The City Of Memphis Has Chosen Racial Violence As Its Credo

 

I spent several years in Memphis in the 1950s, after four years in the Navy. On the G I Bill, I was able to get my degree from the University of Memphis while working as a television news producer at a local station. There was violence in those days but nothing remotely compared to the bloodshed that exists today. Most certainly nothing like the recent killing of Tyre Nichols (Black) by five Black Memphis cops. And, why would they attack one of their own and kill him?

This is the scenario from AP...

"In a terrible way, the death of Tyre Nichols brings vindication to members of the Black community in Memphis who live in constant fear of the police."

What this means is that it took the violent death of yet another Black person to once again expose the problem that African Americans have been dealing with for years. The difference is, it has gotten eonsiderably worse. I grew up in in a small town just east of Memphis, Jackson. Tennessee. When in high school there I witnessed a Black person being hanged and resolved at that moment I would never harbor feelings of racism. Lost a lot of friends but it was worth it.

The AP article presented by U.S. News is so compelling, I found it hard to believe Memphis had gotten this bad. Here are some excerpts...

"A homeowner who called the police because a young man who had been shot was on his front porch. The responding officers ignored the gunshot victim and entered the caller’s home. The caller was slammed to the ground and a chemical agent used on him as he was subdued. The officers then lied about the circumstances, but there was video.

"In police sweeps, unmarked cars roll into neighborhoods and armed plainclothes officers jump out, rushing traffic violators and issuing commands. The result is a community in fear, where people text, call and use social media to caution each other to stay inside or avoid the area when police operations are underway.

“There’s one type of law enforcement that keeps people safe, and then there’s a type of law enforcement that keeps people in check,” said Joshua Adams, 29, who grew up in south Memphis' Whitehaven, home to Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion, now a mostly Black neighborhood."

ALTHOUGH I MUST WARN YOU IN ADVANCE, this video of Tyre Nichols' beating death clearly confirms that cops can be violent...

 Unfortunately there is more in this AP piece that will shock you. And finally, a short anecdote about one of my former friends in Memphis. We lived close to this guy and his family, partied together, went out on the town together. The closest of friends. After leaving Memphis we went back for a vacation and the same friend and his family showed us their new house. Prominently, one room was dedicated to the Ku Klux Klan with KKK sheets and a hood affixed to the wall. 

I couldn't believe it but realized very quickly that the South will never change. And it hasn't.   READ MORE...

 

SCOTUS Matches Trump Corruption And Then Some

 

It was during Donald Trump's Oval Office romp that he nominated these questionably qualified and suspect corrupt and lascivious people to the highest court in the land. But, then, what would you expect from someone sporting the exact same qualities...

There is Neil Gorsuch, an originalist, in line with the late Justice, Anton Scalia, and the one who lied to Susan Collins re. his vote to repeal Roe v. Wade. Next, Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford in the early 1980s.Three other women also accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, one of whom later recanted her story. And finally there is Amy Coney Barrett, an ultimate conservative believing that life begins at conception, is also a former member of the Federalist Group, which CNN calls "shadowy," and she is still involved with them.

But the latest corruption comes with the leak, which Chief Justice John Roberts called a...

"singular and egregious breach" and a "betrayal of the confidences of the Court," and ordered an investigation into its provenance.

The Court's marshal was chosen to lead the investigation, which is probably why, in eight months, the whole thing has gone nowhere. Their report said this...

"The pandemic and resulting expansion of the ability to work from home...created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court's IT networks."

We don't even know if SCOTUS justices were interviewed and Newsweek says...

"All the justices very clearly had the means, and it is quite possible that one (or more) had the requisite motive, to leak the draft opinion or direct a law clerk or some other staffer to do so on his/her implicit behalf."

Newsweek added...

The marshal "pre-judged the outcome of the probe, exculpating the justices and thus undermining the probe's very legitimacy."

And back in November of 2022 Newsweek reported...

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito has been called a "disgrace" after a new report revealed that he allegedly leaked a draft opinion related to a Supreme Court decision in 2014. The conservative judge has denied the report.

According to Huff Post, Rev. Rob Schenck, the former head of the conservative evangelical group Faith & Action testified Alito leaked the outcome of the 2014 Hobby Lobby decision ahead of time. But here are the results of SCOTUS' bogus investigation...

"The Supreme Court found no leaker, concluding in an unsigned statement that after interviewing almost 100 employees, 82 of whom accessed the opinion, the marshal's team was 'unable to identify a person responsible by a preponderance of the evidence.'"

Wrapping up, apparently the marshal provided considerably more in excuses for what it couldn't find than the efforts it used in its investigations. This isn't over.
READ MORE... 

Florida's Big Brother Says Hide Those Books Or Go To Jail

 

You would think that George Orwell had Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in mind when he wrote 1984. Of course he didn't, but like a painter who has found a perfect model, DeSantis would have been Orwell's ideal standard for Big Brother. Yes, the despot DeSantis is a certified dictator borne out by the fact that in this case, Florida teachers have to hide perfectly acceptable books to a fair-minded person, but not to the unbalanced bunch that governs the dubious sunshine state. 

Here's the scenario from The Washington Post...

"Students arrived in some Florida public school classrooms this month to find their teachers’ bookshelves wrapped in paper — or entirely barren of books — after district officials launched a review of the texts’ appropriateness under a new state law." 

It seems, "the State Board of Education ruled that a law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to schoolwide libraries but to teachers’ classroom collections, too." It "mandates that schools’ books be age-appropriate, free from pornography and 'suited to student needs.'” Get this, they have to "be approved by a qualified school media specialist." This person apparently receives training from the duly appointed minions of, who else, Ron DeSantis.

'Outrageous': Don Lemon reacts to Florida book law championed by DeSantis...

This all comes down to the fact that these frustrated teachers cannot order books for over a year. And in many cases it is the interpretation of the law in what is bad and what is good by a radical right that confuses teachers. And would you believe, if any teacher errs in the display or use of books, DeSantis the destroyer doesn't approve of, they could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine? And here are the results...

Marie Masferrer, a board member of the Florida Association for Media in Education and a school librarian. says former colleagues have told her that students are struggling.

First, Ron DeSantis aids and abets in the deaths of 84,927 Covid pandemic deaths, along with 7,443,954 cases of the virus. Now, the delusional DeSantis wants to put teachers in prison for teaching their students. According to Market Realist, Florida faces a teacher shortage of over 9,000 unfilled positions. It can only get worse as long as Florida is run by a dictator.

READ MORE...

 

The Homeless Deserve More

 

There are a number of reasons people become homeless, neither of them as important as finding that person or persons shelter. We gave a person on the street money recently and he was overjoyed to receive it, followed by a multitude of thanks. It was cold that day here in Phoenix and as we drove off from the Costco, I wondered where he would sleep that night, expected to be in the 30s to 40s. The desert can be brutal after the sun goes down with some pretty low wind chills.

The Phoenix government says...

PHX C.A.R.E.S. sends trained outreach teams, who take the time to build rapport and trust with people on the street, to encourage them to accept the services and resources that are offered to help end their homelessness.

I wonder if they helped our homeless friend? But, Phoenix has established a Strategies to Address Homelessness Task Force that has found 3,096 on the street in the city, 5,029 in Arizona's largest county, Maricopa, They found them, now what are they doing? Here are a few of the efforts...

• $10 million to purchase a hotel to house homeless military veterans
• Summer heat relief at the Phoenix Convention Center
• Refurbished public housing increasing access to affordable energy-efficient apartments
• $20 million annually for city services related to homelessness, including services providing shelter for 5,430 individuals and families
• Partnerships with community organizations including UMOM, CPLC, Native American Connections, Justa Center, St. Vincent de Paul and others.

There's more you can see here. This is what they are doing in Phoenix and Maricopa County, Arizona. Later Nasty Jack Buzz will explore what is being done about homelessness nationwide.   READ MORE...

Gallup Poll: Bad Government Has Replaced Inflation

 

It had to happen with the way Republicans have been acting and governing lately. And the Democrats certainly deserve their measure of criticism from the White House on down. Here's the scenario from Reason...

"In the latest Gallup poll, more than one-fifth of respondents—21 percent—cited the government and/or poor leadership as the nation's top problem."

Next was immigration, followed by the economy in general, racism/race relations next, and then crime/violence. Here's the political breakdown...

"Conservatives were more likely to say inflation (18 percent of conservatives vs. 11 percent of left-leaning respondents), immigration (18 percent vs. 5 percent), the economy in general (11 percent vs. 9 percent), and moral/ethical/family decline (5 percent vs. 2 percent) were top problems.

"Democrats were more likely to cite crime and violence (5 percent vs. 4 percent), unifying the country (8 percent vs. 3 percent), race relations (9 percent vs. 2 percent), the environment (6 percent vs. 0 percent), and the gap between rich and poor (4 percent vs. 0 percent) as our country's top issues.

"Government was cited as the most important problem by 24 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in the poll and by 18 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents."

Added to the poll...

"the approval rating for Congress (21 percent) and for Biden (41 percent) remained unchanged since the prior Gallup poll late last year."

With McCarthy pushing everyone's buttons, the situation is likely to remain the same until 2024.   READ MORE...

 

We Cannot Let The Needless Execution Of Animals Continue

 

The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter euthanized 34 dogs on Tuesday because they didn't have enough room for them. The animals shouldn't have been there but that's another story. Not being familiar with the Oklahoma City shelter, I don't know if they made an attempt to use Pilots N Paws, an organization that provides free transportation of animals to locations where there is either more room or there is a potential adoption. By the way, Pilots N Paws endures through donations.

But there are other ways to help control this situation like spaying and neutering. The ASPCA says...

By spaying or neutering your pet, you’ll help control the pet homelessness crisis. Millions of healthy dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States each year simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around. There are also medical and behavioral benefits to spaying (female pets) and neutering (male pets).

Agreed, a lot of folks out there are still struggling with their finances but if you are able, please foster an animal. which helps take the load off shelters. And there are always donations that can help these organizations to care for more animals and provide better aid to the general population. Finally, if you have the time, volunteer. You cannot believe the joy just a visit from someone brings to a caged animal. If you love animals, please do your part today.

READ MORE...

Republicans Want Donald Trump Dead

 

Here's the headline: "'Can’t wait until this guy dies.' Report reveals GOP insiders’ real sentiments toward Trump." Here's the source...

"The Atlantic's McKay Coppins insisted most Republicans are done with the former president but still fear the repercussions of speaking out against him."

More cowardice like that which paralyzes both chambers of Congress when a vote is up for gun control. Donald Trump demonstrates his power to get what he wants. The NRA's Wayne LaPierre displays his wallet to Senators and Representatives to indicate his control. Two of the biggest lowlifes in this country parlay their influence for self-benefit. The following is an example of current feelings...

former Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), Coppins claims, told him, “You have a lot of folks who are just wishing for [Trump’s] mortal demise. I want to be clear: I’m not in that camp. But I’ve heard from a lot of people who will go onstage and put on the red hat, and then give me a call the next day and say, ‘I can’t wait until this guy dies.’”

 The Atlantic: Some Republicans 'can't wait' for Trump to die...

 This would be terrifying if they weren't talking about Donald Trump.   READ MORE...

Why Are Country Folks So Mad At The Rest Of Us?

 

I came from a country town in Tennessee and to my best recollection we only disliked yankees, and that was only because we felt they looked down on us. It was not in the least political but I was in high school then and there were other interests that kept me busy. I do remember an incident in my family when John F. Kennedy was elected--I was older then--where there was serious concern that a Catholic in the White House would try to convert us all to Catholicism. It didn't happen.

The world has changed in the seventy years since and a divisive order now exists between Democrats and Republicans that is eons larger than the distinction between the north and the south in the Civil War. It was clear then that the war was over the right to own slaves. Today, the war between the liberal and conservative ideologies is packed with so many issues that even the political experts can't keep up with it. 

Paul Krugman in his New York Times column quotes Katherine J. Cramer...

"who attributes rural resentment to perceptions that rural areas are ignored by policymakers, don’t get their fair share of resources and are disrespected by 'city folks.'”

That is similar to the southerners' dilemma back in the 1940s/1950s. But Krugman simply doesn't agree taking a completely opposite position...

"The truth is that ever since the New Deal rural America has received special treatment from policymakers. It’s not just farm subsidies, which ballooned under Donald Trump to the point where they accounted for around 40 percent of total farm income. Rural America also benefits from special programs that support housing, utilities and business in general."

The highly respected American economist goes on to point out how federal programs disproportionately benefit rural areas and other evidence of just how the rural population benefits from government programs.   READ MORE...

READ MORE from Paul Krugman on the rural political unrest: Economist Paul Krugman: Why 'rural resentment' fails the 'scrutiny' test

HOPE YOUR HOLIDAYS ARE FANTASTIC!

 

It seems that our country and the world are experiencing problems that many think are insurmountable. I can't speak for the rest of the world but after 90 years, I can tell you that America has always bounced back and gone ahead to prosperity. This time will be no different.

Nasty Jack

Kevin McCarthy - Bogus Speaker at best - In pictures

 

This is another Republican liar we have learned not to believe. Did Kevin McCarthy learn it from his pal, Donald Trump?

Doesn't this make Kevin McCarthy ineligible to be a member of Congress?

Congress should replace Kevin McCarthy with Charley McCarthy, without Edgar Bergen.

Sorry about the cutoff picture but I couldn't resist the description of Kevin McCarthy as Donald Trump's lapdog.

The question is, are Kevin McCarthy and Marjorie Taylor Greene in a love-hate relationship? With any luck, they'll take each other down.

Actually, in addition to Kevin McCarthy, Liz Cheney has a lot of mens' gonads after her participation in the Jan. 6 Riot Commission. But most notably Donald Trump.

I have no words that would better describe Kevin McCarthy than a POS.

And, although not in the picture, Kevin McCarthy was one of those that both endured and supported Donald Trump lies and corruption.

THE  END...FOR NOW

Republican white supremacist Christmas

 

Take a good look at the picture to the left. See anything missing? The Republicans' idea of a "white" Christmas is literally white. Here is a post from AlterNet: "The Republican Party is soaked in white supremacy. But is it a hate group?"  To begin with, here are some things to think about...

"Guns, abortion, immigration – what binds these “hot button” issues together in the Republican mind? Well, white supremacy, obviously."

Each, GUNS, ABORTION and IMMIGRATION, has its explanation from John Stoehr of the AlterNet and I urge you to read his post, here. All three of these issues have one common denominator, fear. But does all this make them Republican hate groups? Southern Poverty Law Center’s Rachel Carroll Rivas asked, 'What’s the status of hate groups in America?' I have followed SPLC for years and find their research on hate groups the best.

Some of Rivas' comments...

"after the insurrection on January 6, 2021, the hard-right movement converged around a willingness to engage in political violence, inflict harm and deny legally-established rights.

"Honestly, these harmful ideas have become so commonplace 

that card-carrying membership is less and less necessary.

"We consider the hard right of today inherently anti-democratic.

"We documented 733 hate groups and 488 antigovernment groups in 2021. There are also 65 new groups listed in 2021."

With that said, many of the members of SPLC's hate groups are connected to Donald Trump, and Christian Picciolini who nearly 25 years ago was a leader in the skinhead movement defines who make up hate groups...

"It's the average American. It is our mechanics, it's our dentists, it's our teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses and unfortunately that's the way it's turned into the last 30 years."

Although not mentioned by name, there are member of the U.S. Congress who do support extremist groups...

"a small but vocal band of Republicans now serving in the House provided legitimacy and publicity to extremist groups and movements as they built toward their role in supporting Mr. Trump’s efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election and the attack on Congress."

So, it suddenly becomes clear why Republicans are dreaming of a White Christmas. Their dream is indisputedly focused on the word "white."

 

Jan. 6 Committee...Best of statements

 

Posted yesterday my wife and I watched the Monday hearing of the Jan. 6 Commission and came to the conclusion the panel nailed Donald Trump. Following are some of the leading quotes from the meeting, compliments CNN...

1. “The Trump campaign legal team knew there was no legitimate argument…to overturn the election, and yet President Trump went forward with his plan for January 6 anyway.” – Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney 

2. “Mr. Trump decided before the election…that he would claim it was rigged.” – California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren 

3. “The mayor (Rudy Giuliani) was definitely intoxicated.” – former Trump adviser Jason Miller 

4. “I don’t know that I had a firm view of what he should say.” – Ivanka Trump 

5. “My recommendation was to say that ‘Votes were still being counted. It’s too early to tell, too early to call the race but we’re proud of the race we ran, and we think we’re in good position.’” – former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien

These are the first five and I urge you to go to the CNN article for the rest as well as more in-depth explanation. 

Jan. 6 Committee nails Donald Trump

 

My wife and I watched the last session of the January 6 Committee yesterday and the summary and wrap up was very convincing. Donald Trump is corrupt and an anarchist with solid proof from the Committee allowing them to refer prosecution of Trump to the Dept. of Justice on the following charges...

"to prosecute Trump for obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and incitement, rebellion or insurrection."

The Committee could also recommend ethics charges against 5 Republicans for refusing House subpoenas: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Of course, the GOP takes over the House in January 2023, but with the amount of chaos surrounding who will be Speaker, it looks like

there will be non-stop turmoil facing Congress.

If you watched, did you see the commitment and passion when Adam Kinzinger spoke? The U.S. Congress will lose a valuable asset when he retires, as well as Liz Cheney leaving due to losing her election. Cheney pledged herself and her career to get rid of Donald Trump, which culminated in the Jan. 6 Committee. Others on the panel were clear in their condemnation of Trump using clips from his administration to illustrate how he broke the law over and over.

There is talk that these prosecution referrals of Trump will face a number of obstacles when it gets to the DOJ. One is Merrick Garland's record of moving so slow in Donald Trump's prosecution, but it is hoped that the latest appointment of fireball prosecutor, Jack Smith, will move things along now. There is also the feeling that, if brought before a jury, a general public would be reluctant to convict

a former president, or a Trump minion would be on the jury.

No matter what, the Jan. 6 Committee has done an excellent job in bringing Donald Trump to justice for his transgressions. We can only hope that the DOJ will do their job now.