Monday News in early May of 2014

There is the recent Odessa slaughter. There was a vicious Neo-Nazi mob that burnt anti-government activists alive. Dozens of people died in flames in Odessa. Radicals set ablaze the local House of Trade Unions with anti-government protesters blocked inside. Many had to jump out of windows. Some were suffocated in smoke and many died. It started with about 1,500 supporters of the Kiev authorities, accompanied by aggressive fans of the local football club called the Chernomorets tried to march through the center of the city chanting, “Glory to Ukraine,” “Death to enemies,” “Knife the Moskals [derogatory for Russians].” Some of the people in the group were wearing ultra-nationalist Right Sector movement insignia, were armed with chains, bats, and carried shields. There were several hundred anti-government activists that eventually confronted the procession. There was fighting and the members of the rival groups threw stones, Molotov cocktails and smoke grenades at each other and at police. The pavements were spattered with blood. The police failed to draw the rival groups apart. As a result, 4 people were killed and 37 wounded in the violence. Police were among the injured. There are images of people covered in blood. Ukrainian police help an injured colleague during clashes between pro-Russian activists and supporters of the Kiev government in the streets of Odessa May 2, 2014. (Reuters/Yevgeny Volokin). These street clashes are only the beginning of the Odessa Friday nightmare as radicals started to drive anti-government activists back to their tent camp in front of the local House of Trade Unions. Many anti-Kiev protesters eventually hid inside of the building. “Women and children were hiding in the Trade Union’s building,” an eye-witness told RT. “First the armed men set fire to tents, then they started throwing Molotov cocktails and grenades at the building. We heard shots fired and saw smoke,” she added. The first floor of the Trade Unions building was soon engulfed in flames. The people inside appeared to be trapped. Dozens eventually burnt alive or suffocated to death. To escape the fire and smoke, people were hanging out of windows and sitting on windowsills. In sheer desperation, some of them eventually jumped to the ground. Some people had to wait to be rescued from the second story ledge in the midst of the fire. Many of those who escaped the fire were brutally beaten by armed men, believed to be from the ultra-nationalist Right Sector group. As people were dying in the burning building, some of the pro-Kiev activists jeered on Twitter that a total of 46 people died in Odessa’s violence on Friday and almost 200 others sustained injuries, Odessa Region prosecutor Igor Borshulyak told journalists on Saturday. A total of 46 people died in Odessa’s violence on Friday and almost 200 others sustained injuries, Odessa Region prosecutor Igor Borshulyak told journalists on Saturday. 39 of the dead lost their lives in the fire at the Odessa Trade Unions House, according to the Ukrainian emergencies agency, which released a statement saying that “31 of the dead were found inside the building, eight more were found outside by law enforcement officers.” Odessa accounted that on Saturday, there is three day mourning for the victims of the tragedy. Many residents of Odessa laid flowers outside of the burnt out Trade Union Building. Russians have been bringing candles to the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow to commemorate the dead in Odessa. So, we see that the US/NATO sponsored Kiev coalition government is responsible for many of the killings in Odessa and in the Ukraine. “Such actions are reminiscent of the crimes of the Nazis,” said Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin. The international community is not heavily mentioning the crimes in Odessa on May 2, 2014. There has been many killings of civilians in Eastern and South Eastern Ukraine by Neo-Nazi mobs and members of the civilian militia. This could expand the conflict in Ukraine. The Pentagon supports the Kiev government. Dmytro Yarosh, Neo-Nazi leader of the Right Sector delegation in the parliament, oversees the National Guard, a loyal civilian militia created in March with the support of Western military advisers. Paramilitary training of the National Guard have commenced in mid-March at the north of Kiev. Meanwhile, NATO has scheduled military exercises in Poland “as part of NATO reassurance measures in response to the Ukraine crisis.” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has pointed to an extensive and unprecedented buildup of NATO forces within proximity of Russia’s borders.

It is kind of ironic that some have mentioned information about the Dominican Republic, because I did my own research on Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Henry Louis Gates' Black in Latin America documentary blatantly proves that racism is a serious problem in the Dominican Republic (with even some stores selling caricature dolls of black people in offensive ways). Henry Louis Gates came into the DR and Dominican professors in the country admitted that many Dominicans considered themselves whiter Spaniard than black. The DR has a statue of the imperialist Bartholomew Columbus (or the Brother of that criminal Cristobal Colon). Many Dominicans deny outright their black heritage. Also, the dictator Rafael Trujillo killed black Haitians via the Parsley Massacre of 1937. Anybody of dark skinned complexion was killed outright by Dominican government forces in that massacre. Rafael was a sick man (and he promoted racist anti-black Haitian propaganda in DR textbooks and in their media for years) and ironically he had some black blood, but he was a stone cold overt racist. Henry Louis Gates also documents the courageous actions of the Haitian Revolution. Now, not all Dominicans are racists (as many Afro-Dominicans and black Haitians have protested DR's recent xenophobic court ruling), but many of them are. I won't place all Hispanics into one box, but we have every right to condemn racism and oppression. I do not agree totally with others on the issue of immigration, but we do agree that racism is a serious issue in the Dominican Republic like in the States. I am in solidarity with any person of black African descent globally that wants liberty, justice, and freedom. Also, we have to acknowledge heroes who fought for our liberty too. Afro-Brazilian Sister Benedita Silva has fought for black liberation for years and decades. There are Afro-Latino anti-racism organizations that legitimately want liberation. Henry Louis Gates even interviewed an Afro-Cuban Brother who raps and fights against the racism found in Cuba. Also, racism is a disgrace. I am in unison with those who believe that there has to be a boycott of the DR if they continue to do racist actions. In Israel, Ethiopic, Sephardic, and other Jewish peoples have been mistreated. That is documented. At the end of the day, the dignity of all human life has to be respected. All people born in the Earth have equal value irrespective of their creed, their race, their gender, or their nationality.

One fact that was when Dr. King opposed the Vietnam, funding for his organization of the SCLC decreased rapidly. Even some black leaders opposed him like some members from the NAACP again. Yet, he stood up like a man and condemned the napalm harming civilians in Vietnam and the massive death toll from the vicious Vietnam War. Critics of the Vietnam War were even targeted by the NSA back in the 1960's. Andrew Gavin Marshall created an excellent article on this issue entitled, "The American Oligarchy, Civil Rights and the Murder of Martin Luther King" about how the oligarchy tried to infiltrate the civil rights movement. It is a great article. We have to express self-reflection in our lives. That is a duty of ours. Too many people in general lust after fame, money, and superficial recognition instead of respecting human dignity, love, truth, and justice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, and so many other heroes did not want the celebrity life. They wanted to express the fullness of the progressive, human life. They reached out to the poor and the oppressed all over the world. They stood up for real principles and condemned bigotry in strong terms. So, this incident is way for us to check ourselves and to continue in this struggle. The National Security Agency back in the 1960’s compiled a watch list of U.S. citizens whose phone call was wiretapped. By 1967, it did expand the list to include the names of U.S. citizens involved in antiwar and civil rights activities. In April of 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech entitled, “Beyond Vietnam,” Dr. Martin Luther King spoke out against not only the Vietnam War, but all war in general. He declared in the Beyond Vietnam speech that he could not confront the evils of poverty without confronting “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government.” King stated, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” After he gave that speech, he was condemned by the national media and even from some bourgeoisie, establishment black leaders. Life Magazine calling the speech, “demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi,” and the Washington Post saying that, “King has diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people.” Government ought to expand and strengthen the democratic nature of society. It should not be used to advance war and empire at all.

The interview was strange and odd. V. Stiviano is clearly naïve in my opinion. She wants to defend Sterling. She should not ally with a person that has degraded her and doesn't respect her dignity at all. Sterling made racist remarks before and she admitted to it. Just because someone shows “good actions” and express “good deeds” doesn’t mean that someone is not a racist. Many racists don’t say slurs at all. Many racists are suit and tie wearers not just Klan members or neo-Nazis. Also, Sterling has expressed racism includes sexism since he wants to dictate to her who can she associate with in an authoritarian fashion. Any form of racism whether subtle or more overt ought to be condemned outright by anyone. This is the 21st century and there is no excuse for Sterling’s comments at all. We can't force the racists change their minds. That is true. We can use the law and other methods to punish them if do illegal behavior. We can do our part, so future generations won't suffer what we have suffered. Also, someone else's racism is not our fault and I never mentioned that nor do I believe that. Many black players knew that he was a racist and allied with him financially, socially, or otherwise, because of many reasons. One reason is the obvious one. We know the reason and it starts with the letter M. The other reason is that many people have been afraid to confront subtle or even overt racism executed by those in power like Sterling. Anybody can condemn words from a Ted Nugent type or a poor white racist. Yet, a strong Black Man (in uncompromising terms in public view without fear) can condemn wealthy businessmen who spew evil, racist commentaries too like Sterling from the very beginning. Some human beings have made great points on this issue. Sterling is responsible for his actions. V. Stiviano is not perfect, but some want to use her as a scapegoat (for his actions. Not to mention that he had to pay money in a settlement that dealt with an accusation of housing discrimination). I believe that Donald Sterling is a disgraceful man. Folks should not be surprised at his commentaries since such views have been made by white privileged males for a very long time (even by poor white people too). The powers that be acted fast in this situation since they wanted to give the appearance of PROGRESS when we are caught up in the same struggle for freedom and justice. When our median income as a community in the States is lower than years ago, when we still have massive violence in our communities, and when we have massive poverty in areas of our communities, then we have a long way to go. Also, since black people make up a huge fan base of the NBA, they had to give a token response for financial exploitation (and to maintain a strong black backing of the league).V. Stiviano should not do interviews at this point in my view. She should just live her life. Also, we should also use our anger not only against racism, but we should use righteous indignation as a means to fight against violence in our communities, to assist our families, and to mentor the youth as well.

There obelisk in London is called the London Cleopatra needle too. The ruler of Egypt and Sudan named Muhammad Ali presented the obelisk to the United Kingdom in 1819. It was about the commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercomby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. So, this situation is about the evil celebrating of imperialist conquests, which is disgraceful. The obelisk was in Alexandria until 1877. Sir William James Erasmus Wilson (an anatomist and dermatologist) sponsored its transportation to London at a cost of some £10,000 (a very considerable sum in those days). It was dug out of the sand in which it had been buried for nearly 2,000 years and was encased in a great iron cylinder, 92 feet (28 m) long and 16 feet (4.9 m) in diameter, designed by the engineer John Dixon and dubbed Cleopatra, to be commanded by Captain Carter. Many people have died in the voyage of the obelisk from Egypt to London. The obelisk is found in relation to the Mystery Schools for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians called the obelisk “tekhenu.” During the 19th century to the present, ancient Egyptian culture (including the obelisk) influenced architecture and cemetery art globally from Europe to the States. This truth is documented in the book entitled, “The revival Styles in American Memorial Art” by McDowell and Meyer. To the ancients, the obelisk represented the sun god Ra (some view it as related from the natural phenomena associated with the sun too). According to the scholar James Henry Breasted in his “Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt” from 1912: “…The pyramid form may be explained by an examination of the familiar obelisk form. The obelisk, as is commonly known, is a symbol sacred to the Sun-god. So far as I am aware, however, little significance has heretofore been attached to the fact that the especially sacred portion of the obelisk is the pyramidal apex with which it is surmounted…” Today, Cleopatra’s Needle is flanked by two Egyptian looking sphinxes cast from bronze. The hieroglyphic inscriptions on the sphinxes are netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh (the good god, Thuthmosis III given life). These Sphinxes appear to be looking at the Needle rather than guarding it. This is due to the Sphinxes' improper or backwards installation. The Embankment has other Egyptian flourishes, such as buxom winged sphinxes on the armrests of benches. The sphinx in this context represents guards. According to the LA Central Library website, it shows an interesting view of the meaning of their sphinxes as the hidden mysteries of knowledge and guard civilization. There are other interpretations of the meaning of the sphinx too. Symbols and images can have multiple meanings among the human family.

By Timothy