Nicole Lashomb, Editor-in-Chief of The Rainbow Times
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By: Nicole Lashomb, Editor-in-Chief—
By now, you would think that we all would be fairly numb to the deceptive practices of the Republican Party, particularly those carried out by one of the most venomous of theirs, like Mike Huckabee. It isn’t that what they say or do threatens me directly. It truly shocks me how they can still influence many Americans. But, I am also the person who never thought Donald Trump would be leading in the presidential Republican primaries either.
When I hear about their rhetoric, I mostly shake my head in disbelief. How can they sound so ridiculous and ignorant? My real concern centers around the mindset of many in the South, mid-West, even some in the Northeast and on the West Coast. I see how goodhearted Americans have fallen prey to their tactics and even believe what is being said by them. “Why don’t they care to inform themselves?” I often ask myself. [pullquote]Somehow, I can’t picture Mike Huckabee raising her hand like a prized champion and the media covering it the way it did. I picture handcuffs and smaller headlines filled with the usual coverage that the media affords to people of color.[/pullquote]
The most recent example of this lunacy is, yes you guessed it, Kim Davis. How is it possible that Davis is hailed like a rock star by so many when she deliberately broke federal law by refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses? If she had been a black woman, a Muslim woman or Latina, and made the same conscientious decision to break federal law, do you think that she would be viewed and treated the same? Somehow, I can’t picture Mike Huckabee raising her hand like a prized champion and the media covering it the way it did. I picture handcuffs and smaller headlines filled with the usual coverage that the media affords to people of color.
By the way, have you noticed how when someone is deemed a criminal, they suddenly have color if they are not Caucasian? For instance, “black man in jail for killing two while inebriated,” or “Hispanic man rapes woman, pleads innocence.” However, it isn’t the same for mainstream headlines when they deal with privilege. Take the shootings or any other headline for that matter: “Man kills 12 on college campus,” or “Two Teenagers break into coach’s house.” There is absolutely no mention of their race when those perpetrators are White. Imagine where the privilege and entitlement follows white people, even to prison, especially to prison (since most of U.S. prisoners aren’t white after all). I have terribly digressed. [pullquote]By the way, have you noticed how when someone is deemed a criminal, they suddenly have color if they are not Caucasian? For instance, “black man in jail for killing two while inebriated,” or “Hispanic man rapes woman, pleads innocence.” However, it isn’t the same for mainstream headlines when they deal with privilege.[/pullquote]
From using the Pope’s U.S. visit as a ploy to grossly exaggerate support of Davis, to urging individuals to protest the rainbow colored Doritos due to their “progressive” stance on marriage equality, to stopping at nothing (including the fabrication of a YouTube video to depict a gruesome murder of a fetus), to advancing the Right Wing’s effort to defund Planned Parenthood, and to accusing President Obama for using the most recent tragic mass shooting for political gain, I have realized that the Republicans will stop at nothing to gain momentum and power in this country. It doesn’t matter if it is true. It doesn’t matter to them if their lies adversely impact the lives of many. They don’t care about the consequences of their words on others, those who commit suicide and those who blindly murder others because they happen to believe the rhetoric too. It just doesn’t matter.
This election cycle is like no other. We are under attack. All of us are. For sanity’s sake and to avoid the twisted headlines, I will be volunteering with campaigns and organizations that work to expose the truth of what the Republicans are doing. I suspect I will stay very busy and I hope you will too.
*Nicole Lashomb is an activist, a vocalist and the Editor-In-Chief of The Rainbow Times. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), and an MBA from Marylhurst University. Contact her at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.
