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May Day! May Day!


May Day (n.) A holiday having its roots in ancient European festivals and workers' rights. See also: The Origin of May Day


Mayday (n.) An emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.


"Thousands of people attended May Day protests across the country Thursday in response to the Trump administration’s controversial moves against immigrants and federal workers over its first 100 days.
"Scores of people filled the streets in cities including Los Angeles, New York City, Denver, Chicago and Washington, DC, for May Day – or International Workers’ Day – to protest what they call an assault on immigrants, workers and students exercising their right to free speech." ~CNN

I'm writing a very personal blog here. As a native Alabamian and graduate of the University of Alabama, I am wroth to see my state and my alma mater sycophantically bend the knee to this golden, er, calf. His UA address was Trump's "first address to graduates in his second term and came as he has been lying about the first 100 days of his administration" (Guardian).


Trump is everything my UA degree (in Environmental Studies, through UA's innovative and interdisciplinary New College program) taught me to resist. My master's in public administration (MPA) degree from UAB, with a double emphasis in Urban Planning and Policy Analysis, only strengthens my resolve to resist. (See also: Opinion | UA administration’s threat loud and clear for Trump speech protesters)


"The guy who’s been cutting funding and killing vital programs at the University of Alabama strolled on campus Thursday evening, and was welcomed with open arms and cheers.
"It was the perfect microcosm of Alabama – a state where voters continue to fight tooth and nail for people and policies that directly harm them – as Donald Trump delivered what was, I suppose, although I’m not quite certain, a commencement speech to all of the white graduates and some other white people (maybe there was a non-white person in attendance somewhere) at a university where his policies have been incredibly harmful." ~Josh Moon, Alabama Political Reporter

"An epic moral and critical thinking fail" is how I describe the results of America's 2024 election. As a college professor (adjunct instructor) myself, I demand critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning in my students (and myself). Here is just the tip of a Mount Everest-sized iceberg of evidence to support my statement:


Trump/Republicans' War on Morals


For those of us with a Judeo-Christian background—and in the Bible Belt, that's a lot of us—the Bible warns us that Jesus spoke more about money and wealth than almost any other subject, often linking it to spiritual well-being. And can you imagine a more perfect fit for the "rich man" the Bible warns us against than America's Mammon-in-Chief? For additional references, see Opinion: 10 of the nastiest cons Donald Trump has tried to pull on America and Trump Ranks Last in “Moral Authority” in Survey of Presidents.


A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: ~Proverbs 6:12-16

Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together. ~Micah 7:3

These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. ~Jude 1:19
Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ~1 Timothy 3:2

Trump/Republicans' War on Critical Thinking


“When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.” ~Anaïs Nin

While misinformation (unintentional speculation and lies) and disinformation (purposeful spreading of lies) are not the monopoly commodity of any party, the Right (or, more aptly, the Wrong) have weaponized fake news and elevated it to godlike status. Starting with recent PolitiFact Lies of the Year,



“To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and propaganda. At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The problem with mis/disinformation is that anything follows from a lie. Non-evidence-based policy is the most dangerous kind of policy. Nothing good, and very much bad, can be expected from policies based on hatred, fear, xenophobia, and greed. And speaking of B.S. (Bad Science) policies...


Trump/Republicans' War on People and Planet in the name of Power and Profit


The vision of The People's Justice Council is: "To create a just world one corner at a time - a world that is equitable and regenerative, with just policies that place people and planet over profit." Trump and Republicans' vision is exactly the opposite, and their People and Planet wrecking ball is working overtime. See 30 years of environmental justice, dismantled in 100 days and “Unfinished Business”: Experts Speak Out After Trump Administration Dismantles NEJAC.


Under the Trump administration, policies to protect the communities most affected by pollution are "illegal." ~Grist

Here in Alabama,


"The Trump administration has killed a landmark civil rights settlement requiring Alabama to address raw sewage pollution in majority-Black, residential areas south-west of Montgomery, dismissing it as an “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agreement." ~The Guardian


If these articles invoke your wroth, too, "Be ye angry and sin not" (Ephesians 4:26). Channel your anger motivator in constructive ways. For May Day 2025, people organized in nearly 1,000 cities with focus on rallying against Trump administration and ‘billionaire profiteers’. Amid a Constitutional crisis, the stakes for America and the world are high.



Call to Action


If you believe America is in a "mayday" crisis, and want to support the calls of May Day, here are some suggestions:

  1. Join the 50501 movement.

  2. Take A Stand at Graduation for Academic Freedom and Civil Rights

  3. ProPublica asks, Help Us Report on How the Department of Education Is Handling Civil Rights Cases.

  4. Continue to support The People's Justice Council with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your offerings.


A final warning to my fellow Americans:

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ~1 Corinthians 15:33

 
 
 

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