No Struggle, No Progress
No Struggle, No Progress
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By Eddie D. Gillis Donald Trump may have dodged a bullet on Monday, March 25, 2024, when a judge ruled that he didn’t have to pay $464 million to keep his empire from crumbling. With seemingly nowhere to turn and no one, not even his fellow billionaires, willing to bail him out, Trump faced further embarrassment. To many Americans, it was a sad spectacle, witnessing someone who had boasted all his adult life about how rich he was and his achievements in real estate. Until late Sunday night, March 24, 2024, that world seemed on the brink of c...
With the upcoming mayoral election in Monroe, we are being presented with two very different tales of this one city. When you cast your vote for the person that you choose to serve the city of Monroe, consider the tales that they each tell and examine the proof of their accomplishments. Three candidates are in the race for mayor. Of those, one candidate, Betty Ward Cooper, is a first-time mayoral candidate with no city-wide or mayoral experience that can be examined for accuracy and...
Carolyn Goodin, Candidate for Monroe City Council, District 5, is a lifelong resident of District 5. She's a married woman of Christian faith. Her family includes her husband: Sigmund Treadway, Retired USMC and her two children: Charmanique Goodin and JaMichael Goodin and 7 amazing grandchildren. Carolyn Goodin was educated in the Monroe City School System. She excelled academically at Burg Jones Lane Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Jr. High and at The Wossman High School. Post high school, she...
WHY I AM RUNNING FOR MAYOR I have been asked many times why I wanted to be mayor again, and the answer is simple... I am touched by the feelings of infirmities of the people of Monroe. I am touched by the concerns of all the people of Monroe, but especially the most vulnerable people, the elderly, and the youth. For the last four years, I have worked for the National League of Cities/SSCI (Strong Southern Cities Initiative). Louisiana is one of the impoverished states listed in this initiative b...
Louisiana House Democrats are committed to addressing crime and enhancing community safety. They regret not being consulted in shaping the agenda for the second special legislative session. The majority of bills proposed for this session, they argue, fail to address the root causes of crime and are reactive rather than proactive, thus lacking effectiveness in enhancing community safety. Furthermore, House Democrats are concerned that these bills may disproportionately affect Black and low-income individuals, potentially leading to a surge in...
Dr. Valerie Fields, Vice-President of Student Affairs at the University of Louisiana Monroe, is throwing her support behind Carday Marshall for re-election as City Council District 4 representative. Dr. Fields advocates for students who are preparing to vote, stressing the significance of their voices in shaping the future....
The conventions to formally nominate the presumed nominees for the 2024 presidential election have not been held, but try telling that to Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Both men have been trading election rhetoric since clinching the required delegates on Super Tuesday, as it is only a formality to drop the balloons on Trump and Biden because the campaigning is in full swing. Since both parties have paid for their hotel rooms and convention space, they might as well let the delegates go and do what is legally required to officially get...
Donald Trump is a desperate man and, according to those who know him, someone who is going broke. Trump may be concerned about his bottom line and status in the billionaire club (at the bottom), but his biggest concern, and perhaps fear, is where he will stand after the first Tuesday in November 2024. If the former president were a betting and praying man, where would one think he would place his faith to get himself out of the quagmire he is in? It wouldn’t be his lawyers, who are not only doing their best to keep him out of court but also get...
Donald Trump “won” a big victory in the Republican South Carolina presidential primary recently and if one had blinked, they would have missed something. Oh, nothing spectacularly, because the fight for the delegates’ vote was over before voters even went to the polls. The election was called minutes after polls closed, because on information gained from various polls and what voters said to pollsters, Trump was already calling for President Joe Biden to start debating him about the issues. It wasn’t about confidence on Trump’s part, as he kne...
The Monroe City Council election is on March 23, 2024, with early voting on March 9-16, 2024. Brother Muhammad, a well-known community organizer and leader, is deeply connected in south Monroe. He has been seen standing on the side of the poor and speaking for the voiceless for several years. He has been in intimate conversations with stakeholders, religious leaders, civic leaders, community leaders, and those in the suites and the streets. Muhammad has regularly attended city council meetings...
The Monroe Regional Black Chamber of Commerce will host a Meet The Candidates Forum on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 5:30 PM at the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum. All candidates in Ouachita Parish have been invited to participate. This event offers chamber members and the community an opportunity to hear firsthand what each candidate plans to do if elected. We urge all to attend and bring family and friends. For questions, please contact Executive Director, Kenya Roberson, at (318) 460-1639 or (318)...
America does not have a king or queen who is our “head" of state. Many say that is the reason why British people fled their homeland just to get away from monarch rulers who lived like kings with all of the power and hardly anything for the little man. “No representation” they said, all the while paying taxes, but hardly anyone spoke on their behalf. We must remember, God told His people what it would cost them if they wanted a king and not Him as their provider/protector. Still they wanted a king just like the Gentiles had theirs to provi...
People from both sides of political spectrum will be talking about one thing between now and election day. The flavor for the months to come will be about President Joe Biden being too old to serve another term as president. Right-wing media are running stories non-stop about the president being past his time to be in any office, let alone that of the presidency. Biden is 81 years-old, which many will agree that is kind of old to serve in a job as demanding as that of the presidency. However, for some reasons that defy logic, many are...
The bodies of three American soldiers killed in an attack at a military base in Jordan had barely landed back home At Dover AFB, as Republicans in Washington almost immediately began to criticize President Joe Biden. Even as President Biden performed the solemn duty of being present when the deceased soldiers in flag-draped coffins were taken off military aircraft, the saber-rattlers were criticizing Biden for not striking back quickly enough. Even as Biden watched the coffins pass him and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden with their hands across...
We can be sure that in the race to pick the next president, if it is between President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump, one thing is certain. The nation will have an old man in the White House who will have to contend with an even more dangerous and changing world. One can say that both men are “experienced” in the position of having served as president. Nonetheless, the argument will be how “competent” each man is now that both of them are past the age that most Americans would prefer their president to be. Supporters on both sides o...
Acquiring it posed challenges. Sustaining it may prove even more challenging. The quest for establishing a second majority-Black voting district in Louisiana has finally succeeded, but not without difficulties. The U.S. Supreme Court played a decisive role, compelling Louisiana Republicans to yield. It seemed evident that conservatives were destined to lose this battle. Governor Jeff Landry is anticipated to sign the bill, along with others passed in a special session. However, the significant achievement is the creation of the second...
When Donald Trump won the Iowa Caucuses last week, that wasn’t news. When he won almost all of the counties in the state, that wasn’t news. When MSNBC and CNN refused to air Trump’s victory speech soon after the votes were still being counted, that became news. News to Trump’s supporters that is. Trump’s supporters were irate because the cable giants didn’t broadcast (MSNBC) all or some(CNN) of their speech, saying that a leading candidate for his party’s nomination was denied his right to “speak to the nation” on what the Iowa win meant an...
Republicans in Congress are doing all that they can to bring Donald Trump an early Christmas present. Well, maybe an extra present to go in his Christmas stockings. If Trump should happen to win back the presidency, there will be no stopping him from doing whatever he wants. But if Trump somehow becomes the next president of these United States, what do you think would make him an even happier man? As of now and throughout the rest of the campaign season, Republicans in Congress are working on the one thing that Trump wants to see more than...
Get out the vote matters. Senator Katrina Jackson-Andrews and Representative Adrian Fisher will be serving on the following: Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) whereas the members help elect Democratic candidates in local, state, and national elections. Members are to promote and build the state party and raise funds for the party. The Democratic Parish Executive Committee (DPEC) whereas the members are responsible for the Democratic Party affairs at the local level, which includes promoting Democratic Parity activities. Representative...
Last Saturday Jan. 6, 2024 was the third anniversary of an historic assault on the nation’s capital by supporters of ex-president Donald Trump who tried to overthrow a presidential election. Not to long ago, this reporter wrote an article asking readers to recall where they were and what they were doing when televised coverage of the riot took place at the Capital. Just like those of us who remember where we were when JFK, and MLK were murdered and when the moon landing occurred, the Challenger incident and yes, even 911, there are still those...
At the current trajectory of his political career, House Speaker Mike Johnson is on a pace not to be known as a great leader in the House. The last three Republican House Speakers will not be mentioned in the same breath as Tip O’Neill when one looks at how they let the inmates take over the asylum. Those Speakers may have tried to be “a voice of reason”, but when Donald Trump decided to take on Barack Obama by questioning his birthright, it was over for the Republican party. Mitch McConnell and other Republicans like Rafael Cruz and Linds...
Verbon Muhammad, Sr. Candidate for Monroe City Council District 5is Thursday December 14, 2023 at 6pm at Whittley's Entertainment Center 203 Apple St. in Monroe, LA "Your Tax Dollars Matter" Food will be provided!...
Senator Katrina Jackson, Representative Adrian Fisher, and Representative Pat Moore are inviting you to important constituent meeting is Tuesday, December 12, 2023at 5:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. at Rose of Sharon Baptist Church, 716 Martin Luther King Drive, Monroe LA. Zoom Information: Please email [email protected] for the Zoom Information. Purpose of Meeting: Before we attend a Special Session, we want to hear from you. Your input matters! Questions, please contact one of your state legislators at: Senator Katrina Jackson (318) 343-2877, R...
There are some things, that no matter how long an individual lives, that person will remember that particular instance for the rest of their lives. It takes on a different( and maybe special) if that instance happens when that individual is very young, like in their early teen years. This reporter says this because, at the age of 12, he can remember exactly where he was and what he was doing when John Kennedy( not that John) President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. This reporter knows where he was when NASA’s Challenger e...
In an earlier article, this reporter wrote that new House Speaker Mike Johnson, over time, may lament wanting his new position as speaker. In that article, this reporter paraphrased what Star Trek icon Mr. Spock in an episode, said about wanting something that you think you want. In that episode, Mr. Spock told a suitor whom he wanted to take as his wife, someone who was intended by custom for Mr. Spock. In the end, Spock released his intended bride to the person who desired her saying, “Often one may desire something that appeals to him, t...
Say what you will about Donald Trump, he is willing to push the envelope as far as possible just to see how far he can get things to go his way. If one wants to see what “privilege” is all about, see Trump’s picture next to the word. A prime example to take note of is what is going on in the trial that is currently happening in New York, as a judge will soon decide on the punishment that Trump’s businesses will suffer for allegedly overvaluing his properties. Though the judge has already found Trump guilty, that has not prevented Trump from sa...
Louisiana is going to be in the news a lot over the next 12 months. Jeff Landry will step into the governor’s mansion next year taking the state into God knows where. In Washington during what will be a historic election year if Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee, Louisiana will be in the news because of Mike Johnson. Yes, that Mike Johnson. The man who was an unknown name in politics except in northwestern Louisiana, is now Speaker of the House of Representatives. What kind of factor will he be in the presidential race on a n...
Former vice-president Mike Pence recently announced that he has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. The announcement by the former vice president appears to have caught some veteran campaign watchers by surprise, as the former candidate was preparing for the third Republican presidential debate. Pence like all of his fellow contenders was light-years behind current front-runner Donald Trump, perhaps saw the handwriting on the wall and “gracefully” bowed out of the race. While Pence never gained any traction trailing behind Nikki Hal...
The wait is over. After three weeks of chaos, name-calling, and backstabbing, the House of Representatives elected Louisiana congressman Mike Johnson to be the next House speaker. Now comes the hard work of governing. It will not be easy. The big question that will be asked is how much of a difference will there be between former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Johnson when it comes time to negotiate to handle the many problems that this nation faces. Make no mistake, speaker Johnson is about as conservative as they come. He is a Trump loyalist havi...
Our right to choose what's best for our future, our family, our community, and our state is what truly makes Louisiana great. Gwen Collins-Greenup is the People's Candidate for Louisiana Secretary of State. Gwen Collins-Greenup is running for Secretary of State to strengthen our businesses, secure our elections, and protect every eligible Louisiana citizen's right to vote. Vote Gwen Collins-Greenup, the experienced candidate with the qualifications to get the job done! Democrat Gwen...
As the nation and the world “watch’ democracy in action, there must be some leaders elsewhere around the world wondering what is wrong in America. Besides knowing that America has a multitude of problems/issues that her political leaders can’t seem (or don’t want) to fix, the next thing that the world must be wondering is…who elected these guys? When Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first Black president, a Black family finally took up residence in the White House, many in the world probably said that they “finally got something rig...
It happened again. The nation of Israel came under attack allegedly from the terrorist group Hamas by a barrage of rockets and other artillery that shocked the world on how the attack was carried out. The attack caught the nation’s leaders completely off guard, though one would find it difficult for senior leaders to admit that. However military experts believe that there was a failure by the Israeli intelligence community to “see” the signs that an imminent attack was going to occur soon. Experts say that the amount of military hardware used...
Early voting began on Saturday September 30, 2023 through Saturday October 7, 2023. No voting held on Sunday October 1, 2023. The hours for early voting are 8:30am till 6pm at Registrar of Voters Community Room 1650 DeSiard St, in Monroe LA and West Ouachita Senior Center 1800 N 7th St in West Monroe LA. Please bring ID. Voting Choices Katrina Jackson State Senator #48, Shawn Wilson , Governor #16, Billy Nugesser Lt. Gov. #20, Gwen Greenup Secretary of State #23, Lindsey Cheek Attorney General #31, Dustin Granger Treasurer #37, Lance Harris...
Remember the story of the “Three Little Pigs”? Of course, you do. The Big Bad Wolf threatened to blow down their houses so he could devour them in the end, which sort of reminds one how the recent looming government shutdown played out. There were “three houses” within the House of Representatives that could be labeled as Democrat, moderate Republican, and Right Over the Edge. What is more, there had to be the wolf, let’s say played by Florida’s Matt Gaetz. Why him? Because he wants to destroy whatever House Speaker is trying to build when...
When conservative political leaders in some state legislatures started passing laws that severely limited what teachers/instructors could say in classes about the history of Black Americans, it ignited a fire that was not about to be put out. We all remember what Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis did when he literally changed the way students in classrooms would gain their knowledge of the struggles of Black people during the time of slavery. Not only during the period of slavery but the decades that followed all the way up to the Civil Rights M...
Join Monroe Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta in collaboration with the Zeta Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Facebook Event via Zoom Thursday, September 28, 2023, 7:00 p.m. Meeting ID: 847 1218 6032 Passcode: 572570- Speakers are Isabelle BUTLER, CERA Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voters, Dr. Charla Burns Ouachita Parish Democratic Executive Committee, Monroe City Councilwoman Juanita G. Woods, Special Guests include Alicia Calvin, Build Louisiana Blue, State Director & Alicia Calvin, Build Louisiana Blue,...
There are still many Trump supporters who really believe that Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election. And there are Trump supporters who want to believe that he will win but know deep down inside that the tide is against him realistically winning the election. But that has not stopped his supporters from beating the drums that somehow a miracle will happen. Even some conservative religious leaders who were openly prophesizing that Trump would win are strangely silent at this juncture of the campaign season even though Trump has a...
Have any of you ever wanted a job so bad but after a while, you regret taking it? Some, if not most of you would say “yes”, while the rest would find another job or “deal” with the one that you have. With that sentiment is probably how Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is feeling right now. Congress has just returned from its August recess only to stare at a looming government shutdown, that if not resolved, will affect millions of Americans. The ones that won’t be affected are the rich/wealthy and yes, members of Congress. Various f...
If anyone is wondering why Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis continues to lag so far behind Donald Trump, one only needs to look at what happened after Hurricane Idalia crossed the state causing billions of damage in her aftermath. President Joe Biden has done what he and other presidents have done countless times following major natural disasters in states where a “show of unity” between leaders starts with the governor on behalf of its citizens. That is when on too few occasions, a sense of unity is exhibited between leaders of both polit...
Mayo/Supporters Gear Up for Election Before a packed house of fired-up supporters, former mayor Jamie Mayo was met with cheers and chants of " We want Mayo back" as he officially announced his candidacy for Mayor of Monroe for the 2024 spring election on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at the Tabatorium in Monroe, LA. Mayo emphasized his three major priorities as economic development, crime, and education, in which a comprehensive plan is being finalized. The night ended with local pastors and...
Indignities. No special privileges. Everyone will be treated the same. That’s what we are told happens to someone who is suspected of and has been indicted for committing a criminal act. We saw that happen last week in Fulton County in Georgia when 18 co-defendants of former president Donald Trump turned themselves in to go through a booking/processing procedure that people who are facing a trial go through. By now, the mugshots of Donald Trump and those who are facing trial in state court are already in the history books, something that so m...
The Republican Party as a whole has a headache that just will not go away. At least just not yet. Maybe that might change after Donald Trump shows up at a Fulton County jail to be fingerprinted and have his mug shot done by the time these words are read. The spectacle of a former president’s face on a suspected criminal mug shot will go down in history as one of this nation’s most embarrassing moments. Presidents, former or otherwise are not supposed to have a photo of their mug shot next to their biography when talked about in the history cla...
Donald Trump has been indicted again by federal authorities, and there is also one more expected from the state of Georgia in a few weeks. What was once thought as unthinkable for a former president to face the kinds of legal troubles that are facing Trump should show us that everything has its limits. As they say in sports, Trump went “to the well one too many times” and it appears that he came up dry. In addition to Trump begging for money to pay his lawyers (we thought he was a billionaire), a trial is still a long way off, leaving him to...
If Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis fails to capture the Republican presidential nomination next year, we know what will be seen as one of his failings. It won’t be his lack of charm or charisma; he is about as popular as stale bread regarding likeability. When that fails among the voters, it often falls on the shoulders of the spouse to put that “human, fuzzy” side on display just from the kind of relationship that the couple might have. As it stands now, no one is even remotely closed to catching up to Donald Trump despite the legal woes fa...
When Critical Race Theory was talked about being taught in the nation’s public schools, conservative politicians and others cried that liberals were trying to “indoctrinate” young white kids into believing that they should “feel guilty” for the crimes of their ancestors. They, all of a sudden, started quoting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. about not “judging people by the color of their skin” as if they suddenly saw the light of what Rev. King was saying. Guilt didn’t have anything to do with teaching CRT, but about teaching the tr...
America is an experiment that is failing…badly. The “melting pot” is melting. People who were once strangers in a new land are treating strangers as if they don’t belong here. The notion that God set aside this land called America for one particular race to dominate is, at its best, ludicrous. Yet, that is what we hear from political leaders to religious leaders, and none of them quote any scriptures to support those ideas. Nevertheless, that’s what the founders envisioned even, as we are told by some political leaders who talk as if they heard...
As we look at the Republicans who are vying to take Donald Trump’s place in the White House, as of right now, it is no contest. There are big names thrown in the hat, names that are easily recognizable in conservative politics. But alas, none of the last names are spelled T-R-U-M-P. And that to our conservative friends is gold in Republican circles. How else can one explain the tight grip that Trump wields over the Republican Party in Washington and across America, even as he is in the legal fight of his life his base is firmly supportive of wh...
It is indeed a Juneteenth reason to celebrate. An American military installation just west of Alexandria has bestowed an honor on a Black soldier who was much more than a hero. For decades, Fort Polk has served as a military installation that has sent thousands, if not millions of Americans to distant lands to fight for freedom. It is home to the Joint Readiness Training Center and the Third Brigade Combat Team of the Tenth Mountain Division. Now the installation has a new name that opens a new chapter telling the world what this nation can do...
Former Vice President of America Mike Pence is running to be president. That might have been breaking news at one time, something out of the ordinary, but it’s only Mike Pence. And it comes as no surprise that Pence finally decided to put his hat in the ring, as it would have been more of a surprise if he hadn’t. When one looks at the announced candidates already running, Pence, a former vice president, has the credentials to govern as a president. That doesn’t mean he would be a great president, as he didn’t have the “best example...
So we have a deal. At least in principle. After what seems like an eternity, every time the issue of what is to be done concerning the nation’s debt ceiling grabs the attention, a deal gets done. That’s the word from the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as both entities seemed to have played a game of chicken, taking the deadline down to the wire. Perhaps what angers the majority of voters is why it takes Democrats and particularly Republicans to want to take hardline stances, the old my-way-or-the-highway attitude every time the d...
