Trump Says He'll Pardon Jan. 6 Insurrectionists & Why the Internet Got Enraged Over a Woman's Ph.D.
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Congressman John Lewis knew a little something about commitment to social change. He reminds us why complaining isn’t enough.
Donald Trump promises to pardon January 6 rioters on ‘day one’: He wants the military to persecute Black Lives Matter protestors who actually can prove the righteousness of their cause, but pardon those who wanted to lynch the vice president because they believed—without any evidence—the election was stolen.
Why did the internet lose its mind about a woman getting a PhD?: This is just a symptom of how badly young men need help they probably won’t ever get.
Hope Walz, Tim Walz's Daughter, Reveals Her Joe Rogan Test With Guys She Meets Online: Followers of Joe Rogan are not dating material. Makes sense.
Kareem’s Video Break: Want to see the origin of breakdancing?
Nikki Giovanni, Poet Who Wrote of Black Joy, Dies at 81: One of America’s most popular and influential poets is remembered.
What I’m Watching on TV: Black Doves is an exciting and suspenseful spy thriller you should watch right now.
Kareem’s Sports Moments: This clip proves the sports saying, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
From Love Actually: “All I Want for Christmas Is You”: Olivia Olson was 10 when she sang this and it’s still the best version of the song I’ve ever heard.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, it’s my philosophy that you have a moral obligation to get in trouble, to make some noise, to point people in a different direction.
Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020), civil rights leader
Last week, South Korea’s president briefly instituted martial law. Martial law puts the military, instead of elected officials, in charge of the government. President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose approval rating fell to 17% after several scandals, desperately offered vague justifications concerning “anti-state forces.” He accused his opposition of being sympathizers to North Korea but offered no proof.
The South Korean people were not having it.
Thousands gathered at parliament to protest, even though part of martial law is not allowing protests. The military swarmed into media buildings while people on staff tried to repel them with fire extinguishers. Even though the military proclaimed restrictions on political activity and the media, in the end, the media continued to broadcast and issue uncensored news. (Hear that Bezos?)
In the end, martial law was dropped. But the fact that a democracy could be so quickly undermined by an elected leader who offered no evidence of wrongdoing is a lesson for all of us. It can happen anywhere.
The video of Ahn Gwi-ryeong, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic party (in the above photo), grabbing a soldier’s gun while shouting, “Don’t you feel ashamed?” went viral with millions of views. For me, that moment transcends language and nationalities to express a fundamental issue we’re all grappling with: How do we do good when our government does bad? Even Trump supporters have to be aware that, based on everything he’s said and done so far, he’s just the kind of person who would declare martial law to save himself and his cronies when public opinion inevitably (I hope) turns against him.
Those who claim the January 6 insurrection was simply a protest like this one don’t understand the difference between protest and insurrection, between people of moral conscience and people unable to use logic. Jan. 6 was not in response to anything real: It was a lynch mob rallied to violence based on nothing. Was the 2020 vote stolen? No credible evidence has ever been provided. Ever! The rioters were just a bunch of disgruntled people who formed opinions based on raw emotion rather than facts.
The people protesting in South Korea saw the blatant evidence of a threat to democracy and acted to protect their country. They are patriots. The Jan. 6 people were patsies.
John Lewis marched for civil rights. For his efforts, he was beaten, arrested, and jailed numerous times. But he kept marching. He pointed us in a different direction and those of us with a moral compass followed.
The coming four years will undoubtedly provide us with ample opportunities to do good in protecting democracy. Those who are using our country as an ATM feel no shame, they are content with whatever lame justifications they tell themselves. Those of us who are capable of shame cannot walk away when we are needed most. Fortunately, people like John Lewis showed us the path.