On many Political Issues in June of 2016

There is no excuse for the stylist's behavior or words. The stylist was way out of line to disrespect a black woman's natural hair. Anyone who works should have professionalism and overtly express courtesy to co-workers, customers, and anyone else. The stylist could have easily said that he doesn't have real experience with working with a black woman's hair or something more progressive instead of him using insults and having very bad unprofessionalism. Of course, the salon expressed the typical token apology. We have seen such apologies time after time again which seek to protect financial interests instead of sincerely respecting the human dignity of a black woman. With that being mentioned, I don't believe in worshiping white people. Just because an establishment is mostly white doesn't mean that its service will be infallible or its components will be strong. Therefore, we should recognize how important supporting each other are and how building in our black communities is a total prerequisite in having the growth of collective power that we desire. I wish the best for Bianca Dawkins. I remember vividly when I had to register in the Selective Service. It was over 14 years ago. I had to sign paperwork and then they mailed me a card. The information on the card is digitized in the network in the Internet too. Today, many people want women to register for the Selective Service. This comes during the growth of the military industrial complex in the world (with U.S/NATO military forces near Russia, in Asia, in Africa, etc.). Since 9/11, we have seen torture, illegal wars, illegal surveillance, and assassinations (even against an American citizen without due process of law). Therefore, this proposal has nothing to do with promoting some egalitarian society. It has to do with building up the American Empire, so as much people as possible are in it to promote Western imperial oligarchical aims. That’s the goal. I believe in equality, but I don’t believe that men or women should be forced by law to register in the selective Service. If someone wants to sign up voluntarily, then that is their right. Yet, I don’t believe in coercion involving such decisions. We know the famous anti-draft movement (with leaders like Muhammad Ali, members of the SDS, the Black Panthers, etc. Dr. King opposed the war and wanted people to be a conscientious objector if they opposed the war) back decades ago during the Vietnam War. In the final analysis, people should follow their dreams and promote justice.

Many folks in America do have an obsession with OJ and the whole trial. That is why various documentaries about that era are so popular. I decided to not look at the new documentary from ESPN about him, since I don't want to look at it. Many folks are obsessed with OJ Simpson since they feel revulsion at how he was not convicted of murder. Also, I think it runs deeper than that. OJ Simpson is a representation of not only the economic exploitation of athletes by the PTB, but the total representation of how evil and vicious self hatred is. It is obvious that OJ has a lot of self-hatred. OJ Simpson married a gorgeous, beautiful black woman. Then, he committed adultery against his first wife, married a second wife, and his insecurities & irrational behaviors plus self hatred just ruined his life. The trial was propped up by the media and it outlined the contradictions, the racism, the classism, and the hypocrisies of the American judicial system. The judicial system has let white racists off for years and the judicial system in this situation has allowed a black male to not be convicted after he was accused by the prosecution of killing 2 white people. Many folks haven't gone over that. Today, I don't know if he is guilty or innocent of murder. I do know that he continued to make reckless decisions after the trial. OJ Simpson's story should remind people that loving our black identity is always better than fronting an image to satisfy the whims of white America. OJ Simpson has made bad decisions and he's paying the price for it. He has reap what he has sown. The good news is that many people in the future won't follow the actions that OJ did. We want black people to succeed in life and have liberation.


There is a lot to be mentioned. First, unapologetic blackness means that we shouldn't unconditionally confirm to the dictates of a society that oppresses us. Being black means that we are never ever ashamed of our heritage, our hair, and our skin color (or melanin). Steve Perry is wrong on so many levels. He talks about bootstrapping when throughout human history, human beings used collective power to improve society. Also, we should be judged on the basis of the content of our character not on the color of our skins and not on our hair. If a society judges us on our color and by our hair, that society must be condemned and change is needed. We want freedom. We don't want to confirm to tokenism or the status quo. I find it ironic that Steve Perry is allying with a misogynist like Steve Harvey. Birds of a feather do flock together. Steve Perry is not telling black male youth to stand up against the system of white supremacy. He is not telling black male youth to fight misogynoir, the mass incarceration state, discrimination, poverty, and imperialism. He is telling them that if they just get rid of dreads and just be a good, respectable house (we know the word) that they will be fine in society. Frankly, that advice is wrong, it doesn't work, and it is tired. Also, many of our people have done those things for a long time and the verdict is that, it doesn't work. Therefore, we reject Perry's nonsensical advice and we believe in revolutionary solutions to combat the problems that we face as one black people. We certainly live in a nation that promotes, and glamorizes war and violence. Many folks know that millions of people don't want to join wars overseas, so this bill is being promoted as a way to gain as many people as possible in the military industrial complex if Americans are drafted. Militarism is promoted overseas and domestically (with SWAT, LRAD sound weapons, etc.), but it is still taboo for the advancement of regulations of assault weapons. There is a serious problem of rape and sexual assault in the military.


In South Africa, revolutionary fervor is in existence within that very important nation. The Marikana massacre, which involved workers to be gunned down and injured by the South African Police (SAP). Days earlier, 3,000 rock drill operated used a wildcat strike for higher wages (in opposition to the leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers or NUM). NUM wanted “patience” despite the poverty of their members. Today, we see over 20 years after the end of South African apartheid. We see the contradictions of the neoliberal order created by the leadership of the ANC (or the African National Congress) along with the capitalist class. We see a new black ruling class and an oppressed and exploited black (and other groups of people) workers and poor. The neoliberal elites are collaborating with Western multinational corporations too. There is a growing social and political tensions in South Africa. After 1994, there has been a parliamentary democracy, but the working class demands for economic emancipation has been denied in many cases. The working class and the students are fighting for real progressive change in South Africa. There are even splits in the ANC government and the capitalists. The economic crisis in South Africa has many roots. There has been the decimation of the manufacturing sectors after more than 2 decades of neoliberal economic policies. Big corporations have looted resources and diverted a lot of money to offshore tax havens. The economy is heavily a minerals-energy type of economy. Economic stagnation continued after the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Annual growth rates have declined more than 5 percent in 2005-2007 to just 0.6 percent in the last quarter of 2012 (in South Africa). There has been a trouble in coal production and ironic plus steel.

There is a fight done by students and the working class to combat these problems. President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan are even having a struggle in the direction of South Africa. Gordhan was finance minister from 2009 to 2014. He was replaced by business favorite Nhlanhla Nene. In December, Zuma replaced Nee with the loyalist Des van Rooyen. 9 million South Africans are now unemployed. Hunger is widespread and housing is increasingly unaffordable. Julius Malema launched the Economic Freedom Fighters (of the EFF) in August of 2013. He supported the Marikana strikers and criticized Zuma. He was once part of the ANC Youth League until he was kicked out of it in April of 2012. The EFF desires the nationalization of land and a fair deal for the working class. It has mass support with recording more than 1 million votes in the nation or 6 percent of the electorate (at the 2014 national election which yielded 25 MPs). Young black people in townships and on the university campuses greatly support the EFF too. There has been massive campus protests in South Africa last year too. These Students worked for years in outsourced campus workers, etc. They want the universities to employ the workers in house. College fees have increased and campuses have students who want change. The struggle continues for the liberation of South Africa. This is what drove the struggle during the 1950’s to the 1980’s of heroic people fighting against apartheid. The ruling class wants the status quo. Yet, the students, the poor, and the workers of South desire economic justice.

By Timothy