John Giles: MLK 2.0 – content of character
The American stage is now set and ripe for a new leader to emerge in the black community, but it will not be the likes of Al, Jessie, Elijah or Maxine. Their tactics flamed out decades ago, but there is fertile soil now for a MLK 2.0 to lead the black community into the Promise Land, ascribed by the late Martin Luther King (MLK). King emphasized the importance for whites in the 60’s to look at the content of character of the black man, not the color of his skin. Right here my friends, is the embedded secret code, the Holy Grail, if you will that has been overlooked by Sharpton, Jackson, Cummings and Waters who have dedicated their career to skin color. The, yet to be identified MLK 2.0, will be all about the content of character, drinking from the chalice of MLK as the denominator and the numerator is the color of his skin. It has been 51 years since the assignation of Martin Luther King and in all of these years, not one person has even come close to filling his lonely shoes of leadership, let’s take a closer look. We moved to Montgomery in 1959, when I was 5-years old. I was 11-years old in 1965 during the infamous Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery. I want to be brutally honest with you, as an 11-year old boy, I was terrified about the marches, curfews and MLK, just to see his face on TV. I did not understand at the time what all was going on except I saw police in riot gear, dogs, tear gas, Billy clubs, beating and the fire hosing of innocent people in a “peaceful nonviolent” demonstration (Free Speech) trying to right some wrongs in America. MLK in his own way was like a modern-day Moses, leading his people off the plantation from the once bondages of slavery, wanting them to have equal access to education and preparing them to make a positive impact on the world. I still get chill bumps listening carefully to his anointed speeches. “I have a dream,” Washington DC, “Our God is marching on,” Selma, Alabama, “Beyond Viet Nam: Time to break the silence,” New York City, “The Other America,” Stanford University and “I have been to the mountaintop,” Memphis Tennessee. Protégé’s of MLK did not get it. They have wasted 51 precious years, making loud noises, discharging threats, encouraging riots, looking for a bogyman under every rock, staging boycotts, blackmailing corporations through extortion, and calling everyone racist at every intersection. The rank and file members of the black community have been used for block voting, while the black leadership gets wealthy selling endorsements and pretending to have a magic switch, they can turn on to activate a black swarm of bees. Black leadership generally quickly forget where they came from, driving new shiny black Cadillac Escalades, wearing fancy jewelry, custom tailored suits and expensive shoes and getting on the A-Invitation list of high society gatherings; all about optics. MLK 2.0 will not be like this at all. I believe MLK 2.0 is already born, on the scene, but has not yet matured in the full anointing of his predecessor. Like MLK, he will be well educated, well spoken, a gifted speaker, the embodiment of character, humble, honest, not flashy, fact driven, common sensed, focused, goal oriented and principled to the bone marrow. More than likely, he (not a she) will be a minister of the gospel that lives out the Word of God in their lives with prudence. They will lead by example, teaching personal responsibility, work ethic and in my view, they will break rank from the Democrat Party. MLK 2.0 will be fact driven, not trying to re-write history, issues – driven and will showcase economic, moral, social and constitutional conservative ideas in the public square. I believe that MLK 2.0 will most likely be a Republican, because his issues will mirror that of the 2020 Republican Party National Committee Platform. Independent thinking Blacks of all ages, at great personal cost, are now exiting the Democrat Party (Blexit). Older blacks like Dr. Ben Carson (Neurosurgeon – Trump Cabinet), Black Entertainment TV (BET) Founder Robert Johnson, join younger blacks like Candace Owens (BLEXIT), Diamond & Silk, Joel Patrick, Peggi Hubbard (US Senate Candidate), Joy Villa, Star Parker, Thaddeus Alexander and Davis Harris, just to name a few. They understand principles like tax reform allowing all Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money, balancing our national budget and trade deficits, reducing the government regulatory burdens on free enterprise, strong national defense, and a strong economy helps all Americans, regardless of race. These positive environments drive down black unemployment to historic lows, drive up unprecedented black entrepreneurial business startups and homeownership. These statistics cannot be outmaneuvered or normalized with the shucking and jiving of Maxine who is still promoting civil unrest. When the Children of Israel were freed from the Egyptian bondage of slavery, they wandered in the dessert for forty years; Moses did not enter the promise land, Israel. MLK was assassinated before leading the black people into the promise land; it has now been 51 years of wandering in the impoverished wildernesses and the black on black crime-infested ghettos led by liberal black leaders. It is now time to enter the promise land America offers all. It is way overdue to reach the mountain top available to all Americans. In my view, MLK 2.0 is in the dugout as we speak and ready to get on deck. He is having sleepless nights because he knows what is right and what is wrong. God is speaking to him in the wee early morning hours before sunrise. He knows the path will be lonely, he knows one will have to be a majority, worried about be called a “Tom” or worse and being chided by the jealousy of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Elijah Cummings and Maxine Waters. But like Moses, he will lead with
Walmart introduces new gun restrictions but will they help?
Walmart has won praise from gun control advocates for its decision to discontinue sales of certain gun ammunition and request that customers no longer openly carry firearms in its stores. But whether the moves will translate into fewer guns on the street remains an open question. The announcement Tuesday follows similar steps by other retailers responding to public pressure to restrict gun and ammunition sales. In March, Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would stop selling firearms and ammunition at 125 of its 700-plus locations. Meanwhile, Starbucks, Target, Wendy’s and most recently Kroger have also asked customers not to openly carry guns when visiting their stores. Supporters of stricter gun laws say that as the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart will have outsized influence on the gun debate, sending a strong message to Congress as well as other corporations to also take action. “Walmart deserves enormous credit for joining the strong and growing majority of Americans who know that we have too many guns in our country and they are too easy to get,” said Igor Volsky, executive director and founder of Guns Down America, in a statement. “That work doesn’t end with Walmart’s decision today. As Congress comes back to consider gun violence, Walmart should make it clear that it stands with Americans who are demanding real change.” Still, most firearms sales come from thousands of unaffiliated gun shops or gun shows, not big retail chains, so it’s not clear how much difference Walmart’s moves will make. About half of its more than 4,750 U.S. stores sell firearms, or only around 2 percent of all U.S. firearms. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based discounter said Tuesday it will stop selling handgun ammunition as well as short-barrel rifle ammunition, such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber used in military style weapons, after it runs out of its current inventory. That in turn will reduce Walmart’s market share of ammunition from around 20 percent to a range of about 6 percent to 9 percent, according to a memo by the company CEO Doug McMillon. Walmart will also discontinue handgun sales in Alaska. Walmart stopped selling handguns in the mid-1990s in every state but Alaska. The latest move marks its complete exit from that business and allows it to focus on hunting rifles and related ammunition only. The retailer is further requesting that customers refrain from openly carrying firearms at its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores unless they are law enforcement officers. However, it said that it won’t be changing its policy for customers who have permits for concealed carry. Walmart says it will be adding signage in stores to inform customers of those changes.Walmart’s announcement comes just days after a mass shooting claimed seven lives in Odessa, Texas and follows two other back-to-back shootings last month, one of them at a Walmart store. Last month, a gunman entered a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and killed 22 people with an AK-style firearm that the retailer already bans the sale of, marking the deadliest shooting in Walmart’s history. A second unrelated shooting that same day in Dayton, Ohio killed nine people . A few days before that, two Walmart workers were killed by another worker at a store in Southaven, Mississippi. “In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again,” according to McMillon’s memo. “The status quo is unacceptable.” The National Rifle Association posted a tweet attacking Walmart’s announcement Tuesday. “It is shameful to see Walmart succumb to the pressure of the anti-gun elites. Lines at Walmart will soon be replaced by lines at other retailers who are more supportive of America’s fundamental freedoms,” it said. Walmart took an initial step of ordering workers in stores nationwide to remove video game signs and displays that depict violence as a way to be more sensitive to customers in the aftermath of the El Paso shooting. Still, that fell well short of demands for the retailer to stop selling firearms entirely. Critics have also wanted Walmart to stop supporting politicians backed by the NRA. The retailer has long found itself in an awkward spot with its customers and gun enthusiasts. Many of its stores are located in rural areas where hunters depend on Walmart to get their equipment. Walmart is trying to walk a fine line by trying to embrace its hunting heritage while being a more responsible retailer. With its new policy on “open carry,” McMillon noted in his memo that individuals have tried to make a statement by carrying weapons into its stores just to frighten workers and customers. But there are well-intentioned customers acting lawfully who have also inadvertently caused a store to be evacuated and local law enforcement to be called to respond. Like other companies, Walmart is not enforcing an outright ban because they don’t want to put their employees in confrontational situations. Walmart says it hopes to help other retailers by sharing its best practices in background checks. And the company, which in 2015 stopped selling assault rifles like the AR-rifles used in several mass shootings, urged more debate on the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban while also calling for the government to strengthen background checks. Walmart sent letters Tuesday to the White House and the Congressional leadership seeking action on these “common sense” measures. Over the last 15 years, Walmart had expanded beyond its hunting and fishing roots, carrying items like assault rifles in response to increasing demand. But particularly since 2015, often coinciding with major public mass shootings, the company has made moves to curb the sale of ammunition and guns. Walmart announced in February 2018 that it would no longer sell firearms and ammunition to people younger than 21 and also removed items resembling assault-style rifles from its website. Those moves were prompted by the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people. In 2015, Walmart stopped selling semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 style rifle,
Military base cuts affect schools, target ranges, and maintenance facilities
The Pentagon will cut funding from military projects like schools, target ranges and maintenance facilities to pay for the construction of 175 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, diverting a total $3.6 billion to President Donald Trump’s long-promised barrier. Projects in 23 states, 19 countries and three U.S. territories would be stalled or killed by the plan, though just $1.1 billion in cuts would strike the continental U.S., according to a list released Wednesday by the Pentagon. Almost $700 million would come from projects in U.S. territories, with another $1.8 billion coming from projects on overseas bases. Trump’s move would take the biggest step yet in delivering on his promise to build a wall to block immigrants from entering the country illegally. But it may come at the expense of projects that the Pentagon acknowledged may be difficult to fund anew. Capitol Hill Democrats, outraged over Trump’s use of an emergency order for the wall, promised they won’t approve money to revive them. A senior defense official told reporters the Pentagon is having conversations with members of Congress to urge them to restore the funding. The official agreed that the department has “a lot of work ahead of us,” considering that Congress has given no guarantee it will provide money for the defunded projects. The official was not authorized to discuss the details publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. In addition, new stretches of fencing proposed along the Rio Grande and through a wildlife refuge in Arizona promise to ignite legal battles that could delay the wall projects as well.The military base projects facing the chopping block tend to address less urgent needs like new parking at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and a variety of small arms ranges at bases in Wisconsin and Oklahoma. But a “cyber ops facility” in Hampton, Virginia, and the expansion of a missile defense field at Fort Greeley, Alaska, face the ax, too. Trump has so far succeeded in building replacement barriers within the 654 miles of fencing built during the Obama and Bush administrations. The funding shift will allow for about 115 miles of new pedestrian fencing in areas where there isn’t any now. “The wall is being built. It’s going up rapidly,” Trump said Wednesday. “And we think by the end of next year, which will be sometime right after the election actually, but we think we’re going to have close to 500 miles of wall, which will be complete.” New stretches of fencing are sure to spark legal battles with angry landowners and environmentalists. The Pentagon plan also fuels the persistent controversy between the Trump administration and Congress over immigration policies and the funding of the border wall. “It doesn’t take any input from the local communities. It will take away from the private property rights,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, Democrat-Texas. “We are going to do everything we can to stop the president.” Cuellar suggested Democrats will look at a must-pass funding bill this month — required to prevent a government shutdown Oct. 1 — to try to take on Trump. But a more likely venue for the battle could be ongoing House-Senate negotiations over the annual Pentagon policy measure. Lawmakers who refused earlier this year to approve nearly $6 billion for the wall must now decide if they will restore the projects that are being used to provide the money. “To pay for his xenophobic border wall boondoggle, President Trump is about to weaken our national security by stealing billions of dollars from our military,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat-Florida, who chairs a key military construction panel. “The House of Representatives will not backfill any projects he steals from today.” One of the Senate’s most endangered Republicans in the 2020 election, Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, reported that her state is getting nicked for just $30 million from a project that was being delayed anyway. Georgia, where two potentially competitive Senate races loom next year, would be spared entirely, though powerful Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican-Kentucky, himself facing re-election, would lose a $63 million middle school at Fort Campbell. “We need to secure our border and protect our military; we can and should do both,” McSally said. “I went to the mat to fight for Arizona projects and succeeded.”Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon comptroller, said the now-unfunded projects are not being canceled. Instead, the Pentagon is saying the military projects are being “deferred.” Congress approved $1.375 billion for wall construction in this year’s budget, same as the previous year and far less than the $5.7 billion that the White House sought. Trump grudgingly accepted the money to end a 35-day government shutdown in February but simultaneously declared a national emergency to take money from other government accounts, identifying up to $8.1 billion for wall construction. The transferred funds include $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund, $2.5 billion from Defense Department counterdrug activities and now the $3.6 billion pot for military housing construction announced Tuesday. The Pentagon reviewed the list of military projects and said none that provided housing or critical infrastructure for troops would be affected, in the wake of recent scandals over poor living quarters for service members in several parts of the country. Defense officials also said they would focus on projects set to begin in 2020 and beyond, with the hope that the money could eventually be restored by Congress. The government will spend the military housing money on 11 wall projects in California, Arizona and Texas, the administration said in a filing Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The most expensive is for 52 miles (84 kilometers) in Laredo, Texas, at a cost of $1.27 billion. The Laredo project and one in El Centro, California, are on private property, which would require purchase or confiscation, according to the court filing. Two projects in Arizona are on land overseen by the Navy and will be the first to be built, no earlier
