So Naive (Part 2)

From an early age, I heard the N-word a lot, and because of that I had no idea it was wrong. All I knew was that we were not N-words and other people who were not like us (white) were N-words, and my Mom, Dad, grandparents, and uncles seemed not to like them. Dad's great-great-grandparents had owned slaves, and his great-grandfather had fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. By the time Dad was born, they were all deceased, but I believe the old prejudices were already ingrained.

Dad's grandmother called African Americans "darkies" but didn't seem to mind them--or maybe she just didn't have any reason not to like them. She was second-generation Irish-American, so I figure she new a different kind of prejudice quite well. Dad's grandfather was adopted but was second-generation Italian-American, and I don't know how he felt. I don't think my Mom, Dad, grandparents, and uncles had any reason not to like African Americans either, but somehow it had just always been like that so they went with it.

When I was about five, an African American family lived a few houses away from ours, and I became friends with their son Michael. One afternoon we were playing in my backyard when Dad came home from work. After Michael went home, Dad told me "I don't mind you playing with Michael, but I want you to play at his house." I didn't put it together at the time, but many years later I realized why Dad didn't want me playing with Michael at our house. My grandparents lived five houses away within sight of ours, and Dad was afraid of Grandaddy seeing Michael there. I don't think he would have done anything about it, but Dad would have gotten an ear full about it. Soon after that, Michael's family moved away. I don't know what ever happened to them, but it was a long time before another African American family lived in our neighborhood.

Enough background.

After Musk's double Nazi salute with only half-hearted efforts from the White House to walk it back, it should should be obvious that the current regime is firmly behind a drastic move within the governing structure of the U.S. toward fascism--as far right as is possible.

47 lied when he said he would be a dictator on his first day in office. The truth is written in every action he has taken since his first day in office. The truth is that 47 has been a dictator since his first day in office.

As of this writing, 47 has signed 53 executive orders since his inauguration on January 20. This is six fewer than he signed in his entire first term and about a third of the executive orders Joe Biden signed in his entire term.

According to the ACLU, "Article II of the Constitution vests the president with executive power over the government, including the obligation to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” An executive order is a written directive, signed by the president, that orders the government to take specific actions to ensure “the laws be faithfully executed.” It might mean telling the Department of Education to implement a certain rule, or declaring a new policy priority. Executive orders, however, cannot override federal laws and statutes....With an executive order, the president can’t write a new statute, but an order can tell federal agencies how to implement a statute. For example, Congress can declare a certain drug legal or illegal. But with an executive order, the president can tell the Department of Justice if prosecuting certain drug cases is a priority or not."

Despite careful wording of the titles, many of 47's executive orders are direct suggestions from the controversial Project 2525 initiative meant to reshape the federal government and remove checks on executive power in favor of right-wing policies.

By circumventing the legislative branch of the U.S. government through executive fiat, 47 is completely ignoring Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution in favor of the opinions of a non-governmental conservative think tank.

Continued in Part 3 next week. Mahalo.