Author: Kent

Past Publsher/CEO of the old Kokomo Tribune and Kokomo Dispatch. As one of a newspaper family who owned a 34,000 daily newspaper in the heart of the Midwest for 85 years, I have a deep belief in a strong “Fourth Estate”, the press. Without a diligent, truthful, and assertive free press, the power would be taken from the people. People have the absolute right to know. After earning a degree in Industrial Management from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue, I spent over 20 years in newspaper management with several as publisher. I also hold three graduate science degrees including a Ph.D.. I have a passionate interest in science, the environment, government, and politics. I have very little tolerance for ignorance and stupidity.
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The Enemy Among US

Ever wonder why protests and demonstrations get started almost immediately after some announcement by the Trump administration? How anti-gun marches get set up so quickly after a school shooting? Huge marches on Washington DC are organized so quickly? The orders come directly from their headquarters in DC. Read this article attributed to Charles Krauthammer….

The Enemy is Among US!!
by Charles Krauthammer, October 11, 2017. An Article from the New York Post:

I do not understand how living in a country with its democracy established over 200 years ago, and now, for the first time in history, suddenly we have one of our former presidents set up a group called “Organizing for Action” (OFA).

OFA is 30,000+ strong and working to disrupt everything that our current president’s administration is trying to do. This organization goes against our Democracy, and it is an operation that will destroy our way of governing. It goes against our Constitution, our laws, and the processes established over 200 years ago. If it is allowed to proceed then we will be living in chaos very much like third world countries are run. What good is it to have an established government if it is not going to be respected and allowed to follow our laws?

If you had an army some 30,000 strong and a court system stacked over the decades with judges who would allow you to break the laws, how much damage could you do to a country? We are about to find out in America!

Our ex-president [Barack Hussein Obama] said he was going to stay involved through community organizing and speak out on the issues and that appears to be one post-administration promise he intends to keep. He has moved many of his administration’s top dogs over to Organizing for Action.

OFA is behind the strategic and tactical implementation of the resistance to the Trump Administration that we are seeing across America, and politically active courts are providing the leverage for this revolution.

OFA is dedicated to organizing communities for “progressive” change … Its issues are gun control, socialist healthcare, abortion, sexual equality, climate change, and of course, immigration reform.

OFA members were propped up by th ex-president’s message from the shadows: “Organizing is the building block of everything great we have accomplished. Organizers around the country are fighting for change in their communities and OFA is one of the groups on the front lines. Commit to this work in 2017 and beyond.”

OFA’s website says it obtained its “digital” assets from the ex-president’s re-election effort and that he inspired the movement. In short, it is the shadow government organization aimed at resisting and tearing down the Constitutional Republic we know as AMERICA.

Paul Sperry, writing for the New York Post, says, “The OFA will fight President Donald Trump at every turn of his presidency and the ex-president will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.” Sperry writes that, “The ex-president is setting up a shadow government to sabotage the Trump administration through a network of non-profits led by OFA, which is growing its war chest (more than $40 million) and has some 250 offices nationwide.

The OFA IRS filings, according to Sperry, indicate that the OFA has 32,525 (and growing) volunteers nationwide. The ex-president and his ‘wife’ will oversee the operation from their home/office in Washington DC.

Think about how this works. For example: Trump issues an immigration executive order; the leftist media springs to action in support of these activities; the twitter sphere lights up with social media; and violence follows. All of this happens from the ex-president’s signal that he is heartened by the protests.

If Barack Obama did not do enough to destroy this country in the 8 years he was in office, it appears his future plans are to destroy the foundation on which this country has operated on for the last 241 years.

If this does not scare you, then we are in worse trouble than you know. So, do your part… You have read it, so at least pass this on so others will know what we are up against. We are losing our country and we are so compliant. We are becoming a “PERFECT TARGET” for our enemy!

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Democrats Betray Our Nation

The top national headline in the Tuesday, December 17th, issue of the Kokomo Tribune said, “Dems: Trump betrayed nation” when the only betrayal of our nation has been that of the Democrats.

It has been angering and disgusting to watch what the leaders of the Democrat party in the House of Representatives have done. They have repeatedly lied to the people of our nation. They have been trying to come up with some grounds…. any grounds…. to seek impeachment of President Trump since before he was sworn into office in January 2017. Russian collusion did not work. That attempt went on for years. Nothing else worked until they seized on Ukraine.

Now the alleged grounds are withholding military aid from Ukraine in turn for an investigation into the Bidens, both Joe and Hunter. It is damned clear the Bidens are as guilty as sin of corruption. The President has every right to ask the new President of Ukraine to take a look at what happened around the 2016 USA election as it involved people in the Ukraine. And he has every right….. and even duty….. to ask for investigation of the Bidens when good ole Joe was Vice President and Hunter was on the take. And even if President Trump wanted to withhold military aid to get an investigation — which he did not — that would have been in the best interest of the United States. I remind you, too, that President Obama did NOT provide any meaningful military aid to Ukraine as it defended itself against the Russians. President Trump did.

Both President Trump and President Zelensky, the new President of Ukraine, have repeatedly said there was no pressure for any investigation of anything. Too, we learned later that Zelensky knew nothing about any military aid which was forthcoming, let alone if it was being withheld which, I repeat, it was not. The tank busting Javelin missiles came.

So, the impeachment of President Trump for anything is a total basket of bird droppings. The Democrats have dug a hole for themselves. The Trump train gets longer and stronger with every passing day. All one has to do is look at the crowds that show up at Trump rallies. These are folks from all around the country. They are the deplorable, smelly Walmart shoppers. They no longer will be quiet or fooled by the Democrat establishment corrupt politicians. They cannot wait for the election in November 2020. Again, they will come from the hills, valleys, farms, small towns and large to elect President Donald Trump for four more years.

President Donald Trump deserves exoneration, not just acquittal in the US Senate. He is innocent of any wrong doing let alone any that rise to the level of treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors. The do-nothing Democrats are on the road to destroying their own political party. If so, good riddance. The worst are Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer. Their sun is rapidly setting.

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Lynn “Rudy” Rudolph

In just a few short weeks, voters will have the opportunity to elect to Kokomo’s Common Council one of Kokomo’s finest. His name is Lynn Rudolph from the 2nd District.

I have known “Rudy” for decades. His background and reputation precede him. Rudy served many years on Kokomo’s police force. He led a special task force dealing with crime and drug enforcement. This task force, which benefited not only Kokomo and Howard County but surrounding counties as well, was recognized in law enforcement as one of the best. Rudy led by example. He always made it a goal to see that he and his fellow officers had the best training and education available. In short, they were very effective.

One year, Lynn Rudolph was recognized nationally as one of the top ten “Policemen of the Year”. He well deserved this honor and recognition.

I know all of this because I was an executive at the Kokomo Tribune at the time. I served on the Mayor’s Drug Abuse Task Force along with others of the community. We held Lynn Rudolph and his task force in highest regard.

Now we are at a time when we are hearing about drugs and crime in the news about every day. Kokomo is not exempt. We need leaders with experience and an outstanding track record. None could be better that Rudy’s. He would bring common sense, effectiveness, and results to a variety of issues as a part of the Kokomo Common Council. Rudy’s life is one of service to the community. We could do no better than have him as a member of our Common Council. We need to elect Lynn Rudolph.

Kent Blacklidge
Past Publisher/ Kokomo Tribune

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New Diversity in Congress

[From the Internet]

Several months ago, the 116th Congress was sworn in, and all day long, the media was fawning over the “remarkable diversity” of the new Democrat members. It was a day of “firsts,” we were told repeatedly. While the new Democrat majority offers members of note, we want to highlight a few “firsts” who are examples of the “diversity” that was sworn in then.

Here are our Top Most “Diverse” house Freshmen:

1. Ilhan Omar — The first person who married her brother to commit immigration fraud ever to be elected to Congress. Omar is also the first open supporter of female genital mutilation to ever be elected to Congress. Such amazing diversity! And this does not mention her problems with fraudulent tax filings.

2. Rashida Tlaib — One of the first Muslim Brotherhood-linked and anti-Semitic candidates to be elected to Congress. She also claims to be a Palestinian — not American. Wonders never cease. Also, she has a potty mouth using the term “Mother F—er” for the President.

3. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Where do we even begin? Let’s just say she is the first person elected to Congress who lied about being from the Bronx, and thus, made up her life story. She’s also an overt Marxist, in case you forgot.

4. Abigail Spanberger — The first substitute teacher from an Islamist school (nicknamed “Terror High”) ever to be elected to Congress.

5. Donna Shalala — Rep. Shalala was HHS Secretary from 1993 to 2001 under Bill Clinton and worked from 2015 to 2017 at the Clinton Foundation, and in 2016 she admitted in an interview that some significant Clinton Foundation donors received “courtesy appointments” in the Clinton State Department. To top it off, apparently she can’t let go of politics. At 78, she’s the oldest female House Freshman in history.

6. Krysten Sinema — The first bi-sexual atheist to be sworn into Congress. She refused to take the oath of office on the Holy Bible.

These are just a few examples of the “firsts” that the media has been celebrating. Those who apparently show an open disdain and animosity for America as we’ve know it for over 200 years. And they all represent the Democrat Party. Kind of makes you proud to be an American, doesn’t it? All of this “diversity”!

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Angry

Are you angry yet? If you are not, you should be. The Democrats in Congress are moving toward crossing the line. They have announced they are proceeding with a formal impeachment inquiry as a step to impeachment….. and over what?

Democrats have been obsessed with taking down President Donald Trump ever since he won the election for the Presidency in 2016. Hillary Clinton, a known law breaker, lost but has never been held accountable for her illegal actions. One was the deleting of over 30,000 emails after she had been subpoenaed by Congress. That was the least of the illegal acts she undertook along with then President Barack “Berry” Obama, the Democratic National Committee, and numerous others in the deep state. None have been held to account to date.

Ever since the Democrats gained the majority in the House of Representatives in 2018, the Congress has been deadlocked over anything of substance. Representatives Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff have continued to pursue witch hunts even after Special Counsel Robert Mueller spent tens of millions trying to find something criminal around Donald Trump. He found nothing, much to the chagrin of Democrats.

Now we know the Mueller probe was run by Andrew Weissmann, the most dishonest and despicable attorney anywhere. He was responsible for the unjust demise of one of the most prestigious national accounting firms, Arthur Anderson Company, that put thousands of people out of work. The conviction of the Anderson Company was overturned by the Supreme Court by a vote of 9-0; but that was too late. Weissmann is well known for prosecutorial misconduct.

The event that triggered the latest cries for impeachment of President Trump was a phone call between Trump and the president of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was recently elected by the people of Ukraine. The claim by a so-called whistle blower (who does not qualify as a “whistle blower” under the law), who knows nothing firsthand about any call, is that President Trump was doing or saying something illegal. The fact is it is nobody’s business what the content of the call was. The President should and needs to be able to talk privately to anyone he wants about anything he wants. Nobody ever questioned Barack Obama about his calls or promise to be “more flexible after the election” to Russia. It is absolutely not the job of the intelligence community to monitor the President. That would be illegal in itself.

But, let’s assume that one subject of the call was ex-Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has openly admitted he coerced Ukrainian officials with the threat of withholding over a billion dollars in aid into firing a prosecutor who was on the trail of Biden’s son for corruption. Biden and son, Hunter, then went on to China for more bribes. In short, Joe Biden and his son are crooked as a dog’s hind leg.

We know, too, that Ukraine under different leadership did meddle in the 2016 US Presidential election. With a new Ukrainian President, our President Trump had every right and even duty to try to determine the extent of the corruption involving Biden and the extent of Ukraine meddling in our election.

Now, a very dangerous precedent has been set with the release of the transcript of President Trump’s phone call as he defends himself and the Presidency against rabid Democrats. Will any world leader now be comfortable talking in confidence with a US President? Oh, I know, this was partially offset by President Trump getting consent from President Zelensky before releasing the content of the call.

Democrats are damaging our country and playing with more fire than they know. Loyal, staunch Trump supporters will only put up with so much. Never say I didn’t tell you so.

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Butt Edge Edge

[Open letter to Mayor Pete Buttigieg]

Mayor Buttigieg:

If all that is being told about you is true – or even a portion of it – I find you to be a total embarrassment to the citizens of Indiana. I have no idea how those of South Bend ever elected you to be Mayor. Now you want them and millions of others to elect you as President of the United States. This is one sick joke.

You don’t seem to be able to run South Bend. The reported crime rate in South Bend is 60 per one thousand residents – one of the highest crime rates in America. Chicago is reported as 44 per one thousand residents. South Bend gets the prize. And I understand the African-American former police chief is suing the city. You don’t seem to be able to get along with the black community at all – sit at a table and take notes.

Here are a few other “facts” about you that I find offensive, if true:

  1. You are the son of a communist father and mother; like parents, like son or call it socialism
  2. You favor the “Green New Deal”
  3. You want to abolish the Electoral College
  4. You favor packing the Supreme Court
  5. You want to repeal the Trump tax cuts
  6. You favor sanctuary cities and states
  7. You favor quick paths to citizenship for DACA designees & illegal aliens
  8. You favor late term abortions
  9. You favor Draconian 2nd Amendment restrictions

South Bend was ranked as one of the worst places to live in the country in 2018. Nice work.

But I must say that the one that got me the most was your comments about late term abortion. You attempted to use the Bible as justification saying something about life begins with the first breath after being born. And you claim to be a devout Episcopalian. That is total BS.

I am from a family of Episcopalians. My grandmother was an immigrant from England. I, too, am an Episcopalian. You really should be shunned by the church and driven out. The Episcopal Church talks about a three-legged stool: the Bible, Tradition, and Reason. You have attempted to bastardize teachings of your claimed church. Shame on you.

In short, you should pack it up and return to South Bend with your tail between your legs; back to your husband. And stay there.

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Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

[Directly from the Internet via my brother]

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first… but then I think,

Since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table and see there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study.

So, I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I’d been drinking.

I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye — they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I’ve bee searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs…. but first I’ll water the flowers.

I pour some water into the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
The car isn’t washed,
The bills aren’t paid,
There is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter,
The flowers don’t have enough water,
There is still only 1 check in my checkbook,
I cannot find the remote,
I can’t find my glasses,
And I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day and I’m really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my email….

DON’T LAUGH — IF THIS ISN’T YOU YET, YOUR DAY IS COMING. I DON’T REMEMBER WHERE I GOT THIS, BUT IF IT WAS YOU, I’M SORRY.

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From China and More with Love

Smithfield Farms, the largest pork producing farm in the USA, was sold to China with the unanimous support of its stockholders! The hogs will still be raised here, but slaughtered and packaged for sale there fefore being sent back here. This includes labels of…

Morrell
Eckrich
Krakus
Cudahy
Premium Hams
Cook’s
Gwlatney

The same with many chickens. They can now be shipped there, but when they come back all that needs to be labeled is that they WERE RAISED IN THE USA. Not that they were processed in China!!!

Our great FDA at work again. The chickens will be all processed and most sold to fast food restaurants for sandwiches, along with schools and supermarkets. The China slaughter and processing are not nearly equal to the requirements here for cleanliness.

BAD FOOD
We recently learned that Starkist Tuna is now owned by Korea, and is in big conflict with the U.S. concerning quality, safety, and records, which Korea refuses to produce. Read several articles on Google about this, and even one that was defending the eating of tilapia said to avoid the fish that came from China? Also, I had just returned home from buying Albertson’s 4-day special of 4 bags of frozen tilapia for the price of one? Sure enough, on the top of the bags it read, “farm raised”, and on the bottom in small print it said, “China”.

In general, farm raised fish should not be eaten because of the high concentration of antibiotics they are fed to prevent diseases due to being tightly confined with other fish. Buy wild caught fish from North America, Hawaii or New Zealand. Read all the way to the end.

Recently, a Food Inspector on TV said he had lived overseas and he had seen the filthy conditions their foods are raised and processed in. It is enough to make you thrown up. Many of their fish on Fish Farms are fed raw sewage daily. He said he has seen so much filth throughout their foor growing and processing that he would “never” eat any of it. They raise this filth, put some food coloring an some flavoring on it, then they ship it to hte USA & Canada for YOU to consume and fee to your families. They have no Food & Safety Inspectors. They ship it to you to buy and poison your families and friends.

Imported food we eat and the junk we buy:

Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China and so are most of Europe’s Best.

Arctic Gardens are OK, so is Birdseye.

Never buy the grocery store garlic unless it is clearly marked from the USA or Canada, the other stuff is grown in people poop (even worse than chicken poop). China is the largest producer of garlic in the world; USA is next.

Buy only local honey, much honey is shipped in huge containers from China and re-packaged here.

Cold-FX is grown and packed in China and is full of fecal bacteria. Doesn’t work anyway; bit scam. If the country of origin is not clearly marked, beware!

If produce, ask an employee:

Watch out for packages which state “prepared for”, “packed by” or “imported by”. We don’t understand the lack of mandatory labeling, especially on produce. The country of origin should be clearly shown on the item in the store (and no cheating about were produced and where processed and where packaged.).

Go to the local farmers’ markets in season and keep a wary eye open the rest of the year.

Please read this very carefully, and read to the vary bottom. It’s important for all of us. How is it possible to ship food from China cheaper than having it produced in the US or Canada?

For example, the “Our Family” brand of mandarin oranges says right on the can, “From China”. So, for a few more cents, buy the “Liberty” brand. Gold Brand or Dole is from California. Beware, Costco sells canned peaches and pears in a plastic jar that come from China.

All “High Liner” and most other frozen fish products come from China or Indonesia. The package may say “Pacific Salmon” on the front, but look for the small print. Most of these products come from fish farms in the orient where there re no regulations on what is fed to these fish.

Recently, the Montreal Gazette had an article by the Canadian government on how Chinese feed the fish: they suspend chicken wire crates over the fish ponds, and the fish feed on chicken poop. If you search the Internet about what the Chinese feed their fish, you’ll be alarmed; e.g. growth hormones and expired antibiotics from humans?

Never buy any type of fish or shellfish that comes from these countries …
Vietnam
China
Philippines
Another example is canned mushrooms. No-Name brand came from Indonesia.

Also, check those little fruit cups. They used to be made in Canada in the Niagara region until about 2 years ago. They are now packaged in China. Most sold in Aldi stores.

While the Chinese export inferior and even toxic products, dangerous toys, and goods to be sold in North American markets, the media wrings it hands! Yet, at least 70% of North Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended. Well, duh!!!!

Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? Simply to it yourself; Canada and the United States. Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says “Made in China” or “PRC” (and that now includes Hong Cong), simply choose another product or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent your are on Chinese products, and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without.

Think about this:

If 200 million North Americans refuse to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that’s a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor …. fast! The downside? Some Canadian/American businesses will feel a temporary pinch from having foreign stockpiles of inventory.

Just one month of trading losses will hit the Chinese for 8% of their North American exports. Then they will at least have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness are worth it.

Start reading labels more closely and buy something else even if it costs a few cents more. And just think, if you eat in restaurants a lot, you have no idea what your are eating. Those culinary orgies will kill you eventually.

[More reasons to BUY AMERICAN!….. and do not trust a damned thing the Chinese send our way!]

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Blind Generation

[This article was written by a Millennial college student by the name of Alyssa Ahlgren, who’s in grad school for her MBA. It’s a short article but definitely worth a read.]

“College Student: My Generation Is Blind to the Prosperity Around Us”

I’m sitting in a small coffee shop near Nokomis trying to think of what to write about. I scroll through my newsfeed on my phone looking at the latest headlines of Democratic candidates calling for policies to “fix” the so-called injustices of capitalism. I put my phone down and continue to look around. I see people talking freely, working on their MacBook’s, ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me. We live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous nation and we’ve become completely blind to it.

Vehicles, food, technology, freedom to associate with whom we choose. These things are so ingrained in our American way of life we don’t give them a second thought. We are so well off here in the United States that our poverty line begins 31 times above the global average. Thirty. One. Times. Virtually no one in the United States is considered poor by global standards. Yet, in a time where we can order a product off Amazon with one click and have it at our doorstep the next day, we are unappreciative, unsatisfied, and ungrateful.

Our un-appreciation is evident as the popularity of socialist policies among my generation continues to grow. Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said to Newsweek talking about the millennial generation, “An entire generation, which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America, came of age and never saw American prosperity.”

Never saw American prosperity! Let that sink in. When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, that was quite literally the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I’ve ever heard in my 26 years on this earth. Many young people agree with her, which is entirely misguided. My generation is being indoctrinated by a mainstream narrative to actually believe we have never seen prosperity. I know this first hand, I went to college, let’s just say I didn’t have the popular opinion, but I digress.

Why then, with all of the overwhelming evidence around us, evidence that I can even see sitting at a coffee shop, do we not view this as prosperity? We have people who are dying to get into our country. People around the world destitute and truly impoverished. Yet, we have a young generation convinced they’ve never seen prosperity, and as a result, elect politicians dead set on taking steps towards abolishing capitalism. Why? The answer is this, my generation has only seen prosperity. We have no contrast. We didn’t live in the great depression, or live through two world wars, the Korean War, The Vietnam War or see the rise and fall of socialism and communism. We don’t know what it’s like to live without the Internet, without cars, without smart phones. We don’t have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it’s spreading like a plague.”

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Of Color

Don’t you get fed up with the “of color” crap? The Squad touts being “of color” and claims President Donald Trump is afraid of them. Bologna!

And I am just not sure what “of color” means. Does it mean people with a given pigment in their skin? Does it mean those with brown, black, red, olive, etc. skin? If you look at an artist’s pallet, you would see many colors…… including white. Does that mean that everyone can claim to be “of color”? That, now, would seem logical.

What for sure it does not mean is some superior intelligence. The color of one’s skin is not an indicator of brain power.