It’s not hypocrisy, it’s power

By Aswad Walker
Defender
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
https://defendernetwork.com/

When we see Donald Trump and crew nominate former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who is accused of having sex with a minor, for the position of the nation’s top law enforcement officer (U.S. Attorney General), we scream “Hypocrisy.” When Trump then nominates to head the U.S. Department of Defense, Fox News weekend anchor Pete Hegseth, we scream “Unqualified.” Why? Because Hegseth was thrown out of the Army National Guard, suspected of literally being an “enemy from within.” Why? He has a chest-sized white nationalist tattoo and openly criticizes the U.S. Military’s attempts to remove anti-Black, anti-women white nationalists from their ranks. But we’re missing the point. We know Gaetz and Hegseth are both grossly underqualified and morally unfit for those positions. But Republicans have the power to do whatever they want; rules and qualifications be damned. So, while we scream about overqualified Black women and men having their credentials attacked and belittled, Republicans say so what; this is what power can do—anything it wants. We then make the mistake of viewing power as inherently evil when it’s actually neutral and takes on the flavor of the person or group who wields it. Suggestion: we better get us some.

BLUESKY POWERS X-ODUS

You might have heard. People are leaving Twitter (X) in droves and joining BlueSky. Now, there have always been mass moves away from one social media platform or technology to another, newer version. We all left MySpace for Facebook. When all the old-schoolers joined Facebook, younger folk moved in mass to Instagram, TikTok and Twitter (X). But this new exodus isn’t age-driven. It’s not about some new, shiny breakthrough technology. Rather, it’s about a return to older, more traditional things, like conversations driven by respect, debates without demonization, and an acknowledgment of the humanity and opinions of others. With the white nationalist purchase of X, and Elon Musk opening X’s doors to and encouraging all the racist crazies to come in, X members are voting with their feet and leaving that toxic spot for hopefully, greener, more respectful pastures.

BLACK BOY LYNCHED IN MARYLAND

Elections have consequences. Just 10 days after Election 2024, a 7-year-old Black boy was hospitalized with serious injuries suffered in a school bathroom after an older, white student (a 4^th grader) reportedly told the young brother, “I’m going to show you how I did people back in the day.” The family of the Black child said their baby was hung from a bathroom stall-door hook. The child’s mother said, “The principal went into the bathroom and found my baby foaming out the mouth and unconscious.” The child was then rushed to the hospital, where they found “serious injuries” to his neck, including a neck contusion, according to the hospital, that was caused by blunt trauma. Miraculously, the boy survived. But while recovering, he has countless scars and bruises from the ordeal, which officials from the child’s school (Barnhart Elementary School in Charles County Maryland) blew off. The school’s principal, Carrie Burke, reduced the horrific incident to “horseplaying.” Not sure which is more painful: discovering your baby was almost killed or your child’s school leader dismissing the assault as child’s play.

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