The Preamble

1. My people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

Knowledge, not of books (academics), but of a thorough insight into all areas of anything, plaguing or concerning us. We need a holistic not peripheral view or lens. Grant us Your Spirit of knowledge and truth, dear God.

2. “So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”(Psalm‬ ‭90:12‬)

Teach us oh God to think critically, and look beyond the prima facie so that we can see what You see. Grant us Your Wisdom and cast out man’s wisdom and that of the world from us.

3. “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭8:2‬)‬‬

Help us oh God; deliver us from deceptive spirit and from ourselves. Think through our minds and speak through our mouths. Thank you Father God.

The Story

Gavin Newsom, the incumbent Democrat Governor of California (CA), is being recalled. The recall election is set for September 14th; about a month from today. How are you going to vote?

According to his top challenger, Larry Elder, a Republican, Newsom is corrupt, has led CA down the rabbit hole (my words) especially during the pandemic, and he (Larry) wants to save California.

“I’m running for Governor because the decline of California isn’t the fault of its people. Our government is what’s ruining the Golden State. …”

Larry Elder

Read more about Larry Elder and his ‘manifesto’ here.

Furthermore and according to an article, “The Recall would cost state and county election officials $276 million to administer.” Really? Can we pause a minute to imagine how many healthy meals can be provided to all children in public schools with that money and still have some change? Or how many grants can be awarded to enable students attend college? Or the number of homes that can be built to house homeless folks and clear / repair the dilapidated streets and freeways?

And guess who pays it back? We, the people, do in taxes and fees!

Man, I lost it when I saw that cost.

In Defense

It’s disappointing that Newsom cultivated a wait-and-see attitude and allowed the 1.5 million signatures for the recall to be collected unchallenged. Could he not have campaigned for his tenure and against the recall simultaneously when those signatures were being collected? I pondered.

Gavin Newsom has only been Governor for two years; smack in the middle of the pandemic. Like all of us, no one knew what to do with covid-19 or how to do the little we knew to do. Is’t fair to use the pandemic outcome as a yardstick to measure Newsom’s effectiveness as Governor of CA? I don’t think so. If anything, I think that CA faired better than most States regarding covid-19. Some States didn’t wear masks nor abided by the 6-feet distancing.

Yes, we expect a lot from our government, understandably. But that’s the whole reason we are disappointed in our government officials. We forget about the bureaucratic red tapes where a decision takes months, if not years, to make and signatories are required at each step. By the time those signatures are collected, the need for the decision has elapsed.

Granted that there are basic expectations of the government, covid, in my opinion was a grave exception.

Oh, I forgot about Gavin Newsom being at a party during covid, and all without masks. Is’t enough to justify a recall? To this I say, “he (or she) without sin, cast the first stone.”

What did Larry Elder and the other challengers expected of Newsom to have done in two years? Or during covid-19? And does Larry Elder, and the rest of the recall challengers, think that they can do better? We know it’s all political maneuvering. But, please, let not the people play their games because we, the people, will receive the outcome (wrong end) of it all.

“When two elephants fight, it’s the ground (or the arena where the fight occurred) that suffers.”                - an African adage

Lest they all forgot, Gavin Newsom became Governor of California in January 2019. All the issues raised by Larry Elder didn’t emanate the last two years. Those issues have been ongoing for decades. A good example is CA’s housing and homelessness issues. Prior CA Governors who had eight-year tenures couldn’t solve those issues. Why expect Newsom to in two years; which technically could be six months because of covid?

I am a Democrat on paper, but first a citizen of California and of the United States of America. My stand is not of party affiliation. I’ll take a stand if the Governor had been a Republican and the recall, in my opinion, does not make sense. I’m just tired of my people’s emotional rush and a lack of deliberate logical /critical thinking-through.

No to the Recall. It’s nonsensical!

We know that California is a political key state, having the highest number (55) of electoral votes, than any other of the fifty states. Understandably that political parties scurry for the State to be in charge. But, can we make it first about the people.

Any excuse or reason is good enough when people just want (not, need) a change. The reason could even be all lies and slander to bait the people. But, my people, it takes two to tango. If the politicians think that they can ‘fool’ the people, they’ll continue to do so. But if the people wake up, wise up, and say enough, the politicians will stop and change. They can’t without us. Let’s stop being gullible and frivolous people.

Similar Politicking

A similar occurrence happened regarding the Los Angeles County (LAC) District Attorney (DA) position. Anyone good enough could have replaced Jackie Lacey, the then incumbent DA. The people were tired with her, particularly with her (or office’s) handling of issues regarding BLM. Enter George Gascón, with an impressive resume, and bingo, we’ve got a great challenger to oust her out. Gascón won the race and the people were happy, or so we thought. But no. Less than three months in office, Gascón faced a recall. No kidding, right? What were the people thinking when they voted him in? Why allow ourselves and our emotions to go yo-yo at the flip of a button or do the 180-360 degree flips, beats me.

For Gascón, the recall supporters “must collect 579,062 signatures from registered voters in the county by October 27, 2021.”

Final Thoughts

Some might say that these two cases are what politics is all about; that politics is dirty. But, no. Politics of itself is about service to the nation and serving its people. Politics of itself is not dirty, but the people in politics are the ones who play the dirty games; just as being played in other professions as the Police, Prisons, Banking/Finance, etc. The point is that there are bad eggs/people everywhere; in families, community, work, etc.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

When people in politics put self, greed, and position above the people, we, the people, should not just stand and watch. We, the people, have the power to change it all. We can return politics to the service dignity comparable to any private lucrative profession. Time, we the people, start thinking and less talking.

Father God, I ask you once more to

“teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”(Psalm‬ ‭90:12‬)

We don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but we trust you and ask that you purify our hearts. Help us to think right. We don’t know how to vote, but we surrender it all to you. Help us to march forward always, and not backwards. Help us to think altruistically and not selfishly.

This Recall, in my opinion, is out of order. The reason(s) is(are) flimsy. How are you going to vote on September 14?

Thanks for reading. This post is longer than my norm, but not long enough to split in two. I appreciate your time reading till the end.