Quote of the Day -- On Our Wealth Inequality

Please keep in mind, folks, gross wealth inequality actually weakens nations, weakens our nation.

"...When Gates, Bezos, and Musk together have more wealth than the bottom half of Americans put together? When 1 out of 8 American children are hungry? When 20 million can't afford to see a doctor? When our schools are literally falling apart? We need a wealth tax." --Robert Reich   @RBReich

On Republican Party Vote Suppression

--"The Republicans' new voter suppression bills are truly un-American. There's no real voter fraud. It's their naked effort to try and suppress Black, brown and Indigenous votes, to suppress any kind of votes from people who they think will not go for their far-right, 'promote the interests of the wealthy' program." --Al Gore

Further Proof Why the US Owes Reparations

Anyone who knows American history--REALLY knows American history--knows we owe African-Americans reparations. This is just one more example and reason. Segregation, legalized segregation, is why our cities all across our nation, including, of course, our own Kansas City, are split by race to this day. Then we had them go to inferior schools, have fewer jobs, if any job at all because they were further away from those jobs and certainly farther away from the better jobs, farther away from transportation and so, finally, they got and would get less money. It's all outrageous. And blatant.

Where We Are Now, America, With Racism, Systemic Racism and Very White Privilege

So get this straight, America.

An innocent Black American was killed.
On the streets.
Unarmed.
By yet another rogue police officer.
Shot 7 times.
In the back.

So naturally, rightly, people were out protesting.

Then a young, very young, 17 year old man, white man, 20 miles away, drove to Kenosha, to the protests.

He crossed a state line to do it, too.
With his assault rifle.

Which is illegal.
And he ended up shooting 3 people.
Killing two.

And he walked away from it.

And now people are defending him, saying he's innocent and should go free.

Right.

Got it.

And some of Americans don't think systemic racism exists.

In fact, Nikki Haley, at the Republican National Convention, says racism doesn't exist in America.

Sure.

We Must Make Black Lives Matter in America

Four examples. Following are just four very recent examples of what's gone on in America.  And for far, far too long.

--Tamir Rice was 12 years old. He had a toy gun. Within 3-1/2 seconds of the police officer arriving on scene, he had already shot and killed the boy.

--Breonna Taylor was at home. She was an EMT. It was around midnight. The police officers came crashing through her apartment door on a no knock warrant. They immediately shot and killed her. They had the wrong address.

To this day, from March to today, July 26, those officers haven't been arrested.  For anything.

--George Floyd was THOUGHT, only thought to have passed a counterfeit $20 bill. Eight minutes and 46 seconds after the officer began knee pressure on Mr. Floyd's neck/throat, he had killed him, Mr. Floyd. The officer, therefore, made himself judge, jury and executioner right there on the street.

--Auhmaud Arbery was jogging, out jogging, in his mother's neighborhood when two brothers, one an ex-police officer, thought he looked suspicious so they accosted him and within minutes shot him with a shotgun. Twice. Killing him.  Again, they made themselves judge, jury and executioner, no less, and in only a few minutes.

All 4 were Americans. American citizens.

Those are just 4 very recent situations, with their facts. 4, frankly, nearly insanely, of many here in the US both recent and going far back in our nation's history.

How could any of that be okay or right? How can any of that be okay here in our nation, in the United States of America?

We must make Black Lives Matter.

See for yourself:

A brief history of police officers killing black people

Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and stories of other black

George Floyd: Timeline of black deaths caused by police

"Say their names": The list of people injured or killed in officer ...

Search Results

Web results

Know their names: Black people killed by the police in the US

Missouri Senator Blunt Keeps Missouri in the Wrong and in the Past, the Racist Past

Sadly, frustratingly, we are advised today Missouri's Senator Roy Blunt plants his feet deeply in our state's and nation's racist past.

GOP senator blocks bill to remove 

Confederate statues from Capitol

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Thursday blocked the Senate from passing a bill to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which allows legislation to pass without a vote but also enables any one senator to block it.

The measure would remove statues of individuals who voluntarily served in the Confederacy from the Capitol.

Booker called keeping statues of Confederate figures in the Capitol a "painful, insulting, difficult injury."

"The continued presence of these statues in the halls is an affront to African Americans and the ideals of our nation," he added.

Schumer added that passing a bill to remove the statues would be one step toward confronting the "poison of racism."

"Candidly, I don't think it would be too imposing to ask our states not to send statues of people who actively fought against this country. You know, there is a reason that Connecticut doesn't send a statue of Benedict Arnold," Schumer said.

But Blunt objected, noting that Congress had an agreement with states and that he wanted time to consider giving the issue a hearing in the Rules Committee, which he chairs.

"I'd like to ... get the opinion of people who are taking similar statues out of the building. I'd also like to find out what other states have in mind as their part of this agreement," Blunt said.

Excuse me, Senator, excuse us...   You want to get the opinion of people who are taking down similar statues??

Hello??  They're taking them down! They think they're wrong! They think they honor racists! What do you need to know?

Thanks for taking and keeping us backward, Senator. Thanks for not doing the right thing. Thanks for complicating things. We know you like and want "small government."

Right.   Got it.

Entertainment Overnight -- "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"

Everyone needs to see and know and be aware of this. As it says it's from the Broadway play "Avenue Q." Great, great, even fun play. Important subject and subjects.