Things Just Do Not Add Up

I have reached the age at which I have few regrets. As I reflected on the times when I turned down the use of psychedelics, I realize that I may have missed critical pieces of information on how to deal with fantasy in a world of reality. I suggest that this may be the year for their reintroduction and legalization or to be immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Reality is overpowering. Left is right and right is wrong and the world appears topsy-turvy. Being woke, for a baby Boomer, is surreal, sheer madness and a loss of one’s senses. Who would have thought that such a transformation would have occurred in a single lifetime?

Let’s start with 2024; the year of Anything Goes! I submit that there are five things make me go, “These things just don’t add up!” Of course, many are linked to the behavior of the leaders and citizens of the most visible super-power in the world. They are laced with political innuendos essentially sparked by the attempted assassination of the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. Bear in mind that assassination attempts (1 in the 19th century, 2 in the 20th and 1 in the 21st century) have been made on four US presidents while four succeeded (2 in the 19th century and 2 in the 20th.)

First, let’s talk about the attempt on President Donald Trump’s life on July 13, 2024, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Mind you, I have always been impressed with the persona of the Secret Service. It is seen as an efficient, security detail that was second to none in the international arena. In my simple mind, not even the Queen’s Guards compared professionally. Along comes Mr. Thomas Matthew Crooks defying the odds and taking up a position on a roof top that clearly should have been secured by the authorities. He takes a few shots at the presidential hopeful and in what can only be described as the hand of Fate, he clips Donald Trump’s ear. Two people were critically injured and someone’s husband was killed. Secret Service counter snipers put an end to Crooks’ terrorist activities.

There are so many questions that remain unanswered including why, after the rally attendees had informed local authorities of Crooks’ suspicious behavior and the confrontation on the rooftop with an officer of the law, no firm action was taken. At the writing of this article, the US Secret Service director Kim Cheatle took full responsibility for the failure of the agency and resigned after being in that position for 2 years. During my lifetime, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while President Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination led to a humorous quip, “Honey, I forgot to duck...” Make it make sense in the Land of Democracy!

Secondly, the 45th president of the USA who is embattled legally, is on a course to be re-elected president of the United States of America. He faces about 90 felony counts being indicted in 4 separate criminal cases. In any other country, the criminal cases against a presidential candidate would have disqualified him. Instead, an electorate, tolerant of past indiscretions and the Republican party continues to embrace and fully support his campaign.

In any other country, such indictments would have landed the candidate before the Ethics Committee. Take, for example, the 2023 indictment in the New York Supreme Court of over 30 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. That case would have disqualified him. The second case was a federal indictment of over 40 counts related to the mishandling of classified documents after leaving office. The final two cases, one federal and one state, pertain to President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, culminating in the January 6 Capitol riots and of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The candidate is the first former president to face criminal charges. In the tone of the young fan who approached baseball legend Joe Jackson, “Say it ain't so, Joe.” The disappointment is palpable. Things do not make sense.

Thirdly, President Joe Biden has been on autopilot for a couple of years and deteriorating mentally, all maladies incidental to old age. After all, the president who is 81 years old, is one of less than a handful of elite, geriatric leaders. There are many instances when the average citizen and members of the Democratic party detected small cues of the president’s behavior or his dialogue which were either suspicious acts of mental decline or lapses of memory. Take for example the faux pas during a NATO summit as recent as July 2024 when he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as President Putin, the Russian president.

Congressman Adam Schiff and a few Republican senators have called for President Joe Biden to undergo cognitive tests or mental fitness evaluations. Adding to the rumors and concerns, Special Counsel Robert Hur's report on the president’s handling of classified documents included observations about Biden's memory, which sparked renewed Senate Committee discussions. According to the poll, conducted using Ipsos' Knowledge Panel, 86% of Americans believe that the president is too old to serve another term. What’s a citizen to do when the leader of the world’s most powerful nuclear nation has to decide on the use of deadly weapons, the failing economy and the creation of alliances? Mistrust and uncertainty, doubts and fears are deal breakers.

The rest of the world is looking at the USA and asking several pertinent questions. Is President Biden a figurehead leader? Is there an underlying reason for not replacing a leader who is flawed in the eyes of the American citizens and the leaders of the world? Is the president of the United States relevant to the country’s decision-making?

I love the Olympics wherever it is hosted. I feel like a kid going to the carnival. Moreso, looking forward to celebrating with the Caribbean athletes ensures that the Olympics will be enjoyable. The greatest thrill is to celebrate the Olympians who break records. The muscles, the strength, the speed, the endurance; qualities of intelligent men and women who stand tall and conquer the limitations of the human body, celebrate the perfections in the creation of man.

Many observers of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024 have been critical of the depiction of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The Vatican expressed sadness over the portrayal. Observers felt that featuring a drag queen performance was also an attack on religious beliefs that ridiculed the religious convictions of many Christians.

As if that wasn’t enough, the excessive drug testing by the ITA on the Chinese participants was unbearable during the period of the performance of events. Anti-doping tests were carried out prior to the start of the games. It is presumed that these tests may have been politically motivated. Of course, athletes from Russia, China, and the USA have been found guilty of doping over the years. According to World Aquatics, since January 2024, China’s 31 swimmers were tested on average, 21 times while Italy (36), Australia (41) and the USA (46) were tested 5, 4 and 6 times, respectively. The same agency stated that of 19,228 samples from the Chinese athlete, there were only 0.2% doping violations. Of the 6,782 Americans, there was a 1.2% violation with India at the highest point of the spectrum with 3.2% violation after 3,865 athletes were tested. The idea of fairness goes out of the window and suspicious minds work overtime. How does one account for such actions? I shudder to think that racism is involved though it has crossed my mind.

The IOC decision on Russia’s exclusion from the Olympics and Israel’s inclusion may be a flagrant case of double standards and implementation of the Rules-based order of the Western political nations. Russian athletes were given the option to compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” or AINs. How is it that Israel, an apartheid state, was not banned from the Paris Olympics 2024 but South Africa was banned from the Olympic Games between 1964 and 1992 and Zimbabwe in 1992 due to racial segregation because of its apartheid policies and racial segregation, respectively. Is the IOC also afraid of losing some of its financial backing from its sponsors and media houses? Is the IOC compromised in its goals?

31 years ago, and each subsequent year preceding the Olympic Games, the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed its support for the principle of the Olympic Truce by adopting a resolution. It is not ironic that at the 78th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations held in New York in 2023, the resolution titled, “Building a peaceful and better world through Sport and the Olympic ideal” was adopted. In attendance were Mr. Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 President and Thomas Bach, IOC President. It begs the question, why treat Russia and Israel differently and why provide answers that were clearly obfuscated.

Fourthly, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, concluded that:

• the State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful;

• the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible

The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

On the other hand, the ICC was set up by the Rome Statute in 1998 but was operational in 2002. Its purpose is specifically to judge individuals accused of committing serious crimes, namely: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of aggression and offences against the administration of justice. On May 20, 2024 the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Members of the U.S. Congress and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden applauded the ICC for issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called the indictment “a giant step in the right direction for the international community,” while Biden said the warrant for Putin was “justified.”

But now, as the court reportedly prepares to issue warrants for leaders of both Israel and Hamas, the White House has declared “the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation.” The House Speaker went even further, calling on the Biden administration to “immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down.” It does appear that the laws are made for some countries to obey and not for others, conveniently.

On July 24, 2024 Israeli’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, the fourth time he’s done so, extolling Israel’s right to defend itself after the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7th. Spain’s Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, said of Netanyahu’s address “Seeing the US Congress applauding a true terrorist, a child murderer like Netanyahu, gives me chills. That support is what allows him to do what he does. The US is as responsible as he is for the genocide.” Under normal circumstances, would President Biden, President Obama and Hillary Clinton have been declared war criminals, too?

Senator Bernie Sanders’ sage counsel was, “The ICC prosecutor is right to take these actions. These arrest warrants may or may not be carried out, but it is imperative that the global community uphold international law. Without these standards of decency and morality, this planet may rapidly descend into anarchy, never-ending wars, and barbarism.”

On the other hand, twelve US Republican senators sent a letter to Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) in April 2024, warning the court and its staff. According to the letter, “Target Israel, and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” The sanction card has been played ad infinitum without results beneficial to the USA and its allies. A form of imperialistic bullyism is evident but to what end? How can we frown on bullyism at the school level but not at the leadership level? It lends itself to cognitive dissonance that’s disarming and self-defeating.

Consider a woman who calls 911 to report a possible criminal activity outside of her house in Springfield, Illinois, USA and requests the help of the police. Two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call to investigate an incident at Sonya Massey’s home. One of them assassinated her within her home under normal circumstances. The caller is a Black woman. Nothing too strange here! It is emotionally draining and disheartening. It all happened on July 6, 2024.

The highest duty of the police in any nation is to promote the safety and security of all members of its society. A citizen must always feel comfortable and protected in the policeman’s execution of his duties. Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, first adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 1957, states that law enforcement officers’ fundamental duty “is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, the peaceful against violence and disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all people to liberty, equality and justice.”

All too often, particularly, among the Black citizens of the USA, the question foremost in their collective minds is, “Can we trust the police?” or “Is there an unheard-of extermination order by the government that is known only to the police departments?” Had it not been for the bodycam video from one of the deputies, given that the recalcitrant deputy had turned on his camera after the fact; the world would have been told another story implicating the victim and another killing would have been recorded as justified. Thank God for technology and a responsible police officer.

What I have learned from this and similar police killings anywhere in the world is that the screening process for police officers needs to be more stringent. Officers moving from department to department are red flags that need to be heeded and dealt with immediately. Human lives cannot be replenished in this lifetime. Social media posts of condolences and words from politicians regretting such deadly actions on an annual basis do not lead to confidence in the Black community and cannot resurrect the dead.

Given the reckless rhetoric about WWIII, it is about time that world leaders start to value life and be mindful of their ultimate purpose on earth and their resulting destination after death. It is easier to negotiate peace than to recruit kind, family-oriented men and women to fight in wars that benefit the rich and private corporations. Wherever the chips fall, no one is above God’s judgment.