The State of Things

Camille is a brilliant poster over at Pragmatic Obots Unite.

She routinely drops wonderful knowledge.

Last night, she dropped this.

CamilleCamille •

I haven't been this sad in such a long time-

How anyone can look at what the Supreme court did today and feel good about, or comfortable with it - How any of these justices can sleep tonight or look themselves in the mirror in the morning--?

Even Mitch McConnell stuttered, stammered and fidgeted and couldn't even look straight into the camera as he uncomfortably commented - and only as the lone person who even "bothered" to do so - as he stood with some members of his caucus.

In a time when the election and re-election of a black president plainly exposed the worst of America's racist underbelly - forcing a vast majority of racists out of hibernation - and inspiring and initiating a whole new generation of hardcore racists along the way--

Emboldened and egged on by the support, backing and at the exploitative urging of some known and faceless mercenary oil and Wall street billionaires and their media gofers looking to mischievously stoke racial prejudices, discontent and distrust of this president in particular, and government in general, only so that while people are consumed with these distractions, they swoop in like the vultures they are, completely take over and pillage whatever little they don't already own and control--

In a time when the first black President and First Lady have been so disrespected in such unbelievable and unprecedented ways, and still without any provocation on their part, subjected to an endless barrage of vicious, hateful and dehumanizing attacks designed to penetrate and strip and diminish their being and destroy their spirits-

In a time when a Sikh is killed for the heck of it, and only because some ignorant racist mistook him for a "Muslim terrorist"-- and a 4th generation American kid is snatched up off the streets and deported to Mexico because they're certain that with her dark olive skin she's got to be "illegal"--

In a time when people are brazenly defending the deeply-held and incredibly harmful racist hankerings of a sly old southern bigot-- and publicly raising funds for and defending the cold-blooded murderer of an innocent young black boy--

In a time when people blatantly pretend not to be able to easily distinguish between the voice of a grown man -- and the undeniable screams for help of a petrified and still growing and developing adolescent boy whose still transitioning breaking voice can be easily identified by the punctuations of modulating pitch - warbling and high one second - and croaky and low the next--

In such a time as this, with everything pointing to still prevalent, entrenched and many insurmountable racist mindsets and societal structures -- in such a time as this, we are told by the Supreme court of the United States, led by a man whose life ambition has always been to do away with as much of the life-saving Civil Rights Act, the VRA just being a start -

We are told that our very dysfunctional and delicate Union is just fine and dandy -- and that this most important law which has for years largely guarded the few essential rights of the minority - and made for progress and fairness in an organically inequitable nation -- that this law is no longer necessary---

The oil and Wall street bought racist justices and their token black robe, doing double duty, took away the single most important law in our Democracy only stopping long enough to tell us that we've now overcome - even as the racism grows and plays out each minute on our streets, capitol, in our media and every facet of our society--

Even as their partners in crime at the various State legislatures are busy quickly turning back the hands of time to their preferred nostalgic era -- the era when coloured people knew their place and Paula Deen's great, great, grand pappy was happy and content and had not an inkling that his hardworking slaves were ever going to walk free - and that he'd die out of desperation at his own hands with his suicide avenged by his racist, slave-driving great, great, grand daughter in 2013 ---

How ironic she's outed in the very same week the supreme justices told us times had changed and then proceeded to do the most important bidding of their monied and racist owners---

Interesting times--

another brilliant comment: nathkatun7

I was 19 years when the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed and signed into law. Like every one in the 60s, I regarded the Act as a monumental achievement although it had come at a terrible cost. Precious lives were lost in the struggle to secure voting rights. Today's Supreme Court decision hit me so hard that I had decided not to say or write anything.

I spent the day trying to reflect on this horrible day. Five men of the highest court in the country, in a decision without precedent, erased one of the most important achievements of the Black Freedom Struggle, which was earned as a result of the sacrifices of so many people, many of whom are no longer with us. But then I realized that what happened today, though horrible, is no where near the horrors that our ancestors had to endure without ever giving up or losing hope.

If our ancestors could endure 244 years of slavery and more than100 years of Jim Crow, then this too shall pass. Re-watching Dr. King's speech, at the conclusion of the Selma-to-Montgomery March, renewed my determination to press on.

Today was pay back day by the right wingers on the Court because we showed up twice, in unprecedented numbers, to elect Barack Obama President of the United States. I hope we will pay the right wingers back by showing up in even greater numbers, in 2014, to defeat right wing Republicans at all levels of government. We especially need to focus on the importance of electing members of Congress who are committed to undo today's Supreme Court abomination.