Activism

COMMENTARY: Earthquake Would Say No To Liz Cheney

Earthquake is not a California peril, but the name of one of Dave Chappelle’s favorite comic mentors. Earthquake or Mr. Quake, as the New York Times might call him on second reference, gets political in his current Netflix special.

Published

2 years ago

August 27, 2022

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He is at www.amok.com

Emil Guillermo,

What’s up with Liz Cheney and her one-woman crusade to save democracy? Is she really speaking to us in the BIPOC community?

I got some guidance from a legendary Black comedian.

“You can’t say no, you can’t tell a Trump supporter nothing about Trump; they love Trump,” says Earthquake in the appropriate key of urban Southeast DC. “People ask me all the time, ‘Quake, what kind of woman are you looking for in your life, and I say, (n word expletive) I’m looking for a woman like a Trump supporter. No matter what she hears about me that woman don’t believe in nothing. She say, ‘You got another woman, you say ‘Baby, that’s fake news.’”

Of course, Earthquake says it with more flair in a live setting where the crowd howls, but you get the point. We all know how belief in Trump is cult-like, and a threat to our democracy.

Which brings us back to Liz Cheney. She’s like a new Uncle Sam pointing her finger at us. But not like a “Karen” wagging her finger saying she wants to speak to the manager. She wants to make sure Trump is never the manager of us again.

It’s just if she’s serious, she’ll need a lot more BIPOC support than anyone thinks.

Cheney lost big recently in Wyoming when her own Republican Party acted as if under a spell cast on them by a man known in Florida search warrants as FPOTUS.

That, of course, stands for the defeated “Former President of the United States.”

But how can we assure he stays defeated? Perhaps if we answer Cheney’s call.

In the Wyoming primary, Cheney lost to her opponent by 37 points, 66% to 29%. That’s some rebuke for someone from a legacy Republican family. It was a public betrayal.

But you have to admire Cheney’s willingness to pay the price — the loss of her job, her seat in Congress. And all because of an ultra-principled belief in the Constitution and her unwillingness to join in the zombie chorus of Republican election deniers who stand by their FPOTUS.

So I’m open to Cheney when she pitched herself to America during her concession speech.

There’s at least one thing we agree on. The defeated FPOTUS must stay out of government. As a single issue that may be enough to join her American pro-democracy movement.

“Freedom must not, cannot, and will not die here,” Cheney said in Wyoming.

“This is a fight for all of us together,” she said. “I’m a conservative Republican.”

Then came the pitch.

“But I love my country more,” she said. “So I ask you tonight to join me. As we leave here, let us resolve that we will stand together, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, against those who would destroy our Republic.”

BIPOC members who have an independent, even a slightly conservative streak, may find her message attractive.

But I’m not so sure. Cheney didn’t vote for the Inflation Reduction Act which includes more than $750 billion for climate change, Obamacare extensions, prescription cost limits in Medicare, plus a 15% automatic tax on wealthy corporations.

During the FPOTUS administration, Cheney’s votes favored rich, white, and corporate special interests 100% of the time.

She voted against restoring the Voting Rights Act, LGBTQ issues, and all but the most obvious civil rights issues. For example, she voted for the Juneteenth holiday. Was it because rich whites got the day off too?

Newsweek reported Cheney voted with Trump 93% of the time.

That puts her at 7% soul. Not enough to get me to switch parties and vote Republican to help Cheney defeat Trump in 2024. Better idea: just make sure you vote and support the party that got us this far. That would be quite enough to beat Trump. It was the last time.

As for Cheney? Support in spirit, but she’s not for us.

And I think Mr. Quake would concur.

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He is at www.amok.com

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

5 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”

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WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.