2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
November 7, 2019 - December 4, 2019
Fact from Fiction: Elections and the truth; is it too late to make it matter? By: Nicole Lashomb* The Rainbow Times’ Editor
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fter the Mueller report, it was clear that Russians hijacked the 2016 American elections. Ironically, Hillary Clinton warned of that, before it even took place, calling Trump Putin’s puppet. And, she was right. According to Politico (https://politi.co/2WG2EOv), “The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion," Mueller wrote in the 448-page document, which lays out new details about a Kremlin-backed plot that compromised Democrats' computer networks and targeted state and local election offices. Mueller wrote that investigators also found evidence of repeated communications …” When testifying on the report in front of members of Congress (https://bit.ly/2qip6RJ), Mueller warned us, all of us, that the elections needed to be secured. Not only were the Russians going to try and interfere, but they were also actively doing so. Yet, state and local governments have been slow to act to protect our election system, to protect our country. By the time you’re reading this editorial, the local elections in Massachusetts will be over and government elects will be chosen. If anything has been proven over this election cycle is that even at the local level, attacks have been vile, filed with hatred and cowardly acts on behalf of campaigns and the campaigns themselves. How much of
HOW MUCH OF TRUMP’S PERMISSIVE RACIST, MISOGYNISTIC, HOMOPHOBIC, TRANSPHOBIC, ANIT-IMMIGRANT, ANTI-SEMITIC AND MANIPULATIVE TACTICS BEEN DEPLOYED LOCALLY DO YOU THINK? Trump’s permissive racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and manipulative tactics been deployed locally do you think? By my count, there have been plenty, even by the candidates themselves on social media— and it sickened me. What was worse is how many people also chimed in, supporting hate and lie-filled posts, insulting others, making up fake profiles, and pretending to be victimized when they were the ones victimizing others. Tactics that were deployed
Ellen DeGeneres emerges as a prophetess She opens her mouth with CHANGING HEARTS AND wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” Proverbs (31:26). MINDS COMES FROM Ellen DeGeneres has opened her mouth to encourage America to be kind. She and her wife, Portia, sat CIVIL ENGAGEMENT. with former U.S. President George
FAITH, GOD & FAMILY
By: Paul P. Jesep* TRT Columnist
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W. Bush and his wife Laura at a football game. Many have criticized her (https://bit.ly/32gJeRk) willingness to fraternize with the “enemy.” There also have been allegations of hypocrisy (https://bit.ly/2qiSpU3). Allegedly, Ellen doesn’t like everyone. According to several critics, she will not book certain individuals. This includes opponents of marriage equality. Not getting booked on Ellen’s show, however, doesn’t make her unkind. In addition, you can still be kind to someone without liking them. I’ve never watched an Ellen show (https://bit.ly/2r3yYyS) from start to finish. Although she’s a talented comedian and excellent interviewer, my priorities are watching
cable news, which raises my blood pressure. If she has a double standard, Ellen will sort it out with the Creator and her conscience. Ellen, like a prophetess, engages, educates, communicates, and encourages the better angels in each of us. Prophets and prophetesses are spiritually grounded teachers. They speak truth to power, set an example, or ask uncomfortable questions most want to avoid. He or she, even though flawed themselves, can be an example to others who may not accept, understand, or feel safe when challenged to move beyond comfort zones. Changing hearts and minds comes from civil engagement. George W. Bush, a likeable man who opposed same-gender mar-
See Ellen On Page 23
were right out of Trump’s own handbook. By appointing Justices to the Supreme Court who align with the neo-nazi type mentality, that Trump also seems to be a part of—whether by actual membership or covertly, he is changing America for years to come. Today’s America is a battleground and his legacy will reflect a faux leadership rooted in darkness—or impeachment. However, what Trump has successfully done is expose the hatred that already filled the hearts of many Americans. His “believers” that follow him blindly or look away when he commits atrocities—like treating immigrants as war criminals—when he, himself, has committed treason against the U.S. while lurking in the shadows within the Oval Office. What he has done is given permission for people to discriminate, to outwardly hate others, to commit acts of violence and emboldened bullies and cowards to pound their chests, parading down the streets. He is invoking and inciting violence through his words, his actions, his lies, and through others’ refusal and denial of any wrongdoing. When The Rainbow Times released its endorsements, my personal Facebook page became flooded with the opposition, spreading misinformation to others and lying about local initiatives and local politicians to try and get one up for the candidate they were supporting. There are and should be boundaries between home life and work life, agreements and disagreements, lies and the truth. I’m afraid in recent years,
Letters to the Editor [Re: Ask A Trans Woman: The hidden complexities of being Trans and closeted on Halloween] Dear Editor, If you want to dress up as a character of another race than yourself, do it! But do it in your own skin; don’t attempt to change your skin color with makeup. (Also stay away from racially associated hair styles such as dreadlocks.) A white person playing Black Panther is as valid as a black Superman or Wonder Woman. Those are honoring the characters, not appropriating them. Alien races with non-human skin colors are another matter. If you really want to wear full face or body paint to be another race, be Na’vi or Vulcan, or even a Smurf if you roll that way. —Shirley Dulcey, Online Please send Letters to the Editor to: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com. NOTE: All letters to the editor must be ac‐ companied by a phone # and an e‐mail ad‐ dress to verify your identity prior to its publication. We reserve the right not to publish a letter for any reason at all.
we’ve lost our way. Social media is not the sole culprit, but it certainly has made it easier to spread “fake news” that we all hear so much about. The truth is “fake news” has been around for nearly as long as credible journalism. This current government and governments all over the world have put out propaganda for as long as there’s been news to disseminate. It is a way to sway view points, especially to those who are less informed—intentionally or not—and it serves as a way to reinforce a person’s biases or beliefs, even if they are erroneous in nature. The Harvard Division of Education put out an excellent article (https://bit.ly/2NiCcak) with tips for consumers of news to recognize when something may not be
See Fake News On Page 12
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The Rainbow Times The Largest LGBTQ Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Graysen M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb Assistant Editor Mike Givens National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson Lead Photographers Steve Jewett Christine M. Hurley Photographer Jenna Joyce
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