The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.- The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
As we grow older, we scramble to recall the wisdom of our elders, wisdom that was not so much imparted by academic means but rather through common colloquialism, as phrases that bare witness to a rougher, simpler time in black existence in America.
As I’ve heard mentioned from old, weathered black lips, and is made apparent by the current political environment in our country, a kicked dog will holla. It’s laughable to imagine a small child first hearing those words and thinking ‘Duh, of course a kicked dog will holla, but what does that have to do with anything?’
Words like irony, metaphor and analogy are lost on children and their simple, pure intentions.
But for adults, they serve as a useful and necessary apparatus with which to compare similar things. Who’s the dog in this particular situation? Right now it’s clearly the American people. And it’s pretty clear who’s doing the kicking, as well. We are witnessing a situation in this country that has only been alluded to in dystopian cinema and graphic novels.
We are at a time that is surreal in scope, and almost morbidly comedic. A reality TV star megalomaniac billionaire “president”, whose apparent narcissism is the most positive ‘ism’, is in the White House, and Donald J. Trump has demonstrated a willingness to use racism and sexism to get elected, pandered to extreme racist’s interests to get elected, and has demonstrated a rather careless, callous, misogynistic, patriarchal approach to women throughout his life.
Now, with a recent Twitter post, Trump has threatened to send federal “resources” into Chicago. The chill that comes off those words is glacial. Ain’t no love in ’em.
The Tweet came came after a segment on FOX’s O’Reilly Factor in which host Bill O’Reilly posed ways the federal government could and should intervene to stem the loss of life. And with O’Reilly’s ambiguously yet clearly racist ass, one of those options was going to be sending in the National Guard. This is bad on so many levels, not unlike the cholesterol intake from a Grand Mac.
With few exceptions, as federal resources are allotted to law enforcement in the inner city, the school-to-prison pipeline process is accelerated, racial profiling tactics will be status quo, as was witnessed with the “War on Drugs”, and federally-funded anti-street gang activities of the late ’80s through the late ’90s.
Many, many innocent people will be affected. But, there are certain to be those who say ‘What about the people in Chicago?’ That is a genuine and appropriate retort. Chicago’s suffering is tremendous. While I mourn their situation, a federal mandated military action in the hood ain’t what you want. Trust me on that, brother.
In addition, using National Guard troops on American soil for street level or anti-street gang law enforcement sets an irreversible precedent, one where treating street level criminals as terror suspects isn’t too hard to fathom in these extreme times.
A wall, the eroding of voting rights, federal forces patrolling the inner city, a decidedly anti-woman stance, and the propensity to throw tantrums, did I mention a damn wall? These are the things dictatorships are made of. Fascism is being fomented before our very eyes.
