Politics
Soccer Player Paulinho Won’t Let Intolerance Of His Afro-Brazilian Religion Stop His Faith
LAGOA SANTA, Brazil — When the Brazilian football player Paulinho scored a goal at the Tokyo Olympics, he celebrated by pointing an imaginary arrow at the glowing cameras as a tribute to a deity in his persecuted Afro-Brazilian religion and a shot at religious intolerance.
Subsequently, he lost over 10,000 social media followers for his public tribute to Oxóssi, a godly archer who uses his bow to stalk and feed the hungry.
He claims he progressively gained new fans in his soccer-obsessed South American nation by representing his Afro-Brazilian religion, Candomblé, and challenging religious intolerance. His religion has been subject to a rising tide of persecution, sometimes attributed to the rapid spread of evangelical Christianity in Brazil.
“Some competitors inquire about my religion, wanting to know what it is like… They always heed when I speak. But it’s still a small minority in football’, the 23-year-old Atletico Mineiro player said in an interview at his residence outside of Belo Horizonte in Brazil’s southeast. “I…get messages about how I express myself about the religion, some from people who also believe in the faith but aren’t too outspoken. And it’s great to feel that they appreciate what I do.”
In Brazil, only a small minority practice Candomblé. In recent years, however, reports of religious intolerance against them have increased, particularly at the hands of members of Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal congregations, whose mission is to convert unbelievers.
Although he was not as involved with Candomblé then, he felt targeted when he began his professional career in 2017 with the prominent club Vasco da Gama.
Some members of African-influenced religions have been subjected to verbal abuse, discrimination, and even the devastation of their temples and forced eviction from their neighborhoods.
Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Paulinho experienced religious discrimination like his mother and grandmother before him.
His mother, Ana Christina Sampaio, recalled feeling insulted when other players’ parents implied that her son’s success on the football pitch was due to Afro-Brazilian sacrificial rituals.
She stated, “They disregarded Paulinho’s abilities and efforts.” Certainly, there is religious intolerance, but in Brazil, it appears to be religious bigotry against Candomblé.
As Catholic Portuguese colonists carried enslaved Africans to Brazil, these men and women merged their traditional religions with Catholicism. These religions are practiced by less than 1% of Brazil’s 210 million inhabitants.
Academics and advocates for religious freedom assert that neo-Pentecostal congregations sometimes demonize Afro-Brazilian religions. In uncommon instances, pastors have been found to explicitly direct radicalized evangelicals to commit acts of violence.
Sociologist Reginaldo Prandi stated, “Candomblé has always been persecuted; the only place in Brazil where its adherents are the majority is during Carnival.” He made note of the well-known traditional samba school competition in which references to Candomblé deities, or orixas, have been a constant for decades.
In recent years, samba schools have pleaded for Afro-Brazilians to be accepted and religious violence to cease.
“Prejudice cannot invalidate his football abilities. Everyone will forget about his religion if he proves to be an exceptional athlete. This is Brazil’s custom, said Prandi. However, it will be one of the first things people say when he performs poorly.
Paulinho stated that the prejudice he faced prompted him to abandon Brazil and play football in Europe. In 2018, he transferred to the German club Bayer Leverkusen for $21 million. In four years, he participated in 79 matches and scored nine goals. According to him, his faith was never an issue there.
Paulinho currently plays for the Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro, which in the 1980s featured some of the country’s first outspokenly evangelical soccer players. He still hopes to play professionally in England or Spain.
In Brazil, however, he has become an influential advocate for a marginalized religious minority.
He stated, “People recognize that I have a deeper understanding and knowledge of our religion.” Looking back… Candomblé has been present throughout all phases, illuminating the path. And now I can speak with more assurance.”
Earlier this year, Paulinho displayed his Candomblé pride during a game, provoking his detractors and bolstering his supporters. After scoring, he removed his shirt to reveal a new tattoo. It read “se” — or “energy” in Yoruba — or, as Axé is known to Brazilians, Axé, which is essential to Candomblé.
A supporter of Atletico Mineiro posted on Paulinho’s Instagram, “Get out of our club, macumbeiro!” shortly after. This term is sometimes used derisively to refer to Macumba members, defined as “a polytheistic religion of African origin… practiced mainly by Black Brazilians in urban areas.”
In the same post, another club supporter said: “You care more about candomblé and politics than football, you shouldn’t be here.”
Paulinho has also been targeted by far-right activists aligned with former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who had a significant evangelical support base. Paulinho was among the few active soccer players to publicly endorse President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections.
Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Paulinho experienced religious discrimination like his mother and grandmother.
Since the 1960s, the acceptance of Candomblé among Brazil’s middle class has been facilitated by the support of Brazilian performers such as Grammy-winner Caetano Veloso.
“At that time, the world was in search of other civilizations. Europeans pursued Buddhism, while the Beatles travelled to India,’ said Prandi. “Brazilians were not required to travel.
“We had this very dramatic and theatrical religion in the state of Bahia, which originated with the Africans,” he continued. It was then that all intellectuals became involved; it was our counterculture.
Prandi stated nonetheless that persecution of Candomblé continued.
“Now Brazil has a very conservative movement, which led to the election of Bolsonaro, and people like Paulinho are viewed as a threat because he is a popular football player,” he said.
Others are following in Paulinho’s footsteps. After scoring the game-winning goal in the Brazilian Cup final against Flamengo on Sunday, Sao Paulo FC midfielder Rodrigo Nestor revealed on national television that he is a Candomblé follower.
Nestor told TV Globo after the match, “My orishas, my mother Ians, were with me.” He referred to the Candomblé deity of wind, lightning, magic, and fire.
Paulinho aims to again represent Brazil at the Paris Olympics next year. He maintains confidence in his abilities and religious pride. Before each contest, he prays to the divine beings for guidance. In addition, his mother blesses him with water and basil leaves to ward off negative vibrations.
“My faith has taught me to be patient,” said Paulinho. “This is also a wonderful quality of my orisha: Oxóssi only has one arrow, so he must be accurate. He must be patient.
“In some games, I have only one clean shot. I could get it right; I could get it wrong,” he added. “However, regardless of the outcome, I am confident that the discipline I’ve gained from Candomblé will allow me to find other opportunities if I remain resilient.”
SOURCE – (AP)
Politics
Trudeau GST Tax Holiday to Cost Taxpayers $6.3 Billion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a two-month GST break on some purchases and a one-time $250 rebate for all Canadians earning less than $150,000. The proposed GST break would last from December 14 to February 15.
The Liberals said it would cover various things, including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, and beer and wine. It also refers to real and artificial Christmas trees, snack foods and beverages, and video game systems.
The move will cost taxpayers almost $4.7 billion, and the GST exemption will cost an additional $1.6 billion, totaling $6.3 Billion.
The federal government is now running a significant deficit. This raises the question of who will have to foot the $6.3 billion bill for today’s one-time payments. The government will have to borrow the money, and future taxpayers must either repay it or service the additional debt perpetually.
Critics argue that the GST credit is a collection of terrible ideas that will do little to lift Canada out of the long-term economic rut in which our economy is stuck.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre responded Thursday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge of a “GST Holiday” for Canadians, calling it a “tax trick.”
Poilievre stated that the temporary exemption from the Goods and Services Tax on various ordinary commodities “would not make up for the permanent quadrupling carbon tax on heat, housing, food, and fuel.”
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet stated he is “against any idea of a prime minister who says, ‘I will give you money in order for you to consider voting for me.'”
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, temporary sales tax holidays will only increase confusion and administrative burden for small business owners.
A temporary sales tax decrease would help boost demand in some industries, including restaurants, Canadians, and companies, which require sustainable tax relief during the slow post-holiday season.
The changes amid an inflation-driven affordability crisis have left many dissatisfied with the Trudeau government. A federal election is scheduled for before next October, although it might happen sooner if the minority government falls before then.
For months, the Conservatives have held a double-digit lead over the Liberals in public opinion polls, with Leader Pierre Poilievre promising to cut taxes and government spending to restore affordability.
High inflation has also pressured the Liberals to avoid proposing policies that would boost spending and raise fuel prices.
According to the Fraser Institute, The Trudeau government got one thing fundamentally right: Lowering the tax burden on Canadians has benefits. Unfortunately, the policy package it has proposed to deliver tax relief is completely wrong.
It lowers the incorrect taxes, moves taxes temporarily rather than lowering them, does little to improve economic incentives, and punishes future taxpayers. With the holiday season approaching, this attempt at a gift for Canadian taxpayers is the economic equivalent of a lump of coal in the stocking.
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Politics
Matt Gaetz Withdraws as Trump’s Pick for Attorney General
Congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate for Attorney General, citing concerns about a federal sex trafficking probe that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed.
Gaetz resigned after failing to persuade the Senate to endorse his contentious candidacy. Shortly after Gaetz’s unexpected departure, the president-elect issued a statement applauding his former AG nominee’s choice to seek Senate confirmation.
“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all the great things he will do!” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social.
Gaetz had earlier stated that he was retiring from his current seat in Congress and would not take the oath of office for the upcoming session, which begins in January. Now that he has withdrawn from consideration for AG, his future in Washington is uncertain.
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Politics
Eric Hovde Concedes The United States Senate Race To Tammy Baldwin.
(VOR News) – Eric Hovde, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has acknowledged that he was defeated by Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic candidate for the same seat on the ballot.
Baldwin acknowledged Hovde’s defeat and consented to it. Furthermore, he released a statement in which he contends that the election results are not only inaccurate, but also devoid of any factual foundation.
Eric Hovde experienced this two weeks after the election.
Baldwin emerged as the unofficial victor of the Senate campaign in Wisconsin, a race that was closely monitored by a significant number of individuals. Baldwin was awarded the title of victor on November 6th. Baldwin emerged victorious by a razor-thin margin.
According to the data provided by the Associated Press, Baldwin emerged victorious by a margin of 29,116 ballots, which is approximately equivalent to 0.9 percent of the total votes cast. Baldwin emerged victorious by a substantial margin, as indicated by the results.
Hovde issued his public apology subsequent to the conclusion of the canvassing of the results by the majority of county clerks throughout the state. This process will ultimately result in the results being recognized as official. Publication of Eric Hovde’s decision. Not only were the results announced at this time, but they were also proclaimed in an official capacity.
The exact phrase of the announcement, “Thank you for your support,” was included in a post by Eric Hovde on Monday and published on the social networking site X.
The public was notified of this announcement. The announcement was public on Monday. It has drawn a lot of attention. “It is time to begin moving on.”
In contrast, Eric Hovde’s film began with a somewhat less inclusive tone, which persisted throughout. He made this assumption without offering any evidence to back it up, and his claims that there were “many troubling issues” with absentee ballots tabulated late on election night were factually incorrect. His claims were not supported by empirical evidence.
His claims were unsupported by any proof. Not a single piece of evidence could possibly prove that his allegations were correct. He stated in the statement that “numerous supporters” had demanded that he challenge the election results. He acknowledged receiving the request.
Eric Hovde acknowledged receiving these demands.
In particular, Eric Hovde asserts, “However, a request for a recount would serve no purpose if it were not for a detailed review of all the ballots and their legitimacy, which will be difficult to obtain in the courts.”
Subsequently, you would recount the identical ballots, regardless of their authenticity. This is the reason, as elucidated in this article. This is the rationale for the current state of affairs.
Hovde and his campaign refrained from issuing any public statements subsequent to Baldwin’s disclosure that Eric Hovde had emerged victorious in the election, which transpired over a week after Baldwin’s initial announcement.
The previous week, he uploaded a video to social media platforms that expressed his “deeply concerned” sentiments regarding the election results in Milwaukee.
The election was conducted in Milwaukee. While the film was being screened, there was a discussion regarding the results of the election in Milwaukee. As the ballots were still being counted in the largest city in Wisconsin on the evening of the election, he expressed his “shock” at the sequence of events that had transpired.
Eric Hovde was emphasizing the occurrence of specific events.
In addition, he declared that ballots were still being tallied at the time of the election. Eric Hovde made this declaration during the voting period, while ballots were still being tabulated.
Baldwin’s team referenced her victory speech, which she delivered the week prior to the election, in response to a request for comment that was submitted on Monday.
In response to the campaign’s request, this action was implemented.
A representative of Baldwin’s team has verified that “Hovde has not called,” which is consistent with the information that was disclosed on Monday morning. The representative who provided these details has worked in a variety of capacities throughout their career.
SOURCE: WPR
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