(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos Week in Review: The obscenity of your thoughts & prayers [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-14 The NRA kills and Republican politicians send out thoughts and prayers. Commentary by BlackKos editor JoanMar I hear the phrase “thoughts & prayers,” and it makes me sick to my stomach. It’s enough to make me wanna puke; I’m so tired of hearing it. It’s especially grating to hear sanctimonious Republicans use the term in the wake of a massacre, betraying as they are their impotence, their laziness, their cowardice, their greed, and most of all, their depraved indifference to human life. “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” A gunman armed with a legally bought AR-15 rifle walked into a Louisville bank, killed five people and injured eight others in one minute. That attack was the latest in the over 146 mass shootings of this calendar year in this country. There have already been at least 146 mass shootings in America so far in 2023. More than 11,500 people killed in gun violence so far in 2023 I watched the Democratic Mayor of Louisville at his press conference on Tuesday morning; he was obviously grieving for his slaughtered constituents, one of whom was also a personal friend. The mayor asked for blood donations and support for the Red Cross. He said that there’d be a vigil, and he asked for prayers. Thoughts and prayers. It was hard to listen to, even from a Democrat who went on to call for stricter gun laws. It struck me then that for the people who’d be inclined to send thoughts and prayers, that they have been delivering. Sincere believers have been praying “without ceasing” and without prompting from politicians. The people who have been derelict in their duties are politicians, especially those bought and paid for by the NRA. The GOP is the political arm of the NRA. Apparently, asking for and sending “thoughts and prayers” became the standard political response after the gruesome Columbine school shooting in 1999. The phrase, wrapped as it is in piety, is a fig leaf behind which to hide so that do-nothing politicians do not readily appear to be the totally callous assholes they are. It’s a cynical appeal to the gullible, especially by that group of politicians who, as seen by the posts on their social media pages, are only too willing to show which deity they really do worship. America has 20 million AR-15 style rifles in circulation "Owning an AR-style rifle is 'white nationalist' insurance..." Republicans are content with offering meaningless platitudes and nothing else in the face of children’s mutilated, sometimes decapitated bodies surrounded by rivers of blood. They do nothing in the face of unbearable anguish, trauma, and unhealable psychic wounds. They do nothing because the AR-15 is meant to be used against “those others,” don’t you know. AR-style rifles are the go-to weapons of choice for white supremacists, and manufacturers with their lobbyists are only too willing to exploit the degenerative hatred in order to enrich themselves. Yeah, buddy, you are a tool… a dangerous tool, but a tool nonetheless. You out there clutching your expensive phallic symbol and foaming at the mouth while your puppet masters laugh all the way to the bank with your hard-earned bucks. As is usually the case, the plan to stockpile weapons of mass destruction to use against those Black folks, those Brown folks, those Native folks, those Queer folks, those immigrants, and the “guvmint,” is not going quite as scripted. As my Grandma was fond of saying, “Bullets have no eyes,” and so we are all — black, white, and every shade in between — all trapped in this nightmare. Nobody is safe. To that, the Republicans offer their thoughts and prayers. It wasn’t thoughts and prayers that New Zealand, Canada, and the UK (Scotland) employed when they had their massacres of innocence. With lightning speed, the legislators in those countries enacted tough, non-negotiable gun control laws. Here, we are still cowering behind “thoughts and prayers” and never-ending debates about “common sense gun laws.” What those other countries did, worked. What we are doing? Not so much… and it is by design. x Let’s get it done. pic.twitter.com/OToEa3XEOQ — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 11, 2023 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Let's examine the data: Black Americans are under-represented in the states they live in, including every one of the 13 states that made up the Confederacy. The Root: The TN Expulsions Underscored Where Black Political Representation Is Most Troubling! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The outcry over the expulsions of a pair of Black Tennessee state lawmakers underscores a problem that often gets little notice - the already massive under-representation of Black Americans in the halls of state government. The majority of Black Americans - some 56 percent, according to figures from the Pew Research Center - live in the South. Most Black Americans have ancestral ties to the region, and despite its blood-soaked history of racism and racial violence, it’s where many Black folks have chosen to remain. But it’s also where Black Americans have far less political clout than they should given their numbers in the region’s population. Black people are not represented in states we live In: Black Americans are under-represented in every one of the 13 states that made up the Confederacy. And in many states with the highest percentages of Black residents, the gap between those percentages and the percentage of Blacks in the state Legislature is the largest. Black Americans accounted for 17 percent of Tennessee’s population in 2022. But just under 11 percent of the state’s 132 legislators were Black. In Georgia - 33 percent of the state’s population was Black. Only 22 percent of its state legislators were Black. In Louisiana, where Black Americans accounted for 33 percent of the state population but only 22.9 percent of the state legislature. Mississippi has the largest percentage of Black residents in the region - 38 percent. But only 27.6 percent of the Magnolia State’s legislature was Black. Black residents accounted for 20 percent of Virginia’s population but only 11.4 percent of its state legislature. In North Carolina, Black residents were 22.3 percent of the population but only 15.3 percent of the population. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This Black Maternal Health Week, a new survey indicates that a lack of relevant and relatable healthcare information is a barrier for Black expectant mothers. The Grio: To save Black mothers, government health agencies must gain their trust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black Maternal Health Week, from April 11 to 17, is a time for the nation to stop and look at the nightmarish situations that so many women of color across the country have to face. As President Biden pointed out in his proclamation for the week, “Black women in America are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.” Across all demographics, the United States has the highest rate of pregnancy-related deaths among all developed countries, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. But the picture for Black women is especially dire. A recent study found that childbirth is deadlier for Black families even when they’re rich. All sorts of factors affect this, including, as the New York Times noted, stress from experiencing racism, air pollution in Black communities, inequitable access to paid family leave, racism that Black patients experience in healthcare settings, and more. My team at M Booth Health and I have looked into another force contributing to these health disparities that endanger the lives of Black moms: a lack of relevant healthcare information. In our new survey, we found that Black mothers are more likely than others to get sick due to a lack of information that they trust. We also dug into why this is and zeroed in on one of the most important sources of healthcare information: government health agencies. More than half (52%) of Black moms told us that when they look at the materials these agencies offer, they don’t see themselves represented. Less than a quarter (24%) of White moms said the same. This sense of inclusion is essential in reaching people with healthcare information. In our survey, 29% of Black moms said they had ignored some healthcare information in general because it did not feel inclusive of people like them — more than mothers of other ethnicities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A 62-year-old woman was convicted of discrimination and harassment on Monday for making racist comments about Colombia’s first Black vice president during an antigovernment protest last year. Luz Fabiola Rubiano pleaded guilty to the charges and will be sentenced by the judge on May 30. In Colombia, acts of discrimination are punishable with up to three years in prison, though judges can replace prison time with parole or house arrest. The small business owner from Bogota went viral in September after she railed against Vice President Francia Márquez on a video published by a local news site. Rubiano was protesting in front of Colombia’s congress and responded to a question from a journalist by hurling insults against Márquez and Afro-Colombians. “Apes are now governing us,” Rubiano said in the video, which is still available on Twitter, but was censored by other platforms. “Francia Márquez is an ape … what education can Black people have, they steal, attack and kill.” Prosecutors launched an investigation after Marquez’s lawyers filed a complaint. Vice President Francia Márquez of Colombia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They lost the last of their ancestral lands to the Aswan Dam in the 1960s, and now their language is dying too. But a new generation is harnessing the internet to help keep Nubian alive. The Guardian: ‘We’re losing our identity’: the young Egyptians fighting to save the ancient Nubian tongue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Born and raised in Nubia, southern Egypt, the 29-year-old Jehad Ashraf is the first in her family to grow up not understanding the Nubian language. “I lived in Aswan my whole life”, she says, “but none of my family spoke Nubian to me at home.” In just two generations the language, once spoken everywhere in the region, has almost vanished. In her village, a date-farming community on the banks of the Nile, “the youngest who speak Nubian are 61 or 62. It is becoming extinct,” says Ashraf. It is the same throughout Egypt, and that’s something she wants to change. Last year, she helped launch the online service Nobig Koro (Learn Nubian) to encourage young people to learn the language. It is one of a number of initiatives in recent years to reach young Nubians at home and abroad and keep the language and culture from dying out. Ashraf started taking Nubian classes in Cairo where she went to study legal translation. “Since I was young, I was attracted to the language,” she says. She made two friends on the course, the 31-year-old Wessam Fathy and Mostafa Fares, also 31. Both were born to Nubian parents but unable to speak the language. The three of them started a weekly study group to go over what they learned in class and practise singing the songs their teacher wrote out for them in Nubian and Arabic. “Nubian songs have everything you find in the language”, says Ashraf, “so we would memorise them, practise singing them and discuss the words we didn’t know.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After China’s crackdown, foreign education providers eye opportunities in countries such as Nigeria and Egypt. Foreign Policy: Why International Private Schools Are Booming in Africa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ British universities depend on foreign students who pay a premium for a U.K. education, many of them Chinese nationals. But since China cracked down on foreign education and its economy has stagnated, British institutions are looking to expand their base of foreign students. Nigerian students now make up the third-largest foreign cohort in U.K. universities, from nearly 11,000 students in the 2017-18 academic year to more than 44,000 in 2021-22. That shift has reverberated in the African education sector, both primary and secondary. With the boom in China over, private education providers have expanded globally. In Africa, international schools once marketed to the children of diplomats and other expatriates now target wealthy locals, particularly in Nigeria and Egypt, Africa’s two biggest economies. Private British education is expanding quickly on the continent. In September, King’s College Schools plans to open a new campus in Cairo, and Uppingham School is slated to follow with its own Cairo campus in 2024. Charterhouse will launch its first African campus in Lagos, Nigeria, which it describes as a “natural progression” after long welcoming Nigerian students to its U.K. campus. These schools are operated by regional institutions that pay royalty fees to the affiliated British school. In January, the U.K. foreign trade department organized a trip for officials from more than 20 British private boarding schools to Lagos to cultivate partnerships with local private schools and “learn what parents are looking for.” West African elites annually spend more than $37 million on the U.K. education sector, according to estimates in a 2021 Carnegie report. (Some U.K. higher education leaders warn that proposed immigration policies to restrict student visas would amount to “economic self-harm.”) Parents are likely attracted to foreign providers because they tend to offer higher teaching standards and more funding to circumvent infrastructure problems such as poor internet connectivity. “Public schools often face issues about not meeting the required literacy levels for the bulk of the student cohort. There is this quality gap that private [schools] come in to bridge,” said Sudeep Laad, a partner at L.E.K. Consulting in Singapore who advises firms on investments in the international education sector. Laad added that there is a perception that private schools that replicate the British curriculum will lead to easier access to foreign universities. Of course, this comes at a steep price: In Nigeria, enrollment fees at elite private schools start at $10,000 a year and can cost as much as $32,000. The average annual salary in Nigeria is just $8,000. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Breakthrough hailed as highly effective R21 vaccine is cleared by west African country but questions remain over funding. The Guardian: Ghana is first country to approve Oxford malaria vaccine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ghana has become the first country to approve a highly effective malaria vaccine developed at Oxford university in the UK. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, the first to exceed the World Health Organization’s target of 75% efficacy, has been cleared for use by Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority in children aged 5-36 months, the group at highest risk of death from malaria. Prof Adrian Hill, the director of the Jenner Institute, which is part of the Nuffield Department of medicine at Oxford University, said: “This marks a culmination of 30 years of malaria vaccine research at Oxford with the design and provision of a high efficacy vaccine that can be supplied at adequate scale to the countries who need it most.” However, observers warned it was “no silver bullet” in the complex fight against the mosquito-borne disease. An estimated 619,000 people died from malaria in 2021, the vast majority of them children in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the WHO. In Ghana, where the disease is both endemic and perennial, an estimated 5.3m cases and 12,500 estimated deaths were recorded. The WHO has yet to recommend the R21 vaccine for widespread use and until it does there is a question mark over the amount of international funding available for it. The vaccine’s phase 3 trial is ongoing, but earlier trials have shown efficacy levels of 77% , a level maintained after a single booster dose given a year later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/14/2163478/-Black-Kos-Week-in-Review-The-obscenity-of-your-thoughts-amp-prayers Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/