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Practical Politics
The politics of semantic arrogance
‘Opinions are opinions, and facts are just that. Anybody and everybody are entitled to their own opinions, but nobody is entitled to make up their own facts.’
Practical Politics
The politics of our two-faced, divisive president
Love him or loathe him as president, we had all hoped by now that Donald Trump would have understood and accepted the cold...
Practical Politics
The politics of boxing with nature
Recently, humankind in this part of the globe got dragged into an unwanted war with nature and got pummeled, thrice over.
Practical Politics
The politics of eviscerating government support for arts and humanities
Unless the art of lying is considered a special skill, our current POTUS seems not to have any notable artistic talent. It should therefore not have come as a surprise to many of us that in his first national budget proposal, Mr. Trump called for the elimination of all public funding for the National Endowment of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This horrified many artists and performers in this country, and in the world community. No other U.S. president has ever done that, though there have been numerous times that budget reductions in those agencies have been requested.
Practical Politics
The politics of recruiting for hate
We can call last Saturday in Virginia what we want: the latest example of domestic terrorism, a current scenario displaying the present state of the U.S.A., or just an American protest gone bad. We can also see it for what it really was: a recruitment event for the Renaissance of White Nationalism. Clearly, it was an answer to the questions: Why haven’t they just died off? Isn’t this the era of the money-oriented, smartphone millennials?
Practical Politics
Politics of killing American diplomacy
This is a multi-national world. That is, there are currently 195 countries officially recognized by the United Nations, each with its own government, economy, domestic issues and international interests. In order to enjoy relative peace and the opportunities for prosperity, each country must engage in regular negotiations, debate, mediations, etc., also called diplomacy. The latter is the art and skill of engaging with neighboring countries and the world in discussions aimed at non-confrontation and achieving one’s national interests to the degree realizable within the circumstances of the time.
Practical Politics
The politics of the new-old War on Drugs
America’s War on Drugs (WOD) (aka War on Black People) has been an ongoing messy affair for nearly 50 years. It has not stopped drug trafficking, it has not stopped drug addiction, and it has not made the USA safer. In fact, most analysts agree that, instead, the WOD has at best only propelled the incarceration of massive numbers of Americans (especially Black Americans), driven millions of families further into permanent poverty, and perpetuated the cycle of drug abuse in the country. The WOD has not been able to “arrest and incarcerate addiction out of the American people.”
Practical Politics
The politics of never downplaying Black folk
In 2017, too many world civilization histories and success stories still focus almost exclusively on what Europeans or neo-Europeans have done or contributed. The big lie continues being taught and re-taught. Whatever Black folk have chosen to participate in throughthe ages, we have excelled in, be it music, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, ice sports, soccer, American football, golf, tennis, etc. Whatever; we have not been slackers on the world stage, but our contributions have very often been ignored or downplayed.
Practical Politics
The Politics of Declining the U.S.A.
In an apparent, though perhaps unintended, attempt to drive the U.S.A.’s reputation downwards, the Donald Trump administration is doing spectacularly well. A few weeks ago, this column identified the rapid decline of this country’s international reputation viz-a-viz the recent Pew International Survey. This week, another reliable international study, continued reporting on that trend.
Practical Politics
The politics of 21st century Pan African education
As is very well known by now, the African Union, the preeminent continental African organization dedicated to African unification into a Union of African States, is very deeply involved in its drive to succeed.