(ThyBlackMan.com) Along with the major storm that is slamming the mid-west and northeast sections of this nation, hell must have also frozen over. I can confidently make this assertion because “hell freezing over” was one of the first pre-requisites for me to side with Donald Trump on any issue. Alas, it has finally occurred, I have found myself agreeing with Trump’s recent endorsement of a bipartisan bill aimed at reforming America’s draconian penal system.
Many critics argue that the measure does not go far enough as it fails to alter mandatory minimum sentencing laws, guidelines that have led to decades-long sentences for low-level offenders.
The First Step Act — a measure co-sponsored by Hakeem Jeffries (NY-D) and Doug Collins (GA-R) — passed through the House of Representatives with an overwhelming majority early this year. However, there is significant skepticism in the political arenas as to if the bill will make it through the Senate. Trump issued the following statement regarding the measure to a group of reporters assembled at the White House.
Today I’m thrilled to announce my support for this bipartisan bill that will make our communities safer and give former inmates a second chance at life after they have served their time.
I urge lawmakers in both (the) House and Senate to work hard and to act quickly and send a final bill to my desk, and I look very much forward to signing it.
Charles Grassley, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, has continually pushed for such reform. Grassley acknowledged the proposal as “an important step in our shared effort to promote safe communities and improve justice … by ensuring that punishments fit the crimes, we can better balance the scales of justice.” The 
proposed measure would end the practice of giving life sentences to persons convicted of a third drug offense; such individuals would receive a 25-year sentence.
There is a famous political saying that “politics makes for strange bed fellows.” My consideration of Trump as a potential bedfellow is most certainly one of those moments. As previously mentioned, I could have never imagined a scenario where I would find common ground with a figure such as Trump. However, I long ago understood that Malcolm X’s mantra that blacks need to pursue freedom “by any means necessary” included one’s willingness to forge tenuous short-term alliances with individuals and groups whose agenda conflicts with my primary objective of liberating Black America. Yes, I am willing to make a risky deal with even the Devil if it means freeing my people.
Although fears regarding the ancillary issues attached to a Faustian Deal — a deal with the Devil — are legitimate, the advancement of politico-economic interests provides a significant opportunity for one to betray that deal at opportune moments. It is this level of political savvy that Black America must make their reality. As a people who have historically been used by others seeking to advance their individual and group interests, there is nothing wrong with adopting similar principles and using the mantra “turnabout is fair play” as our political North Star.
When one considers the marginalized plight of Black America, particularly as it relates to African-American men trapped within an unforgiving penal system, it becomes evident that far too often black men live a Sisyphean life of frustration. It is this daily grind that makes the investigation of every potential solution mandatory. Failure to do so is treasonous.
It is this level of political understanding that must serve as the guiding principle of black political activism; hence, it may be time for Black America to, dare I say it, join in a temporary alliance with Donald Trump on this particular issue. This call must not be confused with calls to mute legitimate criticism of Trump on all other political matters.
In the end, Black America must decide if the most expeditious path to loosening the hold that the American penal institution has on black men, women, and children is jumping into bed with this “strange bedfellow” known as Trump.
If it is decided that such an unexpected course of action is our best choice, we must proceed. After all, we can always shower after the dirty deed is completed, stand in front of a mirror and say “yuck” to cleanse our soul.
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.
