Showing the Truth without Compromise

Many human beings are right that it is not racist for black people to come together and develop their own communities and their infrastructure for the betterment of our own people peacefully. Other ethnic groups have done this without criticism, yet we get criticized when we advocate this common sense plan of the collective improvement of our community. We have the human right to own our own POWER and to have self-determination (as advocated by Malcolm X, Dr. King in his later years, etc.). Yes, we express respect for the human family in all backgrounds (and all human life should have justice. No human being should be oppressed and unfairly disrespected), but WE ARE PRO-BLACK AND WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF IT AT ALL. We are unapologetically black. There is nothing wrong with self-determination at all. Also, we have to do more than that. We have to give humans economic justice. We have to understand that social justice (I have been researching cooperatives for a while. We are in a racial and class struggle for our liberation) and environmental justice are needed in the world. We have to reject bigotry and understand that imperialist, neo-colonial policies have no place in a real society. Today in our time, we have witnessed record low regulations and record low taxation in decades. We witness no massive decrease in the unemployment rate of black people at all. The truth is the truth. The truth is that the Republican elite is made up of reactionary extremists and the Democrats have compromised and compromised. For example, Bill Clinton and others like him advanced the War on Drugs, bad trade deals, 3 strike laws, the elimination of Glass-Steagall, and other reactionary neoliberal policies. So, it is bigger than Democrats or Republicans (whose leadership advances the agenda of white supremacy). During this administration, the 1% have experienced record corporate profits (via bailouts, austerity cuts, and corporate welfare) while the poor suffers in the midst of huge economic inequality. You are right in mentioning that the top 1% is hoarding wealth instead of creating massive jobs for the common people in a revolutionary way. Forever, I will always believe in workers' rights, care for the environment, human civil liberties, anti-imperialism, economic justice, and racial justice for our people. We know what the deal is. The deal is whether power is meant for the people alone or if the corporate oligarchy has the power. I believe that all power should be reserved only for the people (not select corporate interests).


The policy (of the DOJ supporting the reduction of sentences for nonviolent drug Offense in a proposal) will deal with a select group of nonviolent offenders. This is the fruit of a centrist administration. The reality is that the White House can commute sentences immediately of thousands of black inmates or anyone serving excessive prison terms for crack cocaine offenses. Also, we know that the prison industrial complex has ruined families and have even harmed innocent human beings. They can do more to erase the racial disparities found in the judicial system. The War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and draconian laws has been used as the pretext to control our communities (by the power structure). In the final analysis, the War on Drugs should end with alternatives. This is agreed upon by human beings from across the political spectrum. The Thirteenth Amendment should also eliminate its words where slavery is legalized for prisoners. Slavery is totally evil without exception. Yes, some black people are brainwashed. Some black people will wake up and other black folks will not. Harriet Tubman had a quote about this situation saying that many slaves wanted to stay with their evil "masters" (really their oppressors). So, discernment is a great concept for us to embrace as a community. Discernment is rare among many in the world. Our real heroes then and now have plenty of it. Discernment is just about keeping it real and defending the rights of the oppressed. It is about speaking truth to power and condemning the nefarious policies from the 1%. It is about living morally and righteously in the eyes of the CREATOR. One thing is clear. Violence and hatred will only breed violence and hatred. So, true love must grow if we sincerely seek that justice and liberation that we rightfully deserve. In the final analysis, we are in this together as human beings. If we want cooperation without instability, then we have to build bridges of understanding. We have to learn about our similarities and our differences. We have to seek the appreciation of our gifts, hopes, and aspirations. We have to continue the real work of forming mentorships, of caring for our families, of improving our lives, and of loving our black African heritage. We have the right to use discernment as a means for us analyze situations and to allow people to be held accountable for their own actions. Pain in life should never be utilized as a means of giving up. We should be inspired by the strength of our ancestors as a reminder for us to work harder & to treat our neighbors as ourselves (Fighting oppression is a great deed to do too. Real people are fighting in a racial & class struggle for justice).



First bless the child Aaliyah and Congratulations to Sister Karlesha Thurman for her graduation. Breastfeeding is a natural human action done by a lot of women. The photo being shown on a Facebook page is fine with me (since that page deals with the issue of breastfeeding). The woman did not mean to be vulgar nor disrespectful in her intent. She was not trying to be provocative. She just wanted to celebrate her moment of achieving an accomplishment and express profound love for her child. Others who call her every name under the sun in highly offensive ways obviously hate the beauty of breastfeeding and they hate women obviously. The dignity of a black woman should be respected. There can be debates on when and where breastfeeding can take place (human beings have the right to express a diversity of opinions on this issue), but her breastfeeding in this situation is not immoral at all in my view. She was very respectful of herself and others around her. This is not the most important issue in our community. Folks know that breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for children. Bless Karlesha and her child. Many of us have read literature from JET all of the time from back in the day. Even recently, I have read various articles from JET as a means for me to understand more about our community. It is kind of odd for the magazine to be only in digital form. Times are certainly changing. For a long time, JET magazine has educated and inspired our people. When we uplift others, we uplift our own souls as human beings. Thanks for your words about me. I love politics, history, and culture. Also, I love my people and humanity. I will continue to be respectful to humanity. We all want to get it together so our posterity can live in a world better than we live in. We all care for our environment, for Nature, and for human life. We all seek transparency, truth, dignity, and honor to spread in the world. The power of our people is stronger than wickedness and evil.



This situation in Nigeria has grown, because of poverty, economic inequality, various political policies, and other things. Boko Haram is a reactionary, theocratic group of people whose actions are reprehensible. The paradox is that also there has been corruption in the Nigerian government too and this situation is more complex than what is shown by the mainstream media. There is also market fundamentalism (or neoliberal policies) that have harmed poor Nigerians. Massive income inequality and structural violence must be addressed in Nigeria. There can be international involvement to help this crisis (as a means to rescue the missing), but we have to be careful that international help is not used to promote Western imperial interests. We know about Africom, etc. Nigerian President Goodluck has been disgraceful in how he has handled this situation. Communities in Nigeria have every right to defend themselves and protect their families from evil people. Also, in the long term, the community leaders, religious leaders, ordinary people, etc. in Nigeria should further work together in addressing the political and economic problems in Nigeria. We all want the girls and any kidnapped person returned home and this situation is not an easy situation. These human beings are our people. We share black African heritage. These kidnapped human beings certainly deserve respect and dignity. Also, we should make a distinction between controlling our emotions and accommodation. We should never express accommodation to the white supremacist system. Additionally, we have every right to use our emotions in directing positive energy in building up our communities, our families, and our people in general. One strategy is about how we can direct the evil energy of racists and transform that into POSITIVE energy. That positive energy can be then utilized in improving our lives and the lives of others. Also, we have to be strong. There is no shame in being indignant in opposing oppression against black humanity without being unstable in our fundamental human expression. In other words, we have to be more strategic as a people. We should care about our people. The evil deeds of Donald Sterling should not take a superior concern to our ultimate goal of achieving JUSTICE. We have to know about the past (from the Maafa, Reconstruction, our ancient civilizations, etc.) as a means for us to make a better future. Also, the past can teach us valuable lessons that we can embrace. One lesson is that we can never compromise our core convictions. The Brothers and the Sisters in the Haitian Revolution and in the various slave revolts never forsook their goals of justice and freedom. We should continue the work of our ancestors. Also, we should always love the revolutionary power of our people. We should love our people and also advocate rights for workers, care for Nature, and an understanding of the geopolitics of Africa too (since that is our ancestral Homeland. We can never be free unless Africa is free). We can’t ignore racism either. Too many in the younger generation ignore racism. We need more critical thinking in our lives since our people have great insights that ought to be shown.


The President has signed an executive order on student loans. It happened on Monday. It is called the PAYE or the Pay as You Earn student loan program. It wants graduates who borrowed money before 2007 and those who have not borrowed since 2011. The midterm congressional elections are coming up. The executive order will allow some students to pay their student loans over 20 years rather than 10. The catch is that there is a larger sum owed over that period of 20 years. It doesn’t change the crushing joblessness, meager wages, and debt facing an increasing mass of college graduates. The President admitted to the audience that this effort is dealing with the middle class. PAYE allows certain qualifying students to pay their student loans over a longer period of time with an overall higher interest payment. For many borrowers, this results in a higher total payment to the bank, but a smaller monthly payment. The program started in 2010. It caps federal student loan payment at 10 percent of a graduate’s total income minus the federal poverty guideline for their family. This situation will expand this 2010 measure to include graduates who borrowed before 2007 or haven’t borrowed since 2011. He proposed six measures. One of which will work with banks to strengthen “invectives” for graduates to pay their loan bills and another which seeks to “educate” borrowers on how they can best repay their loans. Under the PAYE program a recent college graduate in Washington, DC making $20 an hour, working full time, every week of the year, would have his or her college loan bill capped at roughly $250 a month. A similarly employed worker making $15 an hour would have it capped at $163 a month. The tradeoff for having the cap is that the loan is extended to 20 years, increasing the total interest owed. For most, this means that the overall total sum of money they pay to the bank is larger, because of 10 extra years of interest accrued. This leaves banks with a better bottom line, while families face an overall larger debt burden. If a graduate has to pay loans after 20 years of payment, then the graduate can be forgiven after the borrower pays taxes on the remaining sum (and if each payment was made on time). A married graduate who has no children and earns an average of $50,000 a year for the 20 years of payment would have to have a total student loan payment of more than $70,000 to still owe money after the 20 years. If that graduate was 25 when finished with school, he or she would be 45 when finished with making monthly payments of $291 a month. The extension of PAYE doesn’t reduce debt or help graduates to find decent paying jobs in their trained field. The loan extends the time of repayment. We have great underemployment in America. Student debt is over 1 trillion dollars in federal loans and about 100 billion dollars in private loans. This is the sum larger than American credit card debt. Ten percent of recent borrowers default on their loans within the first two years of paying them. This is the highest level of default in nearly 20 years. There are companies like Sallie Mae, which act as middlemen between the U.S. government and students in the student loan plan. Such companies use draconian enforcement measures to get their money. If a co-signer, often a parent, dies before a student debt is repaid, the student is often forced to immediately repay the debt. Students also face outrageous prohibition on defaulting on their college loans. Even if they file for bankruptcy, they face indefinite servitude on student loans. Tuition has skyrocketed in public universities of California and Arizona. Many schools are closing too. Seventy-one percent of undergraduates are in debt. The average debt is almost $30,000. A 2013 study done by The Opportunity Nation coalition found that 15 percent of those aged 16 to 24 are neither working nor in school. That is why folks are fighting for free tuition in college.



By Timothy