NATO and other News.

 

Recently, a judge dismissed the lawsuit from Tulsa Race Massacre survivors. This dismissal is wrong and a disgrace, but the survivors will appeal the decision and move onward. The Tulsa Race Massacre happened in 1921 when white racist terrorists bombed buildings, killed innocent men, women, and children, and used other methods to destroy a thriving black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The terrorists did this because of jealousy and a false allegation. About 300 African Americans were murdered and thousands of black Americans were homeless. Greenwood was a prosperous location known as Black Wall Street. It had restaurants, stories, movie theaters, and homes, and other forms of vibrant infrastructure. The lawsuit wants reparations for the victims. Randle, Viola Fletcher, and Hughes Van Ellis Sr. are all survivors of the massacre being over 100 years old. Attorney Solomon-Simmons will have an appeal. We certainly seek justice for the victims of an injustice.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis is continuing the investigation over Trump's alleged election tampering in the state of Georgia. There is a new grand jury selected in Fulton County, Georgia. This grand jury will look at the evidence and consider bringing charges against former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election. There was a three-hour selection process in Atlanta to get a new grand jury. Trump failed to get Georgia officials and the governor to steal the 2020 election. It will take months for the jury to look at all of the evidence from the prosecutors about the Trump plot to try to steal the Georgia election. To secure an indictment, 16 of the 23 voting grand jury members would need to be present. Once that quorum is created, 12 votes would be needed to hand an indictment. A possible indictment could come between July 11 and September 1, 2023. Possible charges could be solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to state and local government bodies, conspiracy, violation of an oath of office, etc.

One important news is the NATO meeting at Vilnius, Lithuania. NATO said that Ukraine won't join NATO until certain conditions are met. This means that they want Ukraine to not join NATO until after the Ukraine war is over. Biden doesn't want Ukraine to join NATO for many reasons. One is that if Ukraine joins NATO during a war against Russia, NATO would be required to fight against Russia in Ukraine by treaty. This potentially means that U.S. troops in NATO could fight Russia causing possibly an escalation of the war into many places of Europe outside of Ukraine. Also, this could jeopardize many Americans in prison in Russia who desire to leave. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Ukraine to join NATO ASAP. Zelensky told a crowd in Vilnius that Ukraine will make NATO stronger, and NATO will give Ukraine security. The war continues, and President Biden will go into Helsinki. Like always, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is immoral and illegal. We want Ukraine to be a free nation without the Russian invasion.

A study made by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior found that nearly half of all U.S. tap water has the industry made chemicals of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS). These are forever chemicals can't degrade unless over 1,000 years from all if at all. These are synthetic substances made during the Manhattan Project (the government research project that caused America to create the first atomic bomb on Earth). These substances have the potential for causing cancers, behavior disturbances, metabolic derangements, harm to pregnancy, and harm to childhood development. These forever substances can be heat resistant and stain resistant. The 2015 Madrid Statement on PFAS said that these substances are found in indoor and outdoor environments, human tissues, wildlife, etc. They can travel into the food, soil, ground, and drinking water. They can damage the liver, the immune system, and other parts of the body. The EPA, the White House, and the government in general have to deal with this reality.

Days ago was the Birthday of Sister Mavis Staples, and she is 84 years old. She is one of the best in music. She has been an R&B singer, blues singer, and gospel singer for over six decades now. She also is a very well-known civil rights activist who was part of the family band called The Staple Singers. She was born in Chicago. She worked in her family group since 1950. Later, the Staples singers had many hits like Uncloudy Day. By 1957, Mavis Staples graduated from now what is called Paul Robeson High School. The Staple Singers toured the country of America to express their music with the leader Roebuck "Pops" Staples being a mentor to them. Mavis sang music along with Cleotha, Yvonne, and Pervis. The father played the guitar. Roebuck Staples was a friend to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, so they were very spiritual and conscious. The group covered pop hits with positive messages like Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fail and a version of Stephen Stills' For What It's Worth. The Staples had songs with more messages like Long Walk to D.C. and When Will We Be Paid? in favor of reparations for African Americans. She worked with members of Booker T. and the MGs (from Stax Records). The Staples singers made more hits like I'll Take You There, Let's Do It Again, etc.  Mavis made an album called Only For the Lonely in 1970. Her debut album was self-titled in 1969. She made more album like Time Waits for No One and The Voice in 1993. She gave a tribute release album in 1996. Mahalia Jackson was a family friend to Mavis Staples. Mahalia Jackson was the greatest gospel singer in history in my view. She made more music like the album That's What I Say, a tribute to the great Ray Charles. Her voice has been sampled by Hozier, Salt 'N Pepa, etc. Staples performed at the 33rd Kennedy Center Honors, singing in a tribute to honoree Paul McCartney. Her February 2016 album was Livin' on a High Note. The album had songs written for Staples by Nick Cave, Justin Vernon, tUnE-yArds, Neko Case, Aloe Blacc, etc. She worked with many artists. By 2017, her 16th album was If All I Was Was Black. She celebrated her 80th birthday in a concert at the Apollo Theater in May of 2019. In 2022, she released Carry Me Home with Levon Helm. She won many Grammys including Album of the Year in 2022 with We Are (with Jon Baptiste and others as a songwriter). 

I wish Sister Mavis Staples more Blessings.

By Timothy