Oct. 14, 2018

I'm About to Have Me a Kavanaugh!
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneywire.com) - I’m mad. So mad that I can spit. Throw stuff. Holla. Make some noise. What is a righteous woman to do? I'm about to throw me a Kavanaugh.

Brett Kavanaugh may have made it to the Supreme Court, but he also needs to make it to ignominy. In other words, he needs to go down in disgrace, not because he was accused of sexual assault, not because Senate Democrats never got his work product they asked for from the Bush Administration, not because there is some evidence that he perjured himself when he testified to the Senate during his hearing. Kavanaugh needs to go down in disgrace because he is an intemperate, rude, sexist who managed to maneuver himself onto the Supreme Court because his sponsor, the genital-grabbing President of the United States, stood by him.

Few have seen such a disgraceful performance as Kavanaugh's 45-minute diatribe at the Senate Judiciary Committee. More than two thousand law professors said his demeanor was so objectionable that he was unqualified for the court. The former dean of the Yale Law School called his presence on the court “a national disaster." He was confirmed by the narrowest of margins and is poised to move the court to the right, imperiling all kinds of human rights, including voting rights, a woman's right to choose, and other rights.

For his outburst and his ignorance, he deserves to go down in history, not as a Supreme Court Justice but as a singular example of white male rage and privilege. So let’s make Kavanaugh a noun, verb, and adjective of disgrace. As a noun, it's straightforward. It's a synonym for hot, crazy, intemperate, loud, woman-interrupting fit. Noun. He pulled a Kavanaugh on us. That’s what we say when a fool white man loses it, gains some redness, inhales barrels of water, and simply makes a spectacle of himself. As an example, didn’t Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pull a Kavanaugh when he had an outburst during the Senate hearings?

Kavanaugh’s outburst set a standard for outrageousness. When women of color raise their voice and lose their tempers, think Serena Williams at the US Open, they are vilified with hostile and racist cartoons coming from all over the world. I’ve yet to see a Kavanaugh cartoon that has lava coming out of his head or through his ears. I say lava, but given the line of questioning, it might well be another liquid, maybe beer. Since Kavanaugh has set a standard for outrageousness, let’s memorialize it by making him that kind of a noun.

He could also be a verb. He is just Kavenaughing for attention, we might say to the perpetrator of an outburst. Lots of Kavenaughing going on on Capitol Hill. Let’s just call it as it is. Not a fit. Not a tantrum. Not a loss of control. But a Kavanaugh.

A particular aspect of the Kavanaugh, or Kavenaughing, is interrupting, especially interrupting women. So the use of the Kavanaugh noun, verb, adjective is easily adaptable to the workplace, given the frequency with which men enjoy interrupting women. Please, don't Kavanaugh me today, I’d like to make my point, a woman might say. Or we’ve had enough Kavanaughing for today, let’s conform to codes of civility. Can’t you see how invoking the name of the great interrupter puts everything in perspective? To Kavanaugh is to interrupt, to disrespect, to come back with a tepid apology, and to be assured that you will get away with it.

Then there is an adjective here.   An adjective is descriptive, and Kavanaugh is sure-nuff a descriptive. That was a Kavanaugh fool. She through a Kavenaugh fit. I won’t have a Kavanaugh worker in my shop. We can’t pay for Kavanaugh water consumption, we’re on a budget. There was so much in that Kavanaugh performance to link to a noun, verb, pronoun that I'm sure my Kavanaugh fit hardly scratches the surface.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available via www.amazon.com for booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com

Oct. 14, 2018

Respect
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A few years before Aretha Franklin sang “Respect.” Before her, Otis Redding’s version had a laudable meaning, too. When Aretha sang “Respect” in 1967, she turned the song into something women have never let go. The song became a powerful anthem for many, but more so for Black women. It still resonates with us today. Her version was not just about resonating with our civil rights. It also resonated with our feminine side. Anyway, you look at it, “Respect” is a most powerful song for Black people, especially for Black women.

Whenever we hear that song, no matter who else likes it, we know she made it for us. Today we are still crying out for respect. When I hear Black men and women getting rich at the expense of Black women, it’s painful. Too many rappers have taken the 30 pieces of silver to denigrate us, and I’ll be the first to admit, it’s done not only by men, but by a growing number of Black women rappers.

If you’ve ever listened to the vulgarity in some of the songs, you can be sure those who are backing them financially or otherwise never intended for us to believe they’re talking about women other than Black women. Yet, it’s the Black woman who has given birth to them, nursed them to adulthood while she herself may have had little or no joy in life, but she cared about her sons and daughters to the extent that she could without ever complaining. Life most likely had not treated her with respect, but she gave the best she had to her children.

Unfortunately, some of them grew to be influenced by outside influences who taught them and paid them to disrespect their mothers, daughters, nieces, wives and girlfriends. It’s time for us to get back to promoting RESPECT for Black women and girls.

During this past week, the National Congress of Black Women joined with Bob Law (Chair of National Black Leadership Alliance) and Kwabena Rasuli (Chair of Clear the Airwaves Project) to once again work to end the travesty of what negative rapping is doing to our community—especially to Black women. Aretha has left us, but our desire for respect is still with us.

Bob Law reminds us that our ancestors have won every challenge they’ve seriously taken on. There was a time we were in slavery. They brought us up from slavery. We now have a right to be educated. We now have a right to non-segregated housing. Once we couldn’t vote; now we can. There’s more that our ancestors did, but you get the idea. Our ancestors made a difference then, and we have a duty to make a difference now. We must change the conditions under which our children grow. Some believe they can only make a living by denigrating our people—especially women.

It’s time for us to support conscious rappers/artists who work to perfect our community while others try to tear us down. More information is forthcoming. We’re tired of begging radio stations to stop promoting filthy lyrics about us. We’re tired of begging advertisers to stop sustaining them while playing filthy, racist, misogynist music 24 hours a day. We met with many powerful women this past week where media chose not to carry our story—but our ancestors didn’t have supportive media either—but the word got out. Action followed—and we can do it again.

It’s time to “Wake Up and Stay Woke”. Shortly we’ll be announcing specifically what we’re asking you to do. The time has come for us to demand respect with more than our words.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. She’s also host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM 89.3.)

Oct. 14, 2018

Respect
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A few years before Aretha Franklin sang “Respect.” Before her, Otis Redding’s version had a laudable meaning, too. When Aretha sang “Respect” in 1967, she turned the song into something women have never let go. The song became a powerful anthem for many, but more so for Black women. It still resonates with us today. Her version was not just about resonating with our civil rights. It also resonated with our feminine side. Anyway, you look at it, “Respect” is a most powerful song for Black people, especially for Black women.

Whenever we hear that song, no matter who else likes it, we know she made it for us. Today we are still crying out for respect. When I hear Black men and women getting rich at the expense of Black women, it’s painful. Too many rappers have taken the 30 pieces of silver to denigrate us, and I’ll be the first to admit, it’s done not only by men, but by a growing number of Black women rappers.

If you’ve ever listened to the vulgarity in some of the songs, you can be sure those who are backing them financially or otherwise never intended for us to believe they’re talking about women other than Black women. Yet, it’s the Black woman who has given birth to them, nursed them to adulthood while she herself may have had little or no joy in life, but she cared about her sons and daughters to the extent that she could without ever complaining. Life most likely had not treated her with respect, but she gave the best she had to her children.

Unfortunately, some of them grew to be influenced by outside influences who taught them and paid them to disrespect their mothers, daughters, nieces, wives and girlfriends. It’s time for us to get back to promoting RESPECT for Black women and girls.

During this past week, the National Congress of Black Women joined with Bob Law (Chair of National Black Leadership Alliance) and Kwabena Rasuli (Chair of Clear the Airwaves Project) to once again work to end the travesty of what negative rapping is doing to our community—especially to Black women. Aretha has left us, but our desire for respect is still with us.

Bob Law reminds us that our ancestors have won every challenge they’ve seriously taken on. There was a time we were in slavery. They brought us up from slavery. We now have a right to be educated. We now have a right to non-segregated housing. Once we couldn’t vote; now we can. There’s more that our ancestors did, but you get the idea. Our ancestors made a difference then, and we have a duty to make a difference now. We must change the conditions under which our children grow. Some believe they can only make a living by denigrating our people—especially women.

It’s time for us to support conscious rappers/artists who work to perfect our community while others try to tear us down. More information is forthcoming. We’re tired of begging radio stations to stop promoting filthy lyrics about us. We’re tired of begging advertisers to stop sustaining them while playing filthy, racist, misogynist music 24 hours a day. We met with many powerful women this past week where media chose not to carry our story—but our ancestors didn’t have supportive media either—but the word got out. Action followed—and we can do it again.

It’s time to “Wake Up and Stay Woke”. Shortly we’ll be announcing specifically what we’re asking you to do. The time has come for us to demand respect with more than our words.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. She’s also host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM 89.3.)

October 8, 2018

Kavanaugh is on the Court - Now It's Time for the People to Speak
By Jesse Jackson

NEWS ANALYSIS

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Brett Kavanaugh is now a justice of the Supreme Court. He is there only because he is what he showed himself to be in the Senate hearings: a vicious, partisan operative utterly committed to a right-wing judicial activism that will inevitably lead to a constitutional crisis. The Republicans ensured that there would not be a full investigation of the charges against Kavanaugh, yet Maine Sen. Susan Collins dishonestly called the cribbed FBI investigation comprehensive. Yet Kavanaugh revealed in the hearings exactly who he is — and why Trump chose him and Republicans lined up to confirm him, no matter what the evidence.

A close-minded partisan zealot, he bizarrely embraced the most fantastical of conspiracy theories, including somehow that all this was revenge hatched by the Clintons. He demonstrated stunning contempt for senators — yet Republican senators, led by Chairman Charles Grassley, no longer have any institutional pride. The Senate be damned; they are purely into tribal partisan politics.

They stuck with Kavanaugh because they know who he is. He claims to be an “originalist” and “textualist” who only applies the Constitution, but that is simply a threadbare cover. He was vetted and approved by the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation — both dedicated to promoting activist right-wing lawyers who will overturn precedent to serve conservative ends. Kavanaugh’s ascension to the court locks in a five-person majority for an extreme activist position. We’ve already seen what the conservative gang of five is prepared to do.

They ignored unanimous Congressional intent to gut the Voting Rights Act. They overturned decades of precedent to empower corporations to pour money into elections. They trampled precedent to gut the ability of public employee unions to collect dues from the members they represent. The threat Kavanaugh poses to Roe v. Wade, and a woman’s right to control her own body is clear. Less attention has been paid to his consistent effort to protect corporations from accountability.

When faced with a choice between the polluter and the poisoned, Judge Kavanaugh stands with the polluter. When faced with a choice between the boss and the worker, he stands with the boss. When faced with a choice between a predator corporation and a consumer, he stands with the predator.

Public Citizen did an analysis of Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions on the U.S. Court of Appeals in cases where the court was divided. They found that nearly 9 of 10 times, Kavanaugh ruled against the public interest and for the corporate interest. In 17 cases involving worker rights, he stood with the employers 15 times. In 13 cases on the environment, he was with the polluter 11 times. In 22 cases between corporations and consumers, he stood with the corporations 18 times.

On seven cases involving police abuse or human rights, he ruled against the victims in all seven. In the Senate hearing, Kavanaugh vowed to have a partisan frame. Blaming Democrats for challenging his nomination, he pledged that “what goes around, comes around.” The right wing has consolidated a majority on the court. It is a gang of five that is increasingly out of step with a society that grows more diverse, more inclusive, and is increasingly challenged by corporate corruption, big money politics, obscene inequality and catastrophic climate change. The gang of five is likely to stand in the way of fundamental reforms vital to this country.

The only thing that can save Democracy is the democracy. Even the Supreme Court responds to election returns. If Trump Republicans remain in control of the Congress and the White House, the gang of five will be emboldened. If voters rebuke them at the polls — if they elect progressive majorities focused on the changes we need — the gang of five will be more cautious. Judge Kavanaugh is probably impervious to the will of the people, too bitter, too ideological, too zealous to be reached.

But Chief Justice John Roberts and perhaps Neil Gorsuch may understand that their own legacy and the court’s legitimacy will be at risk if they try to defend the rich and corporations from a people demanding justice. Our task is clear. Don’t mourn, organize. With this appointment, the Senate has traduced its reputation and abandoned its responsibilities. Now it is time for the people to speak.