What black people won’t say

But I will. Democrats made a mistake supporting Joseph Biden over Bernie Sanders.

I forgave Mr. Biden for Clarence Thomas and a host of other sellouts to the corporate good ole boy system and voted for the president anyway — as did Sen. Sanders.

In recent decades, the bedrock of Democratic strength has always been unions, African Americans and women. Both Barack Obama and now Mr. Biden have failed to move long-sought legislation to level the union election playing field which has resulted in the lowest union numbers among first-world nations.

Organized labor has become co-dependent. We’re so used to getting abused by our friends that the only excuse for sticking around is “without us, he wouldn’t have anybody like us to beat up.”

Is there a Committee to Aid Abused Unions somewhere?

Over MLK weekend, media veritably dripped with bile over Mr. Biden’s shilly-shallying, dithering and dilatory dilly-dallying over voting rights while the party of Godhead Trump the Ultimate subverted democracy in dozens of states.

How bad has it gotten? As you have already heard, the conventional wisdom holds that the Trump cult will sweep this fall, re-taking the House and Senate. Combined with their dominance of a royalist supreme court, Biden may as well not show up for work a year from now.

Without naming names, I’ve heard the same dark warnings from the mouths of professional Donkey Party operatives.

FREE TICKETS ON THE TITANIC. America seems hellbent on suicide both at the ballot box and the bloodstream. I saw a META (aka Facebook) post from a retired union guy who bought into the idea to stop fighting and learn to love the plague. Go get it, get over it and go on with your life as usual.

No photo accompanied the post so I couldn’t tell if his head showed evidence of having been buried in the sand or other dark dirty places.

The comment was in the right place. “Meta” is Hebrew for “death.” Conspiracy lovers are apparently again pimping the sci-fi fantasy that John F. Kennedy, Jr., will soon return to right the ship of state.

I think some mischievous teenager, perhaps in Russia, came up with that one during a game of how low can you go.

“Hey, Tovarich. I’m go to see just how stupid are American. Let’s see if who believe a Kennedy back from grave.”

“Give it a try, Ivanov. They already believe that about their Jesus and E.T., the Extra Terrestrial. How about a side bet on how many Google returns we’ll get? Czar Vladimir will be so pleased by our work.”

So the joke gets quickly transmuted into reality by the Internet gullible.

Alas and alack, thereinbelow lies a gnawing hunger for true inspirational leadership, the kind JFK the Elder embodied. Millions of Americans are so desperate that they have even embraced an anti-JFK who trashed everything Kennedy stood for.

Bernie has been the only unyielding leader who fit the bill in recent years, motivating the young and disgruntled, but the corporate system quashed him.

I will brook no accusation of being personally disgruntled. I have never been gruntled in my life, drunk or sober.

ENGRAVE ON YOUR PSYCHE: “This will always remain one of the best jokes of democracy — that it gave its deadly enemies the means by which it was destroyed.” — Hitler propaganda boss Joseph Goebbels.

BACK TO REALITY. At last week’s Reno-Sparks NAACP meeting, I was informed that the City of Sparks is forming an Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board. Excellent. Former President Lucille Adin and I find this welcome news, as the council passed a resolution to form a diversity commission on Jan. 22, 2007, but it never happened. (We were in attendance at Sparks City Hall along with late President Dolores Feemster.)

I was further informed that the application period to apply has closed.

As I did with the citizen police advisory committee, I have asked for the names and applications of the candidates and will publish them as before. Watch the Trib or NevadaLabor.com for info about the council appointment timeline.

I also learned that the police committee has had several departures although it has yet to meet due to a long training period.

The first meeting of the Rail City panel is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Monday Jan. 31 at Sparks City Hall. I don’t know if it will be livestreamed.

The City of Reno’s Human Rights Commission is once again showing signs of life. Perhaps local governments will start talking with each other.

That might be pro-gruntling.

Stay tuned.

KEEP IT UP. The GoFundMe campaign to help local bus operator Michael Lansborough and his family has risen to $2,565 since last week’s paper.

The announced goal is $4,000 but that remains quite modest.

My Sparks union brother faces mega-major surgery soon. He is sole support of his wife and son, Logan, who has no lower legs due to a genetic flaw. In his wheelchair, the intrepid 10 year-old supported his dad on Teamsters Union picket lines during last summer’s Hot August Strike. (Photos on the front page of NevadaLabor.com/)

Here is the link https://gofund.me/7eae2ed0 Be generous. If you would like to help by check, make it payable to Michael Lansborough and send to his attention at Teamsters Local 533, 1190 Selmi Drive, Suite 100, Reno NV 89512.

Join me in donating. Please. And tell your friends.

¡Sí se puede!

Take care of each other and be careful out there.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno.

Andrew Quarantino Barbano is a 53-year Nevadan and editor of NevadaLabor.com, SenJoeNeal.org and MississippiWestNV.org/ He is a longtime member of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his comments are strictly his own. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Tribune since 1988. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us