The Westside Gazette

PAGE 6 • JUNE 6 - JUNE 12, 2024
WESTSIDE
GAZETTE
NEWSPAPER STAFF
Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
PUBLISHER
Sonia Henry-Robinson
COMPTROLLER
Tawanna C. Taylor
ADMINISTRATIVE
ASST.
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SENIOR EDITOR
Arri D. Henry
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Carma L. Henry
COMMUNITY NEWS
EDITOR
Sylvester “Nunnie’ Robinson
SPORTS WRITER
Elizabeth D. Henry
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MANAGER
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Carma T. Taylor
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Eric Sears
IT SPECIALIST
Ron Lyons
PHOTOGRAPHER
Levi Henry, Jr.:
PUBLISHER
(Emeritus)
Yvonne Henry:
EDITOR
(Emeritus)
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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We welcome letters from
the
public. Letters must be
signed with a clearly
legible name along with
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Trump’s Days of Infamy:
“No one is above the law, not even a former president
or those who give aid and comfort for the commission
of crimes!”
John Johnson II, 06/05/24
By John Johnson II
Justice in America isn’t always blind
or impartial for privileged white people.
The privileged treatment afforded former
president Trump is detestable and unlawful.
Consequently, the criminal indictment of
Trump on March 25, 2023, followed by his
guilty conviction on May 30, 2024, are both
dates of infamy.
Trump received an indictment for 34
felony counts. Twelve jurors listened to the
prosecuting attorneys attempting to convince them of Trump’s
guilt while defense attorneys defended his innocence. However,
another element, proving “intent,” constituted another vital
factor in determining the prosecutors’ success.
Trump manipulated campaign financial records in this
illegal scheme. The prosecution presented iron-clad exhibits
documenting his role. From the beginning, it looked like an
open and shut case.
The seven-week trial was intense and grueling. The
prosecutors and defense attorneys presented all their evidence
and delivered their closing arguments to the jury. Yet, an
equally crucial step remained: Judge Juan M. Merchan needed
to instruct the jurors on the law.
Once the jurors received their final instructions and analyzed
this overwhelming evidence for two days, they unanimously
found Trump guilty of all 34 felonies.
Pundits like House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the
Supreme Court to “step in.” Republican Senators John Thune
and John Cornyn called the verdict politically motivated and
a disgrace, respectively. Republicans have turned “ law and
order” into “Crimes for Order.” Sen. Rubio denounced Castro
but has continually bowed down to Trump. Have they no
shame? Is Trump threatening to serve them Kool-Aid?
Before Americans can exhale, there remains another date of
Infamy, July 11, 2024, the sentencing date. Republicans and
MAGA supporters have cried out that there should’ve never
been a trial. As a first-time offender, there certainly need not
be any jail time.
Trump is a career lawbreaker. Court records show he paid $25
million in 2018 for duping college students, promising to teach
them the “secrets of success” in real estate. On May 9, 2023,
a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse of Jean Carroll.
There’s more! On January 26, 2024, a jury ordered Trump to
pay Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defamation. Currently, he’s
facing three additional cases totaling 54 counts.
Again, Trump isn’t a first-time criminal by a long shot. It’s
his first conviction for violating election finance laws and
attempting to overthrow his government. Had he committed
these crimes during his first term, he would still be in prison.
There’s no shame in locking up a convicted former president—
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
FRANKLY SPEAKING
Some things are earned and can
never be demanded
By W. Franl Wilson
In the midst of your plight you have
the additional burden of dealing with
the plot of those who are envious and
who lack understanding of God’s will
I’m fortunate to have a loving family
around me but quite often family
prepares you for dealing with the other haters in the world
Y’all know the story of Joseph and his brothers?
There’s nothing like family or church hurt.
Hurt people hurt people and often it’s intentional and then
there’s the other side: folk just not knowing
I am uniquely blessed to have adult children, adult nieces
and nephews, adult grandchildren and cousins who show care
and support;
They call, visit, even cashapp support during trying
times.
Offering to come stay with me after surgery, I am truly
blessed and thankful for this unusual gathering of family
There are those on the outer edges of participation and
care but to borrow a line from the song, Too few to mention!
The concern is if I will be able to make the family reunion
in Fort Lauderdale in July.
I have not missed one since I began Wilson Mitchell
reunions in 1995, and it’s high on my 2024 calendar.
I keep reminding all of you: God ain’t ready for me and
the Devil don’t want me!
Favor ain’t always Fair!
Do employers really care?
By Kevin Palmer
Trust the science of the Economic Policy
Institute Budget Calculator to know whether a
business cares for the financial welfare of their
employees.
According to EPI, “The family budget
calculator measures the income a family needs
to attain a modest yet adequate standard
of living. The budgets estimate communityspecific
costs for 10 family types (one or two
adults with zero to four children) in all counties and metro
areas in the United States.”
According to the budget calculator, in Columbia County,
Georgia a single adult employee with no children will need to
earn $50,084 (24hr) to attain a modest yet adequate standard
of living. In contrast, a single adult employee in Richmond
County must earn $42,079 (20hr).
That means most Richmond and Columbia County
employees live an uncomfortable, less-than-modest standard
of living, while their employers live a comfortable, affluent
standard of living.
Deeply Rooted
www.thewestsidegazette.com
The Westside Gazette, under the Management of BI-ADs, Inc., reserves
the right to publish Views and Opinions by Contributing Writers that
may not necessarily reflect those of the Staff and Management of
The Westside Gazette Newspaper and are solely the product of the
responsible individual(s) who submit comments published in this
newspaper.
The Gantt Report
Black Men Don’t Jump
By Lucius Gantt
Black men don’t jump!
There has been a lot of speculation
about significant numbers of Black voters
appearing to support the Babayka Brigade
in the 2024 Presidential Election.
The Babayka, or Russian Bogeyman, is former President
Donald Trump who controls the Republican Party like Calvin
Candy controlled Candyland in the movie “D’Jango”.
It’s no secret that there will always be Black men, and Black
women, who will cast votes for Republican candidates on the
federal, state and local levels.
It is also no secret that some Blacks you see at rallies, on
newscasts, and Blacks eating fast-food chicken on social media
have been paid for their expressions of love.
I don’t have a problem with the political hustlers or the
political professionals who get paid to do the political “wild
thing”.
But I can’t vote for any candidate that disrespects African
Americans and Africans who live in the Motherland.
If you only get your political news and advice from TikTok,
Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and World Star Hip Hop, you
probably don’t know who Donald Trump truly is.
Donald Trump was raised by a father who was an ardent
supporter of the Ku Klux Klan in New York where the family
real estate business was accused of refusing to lease apartments
to Black tenants.
Trump reportedly once said Black people should go back to
their “huts” in Africa. He said five innocent young Black men,
once known as the “Central Park Five” should get the death
penalty for an assault they didn’t commit.
Recently, the impeached, indicted, and accused former
President said he “loves” Black people and that no President
has done more for Blacks than he did.
Donald Trump doesn’t love anyone who has African ancestry.
He doesn’t love democracy, he doesn’t love equality, he doesn’t
love justice, and he hates the “American way”.
Can you imagine the Palestinians having love and support
for Benjamin Netanyahu?
Black voters of all genders should stop falling for the political
okey doke!
Trump wants to be a dictator who seeks a lifetime term as
U.S. President. He wants to be a modern-day wicked Pharoah.
He wants to ban Muslims. He wants to deport immigrants. He
wants to suppress your votes. And, he wants to take away what
few health, protection, and other rights you have.
Black men don’t jump on the Trump political patty wagon.
Donald Trump is pretending to be your friend, posing as your
savior and benefactor, and acting like your comforter in these
times of trouble.
I can’t tell you whom to vote for, but I can tell you Trump is
a political “skunk”, in my opinion.
Kanye West, Ice Cube, and other well-known Black men have
expressed eagerness to talk and work with American politicians
who have been behaving like Russian assets, but I can’t go for
that, no can do!a
DA Fani Willis’ Efforts Reach
New Highs Doing God’s Work
By Roger Caldwell
“I don’t care how many times they threaten
me. I will gladly leave this place knowing I
did God’s Work,” says Fulton County District
Attorney Fani Willis.
In 2024, in the Democratic Primary District
County Attorney Willis won by 89%, and
has not shied away from prosecuting highprofile
cases. In her first campaign in 2020,
she campaigned on the premise of restoring
integrity to the Fulton County district attorney’s office. Once
D.A. Willis won the office in 2020, she was sending off letters
to Georgia officials to preserve documents to attempt to
investigate Trump’s influence in the 2020 election.
When Willis took over the office in 2021, there was a backlog of
thousands of cases, and she was the first Black female district
attorney in Fulton County. From the very beginning of her
administration, she was serious about getting rid of crime, and
it didn’t matter if you were rich, poor, black, white, Democrat
or Republican.
Willis obtained her undergraduate degree from Howard
University in 1992. Howard graduates are given a mission to
change the world, and be ready for a fight if you are right. A
graduate of Emory School of Law in 1996, DA Willis’ father
was a lawyer and Black Panther.
After graduating from Law school, Willis worked five years
in the private sector, until she became an assistant district
attorney for Fulton County in 2001. In 2014, Willis was the
lead prosecutor in the Atlanta Public School cheating scandal
and convicted 11of the 12 defendants. The defendants were
charged with racketeering and other crimes.
For this case and for other cases, Willis used the Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). This law
made Willis famous and she is using the same law to convict
Ex-President Trump.
“The indictments are a culminations of an investigation that
has lasted more than two years and has resulted in multiple
charges, including conspiracy and racketeering, which Willis
has a history of successfully bringing against defendants,” says
CNN reporter Shawna Mizelle.
As DA Willis hired Attorney Nathan Wade to manage the
Trump case, there were allegations that the two also had a
romantic relationship. Even though this had nothing to do
with the case, one of the lawyers argued that Willis and Wade
were profiting from the relationship and the entire indictment
should be dismissed.
This relationship turned into a big mess and Mr. Wade was
forced to step down, and Willis had to fight to keep her job,
and the case. “You think I’m on trial,” Ms. Willis said to Ms.
Merchant. Looking toward the defense tables, she added,
“These people are on trial for trying to steal an election.”
As DA Wills has tried to do her job, she has been forced to hire
bodyguards, move out of her home, and received thousands of
violent emails and texts. Violence has become part of the job,
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
Israel,
Russia, and
International
Law
By Lawrence S. Wittner
International
law―the recognized
rules of
behavior among
nations based
on customary
practices and
treaties, among
them the United
Nations Charter and the
Universal Declaration of
Human Rights―has been
agreed upon by large and small
nations alike. To implement
this law, the nations of the
world have established a
UN Security Council (to
maintain international peace
and security) and a variety of
international courts, including
the UN’s International Court
of Justice (which adjudicates
disputes between nations and
gives advisory opinions on
international legal issues) and
the International Criminal
Court (which prosecutes
individuals for crimes of
genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, and
the crime of aggression).
Yet nations continue to
defy international law.
In the ongoing Gaza crisis,
the Israeli government has
failed to uphold international
law by rebuffing the calls of
international organizations
to end its massive slaughter
of Palestinian civilians.
The U.S. government has
facilitated this behavior by
vetoing three UN Security
Council resolutions calling
for a ceasefire, while the
Israeli government has
ignored an International
Court of Justice ruling that
it should head off genocide in
Gaza by ensuring sufficient
humanitarian assistance to
the Palestinian population.
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
Donald Trump
and the Uses of
Violence
By
Andrew
Moss
In a
wideranging
interview with a Time
Magazine reporter this past
April, Donald Trump said
he expected victory in the
coming presidential election,
but he wouldn’t rule out the
possibility of political violence
if victory didn’t materialize.
As he explained, “I don’t
think we’re going to have
that [political violence]. I
think we’re going to win. And
if we don’t win, you know, it
depends. It always depends on
the fairness of the election.”
Mr. Trump’s response
raised another question: what
role would violence play in a
second Trump administration
were he to achieve electoral
victory this November? His
record suggests that the
question isn’t hypothetical.
During his four years in office,
Mr. Trump used violence to
achieve various political and
policy objectives, and that
fact raises critical questions
for citizens considering their
votes this November.
To commit violence
means inflicting harm on
other people, harm that is
manifested in injury, trauma,
or death. But violence is also a
form of power, as author and
nonviolent activist Rev. James
M. Lawson has reminded us.
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com