For a long time, I wanted to make a commentary on the state of Texas in its history and culture. Now, I have this opportunity. Texas is in a stage of transition and represents America in many ways. It has urban communities and rural locations. It has some of the most conservative people in the United States of America, and it has numerous progressive human beings in its vicinity too. It has some of the most important historical developments in human history. Texas is a very large state with 268,956 square miles with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020. It's the 2nd largest state in size (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in size), and the 2nd largest state in the population (after California). Texas is on the move because people from across the nation are increasingly going into Texas for economic opportunities. I know many people from the North, the West Coast, and the Midwest moving down into Texas for various reasons. Many of my cousins do live in Texas now like in Houston. It's a state with diverse cultures from black people, Hispanic people, Asian people, and people from every color and background. It's also the home base of a reactionary movement with far-right leaders like Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Senate Ted Cruz, etc. That is why if you get Texas to go around to embrace progressive political policies, that monumental development will spread all over the nation. That is why it is certainly imperative to research Texas and figure out how Texas came into being literally. I love to research information, and it is vital to get the facts to the people. We have to fight for democracy, human justice, autonomy, and other rights that many folks take for granted. That is why the public has the right to know not only the problems in Texas but the heroes (then and now) who make it their business to fight for Texas to be at its highest level of power and tranquility for all of its people irrespective of background.
The experience of Will Smith is part of the human experience. Humans go through ups and downs, and here is the man who the public once saw as a clean cut, stable black man. Underneath the surface lies a man filled with emotional pain, a victim of lies and innuendos, and a person with imperfections. Therefore, it is right to evaluate Will Smith, because he is among the leaders of popular culture in the modern age. Long before the slap, Will Smith was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where many of my cousins live to this day). He is extremely intelligent and was involved in some of the biggest blockbuster films of our generation like Bad Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), Men in Black (1997), Enemy of the State (1998, which is one of my favorite movie as it deals with technology and the debates on civil liberties), Ali (2001), Men in Black II (2002), I Robot (2004) Bad Boys II (2003), Men in Black 3 (2012), Bad Boys for life (2020), etc. He has been married to Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. He has been a leader in Black Hollywood and ran into prominent circles for years and decades. Now, his whole livelihood is threatened by a serious mistake that he made. There are 2 extreme views that I reject. One extreme view is that Will Smith must relinquish his livelihood and his career must be over without redemption, without a chance to make amends, and without any form of opportunity for change. The other extreme view is that Will Smith was completely right for what he did period. I reject those lies, as I believe that Will Smith was wrong to slap Chris Rock, but I understand where Will Smith was coming from in trying to defend the dignity of his wife. There are many men who allowed their wives to be cursed out by many evil people without saying a syllable. It is honorable for any man to defend his wife, but you have to do it in the right way without unjust violence. What Will Smith did had nothing to do with self-defense. Also, Will Smith had a very successful rap career with albums and classic songs like Summertime ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff (who is one of his best friends). His show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the most popular shows of the 1990s as his character combined intellect, humor, street smarts, and a personality that everyone respected.
The 2022 Academy Awards started off normally with interviews, presentations, and hip hop being shown by Megan Thee Stallion. The Oscars was historic in the sense that it came being produced by black people. Will Smith's film King Richard (2021) had him winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Gloe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild ward. During that time, Chris Rock made a joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about her hair. At first, Will Smith played it off. Jada Pinkett Smith was clearly not feeling the joke. Chris Rock tried to tell the couple that the joke wasn't that serious. Later, Will Smith came up to confront Chris Rock. At first, I thought this was a skit or a work, not being real. Then, he slapped Chris Rock. Even at that time, I thought it was a skit being part of the show. Will Smith came to his seat and said repeatedly to Chris Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. There was a block of the words meaning that Will Smith used profanity. Lupita was in shock, and everyone was in shock. Immediately, Denzel Washington and other people tried to comfort Will Smith. Will Smith later knew the severity of the situation and his error. That is why Will Smith resigned from the Academy, and the Academy banned him from attending all Academy functions, including the Oscars for ten years. Will Smith was very lucky that Chris Rock refused to press charges on him. Immediately, people picked sides without understanding the nuisance of the situation. Some downplayed the incident, and others compared Will Smith to a murderer which is silly. The truth is more nuisance. There is absolutely no justification for Will Smith to slap Chris Rock period. You handle words by using your words, not with your fists or your hands. You use wit and commentaries to refute people without violence, and that lesson should be taught to anyone.
Also, it is clear that Will Smith had a nervous breakdown after years of pain. This isn't some spontaneous event. For decades, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been the subjects of tons of rumors. Some of those rumors are true, and some of them are false. We know what those rumors are. Also, Chris Rock has gone through similar pain during the duration of his life long before the slap. He was born in Andrews, South Carolina, and he was raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. As a child filled with humor, he was gifted in expressing himself in comedy. He went to a school so racist as a child, those white racists would call him the n word every day. This refutes the myth that the North is some racial Utopia. Later, he was inspired to do comedy more by Eddie Murphy and other talented people. He made comedy albums, toured the world, and his brother is a well-known comedian too named Tony Rock. Chris Rock is not without controversy. Many of his skits tell the truth about racism and injustice. His other skits show problems in the black community that black people talk about in private. His other skits overexaggerate or have anti-black undertones in my views. He expressed all of these views all in the open with his albums like Bigger and Blacker. Also, Chris Rock made a controversial joke that black folks were "too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer." He is refuted by many reasons. First, black folks back then both fought rape, lynching, and racism in the movie industry at the same time. You can do multiple things at once. He disagreed with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars in 2016. The traumatic experience of Chris Rock being slapped should be reckoned with, and empathy should be sent to Chris Rock as a victim of assault. Also, that empathy doesn't mean that we agree with all of Rock's jokes though. One of the biggest mistakes of Chris Rock is when white comedians were saying the n word, and Chris Rock says nothing to them. He doesn't even walk away from them. Jerry Seinfeld (who once defended the racist Richards) had the decency to say that he refused to say the n word. The white folks saying the n word are Louis C.K and Gervais. This came from the 2011 HBO special called Talking Funny. C.K. said that he's basically the n word with the -er at the end because of his actions. I have noticed many in the P.C. crew haven't criticized massively Louis C.K. and Gervais for their usage of the n word. I wonder why? We all know the reason why. Chris Rock should have checked them on the spot. Chris Rock is a comedian who mixes a "conscious" exterior with problematic, anti-black statements. Chris Rock said that a black woman shouldn't be a First Lady, he wanted Barack Obama to get a white woman (because a white woman would play her position. So, he lied about black women), and he made other self-hating jokes about black people. Chris Rock said that black people are more racist than white people in his joke routine, he joked about joining the Klan, and other stereotypical jokes about black people. Chris Rock said that the Oscars shouldn't be boycotted years ago. Even Mario Van Peebles's father (Melvin Van Peebles) documented the racism found in the Hollywood atmosphere for decades. Now, there are many people using the imperfections of Jada Pinkett Smith to blame Jada for the slap. I don't agree with that either. A lot of the anger against Jada is not about legitimate critique but misogynoir as others have accurately mentioned. Jada is wrong for cheating on her husband with August. Jada is not perfect. Yet, Jada never slapped Chris Rock. Will Smith did it, and Will Smith has taken accountability for his actions. Will Smith apologized for his deeds (even apologized face to face to Hubert for his mistreatment of the actress Hubert), and he is willing to take a break to improve his life. Some Hoteps, respectability politics types, and even some liberals claim that Will Smith's error is a stain on all black people. This is silly as one person's actions are never representative of every black person on Earth. We don't blame the actions of Dylann Roof on all white people. We blame his evil, murderous, and racist actions on Dylann Roof alone. Therefore, the truth is that this incident is complex. What Will Smith did was wrong, but Chris Rock has a long history of making problematic jokes against black people, especially against black women. If I know all of this information, the establishment in the industry knows this information too. While we have empathy and sympathy for Will Smith's and Chris Rock's humanity, we will not agree with their errors or mistakes. That is why both Will Smith and Chris Rock should have an opportunity to heal and make better their own lives.
Freemasonry and popular culture go hand in hand. It is no question that researchers have learned a great deal about Freemasonry for decades and centuries now. One of the easiest links to know this link is understanding the Hollywood Masonic Temple. It was used by Freemasons until 1982. It is now a theater and nightclub. It's owned by Walt Disney Company's Beuna Vista Pictures Distribution in 1998 for Buena Vista Theaters, Inc. Walt Disney was part of the Masonic group called DeMolay when he was a child. DeMolay is named after Jacques DeMolay, who was a Knights Templar burned in France for being accused of many things, including blasphemy. To his dying day, DeMolay denied the charges against him. The Masonic Temple had a neoclassic style. Many old school Hollywood stars are well known Freemasons like Oliver Hardy, Hardol Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, W.C. Fields, Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry. Masonic membership has reached its peak by the late 1950's and early 1960's. Masonic membership is much lower now than back then, but many Freemasons have a great influence on Hollywood culture. For example, the National Treasure movie series glorifies Freemasonry as just a great group sent out to preserve the treasures of the world. Also, it is important to get a summary of Freemasonry's origins. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization which is traced to the guilds of Europe. Back in the day, the guilds built buildings like churches, castles, and other items in Europe. Some group of guilds just built things. The other groups of guilds wanted to build buildings and add philosophical teachings too. By the 1500's, parts of modern Freemasonry developed like the speculative Lodge of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel). No. 1. of 1599. The first Grand Lodge of London and Westminster was formed on St. John's Day on June 24, 1717. From 1717, Masonry has grown to what it is today globally. Regular Freemasonry has each member must profess a belief in God, have a volume of scripture in a Lodge, and discussions of politics plus religion are banned. Continental Freemasonry is more free-spirited with fewer restrictions. Freemasonry use rituals as lessons in a story of morality in their group. Freemasonry has low-level degrees of the three degrees with stories about Solomon's Temple including Hiram Abiff in their rituals. The Blue Lodge represents those three degrees. The Scottish Rite has 33 degrees, and other Masonic groups have a different number of degrees too. Very few women are Freemasons, except in Continental Freemasonry. Many Roman Catholics disagree with Freemasonry over issues of rationalism and naturalism including theological reasons. Many Protestants, Baptists, and other Christian groups disagree with Freemasonry over theological reasons. Masonic apologists believe that Freemasonry doesn't teach religion or the doctrines of religion. Yet, Freemasonry does have teachings of an esoteric nature.
After all of these years, you already know my stance on Freemasonry. To me, I don't agree with Freemasonry because of numerous reasons. I don't agree with calling a grown man Worshipful Master, I don't agree with Masonic oaths, and I don't agree with numerous Masonic precepts too. The Lord Himself said of the religious title Master: “Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” (Matthew 23:10). It is no secret that many Freemasons are in many churches too, and many churches have been courageous to disagree with Freemasonry too. In real life, I have debated many Freemasons on the Internet. I know what it is, and I know its doctrines fully. As Albert Pike, Manly P. Hall, and other high-level Masonic scholars have mentioned, Freemasonry is influenced by the ancient pagan Mysteries of Babylon, ancient Egypt, Chaldea, Greco-Roman mysteries, and the Druids. I'm not just saying these words. It's proven by their own sources (as documented in the book "Gods of the Lodge" by author Reginald Haupt, Jr.). Jesus Christ gave the example of not doing our actions in a secret order: "I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing." (John 18:20). Masonic oaths are filled with references to death, but Jesus Christ forbade his followers to swear any oath as found in Matthew 5:34-36: "...Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." One Masonic oath is the following: "Obligation and Penalty of an Entered Apprentice Mason: 'I will ... ever conceal and never reveal, any arts, parts, or points of the hidden mysteries ... under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea." [Duncan's Masonic Ritual, p. 34-35, with the picture of this sign on p. 17]. This is offensive and very evil, even if the oath isn't to be taken literally.
Now, I got my receipts now. 33rd degree Freemason Albert Pike believed in the lie that religion must be mixed with error for human beings: "Religion ... must needs be alloyed [mixed] with an amount of error [lying] ... the religion of the many must necessarily be more incorrect than that of the refined and reflective few." (Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry", p. 224, Teachings for the 14th Degree). Pike also states that lying is necessary, on page 102, Teaching for the 3rd Degree. "A spirit ... that loves wisdom and contemplates the Truth close at hand, is forced to disguise it, to induce the multitudes to accept it ... Fictions are necessary to the people ..." Albert Pike is one of the most prominent members of Masonry and his Morals and Dogma book is highly praised by Scottish Rite Freemasonry. In the teaching of the 28th Degree, Pike states, "Masonry is identical with the ancient Mysteries". (Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry", p. 624). Some Masons praise Lucifer: "When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands . [Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree, K.T., The Lost Keys of Freemasonry or The Secret of Hiram Abiff , Forward by Reynold E. Blight, 33rd Degree, K.T., Illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp, 32nd Degree, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, p. 48].
At its core, Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that mixes teachings from the Mysteries, has teachings on philosophical principles, and is a worldwide movement heavily influential in modern popular culture, even today. To the ancient pagans, one of their goals was to promote the belief that human beings via initiation, rituals, and ceremonies can achieve godhood. The symbolism of Masonry like the bees, like the Square and Compass, go back a long time teaching many lessons. For example, the Square and the Compass in Masonry isn't just about a morality teaching in Masonry. The compass makes a circle, and the square is a square. To the esoteric crowd and to Masonry, it represents the unity of the body and the soul: “There is one sign which has never changed its meaning anywhere in the civilized world—the Compass and the Square. A sign of the union of the body and soul.” (Deman Wagstaff, Wagstaff’s Standard Masonry (1922). According to J. S. Ward in his "Interpretation of Our Masonic Symbols,"“…the compasses stand for…the spiritual side of man, while the square appertains to the material world…the square represents matter. In the case of the compasses… they represent…the Spiritual.” That is why Albert Pike in his Morals and Dogma book stated that, "The Compass, as the Symbol of the Heavens, represents the spiritual portion of this double nature of Humanity…and the Square, as the Symbol of the Earth, its material, sensual, and baser portion.”
Therefore, in the occult/pagan tradition, to them, human souls have pre-existence and came from the spiritual world into the body. They believe that initiation can cause humans to recapture the divine spark to be like God or as a god. This teaching is found in many ancient Greek philosophers too. This teaching is found in Freemasonry, Spiritists, Gnostics, Theosophists, and Rosicurcians. Therefore, one of the biggest secrets of paganism is that their belief that man has a body and a soul and using rituals can free humans into the divine. That is why many in the Inquisition killed pagans. In contrast, monotheists believe in the power of human ingenuity and intellect, but they believe that human beings can't be equal to or be like God Almighty.
It has been more than fifty years since Watergate started. It was one of the largest political scandals in American history with parallels to the scandal of Trump and his allies trying to destroy democracy with their efforts to steal the 2020 election. Watergate was more than a far-right burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. (in the Watergate Office Building) on June 17, 1972. The events of Watergate-related to the actions of CREEP (or the Committee for the Re-Election of the President). We know now that the actions of the burglars caused the U.S. House of Representatives to give the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary to form additional investigations. The Senate made the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee to make more investigations. President Richard Nixon, according to witnesses, approved of plans to cover up the administration's involvement in the break-in, and there was a voice-activated taping system in the Oval Office. Nixon wanted to keep the Oval Office tapes, and an impeachment process against Nixon from the House started in 1973. The Supreme Court ruled that Nixon had to release the tape to government investigators. The Nixon White House tapes proved that he conspired to cover up activities after the break-in and tried to use federal offices to deflect their investigation. The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. With his complicity in the cover-up made public and his political support completely eroded, Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974. It is believed that, if he had not done so, he would have been impeached by the House and removed from office by a trial in the Senate. He is the only U.S. president to have resigned from office. The Nixon administration bugged offices of political opponents, monitored activst groups, and used agencies to be used as political weapons. On September 8, 1974, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him. There were 69 people indicted and 48 people—many of them top Nixon administration officials—convicted. The Watergate situation documented the corruption of evil people and how you have to use safeguards in protecting our democracy. At this time, it is more important than ever to fight for our democracy and learn lessons from Watergate indeed.
The United States House Select Committee on the January 6th insurrection is one of the most important investigations in world history. Its goal is to find those responsible for the terrorist attack in January 6, 2001 and make sure that accountability is made. We know that Trump and his allies are complicit in trying their failed coup d'état to try to overthrow the government, steal the 2020 election, and end democracy as we know it. It was created on July 1, 2021, with the Chair being Democratic Bennie Thompson and Republican Liz Cheney as the Vice-Chair. There are 9 seats on the committee with 7 Democrats and 2 Republicans. The attack on the U.S. Capitol was evil, brutal, and obscene. Also, it was coordinated by not only Trump and his allies. The Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other extremists worked in a coordinated fashion to try to terrorize lawmakers in getting democracy eliminated from society. From the start of the committee to the June 12, 2022, committee announced that it has enough evidence to recommend that the Justice Department should indict Trump, we have seen great developments. By May 2022, the committee had interviewed more than 1,000 people. Some members of Trump's inner circle cooperated with the committee, while others defied it. Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were indicted by federal grand juries for refusing to testify. Congress also held Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino in criminal contempt for refusing to testify, but the Justice Department said it would not prosecute them. Recently, the bombshell testimonies of Cassidy Hutchinson and other people prove that Donald Trump's attack on democracy has no place anywhere in the Universe.
The era of Presidents from George W. Bush to Joseph Biden deal with a new 21st century world. During this century, we face complex situations domestically and internationally. The massive advancements in communication and technology like IPhones, Ipads, and the Meta devices make us more interconnected. Yet, the same problems of climate change, racism, sexism, xenophobia, poverty, economic oppression, and injustice in general remain. The terrible events of Hurricane Katrina and the police murder of George Floyd prove to us that we have a long way to go in making the Dream real. The themes among these Presidents relate to economic instability, social movements, events of various wars, and new cultural developments in America plus the world. The war on terror existed along with massive environmental disasters. There were four Presidents in this era, 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans. Out of every President, one stood out as the first African American President in United States history. He is President Barack Obama. Another President stood out as one of the worst, racist, and xenophobic Presidents in American history. He is Donald Trump. So, this time saw the rise of social progress and the far right-wing backlash. Now, in 2022, we have the right-wing backlash coming back with a vengeance being filled with evil Supreme Court decisions harming Marinda rights, and extremists wanting to even whitewash America's racist history (calling it being anti-CRT when CRT is taught in colleges in a limited way). When George W. Bush was president, we saw a new era of far-right policies, and when Joseph Biden was President, we have seen the continued fight for justice in unique ways. I don't know exactly what the future holds. I do know that in the end, we shall be victorious despite the obstacles.
In Virginia genealogical research, one ancestor that keeps on coming up was Indiana Woodson-Bozeman Crocker. She was my first cousin who lived from ca. 1831 at Sussex, Virginia to July 9, 1896, at Sussex, Virginia. Her siblings are Martha (Patsy) Crocker (b. 1828), Abby Woodson-Crocker (b. 1847), and Caroline Crocker (b. 1831). Indiana's parents were Patsy Woodson-Williams and the free black man Thomas Crocker. Pasty Woodson-Williams' parents are Burwell Williams (who was a free black man) and Nottoway descendant Winny Woodson. Winny's parents are Nanny Woodson and Mike Bozeman. Indiana's mother or Patsy Woodson-Williams was ca. 29 years old when she and her siblings requested allotment lands in 1840. Patsy's husband, Thomas Crocker repurchased many tracts of land after Patsy sold her allotments. Thomas Crocker purchases 41 acres of Turner-Woodson allotments and some lands from Mason Scholar. Thomas Crocker's sister labored at the Rose Hill plantation. He lived near the Artis and Hill families. Many marriages happened between Artis, Hill, and Nottoway families back centuries ago. Thomas Crocker was a farm owner too. Thomas Crocker and Patsy Woodson-Williams adopted a child named Robert Chavis (who was a descendant of the Nottoway Scholar family. He adopted the name of James Robert Crocker). My first cousin Indiana Bozeman Crocker married a man named William Artis. In the 1880 United States Federal Census and other sources, they listed the children of Indiana Bozeman Crocker and William Artis as the following: Benjamin Thomas Artis (1852-1936), Caroline M. Artis (b. 1852), William W. Artis (b. 1863), Washington Artis (1859-1920), Ben Joe Artis (1856-1933), Clara J. Artis (b. b. 1868), Henrietta Artis (1873-1977), and George Washington Artis (1870-1916).
Curtis L. Flowers was my late 1st cousin who lived from March 22, 1949, to September 1, 2005. He passed away at the Bronx, New York City. He is the son of Alberta D. Flowers (1932-2000). Alberta is the granddaughter of Carl D. (1886-1968), and she is the great grandfather of my 2nd great grandfather Adam D. (b. 1862). He married Party M. Milligan at Lakewood Township, Ocean New Jersey on July 1975. Curtis Lee Flowers had a son named Curtis of Lakewood, New Jersey. His 2 daughters are Debra Flowers of Burlington and Lisa Marshall of Lakewood, New Jersey. His five brothers are Carter, Jerome, Timothy, Richard, and Antonio. His four sisters are Alice Jackson, Rhonda, Angela, and Robin from New York. He had at least 9 grandchildren too. My 2nd cousin Rhonda A. Flowers-Edwards was born on October 20, 1961, and she has lived all over New York City.
By Timothy
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