THE SAN BERNARDINO
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AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -Emerson
NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties Volume 51 No. 29
Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393
November 5, 2020 - November 11, 2020 Office: (909) 889-7677
Email: Mary @Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
ELECTION 2020: Foreign Policy and America’s Standing in the World Are on the Ballot in 2020 NNPA NEWSWIRE —The political new tracker, ForeignPolicy.com, noted that U.S. foreign policy under Trump has been a disaster. “The lack of any significant U.S. response to the revelation that Russia has offered money to the Taliban for killing U.S. troops shines yet another ugly spotlight on the foreign policy of U.S. President Donald Trump – or, more precisely, the utter lack of one,” The website reported. By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
(Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) Presidential elections impact Americans’ lives in a wide array of ways. It’s widely maintained that the outcome of the 2020 contest between the incumbent, Donald Trump, and the Democratic Nominee, Joe Biden, will have long-term consequences for many in general and African Americans specifically. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the more than 200 Black-owned newspapers and media companies in the United States, will examine potential election outcomes and consequences in six key areas: Education, Health Care, the Economy, Foreign Affairs, Employment, and Criminal Justice. Former President Barack Obama has remained mostly silent during his successor’s four years in office. However, as Election Day draws ever closer, Obama has surfaced at several highprofile rallies for Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden, including in Florida on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, where his speech touched on foreign policy. Obama cautioned that Trump has cowered to dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Chia’s Xi Jinping while carrying the water of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “You think he’s going to stand up to dictators? He thinks Lesley Stahl is a bully,” Obama proclaimed, referencing Trump’s decision to walk away from a “60 Minutes” interview because he thought the interviewer’s questions were too harsh. “Trump said that Putin of Russia, Xi of China, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea want
him to win. “We know,” Obama deadpanned. “That’s not a good thing. You shouldn’t brag about the fact that some of our greatest adversaries think they’d be better off with you in office.” The political new tracker, ForeignPolicy.com, noted that U.S. foreign policy under Trump has been a disaster. “The lack of any significant U.S. response to the revelation that Russia has offered money to the Taliban for killing U.S. troops shines yet another ugly spotlight on the foreign policy of U.S. President Donald Trump – or, more precisely, the utter lack of one,” The website reported. “Trump’s latest failure should remind American voters that his administration has failed on the most important global threats – not least the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. All these and other foreign-policy failures should be just as much at the center of the debate as to the crush of domestic policy concerns.” In a speech earlier this year at The Graduate Center at CUNY in New York, Biden laid out what he called his blueprint to repair the damage wrought by Trump and chart a fundamentally different American foreign policy course. “As president, I will advance the security, prosperity, and values of the United States by taking immediate steps to renew our own democracy and alliances, protect our economic future, and once more place America at the head of the table, leading the world to address the most urgent global challenges,” Biden declared.
“In a Biden administration, America will lead by example and rally the world to meet our common challenges that no one nation can face on its own, from climate change to nuclear proliferation, from great power aggression to transnational terrorism, from cyberwarfare to mass migration. “Donald Trump’s erratic policies and failure to uphold basic democratic principles have surrendered our position in the world, undermined our democratic alliances, weakened our ability to mobilize others to meet these challenges, and threatened our security and our future.” David Unger of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies wrote a white paper on “The Foreign Policy Legacy of Barack Obama.” Unger concluded that Obama earned many wins and some losses, and his second term ended with a “mixed but positive foreign policy legacy.” “America’s global standing is much improved from the waning days of the George W. Bush administration,” Unger wrote. “Obama’s most notable a ch ieve me nt s we re t he international agreement slowing Iran’s progress toward nuclear weapons capability and diplomatic normalization with Cuba.” “The Trump administration has launched an unprecedented barrage of sanctions against Cuba that has devastated the country’s precarious economy and shattered the détente brokered by former President Barack Obama,” noted screenwriters of the new documentary, “Belly of
the Beast: The War on Cuba.” “U.S. policy towards Cuba does not just impact people in Cuba – it could play a crucial role in deciding the next U.S. president. Trump has explained that he believes that his ‘tough’ policy against Cuba will help him win support among Latinos that will deliver him an electoral college victory in Florida, the country’s largest swing state,” the screenwriters observed. “The Trump administration’s Cold War-era rhetoric has revitalized the Cuban-American old guard and spurred on a new generation of hardliners in South Florida. Major media outlets have failed to report on his onslaught against the island, not to mention the money and interests driving it.” Before the New York Times revealed Trump’s secret bank account in China where he reportedly paid more than $186,000 in personal income tax over three years – compared to the $1,500 he paid in U.S. personal income taxes over 15 years – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) lashed out at the president for accepting gifts from foreign adversaries. “Article One of the Constitution contains the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits the president from receiving any gift of value without the consent of Congress,” Waters stated. “This president has never divested from any of his holdings and refused to place his assets in a blind trust. Funds from foreign governments continue to flow into this president’s personal accounts, in blatant violation of Article One.”
Black Employees Say Racism is Rife at Cal Air Resources Board Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Mary Nichols, an influential California attorney known and respected in environmental policy circles across the United States, is finding herself at the center of racial storm brewing at home. Black employees say racism is widespread at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the organization Nichols chairs. In September, African American employees hit CARB with a 13-page letter alleging that they have been experiencing racism – widespread, routine and systemic, they point out – at the air-pollution and climate agency. The “Concer ned Black Employees at CARB (CBE CARB),” the Black group that submitted the letter, says its members have been the target of cynical comments at the organization and that they have been excluded from promotions, and have had to face other atrocities because of the color of their skin. The letter details discriminatory hiring practices, incidents of intimidation, low representation of Black employees, and a general lack of support. CARB, the letter alleges, has a total of 1627 employees and only 73 of them are Black. Only one African American has held an executive position with the organization. “You will find a compilation of Black stories about our experiences at CARB along with messages we received from those experiences,” CBE CARB stated in the introduction of the document. Although these stories are first person accounts of experiences, we believe that most of them apply (or have applied) to all Black employees at some point and time at CARB.” The state of California charges CARB with protecting the public from the harmful effects of air pollution and developing programs and actions to fight climate change. Founded in 1967, the Sacramento-based organization also sets air quality standards, oversee automakers’ emissions compliance, conducts research on air pollution, measures reductions of air pollutants and promotes public health, among other functions. In July, Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Sacramento), who is African American, called out Nichols online after she posted a message that drew parallels between the lack of clean air the death of George Floyd. “How dare you use a dying man’s plea for help as a way to discuss your agenda. Have you no shame?” Cooper reacted to Nichols’ tweet. Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer pinned his knee on the unarmed Black man’s neck for nearly nine minutes in late May. The shocking incident caught on video a bystander
caught was shared millions of time, sparking anti-Black racism protests across the globe. On June 1, Nichols posted, “‘I can’t breathe’ speaks to police violence, but it also applies to the struggle for clean air. Environmental racism is just one form of racism. It’s all toxic. Government needs to clean it up in word and deed.” Nichols later issued an apology via Twitter, stating “I apologize for speaking at the wrong time about the wrong topic. Racism comes in many forms and I believe we must fight every instance of it in our society.” Nichols has served on the CARB Board under Gov. Jerry Brown (1975–82 and 2010–18), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (2007–2010), and Gov. Gavin Newsom (2019 – present). She also served as California’s Secretary for Natural Resources (1999–2003), appointed by Gov. Gray Davis. Her term under Newsom ends Dec. 31. There is speculation in Sacramento political circles that Nichols, 75, could be in line for a job as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency should Joe Biden win the presidency. Published reports say CARB’s Executive Director Richard Corey forwarded CBE CARB’s letter to the air CARB’s staff about a week after he obtained it. The 13page document is dated Sept. 4. CARB’s board, which the governor appoints and the Senate confirms, consists of 14 voting members with two lawmakers in non-voting roles. The board does not have any Asian American or African American members. “There is no doubt the letter eloquently describes a history of poor treatment, lost potential, and deep-seated pain,” Corey wrote in a memo to his staff, according to Politico. “But, when I consider the courage it took to write and submit the letter, I have a sense of optimism as I know that change begins with the ability to openly acknowledge and discuss issues.” CBE CARB also stated that its only intent is to “shine a light on areas where CARB can improve” and asked the air pollution and climate agency to move forward and be “part of the solution.” “Our intent in sharing this Letter and Action Plan is not to shame or belittle CARB, or to assign blame. We enjoy the work we do at CARB and want to do all we can to improve CARB for the future, and our future careers with the agency,” CBE CARB stated in conclusion of the letter.