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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Savant on Ron and Rand Paul

Ron and Rand Paul's opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (except in Federal employment) puts them on the Right, even as it put Barry Goldwater on the Right during the 1960s. Rand Paul's opposition to the achievements of the New Deal and all the accomplishments of the 1960s, also put him on the Right.(Oh yes, there were also those racist articles that Ron Paul now claims to know nothing about, which would put him pretty squarely on the Right. LIke father, like son? I wonder). I think I can infer Rand's attitude toward universal healh care. I think that would put him on the Right.

Two things which seem not to put him on the right is his stated opposition to the war on drugs and the military industrial complex (first denounced by Eisenhower, but now mainly opposed by the center left). And, of course, Rand Paul like libertarians in general (at least in America), is very pro-capitalist. Which in REALITY means wealth and political power concentrated in the elite hands of the 1%. It certainly has nothing to do with "free enterprise." Again, that seems pretty right wing to me.

-Savant
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One day we will tell you what life was like, especially for Blacks, when power rested more in the individual states. Suffice it do say that indivicual states didn't voluntarily end De Jure Jim Crow or political disfranchisement. They didn't voluntarily end slavery either. In fact, some states (especially in the South) were/are far MORE REPRESSIVE than the Federal gov. As for Ron Paul, I'm not sure that he isn't a racist. But I'm not buying the line that he only supports peoples right to be racist, Imagine telling a Jew you support peoples (or individual states') right to be Nazi even though you're not a Nazi. Of course, I can't stop someone from having racist or nazi opinions. But I can prevent states from acting on them, which is what the Civil Rights acts opposed by Ron and Rand Paul were about. Opposition to such laws does amount to support for racism and oppression. I suspect even YOU know that. And I'm still waiting to see your reply to Masud, or even to Ron Paul's racist articles. You are going to have to grow a backbone and become a man rathern than a racist. That, too, is FREEDOM!

-Savant

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 First of all, the largest opposition to fascism in much of Europe were SOCIALISTS. If you don't know the difference between socialism and fascism (even when a variety of fascism calls itself "national socialist"), then you're politically illiterate. I thought you'd see the analogy between considering Nazis (who KILLED socialists and other leftists)who CALLED themselves "socialist" (mainly to deceive workers) and Stalinists who CALLED themselves "democratic". If Nazis calling themselves "socialists" meant they really were, then Stalinist East German calling itself "democratic" would mean they really were. The important thing is not lexical meaning of the acronym "Nazi", but the actual SUBSTANCE of their ideology--militant reactionary nationalism and racism.

Now, socialism would involved democratic cooperative economy and democratic governance by the COMMON PEOPLE (especially working class folks). CLASS has a priority in socialist discourse even though they are aware of racism, sexism, etc. But socialism, a child of the Englightenment & democratic revolutions of the 18th & 19th Centureis, is in principle ANTI-RACIST, and considers its main adversary to be the privileged CLASS (or classes) Nazism is COMMITTED TO RACISM, to the division of humanity into a MASTER RACE (Aryans, white and ideally blonde) and supposedly INFERIOR non-Aryan and slave races (including ALL Blacks, Jews, and many non-Aryan whites). The SLAVE RACES, according to the Nazis were to be exterminated (which was the intended fate of all Jews) or enslaved (e.g. Slavs and nearly everyone else nom-Aryan) Search through the writings of socialists or communists like Marx, Bakunin, Rosa Luxemburg, Martin Buber, Martin Luther King, Jr, Emma Goldman, Erich Fromm, Fanon, Kropotkin, Albert Einstein, Oscar Wilde, or whatever socialist you choose.

You will find that they are EGALITARIAN--in contrast to the anti-egalitarianism of Fascism and Nazism---and they are committed to a certain humanism. Which contrast with the anti-humanist ideas and sentiments of extreme rightists such as one finds among Italian, Spanish & German (Nazi) fascists. It stands to reason, if you're not politically illiterate, that neither I nor any other socialist, could be at one and the same time FASCIST and SOCIALIST. A socialist might eventually become a fascist, as a liberal might eventually become a conservative, or a theist an atheist. One cannot be BOTH fascist and socialist at the same time. Hence your claim that I, a KNOWN democratic socialist and anti-racist can be a fascist---even a Nazi fascist--is a patent absurdity reflecting either ignorance or mental incompetence. And as an African-American I have as much chance of being a Nazi as I do of becoming a Klansman,even assuming I were mentally unbalanced enough to want to become such.
-Savant

News on New Years Eve of 2014

It is true that we live in an unique time of history. We know what the Republicans are all about. Many of them refuse to stand up against police terrorism in the black community. Many of them are outright protofascists who could care less about the interests of the poor. Some of them abhor economic justice, which can improve the socioeconomic situation of our people. Many of them are outright misogynists and racists. The neo-conservative Republicans believe in militarism and imperialism (that is why many GOP members want to make war with Iran, North Korea, Russia, etc.) Many Democrats have fallen into the failed faith of neoliberalism and even Empire. Therefore, we should embrace political independence and have respect for the masses of the people. Any unjust bill should be vetoed. While at the same time, we have to keep our eyes on the prize and always reject offensive rhetoric from fraudulent individuals like Hannity, Savage, Patrick Lynch, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, and others in that crew. "Mayor 1%: Rahm Emanuel and the Rise of Chicago's 99%" is a book written by Kari Lydersen. The book shows the truth about the neoliberal Rahm Emanuel. The situation in Chicago means that we have a long way to go. Regardless of the white supremacist talking points and lies, there are black people in Chicago working day in and day out in fighting the violence in Chicago. These unsung heroes should be respected and acknowledged not ignored or disrespected. Like always, poverty must be combated, there should be a massive rebuilding of communities, and members of the community (like the masses of the people) should always be part of the solution as Black Lives do Matter.


The police counter offensive is still going on in New York City. We have a situation where members of the NYPD have expressed a near mutinous response to the Mayor. Many sections of the media and the political elite want the status quo. Even when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has given support for the NYPD, the police met him with boos and jeers towards him (even on Monday when he addressed a ceremony for 900 graduating police cadets at Madison Square Garden). As de Blasio remarked during a groveling speech Monday that the new officers will face problems they did not create, one heckler shouted, “you created them.” That is a lie obviously. On December 20, 2014, a mentally unstable man killed two police officers named Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. This man also shot an African American woman named Shaneka Thompson. The actions of the mentally ill man were wrong and they have no justification. Many people have praised the police. Others have promoted the absurd notion that the police are under siege collectively not the workers and the youth, who are habitually harassed and brutalized by the police. There is an estimated 500 to 1,000 civilians who are victims of police killings every year in America. De Blasio has consistently praised the officers including Vice President Joe Biden who called the NYPD, “the finest police department in the world.” The NYPD, on Tuesday, has confirmed reports that the number of arrests massively decreased for the week. This was down 66 percent from the previous week. Traffic citations were down 94 percent, and parking tickets dropped by 92 percent as officers reduced their activity in protest over de Blasio’s feigned sympathy with demonstrations against police violence. Patrick Lynch (the disgraceful Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association) called for a slowdown and open defiance of orders after the killings of Ramos and Liu. A memorandum from the police union declared that the NYPD is now a “wartime” department. Lynch has pinned the blame for the killing directly on the mayor and the tens of thousands who protested peacefully against police violence. Patrick threatend that, “Those who allowed this to happen will be held accountable.” Lynch is a slanderous liar. Today, the NYPD is heavily militarized with over 35,000 cops on its forces. Police departments nationwide have an arsenal and a spying infrastructure under the guise of the “war on terror.” The NSA, the FBI, the CIA, and other military intelligence agencies work closely with the NYPD. De Blasio wants the rhetoric to be toned down. He is calling for unity. Bratton (who supports the anti-liberty broken windows policy) is allied with DeBlasio too. The movement will not retreat. “The fact that they seem to be more concerned with the lives of police officers than with the lives of young Black people is going to create a greater crisis of legitimacy, not just for the police, but for the American government and its local representatives around the country,” said Dr. Johanna Fernandez, professor of history and African American Studies at Baruch College. Justice doesn’t take a back seat, so protesters and other activists should continue to fight for justice.


The movie "Of Gods and Kings" is a fiction obviously. The ancient Egyptians originally were not white, northern Europeans. Ancient Egypt was an African civilization and black people lived in ancient Egypt as even mainstream archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians have documented. Ancient Egypt made huge contributions in medicine, architecture, government, and other aspects of human culture. Egypt today is a heavily conservative, religious nation, so it is inevitable for that country to ban the movie. I stand by my core convictions. The truth is that throughout the continent of Africa, there were ancient advanced civilizations from Songhai to Nubia. Now, the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Nubians did have many conflicts with each other (just like many Europeans had conflicts with each other historically too. The Celts and the ancient Romans had battles and wars with each other over territory and resources. For example, the Celt Vercingetorix including his forces fought against the Romans). Also, another point is to be made also. Historians, anthropologists, and other great scholars document how the Egyptians and the Nubians collaborated with each other too (and they intermarried with each other). Migrations occurred all of the time in Africa. There were many black people in ancient Egypt beyond a little minority. They traded with each other regularly. Various pharaohs of ancient Egypt are of Nubian origin as documented by F. J. Yurco. Maiherperi was an Ancient Egyptian noble of Nubian origin buried in the Valley of the Kings, in tomb KV36. In the New Kingdom, Nubians and Egyptians were often so closely related that some scholars consider them virtually indistinguishable, as the two cultures melded and mixed together (as documented by Bianchi).The black Nubians conquered ancient Egypt. The black King Piye ruled the 25th dynasty of Egypt. Also, sub-Saharan Africans have made great ancient civilizations too like ancient Nok, ancient Ghana, ancient Mali, Songhai, etc. The new Exodus should be exposed as total fiction as it is not historically accurate period. Therefore, there were black people in ancient Egypt.

Spirituality is a very important topic to discuss. Since the beginning of human history, spirituality has been discussed. Spirituality is about the relationship between human beings, their spirits, and God. Many people believe in God and many people don’t. Religious freedom is important to advance and support. Me personally, I believe in God because of many reasons. Yet, I don’t believe in forcing my views on people or using coercion in expressing my spiritual views. In the final analysis, the freedom of thinking and the freedom of conscience are precious, legitimate concepts that all of humanity should embrace. Yet, I am not ashamed of my views. I will never deny my belief in God in public or in private. In other words, I will publicly state my belief in God without apology. Humanity has value. Each human has DNA, have dignity, and should be treated fairly. That is why throughout our lives, we have to express empathy to fellow people. In that sense, we can not only do the right thing, we can fully express our total potential morally and spiritually. The Golden Rule is one big part of spirituality or an exemplary principle in general. It is found in Christianity and other religious teachings (like Judaism, Islam, Confucian teachings, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, etc.). The Golden Rule teaches that we should treat people as we would want people treat us. We love God and we love our neighbors as ourselves. We see how capitalist excess and capitalist exploitation are the total opposites of the principles of the Golden Rule. We have to not worship consumerism and have a totally selfish individual outlook (which is related to the evil philosophy of objectivism) on how to conduct our own lives. We should follow solidarism and altruism. It is this expression of the agape love and charity that not only helps people, but enriches the lives of the people.


We certainly live in a new generation. The struggle continues. ProPublica.org published a 10/10/2014 report called, “Deadly Force, in Black and White.” It reported that black people being killed by the cops is greater in proportion than whites being killed by the cops. The report says that young black people are about 21 times as likely to be killed by the cops as whites are. The Huffington Post also published the study too. We know about the explosion of the prison populations and police violence. Racism is not only related to these realities. We have the growth of economic inequality in America too. African American intellectual and political scholars have documented how economic and racial injustices are intimately interwoven. People of color and whites experience this economic injustice. An article in AlterNet.org by Lester Leopold entitled, “How Runaway Economic Inequality and Racism are Linked to Police Killings” talk about this very issue. This is why nonviolent courageous protesters in NYC, Ferguson, St. Louis, Baltimore, Boston, Oakland, Washington D.C. ,and all over the nation are standing up for justice. We have to be educated on our political reality in America. Even many “liberal” Democrats are actual centrists. Yet, there is a difference between a liberal Democrat and an increasingly fascistic Republican. That is why it is important to form a movement that desires real social change. The new movement standing up for black lives is inspiring. There was a militant labor movement in progress when FDR took office. Labor strikes existed so much in America during the 1930, that this inspired FDR to pass numerous progressive reforms dealing with Social Security, unemployment benefits, etc. Occupy Wall Street came about in response to Wall Street corruption during the early Presidency of President Barack Obama. Rosa Parks and other heroes of Montgomery established the new Black freedom Movement of the 20th century. This happened before Kennedy or Johnson took office. The Greensboro, North Carolina sit-in movement begins in February 1, 1960. If such movements happened in 2009 in a higher level, we might have seen a more progressive Obama. Racism is a system not just prejudices or biases. Therefore, we want the ending of the evil system of the 1 percent to be replaced with the system of justice.


By Timothy

Monday, December 29, 2014

More Links


http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12358


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/obery-m-hendricks-jr-phd/the-uncompromising-anti-capitalism-of-martin-luther-king-jr_b_4629609.html

https://www.facebook.com/laalpak/posts/10152041161992879


http://imixwhatilike.org/2014/11/28/marion-barry-amiri-baraka-and-rebellion-in-ferguson/


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Nixak.77*:

NYC, Feb 1965: The guy kneeling over a dying Malcolm X, Gene Roberts [a Malcolm body-guard], turned out to be a NYPD BOSS [Bureau of 'Special Services'] under-cover cop. The guy IDed as the shot-gun man during Malcolm's assassination [IE: 1 of the 5 Malcolm assassins] was seen by a witness walking in & out of an office in a nearby NYPD station- Without Escort & NOT in Handcuffs.
FYI: Turns out that of the 3 guys convicted for Malcolm's murder, 2 of them where NOT even there.

Memphis, April 4th 1968 [exactly 1 yr to the day after MLK gave his iconic anti Vietnam War speech]: The first to reach a dying MLK was a Memphis PD under-cover cop, Merrel McCullough, who later joined the CIA. In the 1999 civil trial: The King Family vs Loyd Jowers, Jowers named McCullough as one of his co-conspirators in the plot to assassinate MLK [Note: James Earl Ray was NOT named as a co-conspirator].

Chicago, Dec 4th 1969: The head of BPP's Chicago Chapter, Fred Hampton, is executed in his bed while sound asleep [he was drugged] in a joint FBI, Chicago PD, County Sheriff [= COINTELPRO] raid. The guy who gave the FBI & Chicago cops a detailed layout of Hampton's apartment, William O'Neal, who was Hampton's security chief [ala Gene Roberts for Malcolm]- was, you guessed it- yet another paid police informant who likely 'spiked' / drugged Hampton's drink just prior to his execution.

In J. Edgar Hoover's infamous 'Stop the Rise of a Black Messiah' memo Hoover specifically named Malcolm, Martin & the Black Panther Party [along w Kwame' Toure' aka Stokley Carmichael] as his main targets to be 'neutralized'.

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IMO likely the most 'revolutionary' act the BPP did was NOT the iconic pix of BPP members in black tams, leather jackets, shouldering rifles which gets the most hype [by the BPP- but even by the FEDs & cops to gin-up 'Mau-Mau' type fear among whites of scary Black dudes out to 'kill whitey' & 'off the pigs']- But rather the BPP's free breakfast prog to feed Black school-kids along w their free medical prog [contrary to this Findley / Ram-boo joker's rants]. Needed programs that Dim poly-tricksters & their approved 'Negro' leaders too often failed to provide [at the time]. Apparently 'J. Edgar's' COINTELPRO also saw this as just too revolutionary- which explains why so often when cops searched BPP offices across the US, using the guise of searching for illegal weapons- they destroyed &/or confiscated food & medicine ear-marked for the BPP's free breakfast & medical progs- along w printing equipment & supplies.

The other 'revolutionary' act the BPP tried to do that does NOT get enough attention, was the BPP's efforts to try to quell gang conflict both on the streets & in prison. The COINTELPRO response- was to use In-Filth-Traitor agent-provocateurs to 'ironically' stir-up conflict between the BPP & street-gangs; or to fabricate bogus charges against BPP members in jail & throw them in solitary for decades on end- like what happened to TRNN's honored RAI guest, Mr Eddie Conway.

Monday News Near 2015

It is not a secret that Hollywood is allied with the Pentagon and the rest of the military industrial complex. As time goes on, we know see the agenda behind the movie “The Interview.” There is massive media hysteria about this film when the reality is that the West is exploiting this controversy as a means to promote more aggression against Pyongyang including Moscow. There has been no conclusive evidence to prove the real identity of the hackers. So far, there has not been conclusive evidence that the hackers of the Sony website are from North Korea. They could be rogue elements from many nations. What is true is that America is not under attack by North Korea. The people who benefit from this controversy aren’t North Korea, but the Western elite. There is a huge funding of the U.S. spying agencies, the CIA, the NSA, etc. (who can hack and do surveillance for real). North Korea is now impoverished. For years, there has been economic funding of cyber research in America. Many people are watching this movie, which glamorizes the assassination of Kim Jong-Un even if it was meant to be satirical. No such movie would exist glamorizing the assassination of Benjamin Netanyahu at all. The Interview movie has direct and open involvement of the CIA and the Rand Corporation operatives who want to destabilize North Korea. The Star and co-director Seth Rogen admitted that, “directly with people who work in the government as consultants, who I’m convinced are in the CIA”. Originally conceived to be a plot taking place in an “unnamed country”, Sony Pictures co-chairman Michael Lynton, who also sits on the board of the Rand Corporation, encouraged the film makers to make the movie overtly about murdering Kim Jong-Un. Bruce Bennett, the Rand Corporation’s North Korean specialist, also had an active role, expressing enthusiasm that the film would assist regime change and spark South Korean action against Pyongyang. Other government figures from the State Department, even operatives connected to Hillary Clinton, read the script. So, this movie is part of a propaganda campaign to increase support for aggression against North Korea. Rogen, co-director Evan Goldberg, etc. met with military intelligence agents or months (and hanged out with them). Now, one North Korean person is wrong to say a statement that called the President a “monkey.” That was racist, offensive, and wrong. There is no need to disrespect anyone (that includes the President) unfairly. I am anti-imperialist and I’m anti-racist too. The CIA has done terrorism for decades and now they are still here. The U.S. has expanded military drills in the Asia-Pacific and signed new defense agreements in the region. Russia has been scapegoated for the problems of the Ukraine. The CIA and NATO supported the coup in Ukraine, which caused many neo-Nazi people to have positions of power of the new Ukrainian government. There is no evidence now that Russia took down the MH-17 jetliner either. Putin is not perfect, but Crimea has the right to have their self-determination and the Western sanctions have harmed the Russian economy. Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton are unison in their views on what to do about Russia as well. So, we should use caution and fight for goodness.


We know more about truth about the Michael Brown case. The prosecutor in the case knowingly presented false testimony favorable to the Ferguson cop. St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert P. McCullough admitted all of this in a radio interview. He said that he knew that the testimony from the person was false. Michael Brown was killed on August 9, 2014. McCulloch’s admission underscores the fact that the grand jury proceedings that failed to indict the Ferguson, Missouri cop were a highly manipulated legal fraud, set up from the beginning to exonerate Wilson. Contrary to standard procedure, McCulloch did not call for the grand jury to return any specific charges, but instead shaped the evidence in such a way as to be favorable to Wilson. The predetermined decision not to indict Wilson was then presented as the impartial judgment of a grand jury. McCullough admitted this after the Smoking Gun website revealed that the key “witness” in the grand jury was a racist, an open supporter of Darren Wilson, mentally ill, and had a history of providing perjured testimony. “This is a lady who clearly wasn’t present when this occurred, and she recounted this statement that was right out of the newspaper about Wilson’s actions, right down the line,” McCulloch told KTRS Radio in St. Louis, “even though I’m sure she was nowhere near the place.” Yet, McCullough cited her false claims in his press conference saying that the grand jury’s decision (to not indict Wilson) said that one witness said his movement as a full charge. The false witness is 45 year old Sandra McElroy. Reactionary pundits have used her testimony as a means to promote the grand jury’s decision. McCullouch said that he wanted to present all of the evidence, but a prosecutor does have discretion to not show the grand jury blatantly false testimony. McCullouch also slandered and tried to discredit eyewitnesses who provided evidence that Brown was a victim of a cold blooded police murderer. He also concealed the vile bigotry of McElroy and her history of lying to the police. The Smoking Gun said that McElroy’s Internet posts called African Americans slurs. She was sentenced in 2007 to two felony check fraud charges. That same year, she provided fraudulent statements to police regarding a child abduction case, which officers found to be a “complete fabrication.” McCulloch wants to shield her from perjury charges. This woman is a racist. Now, the killing of Michael Brown has caused a new movement or social change. The militarized police cracked down on peaceful protesters. Protesters and reporters including observers were illegally arrested, subject to tear gas, subject to rubber bullets, etc. Thousands of police and Missouri National Guard members once were in Ferguson. These events prove that the legal system is a farce. It is wrong for a prosecutor to knowingly present perjured testimony to a grand jury. He or the prosecutor manipulated the grand jury process, so Darren Wilson won’t become indicted. We have to continue to stand up for the truth.


The vast majority of the poor don’t have massive drug addiction problems. In 1999, Michigan had a similar pilot program of random drug testing of welfare recipients in the state. A federal judge found that program unconstitutional (as in violation of the Fourth Amendment), because it had the absence of suspicion. That is why Snyder made a new suspicion based screening and testing program. Snyder is in league with the austerity agenda. Snyder capped on how long state residents can get TANF benefits in 2011. His tax plan is one of the most regressive in America. He has cut massively Michigan’s Earned income Tax Credit, which has historically helped the poor. Currently, someone in the poorest 20 percent of Michigan taxpayers pays a tax rate of 8.9 percent, while someone in the richest one percent pays 5.3 percent. I have noticed that other people in state government, who are not poor, are not drug tested based on suspicion of drug use (in the same level as welfare recipients). If welfare recipients are going to be drug tested, then all state elected government officials should be drug tested too. Me personally, there are alternatives like creating an independent program of addressing drug addiction, of eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse, and of creating a state program to address poverty more comprehensively. So, we should have a fair, compassionate policy where double standards don’t exist. Yet, we live in a society where corporations receive record tax breaks and tons of other handouts while the poor are readily scapegoated in an evil fashion by many people. Economic justice means that structures must change. Rudy is a total disgrace. How dare Rudy exploit the mayor's biracial son for political gain? Mayor DeBlasio said nothing offensive about this situation and he should apologize about nothing. He has constantly prayed for and shown respect to the NYPD. Rudy has talked about the South in the 1960's. Well, oppression still occurs today not just back then. The North in the 1960's had massive racism, police brutality, economic deprivation, and other forms of oppression as well just like the South. We still live in a society where the 1 percent has allowed record income inequality and we will stand up for the dignity of humanity. Giuliani is a liar and a total deceiver. DeBlasio has showed amazing restraint. At the end of the day, people deserve justice and we are opposed to police terrorism.


First, we feel their frustration (from the Millennial Activists United Co-creator Ashley Yates, local hip-hop artists T-Dubb-O and Tef Poe including Tory Russell). They have every right to express anger and disgust at how many celebrities are silent on important issues at what is going on in Ferguson, NYC, etc. So, these young people should voice their grievances and fight back against oppression. They are right that 1 percent corporate executives (who could care less about the interests of the masses of the people, because they promote music, movies, TV shows, etc. filled with misogyny, nihilistic violence, materialism, false racial stereotypes, and capitalist excess all of the time) won't stand up in defense of the truth. Too many celebrities refuse to speak out at least against racism and police brutality. Some celebrities have spoken out on this issue publicly, but it is a small number. We shouldn't worship celebrities anyway. Our relatives, our friends, and our neighbors are some of our authentic role models. We are all oppressed by a materialistic, evil, and racist system. Many of the police have used rubber bullets, tear gas, and even LRAD sound weapons on men, women, and even children. These actions and more outline police terrorism. There is no freedom without struggle. There is no freedom without economic and political power. There is no freedom without the liberation of men and women. There is no freedom without the knowledge of self (as proclaimed by our elders for decades). In other words, freedom is also about the elimination of the chains of psychological or mental slavery. We have to know who we really are and respect who we are as black human beings. We have to think in a revolutionary fashion, love our blackness, and reject propaganda from the corporate media in order for us to be truly free. One of the great things that people can do is to withdrawal economic support from any business or anyone who refuses to take the right stand (or is oppressing black people). There is nothing wrong with boycotts either. Therefore, these young Brothers and young Sisters should organize and grow their own independent political and economic power. They should continue to oppose police brutality and create more grassroots, community-based programs that will combat poverty, social injustices, etc. We have to build. Having alliances with all people of black African descent internationally (as advocated by Malcolm X, etc.) is fine with me too. The corrupt system (which is controlled by the 1%) also uses class oppression. The oppressive structures of society ought to be gone. We have to keep on advancing the real principles of humanity and justice.


This is a very important issue. Violence against black women is found globally not just in America. We should not only condemn violence against black women, but cause anyone who does that evil to be held accountable. Certainly, enough is enough. Humanity can never ascend into a higher level unless violence against black women is gone. Stephanie Moseley had her whole life ahead and she was murdered by Earl Hayes. Shaneka Thompson is a strong black woman and she was shot by her ex-boyfriend Ismaaiyl Brinsley (he also killed 2 NYPD officers named Rafael Ramos and Wenjian). Kristy Flowers (who was a law student in Arlington, VA) was killed by Ray Savoy. We should also remember the Sisters who were killed by the police or other vigilantes. The victims are Sisters like Tyisah Miller, Aiyana Jones, Yvette Smith, Rekia Boyd, Kathryn Johnson, and so many other black Sisters. The media doesn’t report on these murders a lot. Violence in the black community in general should be totally condemned no matter who does it. The respect for the human dignity of all black people is a necessity. We have to honest and fight against racial oppression. Also, we should stop violence against black women too. Black men and Black women deserve not only equality and freedom, but justice as well. More men have to stand up against the abuse and murder of black women too. We have to treat each other as family for real. We have to fight against extreme patriarchy and the system of white supremacy. This fight for liberation will be a long one. Yet, we have the right to be liberated by any means necessary.



By Timothy

Conscious Words

In a way, my attitude toward di Blasio is like my attitude to Obama which I expressed in an interview with a French journalist in Bmore a couple of months before Obama's election. Namely, I will wait and see; but I also think that social movements may be more important in the long run than the election o this or that particular liberal politician. Don't misunderstand. I prefer De Blasio to some Republican loons even as I preferred Obama to his rightist Republican reactionaries. I see the Republicans as not only a corporate party (as are the Democrats), but also a proto-Fascist party. And unlike thos stupid European Stalinists of the 1930s, I'm not foolish enough to think that elections don't matter. But the critical thing is to build the MOVEMENT. Then let New York's mayor reveal where he stands in that context. He ran largely on the platform of reforming the police and ending their harassment and brutality against Black and Latin communities. Now movement is developing in these communities and among white allies against the very police brutality that the mayor ran against. Under pressure from the police he called for protestors to suspend demonstrations until after the funerals of the two murdered police officers. But many demonstrators have refused, often severely criticizing the mayor. They apparently felt that the mayor was giving in to a kind of emotional blackmail, a surrender which implies a virtual acceptance loony accusation that the demonstrators--in their NONVIOLENT protest---were responsible for the deaths of those officers. So we will see if the new purportedly progressive mayor will turn out to be like Obama---eloquently giving progressive sounding speeches while doing little concretely to promote progressive policies--or whether he will do whatever is possible within the limits of his office to put some teeth in all that progressive rhetoric, and to DO what he promised while running for office. We will see. But our primary task is to advance the struggle independently of di Blasio, Obama or anyone else. 

-Savant

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 In fact, the Black Panther Party founded in 1966 no longer exist. And we cannot simply bring them back as the incensed young coed suggested to her history prof. But what we can do is renew the REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT of the Panthers, SNCC, Martin, Malcolm, Fannie Lou and others in a new wave of popular progressive struggles. And I am so PROUD of my students--and have TOLD them so--that they are doing wonders to raise the level of our struggle. I'm proud of young Black people and their young allies of all groups who are promoting the cause of freedom and social justice. -Savant

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 I doubt that 45 million Blacks in America will all change their names. But with or without European names, I would like to see us change our CONSCIOUSNESS and our VALUES in a revolutionary direction. Abandon the values and ideology of racism and capitalism.

 -Savant

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 How is it possible that Black policemen often get the same treatment as ordinary Black folk? Because even with their badges they are still BLACK in racist America. Same reason why I've endured a number of incidents of harassment from the cops AFTER I graduated and began my profession as BEFORE when I was just another poor brother from the hood. I may have a Ph.D, but I'm still Black. The cop may have a badge, but he's still Black. And at least when he's not in uniform he looks like any other "n****r" to the cops.

 -Savant

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 As we have now EXPLAINED repeatedly that we've been talking about the ORIGINAL Black Panthers, only a simpleton could think that T-BOZ's references to that poser Farrahkhan has any relevance, or that reference the so-called "new" Panthers have relevance. As for the fact that some Black men became "successful " during the 1960s, that is quite irrelevant. Some Blacks became successful during the time of SLAVERY, you stupid goose. So what? It is LIBERATION from institutional racism, capitalist economic oppression and police terror that issue. And the main thing for which no excuse can be made is systematic oppression and injustice, or or the lame apologies for injustice.

 -Savant

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 Now aside from the fact that fascist pig cops also kill Black and Brown women and children at far higher rates than white women and children (I wonder why?), one might wonder how Doufus T-BOZ can explains the hundreds of thousands of not only BLAC, WOMEN, but white, Brown, Asian men and women who are rallying to the cause of Black victims of police brutality? Indeed, there are some demonstrations in which whites equal or exceed the number of Blacks in protesting police terror against communities of color. We know from her many posts that T-BOZ reads little, has at best a mediocre education, and perhaps less than mediocre intelligence. But even without reading or even thinking very much (which T-BOZ rarely does anyway) how could she MISS what even appeared on TELEVISION! She had to have noticed that there was/is a multiracial movement against police terror against African American people. No, the war isn't between Black men and everyone else. If it was Black men would be marching ALONE. The war is between Black America and her PROGRESSIVE non-Black allies, and the racist forces of reaction and repression. It is ultimately between the HAVES and HAVE-NOTS; and collectively, the have nots who are most conscious of their oppression are the African-American MASSES. Blacks stand in greatest contradiction to the entire social order, and cannot be liberated from their oppression except by a radical transformation of the entire social order. Yet, black men and women are not the only oppressed people. Latin folk are about as oppressed as we, and certainly have nearly equal level of concentrated poverty. (And they experience the humiliationg rituals of being detain for driving while brown). But there's more. The MAJORITY of whites are an oppressed population, virtual serfs of the white ruling class. The 1%. They have generally been LESS AWARE of their oppression than have Blacks and Latin and Native American peoples. But some of them are coming around as well. Even some who will not join the demonstrations are beginning to think: "If militarized cops with tanks and rubber bullets can attack NONVIOLENT demonstrators in the Black community of Ferguson, how long will it be before WE are attack as well? If we don't stop this police state while it's trampling on the Black people, then it just a matter of time before WE are trampled as well." SOME white folks are waking up. So, it is not a war between Black men and everyone else, but a struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed. And we'd better prepare for the reality that SOME Blacks (however much a minority) will be on the side of the OPPRESSOR, while some whites are going to surprise a lot of folk by allying themselves with the OPPRESSED. The Struggle continues!

 -Savant

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Commentaries

The Black population is about 13%--14% of the total American population. Like every other community were are constituted of men and women. There was no law requiring American to exploit Black labor for over 400 year, building up the great (albeit unequal) wealth of white America compared to the relative poverty of Black America. Of course, there were laws PERMITTING the exploitation of Black labor, and protecting the right of exploiters by force of arms. If Black Americans leave then we ought to receive at least a third of all the wealth that is America's. We created a disproportionate part of it

 -Savant

 _______________

 Good morning, Sioux sister. And a wonderful holiday to you also. It looks like there will not be a snowy white Christmas in Baltimore. With regard to the protests against police brutality, I doubt that they will cease here or in DC. I don't know how the Movement in NYC will respond to the mayor's call to suspend protests until after the funeral of the two policemen. I've mixed feelings, for the killings were horrific. And the guy who did it came from Baltimore. Damn! But I also think that the killings of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and some folk here in Bmore who I won't mention now, are no less horrific than the killings of those cops. And I don't recall that the police or anyone else were asked to cease or put on hold anything that they were doing while these victims of police terror were being mourned and put to rest. At any rate, I'm getting my mind back to family and friends. I doubt that will be any demonstrations on Christmas. LOL! If so, I will have to opt out that day. And I'm not even religious. But I guess I feel that the creation of holidays is one of the positive things (or results) religion has offered civilization. Free time and space from the never ceasing demands of the workaday world--leisure. One can never get enough of it. And I look forward to it. Perhaps, I'll contact you away from this Topix madhouse. Seasons Greetings to you and yours. 
-Savant

 _________________


 Pay attention to this racist, but be smart enough to see through him. At least SOME white racists will say the same thing as he about Africans. And then they will promote disdain among us for Africa by denigrating Africans. "Africans are savages, cannibals, raping war mongering barbarians"-- -as if the history of Europe wouldn't allow us to make similar claims about the ancestral homelands of white Americans. Later, some of these same white racists will be telling Africans that we're all lazy, dumb, crude, thuggish, whoring, criminals. And while we Black Americans and our African kindred are fighting and fussing with each other, the racists and imperialists are laughing all the way to the bank. Well, if we can't see through this we're fools. You've heard the expression: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME." This crap has been going on for at least 400 years, people. It's way past time to WAKE UP!

-Savant

Friday News in late December 2014 (Time Continues to go Forward)

The state of Oklahoma is to resume lethal injections. This action will allow more executions of death row prisoners. The experimental injection cocktail is to be used to cause people to die via an execution. The state wants to resume executions by mid-January according to statements from the Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton. Mid-January is the time when the state will administer a similar concoction of lethal chemicals (in the dosage of midazolam raised from 100 milligrams to 500 milligrams) to death row inmate Charles Warner. Warner was originally scheduled to be executed immediately after Locket. In addition to Warner, the state wants to execute at least three other prisoners by March of 2015 as said by Patton. The Oklahoma death row prisoners and human rights activists tried to prevent the use of the lethal mixture in the horrific “botched” execution of Clayton Lockett in April. U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot said that the injection used on Lockett did not violate the 8th Amendment and other legal prohibitions against torture. Medical experts told Friot that the state’s decision to inject Lockett with a relatively untested combination of poisonous drugs constituted an act of illegal human experimentation. There are similar compounds that have been used before for lethal injection and the federal courts cannot determine the “best practices” for carrying out executions. Friot still authorized the state to end its temporary moratorium on the death penalty adopted after Lockett’s agonizing death in April. Lockett died after experiencing cruel and unusual punishment. This is like torture. The execution lasted for almost 45 minutes when it was supposed to finish in a quarter of an hour. Lockett collapsed from a massive heart attack. He was writhing in pain on the table. He was struggling to breathe (until a screen was drawn to prevent witnesses from observing he remained of the process). Lockett's "whole upper body was lifting off the table" at times during the execution, according to his attorney. Lockett was the first prisoner to be killed by Oklahoma with a lethal injection including midazolam, a benzodiazepine class drug which sedates the inmate to the point of paralysis, thereby concealing the true extent of the pain inflicted by the secondary injections. Midazolam "does not relieve pain and does not maintain prisoners at an adequate level of anesthesia" according to expert medical testimony cited by Dale Baich, an attorney for the prisoners. As such, the midazolam-containing lethal injection cocktail used on Lockett produces immense suffering even when it is "correctly" administered, Baich said. This is why prisoners were left paralyzed on the gurney. They can’t speak as they get shots of vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride, substances that are known to cause intense pain before producing suffocation and heart failure. The chemicals failed to puncture the vein of Lockett. So, he experienced unimaginable pain. The recent reports mention that the state employee who administrated the drugs knowingly used an insufficiently long needle to make the injection. Joseph Wood remained alive on the execution table for two hours while furiously gasping for breath. This is barbarism. This is what fascists did in history. We have to oppose any form of barbarism in the prison industrial complex.

Mozambique farmers are turning to natural sweet potatoes (instead of GMOs) to improve nutrition, yields, and income. This is being done, so vitamin deficiencies are curbed. The non-genetically modified, vitamin enriched sweet potato exists in many varieties and can be suitable for many climates in which they’ll grow. This is shown in a new report by SciDev.net The Orange fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) initiative is about an estimated 135,000 smallholder farmers in Mozambique (half of these farmers are women) are expected to begin growing the new varieties in an effort to provide a rich source of vitamin A. About 70 percent of the people living in Mozambique suffer from Vitamin A deficiencies. Most of these human beings are women and children under the age of five. Medium to deep orange colored sweet potatoes give great nutrition as they are rich in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a building block for vitamin A. Just a half of cup of boiled or mashed orange sweet potatoes provided a child under give with adequate daily vitamin A intake according to ReliefWeb.int. Vitamin enriched sweet potatoes yield 20-25 metric tons a hectare, compared with 10 metric tons for ordinary varieties. Female farmers are using this as well. Launched in the 1990s, OFSP is sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Mozambican government, which provided more than $1 million in funding. More than 15 years of research resulted in 58 crops samples being imported from countries like China, Kenya, Tanzania and the U.S., with the first large-scale field testing conducted by the south Mozambique branch of the International Potato Center (CIP), a global research-for-development organization focused on roots and tubers. There has been more than a decade of research results in natural, orange fleshed sweet potatoes resistant to drought and heavy rains. There are eight varieties identified by the CIP as producing good yields according to reports. The research was not always easy to get. In 2000, test plots were destroyed after the region had widespread floods in the low lying areas of Mozambique. After the flood, USAID and the Mozambican government created a plan to distribute the eight top yielding varieties to an estimated 120,000 households. There is drought that can be a problem for farmers as well. There have been 15 strains developed with help from the Helen Keller International. Eight of those drought-resistant, orange fleshed sweet potatoes were successfully trailed in seven of the country’s 11 provinces in 1999 according to SciDev.net. The sweet potatoes can be easy to cultivate and harvest as compared to ordinary varieties. Farmers’ income can improve and demand for vitamin A rich potatoes is growing. There are many creative uses of sweet potatoes in African nations. Sweet potatoes have been a great food staple in Africa. NPR said that the Portuguese introduced the food centuries ago. In Uganda, amukeke, or sun-dried sweet potatoes, are often eaten for breakfast topped with peanut sauce and accompanied by a cup of tea. Inginyo, or sun-dried crushed sweet potatoes, are mixed with cassava flour and tamarind (sticky, brown acidic pulp from the tamarind tree), forming a food called atapa. This is usually eaten with smoked fish cooked in peanut sauce, according to Sweetsp.com. The sweet potato’s vine tips and leaves are used as a vegetable in many African nations, which outlines the crop’s versatility in terms of nutrition.


In any revolutionary struggle, there should be an understanding of concepts and what we are up against as human beings. The capitalist ruling class has oppressed black people and other people globally. The evil of imperialism (which is a system where a few people get wealth, exploit people, and deprive human beings of inherit human rights) must be opposed. Imperialism is readily linked to capitalism (which an economic system that is dominated by corporations and banks). Imperialism like capitalism relies heavily on the exploitation of labor and resources. That is why the two interimperialist wars of the 20th century dealt with the fight for markets and resources. After WWII, America became the top imperial power in the world. Imperialism exists today in the Middle East and in Africa (via AFRICOM). We see the growth of the prison industrial complex, alliances like NATO, multinational corporations (who love monopoly capitalism), Wall Street, etc. working together as a means to grow profits at the expense of human dignity. The Western imperialist system has been complicit in the police murder of Black people, the murder of Iraqis and Ukrainians too. Many economic alternative systems like cooperatives, socialism, etc. are better than monopoly capitalism. Revolutionary change is needed in the world. Throughout history, people stood up against monarchy, colonialism, fascism, and other tyrannies. White supremacy/racism is the system which is the foundation of Western imperialism and the worldwide capitalist system. White supremacy is based on the lie that whiteness is superior. The same system of white supremacy founded modern America as a nation and used the suffering of black Africans as a means to economic exploit black people and other human beings. International solidarity is necessary. The poor and the workers are oppressed globally. Cuba supported African liberation movements. That was great. Black Americans historically have always believed in self-determination and allied with fighters against imperialism worldwide. That is why heroic Black Women like Claudia Jones and Assata Shakur connected the struggle against racism in America to the plight of colonized people everywhere. The Black Panther Party opposed the Vietnam War since the war was not only morally wrong, but the ruling class exploited the Vietnamese people in the most brutal fashion possible. Being anti-imperialist is a necessity of being a revolutionary. The mass incarceration state is evil and unjust. It has been related to the War on Drugs too, which has harmed communities. The deindustrialization and the bad legal policies have grown the prison population. So, grassroots organizing is necessary. Also, we have to learn and understand the truth in a comprehensive fashion.We have to grow a sense of community and treat each other as full human beings.

Sister Tawanda Jones is a hero. She has been at the forefront in fighting back against police terrorism in America. Of course, she has great compassion and a stoic, courageous mentality. She wants justice and she wants to live in a society where Brothers and Sisters are not gunned down in the streets. The FOX affiliate issued their "apology," because of pressure not because of any sincere respect for Tawanda Jones or the protesters. The news channel hurt this Sister’s feelings and that news affiliate is wrong for slandering that strong black woman. As a black human being, I will always love black people and I will always love Africa. The media lies all of the time. They lied about the Iraq War and many racists have lied about the protesters. The protesters are strong people who want communities to not experience abusive police occupation. These protesters believe that Black Lives Matter (which is true), they want an end to racial profiling, and they want justice. I am in solidarity with Sister Tawanda Jones 100 percent. Certainly, there must be a demilitarization of the local police and an end to racial profiling. The police are not gods and black lives do matter. Black people have the right to stand up for truth as blackness is beautiful. There must be an outright end to the War on Drugs and the prosecution of any fascist, crooked cops. There must be dignity shown to the homeless, because many homeless people have been violated of their human rights too. There is nothing wrong with research and data found on policing, but that is not enough. We need revolutionary change where the system of oppression must end and be abolished.


The evil people in society want to use the same old divide and conquer strategy in trying to make black people go after each other based on class, skin complexion, nationality, etc. As many have eloquently mentioned, we should never fall for the trap. My black relatives exist in tons of hues. They exist in light, brown, and dark. I love all of my relatives equally. That is what it should be. No black person should have a superiority complex based upon their skin complexion, which the Creator gave to that person. We should be thankful of our melanin (as our melanin is beautiful and a gift), but we should not degrade someone based on their hue. That is the precise point that ought to be emphasized. We have to oppose any male who wants to demonize black women or women in general. We can’t be liberated or free unless all people, regardless of their gender, are free. We are all black. We are all of black African descent. Therefore, eliminating distractions, focusing on cooperation, and loving our blackness are commonsense actions that we should do. We have to teach children too that their being is beautiful and to refute the evil lie that white is better. Children have to taught at an early age that black is beautiful straight up. Black women have every right to express their own self-determination and to fight back against any form of oppression. We love Africa too as Africa is our ancestral homeland. Black people should be free and have total justice. Many black men have been ridiculed and disrespected because of their skin complexion. That is wrong. That also should be condemned and opposed. Life has meaning and actions can affect so many people. We have to not only condemn evil and stand for truth. We have to build people up who need to be built up and we have to use our discernment to reject any unwarranted distractions. Those who want to deceive others and those who embrace colorism should not be supported at all. I will promote goodness in the Universe. The humanity of black women should be respected. Human compassion is important too. The strength is that we are black. :) Life is a journey. It will exist in numerous parabolas, but we will see this journey to the end and we will always stand up for the dignity and the humanity of black people.


By Timothy

Our Eyes are Open and we will not Stop.

Many people have their eyes open. Many people have opened their eyes that we can’t live in a society where police brutality and oppression flourishes in the world. The man who killed the officers had mental illness and he shot his ex-girlfriend. This tragedy has been exploited by Patrick Lynch and others as a means for some to try to suppress the rights of the protesters. Also, the families of Ramos and Liu should receive prayers and sympathy. They are going through so much and human life has dignity. At the same time, we have to keep our eyes on the prize. The prize is justice and freedom. Communities should be improved upon, police terrorism must cease, and unjust laws must end. There are double standards here too. Many of the same police officers who slander the protesters never express grief over the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Aiyana Jones, and others. The same officers who turned their backs to Mayor De Blasio (which is an action by these cops meriting reprimand) lecture us on professionalism and decorum. So, we should defend the dignity of all innocent human life, but we will not stay silent. We will not stay silent in a society filled with economic inequality and racism. We will never stay silent in the midst of vicious slander against our black people. We will fight as our ancestors did. Our ancestors were heroes. It is the Creator and the Holy Spirit along with the ancestors that give us that strength today. That strength is not for show. That strength was shown when our ancestors ended the Maafa, caused the Haitian Revolution to be a success, and ended the Confederacy forever. When we have true unity, and true solidarity as one people, then we will be free indeed. We won’t stop until justice comes down like thunder. People have the right to protest and speak their minds. The movement for real social change should never be silenced. We deserve justice. There are Afro-Brazilians fighting for justice. Many Afro-Latinos are in anti-racist organizations demanding justice for black people in many countries. African Americans have every right to be in solidarity with all people of black African descent. That grows power and it is so beautiful to learn about the black Diaspora.


Certainly, there has to be a change. Hip hop, for a number of years, have been infiltrated by corporate multinational corporations who could care less about the art or about any hip hop artist (regardless of their background) in general. They care about financial profits and cultural exploitation. There is not going to be a solution unless we address the origin of the problem and the problem that exists today. To be real, we have to address misogyny, the corporate exploitation of the art form of hip hop, and establish solutions. Azalea Banks has expressed a lot of emotion and pain in her recent interview. We (as black people) know where that pain comes from. It comes from our struggle and it comes from how we, as black people, have not been totally respected as human beings in mainstream Western society. At the end of the day, we should not care if the powers that be like us or not. We should care about helping black people and helping others in a positive direction. Iggy Azalea has to realize that she has white privilege and we don’t live in some post-racial society. Iggy's stereotypical portrayals of black women in videos are highly disturbing and TI supports her doing these things. Q-Tip (who is not perfect and I make no excuses for his errors) expressed great points on this issue. There are tons of black artists with much greater talent than Iggy (like Jean Grae, etc.), but they don’t have that shine. Progressive hip hop voices have been greatly suppressed. If we want to get things done, then we have to defend and stand up for our black culture. We have to grow our institutions and we have to show that just because we love our blackness doesn’t mean that we hate other people in a vicious fashion. We just love our blackness.

Bill O’Reilly is a disgraceful person. He called a person a racist slur on television. He said offensive remarks about black people for years. The truth is that the black teenage pregnancy rates have declined massively since 1992. For him to talk like that to Dr. Martin Luther King III truly shows his character. I will never support FOX News. I will never support reactionary Republicans at all. Bill O’Reilly ignores the issues about police terrorism, about the evils of imperialism, about the necessity of economic justice, and about how the War on Drugs has been destructive and it has not worked. He or Bill readily ignores real issues since addressing real issues will refute his arguments. People have every right to wear “I Can’t Breathe” T-Shirts. Structures of society must be changed and justice should exist for black people. He also cursed out and threatened to assault Jeremy Glick, because Glick wanted a more peaceful, progressive foreign policy (and he opposed the Afghan and Iraq wars). Glick told his story of that interview. He or Bill tries to act like a bully, but he lacks logic. When someone disagrees with him, he goes off the deep end and raises his voice unnecessarily. He tries to lecture the black community, but he refuses to talk about the minimum wage, police terrorism, the viciousness of the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and other important issues. He is a reactionary extremist. We are fighting against the agenda of the corporate capitalist elite (or the 1%). We don't want fascistic police terror. We see the crisis of global capitalism and we want a real, revolutionary change in the world.

In the final analysis, we have to be free. Freedom involves the freedom of religion and the freedom of conscience. So, people have the right to believe in spirituality or not. Yet, we have to show accurate information. Many people use distorted information as a means to advance an agenda (of trying to end all forms of spirituality in a vicious fashion or they try to form an authoritarian, theocratic state basically. I reject these aims, because I believe in freedom and liberation). So, we have to get to the facts and allow human beings to be respected of their human dignity. There is the story about Constantine and the Council of Nicea too. Constantine was a Roman Emperor who used his political connections to support the Council of Nicea. The Council of Nicea did not invent the modern biblical canon. There are over a dozen of canons of the Bible. Constantine did not form the Biblical canon at Nicea. Nicea never really dealt with the canon of the Bible. Other regional council touched on the canon of Scripture like the Council of Hippo in 393 and the Council of Carthage 397 A.D. Many historical scripts have been created long after 1 A.D. The book called the history of Joseph the Carpenter was not written until the 6th or 7th centuries. The Gospel of Barnabas was composed in Italian during the 14th century. The Gospel of the Essenes (or Essene Gospel of Peace) was a 20th century hoax by Bordeaux Szekely. The Avodah Zarah is a tractate in the Talmud. It dates to the third century AD. That’s too late for consideration in the New Testament canon. The Hebrew word of Solomon has nothing to do with 3 names for the sun either. The late 33rd Degree Freemason Manly P. Hall has promoted this claim as well. Here is the truth. The word is used in the Bible and would have been used by Hebrew speaker as Shlomoh (שְׁלֹמֹה). The name Shlomoh derives from the same Hebrew root as Shalom and means “peace.” It has nothing to do with the sun, nor does it in anyway correspond with the Hebrew word for sun. Additionally, the old esoteric doctrine that Sol-Om-On comprises three different words for sun can’t be true since no possible division of the original Shlomoh will even yield three individual syllables possessing vowels. So, people have the right to agree or disagree with spirituality, but it is wrong to use falsehoods in discussing about spirituality. That is the point.


The courage of past civil rights heroes is admirable. They risked their own lives, their resources, etc. as a means for them to fight for human rights. Today, we live in the midst of a new movement, which is part of the same black liberation struggle. This movement is made up of heavily the youth, the poor and the working class. Nonviolent action has worked to cause social change. The nonviolent Birmingham Bus Boycott worked and other nonviolent actions have worked in history. Also, there is nothing wrong with self-defense either. I believe in self-defense. I do respect any conscious person who is nonviolent for sincere reasons and walk their talk though. Today, many people are protesting nonviolently. Also, people are educating people on laws, so unjust laws can end. Many activists are working in their own communities to combat poverty, racism, discrimination, and economic exploitation. We certainly need a revolution of values and revolutionary change where the social order is changed for the better. Reform is not enough. We need a true, concrete revolution. A society must be people-oriented and not thing oriented. We should use the movements of Selma and Ferguson as a way for us to keep on going. A cooperative society is possible, but we have to fight for it. We have to fight against record economic inequality and build in our communities. We have to be politically empowered in an independent fashion if we want to be truly free. The truth about Assata Shakur is that there has been no gun fingerprints on Assata Shakur's hands or on her body. She had no gun residue on her hands. She was a victim of being shot by the police. One officer recanted his story and said that he did not see Assata Shakur shoot him. Therefore, the slander against this brave Sister falls apart. Therefore, she should be pardoned. Her wisdom is amazing and the FBI, the CIA (whose asset Luis Posada Carriles killed over 70 people, yet he is not in prison), etc. committed murder, civil liberty violations, torture, illegal spying, and other crimes for decades.


By Timothy

Monday, December 22, 2014

Savant's Words in Late December 2014

Cornel West was arrested as a suspected dope dealer while wearing a suit. LOL! Cops thought he couldn't have afforded the suit unless he was a drug dealer. A state senator was detained by police because a HOMELESS white woman said he stole her purse. (I wonder if she ever HAD purse). Everybody except some naïve persons of European descent knows that the cops would have laughed, or maybe ARRESTED the woman, if she were Black and the state senator white. Unfortunately, we have ONLY the stories of Zimmerman (a thug known for domestic abuse and violence against the police! Interesting how whites defend him), and Darren Wilson. But we do know that Zimmerman accosted Trayvon Martin, who probably attacked Zimbo with a deadly bag of Scittles. We know that Brown had his hands up when shot. We also know that NEITHER Trayvon nor Brown were ARMED, and their assailants were. Now imagine an vigilante snuffing out the life of a white kid even if the vigilante was white. He'd have been at least detained by the police. And given what we know about patterns of policing (well established and researched), if Zimbo had been BLACK and the kid white, nothing in heaven and earth could have saved him from arrest....that is, if the cops didn't decide on the spot themselves (and old Southern tradition) to exercise the powers of judge, jury and executioner on the spot! And people like Crazy (as well as a few white racist Negroes) would not be calling the white kid a thug. His shooter would have been the thug. With regard to hip hop, not all of which is "gangsta " stuff anyway, it is interesting that MORE of this is purchased by WHITES than by Blacks. At any rate, in its origins that music expressed the social consciousness of inner city youth, and was mainly NOT gangsta stuff. But once it was coopted by the corporate media and entertainment industry, than it suffered the degrading of quality as does everything else in corporate hands. The REAL THUGS are the 1%. Only they control the media and it's harder to expose them 

-Savant

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The latest data I've seen on Black male/female ratios in college are 40% male/ 60%. Interesting enough, a Black female sociologist (I forget her name) wrote a book in the 1950s called The College Educated Negro Woman. (I will check, but I think that's the correct title). In that book, she estimates that 75% of all Blacks in colleges and universities were Black women. If she's correct, then the gap seems to have narrowed, though it' s still majority female. Some social scientists argue that in those days the majority of the few Black families that could send a kid to college would opt to send the daughter if they couldn't send all their children. I'm not sure, but that's possible. Now in those days, the norm among the white majority was that more white males than females attended college. What's interesting is that within the last 15 years, the reverse has become the norm in white America. I'm not sure of the reasons, but today more white women than men go to college. However, as to the OVERALL picture for Blacks as a whole a college education is the exception, not the norm, for Blacks of BOTH genders. I believe (will check, however) that about 15% of ALL Blacks get a college education. A college education is a MINORITY phenomenon among whites as well. But the per centage is higher (as it has always been): something like 25%--30% Unfortunately, the AVERAGE Black man and woman have NOT moved up, and have become poorer while remaining uneducated. (So has the AVERAGE white person, though not as severely). When people say that the AVERAGE Black woman has risen more than the average Black man, they are really speaking as if the educated minority were the average. Even here, it's complicated. For patriarchy as well as race has a hand in things..Though Black women (again speaking of only of a minority of overall Black population) have collectively gotten further in education than Black men (60/40), the economic well being of Black women is not better. I read that Black women still ON AVERAGE earn less than Black men of similar educational achievement. Again, this sounds more like PATRIARCHY or sexism. For, indeed, while WHITE WOMEN achieve more now in education than white men, white men ON AVERAGE make more than white women despite educationally falling behind them. So matters are a bit more complicated than some folk imagine. However, even EDUCATED Black men and women are not secure from police abuse; like one of my black female students, daughter of a judge, who was arrested without cause and without being Mirandized right here in Baltimore. But unlike most poor Blacks her family can afford to sue. I hope they ROAST that cop in court. Even Cornel West, and Ivy League professor recalls being arrested by NYC police who refused to believe that his car and fine suits were purchased by means of his own income, but insisted that he must be a dope dealer! Hey, he's Black so he must be a criminal. Ah, the flawless logic of the police! Hey, I've had the same experience BOTH when I was a kid in one of the projects in East Baltimore, and SINCE I've become an academician. A poet and playwright friend of mine had the same experience as Garner but lived to tell about it. Police injustice is antithetical to American justice .

 -Savant

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I admit that Brinsley came from my home town, right here in Baltimore. We've had mass demonstrations here over police brutality; and there's a long history of this brutality which has touched some members of my family, and which nearly resulted in my own death at age 17 by cops in Johnson Square. But I doubt Brinsley would have been involved in any demonstrations here in Bmore. From what little I know of him he was a very troubled person; maybe someone who needed psychological counseling. The likelihood that his actions in NYC had anything to do with self-defense is slim to none. But if Eric Garner had somehow been able to get a gun to shoot officers who attacked him to avoid getting killed, I'd support him all the way. One has a right to self-defense against thugs--including against thugs with badges. If Trayvon Martin or MIchael Brown could have gotten weapons to prevent being killed by armed attackers, they would have been within their rights If the mother or father of little Tamir Rice could have gotten a gun and slain the police before their child was slain, again I'd say that would have been ok. You do have a right to self-defense, even against the police or other agents of the corporate state. Perhaps, we ought to return to some of the Black Panther style patrols of the late 1960s, but with a new twist: We patrol with video cameras. I mean there's no telling what lies the LA police would have told about the Rodney King bludgeoning if someone hadn't got it on videotape. By the way, the police patrols (like the old Panther patrols) might also have a chilling effect on inner city dope dealers (as well as cops) who would then know that they too may be caught on "candid camera."

 -Savant

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 Imperialistic exploitation by the West is going on in their native lands, only it takes the form of neocolonialism rather than classical colonialism. And we should never forget that the great wealth of the Europe and America was built largely on African slavery. But regarding racism... If an African like Amadou Diallo is murdered by racist dog cops (who knew he was Black but didn't know he was African), and those pigs are let off by a white jury (how often have we heard this?), he is subject to racism. His mother is no less grieved. If I'd been killed by members of Jean-Marie le Pen's National Front thugs while visiting France in late 80s or 90s, my family would have no less distressed because I was killed by European racists rather than American. The UN has a Commission on Racism because it is an international phenomenon. Racism should be opposed everywhere. By the way, there have been a number of cases less well known than Diallo's of racist police brutality and murder of Africans in the USA. While at Vanderbilt in the 1980s I (and other AA students) did have friends who were African, and one of my friends from Ghana had a very close call with Nashville police when stopped for questioning. One woman from North Carolina married a brother from Ivory Coast, and one AA male grad student wed a sister from Ghana. One thing they both said is that they had to school their significant other about the way racism works in the USA. Rosa, wife of the brother from the Ivory Coast, had to warn her husband about the dangers of encounters with the police. She had no desire to become a widow. The brother with the Ghanaian wife had to inform her of why security "seem" to follow her around in department stores. ("Baby, it don't just 'seem that way" he told her, and then had to explain why). I've myself given some pointers to the Rosa's hubby, and some of my African friends. How to react when confronted by police. How to conduct yourself without obsequiousness and with pride, but without gestures which can get you killed. (South African brothers and sisters caught on more quickly in those days. Their racist police in apartheid South Africa was much worse than ours!) But aside from all this, and aside from who marries who, it is at least the common struggle against racism and imperialism than Blacks have in common even if those evils wear a different mask in different countries

 -Savant

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 The Black population is about 13%--14% of the total American population. Like every other community were are constituted of men and women. There was no law requiring American to exploit Black labor for over 400 year, building up the great (albeit unequal) wealth of white America compared to the relative poverty of Black America. Of course, there were laws PERMITTING the exploitation of Black labor, and protecting the right of exploiters by force of arms. If Black Americans leave then we ought to receive at least a third of all the wealth that is America's. We created a disproportionate part of it -Savant

Late December 2014 News for Monday

The fight for justice of women continues in the Motherland of Africa. Nearly 1,000 people marched in downtown Nairobi, Kenya to protest the rising rate of assaults on women. Hours later, a Kenyan woman was stripped by a mobbed at a bus stop. This evil conduct must end. More men have to speak up since the liberation of women is tied to the liberation of men. Certainly, enough is enough. Women in Kenya and throughout Africa are not silent. They want freedom. That is why Kenyan women are continuing to protest for equal rights and justice. An oppressive system in the world must be opposed. The oppression of women has nothing to deal with real African culture or African traditions. It relates to systematic injustices. Women suffer abuse and indignities with impunities globally too from Saudi Arabia to Iraq. Oppression against African women grew with the existence of foreign invasions and colonialism. The brutal gang rape of 16 year old Hann Lalango (a Sister) caused her death. Later, social media has created the powerful, heroic hash tag campaign called #justiceforhanna.” This became the Yellow Movement of Addis Addis-Ababa University. In 2008, Sudanese woman Lubna Ahmed Al-Hussein was arrested and imprisoned unjustly for just wearing trousers that authorities deemed “indecent.’ During which Lubna had waived the immunity she had been granted as a United Nations worker and decided to have the trial continue –defending what she believes in. It was reported that she had said, ‘She is taking a stand to change the unconstitutional law which contradicts the peace accord terms.’ Women in Uganda are protesting rules on clothing as well. Egyptian women are fighting abuse and violence against women too. There must not only be structural change in society. We have to work in our homes, communities, societies, countries, and world as a way to respect the human dignity of women and all females in general. Men and women deserve justice. Also, human dignity is important to advance and promote in any society. So, we all have work to do and we have to have honest dialogue. We have to talk more among both genders. Also, we have to set up plans and strategies where black people of both genders are supported, respected, and honored as human beings. This will take time, but it will be time well spent. We are all tied together. It is always important to promote the development and growth of black families and the black community. That is done especially by confronting poverty, economic inequality, and other structural problems. More black unity and more black solidarity are needed in our generation. Women have to be liberated and men have to be liberated.


One of the greatest heroes of our people was Robert Sobukwe. He was a man who stood up against apartheid and gave great intellectual truths about economic justice. He was a key man of the Pan-African movement who rejected neoliberalism. He was born in December 1924. We should remember his life and his legacy. Mangasliso Robert Sobukwe wanted to South Africa to be free. He wanted African peoples to control their own country. He wanted poverty to end and wanted the landless to have land and jobs. He rejected the concept of oligarchy or a system where a few people dominating every aspect of the lives of the majority. According to Dr. Sibonginkosi Mazibuko, Sobukwe wanted a socialist democracy where African peoples in the majority would have a democratic government. He wanted industrial development, and he spoke of ways to getting these goals accomplished. He wanted human beings to control over things not to dominate other humans. Sobukwe knew how some nations would extract and export the African raw materials and then re-sold then back as finished products (while imports from these nations cost African nations like South Africa jobs, and it creates poverty and other hardships among especially the working class). Robert Sobukwe made another great point about Africa too. He called the Motherland M’Afrika. He rejected the balkanization of Africa. In one of his speeches, he said the following information: "South Africa is an integral part of the indivisible whole that is Africa." In this context, he said, "South Africa cannot solve her problems in isolation of the rest of the continent." "Africa is one," he declared, "and desires to be one and nobody have the right to balkanise our land." In other words, Africa can never be free and liberated, unless Africa was unified as one continent. Sobukwe opposed neo-colonialism, which was done by the capitalists. Neo-colonialism is still here when we have the British and French influence in Africa for economic exploitation. Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was one of the greatest revolutionaries of African history. He wanted the equitable distribution of food, clothing, homes, education, health care, wealth, land, work, etc. He was a great orator as well. He launched the anti-pass campaign on March 21, 1960. His words and his power are inspirational as well. He was right to advocate education for African peoples. All black people of black African descent should be united globally as one. So, the struggle for liberation for all Africans continues.


The following issue is a very important issue to mention. It is about what is going on in the nation of Mauritania. Mauritania declared independence in November 28, 1960. Yet, it is a nation that has a system of exclusion against its black population. So, racism must still be combated in the country of Mauritania. Mauritania has a long history. It must be a nation where its diverse people must exist in justice and equality. It must be a principle and it must be executed as well. The deal is that some people in the nation want to promote the deception that the country is exclusively of an Arabic identity and they want to negate the country’s African foundations via the implementation of series of political actions. From 1989 to 1992 (under the regime of Colonel Maawiya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya) thousands of Mauritanian civilians and members of the military were killed. This was genocide. The president General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz launched an operation called “population registration”, a nationwide census which has been in place since 2011. This operation aims to officially give Mauritania the reliable and secure civil registration records available in all countries. This registration has proven to be nothing more than an operation for the exclusion and banishment of the blacks, suspected to be Senegalese or Malians, or of having acquired their civilian status through fraudulent means. Many people were stateless in their own country if they refused to register as citizens. Many foreign people, form mostly Arabic nations, were excluded from this ill treatment when they came into Mauritania. Today, this operation continues in relative opacity following violent demonstrations led by a movement for the defense of civic rights called “Touche pas à ma nationalité” (Don’t touch my nationality) and an opposition party. That is why Afro-Mauritanians are fighting for more human rights. Enslavement was not made a criminal offence in Mauritania until 2007. "These are sad stories that are common in Mauritania," said anti-slavery activist Saidou Wane. "To say slavery in Mauritania is over is just a lie. There are cases pending in the courts, and groups like the IRA are constantly finding new examples of slavery…” The constitution, statutes, and policies of Mauritania restrict religious freedom. The 1991 constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and recognizes Islam as the sole religion of its citizens and the state. Neither the Afro-Mauritanian national languages nor the local Hassaniya Arabic dialect were used as languages of instruction. The black Afro-Mauritanians include the Haratines, Fulani, Wolof and Soninké. Therefore, Mauritania is still a racist and slave state. It must be transformed into an egalitarian society. We should fight for justice. Mauritania must be liberated and free.


First, unarmed, innocent black people being murdered is not OK. Police terrorism and capitalist exploitation are total evils that must be eradicated in the world. Now, just because someone is convicted of something doesn't mean that someone is guilty. The Central Park Five were once convicted, but they were innocent. Obviously, there is no conclusive evidence that Assata Shakur killed a cop. There have been no fingerprints of Assata Shakur on any weapon in the scene. No gun residue was found on her or on her hands. She, herself, was a victim of being shot by the police in that incident. Under cross-examination at both Acoli and Shakur's trials, Trooper Harper admitted to having lied in these reports. Trooper Harper retracted his previous statements and said that he had never seen Shakur with a gun and that she did not shoot him. Like I have mentioned before, Sister Assata Shakur deserves a pardon. The reactionaries need to cut it out. Sister Assata Shakur is a real freedom fighter. I am in solidarity with her forever. If the U.S. can free the members of the Cuban Five, then the U.S. can pardon Assata Shakur. She should be pardoned immediately. The FBI should not lecture anyone on terrorism or criminal activities at all since the FBI have done terrorism, illegal monitoring, and harassment of people for generations. This is certainly a new movement. When thousands of people stood up against militarized police in America who have used LRAD sound weapons, then that is significant. When young people are talking about BlackLivesMatter and setting up independent organizations to address police terrorism, poverty, and injustice in general, then that is significant too. So, people are not just marching in the streets (with over 30,000 human beings marching in NYC during one weekend alone). People are also mobilizing, organizing, and helping out their communities nationwide. If we want to be free, then we have to build. We have to build our communities, grow our families, and respect human justice. Also, we have to resist oppression, imperialism, the system of white supremacy, police terrorism, and capitalist exploitation (in that we love the dignity of labor as workers' rights is a key part of a just society). No one can be free unless poverty is gone and economic justice (which the privileged plutocracy readily opposes) is a reality. We have to embrace political independence and continue to have hope. A real revolutionary has hope.


Rahm Emanuel is a neoliberal politician. He has Wall Street ties. He is known for his usage of massive profanity. He once cursed at Sister Karen Lewis. Rahm is an acolyte of Bill Clinton and he agreed to support NAFTA. One of the mayor’s closest friends is Bruce Rauner, a billionaire investor. Many of these recommendations should have been implemented by the mayor long before it was released, because many of them are common sense actions that can be executed immediately when he was first inaugurated as Mayor of the city of Chicago. He promotes this Road Map in the midst of him trying to be reelected. Rahm is aided by corporate interests. Emanuel not only shut down over 50 schools in Chicago and lay off teachers. He has attempted to cut pensions too. These actions only harm the city not help. Solutions does relate to an addressing of poverty (with job creation and advancing a living wage for people), handling violent criminal gangs, dealing with housing and rent issues, ending police terrorism, improving education (beyond just heavily funding selective enrollment schools), etc. It will take assistance from diverse quarters and as an African proverb has said, it will take a village. One thing is true. Sony executives and producers are cowardly to show their true feelings in previously private emails. When they are being exposed for advancing racist views, they are trying to make excuses. Sony backing down to the hackers once again shows their cowardice. In the final analysis, this news doesn’t surprise me. Hollywood is not the progressive place that some believe it to be. It has ties to the Pentagon and the rest of the establishment. It advances propaganda, distractions, materialism, exploitation of human life, and false stereotypes about black people. It is what it is. Yet, we should continue to promote the dignity of black people and speak truth to power.


By Timothy