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
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