Monday, August 11, 2014

Foreign Policy Issues and Issues in America

There is more information coming about the 2014 U.S.-African leaders’ summit. The summit wanted to invest in the next generation of African human beings. The meeting involved African leaders, business executives, White House officials, and other leaders. The summit members talked about trade, investment, young African leaders, sustainable development, peace, and security. The issue is that many of the African leaders have been involved in crimes against humanity, torture, and other evils. Also, many of the Western corporations have exploited the resources of Africa in an unfair fashion, which contributes to the massive economic inequality in many areas of Africa. Africa needs more human rights and economic justice in order for all of Africa to be free and liberated. Corrupt leaders and exploitative Western corporate actions are serious matters. Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenyatta has been accused of crimes against humanity, Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso has done human rights violations, Paul Kagame has been accused of many actions, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea has rigged elections too, etc. So, many of these people should not be meeting on revolutionizing Africa. Africans deserve strong leadership too. The masses of the people have the right to oppose bad leadership, so progressive leaders can control African nations. It was foretold decades ago by the famed Nigerian nationalist, author and statesman Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In 1967, at the 4th Summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity, Chief Awo spoke prophetically: ‘Today, Africa is a Continent of COMPETING BEGGAR NATIONS. We vie with one another for favours from our former colonial masters; and we deliberately fall over one another to invite neo-colonialists to come to our different territories to preside over our economic fortunes.’ Today, we see many African nations working with the same interests that have robbed and stolen African resources today. That is why Africans want African nations to have more self-reliance and to develop their own independent infrastructure without oppressive deals from the IMF or the Word Bank. In other words, Africans can unite more to create policies that can benefit Africans in general. There should be a continental wide war on poverty in Africa. Not only should corrupt leadership be gone, but neocolonialism from the West should be opposed and gone too.

There was the March 24th, 2014 international March against Monsanto that occurred worldwide. The protest was historic since it existed in six continents, 50 countries, and in 47 U.S. states. In 400 cities, the protests came about. Protesters wanted a ban on GMOs or genetically modified organisms or the right to reject GMOs with mandatory labeling. There have been massive debates about safe food supplies. About 90 percent of corn and soybeans in America is genetically modified. There are transgenic plants, which are known to invade other crops and transmutate. Children of all ages (with smaller bodies) suffer most from a corrupted food supply. Many children protesters were in the Austin protest. They carried signs and sang of the need for and the right to have clean food. Tami Monroe Canal, one of the initiators of the international march, argues that GMOs were put on the market without long-term, independent, peer-reviewed studies. There are more evidence and research about the lack of safety of genetically modified crops. Monsanto and other corporations support many of these crops. In 2012, California's Proposition 37 calling for mandatory labeling of GMOs in food was narrowly defeated despite Monsanto's immense spending to squash it. On May 8, Vermont became the first state to pass a GMO labeling law, and the state is prepared for what they feel is an inevitable lawsuit. The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a name that is popping up frequently these days whenever people organize to know and control what is in the food they are eating, has threatened to sue. 2 weeks later, two Oregon counties (Jackson and Josephine) passed county wide bans on growing GMOs. Monsanto and other GMO groups spent a record 1 million dollars to defeat the measure in just Jackson County. Jackson County's ban appeared on the ballot before Oregon Senate Bill (SB) 863 pre-empting GMO bans, but Josephine County's ban is at risk. Oregon's Ballot Initiative 44 requiring statewide mandatory labeling of GMO foods comes to a vote in November. The California Senate has taken up the issue again with SB 1381, and passage looks promising. We see that individuals and smaller groups are organizing petition drives against national and local grocers. I have no problem with GMO labeling on products. More than 60 countries around the world have some type of ban or mandatory labeling of GMOs and certain food additives. Monsanto and other gene giants are losing the public relations battle to the public’s desire to have a meal uncorrupted by weird additives and altered organisms that they find hard to comprehend and difficult to pronounce. We know that the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Area are not real free trade agreements. Such agreements will make it impossible or even illegal for an individual standing anywhere on the globe to know not only what nefarious additive is lurking in his lunch but where in the world is its point of origin. The right to know and the right to a safe food supply are basic human rights. It's a battle that we must win.


First, it is a total disgrace for the police to disrespect the grandmother by refusing to immediately tell her what happened to her grandson (or Michael Brown). That speaks volumes to the callous nature of many officers. Michael Brown was an unarmed Brother. It is clear that we have a crisis in our community where police misconduct is a serious problem. We have to realize that we are one community and we are at war literally. We are at war not only against racism, but against police terrorism (including poverty, etc.) which has taken the lives of our Brothers and our Sisters for years including decades. All of the facts of this tragic incident ought to be known. Obviously, there must be an independent, impartial investigation. We all want the truth regardless of what the truth is. The family of Michael Brown deserves answers and black people should be more united in recognizing that we are all in this together. The dignity of the black man should be respected and the dignity of the black women should be respected too. We should respect our similarities and differences. We all wish that the young Brother was alive and it is so unfortunate that he was killed. All of us express sympathies to the late young man's family and friends. The prison industrial complex was never created for advancing the interests of the black community. It was created to grow a vicious prison economy, exploit humanity, and prevent real revolutionary change in society. Watching each other’s backs is about embracing our culture as well since we all know that having concern for the wellbeing of our community (or for humanity) is related to the traditions of our ELDERS including our ancestors. People need to be reminded that such occurrences have transpired for a long time. With great unity comes great strength. Life is too short for devious, evil actions. That is why it is very important for black males in general including black females in general (regardless of class or age) to watch each other’s backs and support each other (because evil people play for keeps). The only way for evil to be combated is for good people to fight evil where ever it comes about. We have to develop unique plans and strategies to fight back. The old school BPP established a lot of legitimate plans that I believe that we should follow in our generation. We have to have the knowledge of self too. Without us knowing who we are as black humanity (and embracing our black consciousness), we can't be free. It is just as simple as that. We do this, because we CARE. Therefore, the movement for real social change should be inclusive of people from across ages, genders, and classes. People have the right to believe in following proactive action beyond just using rhetoric.


I think that the 2014 Mid-term elections are about the public’s perceptions about the President and Congress. Like always, we as black people should embrace our political independence. Now, embracing our political independence doesn’t mean that we embrace the agenda of the 1 percent. It took mass struggle and social including political action to end the Maafa, to end overt chattel slavery in the States, and to give workers’ rights to human beings. Therefore, we have to keep our eyes on the prize. We have to support the interests of the poor for human freedom and liberation requires that the poor receive economic justice. We have to CARE for our health, for our civil liberties, and for the environment (that means that I defend the Clean Air Act and I believe in opposing toxic waste dumping). The corporate agenda among both major parties are readily known. Therefore, we should be politically organized to defend the empowerment of the masses of the people (e.g. We need more community development and unique strategies to help our Brothers and our Sisters. Capitalism is not God). It is the revolutionary spirit that can make solutions a reality. I don't believe that black people should be forced to be Republicans or Democrats. In other words, we should be political Independents and think for ourselves. I will never ally with reactionary Tea Party Republican extremists. We have to work together and we ought to reject not only divide and conquer evil strategies, but we ought to reject xenophobia, lookism, & misogyny too. Every human being (regardless of color or background) is created with dignity and with value. Black people have every right to embrace our own thinking and to establish our own destinies as human beings. We should not only oppose racism, but imperialism too. Steve King has been an extremist for years. He is blatantly bigoted and xenophobic. He even said that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib was a little more than just "hazing." Therefore, his silliness and lies are easily refuted. The President is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, so I am sure that the Brother can pass a citizenship test. The most important thing is that new jobs need to be developed, human civil liberties ought to be protected, there is nothing wrong with equal pay or workers' rights, healthcare should be improved upon, and justice ought to flourish in the world. Steve King is a troll and a distraction in my eyes.


The kids did a courageous, great thing. The children wanted to show the world including the media that everyone in Chicago are not all killers, thieves, or other vicious criminals. These children have value. The children told the truth that they have just as much human value as anyone else. To solve problems, we have to learn about the stories of the people in the city of Chicago and never embrace some condescending attitude about people in urban communities. We should never express naiveté about violence in America (or refuse to promote solutions), which the children never wanted to promote. We should respect the humanity & the dynamic, resilient lives of these children. That is precisely the point that the 5th grades from the Bradwell School of Excellence wanted to show. The children are refuting false stereotypes and they should be praised for their honesty, strength and eloquence. If our people survived the inexpressible cruelties of slavery and the Maafa in America, then we can certainly succeed in our goals. A defeatist type of thinking doesn't solve anything since there is no solution in either defeat or apathy. In many generations, we have witnessed the same nay sayers and doubters. We should just ignore doubt and use faith, hope, and action. Many years ago, Dr. King said something that resonated with me. He said that hate is too great of a burden to bear. In other words, unjust hatred of people by virtue of a person's skin color is not only evil, but it wastes time and it will consume a person's soul in a negative fashion. History teaches us that racism is a constant problem and we have to understand it for what it is (and move forward by using PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS). Yes, I will never be like the racists or the haters. I will never let anyone cause me to hate on a PERSON because of their background. The parents are truly wrong and evil without question. I know about the philosophy of one great Sister. :) It is beautiful philosophy. I have known many people of many cultures and races that are progressive, upright, and humane. In our lives, we have known folks of many colors who treated us with dignity and with respect. I believe in Black love (I will believe in it forever), but true love is never limited based on ethnicity. That is why I will never use a slur against another person or use intentionally disrespectful language. The Creator taught all of us to stand up for justice and to treat our neighbor as ourselves. :)


By Timothy

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