In my opinion, a great example of Bipartisanship legislation. On the day he signed the act, the President said, "This act is powerful in its simplicity. It will ensure that people with disabilities are given the basic guarantees for which they have worked so long and so hard: independence, freedom of choice, control of their lives, the opportunity to blend fully and equally into the rich mosaic of the American mainstream."

This Valentine's Day, I was reminded that the law is only as effective as we want it to be in our community.  I would learn, that there are many obstacles that a person without a disability, may never know exist. Then, the following happened:  I saw a good friend of mine from work at the movies. We were both going to the same Marvel movie, "Deadpool." We entered the theater and both disappeared into the darkness of the coming soon attractions. I would not see my friend again until the following Monday at work. I asked her how her Valentine's Day was with her husband. She responded, "we never got to see the movie." I thought to myself, how could they not see the movie, I saw them enter the theater."

Upon further questioning, I learned that the theater failed to provide captioning for her husband so that he could enjoy the movie. For those not familiar with adaptive devices for the hearing impaired, they are devices that allow a person to enjoy the movie just like you and I. According the American With Disablities Act, Title III of the law requires movie theaters and other public accommodations to provide effective communication through the use of auxiliary aids and services. This rulemaking specifies requirements that movie theaters will need to meet in order to satisfy their effective communication obligations to persons with hearing and vision disabilities. The problem is that enforcement is an issue. With so many theaters and public event facilities, the general public is in charge of monitoring and reporting failure to comply with the law.

When there is a lack of enforcement, ignorance to the law leads to situations in which people with disabilities encounter disappointment. For example, my friend went to the 1PM show and were told the equipment was not working and to come back at 4:00PM. 3 hours later they returned and the manager said, "We just checked the equipment and the batteries are dead." Due to the manager's neglect, they could not see the movie at all.

When you have a disability, you become accustomed to disappointment. It is up to us, the friends and advocates of people with disabilities to speak up and ask that our theaters provide the equipment required by law for people with disabilities. We the people, can make future Valentine's Days special for the hearing and visually impaired. This does not require a hostile response on our part. A simple conversation to the theater can help future movie goers not experience the disappointment that this couple went through. I encourage all to ask the next time they go to a public venue, "do you have the proper equipment for the visually and hearing impaired?" If the answer is no, than ask to speak to a manager. When the manager does not have the answer, then ask to speak to the district manager or owner of the theater. It does not have to be a negative situation. By asking about services, you are helping the establishment understand the expectations of a community. When it comes to a barrier in our community regarding access for all, it falls on many of us to remove such barriers. Try to keep that in mind, the next time you go to a public event that lacks access for all.

Do You Believe Beyonce Is Racist?

Are you still mad at Beyoncé? Do you really believe she is racist? Did you post the meme that claimed supporting the Black Panthers is like supporting the KKK? If you did, maybe I can help you learn a bit about Black history this month to calm you down a bit.

Meet the gentleman on your left. That is Fred Hampton. He was a Black Panther leader killed by Chicago Police. For most whites, this seemed justified. If you are over the age of 60, you were let by our Government to believe it was justified. Let's delve a little deeper and learn about the Black Panther Party.

The height of the Black Panther Party was from 1966 - 1972. Largely formed to protest police violence in Oakland, the party was gaining popularity nationwide in the 1960s. Deemed a threat, J Edgar Hoover, then FBI Director target the Black Panther Party through COINTELPRO, which was a secret program that gave FBI agents the authority to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, neutralize or otherwise eliminate" the activities of the Black Panther party. Part of COINTELPRO's authority was to commit perjury in court and it was perfectly legal. The FBI and police abused the legal system to harass dissidents and make them appear to be criminals. Officers of the law gave perjured testimony and presented fabricated evidence as a pretext for false arrests and wrongful imprisonment. Think about that the next time you see a balance scale of lady justice. The scale might be balance, but our judicial system certainly was not.

The bottom line is comparing the KKK to the Black Panther party is skewed. Calling the BPK racist just like the KKK is a stretch. The KKK wanted to have an unjust system based on whites controlling power over non-whites under the theory whites are superior. The BPP wanted justice for those oppressed by the courts and the police and wanted justice for African-Americans.  Huge difference. It is easy to be misled with false information. Instead of tapping into ignorance and intolerance, try learning from our nation's past to understand who we are today.

What Would Happen If We Had A Systen Similar to Project Vote Smart?

If the information age is here, why do so many people allow political groups to think for them? Political parties are using the information age to their advantage to manipulate the electorate. Social Media is a tool for both parties to shore up their base. They constantly barrage individual news walls with false facts. Some wise people catch on and use Snopes.com to tell their friends they are incorrect.

Here are some questions that would lead to an alternate universe of electing our government officials all the way up to the president.

1. What would happen, if we eliminated political parties? 
2. What if candidates would list their stance on the issues and people chose based on personal convictions the correct candidate?
3. What would happen if elections were publicly funded?

If we made these changes, the United States would dramatically change. People thinking for themselves would change our economy. The billions spent on elections would be drastically cut. Media outlets such as television and the internet would lose valuable revenue. Dealing with facts reduces profits for corporations that benefit from manipulating the electorate which is the system we have now.

To see how such a system might work, take a look at Project Vote Smart. It allows us to imagine a world where one was allowed to just get the facts regarding where a candidate stands on the issues that matter most to all of us. While not perfect, the site gives us a peek at a simpler way to elect our leaders. In fact, you may question if such a system would ever be possible.

Project Vote Smart

Did You Really Understand Beyonce's Super Bowl Message?

Come on. Admit it. Without the help of social media, you would have never caught on to the "secret message" behind Beyoncé's Super Bowl performance. Whether you enjoyed the show or not, did you really make the connection to Black Lives Matter or the Black Panther movement?

The sad part is that people can not make connections without social media doing it for them. This is the new America. Common Core at it's best. Just trust social media to figure things our for you. Who needs facts anymore?

What makes matters worse is Beyoncé's message was powerful and most of America missed it. Watch the performance on the link I provided. (You may have to go to youtube to watch) Conservatives deny what is right in front of them. Does the half time show speak to the disparity of rich and poor among minorities? Watch the video again. Minorities are not in attendance to the Super Bowl Does this not seem odd, in a league, that the greater percentage of athletes are minorities?

Most Americans lacked any knowledge that weeks before the Super Bowl, San Francisco forcibly moved the homeless populations near the event to prevent anyone from noticing the poverty that exists prior to the Super Bowl coming to the Bay area. Was there any outrage over these actions? No, because social media did not tell us to get upset.

The bottom line is Black Lives Do Matter. And when they do not, movements like the Black Panther movement from a generation ago serve as a reminder that when injustices go unheard, violence is the result of our lack of empathy to understand the plight of all Americans.

Water Rights, Civil Rights And Black History Month

Black History Month. How will schools across our great country choose to celebrate Black History Month? I have a suggestion. Instead of writing another biography on Martin Luther King, maybe high schools across our country should examine water rights. There seems to be a disturbing pattern. One all to familiar to African American History, and that is water rights have become a civil rights issue.

As the income gap between Rich and Poor communities has grown, it seems that water quality, both drinking and sanitation are at risk for our poorest communities. Often times, those communities are African American. For example, in Detroit, where 41 percent of residents live in poverty and 99 percent of the poor are African American, more than 33,000 households lost water service for nonpayment of bills in 2014. Recently, Flint Michigan was in the news for unsafe water. An estimated 6-12 thousand children were exposed to high lead levels.
Most of those children were African-American. The government denied the problems until the U.S. Attorney General's office became involved. After investigating the problem, President Obama declared a state of emergency. It was after the Federal Government's involvement that state and local governments acknowledged the problem.

In the deep south, similar problems exist. However, Alabama has extended water rights to a whole new level. According to a recent report, The Alabama Department of Public Health estimates that 40 to 90 percent of households in rural areas have inadequate or no septic systems, and half of the existing ones are not fully functional or are expected to fail in the future. The problem is particularly stark in Lowndes County, Ala., where 70 percent of the population is African-American and only one in five residents is connected to a municipal sewer system. In this impoverished county, families are being arrested, fined and even face jail time simply because they lack the means to install and upgrade their own septic systems.

It seems a disproportionate amount of African Americans are being denied safe water and sanitation. Meanwhile, the rest of America is studying Martin Luther King this month. Ironic that classrooms will learn about civil rights at a time when many communities are lacking the basic right of clean water. Hopefully teachers will go beyond biographical assignments and ask their students to apply their learning in a manner that is useful to civil rights today. Water Rights....Civil Rights. It is time to teach honestly how our history impacts us today.