Friday, September 29, 2017

Ruling the world for good under Sanders?

https://socialistworker.org/2017/09/28/ruling-the-world-for-good-under-sanders

Friday Information




I'm an economic progressive. I'm not a deficit hawk. Trump has revealed much of his tax plan. He is promoting his tax plan. We can look at history at what works. The economic boom from 1945 to 1973 included tax cuts for the poor and middle class including spending investments to build up infrastructure. Even Clinton's tax plan increase tax increases on the wealthiest Americans that caused financial expansion. Trump and his allies like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed that the Trump plan will not cut taxes for the wealthy, but it will cut corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 20 percent. Also, many corporations don't pay the 35 percent tax rate. Some corporations pay no federal tax. Conservatives and Trump believe that cutting taxes on corporations will automatically cause job growth. That isn't necessarily the case. The Institute for Policy Studies studied the changes in payroll at 92 publicly held U.S. corporations that were already paying federal income tax of less than 20 percent. (These companies, like many, were able to pay lower than the official 35 percent rate by claiming various exemptions and deductions). What the study found was that more than half of these companies had actually scrapped jobs during the period when the economy as a whole increased payroll by 6 percent. Many corporations used their resources to promote their capital investments. We live in an era of tech start ups and automation. I don't find a deduction in state and local taxes either in Trump's tax plan. He wants to remove state and local income and property taxes as deductions on federal returns. He wants to reduce tax brackets into 3 levels. Also, the Trump plan wants to end the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax, which will cause more economic benefit for the super wealthy. The estate tax has been very beneficial in American society. Trump has promoted spending cuts too social programs for a while.




One of the unsung heroes of our history was Sister Charlotte L. Brown. She lived in San Francisco and in 1863, she refused to go into a segregated area of a streetcar. This was long before the actions of another hero, whose name was Rosa Parks. Charlotte L. Brown was removed from the streetcar after she refused to leave. Yet, she and her father brought up a lawsuit against racial discrimination and won. Charlotte Brown Brown was awarded $500 from the jury in this second civil rights case in 1864. She is an inspiration to lovers of freedom and justice. Trump since for years and decades have shown the world who he is. He is a vulgar, sexist, racist, and heinous male who uses overtly disrespectful language in getting views across. Many people are opposing his hate speech and his disgraceful extremism. I certainly stand with Colin Kaepernick and others who kneel for justice and who advocate an end to police brutality. Trump certainly is attacking free speech. The right to dissent is a great principle and NFL Owners are very silent in a disgraceful fashion.

One of the most unsung events during the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was his speech on February 23, 1968 where he celebrated the centennial birth of the late W.E.B. DuBois. He gave his speech in Carnegie Hall in New York City. By this time, Dr. King was very melancholy, because he experienced massive criticism over his heroic opposition to the Vietnam War. He gave his Drum Major speech on February 4, 1968, which described humbleness, and non-arrogance as a prerequisite for true greatness and powerful human character. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was opposed by the right for going in the direction of promoting the Poor People's Campaign, opposing the war in Vietnam, and supporting economic justice. He was criticized by many who rejected his message of nonviolence when those critics ignored his anti-imperialism message and his advocacy for social justice. One thing that Dr. King did was that he never disrespected his critics in public. He took the high road. Therefore, Dr. King was sad, but still passionate to support human freedom. Ironically, W.E.B. DuBois was heavily criticized by the political establishment in America because of his advocacy for peace and an end to colonial oppression (by the Western powers, who opposed the movements of Lumumba and other freedom fighters). Dr. King was illegally monitored constantly by the FBI.


Like Dr. King, DuBois was criticized by many in the government for his views on foreign policy. Dr. King gave an eloquent, ahead of its time speech on February 23, 1968. Dr. King acknowledged the black radical tradition in that W.E.B. DuBois was a socialist in his life and later became a Communist just before he passed away in 1963. Dr. King believed in the right of anyone to have ideological diversity. Claudia Jones and Paul Robeson are some of the greatest black social activists in history and they were Communists. Even Karl Marx exchanged letters with Abraham Lincoln in a cogent fashion. Dr. King condemned a kind of vicious, virulent anti-Communist thinking (like McCarthyism) that contributed to foreign policy quagmires in our nation's history. He ended his speech with a call to action in promoting economic justice and racial justice.

His final words include the following: "...In conclusion let me say that Dr. Du Bois’ greatest virtue was his committed empathy with all the oppressed and his divine dissatisfaction with all forms of injustice. Today we are still challenged to be dissatisfied. Let us be dissatisfied until every man can have food and material necessities for his body, culture and education for his mind, freedom and until rat-infested, vermin-filled slums will be a thing of a dark past and every family will have a decent, sanitary house in which to live. Let us be dissatisfied until the empty stomachs of Mississippi are filled and the idle industries of Appalachia are revitalized. Let us be dissatisfied until brotherhood is no longer a meaningless word at the end of a prayer but the first order of business on every legislative agenda. Let us be dissatisfied until our brother of the Third World- Asia, Africa, and Latin America-will no longer be the victim of imperialist exploitation, but will be lifted from the long night of poverty, illiteracy, and disease. Let us be dissatisfied until this pending cosmic elegy will be transformed into a creative psalm of peace and “justice will roll down like waters from a mighty stream..." I agree with Dr. King's statement 100%. We are always inspired to recognize and love the intellectual, transcendent contributions of people of black African descent. The revolutionary ethos of the black collective is always cherished by me and others who love genuine human liberation.


By Timothy

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Before Rosa Parks there was Charlotte L. Brown in 1863 San Francisco

http://www.blackhistoryheroes.com/2015/12/before-rosa-parks-there-was-charlotte-l.html

https://twitter.com/historyheroes/status/681293301417263104

Trump's Tax Plan

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/28/plan-s28.html


https://thinkprogress.org/trumps-tax-plan-depends-on-the-growth-fairy-8d0f3776a2a0/

More than 52 million Americans live in economically distressed communities

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/28/pove-s28.html

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/28/plan-s28.html

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/28/foot-s28.html

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/27/heal-s27.html
 

A Woman’s Response To ‘Straight Black Men Are The White People Of Black People’

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-womans-response-to-straight-black-men-are-the-white_us_59c3cf05e4b0c87def8835c8

Black Agenda Report News (late September 2017)






https://www.blackagendareport.com/us-backed-dictator-paul-kagame-risks-another-violent-implosion-tightening-his-grip-rwanda

 
https://www.blackagendareport.com/black-america-wealth-less-community

https://www.blackagendareport.com/black-agenda-radio-week-september-25-2017

https://www.blackagendareport.com/trumps-sob-and-one-percent

https://www.blackagendareport.com/venezuela-military-stands-people


 https://www.blackagendareport.com/islam-politics-and-black-music

https://www.blackagendareport.com/black-caucus-backs-trumps-war-budget 

https://www.blackagendareport.com/white-america-prefers-good-blacks-morgan-freeman-colin-kaepernick-and-trump

https://www.blackagendareport.com/why-claudia-jones-will-always-be-more-relevant-ta-nehisi-coates

https://www.blackagendareport.com/freedom-rider-killing-kaepernicks-movement

https://www.blackagendareport.com/bernie-sanders-cant-shake-his-imperial-piggishness

My Response To ‘Straight Black Men Are The White People of Black People’

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-girl-responds-to-straight-black-men-are-the_us_59c630ede4b0f2df5e83ae88

Star-Spangled Bigotry: The Hidden Racist History of the National Anthem

https://www.theroot.com/star-spangled-bigotry-the-hidden-racist-history-of-the-1790855893

Montel Williams Breaks Down In Tears While Defending NFL Protests

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/montel-williams-nfl-protests_us_59cb8afde4b02aef6cd64f47

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/26/pers-s26.html

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

News

https://www.facebook.com/timothy.va.9/posts/1873368296313096

Info

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/27/pers-s27.html

http://animationvisarts.com/olympics-symbol-meaning/

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/racing-star-dale-earnhardt-jr-defies-nascar-owners-to-show-solidarity-with-nfl-protesters/#.Wcj6GuBx4WE.twitter?platform=hootsuite

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-15/high-ranking-cia-agent-blows-whistle-deep-state-and-shadow-government

https://news.vice.com/story/segregation-is-alive-and-well-60-years-after-the-little-rock-nine

http://africanholocaust.net/mental-slavery/

Important Issues in Late September 2017

On the residents of Puerto Rico, they are American citizens, but they have no Congressional representation as in votes in Congress and they have no electoral votes in determining who is President (which is a disgraceful paradox). Trump has made a disgraceful response involving Maria's destruction by saying that Puerto Rico must pay its debt to Wall Street when the Puerto Rican people aren't responsible for the $72 billion+ debt, but Wall Street and other entities themselves are responsible. For a long time, U.S. imperialists conquered Puerto Rico after Spanish imperialists oppressed the Puerto Rican people (after the 1898 Spanish-American war). 3.5 million of the population of the Puerto Rican location are experiencing a total humanitarian disaster. A lot of the electrical grid has been destroyed as a product of the hurricane mixed with 90 degree weather during September. Many people with oxygen tanks are suffering and people are experiencing unimaginable pain. Food is lacking and about 60 percent of the population doesn't have clean drinking water. 80 percent of its agricultural crops are destroyed. For Trump to say that Florida and Texas are doing great is the height of absurdity and the anti-intellectualism that encompasses the thinking of the White House. Trump said that the Puerto Rico location is surrounded by a large ocean, so a delay in response is inevitable, which is totally ludicrous. The US-appointed Fiscal Supervisory Board (JSF) has used austerity measures for years, which has harmed the lives of the people of Puerto Rico. These disasters prove once again that the poor, working class, and anybody else deserve adequate housing, education, health care, a powerful infrastructure, living wages, and other resources in order for human beings to live a life filled with egalitarianism. Puerto Rico is certainly owed much more respect than what Trump has said. Puerto Rico certainly deserves massive federal funding in rebuilding its communities.

The protests in NFL stadiums and in sports arenas nationwide present the powerful message that social activism didn't end during the 1960's. They continue in a heroic fashion today. We know precisely what Trump is all about. He is overt in his racism, sexism, and xenophobia. He is arrogant in his constant sensitive attitude about anyone criticizing his retrograde policies. He is persistent to desire cuts to Medicaid expansion and to promoting Jeff Sessions. The seeds of our political divisions in my opinion didn't start with the Vietnam War. They existed for centuries in America. Yet, these divisions certainly continued greatly as a product of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the most emotional war in American history since World War II. Trump has advanced a calculated policy of promoting cuts to social programs, the building of a wall, the ignoring of massive police brutality, and the expression of vulgar rhetoric against people (with whom he disagrees with). The people kneeling didn't do it because they wanted to look "cool" or they wanted to disrespect people. They diligently wanted to oppose police brutality and racial injustice. They wanted a progressive social transformation of society whereby humanity (whether they are immigrants, black people, women, etc.) can exist in a land filled with real freedom and justice. That is the total purpose of the kneeling. Trump's bigotry and even defense of neo-Confederate protesters are blatantly indefensible. So, we should keep the faith. Part of keeping the faith is precisely helping our neighbors, volunteering, studying events, loving to learn, standing up for our human rights, and doing altruism which is beneficial in developing our society. Trump's authoritarian desire to see players fired for protesting via a kneel represents his evil extremism. We won't back down. We will defend Kaepernick and his allies. We will promote social justice and we will always believe in the right of people to oppose injustice by any means necessary.

While North Korea tests missiles, Donald Trump has continuously threatened North Korea with military attack if it doesn't submit to his aims. Trump warned: “We are totally prepared for the [military] option. Not a preferred option. If we take that option, it will be devastating. I can tell you that. Devastating for North Korea. That’s called the military option. If we have to take it we will.” On Monday, Trump bluntly warned the North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho that he and the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, “won’t be around for much longer.” Trump has executed policies that promotes embargoes and cutting off funding from banks to North Korea. China is North Korea's largest trading partner. Russia also helps North Korean guest workers. It has been over 60 years after the Korean War and many issues remain unresolved. The Korean War existed as a product of disputes during the Cold War over capitalism and communism (among other factors). After World War II, the Allied powers divided the Korean peninsula in North and South. Since the end of the Korean War, American and North Korean troops regularly face each other in the border between North and South Korea. China wants a peaceful resolution among Washington and Pyongyang, because a total war in the Korean peninsula will have no winners as millions of people could be killed in such a configuration. Russia and China has done joint military exercises on the Pacific while America has done military exercises too in South Korea, Japan, etc. So, we continue to have this crisis. We want a peaceful resolution and we have a resident in the White House more obsessed with ego than a cogent plan to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

I saw much of the Vietnam War documentary on PBS and it showed how many Americans haven't gone over it. It documented evidence that LBJ and McNamara knew that it would be extremely difficult for America to have a victory (and that the war was a virtual stalemate during the 1960's). Every time Americans would bomb a section of the Ho Chi Minh trial, North Vietnamese troops would rebuild it. Also, by the late 1960's, the anti-war movement grew heavily and the majority of Americans opposed the Vietnam War by the end of the 1960's. When the war ended, almost 60,000 Americans died including much more Vietnamese human beings. It was a very brutal war. Many Vietnamese people experienced hamlets burned, torture, and death. Many American soldiers were tortured. A lot of people didn't realize the complexities of the war and how the Vietnam War shaped heavily on how we feel about government and society in general. It showed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. heroically speaking out against the Vietnam war and desiring a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It is important to learn lessons from that time period and to fight for justice.


In every generation, we have witnessed people who have personified excellence. Sister Serena Williams is one black woman who is the greatest athlete of the 21st century period. Yesterday was her Birthday and she is 36 years old. For decades, she has shown the world that she is the greatest woman tennis player in history. She now has a child. Her story is a long story from Compton, California to places worldwide. She has inspired girls and women to excel in their own fields. She has inspired young black people to pursue their dreams regardless of what those dreams are. She has worked hard including her sister, Venus Williams. Serena's father and mother taught her about hard work, dedication, and the spirit of performing at the highest level in order to achieve magnanimous success. When the doubters questioned her, she refuted them. When the haters called her names, she ignored them. Her life is her own. We know of her accolades which are achieved by her own merit and glorious talent. She has won 4 Gold medals in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. She holds the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined amongst active players. Her record of 39 Grand Slam titles puts her third on the all-time list and second in the open era: 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent female player to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously (2002–03 and 2014–15). As of the 2017 Australian Open, she is the only player, male or female, to win 10+ grand slam singles titles in two separate decades (10 in the 2000's and 12 in the 2010's). She has won an all-time record of 13 Grand Slam singles titles on hard court. Her beauty is about her intellect, her radiant, gorgeous black African phenotype, and her inspirational qualities that inspire us in our daily lives. She is a living legend. I wish Sister Serena Williams more blessings in her life.




By Timothy


Monday, September 25, 2017

‘Disappointed and unimpressed’ Shannon Sharpe’s full response to President Donald Trump’s comments about the NFL in Alabama

http://www.foxsports.com/watch/undisputed/video/1054207043815

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/26/pers-s26.html

https://www.workers.org/2017/09/25/nfl-players-unite-in-protest-after-racist-white-house-yells-fire-them/

Marc Lamont Hill Shuts Paris Dennard Up With Impassioned Speech, "Where'...

Words on the Kneeling Protests.

There has been a lot of words about the recent evil statements from Trump. First, I recently was on YouTube and debated over 4 Trump supporters on this issue. I'm a debater by nature, so I'm used to debating multiple people at the same time. I know how to use my words. I'm used to it. The major point is that Trump has used vulgar language to slander not only Colin Kaepernick (who is a hero), but many other athletes and protesters in general who oppose police brutality and racial injustice. The truth is that players have every right to peacefully kneel during the singing of the national anthem. There is no NFL policy that bans such actions. Even if such an action was banned, it would still be morally right to kneel regardless. Trump (who is a notorious habitual liar and he called neo-Confederate people "classy people" which is a lie) disrespected social activism in general. Trump is a white supremacist as Jemele Hill has accurately stated.

I salute the players kneeling in London among the Ravens and Jaguars teams. I salute Oakland Athletics player Bruce Maxwell for kneeling during a baseball game too. He is the first MLB player to do it.

Kneeling has nothing to do with disrespecting any flag. It has to do with addressing real issues in America and promoting justice. Recently, the NFL Commissioner and other NFL Owners has criticized Trump's profane-laced tirade. Trump has criticized NBA players too like Step Curry (who is one of the greatest players in the league now). Therefore, this decade feels like the 1960's to me with discussions about class, race, gender, and a lot of political issues. The good news is that tons of people are in support of not only Kaepernick, but in support of social justice in general. We are not dismayed. The younger generation has tons of heroes who are doing great work. Our eyes are on the prize. We shall Overcome in the end. The haters must not know who we are and what we represent. We are here and we are blessed with amazing gifts. We are part of America too and we have every right to allow our voices to be heard in favor of black liberation and human dignity. Plus, we a'int going nowhere. Our legacy has been a powerful one and we will continue to stand up prodigiously for our human rights as one community.

Black Lives Matter.

By Timothy



Trump spurs athletes to action

https://socialistworker.org/2017/09/25/trump-spurs-athletes-to-action


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-exposes-religious-folks_us_597dd8a9e4b06b305561d1ac

In defiance of Trump threats, US athletes protest police repression

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/25/foot-s25.html

Cultural and Historic Information




William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His father was Alfred Du Bois and his mother was Mary Silvinia (nee Burghardt) Du Bois. Mary Silvina Burghardt's family was part of the very small free black population of Great Barrington and had long owned land in the state. She was descended from Dutch, African and English ancestors. William Du Bois's maternal great-great-grandfather was Tom Burghardt, a slave (born in West Africa around 1730) who was held by the Dutch colonist Conraed Burghardt. Tom briefly served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, which may have been how he gained his freedom during the 18th century. His son Jack Burghardt was the father of Othello Burghardt (who was the father of Mary Silvinia Burghardt). Alfred Du Bois came into the United States sometime before 1860 from Haiti. Mary Burghardt DuBois moved with her son back to her parents’ house in Great Barrington until he was five. She worked hard to supporter her family. She had a stroke in the early 1880’s and passed away in 1885. Great Barrington was a majority white community. DuBois was young and he attended the local integrated public school. He played with white schoolmates. As an adult, he wrote about racism which he felt as a fatherless child and the experience of being a minority in the town. Teachers knew of his ability and encouraged his intellectual pursuits. He later wanted to use academic studies to use his knowledge to empower African Americans. Du Bois graduated from the town’s Searles High School. The congregation of his childhood church, the First Congregational Church of Great Barrington, raised money for his tuition to college. He attended Fisk University, which is a historical black college (HBCU) from 1885 to 1888. This college is located in Nashville, Tennessee.  He experienced many black friends. He experienced Southern racism for the first time too as Tennessee was dominated by Jim Crow laws, bigotry, suppression of black voting, and lynchings. During that era, there was massive lynching in America. He received a bachelor’s degree from Fisk and he attended Harvard College. He attended Harvard from 1888 to 1890. In Harvard, he was influenced greatly by his professor William James or a professor of American philosophy. Du Bois paid his way through three years at Harvard from money from summer jobs, an inheritance, scholarships, and loans from friends. In 1890, Harvard awarded Du Bois his second bachelor's degree, cum laude, in history. In 1891, Du Bois received a scholarship to attend the sociology graduate school at Harvard. In 1892, he received a fellowship from the John F. Slater Fund for Education of Freedmen to attend the University of Berlin for graduate work. When he was a student in Berlin, he traveled across Europe. He studied with many German social scientists like Gustav von Schmoller, Adolph Wagner, and Heinrich von Treitschke. After returning from Europe, DuBois completed his graduated studies.

In 1895, W.E.B. DuBois was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He had many job offers during the summer of 1894. They came from Tuskegee Institute and other places. He accepted a teaching job at Wilberforce University in Ohio. He was strongly influenced by Alexander Crummel (of Wilberforce), who believed that ideals and morals are necessary tools to effect social change. While at Wilberforce, Du Bois married Nina Gomer, one of his students, on May 12, 1896. After two years at Wilberforce, Du Bois accepted a one year research job from University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an assistant in sociology in the summer of 1896. He did his sociological field research in Philadelphia’s African American neighborhoods. This formed the foundation of the historic, landmark study of his named “The Philadelphia Negro.” It was published in 1889 and while he was teaching at Atlanta University. It was the first case study of a black community in the United States. Back during the 1890’s, racists stereotyped black people in Philadelphia as being filled with crime, poverty, and mortality. DuBois’ study refuted the stereotypes with experiment evidence. He exposed how segregation had a negative impact in black lives and reputations. He promoted racial integration and democratic equality in American cities. While taking part in the American Negro Academy (ANA) in 1897, Du Bois presented a paper in which he rejected Frederick Douglass's plea for black Americans to integrate into white society. He wrote: "we are Negroes, members of a vast historic race that from the very dawn of creation has slept, but half awakening in the dark forests of its African fatherland.” In the August 1897 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, Du Bois published "Strivings of the Negro People", his first work aimed at the general public, in which he enlarged upon his thesis that African Americans should embrace their African heritage while contributing to American society.


The St. Louis founding existed during the 18th century. Jean-Jacques Blaise d’Abbadie was the new governor of Louisiana in June of 1763. He changed colonial policies. He moved to grant trade monopolies in the middle Mississippi Valley to stimulate the economy. Among the new monopolists was Pierre Laclede, who along with his stepson Auguste Chouteau set out in August 1763 to build a fur trading post new the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. The settlement of St. Louis was established at a site south of the confluence of the west bank of the Mississippi on February 15, 1764, by Chouteau and a group of about 30 men. Laclede arrived at the side by mid-1764 and provided detailed plans for the village, including a street grid and market area. French settlers started to arrive form settlements on the east bank of the Mississippi River in 1764. They were afraid of British control. This was after the transfer of eastern land to Great Britain after the Treaty of Paris. The local French lieutenant governor moved into St. Louis in 1765. He started to award land grants to people. There were peace negotiations to end the Seven Years’ War. It caused Spain to gain control of Louisiana according to the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1762. Due to travel times and the Louisiana Rebellion of 1768, the Spanish took official control in St. Louis only in May 1770. After the transfer, the Spanish confirmed French land grants and the Spanish provided local security. Most settlers in St. Louis were involved in farming. By the 1790’s, almost 6,000 acres were cultivated around St. Louis. Far trading was the major commercial focus of many residents. It was much more lucrative than agriculture during that period. The residents were not religious per se, but most of them were Roman Catholic. Most French people in America during that time were Roman Catholic. The first Catholic Church in St. Louis was built in mid-1770 and St. Louis had a resident priest by 1776. It caused Catholic religious observance a more customary component of life. The French settlers had both black and Native American slaves in St. Louis. Most of them worked as domestic servants. Some were agricultural laborers. By 1769, the Spanish prohibited Native American slavery in Louisiana. Yet, it was still done among the French Creoles in St. Louis. Spanish governors ended the Native American slave trade. Yet, they allowed the retention of current slaves and any children born to them, which was evil. In 1772, a census determined the population of the village to be 637, including 444 whites (285 males and 159 females) and 193 African slaves, with no Indian slaves reported due to their technical illegality.  During the 1770's and 1780's, St. Louis grew slowly and the Spanish commanders were replaced often. During the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, the Spanish governor Bernardo de Galvez (in New Orleans) helped the American rebels with weapons, food, blankets, tents, and ammunition. The Spanish lieutenant governors at St. Louis aided the colonists too. They especially helped the forces of George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign. On June 1779, the Spanish Empire came into the American Revolutionary War on the side of the Americans and the French. The British prepared to invade St. Louis and other Mississippi outposts. Yet, St. Louis was warned of the plans and residents fortified the town. On May 26, 1780, British and Indian forces attacked the town of St. Louis, but were forced to retreat due to the fortifications and defections of some Indian forces.

In spite of their defeat, the British and their allies destroyed much of St. Louis' agricultural lands and cattle stock, killed 23 residents, wounded 7, and captured between 25 and 75 as prisoners (some might have been murdered after their capture). A subsequent counterattack launched from St. Louis against British forts in the Midwest ended the threat of another attack on the town. After the British were defeated, more French Creole families evaded Anglo-American rule by moving to the Spanish-controlled land on the west bank, including wealthy merchants Charles Gratiot, Sr. and Gabriel Cerre. Both the Gratiot and Cerre families intermarried with the Chouteau family to create a Creole-dominated society in the 1780's and 1790's. The families also had marital ties to Spanish government officials, including the lieutenant governors Piernas and Cruzat. During the 1790’s, towns near St. Louis grew. This was when small farmers sold their lands to the Cerres, Gratiots, Soulards, and the Chouteaus. These farmers moved into towns like Carondelet, St. Charles, and Florissant. Only 43% of the district’s population lived within the village by 1800 (1,039 of 2,447). The Spanish government secretly returned the unprofitable Louisiana territory to France in October of 1800 in the Treaty of San Ildefonso. The Spanish officially transferred control in October 1802. Yet, the Spanish administrators were in charge of St. Louis throughout the time of French ownership. Later, a team of American negotiators purchased Louisiana, including St. Louis. On March 8 or 9, 1804, the flag of Spain was lowered at the government buildings in St. Louis and, according to local tradition; the flag of France was raised. On March 10, 1804, the French flag was replaced by that of the United States



A diversity of occupations is related to art. One career is an illustrator. They can work on drawings, photography, and digital illustrations using computers. Illustrators make interesting images and they inspire the creative energy to spread worldwide. CAD systems or computer aided design technologies readily aid illustrators in creating their pictures as well. A photographer can capture many images globally. A Master of Fine Arts specializing in photography can readily help photographers. Photographers develop portfolio, many have contracts, and they deal with weddings, advertising, models, photojournalism, and other aspects of human civilization. An animator and a graphic designer deal with art readily too. An art teacher, printmaker, and an art administrator have helped people for years to develop their skills and work in improving the cultural development of any society. A sculptor and a painter are great careers in dealing with art. Sculptors take hours and days to finish their work. Advanced images of many types of designs relate to sculpture. Painters also need a great deal of time, effort, and determination to establish their own works.

2020 is almost here. Popular culture has been an international reality. Many of people in popular culture receive massive popularity and massive scorn. Popular culture is filled with controversies, unique stories, and a lot of historic events. No good fruit comes from a bad tree. Therefore, the fruit of many sections of the celebrity culture has been rotten filled with materialism, shattered lives, sexism, racism, and anti-morality (from adultery scandals, domestic abuse, and other scandals). Therefore, more people recognize this unfortunate reality. Also, people understand that not all celebrities are monolithic. Some celebrities are doing egregious, wrong actions. Some act as agents of the two party system in advancing militarism, capitalist exploitation, and conformity to the status quo. In other words, in order to get things right, people have to admit the overt crimes done by U.S. imperialism for centuries (via the acts from the Pentagon and the rest of the military industrial complex. Even Ken Burns’ documentary about the Vietnam War has documented the evil of Western imperialist actions). Many celebrities are working hard to do the  right thing via sincerely helping communities, giving back via charities, and fighting for legitimate social causes (from environmental justice to racial justice) as well. For example, many celebrities are heroically kneeling in protest of injustice in football games nationwide. We have to witness the complexities of life in order to understand the truths found in life. The popular culture world is a billion dollar yearly business. It just doesn’t involve movies or TV shows. It also encompasses concerts, fashion, marketing, business arrangements, interviews, corporate sponsoring, and a wide array of activities. To understand how the world is, we have to go deeper into why things are and how things function. We witness record financial centralization into the hands of the 1% while the poor continue to suffer. There is no solution to our problems unless we help the poor and homeless human beings of America including the world. During the decade of the 2010’s, there is further expression of shows on Netflix and other independent, Internet based television channels. There are diverse actresses and actors from Issa Rae to Jessica Williams. We all want freedom and justice. Therefore, this we must act as be shining lights in advancing the truth in an in-depth, unapologetic fashion.


Jay’s Z’s 4:44 was released on June of 2017. It was his thirteenth studio album. It reflected his life and his new found confessions dealing with his life. This is the first time where I issued a commentary on the album in a lengthy fashion. His album has similarities and differences to Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Nevertheless, Jay Z’s album deals with the issues of infidelity, economic empowerment, OJ Simpson, and music in general. It has been promoted by a diversity of black actors and actresses like Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danny Glover. One song is named Adnis, which is the name of Jay Z’s father. No I.D. was the famous producer of the album. Jay Z has said that he woke up one morning at 4:44 am, which gave him the inspiration to create the album. Many samples of it include funk, soul, reggae, etc. These include Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today", The Clark Sisters's "Ha Ya (Eternal Life)", Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free", and Nina Simone's "Four Women" and "Baltimore.” The album wants to portray a message from a nearly 50 year old grown African American man who feels the need to reflect on a life that has existed for almost a half a century. In many ways, the album is like a response to Lemonade. For example, the  "You better call Becky with the good hair" line on Beyoncé's "Sorry", with Jay-Z retorting, "Leave me alone, Becky" in "Family Feud.” However, No I.D. said that to make the entire album a response to Lemonade was not the intention. Instead, Jay-Z wanted to focus on an album "where I talk about the things that I've never talked about.” There are many messages in the album. The song “Kill Jay Z” was about him wanting to end or kill his ego. The song talks about Kanye West and his rumored infidelity. The Song of OJ song is self-explanatory. It is the easiest song to know about its meaning. It is a song exposing the self-hatred and anti-Blackness displayed by OJ Simpson. It also has a video that uses the racist anti-black caricatures that was used decades ago to expose how vicious self-hatred is. The song is a cautionary tale about how to be careful in the industry and to make sure that someone doesn’t lose their own sense of self. The song also references the concept of economic empowerment and black capitalism. “Smile” is a personal song where Jay Z talks about his mother being a lesbian. “Caught Their Eyes” is about Prince and streaming rights. The song 4:44 is a song meant to be an open apology to his wife Beyoncé.

“Family Feud” has many meanings. It discusses the separation within the culture and tensions in the black community plus at home. Bam is a reggae inspired song that uses Damian Marley’s vocals (with usage of a horn and guitar). Moonlight references the films Moonlight and La La Land. It shows information about the culture. As he approaches 50 years old, Jay Z knows that he can’t have the same mentality as a 21 year old. We grow and evolve as time goes on. So, this album is an evolution of his views from a young person from Marcy's Projects in Brooklyn, NYC to an almost billion dollar businessman. 4:44 tells the truth about the viciousness of self-hatred, the importance of black community growth, and the importance of family. The song "Story of OJ" (which uses the N word, which I don't subscribe to) tries to advance the narrative that black capitalism can greatly enrich the black community as a whole, which I don’t agree because of obvious reasons. Capitalism is an economic system where a select few of human beings controls the vast majority of the means of production (involving factories, businesses, lands, transportation, other technologies, farms, etc.). The primary goal of capitalism is promoting profit and maintaining profit irrespective of other altruistic motives. We know that Western capitalism has been complicit in slavery, imperialism, genocide, land thefts, various wars, economic exploitation, sexism, etc. for a long time. Black capitalism promotes the goal of black people buying our way to freedom via business alone, which is faulty as true liberation addresses the environment, health, wages, land, poverty, and other important issues. One of the most important lessons of 4:44 is that the album gives more opportunities for people to have a discussion about important issues in our community. As Jay Z is not the complete cause of our problems. Jay Z (who unfortunately hasn't repudiated misogynoir, the glamorization of nihilism plus anti-black themes in some hip hop music, the N word with the -a at the end of it, and the system of capitalism) is a victim of the same system of oppression that we all are. Our lives should be more than about making money, but making our families and our black community strengthen, so black collective power can grow internationally. Jay Z is very intelligent. He knows that the system is corrupt, but he wants to use means to possess not abolish the system. The problem with that logic is that the system deserves to end since it doesn't work to help the black collective. In order for us to see the Promised Land, we have to discuss, plan, and take social action in getting solutions made.

By Timothy

Friday, September 22, 2017

OKC Police Shoot And Kill A Deaf Man Despite Witnesses Yelling 'He Can't...

Late September 2017 Friday News

We haven't forgotten about Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria is one of the most vicious storms of our lifetimes. It has totally devastated Puerto Rico. Many people have been killed. Puerto Rico's entire electrical grid has been destroyed and many estimates say that it will take months before the land of Puerto Rico will receive total power. 3.4 million people live in the area. Small towns, cities, and the capital of San Juan has witnessed record total destruction as a product of the storm of Maria. Maria has traveled from Dominica, into Puerto Rico, and into the Dominican Republican (causing flooding there). In the city of Guaynabo south of San Juan, people were terrified to witness the chaos caused by the storm. Many people have problems in trying to contact their loved ones. The towns of Algarrobo, Puerto Nuevo, and Cabo Caribe experienced roofs destroyed, medical supplies damaged, and other resources. Rescuers include local Puerto Rico human beings, the Coast Guard (and other members of the U.S. Armed Forces), other volunteers, etc. Puerto Rico for a number of years has been a victim of austerity and their resources stripped by hedge funds folks and other wealthy bond traders. The storm of Maria has further exacerbated its economic crisis (which was caused by depressions, reduction of federal subsidies, the triple tax exemption, etc.). The publicly owned Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has been targeted for privatization for years because of austerity measures. Austerity causes reduced revenues and other economic problems. The federal agencies plan to invest about $1 billion initially, but much more money is needed to rebuild Puerto Rico. This terrible incident proves that the free market is not infallible and you need real investments to help human lives. So, we are in solidarity with the people of Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, and the rest of the Caribbean. We certainly send prayers to all the victims of the hurricanes during this season.


The truth and reality is that art has tons of benefits to society. It can improve the creativity of humanity. Art is known to spur up the mind to paint great images, to sculpt magnificent objects, and to establish beautiful mosaics. Also, art is readily subjective. It doesn't have to be in a one specific format. Art causes the mind to think, because art can cause people to focus on creating a work that can value and it can be part of the abstract mind of a human being. Art relieves human stress. Art also improves problem solving skills. Art is readily used to unlock the mysteries of art or fully express what someone is going through. It can also cause people to develop their own solutions for art, because thinking outside of the box is key in establishing charity of how complex the world is. A feeling of self-accomplishment definitely exist among artists after they completed a work. That work can be a painting using acrylic or a creative architectural building. That sense of fulfillment certainly represents an very essential element of the expansive capacity of art in general. New connections among brains exist every time when we learn something new. When anyone does art that is new, it just expands the connectivity of the human mind. We know that music can improve the mind and cause better brain plasticity. There are many studies that show that art can improve a student's performance in reading, math, and science. That is why investments in music and art is just commonsense. We have new 21st century scientific studies that document how art can improve cognitive abilities and attention. Dr. Michael I. Posner and Brenda Patoine has shown research proving this to be true. Dr. Arnold Bresky (who is a physician) has used art training to help those with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Drawing and painting improves the soul and the mind greatly. Writing literature and using a diversity of art can lessen the tensions in people's lives. Art is for everyone too. Anyone can perform art. Performing dance is art. Using technology to create digital images is part of art. Therefore, when you see an artist sacrificing his or her time to do great things in inspiring humanity for their works, please take the time to thank them for their creativity and for their excellence.


Very sad story. The the 6th grader has shown courage since the freedom of conscience means the freedom of conscience. There are always laws on the book and legal rulings (like the 1943 case of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette) that allow students to refuse to stand during the pledge out of moral or personal reasons. The teacher is out of line for assaulting a child. The teacher should be fired ASAP. The student and the family are owed an apology and justice. That sixth grade teacher (in another story) ought to know better. That teacher should realize that there are a diversity of ways to creatively inspire the youth to learn. There is nothing wrong with hip hop music that inspire progressive thinking, respect for women, and respect for community. Yet, Kodak Black and others promote nihilism, colorism, misogynoir, and other evils that people have the right to reject Kodak Black's agenda passionately. Kodak Black is wrong on so many levels and that teacher is wrong for advancing that assignment.

Yesterday was the Birthday of the famous actress and singer Taral Hicks. She is now 43 years old. She was born in the Bronx, NYC. She is known for her great charisma and down to Earth personality. She graduated in 1993 from Grace Dodge Vocational High School in Bronx, New York. Her older sister sings as well. Taral Hicks has been in many diverse films like A Preacher's Wife, A Bronx Tale, Belly, Just Cause, and many independent films too. She is now married with 2 children. She lives in New Jersey and she's a teacher too. That is a greatly noble profession and she is living her blessed life. She continues to work hard everyday of her life. Yesterday was the Birthday of Brother G. C. Cameron. He is now 72 years old. He is a famous R&B and soul singer. He is the lead singer of the Spinners. A lot of people know about the many classic records from the Spinners. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a Vietnam war veteran in the Marines. He was part of Motown for a time. He is also part of the expression of the record, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", the theme song of the 1975 film Cooley High, which was later covered by Boyz II Men. He recently worked with a reggae band and is involved in many endeavors. Sister Debbi Morgan is  one of the legendary actresses of our generation. She is now 61 years old. She was born in Dunn, Harnett County, North Carolina. Her acting career has spanned decades. She lived in New York City when she was 3 months old. In the Bronx, NYC, she was educated in a parochial school. She was in shows like What's Happening and Good Times during the 1970's. In 1979, she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Alex Haley's great-aunt Elizabeth Harvey on the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. She is greatly known for being in soap operas like All My Children during the 1980's and the 1990's. In that show, Angie (he character) and her love interest, Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams), became the first African-American "supercouple" on the daytime series. She was in Generations in NBC. Also, she was famous for being in the movie Eve's Bayou, and the Hurricane. She has been on many TV shows and other movies. She has played a diversity of roles. Debbi Morgan is a living example of hard work in action. She is one of the most underated actresses of our time. She has won many awards from the Emmys and the NAACP. She has been married to Jeffrey Winston since June 2009.

Self-protection and self defense are unequivocal human rights. So, this news is welcomed news (of a record increase of black women owning guns in Chicago). Black women have every right to protect themselves with firearms if they desire. This principle has been promoted by the Maroons, by Malcolm X, by Ida B. Wells, and by our other black heroes. We live in a very imperfect world and human beings have to use all legitimate means necessary to protect themselves. I do believe in a progressive society (filled with democratic rights, health care for all, racial justice, social justice, environmental justice, etc.) and we have to make that society real by a diversity of actions. Chicago is a city with a long history from migrations, trade, the Chicago Renaissance, Fred Hampton, Harold Washington, etc. It's a city found in the Midwest with great culture and a lot of strong people. Also, it is important for black people to have the right to protect ourselves.


By Timothy

Thursday, September 21, 2017

The Israel-Palestine conflict: a brief, simple history

Politics

DHFabian  a day ago
Many outstanding points here! What happened (in a nutshell): The Reagan Democrats of the 1980s moved well to the right to merge with the Clinton wing in the 1990s. Their power came via the successful use of the media marketed to middle class liberals (MSNBC, etc.), pulling them well to the right.
The Clinton Dems took the first swings of the ax to the New Deal. Note that came to be called AFDC (former primary welfare program) was actually first included in FDR's Social Security Act -- the New Deal. It was later separated (Great Society) to focus on the realities of impoverished families, providing aid and creating that "ladder out of poverty" (education, job skills training, etc.). It was actually tremendously successful, and played a key role in the comparative prosperity and productivity of that era, from FDR to Reagan/Clinton. Democrats called it a "failure," and reversed course. We've seen a quite dramatic fall of overall quality of life in the US ever since.
Complex issues, but in a nutshell: Clinton ended actual welfare aid, and took the first steps to similarly "reform" Social Security, starting with the disabled. Post-Clinton liberal media serve this agenda by disregarding the consequences (our poverty crisis), and promoting middle class elitism (reframed as "working class"). Liberals embraced the old corporate ideology that our system is so successful, there are jobs for all, and poverty is merely a "lifestyle choice." This rook pressure off of those in power, enabling them to maintain the upward redistribution of our collective wealth, while ensuring that the "masses" remain divided and conquered.

Chuck and Nancy's art of the deal

https://socialistworker.org/2017/09/20/chuck-and-nancys-art-of-the-deal

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

More News

http://thehigherlearning.com/2017/01/12/the-top-7-most-futuristic-cars-of-ces-2017/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-kennedy-single-payer-states-rights_us_59c15b89e4b0f22c4a8d1ce7?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

http://www.gculopes.com/news/2016/6/28/womens-track-and-field-eyes-set-on-rio-barnett-set-to-compete-in-jamaica-trials.aspx?path=track_and_field

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/09/4-ways-graham-cassidy-would-make-health-care-worse.html

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-graham-cassidy-20170918-story.html

Black Agenda Report's news in Late September 2017.

https://blackagendareport.com/trumps-sovereignty-lawlessness-so-was-obamas

https://blackagendareport.com/index.php/freedom-rider-trump-and-america-are-white-supremacist

https://blackagendareport.com/index.php/intercepts-attack-oppressed-why-i-write

https://blackagendareport.com/why-anti-trumpism-doesnt-include-anti-war

https://blackagendareport.com/black-agenda-radio-week-september-18-2017

https://blackagendareport.com/white-police-unarmed-black-suspects

https://blackagendareport.com/pentagons-human-rights-auxiliary-targets-burundi

The Issues of the 2010's.

Donald’s Trump’s speech to the United Nations is bombastic, imperialistic, provocative, extremist, and not surprising. The people, who voted for Trump, should feel shame. Now, the United Nations is located in New York City. It was created after World War II in order to solve global disputes among the nations of the world. Trump openly threatened North Korea with destruction if it doesn’t submit to his demands. That is blatantly wrong. North Korea has 25 million people. North Korea shouldn’t be completely destroyed of its population period. People in the UN refused to massively criticize him while he was speaking or try him for war crimes. “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” Trump told the meeting. “Rocket Man [Trump’s imbecilic nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able…” He fakes a populist image, but he supports Wall Street and the passage of a $700 billion military budget. He promotes the “America First” view. He wants nationalism to solve every international problem. “The nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition,” he proclaimed in a speech in which the words “sovereign” or “sovereignty” were repeated 21 times. He hypocritically claims to be in favor of sovereignty, but he is preparing war against any nation that refuses to support his will. He not only threatened to incinerate North Korea (for testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons). He threatened to end the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. He opposes the deal when that deal is moderate and Iran has no nuclear weapons at all. He also singled out Venezuela, declaring that its internal situation “is completely unacceptable, and we cannot stand by and watch.”

He added: “The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable. We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded in a tweet, saying that “Trump’s ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times—not the 21st century UN—unworthy of a reply.” The foreign minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, charged Trump with seeking “regime change by force,” adding that he “wants to rule the world when he can’t even rule his own country.” Trump can’t promote national sovereignty on one hand and then promote U.S. imperialism’s “right” to bomb, invade, and carry out regime against any nation that he disagrees with. There is no ambiguity about his speech. It is about advancing fascism period. Hitler back during the 1930’s threatened the annihilation of Europe’s Jewish population. Trump is not equivalent to Hitler, but Trump’s words of threats of genocide are blatantly evil. Scholars have documented how extreme nationalism and fascism have similarities. The absence from the UN’s opening session of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was significant.  French President Emmanuel Marcon supports the war on terrorism, opposed military escalation to North Korea. He didn’t want to end the Iranian nuclear treaty. The speech included a passage warning the world that the American military is no longer subordinate to civilian control. “From now on,” Trump declared, “our security interests will dictate the length and scope of military operations, not arbitrary benchmarks and timetables set up by politicians.” It is obvious that these wars are used to prop up American capitalism not to maintain harmony in the world. Trump criticized socialism and capitalism, but socialists have been involved in labor rights, workers’ rights, and other social movements that have improved America for decades from the policies of the New Deal to the Great Society. Communists and socialists are not monolithic. It is a slanderous lie to equate every socialist to the authoritarian tyrant Stalin. Trump’s extremism represents the ideological bankruptcy of laissez faire capitalism and the extremism of the far right.


Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Sanaa Lathan. For many years, she has inspired people, and her acting is a representation of the glory of Black Excellence. She has been involved in a diversity of films from comedy to action. She is now 46 years old. She was born in New York City and her father is a famous producer, named Stan Lathan, who has involved in producing shows like Sanford and Sons. Also, her mother was an actress and dancer named Eleanor McCoy. Sanaa Lathan attended the Manhattan School of Science and Mathematics. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in English. Lathan then attended Yale University and earned a master's degree in drama. She has performed in Broadway and diverse theatrical plays. She was on many TV shows like Moesha and In the House during the 1990's. She has also been apart of movies like Brown Sugar, Love and Basketball, The Wood, etc. She has spoken out in favor of equality. She is certainly driven to express herself and to advance the cause of freedom. She is a beautiful black woman inside and out. Her talent, her genius, and her creative spirit are all appreciated by us. Sanaa Lathan recently shaved her head for a role and this showed the diversity of beauty and the right of anyone to wear hair in what they desire. She is almost 50 and she has a lot of wisdom. She lives her life in her own terms. I wish Sister Sanaa Lathan more blessings.

Also, it is important to show what is going on in St. Louis. St. Louis is a Midwestern city in Missouri. Missouri has been cited as a warning from the NAACP because of incidents of racial oppression against black America. St. Louis was originally inhabited by Native Americans. French explorers lived there and it is now a multicultural city. Today, the problems of economic oppression, police brutality, and racial oppression (i.e. redlining, etc.) continue to exist in the city. The protesters are continuing, because a black man was shot and killed by a cop named Jason Stockley. The black man, who was killed, was Anthony Lamar Smith. Before the shooting, Stockley bragged in profane terms about wanting to kill the man. After the murder, video recordings show Stockley going into his police car to get a gun, which he then planted in the car of the dead victim. Only Stockley’s DNA was found on the gun. Like usual, the cop was acquitted in a disgraceful fashion.  This time is less than 5 years after the Ferguson movement. We have video footage of cops using tear gas against mostly peaceful protesters and some cops running over an elderly woman. Many cops are given total immunity in dealing with prosecution. Groups of police officers in riot gear were heard early Monday morning marching through areas forcibly cleared of demonstrators chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets!” mocking protesters with a slogan commonly used at rallies. The cops, who did that chant, totally disrespected the aspirations of those who desire justice. Protesters criticized the police department for keeping many in jail for over 24 hours, despite them having only been charged with misdemeanor crimes, mainly “failure to disperse.” Undeterred by intermittent rain and a heavy police presence, hundreds gathered outside the St. Louis city jail Monday night to show solidarity with those who remained behind bars. They chanted, “Free our people!” outside the jail. Dozens of social media videos have emerged throughout the week showing police dressed in riot gear attacking crowds of unarmed protesters of all ages, races and ethnicities, with mace, pepper spray balls, and tear gas. In the three years since the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, more than 3,000 people across the United States have lost their lives to police violence. Not a single officer, including the one who killed Brown, was held accountable by the Obama administration for the thousands of police murders carried out during his presidency, a trend that will continue under Trump. Police officers have been given blanket immunity by the highest levels of the political establishment to terrorize poor and working-class communities for decades. Trump signed an order re-instituting the federal program that supplies military weapons and equipment to local and state police forces. We know that Sessions is pro- so-called "law and order," which is code for mass incarceration and further militarization of the local police which has been going on for over four decades in America. Therefore, the struggle for justice continues and we are apt to defend honor and truth.

The Graham-Cassidy Bill is one of the worst bills in history. It's that bad. First, it cuts Medicaid expansion and promotes block grants to states, which harms especially rural states. It is draconian to restrict pre-existing conditions funding. This will cause older Americans more difficulty in paying insurance since younger, more healthy people can easily buy any health care that they want without much financial burdens. It will cause many people to be uninsured in the millions. Many seniors, the poor, and some with disabilities will be lacking in health insurance. Many blue states will lose their Medicaid expansion funding. Rural hospitals will be hit hard since many of them are remote and need federal funding to survive. The bill is much more reactionary than the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Even Jimmy Kimmel said that the Graham-Cassidy bill is wrong and the bill doesn't protect pre-existing condition. Kimmel said that Cassidy (an U.S. Senator) lied to his face. Kimmel is right to criticize the bill. The truth is that the bill is truly abhorrent.  Under the arcane rules of “budget reconciliation,” the bill needs only a simple majority instead of the usual 60 required for most legislation. It also must be passed by September 30, the end of the fiscal year. Graham is a notorious extremist by supporting the 1996 welfare reform act. According to the CBPP, the cuts would grow dramatically in 2027, when the bill’s temporary block grants (which would replace the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and marketplace subsidies) would expire and its Medicaid per capita cap cuts would become even more severe. CBPP estimates that “in 2027 alone, the bill would cut federal health care funding by $299 billion relative to current law,” with cuts affecting all 50 states. There is no solution without input from the workers and an expansion of health care insurance to people, especially the poor, the working class, and the middle class. Health care is a human right and this is serious. Hopefully, this bill be defeated in Congress.



By Timothy


Monday, September 18, 2017

Dr. Bernice King 1/18/16

Soul Train

https://blackthen.com/music-program-soul-train-brought-awareness-to-black-beauty-and-pride-video/

African-American Women Now Top the List of Most-Educated Group in the Country

http://www.kolumnmagazine.com/2016/06/06/african-american-women-now-top-list-educated-group-country/

A Diversity of Topics.

For thousands of years, art has been part of our consciousness as human beings. Art’s beauty is well known, because of its diversity, its qualities of exquisite form, and its diverse meanings or interpretations. Art encompasses many attributes. A painting of a forest, the sculpture of a great leader, and people performing dance are all examples of art. Architecture is a part of art as well. The large structures of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Eiffel Tower make up real artistic expression. Internationally, art ought to be appreciated. In Africa, Asia, and the Americas, elaborate, complex forms of art have existed. For thousands of years and in a wide spectrum of locations, art has flourished in the four corners of the Earth. Since the first humans existed in the Earth, art has captivated the human imagination. The modern age has movies, theater, the Internet, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, the IPhone 10, etc. Therefore, these platforms include a wide display of art. Art constantly evolves or changes throughout generations. Yet, it is uniform in its common link of advancing creative, human expression. Debates and controversies are related heavily to art history, but art remains an intrepid, powerful aspect of human civilization. Periods like the Romantic period, the Renaissance, etc. outline how expressive the visual and the decorative arts are. Now, we live in a new era of time and the power of art has continued to shine a great light in the Universe. It will continue to exist forevermore.



One of the most important parts of religious and human history was the Reformation. It was a revolutionary change in Christianity. From the time of the 95 Theses to the beginnings of the 18th century, early Reformation events greatly influence our modern world. The Reformation inspired more inquires or the questioning of the authoritarianism of medieval Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority. It established the modern existence of Protestant and Baptist religious groups. Also, the Reformation made the Catholic Church to create their Counter-Reformation. Part of the Counter-Reformation was the invention of the Jesuits during the 16th century. The Jesuit founder Ignatius Loyola desired the suppression of the vibrant, growing Protestant movement. The Jesuits had been banned in numerous nations. Not to mention that the corruption and theological errors of the Roman Catholic Church were massive factors on why the Reformation commenced in the first place. The evil practice of indulgences (of the Catholic Church) harmed the poor and exploited human lives. Martin Luther of Germany was one of the many early Reformers who sought not only the promotion of sola fide (or faith alone). Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others wanted the Bible to be translated into their own tongues as the Catholic hierarchy back then forbid Bible translations to be in languages other than Latin. Bloodshed followed the Reformation. This included religious wars among Protestants and Catholics. Independent Anabaptists (who were autonomous in their structures, they believed in the believer’s baptism, and they followed the separation of church and state) existed back then as well. Anabaptists were also persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants. The Greek Textus Receptus (or a Greek translation of the New Testament) were used heavily during the Reformation period. William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible in English relied on the Textus Receptus. William Tyndale would be murdered, because of his support of the Reformation. In fact, many Protestants would be murdered by political and religious authorities because of their faith. The Reformation was facilitated by the printing press (which accelerated pro-Reformers’ literature rapidly). Not to mention that many poor and working class people in Europe agreed with some of the principles of the Reformation. The Waldensians, John Wycliffe, John Huss, Erasmus, and other people were predecessors of the historic Reformation movement. Many people, who claimed to support the Reformation, would be involved in many evils like slavery, racism, and sexism. Others, who supported the teachings of the Reformation (back then and today), would go on to advance religious tolerance, human freedom, the freedom of press, an end to slavery, and justice. So, the Reformation was a world changing event whose legacy is diverse and whose influence is extremely powerful.


W.E.B. DuBois lived for almost one century on this Earth. From the time of his birth to his passing on 1963, he changed the world. He grew up in a middle class, integrated community of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He had a great intellectual curiosity. His community financially facilitated his educational endeavors. W.E.B. DuBois attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.  At that HBCU location, he encountered a wide spectrum of African American human beings (from the rich to the poor). W.E.B. DuBois became an expert sociologist and an excellent researcher of history. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University and he eloquently established sociological studies about the breadth of black life (from the 19th century to the early 20th century). He studied the Maafa and slavery intensively. His works like the Souls of Black Folks and Black Reconstruction crystallized great analytical information on the black American experience. As a lifelong social activist, he opposed racism, lynching, economic oppression, and imperialism. WEB DuBois taught history and economics at Atlanta University. He had ideological disagreements with Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey (both Washington and Garvey held similar conservative self-help views). While I disagree with Booker T. Washington on some issues (like his Atlanta Compromise speech and his views on immigration), he wasn’t wrong on everything that he has said. Both DuBois and Washington were right that education is very important for black people to embrace. DuBois promoted Pan-Africanism. He was an early member of the NAACP. I disagree with DuBois on his advocacy of the concept of the Talented Tenth (as I believe in egalitarianism) and his views on eugenics. He was an outspoken critic of capitalism (which I do agree with) and desired socialist principles to be part of American society. Later, he left the NAACP since it (among its leadership back then during the McCarthyite era) embraced the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950’s among other reasons. By this time, DuBois was harassed by the federal government because of his political views. He was shunned by the establishment and his passport was restricted for a time. Yet, he still courageously promoted peace and an end to imperialism. W.E.B. DuBois later moved into Ghana by the 1960’s. He worked on forming his African encyclopedia to deal with information about Africa including the African Diaspora. He talked about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. too. In Ghana, DuBois would embrace Communism fully. Ironically, Dr. King would talk about W.E.B. DuBois in celebrating his 100th birthday in a speech from February 23, 1968.  W.E.B. DuBois was a heroic black man. DuBois was representative of the black progressive, radical tradition (using social activism and intellectual discovery) that is still going strong to this very day in our generation. DuBois’ intellectual genius, aptness to defend the rights of humanity, and heroism will always be remembered.


The beginnings of economic history started with the beginning of human history. The economy deals with the production, distribution, and the consumption of goods and services. The first age of the human race starts in the Paleolithic Era (or the Old Stone Age). This was the time when humans worked readily in bands or small kin groups. These bands communicated in order to trade ideas. Some told stories. Others used tools, gathered foods, gathered skins plus other commodities. Flora and Fauna had massive differences back then, competition was unique and the climate was massively different than today. Human beings used various forms of technologies to adjust to the climate and to increase productivity. For example, there were handmade tools and objects like the cudgel, the club, sharpened stone, the chopper, a spear, the hand axe, the harpoon, etc. Many of these objects were used to hunt and gather animals. Humanity lived in caves, huts, and by rivers plus lakes. Some believed in an afterlife. There were burial rituals and ancestor worship too. Priests, shamans, and sanctuary locations did exist during this time period. The global population of humanity grew during this time was from 1 to 15 million people. Some scholars believe that during this period of prehistory, the world average GDP per capita was about $158 per annum (adjusted to 2013 dollars), and did not rise much until the Industrial Revolution. This age lasted form ca. 500,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C. The Mesolithic Age started with the end of the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago. Human beings domesticated plants and animals. There were many formations of settled communities in various times and places. The Mesolithic era saw tribes and bands flourishing. Economic activities existed in various villages. There were more complex tools like the harpoon, the bow and arrows, etc. Some of them fished, created baskets, and hunted plus gathered wild animals. Many of them used seeds of wild plants for domestic use and planting. Some used extensive hunting. The Neolithic Era represented a revolutionary period of humanity and of technology including the economy. It lasted from ca. 10,000 B.C. to ca. 3,300 B.C. Tons of new inventions, structures, and technologies flourished during the Neolithic period. This was one of the greatest parts of human history. It was the start of the agricultural revolution in the world. People started to live in stationary locations. More animals were bred to be domesticated. People worked in farms. Settled communities and the first cities were created (as hunter gatherers started to settle down in locations permanently). There was agriculture in the modern sense in the Middle East as early as 8,000 B.C. People in India, Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, etc. grew villages and other civilizations. Jericho and Catal Huyuk (in Turkey) were some of the earliest modern cities and towns in human history. Human beings used more medal tools. Mud brick houses flourished during this time including ladders and doorways. Cooking tools existed. Within each tribe the activity of individuals was differentiated to specific activities, and the characteristic of some of these activities were limited by the resources naturally present and available from within each tribe's territory, creating specializations of skill. By the "... division of labor and evolution of new crafts ..." (Cameron p. 25) "tribal units became naturally isolated through time from the over-all developments in skill and technique present within their neighboring environment. To utilize artifacts made by tribes specializing in areas of production not present to other tribes, exchange and trade became necessary. Scholars believed that cattle was used as currency back then. Trading in red ochre is attested in Swaziland, shell jewelry in the form of strung beads also dates back to this period, and had the basic attributes needed of commodity money. To organize production and to distribute goods and services among their populations, before market economies existed, people relied on tradition, top-down command, or community cooperation.

St. Louis has a long history. In the beginning, the first people of St. Louis were Native Americans. Native Americans built the complex, highly advanced Mound builder civilization.  The people of the Mississippian culture created more than two dozen burial mounds around the area of the city of St. Louis. These mounds existed in ca. 1050 A.D. Some settlements of early St. Louis are preserved at the Cahokia Mounds site in Illinois. The mounds in St. Louis were almost all demolished. Only one mound remains within the city called Sugarloaf Mound. Although, St. Louis maintained the nickname of “The Mound City” well into the 19th century. Many Native Americans settled along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, especially the Missouri River. Many Native Americans created canoes for transportation out of the large forests in the region. The end of the Mississippian culture by the 14th century resulted in a new era of history in the area. There were French Canadian settlers and Siouan speaking groups like the Missouri and the Osage migrating into the Missouri valley. They lived in villages along the Osage and Missouri rivers. Both groups had conflict with the northeastern tribes like the Sauk and the Fox. All four of these groups confronted the earliest explorers of Missouri. Europeans explored the area almost a century before the city of St. Louis was officially founded. By the early 1670’s, Jean Talon, the went along the Mississippi River after hearing of rumors that it connected to the Pacific Ocean. So, explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit priest Jacques Marquette came into the Mississippi River on June 1673. They traveled past the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas River. At this point Joliet returned north after determining the river would not reach the Pacific and fearing attack by Spanish settlers. Nine years later, the French explorer La Salle led an expedition south from the Illinois River to the mouth of the Mississippi. He claimed the entire valley for France. La Salle named the Mississippi river basin Louisiana after King Louis XIV. That region was between and near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi was named Illinois Country. Many forts existed in the Mississippi valley. In 1699, the French built a settlement on the east bank of the Mississippi at Cahokia, Illinois, near the Cahokia Mounds complex. During the next year, the Kaskaskia tribe formed a village at a small river. It was within the present day area of St. Louis. There were two Jesuit priests, Pierre-Gabriel Marest and Francois Pinet, who built a small mission at the site, naming the river the River Des Peres (River of the Fathers). However, by 1703 the site was abandoned as the Kaskaskia moved to the east bank and further south to a new settlement named Kaskaskia, Illinois. A powerful monopoly involving trade was sent to Antoine Crozat in the Mississippi Valley. He wanted to find and mine precious stones, gold, and silver. Yet, Crozat’s venture failed by 1717, because of Spanish interference. He relinquished his charter. The next company to be granted a trade monopoly for the region was led by John Law. Law was a Scottish financier. In 1717, Law convinced Louis XIV to provide the Company of the West a 25-year monopoly of trade and ownership of all mines, while promising to settle 6,000 whites and 3,000 black slaves (as a way to build churches throughout the region). The company founded New Orleans as the capital of Louisiana in 1718, and merged with other companies in 1719 to form the Company of the Indies. There was a financial crisis. Law was ousted in 1720. The Company of the Indies formed its capital of the Illinois Country (in upper Louisiana) at Fort de Chartres. That location was 15 miles north of Kaskaskia on the east bank of the Mississippi. There was another early settlement. It was near present day St. Louis. It was called Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. It was built in 1732 across from the Kaskaskia village as a convenient port for salt and ore was mined on the western side of the Mississippi. The Company of the Indies began making trade ties with the Missouri River tribes during the early 1720’s and the 1730’s. French economic policy dealt with trade with the Spanish colony of New Mexico to the southwest. Many trade expeditions between New Mexico and the Mississippi valley occurred between 1739 and the Seven Years’ War of 1756-1763. The war destroyed the wealth of many French trading firms and merchants based in New Orleans. The French governor of Louisiana began granting trade monopolies in several areas at the conclusion of the war to stimulate growth.


By Timothy


Saturday, September 16, 2017

Police crackdown on hundreds protesting acquittal of killer cop in St. Louis

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/16/poli-s16.html

Scientists told President LBJ about climate change in 1965

http://grist.org/article/scientists-told-president-lbj-about-climate-change-in-1965/


http://www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2015/02/president-johnson-carbon-climate-warning

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/nov/05/scientists-warned-the-president-about-global-warming-50-years-ago-today

Dr. King, DuBois, etc.





https://www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294984027

http://links.org.au/node/3674

http://pmeaye.tripod.com/kingondubois.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1633173413384108&set=gm.1768014780164706&type=3&theater

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-zinn-education-project/web-du-bois-to-malcolm-x_b_7904894.html

https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-442906438/honoring-dr-du-bois-martin-luther-king-s-most-radical

http://madamenoire.com/841389/how-a-white-man-on-wall-street-ruined-a-black-girl-gathering-with-a-racially-tinged-joke/

Trump and White supremacy

http://www.salon.com/2017/09/15/hey-democrats-remember-that-this-president-thrives-on-white-supremacy/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/calling-out-white-supremacy-is-a-costly-consequence-for-black-folks_us_59ba9851e4b086432b04e923?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000051&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000051


Anti-Napalm Protests 1967

200,000 People Downloaded Her App Within Two Weeks, and Forbes Magazine is Calling Her “The Next Steve Jobs

http://www.kolumnmagazine.com/2017/09/11/200000-people-downloaded-app-within-two-weeks-forbes-magazine-calling-next-steve-jobs-business-women/

More News





https://socialistworker.org/2017/09/15/in-defense-of-anti-fascism

https://artandcharisma.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/5-reasons-why-janelle-monae-is-so-amazing-its-terrifying/

https://socialistworker.org/2017/09/12/the-lessons-of-katrina-that-havent-been-learned


Tell Them, We are Rising (A Story of HBCUs)

http://www.hbcurising.com/

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/tell-them-we-are-rising/

Friday, September 15, 2017

Friday Information.





Consistency is always important. Some people will support a person's stance, but refuse to follow up with sacrifice in continuing the policy. That is why some people (who agree with Colin Kaepernick) will continue to watch the NFL while others will sincerely boycott the NFL (as we can understand football without watching the NFL). Also, as for Kaepernick, I agree with his views and the way he went about it via his method. He didn't use profanity, and didn't use slurs. He made a simple knell and that national anthem was created by a racist, slave owner whose lyrics originally condoned slavery. Jemele Hill spoke truth to power and she has my solidarity and support 100%. Also, it is important for people to walk the talk. Freedom isn't won by complacency. It is won by determined action and a mindset of personal determination. One important news is that A Different World is now 30 years old. Time flies. That show was remembered by me. I was in elementary school when it was on the air. It certainly inspired me to understand the diversity of black people being beautiful. Also, it did inspire me to go into college. The show perfectly mixed humor with conscious topics. The actors and actresses on the show were differently brilliant and they pursued other careers as well. Kadeem Hardisson was great his role. His character evolved from a younger person unsure of himself into a more confident man who married a woman who was the opposite of his personality (as opposites can attract at times). The other cast members shined.

For those who desire love, it's never too late. There are people in their 50's who became married for the first time and many people are having children in their 40's and 50's too. Therefore, it is important to never count love out. Love is beautiful, because it is forgiving, it requires no unnecessary limitations, and it is powerful. Love is a creative force that has caused positive change for thousands of years. I also believe in Black Love, because I was born literally as a product of Black Love. Also, I am a black person and anyone can witness that Black Love is beautiful. Love is diverse too. It can deal with friendship, mutual respect, and other components of human expression. Therefore, in our generation, we won't quit since quit is not in our DNA. Our ancestors suffered a whole lot worse than us and they never quit either. We keep the faith and keep on moving forward as Brothers and Sisters.
Bless Black Love.

I read the first 20 pages of the Vietnam War book (by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward). It certainly gave an outline of the history of Vietnam. It showed that Vietnam for centuries were conquered by the French Empire. Later, World War II came about and the Japanese occupied Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh back then wanted the West to support his independence movement (he even desired the Western countries to recognize Vietnam after the end of WWI). A lot of his views were nationalistic and later he embraced Communism back in the early 20th century. After World War II, French re-conquered Vietnam. The French were very brutal. Many Vietnamese people have said that the French military forces used rape, torture, murder, and other actions. The Vietnamese resistance movement used motorcycles and guerrilla warfare tactics to fight back against their occupation. By the 1950's, the American political leadership supported the French since they falsely believed in the now discredited domino theory (which was about if Vietnam fell to Communists, then the whole of Southeast Asia would be Communist states). Eisenhower gave funding to the French forces, but he later knew that there would be no victory for the French military because of the conditions on the ground. Many French people started to oppose the war because of it toil on people. Ho Chi Minh and other anti-colonial forces consistently and continually fought for the purpose of establishing an independent Vietnam. By the 1950's, they were at odds with Americans (who supported the French). Many factions of the Vietnamese independence movement (of both Communists and non-Communists) fought to defeat the French occupiers by 1954.


I don't know why people are shocked at Kid Rock. This is the same guy who supported George W. Bush as President. This is the same person who disrespected Beyonce in vulgar terms. This is the same person who has always supported the evil Confederate flag for years when he was never born in the South at all. Even if he was born in the South, he's still wrong. He is hanging out with Ted Nugent, who is an overt racist. Nugent have said massively uncalled for, disrespectful comments about President Barack Obama. Kid Rock criticized Colin Kaepernick when Kaepernick is exposing police brutality and opposing racial injustice (not disrespecting the American flag). Kid Rock is very disrespectful in supporting the racist Confederate flag. The Confederacy fought against the United States of America. This is why boycotts have worked. People should not go to his concerts or buy his records. Jemele Hill called Trump a white supremacist and I am in sympathy completely with the views of Jemele Hill. I stand with Sister Jemele Hill.
Black Lives Matter.

The Jemele Hill is part of a large issue. It is part of the issue of black voices being demonized by those who support an overt racist Donald Trump. Trump has mentioned that a Mexican American judge isn't qualified to preside over a case because of his Mexican heritage, which is the textbook definition of racism. He wants the death penalty of the Central Park Five despite the Central Park Five being innocent. He has promoted support of neo-Confederate protesters, he talked about how the police should use police brutality against suspects, and he has glorified sexual assault against women. He has used many vulgar words against women and those who disagree with him. He was sued because of housing discrimination issues. Many current and previous members of his campaign are extremists, alt right members, and others with controversies. Therefore, we live in a time where we have to defend the voices of our community. I stand with Jemele Hill completely. Sister Jemele Hill spoke truth to power and she has my solidarity and support 100%.




By Timothy