Month: February 2024

I’ve always been a student of human nature. I was that kid always engaged in people watching, trying desperately to figure out what it meant to be human. I sought answers through relationships, books, and screen media. I sometimes concluded that people were inherently good only to be later convinced of the opposite. I learned the hard way that not everyone can be trusted, even those who claim to care about you. I learned that given the right circumstances, otherwise good people could do terribly bad things, including me. My lifelong observations of human nature have been a source of both fascination and frustration, admiration and disgust, and hopefulness followed by utter disappointment.

I’ve discovered that central to our humanity is the need to be part of a tribe. A tribe is simply a group of people who share common values, worldviews, and aspirations. Under adverse circumstances, a tribe is created because of a common skin color, heritage, or experience that binds folks together. Tribes are created by humans as a means to survive in a world filled with threats and challenges. Unfortunately, some tribes seek to dominate or even eliminate other tribes in their quest for security, survival or greed. What disappointments me the most is that tribal warfare appears to be a deadly fixture among humans that we just can’t escape.

Each of us is born into a particular tribe, but as we mature, we may choose to join a different tribe. Our tribal memberships may change multiple times throughout our lives. I know mine have. I was born into a black Christian tribe in the 1950’s in Detroit, Michigan to parents who were on the verge of changing their tribal affiliation by moving to Southern California, away from church, family, and friends. My earliest recollection of this new tribe was the variety of skin colors, foods, and languages sharing the same spaces. Aside from annual visits to Detroit to see family, black faces like mine were rare except on the Sundays when we made it to church. I was eleven when my mother once again joined a new tribe. She left the Missionary Baptist Church of her youth to join the more restrictive Pentecostals.

And boy were they strict! First, they believed that they were the only true Christians. The salvation that had been freely given as a Baptist, now had behavioral strings attached. I could no longer dance, wear pants, listen to secular music, or go to the movies. Cussing was strictly forbitten. Women were to be submissive to men and children obedient. Secular education was viewed with suspicion. We were in church all day on Sundays and most of the evening on Wednesdays. I soon learned that humans aren’t cut out for living under such strict rules and that folks who put on a good show of piety were secretly “sinning” all over the place. Some of the worse were gossips, thieves, adulterers, child abusers, and child molesters. I was happy when we finally left that tribe after a few years. My mother and I ended up joining a less restrictive white Pentecostal church where I spent my teenage years. However, because the previous experience was so bad, my brothers refused to attend any church for many years afterward. My eldest brother never did. They found tribal membership in athletics.

From high school, throughout college, and while raising my children, I maintained an evangelical Christian tribal membership. This was a comfortable tribe where skin color didn’t matter and where a wholesome lifestyle that included education, hard work, fairness, and compassion for others was central. In that tribe, American history didn’t matter much and society’s discrimination against women, black and brown skinned people, and LGBTQ issues were dealt with outside the church doors as aspects of a fallen world.

We saw ourselves as living in the world but not really being of the world. We worked to make enough money to take care of ourselves and to support the church and the needy. We weren’t greedy for the temporary riches of the world such as money, power, or fame. Humility was a virtue and God deserved the glory for our successes in this life. Our creativity, work, and moral ethics often lead to recognition from others which we used to point to our faith. We concerned ourselves with following Jesus’ teachings about how to treat each other and how to treat people outside the church so that they too would be receptive to the Good News of how God gave His only Son, Jesus, for our freedom from bondage in this life and for eternal life with Him.

I loved being a part of that tribe. The fellowship was entertaining, wholesome, and fulfilling. It was a wonderful mindset (which I mostly maintain) and a great tribe in which to raise children. There were plenty of moral failings over the years of epic proportions, but those involved simply disappeared from the tribe and no one talked about it because gossip was frowned upon. In some cases, it was the pastor who was caught up in adultery or theft and had to be replaced. Forgiveness was always extended but the actors always seemed to leave, perhaps from shame or embarrassment. At its core, the tribe was about loving God and loving others with compassion.

But the tribe slowly began to change in response to a rapidly changing society that was difficult to ignore and impossible to compete with. As we became overwhelmed by the temptations presented in the media, the music, and at schools, intolerance slowly crept in, gradually replacing compassion and the gospel itself. I would eventually join a new tribe that was more tolerant.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I recall when the church was first infiltrated by political actors. The tribe I belonged to that loved God, each other, and cared about saving souls from the bondage of sin and eternal damnation was now concerning itself with gaining political power in order to save a country from the wrath of a vengeful angry God because of the sinners running the show. The hot button issues that the politicians used were feminism, abortion, and homosexuality. They were able to convince the tribe that already felt vulnerable to temptations that feminists were destroying the natural order, abortion was murder, and that homosexuals were all pedophiles intent on recruiting our children. In short, we were in danger and political power was the only way to protect our country and ourselves.

The warmth, compassion, and teachings of Jesus were soon replaced by a paranoia and a fear of anything that wasn’t produced by Christian conservatives. Offering alternatives, like Christian schools and homeschooling, and then seeking shelter from the many temptations by turning off the television and radios was the start, but it soon wasn’t enough. They tried offering their own versions of contemporary Christian music and movies as alternatives. But it wasn’t enough either. They soon decided to eliminate the temptations altogether. And the politicians convinced the tribe that they could do it through legislation by gaining political power.

The political evangelicals today are no different from the Taliban in Afghanistan. They are pursuing political power in order to create a theocracy where they can be comfortable role playing a version of Christianity that they themselves abandoned years ago. Look at the person they embraced as their leader: Donald Trump, the most hateful, un-Christ-like human being. They have joined hands with white supremacists to boost their power. They are a tribe that is ready and willing to wage warfare with actual guns, not prayer, to gain supremacy over everyone in the nation even if it means throwing out the Constitution and starting over.

Standing against them are the actual teachings of Christ, but that no longer has sway with them. It is not surprising that they are now attacking the secular moral authority that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. To say that I am disappointed in what that tribe has become is an understatement. They call themselves “Christian”, but they are not following the teachings of Christ, but the allure of power.

In my next post, I address how the political aspiration of Christian nationalism is in fact a backlash to the strides made in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

My heart sank when I heard the news that Fani Willis had a romantic relationship with the person she hired as chief counsel, Nathan Wade. She should have known that any suspicious action would be highly scrutinized and weaponized against her in order to squash the prosecution of Trump. And of course, it was. I’m sure she is kicking herself in hindsight.

I watched the various testimonies this past week and concluded that she did nothing wrong. But I also saw how well Fani Willis represents both the evolution and the plight of black American females. Although she is intelligent, accomplished, courageous, fiercely independent, and fully human, she is not respected as such by the majority.

On the witness stand, Fani seemed to throw caution to the wind even though she clearly understood that her every word, action, and jester would be scrutinized and judged through the prism of whiteness. In the face of lies and false accusations, she chose “in your face” combat, boldness, defiance, and unwavering truth sprinkled with long explanations to provide cultural context to her actions. My personal favorites were her convictions about the role of a man and the need to keep a stash of cash at all times.

I’m glad that the audience was the American public and not just those few in the courtroom because this spectacle exposed the racism so many want to deny. Her father’s testimony was especially rich in explaining the need to keep cash as well as the onslaught of violent threats they faced. The distain for strong black women was apparent by the comments on C-Span and on social media. It is clear that the majority of white men and women hated her demeanor, calling her unprofessional, combative, promiscuous, and unlikable. However, black women like me, praised her demeanor as righteous indignation, bold, and truthful. We recognized ourselves and how we, too, have had to deal with unfair and untruthful accusations hurled at us in a society that neither values, trusts, nor appreciates us.

What I saw in Fani was a lonely black woman who desires companionship on terms that will not diminish her. I saw a woman who values friendships and the people in her life to the point of blindly trusting them to be truthful with her. I also saw a highly educated, accomplished and courageous woman who isn’t very good with money. I agree with the wisdom in keeping emergency cash in a safe. But I find it unsophisticated and naive to carry around lots of cash. And I especially would never advise anyone to pay bills or reimburse folks with cash. There are far too many unscrupulous people in the world eager to separate you from your money.

Wise dealings with money require record keeping and a paper trail. In the era of debit cards, credit cards and payment apps, there is little need to carry around large amounts of cash. Using protective measures to secure personal finances is easy to accomplish these days. In truth, a simple paper trail created by using her payment app would have served her well in this trial. Her testimony made her look unsophisticated and a bit foolish. Personally, I’m always suspicious when a business or a person demands cash and frankly, I don’t like being reimbursed with cash either. I feel vulnerable and can’t get to the bank fast enough to deposit it. As an attorney, she should know that having things documented is the best insurance against false accusations.

After watching the hearing, I’m somewhat confident that she will not be disqualified and that the case will not be dropped as Trump and his co-defendants desire. But Fani, please recognize the seriousness of the position you are in and for God’s sake, enough with the cash. Start using your payment app, credit or debit card.

I won’t ever run for government office. My personality won’t allow it. I don’t thrive in the limelight; I quickly tire of constant human interaction; I’m not driven to continuously expand my connections, forge alliances, fundraise, negotiate, or be the center of attention. I’m the first, never the last, to leave a party. I don’t need to exercise power over the lives of others. I prefer reasoned persuasion over coercive mandates. And my ego doesn’t depend on the attention nor the adoration of others.

People who survive on attributes opposite to mine, quickly climb corporate ladders, occupy many pulpits, or become politicians. They are rarely the most informed or the most analytical, but they project a high level of energy and care for others. It’s called charisma. They understand human nature in a way that makes them able to connect, gain trust, and ultimately secure power by promising to use their people skills to benefit their constituents. This is the contract every corporate executive, pastor, or politician makes when seeking power.

However, history and present-day reality have shown that charismatic leaders can easily ruin a company, a church, and a nation if they are ill-informed, self-serving, and lack good moral character. There are some who lack the self-confidence, diligence, or the discipline to listen carefully to knowledgeable advisors and so their incompetence quickly becomes apparent. Wise charismatic leaders who genuinely care about the company, church, or country will proactively surround themselves with knowledgeable advisors to maintain their power through admirable performance. Others will soon resign or be removed.

But then there is the rare self-serving individual who thoroughly lacks good moral character, is entirely undisciplined and lacks diligence, but stubbornly clings to power through deceit, manipulation, blackmail, vengeance, and violence. We saw these attributes in Hitler. We see it in Putin. And now, in this nation, we are witnessing this power-grabbing dynamic in Donald Trump. And should he be re-elected as president, we should believe his promise to be a dictator, to deport millions of immigrants, to require absolute loyalty, to punish his opponents, to ignore climate change, and to hand over Ukraine and any other European nations to Putin.

He says the words his followers want to hear, making them continue to believe he cares about them, however, his actual actions over his four years in office prove that he was never really interested in benefiting anyone but himself. Anyone paying close attention could clearly see that he broke the contract to use his charisma to benefit the people. The problem is that many people aren’t paying attention, have short memories, are in denial, are too pre-occupied to fact check, or actually agree with his policies and methods.

I think it is evident that the majority of Americans are keenly aware of Trump’s incompetence, immorality, and law breaking. The problem is that his public shaming touches a sympathetic nerve with people who believe he genuinely cares about them. And so, they care about him. Others who followed him passionately from the start are triggered by the human need to preserve their dignity. Anyone following social media can see Trump supporters being publicly humiliated for their ignorance, their blatant hypocrisy, their denial of facts, their cult-like devotion, and their fervent support of Trump. It is true that they have become mean-spirited, taking on the personality of their leader who insults women, veterans, immigrants, the disabled and anyone who holds him legally accountable.

In response, Trump is doing what charismatic people who lack competency do. Having lost reasonable people, he appeals to the emotions of uneducated people who are filled with fears and grudges. He promises simple solutions to complex problems that will only make matters worse. He promises vengeance on his enemies which includes any American who publicizes his incompetence, his lawlessness, his self-dealing, and his broken promises. He promises retribution for his embarrassed followers who suffer ridicule for their ignorance and passion. And worse, he promises revenge on his political enemies, attempting to secure all criminal immunity for the presidency in advance. This is terrifying stuff and not an exaggeration.

As Americans, we’ve made the mistake of allowing a charismatic people who lack both competency and good moral character to lead us. On every metric that really matters, Donald Trump has failed the test of responsible leadership and must never be allowed to ascend to the White House again. Our nation’s other leaders know this is true, but have lacked the courage in two impeachments to stop him.

And now, the Supreme Court, like the U.S. Senate, has been given a legitimate opportunity through Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to prevent Trump from becoming president. Will they take it? I doubt it. Listening to the oral arguments last week, it sounds like they too, might not have the guts to rid us of this man. So, it may be up to us.

Let’s not elect him again because this time he only promises vengeance, retribution, and harm to the most vulnerable among us, including the environment.

Last week I lamented the two choices we have for president. Neither Biden nor Trump represent the best America has to offer and we’re stuck because wealthy old white men are using their checkbooks to dictate the viable choices. I said they were fighting a proxy war over their vision for the future of the nation. I laid out how Trump represents an agenda that covets the simplicity and efficiency of authoritarianism, enshrining wealthy white “Christian” men in leadership. This week, I lay out the agenda that Biden represents.

It is no secret that I don’t want Biden to run again because of his advanced age. I think he and the wealthy old white men supporting him are driven by their egos. They are the “establishment” and their collective egos, arrogance, and need for continued relevance is behind their financial support for their longtime friend and political ally, Biden. It drives me crazy to see how they have essentially locked out any other potential democratic nominees.

That said, Biden represents a continuation of our progress towards the ideals upon which our nation was founded wherein all men are created equal and endowed by the Creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a continued progress toward relying on the Constitution and it’s guarantees for individual freedoms and equal protection under the law. It is the continuation of the constitutionally established role of government to provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. And it is the continuation of the ideals found in our Pledge of Allegiance and on the welcoming words engraved on the Statue of Liberty.

It is true that America has never fully lived up to it ideals. However, the backers of Biden embrace the ever-increasing diversity of the United States that are the result of evolving social morays, scientific discovery, and immigration. Biden represents a move toward equity which simply acknowledges the history wherein many were born with fewer advantages and less access to the tools of success, particularly education, capital, job opportunities, and healthcare. Equity means that it is only “fair” and moral to level the playing field so that the circumstances of someone’s birth no longer determine the limits of anyone’s progress. Biden also represents a movement to make the country more inclusive. This simply means that no one is excluded from participating in the nation’s success. I hear folks complain about our nation’s continued shortcomings as though no progress has been made. Some mistakenly think that Trump will actually make things better for them in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. But his record and the record of those who support him, says otherwise. Examine their policies on education, science, immigration, and healthcare and their rhetoric around job opportunities. Remember the birther movement to discredit Obama. Remember the Muslim ban, the separation of children from their parents at the southern border, the support for white suprematists marching in Charlottesville, and the encouragement of police brutality.

Education and healthcare have always been key factors for upward mobility in this country. They are the great equalizers. Biden supporters recognize and support education and access to healthcare as a means to drive economic and social progress. Even the loan forgiveness effort was a response to a disadvantage that specifically plagued low-income young adults. The right, however, sees education and universal healthcare as a threat to authoritarianism. Trump admits that he “loves the uneducated”. Educated and healthy people ask questions and demand answers, a true inconvenience to any authoritarian.

Education is also a key component to maintaining a democracy. Only an educated electorate who are able to read and understand the Constitution and analyze the issues using history and reliable data can contribute to wise decision making. Although the process is slower, it is a good thing because the outcomes are always much better. Our right to vote and to petition our government are based on the assumption that people are adequately educated. Our founders recognized the strength of many good minds working together versus the arrogance of a flawed single mind making all the decisions.

So, if the Republicans successfully destroy public education, once again access to education will be limited to the wealthy. Eventually only sons of the middle class will be sufficiently capable of exercising any decision-making power in the country and the uneducated, particularly women and the poor will be again become their servants. Remember that the first universities in this country were privately established for the wealthy sons of the ruling class to raise up the next generation of religious and political leaders to take their place. The backers of the Biden vision for America democratized education so that it is possible for people of color, immigrants, the physically challenged, and even the poorest among us to obtain an education. Republicans want to roll that back. They openly call for the elimination of the Department of Education and the funding deprivation of public schools by channeling public funds to private schools through school vouchers.

These are the choices we are being offered in the 2025 election. The names Trump and Biden may appear on the ballot, but we are actually voting for the kind of nation we want our children and grandchildren to live in. In the future, will there be opportunity and access to wealth and power for the capable and ambitious or only for the well-connected few who are white males?