Author: Carma Henry

       Command Master Chief (SWIAW Marshall E. Ford II born March 31, 1983, in the Republic of Panama, parents  Faye Baker Ford and Marshall E. Ford, Sr., both parents serving overseas in the United States Army. He is the grandson of Bernice and Clifford Baker Sr, long time residents of the Dorsey Riverbend community for more than 60 years.

        At 46 years old, I’ve learned that life isn’t just measured by the victories we celebrate; it’s also defined by how we handle the darts that come our way. And truthfully, those darts don’t always come from strangers. Sometimes they come from family and friends. Sometimes they come from co-workers, people in your organization, or even church members, the very places you expect support.

       Broward County Commissioner Hazelle P. Rogers, alongside Mayor Denise D. Grant of Lauderhill and Mayor Veronica Edwards-Phillips of Lauderdale Lakes, and Sharon Thomas of City of Lauderdale Lake, held a press conference Friday morning to highlight key initiatives aimed at helping those affected in the Caribbean.

Marva Johnson’s most significant challenge continues to be her inability to convince Florida A&M University stakeholders that she was the right choice for president. For months, prominent influencers and alumni have refused invitations to meet with the former lobbyist because of her strong ties to President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis. Likewise, alumni have been silent and distant.

  Well, folks, the Hug Heard Around the World is apparently the only story that matters this week. Forget wars, forget inflation, forget the ever-shrinking middle class. The only thing America seems capable of discussing right now is that long, slow, camera-perfect embrace between J.D. Vance and Erica Kirk — an embrace that’s somehow managed to outlast the national attention span itself.

   On November 6, the City of Fort Lauderdale plans to dedicate a historical marker honoring Diana Nyad on Fort Lauderdale Beach – the same sacred ground where the 1961 Wade-In Civil Rights protest took place. That is a line we cannot allow to be crossed!

   AZ Representative Rachel (Jones) Keshel is amongst the figures pushing the story. It alleges that the teachers are wearing the shirts to mock the death of Charlie Kirk. Evidence that they wore the same shirts for Halloween last year has gotten to her, but she says, “I want to see the evidence that the Cienega High School math department wore the same shirts last year @vailschools. Post the picture. I’ll wait.”

   Republicans are already spinning the narrative, and if history teaches us anything, it’s that a confused public blames everyone equally—even when one party controls everything. Republicans are blaming Democratic “obstruction” and claiming Democrats won’t negotiate even as Democrats offer solutions. They’re deflecting from Trump’s shutdown record with distractions and misinformation. And now Trump is threatening to end the filibuster so that Republicans no longer need to negotiate and can then take credit for ending the same shutdown they started.

     We just fell back. The season of darkness is coming on. But this year, more than any I can remember, that darkness feels existential, not just seasonal.

     Fascism is an ultra-nationalist political ideology that rejects liberal democracy and values nation and race over the individual. It is strict authoritarian rule wrapped in nationalism, and it is fundamentally opposed to American ideals of freedom, equality, and democracy. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were fascist dictatorial leaders in WWII. Both Germany and Italy were responsible for horrific crimes against humanity.