By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 31, 2024 Carol and William Swoboda, with their four daughters -- Lisa, Susie, Barbara, and Erin. In a world full of self-centered and superficial people, it is rare and refreshing to meet genuine, generous, down-to-earth, remarkable Americans who embody the core values that impact society in a positive way. During my time on earth, I have discovered this simple fact: The foundation for everything that is good in a person starts within his/her family. In 2018, Lisa Swoboda took me to Ceresco, Nebraska to meet her parents, William Swoboda, III, and his wife Carol Jean Swoboda (nee Schmidt). The village of Ceresco has a population of 962 people. It is 19 miles from Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the University of Nebraska. In every sense of the word, Ceresco represents the best of what we call the “Heartland.” The people living there are hard-working, honest, loving, neighborly, and patriotic. They take care of themselves. and each other. They know how to do things for themselves – from ordinary household chores to difficult corporate tasks, all without complaining. The Swobodas live on a five-acre tract of land off a rural highway. They own this land and made it their family home. I loved it at first sight. This is the place where Lisa and her three sisters -- Susan, Barbara, and Erin -- grew up. It is also the place where William and Carol successfully transferred their rock-solid values as kind, decent, caring, and loving Americans to each one of their four young daughters. All of the Swoboda daughters are extremely smart, very thoughtful, loving, confident, cool, and independent. All of them are beautiful women, inside and out. Lisa is the daughter I fell in love with. We enjoy life together in California. Lisa's love for me (and her Cavalier dogs) is boundless. She is a wonderful woman and a great human being. I am having the best time of my life with Lisa (and her Cavaliers). Lisa Swoboda William and Carol Swododa are their daughters’ personal heroes, and rightfully so. The Swobodas are good people. They treat everybody with the utmost respect. An Open Heart Will Always Find True Love I was born in Parsons, Kansas in 1948, but raised in Montgomery, Alabama and Memphis, Tennessee during the racially turbulent 1950s and 60s. My childhood was full of memories of angry white crowds shouting “two-four-six-eight, we don’t want to integrate” and “Nigger go home.” Signs like the ones depicted in the photo below were everywhere. The racist South in the 1950s and 60s. I lived under the constant threat of bodily harm or death if I said the wrong thing to any white person or looked at a white woman in the wrong way. Growing up in the South, my parents constantly reminded my brothers and me about what happened to the "Scottsboro Boys" in 1931 and Emmett Till in 1955. This is a photo of 14-year-old Emmett Till and his mutilated body lying in his casket in 1955. I lived in this precarious environment until I went off to college at Southern Illinois University in 1966. There, I thrived in the world of multiculturalism. My law school years at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, from 1970 to 1973, were filled with a level of racial hatred that was oppressive and suffocating. They were the three longest and loneliest years of my life. Nevertheless, I survived it. Every phase of my life in Alabama since childhood was filled with people who hated me solely because I wanted to be judged on the content of my character and not the color of my skin. My mother explained this hatred to me when I was a young child. Throughout my life, the pretextual reason for this racial hatred has mutated, but the hatred itself has always been present. Meeting Lisa Swoboda Changed Everything When I first met Lisa Swoboda, I did not think we had much in common. Our backgrounds were totally different. It didn’t take long to realize that Lisa and I have everything in common. Both of us have a deep appreciation for America as a nation, for world history, and for documented family history. Both of us have a strong entreprenuerial spirit. Both of us are political independents. Both of us are warriors for social justice. Both of us are grounded in a spiritual life. Both of us love our large, close-knit families. Both of us are passionate about uplifting humanity. We both stand up every day for the “least of these, my brethren." Both of us read, discuss, and respect diverse points of view on a wide range of subjects. Both of us are programmed to work hard and smart on the things that matter to us. Both of us honor our parents and siblings and hold them in the highest regard. Finally, both of us are "givers," not "takers." Today, Lisa and I connect on every level that matters. The Swobodas of Nebraska When I arrived at the Swoboda home in Ceresco, the first thing I noticed was the complete absence of any racial prejudice in William and Carol. They welcomed me into their home with love and open hearts. They were kind and considerate to me. It was clear to me that they loved and respected Lisa, who is their oldest daughter. Over the years, I watched William and Carol pour the same amount of love and support into each one of Lisa’s siblings, into their grandchildren (Devin and Reigna), and into their 2-year-old great granddaughter (Xia), as well. The more I learned about the Swoboda and Schmidt family histories, the more impressed I became. On the Swoboda side, much of this history is chronicled in a fascinating self-published book for family members titled, “A Czech Grandma’s Tale,” by Lisa' aunt, Rosanne Neukirch (nee Swoboda). The book centers on Lisa’s paternal grandparents, Lillian Ludmilla Mae Chalupnik Swoboda and her husband, William "Dude" Marshall Swoboda. They raised 13 children in Verdigre and Battle Creek, Nebraska. Lisa’s father, William, III, was their oldest child. Dude Swoboda was a World War II veteran who served in the Seabees (the construction battalion of the U.S. Navy). After he was discharged from the Navy, Dude Swoboda worked as a truck driver for a Creamery, a salesman for an investment company, and as president of the Verdigre, Nebraska Improvement Club. Saving money was a way of life for Dude Swoboda. Eventually Dude saved enough money to qualify him for a loan to buy the controlling interest in Battle Creek State Bank in Battle Creek, Nebraska. I did the exact same thing Dude Swoboda did. During my career as a lawyer, I saved enough money to qualify for a bank stock loan that allowed me to become the co-founder and majority owner of Alamerica Bank in Birmingham, Alabama. Both of our banks were successful from day one and continue to operate today (under different ownership). Carol Jean Schmidt grew up on a farm in Wood River, Nebraska, along with her parents and six sibings. Carol, who is super-smart, met William Swoboda,III, in Lincoln, Nebraska while she was attending nursing school in the city. They married and eventually made Ceresco the family home.. Carol is a truly brilliant woman and a wonderful human being. She instilled her independent spirit in each one of her daughters. She is also their role model for a strong woman. In Ceresco, I walked around the Swoboda’s property. There is a barn that once served as a storage place for the vehicles repaired in William, III's on-site repair shop for foreign cars. There is a creek that runs through the property where the girls played as children. The acreage is full of trees and open spaces. It was an ideal place for two loving parents to raise four girls in a safe environment. Each one of the Swoboda girls grew into highly successful, well-mannered, independent women. The Swoboda and Schmidt family names are well-respected in Nebraska. Lisa, Susan, Carol, Erin, William, and Barbara Swoboda in Wood River, Nebraska, circa 2013. Paying It Forward William Swoboda, III, died in March 2023. Carol Jean Swoboda is now the family matriarch who carries on the tradition of guiding and supporting the Swoboda daughters along the road to success in life. Carol is a constant source of knowledge, wisdom, and strength for her daughters. The Swobodas are a great American family. I admire and respect them alot. Interestingly, I have never heard William or Carol Swoboda degrade or disparage any person at any time. The Swoboda family works every day to make this great nation a better place for those who are less fortunate. Perhaps, one has to struggle in his/her own life to appreciate the struggle in the lives of others. I constantly praise Carol Swoboda for the way she and William raised their four daughters. I am a firm believer that parents need to smell the roses while they are alive. As such, I dedicate this article to Carol Jean Schmidt Swoboda for a job well done.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 26, 2024; Updated on August 28, 2024 An Editorial Opinion   Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, a/ka Nikki Haley   Nikki Haley , whose birth name is Nimarata Nikki Randhawa , is the daughter of Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa .  Her parents were Sikh immigrants from Amritsar, Punjab, India .    Since Haley’s family migrated to America and located in South Carolina in 1969, Nikki Haley has consistently tried to pass for “ White .”  Haley registered to vote in South Carolina as a “ White ” person.  She was elected as a Republican governor of South Carolina, twice   Despite a long history of claiming to be " Aryan " or " White ," the U.S. States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the case of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind , 261 U.S. 204 (1923) that Sikh Indians like Nikki Haley are not "White ."  The Supreme Court soundly rejected the “ Aryan racial purity ” claim that fellow Sikh Bhagat Singh Thind argued in his case.  By law, Nikki Haley is “ Colored .” Nikki Haley ran for president in 2024 in the Republican primaries. She did not win a single primary. In March, Haley suspended her campaign. In July, Haley endorsed Donald Trump.   Kamala Devi Harris   Kamala Devi Harris is Vice President of the United States.  She is also the Democratic nominee for president in 2024.   Kamala Harris's father, Donald J. Harris , was a Jamaican American of African descent.  Harris's mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris , was an American of Indian descent.   Unlike Nikki Haley, Kamala Harris has never changed her birth name or tried to pass for " White ."   Since the 1600s, the rule of law in America regarding mixed race people is simple -- any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry ( "one drop" of "black blood" ) is considered " Black " (“Negro” or “Colored” in historical terms).  This legal principle is called the " One Drop Rule ."    Under the “ One Drop Rule,” Kamala Harris is legally classified as a “ Black ” American.   The only thing standing between Kamala Harris and the presidency of the United States is Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.  The most recent national polls have Harris narrowly leading Trump as they head into the November 5, 2024 election.  Six swing states will determine whether Harris or Trump will become the 47th President of the United States.   A Person of Color Can Win the American Presidency   Thanks to Barack Obama , America has shown its willing to elect a president of color.  Obama won the presidency, twice.  In this day and time, a major party candidate does not have to pretend to be " White " to win the U.S. presidency.  Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of Americans are NOT overtly racist on a conscious level.   Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign " crashed and burned" just like former Louisiana governor Piyush "Bobby" Jindal’s 2016 presidential campaign .  Jindal’s parents were immigrants from the same place in India where Haley’s parents came from.  Like Haley, Jindal pretended he was " White " when, in fact, he is “ Colored ,”by law. Another 2024 Republican primary competitor of Indian descent, Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy , " crashed and burned " just like Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley. His parents were Hindu immigrants from India . Ramaswamy's effort to portay himself as a smart, young, charming, rich, naturally-tanned version of Donald Trump failed, miserably. Haley, Jindal, Ramaswamy, and their progeny will always be viewed as “ Colored ," especially if they continue pandering to the willful ignorance of the embedded racism within America's immigration laws .   Since 2008, America has proven that it is open to electing a “ Colored ” or “ Black ” president.  The only question left now is whether the Republican Party is ready for a “ Colored ” or “ Black ” presidential nominee.  Based upon the high-profile manner in which Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy " crashed and burned " in the 2016 and 2024 Republican primaries, the definitive answer to this question is “ No .” Lessons Learned In 2016 and 2024 , the Republican Party nominated a man for the presidency who had six Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, a failed airline, a failed university that was later determined to be a scam, three failed casinos, three failed luxury hotels/resorts, a failed pandemic response in 2020 (that cost him re-election to the presidency), two Congressional impeachments, a court-issued Judgment against him for sexual assault, a court-issued Judgment against him for business fraud, and 34 jury trial criminal convictions over three highly-qualified, law-abiding, GOP candidates of Indian descent .   That nominee is Donald J. Trump , who happens to be White . As Kamala Harris and other Blacks learned from the 1959 movie, " Imitation of Life ," we do not have to pretend to be White to succeed in America. Most Americans accept us for who we are. Americans of Indian descent like Nikki Haley, Bobby Jindal, Vivek Ramaswamy, and others with similar political aspirations need to learn this lesson, as well. They are " Colored " American citizens in a nation where White Christian Nationalism is incubating and spreading within the Republican Party . Meanwhile, multiculturalism is flourishing across America and within the Democratic Party .

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 23, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Last night, Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.  Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party nomination for president in July.   The stage is now set for a very tight presidential race that will be determined by undecided independent voters in six swing states – Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin .  The “ Blue states ” are locked-in with Kamala Harris , while the “ Red states ” are devoted to Trump .   Each party’s national convention played to its base.  Each one was entertaining, but not very educational for undecided independent voters in the six swing states.   The divergent visions and platforms of the two political parties show that America is suffering from a form of political schizophrenia that affects how people think, feel and behave.  This schizophrenia often results in a mix of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior by party loyalists.     MAGA Republicans and Harris Democrats are seeing things or hearing voices that aren't observed by undecided independent voters in the six swing states.  To be clear, ordinary Americans are catching hell in making ends meet each month.  They don’t want government in their bedrooms or doctor’s offices.  They don't want to turn their public school into churches. They don’t want to pay their more than fair share of the taxes in this country, while the super-rich among us pay none.    Ordinary Americans do not care about how Wall Street is doing. These cash-strapped Americans can’t pay their monthly electric bills, car notes, minimum credit cards payments, and grocery bills. It does not matter how many jobs have been created under a president if these jobs do not pay enough money to cover household bills. They know that "political whores" have taken over the U.S. Supreme Court, and that justice in that court is always "for sale.". On the international front, everybody knows that Israel is committing acts of genocide daily.  It is an insult to the intelligence of undecided independent voters to characterize the bombing and killing of 20,000 Palestinian babies, infants, and children since October 7, 2023, as an act of “national defense. ”  The only nation that has the power to stop this genocide and glorified child-murder is the United States. We are the country that actively aids and abets it.  Independent voters realize that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is regarded in the international community as a " thug " and an " American puppet." Interestingly, Netanyahu is widely despised by the people of Israel.  To date, the Biden administration has failed to stop this Israeli genocide.  If there is no cease-fire in Gaza by the time we meet and caucus in early September , this will hurt Kamala Harris’s chances of winning our group’s endorsement and potential campaign funding.   Between today and November 5, 2024, my group of independent voter influencers will be educating undecided independent voters in the six swing states on who can best represent our political interests. We will also work on turning out our voters in those states.  We will scrub the actual records of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris over the next two weeks and make our endorsement recommendation based upon true facts.  We are pretty good at sorting out political fluff and "feel good" rhetoric from the reality of each nominee's job performance as a public official.   We do not accept money from either party to influence our decision-making on which nominee to endorse.  We are not political hustlers. We are not looking for jobs in the next presidential administration.  We are not looking for government contracts, handouts, or anything else of value. All we want is good, clean, responsible government that focuses on pocketbook issues and actually ends the Israeli genocide in Gaza.   We will make our endorsement after Labor Day.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 20, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Birmingham, Alabama is the third most dangerous city in America in 2024 , according to Forbes Magazine .  Murders in the city have skyrocketed.  No one is safe, except the city officials who enjoy a bevy of police protection for themselves.   The primary reason Birmingham is unsafe today is because the city only has 400 sworn police officers who are deployed to provide public safety for 151.9 square miles of territory .  Everybody in law enforcement knows that the number of police officers required for this much territory is 912 . The police department’s website acknowledges the required number of officers and support staff needed for adequate police protection.   Every resident of Birmingham who pays local taxes is guaranteed the right to adequate police protection.  There was a time when the payment of local property taxes, sales taxes, business license fees and, in some cases, occupational taxes assured Birmingham residents of adequate police patrols and law enforcement protection.  That day has come and gone. The taxes are still paid, but the adequate police protection is gone.   Today, it is physically impossible for the Birmingham police department to provide city residents with adequate police services with only 400 police officers .  As a result, city residents are dying in record numbers from soaring street violence, out-of-control drug dealing, and rampant gang violence.   Slick PR Gimmicks are NOT the Answer to Soaring Murders   City Hall has found a creative answer to the soaring murders in Birmingham – lull residents to sleep with coordinated, jointly-published, powder-puff PR articles about the city’s woefully anemic efforts to fight violent street crime.  One of these articles was published today by two local print media outlets and one local TV station.    None of the three media outlets involved in this joint publication arrangement disclosed the fact that its joint publication group gets paid $32,500 per month (collectively) from City Hall to publish favorable news reports about Mayor Randall Woodfin and suppress any unfavorable news about him.   The money is paid to the news media/PR organization with direct ties to City Hall and is shared with the other multimedia outlets, as needed.  Once paid, all recipients of this money spin the local news in a way that attempts to make Mayor Woodfin look good.   To be clear, this $32,500 per month is NOT money to cover the cost of publishing legal notices. That's billed and paid separately. This $32,500 per month is paid to spin the news in a way that polishes and spit-shines Mayor Woodfin’s public image.   Forbes Magazine does not spin the news on the most dangerous cities in America, and neither do I.    Nowhere in today’s jointly published local article is there any reference to the fact that (a) Birmingham is the third most dangerous city in America or (b) the city’s police force is understaffed by 56%.   Instead, today's article talks about police roadblocks in the East Lake community and probes whether roadblocks are good or bad for the neighborhood.    Anybody with walking-around sense knows that a severely understaffed police force is the primary reason violent street violence is festering, spreading, and soaring in Birmingham.  Yet, this understaffing problem has never been featured in any article by the news media recipients of Mayor Woodfin’s PR money.   So that you know, at www.donaldwatkins.com , we do not accept money from any source to spin the news.  This is why our news content presents cold, hard facts, regardless of the subject-matter of our articles or who is featured in them.   Lulling Birmingham residents to sleep while the city is the No. 3 most dangerous one in America is bad policy and ill-advised journalism .  It suggests that the powers-to-be in City Hall really do not give a damn about the lives and safety Birmingham residents.   It Only Gets Worst from Here   Staying alive in Birmingham is really a matter of luck and not the result of good, solid policing. That's the cold, hard, truth!   Sadly, the Birmingham police department has reached a tipping point .  More officers are expected to flee the department because the force has dropped to 400 policers, in a situation where 912 are required to adequately police the third most dangerous city in America.   This 56% reduction in force jeopardizes the lives and safety of the remaining 400 police officers.  They run an extremely higher risk of being killed in the line of duty because there is no adequate backup support for them in very dangerous situations.   For all practical purposes, public safety in Birmingham has collapsed .  In exchange for $32,500 per month from City Hall, three local news organizations will spin the news away from the core public safety problem that has made Birmingham the third most dangerous city in America -- a severely understaffed police department.     PR gimmicks have a place in society, but they have no place in combatting dangerous, out-of-control, violent crime on the streets of Birmingham.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 15, 2024 A Book Review As a legal scholar and journalist who regularly researches and studies the history of American jurisprudence and English Common Law, I find myself compelled to share my admiration and respect for an upcoming and insightful new law book that deserves the attention of other legal scholars, academicians, historians, and interested members of the public. The book is titled, “ Sacred Foundations ,” by Shalamoor Bey .   This meticulously researched and well-documented book delves into the often-overlooked connection between Ecclesiastical Laws and the birth of the United States' legal system. It presents a narrative that challenges our conventional understanding of America’s legal origins. Shalamoor Bey, whose real name is Mark Ritchie , is the father of my first daughter-in-law, Laquansay Vaneshay Nickson Watkins (who is my son Dustin's wife ). Ritchie, an established entrepreneur, is also one of my partners in the international oil and gas business. In " Sacred Foundations ," Shalamoor Bey presents a compelling argument that the legal principles upon which the United States was founded are deeply rooted in Ecclesiastical Laws. This body of law was derived from canon and civil law and administered by Ecclesiastical courts, which were established to hear and decide legal matters based upon religious doctrines. The jurisdiction exercised by Ecclesiastical courts played a major role in the development of the English legal system, which governed legal matters during the colonial era in America. Shalamoor Bey's book meticulously traces the influence of these ancient legal frameworks, demonstrating how they shaped the very fabric of the United States’ legal ststem. What makes Bey's body of work particularly profound, however, is the revelation that the Vatican , which originally asserted its dominance and agency in shaping these foundational laws, has since repudiated, rejected, and disavowed them.   The implications of this disavowal are both far-reaching and profound for the Americas and Africa. Shalamoor Bey’s meticulous scholarship in jurisprudence invites us to (a) re-examine and reconsider the foundations upon which our legal system stands and (b) question the long-term impacts of these Ecclesiastical rejections on our modern system of governance. For legal professionals, academicians, historians, and interested members of the public, “ Sacred Foundations ” is a must-read. It offers a fresh new perspective on the complex interplay between law, religion, and the state.   In an era where the roots of our legal system are often overlooked or misunderstood, “ Sacred Foundations ” stands as a beacon of extraordinary scholarship. It reminds us of the intricate and often contentious history that underpins the foundation of American laws and society. This book is not just a historical analysis; it is a call to engage with the legal traditions that continue to shape our world today. "Sacred Foundations" Honors Mark Ritchie's Family Legacy   " Sacred Foundations " also honors Mark Ritchie's family legacy.  He is the great, great nephew of the late U.S. Senator Blanche Kelso Bruce (R-Mississippi), the first African-American elected to the United States Senate in 1874.  Sen. Bruce defeated appointed U.S. Senator Hiram Revels, who was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. Born into slavery in 1841, Blanche Kelso Bruce spent his childhood years in Virginia and Missouri where he received his earliest education from the tutor hired to teach his master's son. At the dawn of the Civil War, Bruce fled to freedom in Kansas.   After his emancipation, Bruce returned to Missouri and then Mississippi to pursue a career in education and politics. Elected to the Senate in 1874 by the Mississippi state legislature, Bruce served from 1875 to 1881, becoming the first African American to preside over the Senate in 1879. Withdrawal of the post-Civil War military government in Mississippi ended Republican control of that state's political institutions and any chance that Bruce might serve more than a single term in Congress. That term, however, proved to be an active one as he advocated civil rights for Blacks, Native Americans, Chinese immigrants, and even former Confederates. After leaving the Senate, Bruce held a variety of key government and educational posts until his death in 1898. In 2002, the U.S. Senate commissioned a new portrait of Bruce , which is now on display in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. We congratulate Mark Ritchie on his exciting new book, " Sacred Foundations "!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 14, 2024 An Editorial Opinion On May 12, 2024, I published an article describing how top officials at Florida A&M University (FAMU) were duped by an apparent $237 million tax fraud scheme.  The public was shocked.  Based upon my legal background, I was not.   These university officials thought FAMU had hit the jackpot when The Isaac Batterson Family 7th Trust donated $237 million in Batterson Farms Corp. shares of private stock to the FAMU Foundation last month.  The “ Gift Agreement ” between FAMU and the Trust was publicly announced at the university’s commencement ceremony in May. The facts and circumstances surrounding the “gift” were kept secret from the FAMU board of trustees under the terms of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which I reported was amateurish and unenforceable in an article published on May 18, 2024.  The NDA enabled the donor to perpetuate the tax fraud scam to the point where he was an invited FAMU commencement speaker in May.    In the May 18th article, I assumed that no attorney for FAMU or the Foundation reviewed the NDA.  I wrote: “It also appears that no qualified and capable attorney for the Foundation or FAMU board of trustees reviewed the NDA before it was signed by the Foundation's Executive Director -- who resigned this past week.”      I was wrong.   Two university lawyers reviewed and modified the donor’s original draft of the NDA. Yet, the NDA was still amateurish and unenforceable.   On June 4, 2024, I published an article charactering FAMU’s $237 million “gift” fiasco as an exercise in incompetence, malfeasance, and breach of fiduciary duty.  As revealed in the investigative report discussed below, this characterization was an understatement.   My June 4th article also exposed a nonsensical attempt by FAMU’s sister HBCU institution, Alabama A&M University (AAMU) in Huntsville, Alabama, to pay an “ above-market-rate ” purchase price for the distressed real property, special-purpose buildings, and other tangible assets on the 192-acre campus of defunct Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, which closed on May 31, 2024.  In addition to the distressed condition of BSC's property, the campus is located in a high violent crime area of Birmingham and situated within a redlined zip code in the city . Like FAMU's failure to conduct proper due diligence with respect to the $237 million "gift," AAMU had not conducted proper and thorough due diligence in connection with its proposed BSC purchase transaction.   After I criticized the AAMU-BSC purchase transaction in my June 4th article, AAMU unceremoniously withdrew its foolish, ill-conceived, highly-publicized offer to purchase the BSC campus.   On August 5, 2024, the Florida Board of Governors released a report of its investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the $237 million "gift" to FAMU and presented its findings to FAMU and Gov. Ron DeSantis. [ Click here to read the full 176-page report. ]   The report affirmed the nature and scope of the tax fraud scam I described in my May 12th article.  It also documented a level of incompetence, malfeasance, and breaches of fiduciary duty beyond anything I could imagine. In the aftermath of the investigation and report, FAMU president Larry Robinson and 19 other members of the university’s top leadership team, including the university’s general counsel, were forced to resign their jobs. Gov. DeSantis is also expected to purge and replace members of FAMU's board of trustees, as well. Why did this Fiasco Happen?   On September 18, 2023, the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture determined that FAMU is due $1.9 billion from the state of Florida since September 18, 2023, due to systematic underfunding over the past 30 years.  The Departments also determined that AAMU is due $527 million from the state of Alabama due to systematic underfunding over the same period of time. In a clear breach of fiduciary duty, neither university has attempted to collect the equity funding money that is owed to them. Instead, FAMU and AAMU engaged in harebrained schemes to distract public attention away from the fact that they are scared to collect the $1.9 billion and $527 million that is legitimately owed to them, respectively.  Like nitroglycerine, FAMU’s fraudulent “gift” scheme blew-up on its top officials. When AAMU saw what happened to FAMU officials after the $237 million "gift" was exposed as a fraud in May, AAMU backed off its foolish BSC property purchase scheme before it could blow-up on the university's president and trustees. FAMU and AAMU have suffered irreparable reputational damage to their institutional brands in the world of institutional financial services because of these two harebrained schemes. The only cure for incompetent institutional leadership is the replacement of the university's leadership team. This has occurred at FAMU. AAMU remains a leadership disaster in progress and a willing participant in Donald Trump's Project 2025.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 11, 2024 An Editorial Opinion   My group of independent voter influencers has completed the vetting process on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.  On July 28, 2024, we published our report on Trump .    On August 5, 2024, Kamala Harris was certified as the Democratic nominee after a virtual roll call vote of convention delegates. As such, it is appropriate to publish the vetting report on Harris at this time.   This article constitutes our vetting report on Kamala Harris. It examines the actions she has taken as Vice President, as a former San Francisco state prosecutor, and as a former California Attorney General. As Vice President, Harris shares in the responsibility for actions taken by President Joe Biden. In fact, Biden has publicly stated that Harris agreed with him in the executive actions referenced in this report.   For our group to support Kamala Harris, we have to overlook the following things: America’s direct and active support of Israel's ongoing campaign of genocide against 39,000 innocent Palestinians infants, children, women, and men in Gaza since October 7, 2023. There is no justification for this genocide. The Biden-Harris administration has aided and abetted this genocide, and they refuse to stop it. What is worse, the Biden-Harris campaign accepted contributions from individuals and political action committees (PACs) that openly supported and encouraged this genocide. America’s humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including the deaths of 13 service members who were killed at the airport in Kabul and the hundreds of American civilians who were left behind to fend for themselves against the brutal Taliban regime. The Biden-Harris administration’s so-called “ crippling sanctions ” against Russian oligarchs, all of which have been ineffective. What is more, the administration's deeply flawed military support plan for Ukraine during the Ukraine-Russia War has cost American taxpayers $175 billion , with no end in sight.  The forced ouster of U.S. troops from Niger in West Africa because of the Biden administration's perpetuation of neo-colonialist policies in the region. America’s continued support for economic colonialism in Africa and South America. America’s wide open northern and southern borders.  Harris is Biden’s designated border czar.  She has failed in this mission. While Harris has said " Do Not Come " to migrants of color crossing the southern border, she has said nothing to the illegal Caucasian migrants streaming into America across our northern border with Canada. The total and complete failure of the Biden administration to prosecute the Wall Street CEOs and other top executives at First Republic Bank ($229 billion in assets), Silicon Valley Bank ($210 billion in assets), and Signature Bank ($210 billion in assets) after these banks failed in 2023 due to corrupt management practices and gross violations of federal banking laws. The total and complete failure of the Biden administration to prosecute top executives and board members at The Boeing Company for securing airworthiness certification for Boeing’s defective 737 MAX airplanes under false pretenses. As a result of this criminal activity, 346 passengers and crew members died in two separate 737 MAX crashes. No culpable Boeing executive has ever been prosecuted for the murder of these 346 plane crash victims. The total and complete failure of the Biden administration to prosecute those executives at other major Wall Street companies who engaged in documented criminal conspiracy and racketeering schemes that included numerous acts of bribery, money laundering, price-fixing, and accounting fraud. The Biden-Harris campaign's acceptance of money from PACs that were funded by corporate entities that received non-prosecution agreements for both the corporation and its executives from Biden's Department of Justice. This is an ongoing quid pro quo activity within the Biden-Harris administration that has morphed into a Department of Justice policy. Harris’s complete and total failure to secure enough votes in 2021 for Congressional legislation designed to restore teeth to the Voting Rights Act after Joe Biden made her the designated leader of this initiative.  Even though Democrats controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives from January 2021 to January 2023, Harris failed to get the job done. In December 2021, Kamala Harris was tapped by Joe Biden to lead his administration’s new initiative to expand the country’s fleet of electric vehicles (EV), pledging to create an EV-specific office and to issue standards and guidance to states and cities.  Despite a hoopla of PR regading this initiative in 2021, not much has happened with respect to implementing this plan. In fact, the EV industry has shunned Harris. The Biden-Harris administration has taken no steps to remove Social Security benefits from federal income taxation. This action, alone, would financially benefit 5.6 million Americans who deserve access to their full untaxed Social Security award. An average of the year-over-year inflation rate for all months of the Joe Biden presidency (as of July 2024) is 5.7%.   During the Donald Trump presidency, the overall inflation rate was 1.9%. Harris was part of the White House's long-running coverup of Joe Biden’s deteriorating mental and physical health condition. Harris has zero foreign policy experience.  For instance, Harris’s infamous “ Do Not Come ” message in 2021 to migrants of color from Central and South American countries was amateurish and plain racist. Harris has never directed a similar ultimatum to Caucasian migrants from Europe who are steaming into America illegally at our northern border. Harris has zero experience as “Commander-in Chief” on any level of government. She also lacks a working knowledge of the six branches of America's armed forces. For the right size campaign contribution from well-connected donors, Kamala Harris has turned her head away from serious criminal conduct committed by powerful people. As discussed below, Harris's refusal as the local district attorney to prosecute Catholic priests in San Francisco who were implicated in a widespread child sexual abuse scandal evidences a pattern and practice on Harris's part to look the other way when big campaign donations are directed her way. Harris is impressed with celebrity status and has a track-record of catering to cabals of celebrities and power-players, even when the call of duty requires her to take official action against their interests.   My legal training causes me to conduct a " preponderance of evidence " analysis on Kamala Harris’s “ character and fitness ” to serve in public office, as we did on Donald Trump.  This analytical approach is more useful to me than simply reviewing an endless stream of political soundbites, memes, tweets, social media posts, and polished campaign ads.   As we did with Donald Trump, we have closely examined Kamala Harris’s personal life.  In 1994, Harris, then- 29 , became the longtime paramour of former California Speaker of the State Assembly and then-San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, who was 60 -years-old and married.  Harris was single at the time There is no evidence, however, that Harris became a paramour to any other married man before she wedded her current husband. As a state prosecutor and California Attorney General from 2004 to 2017, Harris never prosecuted a single Catholic Church priest in any documented child sex abuse case, despite having numerous opportunities to do so.  Internal Catholic Church records named as many as 40 priests in the San Francisco Archdiocese as sexual abusers of children during Harris’ tenure as a prosecutor.   In exchange for large campaign donations from law firms affiliated with the Catholic Church and its political allies, Harris turned her back on these sexually abused children and gave the abusive priests a prosecutorial "pass."  What is more, Harris worked to coverup the records documenting the sexual abuse of children by the priests in question. As a prosecutor, Harris wrongfully withheld favorable evidence for the accused in an estimated 1,000 drug-related cases .   A judge scolded Harris for this monumental violation of the defendants' Constitutional right to a fair trial. As a result of Harris’s prosecutorial misconduct, these cases were dismissed.   Personally, I believe that “ character and fitness ” still matters for those who seek to serve our nation in the highest public office --the America presidency.  Republican and Democratic partisans do not seem to care about “ character and fitness ” attributes, but we do.    My group of independent voter influencers will decide who to endorse and financially support ( up to $75 million in donations to a Super-PAC of the nominee's choice) after Labor Day.  Our group’s endorsement and financial support will go to either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. As of today, no decision has been made regarding which nominee we will support.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Pubished on August 10, 2024 An Editorial Opinion The newest New York Times/Siena Poll confirms that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is losing to Democrat Kamala Harris in three of the six key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump's campaign appears to be stuck in 1st gear, as he continues to: (a) engage in juvenile name-calling, (b) throw nasty political spitballs, and (c) inject racial identity politics into the presidential race. None of these tactics is working in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where Harris leads Trump 50% to 46% . Trump's selection of J.D. Vance as his running-mate turned out to be the biggest bust since John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential nominee. Vance is a " loser " on the campaign trail. Trump also has dual ankle-weights on his legs, as he runs the 2024 race -- abortion bans in Red states and Project 2025 . Both of these toxic initiatives are hugely unpopular and were brought to life by Trump's well-known right-wing sycophants. Today, these initiatives constitute a dangerous political noose around Trump's campaign neck. For these reasons, America seems poised to turn the page away from Donald Trump in November. The divine intervention Democrats prayed for occurred in July when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Kamala Harris replaced him as the Democratic nominee. The race is now hers to lose.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 6, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had senile Joe Biden beaten in the 2024 race for the presidency. To their credit, Democrats recognized this fact after the presidential debate in June and dumped Biden in July. They quickly installed Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee. Today, Harris is poised to win the American presidency.  She has moved ahead of Trump in the latest credible polls.  Now, she is laser focused on winning the six swing states that matter. Every advantage Donald Trump had over Joe Biden is gone.  Trump’s campaign appears to be stuck in 1st gear, and he only has himself to blame. All Trump has done in the past couple of weeks is called Harris names and questioned her racial identity. This tactic is turning off independent voters. Trump’s attempted character assassination of Harris would work if he had any character, which he does not have. Kamala Harris’ personal relationship with former California political powerbroker Willie Brown pales in comparison to Trump’s adjudicated sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll and his confirmed extramarital affairs with porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. In America, Harris’ racial identity is determined by law and custom.  Under the “One Drop Rule,” Harris’ Jamaican father’s African ancestry makes her "Black."  This slavery-era racial classification scheme remains in full force and effect today. Democrats are Rejuvenated Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has rejuvenated the Democratic Party.  It is also affording independent voters a viable option to Donald Trump. My group of independent voter influencers is still assessing the candidacies of Trump and Harris. We will endorse the nominee of our choice after Labor Day. We are also willing to support the endorsed nominee with up to $75 million in Super-PAC donations, if he/she sits for a personal interview. The choice now is whether independent voters want to go back to a period when Donald Trump thinks America was great for his segment of the American population or move forward into a progressive, diversified, and inclusive future with Kamala Harris as president. Do we want an authoritarian form of government under Project 2025 or do we want participatory democracy under Kamala Harris? Do we want politicians and law enforcement officials making medical decisions for women and their bodies or do we want those matters reserved for a woman and her doctor? Do we want the federal judiciary packed with right-wing "political whores" or do we want fair-minded, independent judges who decide cases based upon the facts and applicable law? Do we want the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza to continue, unabated, or do we want peace with justice in the Middle East? The policy differences between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are as different as night and day, and they are endless. Thus far, Kamala Harris seems to be making all the right moves against Donald Trump.  She has galvanized her base of supporters in record time.  She is sticking to the clearly define policy issues.  She has raised a gigantic amount of campaign funds in only three weeks. Unlike Trump’s curious selection of boring J.D. Vance, Harris picked an exciting vice-presidential nominee in Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.  Governor Walz is a natural born campaigner.  J.D. Vance comes across like young child who is lost in a parking lot.  Vance is completely useless to the Trump campaign. Determining the Likely Outcome When the 2024 race was between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I predicted on multiple occasions that Trump would win.  The polling and other objective evidence supported this prediction. I predicted Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 and his defeat in 2020. If Trump continues to wallow in mindless name-calling and ignorant racial identity politics, Kamala Harris will become the 47th president of the United States. As a nominee, Harris still has plenty of political baggage to explain between now and Election Day. Independent voters like me are tired of divisive, regressive, political rhetoric.  We want Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to focus on presenting and explaining their policy positions on issues of significant public interest – something Trump seems incapable of doing. If Donald Trump cannot shift his presidential campaign out of 1st gear, this race is over.  Harris will win, decisively.  Remember, political demagoguery has always had a short shelf-life in America.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on April 12, 2020 My understanding of the Bible came from my beloved parents, Levi and Lillian Watkins, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., my childhood pastor, Sunday School teacher, and Baptist Training Union instructor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. My parents didn't just talk the Christian talk; they also walked the Christian walk. In other words, they practiced what they preached and led by example. My mother's father was a well-known Baptist preacher in black American. All that my parents and Dr. King did not instill in my siblings and me was instilled by Rev. Willie Varnado, my maternal grandfather. In his famous April 16, 1963 "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," Dr. King addressed his fellow white clergy who were critical of his non-violent civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama and who chastised him as an "outsider" who was fomenting racial conflict between white and black citizens in the city. Dr. King acknowledged that his critics were "men of genuine goodwill" and that their criticisms [were] sincerely set forth." Dr. King reminded his fellow clergy that "[w]e are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." King's quotes in 1963 apply today with equal force to the church and organized religion as the novel coronavirus spreads rapidly across the globe. The death toll from the virus is staggering. It is killing Americans and others around the world on a massive and indiscriminate basis. Prayers on Easter Sunday The COVID-19 infectious disease is visiting death, affliction, and economic destruction on nearly every nation on the globe. In the United States, there have been 533,088 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20,580 deaths from the disease, with no end in sight to the disease. There is no cure for COVID-19, and scientists have not developed a vaccine to counteract its effects. President Donald J. Trump labeled the virus a "plague." The World Health Organization called the infectious virus a pandemic. In March, Trump declared a national emergency in the United States because the virus is killing Americans and spreading with impunity. This plague has also caused America to shut down its robust national economy. For the first time since the "Spanish flu" pandemic in 1918, American citizens and our nation are struggling for survival as we recognize Easter Sunday. The Bible chronicles at least 10 plagues. They are referenced in Exodus 12:29-30, 2 Chronicles 6:28, Luke 21:11, Revelations 21:9 and 22:18. According to the Bible, a plague is a disastrous evil, affliction, or epidemic of infectious disease issued by God in Judgment. As scientists and healthcare professionals around the world battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the modern-day church has been reluctant to link this deadly infection to the wrath of God or his Judgment on mankind. This reluctance mirrors the same kind of cowardice Dr. King found in the white clergy of Alabama in 1963. They went along with strictly enforced racial segregation laws in order to get along with the members of their church congregations. Since then, churches of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds have moved from condemning man's inhumanity to man, in accordance with God's teachings, to justifying this inhumanity in politically palatable terms that satisfy the partisan leanings of their congregations. Will God Hear Our Prayers? In America and around the world, respected and well-known members of the clergy are praying for an end to the plague. Will God hear their prayers? According to Proverbs 1:23-33, he will not. Unfortunately, partisan politics has invaded the church and has now firmly nested in the pulpit. Too many religious leaders of all faiths will be harmonizing and packaging their Easter Sunday messages in a way that legitimizes society's mistreatment of the "least of these." In many respects, the church is openly complicit in this mistreatment. This is why the Catholic Church will not condemn in a loud and unified voice its clergy's sex abuse of innocent young children. This is why the Amish Church and community tolerates the sexual abuse of its young girls, which is often perpetrated on the victims by family members and other close relatives. This is why churches in America practiced deafening silence when migrant parents from Central and South American were separated from their young children at America's southern border. This is why there was no outcry from the church when America's president claimed his book on making business deals was second only to the Bible. This is why the church does not speak out when governments around the world brutally persecute the poor and defenseless in the name of national greatness. The prayers of the church this Easter seek only relief from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The church has never addressed the underlying reasons why God is inflicting his wrath on the world and why America is bearing the brunt of God's wrath. Additionally, the church has never prayed for the strength and courage to change society's ways toward the "least of these." Sadly, the church's order of the day is out of order, and God is demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence exactly who is in charge of the world today. It's not Joel Osteen. It's not Pope Francis. It's not popular mega-church ministers like Rev. Dr. J.D. Jakes, or Rev. Creflo Dollar. It's not the Supreme Ayatollah in Iran. It's not the Dalai Lama in Tibet. It's not Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham. The Church of Scientology, the Mormon Church, Southern Baptist Churches, and Methodist Churches are also powerless to stop the COVID-19 virus. Jewish rabbis and their temples are impotent, as well, in the face of this deadly pandemic. All of the world's religions and churches are powerless to stop the wrath of God, and their spiritual leaders are too embarrassed to admit their failings as members of the international brotherhood/sisterhood of clergy. Until we fundamentally change our ways and get right with God, the death and affliction from COVID-19 will continue. The citizens of the earth will suffer wave after wave of the deadly mutating virus. This is God's wake up call to mankind. We can treat it like a scientific and medical problem, or we can recognize it as the wrath of God for straying from his teachings. God gave us a perfect world and we ruined it. God sacrificed his only son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. We showed our appreciation by engaging in greater and more lavish sins. God is angry, and we are paying the price for our sins. He is not listening to our prayers right now. Proverbs 1:28. Dr. King's Word are Prophetic for Today's COVID-19 Calamity Dr. King ended his Letter from the Birmingham Jail with these prophetic words: "In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church .... There was a time when the church was very powerful -- in the time when early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days, the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society." Then, Dr. King added these words, as though he was addressing us today: "[T]he judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the [twenty-first] century." Finally, Dr. King posed this question in 1963 that is reverberating in the midst of today's COVID-19 crisis: "Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world?" I think so.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 2, 2024 For over a century, the Divine Nine has produced the leadership cadre in Black America.  I am a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first historically Black fraternity in America and a Divine Nine organization. Alamerica Bank in Birmingham, Alabama, a Black-owned, full service bank I founded in January 2000, provided major funding for the 2006 PBS documentary titled, “Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity: A Century of Leadership.” The other eight distinguished organizations in the Divine Nine are: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Each one of these nine organizations was founded during a period in our history when Black college students were barred from becoming members of historically White college fraternities and sororities throughout America. The fraternities and sororities in the Divine Nine are great organizations. All of them have made tremendous contributions to racial equality and economic growth in America. The Divine Nine has re-entered the political gladiator pit to rally the Black community's support for Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.  They made the difference in Barack Obama's election to the presidency, twice. They delivered millions of newly registered Black and White voters for Obama. They are committed to doing the same for Kamala Harris. Historically, the Divine Nine has long been the driving force for socio-economic progress in America. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Rosa Parks was inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 1988. Once again, the Divine Nine is entering the political gladiator pit to make sure African-Americans are included in the forward progress of this great nation.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 1, 2024 An Editorial Opinion According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Birmingham, Alabama has a total area of 151.9 square miles.  Because of “long lasso” annexations during the Richard Arrington years as mayor, the city is situated in Jefferson and Shelby Counties.  The city has 99 historic neighborhoods and communities. At the time of the annexations, city officials recognized that Birmingham would require a police force of 912 sworn officers and 325 professional staff members to provide adequate police protection within 151.9 square miles.   The police department’s website acknowledges the required number of officers and support staff needed for adequate police protection. Today, the city has 430 sworn officers providing police services within 151.9 square miles of territory.  This number of police officers is grossly inadequate. The police force is understaffed by 482 officers. Throughout the Mayor Randall Woodfin administration, money for these 482 unfilled police positions has been redirected to pet projects for the “over-the-mountain" crowd and questionable consulting contracts for Woodfin’s political friends. The city’s 430 sworn officers work in three shifts of about 143 officers per shift.  The department staffs an administrative services division, a patrol division, and an investigative division.  Less than half of the police officers employed work in the patrol division. It is physically impossible to adequately patrol Birmingham’s 151.9 square miles of territory with a police department that is 53% understaffed.  This understaffing is the greatest contributing factor to the explosion of violent street crime in the city. Street gangs and drug dealers know that the police department is severely understaffed and that police patrols are woefully anemic.  The department’s focus has shifted from preventing violent crimes, via robust police patrols, to simply solving crimes, via the work of its investigation division. When Randall Woodfin assumed the mayor's job in 2017, the city of Birmingham was not listed on the Forbes list of the 15 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.  Today, the city is No. 3 on the Forbes list of the Most Dangerous Cities (and several others). Mayor Woodfin and the city's council members have engaged in a host of PR gimmicks to deflect public attention away from the fact that salary money budgeted each year for unfilled police positions is routinely redirected to support Woodfin's pet projects for the "over-the-mountain" crowd and consulting contracts for his political friends. Birmingham residents are dying on the city's streets of every day because of these misguided political decisions.  PR gimmickry at City Hall will not stop the rising death count in the Birmingham's streets.  A fully staffed, 900-officer police department will. Mayor Woodfin does not have to worry about adequate police protection for himself.  He has up to 10 police officers assigned to his executive protection detail.  In contrast, city residents can barely get one officer per shift to patrol each one of the city's 99 neighborhoods. Nothing will change for Birmingham residents until they get sick and tired of dying in the streets from skyrocketing street crime.  The current streak of violent crime will continue until 900 sworn officers are working on the police force, once again. Meanwhile, all Woodfin’s pet projects are getting funded, and his political consultants are happily receiving their taxpayer-funded invoice payments.