Thanksgiving 2012 Part 2

 

Paul Robeson

One of the greatest heroes not only in black history, but in human history was Paul Robeson. He was a giant among men intellectually. Physically, he stood 6 feet 10 and 295 pounds. Paul Robeson inspired the actor James Earl Jones and so many other human beings like Lorraine Lansberry (she was a very talented Sister), etc. Before Sidney Portier, Harry Belafonte, and Denzel Washington in terms of great acting & intellectual qualities, there was Paul Robeson. He certainly inspired me in my life in focusing more on intellectual growth, and human compassion without the acceptance of the status quo. His life reminds us that it is just to advocate revolutionary and radical solutions in order to give true equality and justice to all of our neighbors. He was a truly Renaissance man of the last century. He was filled with enumerated talents. He was an excellent athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. It has been more than one century after his birth, but his legacy spreads for a long time after his death. Paul Robeson was one man whose legacy is still upon us and gives us the fortitude to carry on the work of making equality a reality among all of the peoples of the world. He was born in 1898 and he grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. His father escaped slavery and he became a Presbyterian minister. His mother was from a prominent or distinguished Philadelphia family. At 17, he received a scholarship to Rutgers University. He received an unprecedented 12 major letters in four years and he was his class valedictorian. He worked in a New York law firm in the early 1920's after he went into Columbia Law School. He fought his whole life against racial discrimination and the Jim Crow apartheid in the United States of America. He performed great acting back in the 1920's in non-stereotypical roles, which was difficult to do in the early 20^th century. He participated in "Othello" in Broadway, NYC. He was known internationally. Everyone realized that Paul Robeson was an intellectual genius as he spoke 15 languages. Throughout the Earth, he advanced the cause of social justice for humanity. As an actor, Robeson was one of the first black men to play serious roles in the primarily white American theater. He performed in a number of films as well, including a re-make of "The Emperor Jones" (1933) and "Song of Freedom" (1936). He was respected by his friends and comtemptories. He was admired and friend with Eleanor Roosevelt, WEB Dubois, Joe Louis, Pablo Neruda, Lena Horne, and Harry Truman. He loved to promote civil liberties, which made him an enemy to reactionaries that desire to permit the status quo. Robeson was opposed to colonialist, so this caught the attention of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Joseph McCarthy was an extremist that wanted to suppress the freedom of association, and the freedom of speech based on ideology. I am not a Communist philosophically, but I don't believe that a person should be jailed if a person is a Communist in America. The freedom of speech and the freedom of conscience means something in any civilized society. A person has the profound right to believe in their dogma without the suppression of human liberties at all. In 1956, when HUAC (or the House Un-American Committee) asked why he had not remained in the USSR, he replied that "...because my father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I am going to stay here, and have a part of it just like you and no fascist-minded people will drive me from it! Is that clear?" So, you can see that the real strength of a black man or a black woman can never be suppressed in any fashion whatsoever. Paul Robeson worked with the Allied forces during WWII, but people tried to silence him because of his political views. His passport was revoked in 1950. Of this time, Lloyd Brown, a writer and long-time colleague of Robeson, states: "Paul Robeson was the most persecuted, the most ostracized, the most condemned black man in America, then or ever." After 8 years, his passport was reinstated. He continued to give concerts in England and Australia.

There is more interesting information about Paul Robeson. Paul Robeson was one of the greatest heroes in human history. In the 1930's, Robeson wanted African Americans to embrace black culture. That is why he was one of the most influential participants in the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an eccletic array of black American musicians, painters, artists, scholars, etc. who developed a complex, elaborate, and excellent cultural expression in Harlem, New York (and in other places of America). He brought the Negro spirituals into the center of the American songbook. He starred in the film "The Emperor Jones." Even as early as 1934, he enrolled in the School of Oriental and African Studies or the SOAS. This is where he studied Swahili, Igbo, and Zulu languages. He was greatly interested in studying African history and culture. He traveled into the USSR and condemned the racism found in Nazi Germany including colonialism. He advanced the cause of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and he supported Jawaharlal Nehru's fight for Indian independence in opposition to the British Empire. The British Empire rightfully ended, because the domination of man against man is plainly immoral. It's unjustified period. During WWII, he supported the Allied causes. He sang patriotic songs. He publicly condemned lynching in society too. Also, Robeson gave a radio address that called on all Americans of all races to demand that Congress pass civil rights legislation. People talk about Stalin and Communism, but corporate dictators have murdered millions of innocent human beings as well. The corporate plutocrats murdered millions of innocent human beings via the Maafa & the Shoah alone. No economic or political philosophy is 100 percent and that's a fact. I don't agree with Communism, but I reject 100 percent laissez faire capitalism. To a McCarthyite, having a public option or even universal single payer health care (which are legitimate aims), is taboo for a person to embrace wholeheartedly.That doesn't negate the contributions of Paul Robeson in greatly fighting for human rights in the Universe. Paul Robeson respected the labor movement and the civil rights movement as well. Both movements were crucial in human beings gaining the liberties and freedoms that we take for granted sometimes today near 2013. He offered his influence to fight against apartheid in South Africa. So, Paul Robeson possessed a lot of human courage in promoting his ideals. He lived and died like a man. We owe a great deal of gratitude for his profound gifts that he gave to the Earth.
 

He worked in civil rights, but he suffered through depression and physical problems. That was unfortunate. He lived in Philadelphia until his death in 1976. Paul Robeson was an excellent leader of the civil rights movement and a lot of his life was more known after he passed away. In 1995, more than seventy-five years after graduating from Rutgers, his athletic achievements were finally recognized with his posthumous entry into the College Football Hall of Fame. Though a handful of movies and recordings are still available, they are a sad testament to one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century. You don't have to agree with all of his views, but he was an American hero. He was right to believe that all people should have human rights. He was right to oppose apartheid and any form of discrimination in the world. Paul Robeson was right to advance the dignity, intellectual power, and humanity of black people in public. He will always be a role model for any real person of the globe.

The 2012 Israeli/Gaza Conflict

There is still conflict in the Middle East. Israel and Hamas were battling against each other. Now, they are trying to resolve their issues. On November 14, Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabri was murdered by an Israeli missile attack. These events feel very similar to the Hamas and Israel battles a few years ago. Back in 2006, the events were part of the Israeli/Lebanon conflict. It is ironic since a few hours before the attack; Hamas received the draft proposal of a permanent truce agreement with Israel. This has been reported by Haaretz on November 15, 2012. The draft wanted mechanism for maintaining a cease fire in the case of a flare up between Israel and factions in the Gaza Strip. After the assassination of Ahmed Jabari, there was the bombing campaign under Operation Pillar of Cloud. These military strikes against Gaza have been very controversial. F-16 fighter planes, Apache helicopters, and unmanned drones were deployed. Israeli naval forces deployed along the Gaza shoreline were involved in extensive shelling of civilian targets. Also, any innocent deaths (whether Israelis or Palestinians) ought to be sympathized with. The Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak admitted that there is a scenario of military escalation. The Israelis blame Palestine for acts of aggression, while the Palestinians & Hamas blame Israel. Later, there has been a firing of dozens of rockets by Hamas against Israeli. Any military scholar knows that Hamas will retaliate and Israeli war planners know this. The Israeli civilian casualties are being used to justify military escalation on humanitarian grounds. Sounds familiar? The big picture is that these occurrences involve a clear act of provocation. The deaths of Israeli civilians (as foreseen by IDF military planners) are being used to gain support among the Israeli public. The victims of occupation and military shells are being collectively blamed by the Western media for the Israeli atrocities. Hamas isn't perfect, but both sides making a progressive peace accords is better than apartheid. Israel is contemplating a ground war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would love for Mitt Romney to be President, but he is using rocket attacks as a means to show to the world that he wants to continue forth with his agenda irrespective of who won the 2012 election. I don't agree with civilian deaths on either side. Deaths of innocent human beings are tragedies and that ought to be realized. Many people view Israeli actions to be warranted and other feel that the Israeli actions are disproportionate. The truth is that a truce between Hamas and Israeli could have come, but it was temporarily killed by the assassination of Jabari. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, who helped negotiate the release of Gilad Shalit and maintained contacts with Hamas leaders, said the truce agreement included protocols for maintaining a cease-fire in the case of cross-border violence between Israel and Gaza. Baskin told Haaretz that senior officials in Israel knew about the pending truce agreement, but nevertheless approved the assassination, presumably knowing it would terminate the truce and escalate the conflict with Gaza. "I think that they have made a strategic mistake," Baskin said, "which will cost the lives of quite a number of innocent people on both sides." He added that Jabari's assassination "killed the possibility of achieving a truce." The Middle East has been influenced by US/NATO war plans too. NATO approves of the civil war in Syria and they performed war crimes inside of the country of Libya as well. This network supports Operation Pillar of Cloud, so the invasion of Gaza is part of a bigger Western strategic agenda (of trying to pacify people into accepting imperialism). The peace movements among all sides should do their best to resolve this bloody conflict. Also, an economic system that says that small minority of people should own the majority of the wealth and power in the world is archaic and immoral period. I like that to be known from the rooftops, the valleys, the hills, and the ceilings.

More news is coming about the Israel and Gaza conflict. The cover story made by some in the Western mainstream media is that Israel is completely right and some of them try to minimize the outrage of the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Some in the media feel that Israeli bombs are simply a reaction to Hamas terror or the blame all of this conflict on Hamas' side. Many people like Mohammed Sulaiman in Gaza said that they are afraid to leave their home since he heard the sound of bombs exploding in the near distance. Nissim Nahoom (an Israeli official in Ashkelon) said that his situation is no different from the Gazans. This is wrong, because Gaza is experiencing more dropped bombs than Israel. Mohammed was interviewed by the Sunni Muslim Isah Sesay (a Sister). Mohammed heard bombs growing louder in sound. The fact is that a Palestinian civilian in Gaza is in far more danger of being killed or injured by one of Israel's precision armaments than an Israeli is by one of the more primitive rockets being launched out of Gaza. Operation Cast Lead was Israel's previous attack on Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009. 3 Israelis were killed by rocket attacks and six soldiers were killed in that fighting. In Gaza, nearly 1,400 Palestinians were killed (at least 1,000 were not involved in hostilities according to the Israeli group B'Tselem). Most of these civilians were killed by so-called precision bombs and missiles. Today, the people in Gaza are stuck in Gaza. They live in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth and it's being attacked. Israel denied Gaza a port, it controls its airspace, and the right of its inhabitants to move to other Palestinian territory recognized by the Oslo accords (in the West Bank). Hamas isn't hiding among Palestinian civilians constantly per se. It's that Palestinians civilians are forced to live in a tiny strip of land that is now a war zone. Hamas isn't clean in this affair, but there are other culprits responsible other than militants. The confrontation between Israel and Hamas comes in the midst of Israel choking the life out of Gaza (its the destruction of its economy, the damage to its infrastructure, denying its people the freedom of movement, and its people being mistreated). The people of Gaza have their right to use their own waters to feed themselves. According to one provision of the Oslo accords, Gaza was given fishing rights up to 20 miles off its shore. Israel has slowly whittled that down to just three miles, with Israeli navy vessels firing on fishing boats even inside that paltry limit. Palestinians in Gaza are entitled to struggle for their right to live and prosper. That struggle is a form of self-defense – not aggression – against occupation, oppression, colonialism and imperialism. This conflict started with Israel and Hamas using tit for tat violence against each other. Palestinian factions wanted a truce on November 12. Then, Israel assassinated Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari causing the violence to escalate. According to Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, that in the period leading up to Jabari's execution Egypt had been working to secure a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas. Jabari was apparently eager to agree to it. The peace activist had already met Barak to alert him to the truce, but it seems the defense minister and Netanyahu had more "pressing concerns" than ending the tensions between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu represents the more reactionary factions in Israel as opposed to the peace movement (which consists of Israelis and Palestinians indeed). Now, Netanyahu is boosting in his polls. Ironically, the reactionaries yell about a fiscal crisis, but they say nothing on U.S. taxpayer dollars to subsidize Israel's rocket interception system called Ion Dome to millions of dollars. I believe in trading with other nations and giving money to other nations in terms of food and other things. Yet, I will never agree with sending taxpayers' dollars to another nation in military buildup, especially advanced weaponry). A nation should have their own responsibility to build their own military up. In the final analysis, it will take a non-military solution to solve this problem. It takes a political solution to solve this matter alone. In the final analysis, Palestine has made great progress (before the bombings in Gaza) in pushing for international statehood.

There have been talks of a cease fire, and finally it has arrived. The cease fire among Israel and Hamas is to begin at 2 pm. EST. There has been a bus explosion in Tel Aviv (with about 22 people injured with an IED. It was an evil attack) and the destruction found in Gaza is apparent. The Western media mostly justifies the attacks in Gaza as a means of self-defense on the part of the Israelis. That's the fundamental point. Children can die and no real, radical discussions for peace come about since to the corporate media, it's all in self-defense. The White House says that Israel has the right to defend itself. Operation "Pillar of Cloud" is of a controversial, complex nature. According to sources, senior U.S. military officials were on location in Israel working with their IDF counterparts in the days leading up to the attack. This operation started in November 14th. This was exactly one week after the U.S. Presidential elections. 75,000 Israeli troops have been deployed in case Israel wants to formulate a ground invasion of Gaza. One month before the attacks, U.S. and Israel were involved in the largest joint war games in Israeli history. The purpose of the war games was to test Israel's missile air defense system against attacks (from far and near like from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas). US Defense Secretary Leon and Israel's Minister of Defense Ehud Barack had established a process of close consultation. Panetta was in Israel in early August 2012. He returned to Tel Aviv two months later on October 3, two weeks before the launching of the US-Israeli Austere Challenge 12 military exercises. The first wave of the joint war games among Israel and America came about on October 18. These military exercises occurred during the U.S. elections too on November 6. These U.S./Israeli war games dealt with preparing for a military action. Even the joint war games called "Austere Challenge 12" involved the active participation of 3500 U.S. and 1000 Israeli troops. The U.S. contingent was made up 1000 U.S. troops stationed in Israel (including military advisers and special forces together with 25000 U.S. personnel under the jurisdiction of the U.S. 6th fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean and U.S. European Command (or EURCOM) according to the UPI. The Iron Dome is a new anti-rocket system. It's found near the southern city of Beersheba, Israel. The Israeli Defense Force deployed the $200 million Iron Dome system in response to dozens of rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza in the past weeks. The Iron Dome is being used to protect Israel towns from rockets fired from Gaza. The joint US-Israeli war games were jointly coordinated by U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Craig Franklin and IDF Brigadier-General Shachar Shohat. The stated objective of these military maneuvers was to "create "stress situations" in Israel's airspace and off its Mediterranean coast that test the ability of both countries to act against attacks"from near [Hamas, Hezbollah] and far [Iran]." These war games were overseen by the United States European Command (EUCOM) Admiral James G. Stavridis. The whole Gaza attack operation was prepared for because of the war games involved these scenarios. Hamas firing rockets into Israel that targets civilians is wrong and illegal under international law. Yet, Israel is wrong for violating international law on many occasions as well (according to Pulitzer prize winning journalist Christ Hedges, Israel broke almost 100 Security Council resolutions regarding Gaza alone). It is interesting to note that there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline. Israel and Palestine are debating and fighting over the oil reserves now. Washington has no relationship with Hamas since they view Hamas as a terrorist group. This is why Egypt (with Morsi or the Muslim Brotherhood Prime Minister) is a key player in the negotiations. The destruction of Gaza has been opposed by even pro-Western nations like Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt. The West claims to oppose terrorism, but they are coordinating efforts to destroy Syria and install a puppet state. Even so-called humanitarian groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch support the imperialist attacks in Syria. Qatar has worked in the U.S./Israeli/Saudi enterprise in trying to subvert and overthrow the government of Syria. This fact as been exposed in the 2007 New Yorker article titled, "The Redirection," which was written by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh. Netanyahu is a reactionary and his support of a murderous policy is just as wrong as the bus being bombed in Tel Aviv. Another man said that no country on Earth would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders, but he surely promotes sending murderous drones in Somalia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan as a means to fulfill kill list orders. America is also complicit in supporting this bloodshed in the Middle East too. In the final analysis, progressive voices in Israel and Palestine should use political efforts in resolving this crisis indeed. Hopefully, the ceasefire will stick among both parties. First, we must oppose any form of apartheid (when those in Israel have laws that have Israeli Jewish only roads, and other discriminatory laws. This is wrong) in the Middle East period. Second, we should advocate the right of the Palestinians to have nationhood or statehood. I don't agree with the militaristic agenda of AIPAC or Likudniks.
 

*Now, it's important to love the Israelis and the Palestinians. Certain evil factions want us to either express vicious hatred against either all Israelis or against all Palestinians. I will not act in that fashion. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace, dignity, respect, and equality via political means.

The Fiscal Cliff

There are still bipartisan talks on spending cuts. Democrats, Republicans, and the White House have made their first meeting recently. This meeting is about them discussing about the financial reform plan. Experts believe that the final deal will include budget cuts and possible tax increases. They want this plan to be adopted by the end of the year. The proponents of this plan want to avert what they deem as a "fiscal cliff." The fiscal cliff is when the Bush tax cuts of 2001 will expire. This will cause an across the board spending cuts and other tax and budget measures (like higher taxes for everyone, not just the super wealthy). This is set to take effect by January 1, 2013 unless Congress and the White House form a plan. The corporate dominated media believes that harsh measures must be manufactured in order for the fiscal cliff to be obliterated. So, most of the corporate dominated mainstream media agree to have huge cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. They want cuts to other necessary domestic social spending (when we need more resources geared to health care, fighting against poverty, and sustaining the elderly in retirement). The first 70 minute meeting was ceremonial and important for the political establishment. The people in the meeting include the following individuals: Vice President Joseph Biden, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House aides, sitting down with the four top congressional leaders: Republican House Speaker John Boehner, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Obviously, President Barack Obama has been reelected. We see that the House is most ruled by Republicans and the Democrats control most of the Senate. The first meeting of these politicians unfortunately represent the union of 2 corporate, cartel-capitalist political parties that try to defend the interests of Wall Street (at the expense of the poor & working class). The President met with the CEOs of the 12 biggest U.S. corporations including other liberal leaders (from labor to civil rights activists). The President believes that he wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for lower and middle income families. I agree with him on that point. The President said that he wants to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. He wants to work with the Republicans. The reactionaries are wrong to claim that barriers to growth are federal taxes and regulations. The barriers to growth are the anarchy and profit gouging of the corrupt corporate internationalist system. Republicans Boehner and McConnell have a willingness to discuss revenue increasing plans. It reminds to be seen if both men will support tax increases for the wealthy for real. The Democrats Reid and Pelosi say that they want flexibility on cutting spending on social programs as demanded by the Republicans. Boehner said that in his remarks at the White House meeting he proposed a combination of tax and spending measures "consistent with the president's call for a fair and balanced approach." He added, "To show our seriousness, we put revenue on the table as long as it's accompanied by significant spending cuts." The Republicans even want cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, etc. Ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy will get about $850 billion over the next ten years. So, the establishment wants more than 3 trillion dollars in cuts from domestic social programs. A secret document proved that in July 2011 (during the debt ceiling crisis), the White House was willing to raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, cut future inflation-linked increases in Social Security benefits, and imposed other significant cuts in social spending. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House are trying to postpone the 110 billion dollars in spending cuts called sequester that is scheduled to happen in January (half of these cuts deal with military programs). The administration is considering an income tax rate increase of 37 or 38 percent for those making more than $250,000 per year. The current rate is 35 percent. This issue is known by people, but it has been downplayed during the 2012 election campaign.

There are alternatives to austerity though. Webster Tarpley, Bernie Sanders, and others have talked about these alternatives. In the stage of the human rights movement, we should fight austerity for real. The union of reactionary Republicans and corporate Democrats seek to have austerity. We can have amnesty for student loans because of the ca. 1 trillion dollar student loan debt. We should have no cuts in wages, benefits, social services, public services, and the social safety net. We should have only cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse (which don't affect any human being in an immoral fashion). All foreclosures should end. We should have single payer health care for all. We should end the war on terror ASAP. We should a living wage. Economically, the super wealthy and large corporations ought to pay their fair share of taxes. All corporate, unjust loopholes should end (doing this including stopping offshore tax shelters can reduce the deficit is about 1 trillion dollars over 10 years). We can tax capital gains and dividends in a fair way to raise over $730 billion over 10 years. Wall Street paying a speculation fee or tax (in 1 percent on the sale of credit default swaps, derivatives, etc.) can reduce the deficit by $350 billion over 10 years. A progressive estate tax on inherited wealth of more than $3.5 billion can raise more than $70 billion over 10 years. Ending all tax breaks and subsidies to big oil, gas, and coal companies can reduce the deficit by more than $40 billion over the next ten years. We can reform our tax code and do other actions to raise billions of dollars in revenue over 10 years. These actions and more than handle our deficit issue.

By Timothy