Also, the Eyes of the Prize series is an excellent documentary series too. I saw it when I was in elementary school during the early 1990's. If we don't learn lessons from the past, we could repeat the mistakes of the past. The crimes of racist white folks are wicked. Bigotry, racism, etc. are sicknesses and evils that people have the right to confront. Any racist is wrong.
Kennedy had to wake up. Kennedy at first was a strong Cold Warrior. He was a moderate. Events in Birmingham and in other places caused him to wise up (by 1963) and realize that people have the right to have full equality now. Racism is based on hypocrisy. The racists glamorize Jim Crow segregation, but they forcibly used Africans in their own infrastructures. Forced segregation is immoral. Jim Crow is immoral, because its rules violated human rights and it restricted the economic & political rights among black people. I have no issue with independence and liberation, but I reject Jim Crow segregation completely. Our people were fighting for freedom and liberation. HUMAN RIGHTS ARE SUPERIOR TO STATES' RIGHTS. That is why it is so important for human beings to learn about the past and to act righteously in the present, so a better future can exist. Kwame Ture (formerly Stokley Carmichael) wanted to advocate self-defense. He believed in confronting evil by using direct resistance. He was the bridge between Dr. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He, like Dr. King, had great experience in working in non-violent civil rights groups. Like Malcolm X, he believed in self-defense and viewed nonviolence as a tactic, but not something that people should follow unconditionally. There is nothing immoral about fighting back at all. Another great lesson that the Brother Kwame Ture taught us was about the love of Africa. He said that we are Africans irrespective of where we live in the Earth. He was right. We love Africa a great deal. In the final analysis, we are all of Black African descent. The BPP worked to advance self-defense, free health care clinics, free breakfast centers for children, and self-determination. Kwame Ture was a member temporarily of the BPP. He left by 1969 as a means for him to advance Pan-Africanism. Many human beings (including my friend Courtney) are absolutely right that the wisdom and strength of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and the BPP were about us watching our backs (and to seek social development in our communities). These people were not irrational. They were reacting to centuries of oppression, which is normal. These human beings were fighting for their humanity and dignity. The Eyes of the Prize (which was more comprehensive than the CNN documentary obviously) did came on the PBS channel. The Eyes of the Prize series has inspired humanity in many ways. Numerous people have to wake up and see that racism is immoral and only justice can fully address the needs of the people.
This action is totally wrong. The war on terror is filled with contradictions. The Western elite claims (in justify imperial plunder, neo-colonialism, and the economic exploitation of resources globally) that they are battling al-Qaeda, but this $500 million package will aid al-Qaeda related terrorists in Syria (which ironically the West is funding). The Western elite have aided such terrorists in Libya and throughout the Middle East. Back decades ago, the U.S. military industrial complex has funded the mujahedeen including the Taliban too. These Syrian rebels are not moderate. That’s laughable. These rebels (who are linked to ISIS) have killed Shias, Christians, Sunnis, and other people (in Syria) that oppose their barbarism including terrorism. The military industrial complex grows while our domestic responsibilities are further ignored. Our people have expressed the anti-imperialist spirit and we must continue in that spirit now, in the future, and forever as Brothers and Sisters. That is why I disagree with imperialism 100 percent. What is needed is a political solution including the end of the war on terror. There are a lot of job creation programs, infrastructure development plans, etc. that can be used with $500 million. We need revolutionary solutions.
The most important truth is that the child is safe (In New Orleans). I am glad about that. The criminals should be found and greatly punished for their numerous nefarious deeds. The father made many bad choices. He should have never left the key in the car with a child in the car (when the door was unlocked). The father can easily carry the child with him to and from the gas station area. This story reminds us that life is precious and you have to use wise decision making as it pertains to everyday life.
Yes, water is a very precious resource. Water rates’ increasing into record levels in Detroit is truly a disgrace and an injustice to the people of Detroit. I have been researching how many multinational corporations want to exploit water resources internationally too. The situation in Detroit has been in the making for long decades. There has been not only deindustrialization, but we have witnessed some big banks exploiting Detroit resources (via unaffordable mortgages) for years too. The democratic rights in Detroit have been compromised when select managers control a large part of the political systems of Detroit too. Some people have a wicked mind and they want to use vicious language instead of constructive ideals to explain the problem. Part of it deals with the struggling infrastructure found in the city of Detroit. Water has great value. Without it, we won't survive literally. Some of the water systems have been planned to be privatized. There have been many water shutoffs too. Obviously, this situation is an emergency. Even the United Nations have issued a statement that the shutoff of water to thousands of residents of the city of Detroit is wrong. “Disconnection of water services because of failure to pay due to lack of means constitutes a violation of the human right to water and other international human rights,” the statement read. It was signed by three representatives of the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: an anti-poverty advocate from Canada, and law professors from Colombia and the United States. The OCHCR deals with violations of human rights, torture, capital punishment, racial oppression, the abuse of women plus children, mass starvation, epidemics plus the social consequences of flood, drought, and other natural disasters. Their reports heavily deal with problems in many nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Detroit has been harmed by many complex factors. Detroit was once a huge hub of manufacturing. Shutting off people from water has been part of the restructuring of Detroit after it filed for bankruptcy. Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr controls a great deal of the policies of Detroit. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department began mass disconnection of water services from households more than two months behind on their bills—owing as little as $150. More than 7,500 homes have been disconnected. Some speculate that this action could affect 150,000 customers or nearly half the households in the city. Many have fallen behind on water bills under conditions of widespread poverty, unemployment, and cutbacks in food stamps, unemployment compensation and other forms of aid. According to the water department, two-thirds of those cut off service pay their bills within 48 hours. This does not mean, as city officials claim, that these are people who would not, rather than could not, pay their bills. It only means that under threat of shutoff, money that would have gone to pay rent or utilities, buy food, or keep a car running to get to a low-paid job, went instead to keep the water on. Living without water means that you can’t shower, cook a meal, wash your hand, or use a toilet. This is a disgrace in America. Running water has prevented diseases like cholera and dysentery. The decline of capitalism is shown by the problems in Detroit. People’s pensions, health benefits, and other assets of the city have been dismantled. Big banks have increased their power. Resources have been privatized too.
I am a political Independent, so I realize the errors made by both parties. There are other nations that ended slavery completely before America. Haiti abolished slavery in 1804. Greece abolished slavery in 1822. Serbia abolished slavery in 1835. So, the reactionaries who worship the GOP are in error. Jingoistic patriotism is folly to me. Many reactionaries don't like my views, but I will never back down. The Republican Party even in the 19th century was divided in different factions. Many Republicans did not agree with eliminate emancipation of slaves. In the final analysis, it took mass struggle to inspire change throughout human history. The JBSs have slandered civil rights heroes as Communists and even falsely called a Republican President Eisenhower as sympathizing with Communist interests. The JBSs even slandered a center-left President like JFK as a pro-Communist. The mistakes of the Democrats are well known. There is no justification for them and reactionary extremists can’t cite a single word where I justify the errors of any Democrat at all. The Democrats supporting Jim Crow policies were reactionaries who loved states’ rights and believed in the violation of the human rights of black people. Their economic views were heavily conservative or pro-corporate elite. By the 1960’s, the Dixiecrats in high numbers went into the Republican Party. The Republican Party instituted the Southern Strategy, the War on Drugs, the Iraq War, supply side economics in a high level, etc. which harmed American society in many ways. Income inequality is not a fallacy. Scholarly reports show that income inequality is real. Between 2009 and 2012, total US income grew by 6 percent, according to an updated study by economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty. However, 95 percent of this growth went to the top 1 percent. For the bulk of the population, real incomes have fallen sharply. There are other studies like this. Folks, who don't care about the poor, should tell that fallacy of income inequality propaganda lie to the poor, to the homeless, and to those suffering. I never said that all income should be equal. I do believe in mechanisms and regulations to improve the lives of the people like an increase minimum wage, eliminating unfair corporate loopholes, a guaranteed annual income, etc. Also, wealth has been unfairly redistributed from the poor to the wealthy for eons. People like me want wealth to be fairly redistributed. There must be a change in the system and in the overall structure. Yes, it must a revolutionary change.
There has been an increase of the profits of the military industrial complex. We realize that the two major beneficiaries of the two major wars launched by the U.S. government have been domestic and foreign. Lockheed Martin (LMT), Northrop Grumman (NOG), and Raytheon (RTN) have delivered record shattering returns to their investors, CEOs, and investment banks during the past 15 years. The West has benefited economically from the war on terror. Israeli government leaders have used the war on terror as a means to expand its territory, dispossessed Palestinians, and continue their regional hegemon. Iraq before the 2003 invasion was a major Palestinian ally. The invasion allowed cover for the Israeli settler expansion in occupied Palestinian territories. The Iraq War allowed Western forces (and its allies) to destroy Iraq’s armed forces and civil infrastructure. Iraq has damaged before of such events. U.S. occupation has removed one of Israel’s regional rivals. The cost of the war on terror has caused thousands of U.S. soldiers to die including millions of civilians. Many soldiers unfortunately suffer severe physical and mental injuries. Some soldiers have committed suicide. The whole situation has cost us trillions of dollars. The military industrial complex still want us to embrace a wartime economy. The Pentagon’s budget is in record highs. This reality has harmed or undermined the domestic social safety net and standard of living of numerous nations (including America). There are new conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Libya, etc. According to a recent study by Morgan Stanley (cited in Barron’s, 6/9/14, p. 19), shares in the major US arms manufacturers have risen 27,699% over the past fifty years versus 6,777% for the broader market. In the past three years alone, Raytheon has returned 124%, Northrup Grumman 114% and Lockheed Martin 149% to their investors. The current administration continues to aid this system by give emergency supplemental funds to cover the costs of these wars. In this new generation, proxy wars are common. The military industrial complex has worked with the neo-conservatives and liberal interventionists too. The extremists even feel that President Obama must bomb Syria and refuse to allow the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, the veterans deserve their health care and benefits too. The issue is that veteran health care costs are expected to double. One reason for this is the closure of scores of Veterans Administration hospitals and a reduction in retiree benefits, using the pretext of fighting fraud, incompetence and poor quality service compared with the ‘private sector’. The same corporate warlords and lobbyists who clamor to send US troops to back to Iraq and to new wars in Syria and Ukraine, where young lives, limbs and sanity are at great risk, are also in the forefront of a fight to slash funding for the veterans’ medical care. The corporate warlords are urging Congress to increase co-pays, enrollment fees and deductibles for veterans, retirees and active duty personnel enrolled in military health insurance plans, such as Tricare, as well as limiting access to the VA. So, real people are desiring social justice not war. We need health services for veterans, etc. not record corporate profits that assist the military industrial complex.
People know the truth about Hillary Clinton. She has allied with the establishment for decades. She has received millions of dollars in speeches all over (with as high as being paid 200,000 dollars for a speech). In the fifteen months since Clinton left office as Secretary of State, she has made over $5 million in speaking fees, putting her squarely within the top 0.1 percent of income earners. She has spoken in favor of the interests of the CFR. Wall Street bankers and even Boeing have funded her. She obviously agrees with the policies of the military industrial complex (which has brutalized people of color including other people in multiple continents). She is very hawkish by voting for the invasion of Iraq, she supported the NATO bombing in Libya, and she agreed with the troop surge in Afghanistan. Imperialism (especially under the guise of so-called "humanitarianism") is wrong in any form. So, folks know the truth. Also, I don't believe that she should be disrespected. Any evil or sexist remark about Hillary Clinton should be repudiated, but people have the right to disagree with her in a rational fashion.
Dr. King, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Kwame Nkrumah are right. Each of them believed that we must end racism and class oppression. They taught us that we can never be free unless all of the Third World is liberated from poverty and imperialism (as also said by Sister Assata Shakur). Small businesses existing to solve problems are fine. Yet, that is not enough. There must be a massive structural change in society and there ought to be a radical redistribution of economic & political power, so all people can be assisted (including the poor and the working class). The poor needs power. Corporate power must be confronted and we have to condemn labor exploitation. The hypocrisy of a society advancing "socialism" for the rich and rugged free enterprise capitalism for the poor is immoral. Putting people to work is one thing, but people need living wages, legitimate benefits, and the right to collectively bargain as well. The ideal of community is certainly a great ideology. Men and Women have the right to be strong, to stand up for freedom, and to advocate economic & social justice. White supremacy and institutional racism must end. Being politically independent is the way to go.
By Timothy
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