What was written in the document Martin gave Ivanka that shocked her so much?
It was a tragic incident from a small town in southern Louisiana.
Bayou Corne.
This was a small town in southern Louisiana.
On June 12, 2012, the townspeople noticed something strange: the ground frequently shook, and foul-smelling bubbles erupted from beneath the earth.
On August 3, the local government officially ordered everyone to evacuate the town immediately.
Investigations later revealed that drilling operations by the oil company Texas Brine had caused the underground salt dome to collapse.
Not long after the evacuation, a massive polluted sinkhole appeared in the town, and it kept growing, soon turning 3,700 acres of land into toxic wasteland.
The town's residents were far from satisfied with this oil company.
They were also dissatisfied with the government for failing to regulate the company properly.
What angered them even more was the arduous journey to seek compensation.
From gathering evidence to facing obstructions, even violent interference.
The townspeople wrote a letter of complaint, in which they bitterly stated: "The government is completely controlled by these giant corporations, doing everything to benefit them. When it comes to their own state, they pave the way for these companies to do business."
"The government even pays them 'incentive' benefits. These companies do bring some new jobs, so at the time, quite a few people thought the companies were good."
"But when bad things happen, people discover the government and companies show a different face—shifting blame, making excuses, avoiding meetings, violently blocking the townspeople's appeals, and a slew of ugly tactics."
"The problem lies with the companies and the local state government. The state government doesn't provide any public services and can't properly regulate these companies. So, why pay taxes to this irresponsible government? Better to take back some taxes—after all, the government isn't doing its job."
"The townspeople began an endless appeals process. Despite heavy obstructions, they still gathered a considerable amount of samples, took plenty of photos and short videos as evidence."
"Unfortunately, once these pieces of evidence reached the FBI, they sank like a stone, with no further word."
"How did you get these materials?" Ivanka asked, somewhat surprised.
Martin smiled and said, "Provided by a certain FBI insider."
FBI?
Ivanka grumbled inwardly.
Her father, as U.S. President, seemed to have shallower connections in the government than Martin. It was truly pathetic—no wonder the "leak gate" remained unsolved.
Martin said, "'Oil plantation'—in the U.S., pollution and environmental destruction is an old problem. It's not just this town; many places are affected. This is also a breakthrough point. Sometimes, rallying public opinion can be a powerful force."
"Louisiana could actually become your dad's base. It has the most rednecks in the entire U.S." Martin said, pulling out a report.
He pointed to the data on the report: "Before the 1960s, there were vast plantations here, and poor Whites outside the plantation owners were completely ignored. By the late 1960s, many groups began entering the middle class—those poor women, Black people, immigrants. These people kept complaining, and through the 1960s civil rights movement, they were finally brought into the fold by that northern government holding the moral high ground."
"But these people in Louisiana didn't want to complain, didn't want to admit they were 'poor,' so they were never noticed."
"In last year's election, Hillary publicly declared that half of your father's supporters were a 'basket of deplorables.' She was referring to this group of rednecks—poor, low-education White communities."
"Look at this data. In fact, Hillary's words actually boosted your father to the presidency."
"This data shows that after Hillary said that, your father's approval ratings surged in Texas and Louisiana. Because those 'rednecks' thought: People like Hillary from the Democratic Party are only 'their president'—'their' meaning Black people, women, immigrants. So if Hillary took office—she'd help Black people, help women, help immigrants, but not poor Whites."
"They actually don't like your father either, but they deeply feel that Hillary and the entire Democratic Party abandoned them, so they hate Hillary and the Democrats more."
"Even though your dad has enough scandals to fill a TV series: Insulting women—publicly attacking former Miss Universe Alicia Machado; racism—failing to promptly reject support from infamous KKK leader David Duke, and so on."
"Hey!" Ivanka looked displeased. "But my dad—"
"Okay, skip the specific examples. Back to the rednecks." Martin smiled and shrugged.
"These 'rednecks' interpret your dad's behaviors differently."
"For example, in last year's first presidential TV debate, your father interrupted Hillary 29 times. To these rednecks, this wasn't a sign of disrespect but a display of dominance."
"Your father's belittling of Black people, discrimination against women, exclusion of immigrants—it makes them feel he's one of them, because that's what they think too."
"These 'rednecks' are racists like us, but they don't see themselves that way. Their understanding of racism is simple: It's when people harbor hatred toward Black people or openly call them the N-word. They don't do that, so they don't think they're 'racists.'"
"As for whether racial factors affect whether someone can rent an apartment in Trump Towers, they don't care. They also feel they don't need David Duke, so they're even more convinced they're not racists."
"They don't understand racism structurally, but they're constantly called racists everywhere, so they feel insulted. The key issue is, what people see is Black people jumping the queue with government support."
"Even though your father eventually stated he rejected David Duke's support, his wording made it seem forced: 'I disavow, okay?' For those who deeply feel that Black people and immigrants are their problem, someone like your dad is very appealing."
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[GodOfReader: Because racism is in our hearts!]