Sunday, June 30, 2024
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Friday, June 28, 2024
The First 2024 Presidential Debate.
The 2024 Presidential race is happening. The debate shows Trump using massive hyperbole while Biden is showing more facts and detail. The paradox is Trump is more subdued with his habitual lying and Biden seems to talk hoarser in his speech during the beginning of the debate. Biden seems to speak better as the debate can go onward. Trump believes that Biden is the worst President in American history which isn't true. They are debating about the economy, abortion, immigration, inflation, and other issues. President Biden believes that his bipartisan immigration plan was rejected by many Republicans, and Trump just classifies migrants and immigrants collectively as murderers, rapists, and just evil nihilists. The weakness of Trump in the debate is that he uses massive exaggerations and overt lies, and Biden's weakness is that his voice was not very powerful. Yet, Biden shows more details and facts in the debate. Trump believes that America has no border which is silliness. Trump desires to deport every undocumented immigrant from America which is impossible unless you have a fascist state. Trump lied and said that Biden doesn't like veterans when Trump called military soldiers and veterans "losers." Trump disrespected many veterans who disagreed with his policies too. Biden said that he passed policies to help veterans, and his son was a veteran plus he praised the D-Day veterans on the 80th year anniversary of D-Day.
Both candidates talked about foreign policies too. Trump lied and said that Biden encouraged Russia to invade Ukraine. Putin invaded Ukraine by his own accord, and Putin gave a speech denying that Ukraine is an actual nation. Trump lied about Hamas as Hamas attacked Israel for years prior to the evil October 7, 2023 attack. Trump has encouraged Putin as Trump has publicly admired Putin. Trump praising his COVID-19 response is totally repugnant. During Trump's first term, 400,000 Americans died. President Biden is right that Putin is a war criminal who wants to conquer Ukraine. Putin's military forces have destroyed churches, malls, apartments, and other civilian areas in Ukraine. Biden wants an end to the Israel and Hamas conflict. Biden wants all hostages to be freed, a ceasefire, and a 2-state solution. Biden said he opposed 2,000 pounds sent to Israel as it can harm massive civilians being not reliable in densely populated areas. Still, Netanyahu is clear to attack Gaza in brutal means causing massive civilian Palestinian deaths. It is no secret that Hamas and the Netanyahu regime have committed over war crimes in the Middle East as documented by multiple, documented studies from various international organizations. Trump refused to completely denounce the January 6th terrorist insurrectionists. Trump said that he did nothing wrong which is a lie, because Trump has been convicted of financial corruption in a university, convicted of felonies, and accused of many felonies. Trump has been found liable for raping a woman. It didn't matter what political parties the prosecutions' political affiliations were, because these men and women used the legal system and expert jurors to convict Trump on many issues.
Trump is false to say that Pelosi turned down an offer of 10,000 Guard troops. Biden said that massive black businesses have grown, low unemployment rates exist for African Americans, and acknowledging black families and child care issues. Biden said that much more can be done. Biden wants a $10,000 tax credit for the first time of black families owning a home and reducing student loan debt. Trump accused Biden of causing inflation and Trump accused black and brown families suffering. Trump blames migrants and immigrants for taking over jobs from Black Americans and Hispanic Americans. The truth is that corporate interests and multinational corporations have took away jobs from black people and brown people for decades, not every immigrant or every migrant. Biden said that he promoted the ACA and Trump wants to try to eliminate the ACA again. Trump wants to end Biden's climate policies. Trump wanted the death penalty for the Central Park Five when they were innocent. Trump just lied and said that he had the greatest environmental record ever when he passed policies gutting legitimate environmental regulations during his Presidency. The reactionary Project 2025 agenda represents what Trump wants for America, and it isn't good at all. Biden has been the most pro-climate President of our generation.
Trump said that America is a weaker nation and near destruction, and Biden said that Trump is the worst President in American history. Biden said that America has the strongest military on Earth and desires to grow businesses. Both of them talked about the opioid crisis. Many people on the Internet have criticized the CNN moderators for not fact-checking Trump enough. Both people talked about the election results. The debate ended with Biden and Trump making their final statements. Many Democrats and some in the corporate media are in a panic mode by Biden's performance. Some of them even want Biden to step down allow another candidate to take his place. This is very early in the election season and a replacement is just hysteria in my view. We shall see what will happen in the future. People will talk about Biden's hoarse voice at the start of the debate which could be a product of over practicing of the debate. Trump blatantly made many false statements. It wasn't the Joe Biden of the State of the Union address. So, this is the start of the new era of the Presidential election. President Biden is said to have a cold according to sources, but Biden has shown much more facts in the debate. The lesson of the debate is that facts matter more than superficial flash, and Biden must be more prepared to express his ideals. In retrospect, Biden should have delayed the first debate by a few days to get his voice under control. The reason is that the MAGA cult is relentless to support Trump as a false idol regardless of his lies, racism, sexism, hatred of democracy (plus the rule of law), and xenophobia that he presents publicly. By virtue of Biden showing more details, solutions, and more facts, I believe that Biden won the debate by default.
Recently, the actor Bill Cobbs passed away at the age of 90 years old. He played versatile roles from action movies to comedy movies. He lived in California. He was in movies like Night at the Museum, The Bodyguard, Air Bud, etc. Cobbs was also a professional director too. He respected the art of acting, his family, his friends, and the U.S. Air Force (as he was a military veteran). Cobbs was on the New York public television educational series called Vegetable Soup. Cobbs starred in over 120 television shows and movies. Bill Cobbs not only lived a long life. He represented the fullness of a real glorious life. That life encompasses joy, a sense of purpose, and due diligence to spread happiness among the human family. Now, he has returned to the Father to receive his reward.
Rest in Power Brother Bill Cobbs.
By Timothy
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Nearing the First Presidential Debate of the 2024 Election.
The Trump gag order was partially lifted in the hush money case ahead of the first Presidential debate of 2024. There is one standard for Donald Trump and another for the rest of Americans. Trump recently lied and said that he was tortured in the Fulton County Jail. Meanwhile, President Biden has promoted investments in manufacturing and infrastructure. Economic growth is tied to investment and helping the workers directly. The Supreme Court is wrong to take its time to decide if a former President is immune from prosecution for inciting an insurrection. No President should have unlimited immunity for any crime in the world at all. We know that we have a long way to go to promote real economic justice. For example, half of Amazon warehouse workers struggle with food and housing costs. A third of the workers have had to rely on at least one government assistance programs, and some have to go to GoFundMe to cover injuries they go on the job. Jeff Bezos is worth $205 billion, so he has the resources and power to make the necessary changes to help all workers at Amazon comprehensively too. Not to mention that we have to deal with the massive homelessness in America too.
There was a violent synagogue attack in Los Angeles, California. This has nothing to do with peaceful protest or standing up for Palestinians. It has to do with violence, anti-Semitism, and hatred. These folks blocked access from people to go into a synagogue on Sunday which is illegal and a violation of the First Amendment. This occurred outside Adas Torah in Los Angeles's heavily Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood. The protesters said that they opposed Israel's response in Gaza, but they could easily protest using other means instead of blocking congregants, etc. Some people said that they were maced and bear sprayed by some demonstrators. L.A. Mayor Bass condemned the blocking access to a place of worship and violence. Defenders of this violence say that the synagogue was hosting a sale of Palestinian land, but blocking people and fighting people have nothing to do with human justice. Those actions reflect insecurity, bigotry, and hatred of religious expression.
There are recent massive protests in Kenya. Kenyan forces have used live rounds and tear gas against demonstrators. Kenyan President Ruto denounced the parliament being stormed as treasonous. At least five people have been shot. The protesters are against the proposed tax hikes in Kenya. A CNN team saw two human beings lie motionless on the ground in Nairobi. Many people have been arrested. President Ruto said violent people have infiltrated the protesters. Human rights groups and civil society groups have opposed the heavy-handed response by the police in Kenya. Many activists have said that human rights violations have existed by the issue of live bullets and violations to the right to assembly. Many people are opposed by the Finance Bill 2024. Auma Obama or the half-sister of the former U.S. President Barack Obama was teargassed by the police during an interview with CNN live on air, while protesting against the bill. The facts are clear that the police should follow the law and allow restraint to exist. I don't agree with people storming the Kenyan Parliament, but the police over there must use wide judgment in dealing with demonstrators too.
Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S. allowing him to go free. Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks who revealed a lot of information on the war on terror and other information pertaining to Western politics via 250,000 U.S. Embassy Diplomatic cables. He was loved as a promoter of free speech and hated as a person who revealed classified information that put the lives of Americans in danger (according to his critics). He spent five years in a British prison. Assange worked with Chelsea Manning, a military intelligence analyst to revealed thousands of reports about the war on terror, Guantanamo Bay, etc. Julian Assange accepted the plea deal in order for him to return to Australia, where he was born. Assange was fighting extradition to America for more than a decade. Julian Assange agreed to a plea deal in his alleged role in the U.S. government breaches of classified material. The plea deal must still be approved by a federal judge. We saw see what the future hold, but we certainly desire Julian Assange to move on with his life.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Monday, June 24, 2024
Events of This New Generation.
Time has gone so fast in the Universe. I remember 1992 and 1996 just like yesterday. Now, it has been five years since the existence of COVID-19. COVID-19 is even worse than the Spanish flu because of its widespread nature and other reasons. The coronavirus has been researched, debated, and discussed for years. It was caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV2. The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China by December of 2019. There has been massive debate on its origin. Most scientists believe that the COVID-19 disease was formed in Nature from animals. Most scientists believe that the SARS-CoV-2 virus entered into human populations through natural zoonosis, similar to the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV outbreaks, and consistent with other pandemics in human history. To this day, we don't know how COVID-19 formed originally. Social and environmental factors including climate change, natural ecosystem destruction and wildlife trade increased the likelihood of such zoonotic spillover. The disease quickly spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has decreased in its cases in America, but it is a disease that is no game. It has killed at least 7 million people, and that are the deaths being reported. From 2020 to 2021, the worst of COVID-19 existed with arenas shut down, schools closed, and Zoom remote videos being more commonplace. It can strip the human senses of taste and smell. It can damage the lungs, kidneys, and the pulmonary system. Long COVID can last for years, and some people only get COVID-19 for a few days. Severe symptoms of COVID-19 can occur among elderly people and people with pre-existing health conditions (like asthma, diabetes, etc.). Now, there are more than 775 million cases of COVID-19 right now which is totally unprecedented. New COVID-19 vaccines, booster shots, and other preventive measures have saved lives, and we have some people who even believe that COVID-19 is not real when we have genetic analysis of the virus proving that it is real. At the end of the day, our health is important to protect, defend, and support.
There is recent information that I found about my paternal 2nd cousin George Smith Jr. He was born in Halifax, North Carolina. Later, he lived in Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. He passed away on November 12, 2013. His parents are Ertie D. and Geroge W. Smith Sr. His first wife was Naomi Wallace Barrett (b. 1928) on June 21, 1962, at Newport News, Virginia. His second wife was Georgia Harris Johnson (b. 1945), and they married on April 29, 1974. His children are George E. Smith III (his wife is Brenda), Ernest W. Smith (his wife is Tammy), Aundre' M. Smith, Quinton D. Smith (his wife is Heather), and Michael A. Smith (his Wife is Denise). He has many stepchildren. Also, he had 48 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren, and many other family members and friends. George Smith Jr.'s parents are George Smith Sr. and Eartie Lou D. (1909-1995). Eartie Lou D.'s parents are Daniel D. (b. 1868) and Mollie Demry (b. 1868). Daniel D.'s parents are Alfred D. (b. 1828) and Jennie D. (1820-1919). Alfred D.'s parents are my 4th great grandparents of James D. and Edney D.
We live in the 140th year anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. It was a large neoclassical sculpture that is found on Liberty Island in New York Harbor at New York City. It has been one of the most important images of American society like The Grand Canyon, The Arch at St. Louis, Mount Rushmore, and the National Musuem of African American History and Culture. The statue was a gift designed by French sculptor and Freemason Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It has been a tourist location for over one century. There are tons of symbolism it from the figure, the torch, and the words on it. That will be explained in full detail without question. The statue wanted to commemorate the national abolition of slavery after the American Civil War. It has been a symbol for freedom for many people including immigrants who saw it near Ellis Island by the late 19th century and early 20th century. During that times, millions of Greek people, Irish people, Afro-Caribbean people, Italian people, Jewish people, and other human beings came to Ellis Island to escape religious, economic, political, and social persecution. Many of the same hypocrites now, who want all migrants to be deported (with an, evil xenophobic motivation), were a product of their ancestors who braved waters and survived nearly from death to come to America as immigrants. These same hypocrites omit the following facts too: the original language of the Americas thousands of years ago wasn't English, the Pilgrims came to America without Visas or immigration papers, and all immigrants shouldn't be blamed for all evil in the world. That is why we show respect to immigrants who seek a better life legitimately. My ancestors were in chains in America, and my black ancestors fought hard also to advance the cause of justice and freedom heroically. The idea for the statue was born in 1865, when the French historian and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to commemorate the upcoming centennial of U.S. independence (1876), the perseverance of American democracy and the liberation of the nation's slaves. The irony is that while the Statue of Liberty depicted liberty, we have a crossroads in American society. There are the enemies of truth who desire to whitewash black history, suppress the rights of minorities, and wish to have progressive blessings abolished that numerous human beings take for granted. It is the perfect time, and we live in the right generation to allow the true story of the Statue Liberty to be presented to the public fully.
It is important to mention information about the new generation of artists. Art is never in a state of stasis. It constantly evolves or changes from time to time. Abigail Lucien was born in 1992 (being from Dallas), and she works in her art in Baltimore and New York City. She crafts sculptures that deal with imagination. She made her 2023 piece called "boule de fwa VI." It is a pink candle fashioned from acrylic, vinyl, and steel. It deals with the questions about imagination and care. The candle pays homage to the artist's father and grandfather (who passed from coronavirus). Alex Anderson was born in 1990 being from Seattle and works in Los Angeles. He is a sculptor who makes ceramic works. Another piece, Lovely Shade Flower (2021), shows a black flower with a face, a single tear sliding from its eye, its mouth rendered in a spirited scribble. Ambrose Rhapsody Murray was born in 1996 at Jacksonville, Florida, and she lives in New Orleans. She forms creative tapestries that deal with Black femininity, family history, and spirituality. For example, their weaving the hummingbird hovered within the hour (2023) combines family photographs in a disjointed grid, whispering narratives of a rich and complex lineage using soft fabrics and muted, earthy colors. She loved to show works of the women in her family. Ashante Kindle is born in 1990 in Clarksville, Tennessee, and lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut. She makes many works with thick, layered paint. Jaylon Israel Hicks was born in 1993 in Houston and works in Minneapolis. He creates art that deals with globalization and modern society. His work Untitled (Protest) (2020), a provocative photographic image of a shopping cart engulfed in flames, is a clear nod to the protests following George Floyd’s death during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are more young artists showing their gifts to the world like Kevin Clairborne, Lauryn Levette, Na'ye Perez, Patrick Alston, Shan Wallace, Taylor Simmons, Ryan Cosbert, Ute Petit, and other people are making sure that art expression remains forever.
By the 1960's and the 1970's, Country music became more international. It was the new era. Musicians existed to show the Nashville sound. There were people like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Jim Reeves. By this time, the Nashville sound became a multimillion-dollar industry. There were many country singers who passed away from plane crashes in the early 1960's. Starting in the 1950s to the mid-1960s, western singer-songwriters such as Michael Martin, Murphey and Marty Robbins rose in prominence as did others, throughout western music traditions, like New Mexico music's Al Hurricane. The late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres. In the aftermath of the British Invasion, many desired a return to the "old values" of rock n' roll. At the same time there was a lack of enthusiasm in the country sector for Nashville-produced music. What resulted was a crossbred genre known as country rock. Fourth generation (1970s–1980s) music included outlaw country with roots in the Bakersfield sound, and country pop with roots in the countrypolitan, folk music and soft rock. Between 1972 and 1975 singer/guitarist John Denver released a series of hugely successful songs blending country and folk-rock musical styles. By the mid-1970s, Texas country and Tejano music gained popularity with performers like Freddie Fender. By this time, more black American country music legends existed like Charlie Pride and Linda Martell. Linda Martell has inspired artists like Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Beyonce, Rhiannon Giddens, Jennifer Nettles, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, and other people who blessed the stages with music comprehensively.
Here we are. We are nearing the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Previously, the Tokyo Olympics took place in 2021 because of the pandemic, and now we live in a new important year of our history. The Olympics has been a very special occasion where men and women (including some of the greatest athletes in the world) compete not only for a gold medal. They compete to be the best at what they do from track and field, volleyball, basketball, tennis, golf, boxing, and other sports found in the Olympics. Its history include Jesse Owens winning the race in Berlin, the women's 4 X 100m relay team of America having a world record (with Carmelita Jeter, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Tianna Madison establishing the time of 40.82 seconds) When I was a child, I watched the Olympics as being inspired to live a better life than the past. Now, the Olympics in Paris is about the younger generation of athletes forming the start of their legacies, and the older athletes going about to finish up their legacies filled with excellence and power. Sha'Cari Richardson winning the 100m Olympic trials showed her passion for track and field and her wisdom is all part of the story of her life filled with strength, resiliency, and a love of the art of athletic competition. We live in a new era of time. Numerous folks of Generation X are approaching their 60s, many people in my generation of the Millennials are in middle age now, and the younger generations of human beings should be given the opportunity to fulfill their own aspirations.
Many people have talked about Christian nationalism. What is it? Christian nationalism is a heresy that believes in the view that all laws and policies in one nation should reflect a reactionary interpretation of Christianity. It is beyond just a theocracy, but Christian nationalism believed that the Constitution was divinely inspired to govern everyone under their causes. The problem with this view is that many Framers of the Constitutions and numerous early American political leaders were not Christians but Deists, Freemasons, and atheists who explicitly condemned the unification of church and state. Numerous buildings of Washington, D.C. are filled with pagan and occult statues, imagery, and symbolism. Many people back then left Europe to escape the union of church and state as advocated by the Roman Catholic Church, John Calvin's theocratic regime in Geneva, Switzerland (whose modern advocates are people like the late Rousas J. Rushdoony), and other ecclesiastical bodies. Christian nationalists don't believe in the separation of church and state. Many Christian nationalists are linked to white racists who believed that white conservatives represent the superior culture that all people must follow. Many of them believe in the great replacement view. Some of their movement increased after the 1992 Rudy Ridge standoff, the 1993 Waco siege, the OKC Bombing in 1995, and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol (many Christian nationalists were complicit in). Many of them hate and dehumanize immigrants, racial minorities, and sexual minorities. Christian nationalists express a persecution complex where they feel that their values and religions are threatened and marginalized. Many have depression, anger, anxiety, and emotional distress. Christian nationalists today are Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Doug Mastriano. For the record, Christian Nationalism is not real Christianity but a heresy related to Dominionism. Dominion Theology teaches that believers must rule all governments to be a theocracy in order to cause the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. The NT is clear that believers should spread the Gospel voluntarily and without forcing people against their wills to believe in what you believe in. Prior to the 1970's, most Evangelicals even rejected the union of church and state and followed their religious views without desiring to merge church and state. That would change among many Evangelicals by the 1970's after Jim Crow was gone and court decisions existed. The powers that be fund both major political parties, especially in its leadership. Christian nationalism makes America a near idol including Trump while ignoring to help the poor and the oppressed in general in a systematic fashion. Even the Bible says that Christians aren't called to create a man-made, authoritarian kingdom on Earth to harm other people, but the Kingdom of God is within you (as found in the New Covenant, the blood of the Lamb redeems souls). Christian Nationalists, Dominionism, Reconstructionism, and likeminded movements are heresies, because we are called to realize that our true citizenship is not in this world but in Heaven, where Christ is as found in Hebrews 11:16 and we are all called for repentance as found in Acts 17:30-31. At the end of the day, people of every faith or no faith have the right to live peacefully in America with equal rights, we don't need to prove our religious convictions by forcing people to believe as we believe in, religious freedom can be promoted in houses of worship (and families and other places without government dictation), and government is not meant to be a theocratic, oppressive state but a democratic institution. Now, that is the truth.
By Timothy
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Friday, June 21, 2024
Standing On Principles.
Recently, Tariq Nasheed posted a comment on X denying that soul fool from America came from West Africa. Then, he crossed the line and showed the image of a man eating fabric and claiming that this is collectively part of West African culture. The truth is that we black Americans have ancestry from West and Central Africa being mostly of Bantu heritage. For Tariq to show an image of a black person like this is what white racists do daily on the Internet. There is no excuse for this. Tariq Nasheed is a sellout and a traitor to black people as I have exposed him for years. This is low, even for him. West Africa has elevators, advanced technologies, gyms, hotels, homes, and other parts of modern culture. Tariq Nasheed's self-hatred, xenophobia (against Africans and Afro-Caribbeans), and his disinformation should be transparent for all to see. As an African American, the FBA and ADOS cults are hate groups plain and simple. Tariq Nasheed is a liar (to deny that Africa has role in the development of soul food) as some soul food was influenced by Africa like yams, okra, hibiscus, Guinea millet, lima beans, watermelon, rice, black-eyed peas, etc. Even mainstream scholars documented how soul food uses cooking techniques and ingredients from West Africa, Central Africa, America, and other places of the world. These groups don't care about reparations for black Americans, but they do care about promoting division and hatred of black people based on nationality which is completely against the Golden Rule and real principles.
The Judge Cannon will decide on the case of the documents on people saying if Jack Miller was qualified to be the prosecutor on the case. The Judge has rejected suggestions to step aside from the case. Many judges want Cannon to step aside. This has been reported by the New York Times. Judge Cannon was appointed by Donald Trump, and she has displayed bias on the classified document case. The appointee of former President George W. Bush wanted Judge Cannon to rescue herself from the Mar-a-Lago case as well. The judge has caused the course of the case to move very slow, and the Constitution cites the right of a trial to be speedy.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Juneteenth News.
Donald Trump praising autocrats like Xi and Putin is not shocking. Putin came to North Korea, so Putin could get military assistance in Putin's illegal war against Ukraine. So, North Korea, China, and Russia are unified in military programs and their political agendas. North Korea wants Russia to help its ballistic missile program as North Korea is constantly testing ballistic missiles that hit near Japan. The terrorism of the Houthis has caused innocent Yemeni fishermen to not earn money from feeding their families from fishing. These are the same Houthi racists enslaving black people in Yemen too. According to Farah Griffin, Trump talked about executing people at several White House meetings. These facts make us aware of the dangers of reactionary extremists who desire to ruin society as we know it.
A new poll shows that 21 percent of Independents have said that the recent Trump conviction will make them less likely to support Trump. President Biden has a new $50 million ad buy in swing states criticizing Trump on his 34 criminal felony convictions, sexual assault liability, and financial fraud verdicts. With all of these facts known, people should not support Trump, whose support is fueled in part by toxic male masculinity. Trump makes a mockery of the black community in trying to gain black votes in the Bronx, Detroit, etc. Trump's disrespecting the city of Milwaukee shows his hatred of America. The folks who truly hate America are those who hate America's diversity, abhor American charity helping people, and dislike American activists who desire progressive values to enrich all Americans and all people of the rest of the world. Trump and his MAGA cult members seek the destruction of modern-day American democracy, but we want more blessings and solutions to help the oppressed and the rest of the human race.
Sometimes, lies go around the world before the truth is known to more people. This is the first time of me mentioning my views about Tariq Nasheed's hip-hop documentary called Microphone Check. First, the "documentary" is half true. It tells the truth that African Americans played a key role in the origin and cultivation of hip-hop music. That is self-evident from the role of DJ King Mario to black people in the Bronx spreading hip hop worldwide from the 1970's and beyond. We black Americans have a beautiful and inspiring culture that has been a blessing to the whole world. The problem with the documentary is that it minimizes the role of Afro-Caribbeans in hip hop's origin for the sake of promoting a pro-FBA agenda. The FBA and ADOS movements (which hate Pan-African unity) are reactionary movements that seek to infiltrate the legitimate black American reparations movements to promote anti-black immigrant policies, scapegoat black immigrants for the problems in the black community, and these movements are silent on Western imperialism's role in the oppression of all black people, regardless of nationality. These movements are heavily silent on capitalist exploitation and the plight of black people in Haiti, Congo, etc. because they have a selfish mentality of not desiring to free black people globally. The unintended consequence of this documentary is of course the spread of division, arguments, and unnecessary hatred among black people based on nationality and xenophobia. For example, Tariq Nasheed said that New Orleans has no ties to Haitian culture. A Google search can prove that Haitians have strong cultural ties to New Orleans for centuries (this comes after he said the other lie that black people from Louisiana have no ties to African Americans as a whole. African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans have strong ties to Louisiana. So, Tariq is a liar). Many followers of the FBA and ADOS cults have cursed, threatened, and harassed people on social media who disagree with their rhetoric too.
We know that Tariq Nasheed is a classic xenophobe and sexist by calling women out of their names if they disagree with him, calling Afro-Caribbeans and Africans the slur of the t word, being a former rapper who shown vile lyrics about women (that he has not apologized for), writing books promoting sexist, red pill rhetoric, etc. As for Latinos (I heard of KRS One's recent statements), Latinos didn't create hip hop, so Fat Joe is wrong to say that hip hop is 50/50 black people and Latino people in hip hop's origin. Latinos did play a role in the early stages of hip hop from graffiti and dancing plus other aspects of hip hop. It is important to note that Afro-Latinos are black people, and many Afro-Latinos are some of my favorite heroes. As for Tariq and Fresh and Fit, both of them are wrong. Fresh and Fit are sexist, haters of women, promote manosphere lies, and extremists who make a mockery of black people. Myron Gaines is even worse than Tariq, as Myron Gaines denies the brutal nature of gentrification and racism against the black community of America. Therefore, as a black American, as my ancestors were in America long before 1800, I disagree with the divisive rhetoric of Tariq Nasheed (who recently befriended the hate-monger and sellout Tommy Sotomayor. Tariq also disrespected Tennessee state representative by calling him a fake Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.).
Some people want to underestimate Russia. Russia is struggling to defeat Ukraine is transparent. Yet, Russia has nuclear weapons. They have an alliance with China and North Korea. Russia has subs near Scotland and near Cuba (to have military drills in the area). Russia is promoting more military cooperation with Iran and Kazakhstan. Palestinian general discusses military co-operation at talks in Moscow in 2022 according to Reuters. The Pentagon has admitted that Russia launched anti-Western satellite killer weapons in space called Cosmos 2533. So, Putin is being very slick, and we shouldn't play around with this. The Soviet Union isn't here anymore, and Putin wants to be a future Tsar into the 2030's. The 2030's will be a crucial time in our history in what we shall see involving America, China, and Russia. Russia destroyed over 900 schools, hospitals, and churches in Ukraine since the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine. Yet, many people ignore that because they care more about making token political points instead of showing the real truth. Russia has a new generation tank called the ARMATA T-14 (about 20 years ahead of its time), being helped by China's AI systems. So, this is real. We don't know exactly what this will lead to in the future, and we have to be prepared for the future. Pro-Putin GOP factions in America from Carlson to others are truly wrong.
By Timothy
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Monday, June 17, 2024
History and Culture in June of 2024.
Many people on my father's side live in the state of West Virginia. West Virginia has a long history involving working-class culture and rural culture. West Virginia was created on June 20, 1863, during the American Civil War being part of the Union. It is a key border state with tons of mountains and hills with locations like Charleston, Huntington, etc. My 4th cousin George Benjamin Artis Sr. married Nora Mae Brown (1955-2022) on November 6, 1978, at Wise, West Virginia. Their children are George Benjamin Artis Jr. (1977-2021) and Bethany Raechelle Justice (b. 1981). George Benjamin Artis Sr. had a child named Brittany Elaine Artis (b. 1989). Brittany Elaine Artis's mother is Robin F. Goolsby. Nora Mae Brown Artis lived from March 3, 1955, to Thursday, August 10, 2023. Nora lived in Brooskville, Florida and her parents were John and Mary Brown. Nora Mae Brown had tons of friends from her job at the Williamson Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. George Benjamin Artis Jr. had two daughters who are DeAndria Artis and Olivia Malaun Artis (these women are my 5th cousins). Olivia Malaun Artis has two children who are Dominique Dogan and Kamira Skye Dogan (who are my 5th cousins too). My 5th cousin Bethany Raechelle Justice had many children with Byron Justice whose names are Byron Justice Jr., Celeste R. Justice, and Victoria R. Justice (these are my 5th cousins too). George Benjamin Artis Jr. lived in Tampa, Florida before his transition on November 21, 2021. He attended Willaimson High School and graduated from Capitol High School in Charleston, West Virginia. George Benjamin Artis Jr. was a person who was loyal to his family and friends and was funny. His aunts are Carole Artis, Cheryl Artis, Mary Fullen Blackwell, Donzella Fullen, and Patricia Brown. George Benjamin Jr. and I are descendants of my 4th great-grandparents who were George and Esther Perkins. George Benjamin Artis Jr.'s parents are George Benjamin Artis Sr. (b. 1951) and Nora Mae Brown (1955-2023). George Benjamin Artis Sr.'s parents were Dekalb Artis (1915-2009) and Christine Tanyhill (1920-2004). Dekalb Artis's parents were George Artis Jr. (1891-1935) and Mary Fannie Artis (1895-1958). My late 2nd cousin's Mary Fannie Artis's parents were Sam Casey (1868-1938) and Sophronia Perkins (1870-1926). Sophronia Perkins's parents were George Perkins II (1847-1932) and Fannie Lou Blackstock (1848-1949). My late 3rd great-granduncle George Perkins's II's parents were Geroge Perkins I (b. 1815) and Esther Perkins (b. 1816). They lived in Northampton County, Virginia or the Virginian Eastern Shore. So, my paternal ancestry came from 2 locations. One set of my paternal ancestors came originally from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, traveled into North Carolina, then West Virginia, and all across America (in Florida too). Another set of my paternal ancestors came from Halifax, North Carolina, and traveled into Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and across America.
We can't underestimate the legacy of the Madden video game series. Madden is probably the most popular sports video game series of all time being named after the iconic football coach John Madden. Now, the franchise sold more 130 million copies as of 2018. Since 2004, it has been the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series. It has influenced many players and coaches of football. As of 2013, Madden has generated over 4 billion dollars in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market. The game started as John Madden Football released by Electronic Arts in 1988 with the cover of an energetic John Madden. Back then, the graphics were grainier, but it had customizable gameplay and conditions of weather (like hot, rain, snow, cold, and windy). It had quarters, player fatigue, and injuries plus penalties. People can create teams and other components were included in its cosmology. In 1989, Madden was released for both PC and Commodore 64. The 1990 Madden version, released also for the SNES and Amiga, adds audibles, and password-saved games. For the first time ever in a football video game, the camera or perspective is played from above and behind the quarterback rather than from the side right to left, and vice versa. It only had 16 teams, loosely based on real NFL teams as well as an All-Madden team was included as a bonus. By 1991, Madden was released for PC and consoles. It had new features like larger playbooks, and commentary including coaching from John Madden on classic football components like Play Action Pass. There was an upgrade of VGA graphics and the use of Adlib audio. In 1992, an ambulance would run over any players in its path on Madden. From 1992 to 1994, Mega placed the game at #1 in their monthly Top 100 Mega Drive Games of All Time.
After Visual Concepts failed to deliver Madden NFL '96 for the new PlayStation in 1995, EA hired Tiburon Entertainment for Madden NFL '97 and later acquired the company, centralizing development in-house. It planned to release John Madden Football as its first sports-based arcade game, but the game was cancelled due to unenthusiastic reactions from play testers. EA's refusal to release Madden and other sports titles for the Dreamcast in 1999 contributed to the console's lack of success and Sega's exit from the hardware market. By 1996, Madden was the best-selling sports video game franchise, with more than eight million units sold up until then
In 1997, EA hired Tiburon Entertainment for Madden NFL ’97 and later acquired by EA, centralizing development in-house. It planned to release John Madden Football as its first sports-based arcade game, but the game was canceled due to unenthusiastic reactions from play testers.
In 1998, Electronic Arts added "Franchise Mode" to Madden Football, giving players the ability to play multiple seasons, make off-season draft picks, and trade players. Within Franchise Mode, players take on the role of general manager and manage all personnel matters, including contracts, free agency, draft picks, and hiring and firing coaches. The player also acts as a head coach-like character (although there is a head coach figure in-game), choosing which players to play, making substitutions, running practices, practicing gameplans, etc. Players may play with any of the NFL's 32 franchises; they can choose whether or not to have trade deadlines and salary caps and if they want to start their franchise with a 49-round fantasy draft of all active NFL players. Players can also upload created teams for use in the game.
Once in game, players run training camp (individual drills for improving players' attributes), play in preseason games, and compete in a regular 16-game NFL season, including playoffs and the Super Bowl. The player has the option to play any game in the simulation, including those involving other teams if they so desire, or may simulate through the games as they choose. Most versions of Madden give a player 30 years with their franchise, sometimes with an opportunity to apply for the Hall of Fame at the end of the simulation. Throughout the history of Franchise Mode, there have been many issues and glitches including data corruption, gameplay bugs, and developer mistakes. Franchise Mode is one of Madden's most consistently criticized game modes yearly.
Madden NFL 2000 was the first Madden to have a play editor, arcade mode, and the Madden Challenge. The game was released on August 31, 1999, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and Classic Mac OS. The cover athletes were former Raiders Coach John Madden and the Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders in the background. This was the second Madden to have someone besides John Madden on the cover. Madden NFL 2001 featured a segment called "Great Games" where one would be put in a situation where they control one team and would have to win the game within a set amount of time. If the player wins, they unlock either a new team or a stadium. Overall, there were more than 60 teams and over 80 stadiums in Madden NFL 2001. Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George is the cover athlete. Madden NFL video games in the 21st century had innovations like Smart Route, QB Vision, Lead Blocker Controls, and Highlight Stick.
Madden NFL 23 was announced with head coach John Madden as the cover star on Madden Day (June 1, 2022, the same day the series' first installment, John Madden Football, was released) in honor of his legacy after his passing on December 28, 2021. The cover of the next gen version is a picture of Madden celebrating his victory as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders at Super Bowl XI. The All-Madden Edition is based on the cover of the series' 1st installment, John Madden Football, made by Chuck Styles. The recent Madden NFL 25 video game has new features like BOOM Tech, which EA called a "dynamic physics-based tackling system that unlocks the re-engineered Hit Stick and a new level of ball carrier control" in its official press release. EA Sports also introduced new commentary teams for Madden 25 in the form of Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen, as well as Kate Scott and Brock Huard. It will have Superstar Mode, Ultimate Team, and online head-to-head play. Madden NFL 25 will be released worldwide for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC on Aug. 16, 2024, but those who purchase the deluxe edition or the MVP bundle can begin playing on Aug. 13.
Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular and controversial video games of all time. GTA was released back on November 28, 1997, when I was a teenager, and its last release was shown in November 2021 called Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (The Definitive Edition). GTA is an action-adventure video game that was created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Other people were involved like Dan and Sam Houser (who are brothers), Leslie Benzies, and Aaron Garbut. It was developed by the British development house of Rockstar North. It was published by its American parent company called Rockstar Games. The game is about an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story like various side activities. Its focus has been on cities like San Francisco, Miami, and New York City. The game isn't meant for kids filled with adult themes and adult imagery.
There are many African American pioneer country music legends that many people don't know about. Arnold Shultz (1886-1931) had performances that weren't recorded. Yet, the fiddler and guitarist's distinct finger-picking style influenced many artists like bluegrass legend Bill Monroe and Merle Travis (who did his own version of the finger-picking style). Rufus "Tee Tot" Payne (1883-1939) met Hank Williams when he was a child. Payne taught Hank Williams how to play the guitar in the 1930's. Rufus Payne was a great music teacher. Hank Williams Jr. paid tribute to Rufus Payne in the song Tee Tot Song in 2002. Lesley Riddle lived from 1905 to 1979. He never let losing his leg and 2 fingers stop him from creating country music. He made an inventive guitar-playing style that inspired The Carter Family. Riddle traveled all over Appalachia to document songs. Henry Glover (1921-1991) was an early black music executive who wrote songs and scouted artists for King Records, which started in 1943. He worked with country music during its early years. When he was in the studio, Glover produced The Delore Brothers, Hawksahw Hawkins, and Moon Mullican.
Many of my relatives were African American veterans of World War I. For example, my late first cousin John Quincy Adams Scott (b. 1897) was a veteran of World War One. John Quincy Adams Scott (his mother was Roberta Scott, and his grandmother was Sarah Claud) and I are descendants of my 5th grandmother Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). John Quincy Adams is the 2nd great-grandchild of Zilphy Claud. He came back to America from Brest, France to Newport News, Virginia on June 26, 1919. The ship was named Konningin der Nederlanden. He was part of the United States Army as a Private of the Co. A. 548th Engineers. My late great uncle Calvin Bailey (1892-1954) was a member of the 540th Engineers of WWI. Calvin Bailey and I share the ancestors of my 3rd great-grandparents of Johnson Brickhouse (b. 1826) and Julia Perkins (b. 1835). One child of Johnson Brickhouse and Julia Perkins was my 2nd great grandmother Esther Brickhouse Bailey (1862-1955). Esther Brickhouse Bailey married Harry Bailey (1855-1943) and one of their children was Calvin Bailey. Calvin Bailey married Carry Bell (her parents are John and Vergie Bell) in 1919 in Northampton County, Virginia (which is on the Virginian Eastern Shore). L. M. Baker performed the ceremony. Calvin Bailey was part of the African American Company D, 540th Engineers in World War One. He was a Private who was on the ship called Britannia that traveled from Marseille, France to Brooklyn, New York City on June 6, 1919.
My late 2nd cousin Howard S. Lowe (1897-1958) was a World War One Veteran too. He was part of the U.S. Army and was born in Virginia. His parents were Bishop Charles Wesley Lowe (1875-1954) and my 1st cousin Louisa A. Sykes (1876-1955). The parents of Louisa A. Sykes were Willis Sykes (b. 1832) and my 4 great-grandaunt Lydia Claud (b. 1842). Lydia Claud's mother was my 5th great grandmother Zilphy Claud (1820-1893). According to my late 2nd cousin Elgin Madison Lowe (1914-2000), Howard S. Lowe was over 6ft tall and weighed over 200 pounds. Howard would tell stories about his events in France during WWI. He worked at Miners Manufacturing Company, and he was a barber at Colden's Barber Shop on East Washington Street. He lived in Philadelphia just before his passing. Howard S. Lowe was part of D. Company 545th Engineers Service Battalion of the rank of Private. He was on the ship called Rijndam, and it traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey (he was originally from Suffolk, Virginia) on September 23, 1918. Howard S. Lowe married Josephine Mayfield (1899-1974) first and his second wife was Frankie Knight (b. 1903).
To understand the Ferguson story fully, you must mention facts about the sacrifice and courage of the activists on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri. First, the parents of Michael Brown, who are Michael Brown Sr. and Lesly McSpadden, have worked for years to combat racial injustice, police brutality, and economic injustice in Missouri plus nationwide. They reached a settlement deal in a lawsuit with the city of Ferguson. They went to march with relatives of other African Americans who were killed by the police (like Tamar Rice, Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, etc.) and lobbied Congress to fund body cameras for police agencies. Alisha Sonnier is an activist who has gone into local politics too. Johnetta Elzie has been fighting for justice in the St. Louis area and Ferguson for years. Fran Griffin has joined a steering committee that created a review of the police department in Ferguson. DeRay McKesson, Bassem Masri, and other people have worked in the Ferguson movement too. Darren Seals Jr. (1987-2016) was a Ferguson activist who was mysteriously murdered in a burning car. Records prove that Seals was illegally monitored by the FBI considering him a revolutionary.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss international issues. Vice President Harris said that more than $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine will exist. This conference in Switzerland desires peace in Ukraine. The money includes 500 million dollars in new funding for energy assistance and 324 million dollars in redirected funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair. The problem with the anti-Ukraine forces among the far right and the fake left is that they ignore or minimize the overt war crimes done by Putin's military forces. You can't condemn Netanyahu's war cries in Gaza and ignore the Russian war crimes in Ukraine. People who do that are hypocrites. Ukraine has every God-given right to use self-defense against Russian illegal invasion. There is a nuisance in the conflict. For example, I don't agree with Ukraine attacking Russia, but the overall point is that Ukraine has the right to be a free, independent nation without Russian imperialism.
By Timothy
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Summer 2024 Part 5.
165th Year Anniversary of the John Brown Raid.
The John Brown Raid took place 165 years ago. It was one of the most important events of antebellum America. As we approach the 160th year anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, we have more of a reflection of how America changed. Back then, millions of black people were in tyranny with slavery. Slavery is no country club. Slavery deals with control, brutality, torture, rape, family splitting, obscene acts on human life, and other abominable crimes having no justification at all. People have a God-given right to resist the tyranny of slavery in seeking true freedom. There were many slavery revolts, and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was one of the final anti-slavery revolts in America before the advent of the American Civil War. We know about John Brown and his total disgust of slavery. Yet, there were other men involved in the cause of the raid too like Shields Green, John Henry Kagi, and other brave people who wanted America to end slavery once and for all. Involving the raid, only 5 men escaped, 11 men were killed, and 7 were captured and later executed (including John Brown). John Brown and other men gave up their lives in heroic sacrifice, so we can type on the computer, go to any place we want, and live life without legalized slavery. Their memories will never be forgotten in our consciousness. We will always acknowledge their heroic sacrifice forever and ever.
The Bondage of American Slavery
In our generation, people need to be reminded of the brutality of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery in America. This was part of the Maafa when evil people kidnapped innocent black African men, women, and children and forced them to go into the Americas, Europe, Asia, etc. These human beings were raped, beaten, families split, and forced to do inhumane actions on the ships and plantations. Easily, the Maafa was the worst form of slavery in all of human history. In our generation, many far-right extremists want to sugarcoat the Maafa (like in Florida, Texas, etc.), but we won't do so here. The Maafa lasted from the late 1400's to the 1800's. Afterward, black people in the world are still fighting for justice and human liberation. Slavery still exists in Mauritania, Yemen (with racist Houthi terrorism harming black people and forcing many black people to be slaves), and other places in the world. Most victims of the Maafa came from Western and Central Africa. My DNA ancestry is mostly from Nigeria and the Congo/Angola. Therefore, I know fully about this subject. Many people from Europe, the Middle East, and traitors from Africa were complicit in the Maafa, but the racist Europeans controlled the major functions of the Maafa and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. In America, black people were forced into slavery in brutal terms. Yet, we still rose up in slave revolts to fight back. We were involved in the American Civil War to defeat the evil Confederacy to end overt, legalized slavery. Still, we fight against voting rights suppression, book bans, suppression of the rights of minorities, and the MAGA movement. We are on the right side of history, and we shall be victorious in the end.
The Planning
The John Brown raid took a lot of planning to create the raid. John Brown rented the Kennedy Farmhouse with a small cabin nearby. This place was 4 miles north of Harpers Ferry in Washington County, Maryland. He took up residence under the name of Isaac Smith. Brown worked with a small group of men for military action. This group grew to include 21 men besides himself. There were 16 white men and five black men. A Northern abolitionist group sent 198 breech-loading .52-caliber Sharps carbines ("Beecher's Bibles"). He ordered from a blacksmith in Connecticut 950 pikes, for use by black people untrained in the use of firearms, as few were. John Brown told curious neighbors that they were tools for mining, which aroused no suspicion as for years the possibility of local mining for metals had been explored. Brown "frequently took home with him parcels of earth, which he pretended to analyze in search of minerals. Often his neighbors would visit him when he was making his chemical experiments and so well did he act his part that he was looked upon as one of profound learning and calculated to be a most useful man to the neighborhood."
The pikes were never used; a few black people in the engine house carried one, but none used it. After the action was over and most of the principals dead or imprisoned, they were sold at high prices as souvenirs. Harriet Tubman had one, and Abby Hopper Gibbons another; the Marines returning to base each had one. When all had been taken or sold, an enterprising mechanic started making and selling new ones. "It is estimated that enough of these have been sold as genuine to supply a large army." Virginian Fire-Eater Edmund Ruffin had them sent to the governors of every slave state, with a label that said "Sample of the favors designed for us by our Northern Brethren." He also carried one around in Washington D.C., showing it to every one he could, "so as to create fear and terror of slave insurrection."
The United States Armory was a large complex of buildings that manufactured small arms for the U.S. Army (1801–1861), with an Arsenal (weapons storehouse) that was thought to contain at the time 100,000 muskets and rifles. However, John Brown, who had his own stock of weapons, did not seek to capture those of the Arsenal. John Brown wanted to attract more black American recruits. There was a lack of tons of people supporting this raid. He tried to recruit Frederick Douglass as liaison officer to the slaves in a meeting held (for safety) in an abandoned quarry in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It was at this meeting that ex-slave "Emperor" Shields Green, rather than return home with Douglass (in whose house Green was living), decided to join with John Brown in his attack on the United States Armory, Green stating to Douglass "I believe I will go with the old man." Douglass declined, indicating to Brown that he believed the raid was a suicide mission. The plan was "an attack on the federal government" that "would array the whole country against us. ...You will never get out alive", he warned. According to Osborne Anderson, "the Old Captain told us, we stood nine chances to one to be killed; but, said the Captain at the same time[,] 'there are moments when men can do more dead than alive.'"
The Kennedy Farmhouse served as "barracks, arsenal, supply depot, mess hall, debate club, and home." It was very crowded, and life there was tedious. Brown was worried about arousing neighbors' suspicions. As a result, the raiders had to stay indoors during the daytime, without much to do but study (Brown recommended Plutarch's Lives), drill, argue politics, discuss religion and play cards and checkers. Brown's daughter-in-law Martha served as cook and housekeeper. His daughter Annie served as a lookout. She remarked later that these were the most important months of her life. John Brown wanted women at the farm, to prevent suspicions of a large all-male group. The raiders went outside at night to drill and get fresh air. Thunderstorms were welcome since they concealed noise from Brown's neighbors. John Brown didn't plan to make a quick raid and escape to the mountains. He wanted to arm the rebellious slaves to strike terror in the slaveholders in Virginia. Believing that on the first night of action, 200 to 500 slaves would join his line, Brown ridiculed the militia and the regular army that might oppose him. He planned to send agents to nearby plantations, rallying the slaves, and hold Harpers Ferry for a short time, with the expectation that as many volunteers, white and black, would join him as would form against him. He would then move rapidly southward, sending out armed bands along the way that would free more slaves, obtain food, horses, and hostages, and destroy slaveholders' morale. Brown intended to follow the Appalachian Mountains south into Tennessee and even Alabama, the heart of the South, making forays into the plains on either side.
Hugh Forbes had advanced knowledge of the raid. There were at least 80 people who knew about Brown's planned raid in advance. Brown didn't reveal his total plan to anyone. Hugh Forbes was paid $100 per month to be a drillmaster in a total of $600. Forbes was an English mercenary who served Giuseppe Garibaldi (a revolutionary person) in Italy. Forbes's Manual for the Patriotic Volunteer was found in Brown's papers after the raid. Brown and Forbes argued over strategy and money. Forbes wanted more money so that his family in Europe could join him. Forbes sent threatening letters to Brown's backers in an attempt to get money. Failing in this effort, Forbes traveled to Washington, DC, and met with U.S. Senators William H. Seward and Henry Wilson. He denounced Brown to Seward as a "vicious man" who needed to be restrained but did not disclose any plans for the raid. Forbes partially exposed the plan to Senator Wilson and others. Wilson wrote to Samuel Gridley Howe, a Brown backer, advising him to get Brown's backers to retrieve the weapons intended for use in Kansas. Brown's backers told him that the weapons should not be used "for other purposes, as rumor says they may be." In response to warnings, Brown had to return to Kansas to shore up support and discredit Forbes. Some historians believe that this trip cost Brown valuable time and momentum. Mary Ellen Pleasent donated $30,000 (or 1.1 million dollars in 2023) to help pay for the raid, saying it was "most important and significant act of her life."
One of those who knew was David J. Gue of Springdale, Iowa, where Brown had spent time. Gue was a Quaker who believed that Brown and his men would be killed. Gue decided to warn the government "to protect Brown from the consequences of his own rashness." He sent an anonymous letter to Secretary of War John B. Floyd. Gue wanted Floyd to send soldiers to Harpers Ferry to make Brown call off his plans. Even though President Buchanan offered a $250 reward for Brown, Floyd did not connect the John Brown of Gue's letter to the John Brown of Pottawatomie, Kansas, fame. He knew that Maryland did not have an armory (Harpers Ferry is in Virginia, today West Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Maryland.) Floyd concluded that the letter writer was a crackpot and disregarded it. He later said that "a scheme of such wickedness and outrage could not be entertained by any citizen of the United States." Brown's second in command John Henry Kagi wrote to a friend on October 15, the day before the attack, that they had heard there was a search warrant for the Kennedy farmhouse, and therefore they had to start eight days sooner than planned. The time was soon to come. The raid started on October 16, 1859, on Sunday.
The John Brown Raid
The John Brown raid on Harpers' Ferry started on Sunday night on October 16, 1859 at 11 pm. Brown left three of his men behind as a rear guard, in charge of the cache of weapons; his son Owen Brown, Barclay Coppock, and Francis Jackson Meriam. He led the rest across the bridge and into the town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown detached a party under John Cook, Jr., to capture Colonel Lewis Washington, great-grandnephew of George Washington, at his nearby Beall-Air estate, free his slaves, and seize two relics of George Washington: a sword Lewis Washington said had been presented to George Washington by Frederick the Great, and two pistols given by Marquis de Lafayette, which Brown considered talismans. The party carried out its mission and returned via the Allstadt House, where they took more hostages and freed more slaves. John Brown and his allies wanted to capture the Armory and then escaped before word could be sent to Washington, D.C. The raid started good for Brown and the other men. They cut the telegraph line twice to prevent communication in either direction. They wanted to stop communication on the Maryland side of the bridge; slightly later on the far side of the station, preventing communication with Virginia. One of the leaders of the raid, Osborne Anderson mentioned that many slaves were enthusiastic about their plan to free them from bondage and tyranny. By Monday, October 17th, more events happened. A free black man was the first fatality to result from the raid: Heyward Shepherd, a baggage handler at the Harpers Ferry train station, who had ventured out onto the bridge to look for a watchman who had been driven off by Brown's raiders. He was shot from behind when he by chance encountered the raiders, refused to freeze, and headed back to the station. That a black man was the first casualty of an insurrection whose purpose was to aid black people. Heyward Shepherd should not have died, and he thought that the men were robbers. He died over mistaken identity.
The shot and a cry of distress were heard by physician John Starry, who lived across the street from the bridge and walked over to see what was happening. After he saw it was Shepherd and that he could not be saved, Brown let him leave. Instead of going home, he started the alarm, having the bell on the Lutheran church rung, sending a messenger to summon help from Charles Town, and then going there himself, after having notified such local men as could be contacted quickly. John Brown and his men boarded the train. At about 7 AM it arrived at the first station with a working telegraph, Monocacy, near Frederick, Maryland, about 23 miles (37 km) east of Harpers Ferry. The conductor sent a telegram to W. P. Smith, Master of Transportation at B&O headquarters in Baltimore. Smith's reply to the conductor rejected his report as "exaggerated", but by 10:30 AM he had received confirmation from Martinsburg, Virginia, the next station west of Harpers Ferry. No westbound trains were arriving and three eastbound trains were backed up on the Virginia side of the bridge; because of the cut telegraph line the message had to take a long, roundabout route via the other end of the line in Wheeling, and from there back east via Pittsburgh, causing delay. At that point, Smith informed the railroad president, John W. Garrett, who sent telegrams to Major General George H. Steuart of the First Light Division, Maryland Volunteers, Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise, U.S. Secretary of War John B. Floyd, and U.S. President James Buchanan.
At the Armory, employees began arriving to work. Later, they were taken as hostages by John Brown's party. Reports differ on how many there were, but there were many more than would fit in the small engine house. Brown divided them into two groups, keeping only the ten most important in the engine house the others were held in a different Armory building. According to the report from Robert E. Lee, some of the hostages are Colonel L. W. Washington of Jefferson County, Virginia, Mr. George D. Shope of Frederick, Maryland, etc. As it became known that citizens had been taken hostage by an armed group, men of Harpers Ferry found themselves without arms other than fowling-pieces, which were useless at a distance. Military companies from neighboring towns began to arrive late Monday morning. Among them was Captain John Avis, who would soon be Brown's jailor, who arrived with a company of militia from Charles Town. John Brown stayed too long in Harpers Ferry. It was on a narrow peninsula, almost an island. Many militia people came.
The militia companies, under the direction of Colonels R. W. Baylor and John T. Gibson, forced the insurgents to abandon their positions and, since escape was impossible, fortify themselves in "a sturdy stone building", the most defensible in the Armory, the fire engine house, which would be known later as John Brown's Fort. (There were two fire engines, which Greene described as old-fashioned and heavy, plus a hose cart). They blocked the few windows, used the engines and hose cart to block the heavy doors, and reinforced the doors with rope, making small holes on the walls and through them trading sporadic gunfire with the surrounding militia. Between 2 and 3 there was "a great deal of firing." During the day four townspeople were killed, including the mayor, who managed the Harpers Ferry station and was a former county sheriff. Eight militiamen were wounded. But the militia, besides the poor quality of their weapons, were disorderly and unreliable. "Most of them [militiamen] got roaring drunk." "A substantial proportion of the militia (along with many of the townspeople) had become a disorganized, drunken, and cowering mob by the time that Colonel Robert E. Lee and the U.S. Marines captured Brown on Tuesday, October 18." The Charleston Mercury called it a "broad and pathetic farce." According to several reports, Governor Wise was outraged at the poor performance of the local militia.
At one point Brown sent out his son Watson and Aaron Dwight Stevens with a white flag, but Watson was mortally wounded by a shot from a town man, expiring after more than 24 hours of agony, and Stevens was shot and taken prisoner. The raid was clearly failing. One of Brown's men, William H. Leeman, panicked and made an attempt to flee by swimming across the Potomac River, but he was shot and killed while doing so. During the intermittent shooting, another son of Brown, Oliver, was also hit; he died, next to his father, after a brief period. Brown's third participating son, Owen, escaped (with great difficulty) via Pennsylvania to the relative safety of his brother John Jr.'s house in Ashtabula County in northeast Ohio, but he was not part of the Harpers Ferry action; he was guarding the weapons at their base, the Kennedy Farm, just across the river in Maryland.
President James Buchanan called out a detachment of U.S. Marines from the Washington Navy Yard, the only federal troops in the immediate area: 81 privates, 11 sergeants, 13 corporals, and 1 bugler, armed with seven howitzers. The Marines left for Harper's Ferry on the regular 3:30 train, arriving about 10 PM. Israel Greene was in charge.
To command them Buchanan ordered Brevet Colonel Robert E. Lee, conveniently on leave at his home, just across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, to "repair" to Harpers Ferry, where he arrived about 10 PM, on a special train. Lee had no uniform readily available, and wore civilian clothes.
The Aftermath
By October 18, 1859, the Marines broke through the engine house door. At 6:30 AM Lee began the attack on the engine house. He first offered the role of attacking it to the local militia units, but both commanders declined. Lee then sent Lt. J. E. B. Stuart, serving as a volunteer aide-de-camp, under a white flag of truce to offer John Brown and his men the option of surrendering. Colonel Lee informed Lt. Israel Greene that if Brown did not surrender, he was to direct the Marines to attack the engine house. Stuart walked towards the front of the engine house where he told Brown that his men would be spared if they surrendered. Brown refused and as Stuart walked away, he made a pre-arranged signal—waving his hat—to Lt. Greene and his men standing nearby. Greene's men then tried to break in using sledgehammers, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He found a ladder nearby, and he and about twelve Marines used it as a battering ram to break down the sturdy doors. Greene was the first through the door and with the assistance of Lewis Washington, identified and singled out John Brown. Greene later recounted what events occurred next. Greene said that John Brown was hit with blow to the neck. Two of the raiders were killed, and the rest were taken prisoner. Brown was wounded before and after his surrender. The hostages were freed, and the assault was over. It lasted three minutes.
According to one marine, the raiders presented a sad appearance. Army leader Robert E. Lee and the Marines had to calm the crowd from killing Brown and his men. Colonel Lee and Jeb Stuart searched the surrounding country for fugitives who had participated in the attack. Few of Brown's associates escaped, and among the five who did, some were sheltered by abolitionists in the North, including William Still. All the bodies were taken out and laid on the ground in front. "A detail of [Greene's] men" carried Brown and Edwin Coppock, the only other white survivor of the attack on the engine house, to the adjacent office of the paymaster, where they lay on the floor for over a day. Until they went with the group to the Charles Town jail on Wednesday, there was no record of the location of the two-surviving captured black raiders, Shields Green and John Anthony Copeland, who were also the only two survivors of the engine house with no injuries. Green attempted unsuccessfully to disguise himself as one of the enslaved of Colonel Washington being liberated.
John Brown was interviewed constantly by soldiers, politicians, lawyers, reporters, citizens, and preachers. He was given attention. The first to interview him was Virginia congressman Alexander Boteler, who rode over from his home in nearby Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and was present when Brown was carried out of the engine house, and told a Catholic priest to leave. Five people, in addition to several reporters, came almost immediately to Harpers Ferry specifically to interview Brown. He was interviewed at length as he lay there for over 24 hours; he had been without food and sleep for over 48 hours. ("Brown carried no provisions on the expedition as if God would rain down manna from the skies as He had done for the Israelites in the wilderness"). The first interviewers after Boteler were Virginia Governor Wise, his attorney Andrew Hunter, who was also the leading attorney in Jefferson County, and Robert Ould, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, sent by President Buchanan. Governor Wise having left—he set up a base in a Harpers Ferry hotel—Brown was then interviewed by Senator James M. Mason, from Winchester, Virginia, and Representatives Charles J. Faulkner, from Martinsville, Virginia, and Copperhead Clement Vallandigham, from Ohio. (Brown lived for years in Ohio, and both Watson and Owen Brown were born there.) Vallandingham was on his way from Washington to Ohio via the B&O Railroad, which of course would take him through Harpers Ferry. In Baltimore, he was informed about the raid.
Many people in the North and West viewed Brown as a fanatic attacking Virginia with only 22 men, of whom 10 were killed immediately, and 7 others would soon be hanged, as well as 5 deaths and 9 injuries among the Marines and local population. With the newspaper reports of these interviews, followed by Brown's widely reported words at his trial, the public perception of Brown changed suddenly and dramatically. According to Henry David Thoreau, "I know of nothing so miraculous in our history. Years were not required for a revolution of public opinion; days, nay hours, produced marked changes." Even people who disagreed with Brown viewed him as a brave man. Virginia Governor Wise had a force of 90 men acted disappointed that that action ended quickly. Wise also reported the opinion of Lewis Washington, in a passage called "well known" in 1874: "Colonel Washington says that he, Brown, was the coolest and firmest man he ever saw in defying danger and death. With one son dead by his side, and another shot through, he felt the pulse of his dying son with one hand and held his rifle with the other, and commanded his men with the utmost composure, encouraging them to be firm, and to sell their lives as dearly as they could."
Martyrdom
By October 19, Lee and the Marines, except for Greene left Harper's Ferry to go to Washington, D.C. They finished the report and sent it to the War Department. There was a synopsis of the events at Harpers Ferry. Brown was hastily processed by the legal system. He was charged by a grand jury with treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection. A jury found him guilty of all charges; he was sentenced to death on November 2, and after a legally-required delay of 30 days he was hanged on December 2. (This execution was witnessed by the actor John Wilkes Booth, who later assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.) At the hanging and en route to it, authorities prevented spectators from getting close enough to Brown to hear a final speech. He wrote his last words on a scrap of paper given to his jailer Capt. John Avis, whose treatment Brown spoke well of in his letters:
"I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty, land: will never be purged away; but with Blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed; it might be done."
His words here predicted the Civil War as legalized slavery was never going to be abolished except by the American Civil War. Four other raiders were executed on December 16 and two more on March 16, 1860. Many Southerners viewed John Brown as a traitor, and many Northerners either viewed him as a martyr or a misguided person who legitimately opposed slavery. Ironically, the John Brown raid increased the chance of the American Civil War. Brown's raid, trial, and execution energized both the abolitionists in the North and the pro-slavery in the South and brought a flurry of political organizing. Public meetings in support of Brown, sometimes also raising money for his family, were held across the North. One source mentioned, "These meetings gave the era's most illustrious thinkers and activists an opportunity to renew their assault on slavery." It reinforced Southern sentiment for secession. By 1860, war was on the horizon. Just 2 years after John Brown's raid in 1859, the American Civil War started in 1861 with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Counting John Brown, there were 22 raiders, 15 white people, and 7 black people. 10 were killed during the raid, 7 were tried and executed afterward, and 5 escaped. In addition, Brown was assisted by at least two local enslaved people; one was killed and the other died in jail. John Brown is buried on his farm near Lake Placid, New York. It is maintained as the New York John Brown Farm State Historic Site. His son Watson is also buried there, and the bones of his son Oliver and nine other raiders are buried in a single coffin.
Survivors
Five of the organizers of the John Brown raid escaped. At least 22 men were involved in the raid too. Some of the escaped people were Francis Jackson Merriam, Barclay Coppock, and Owen Brown who escaped across Pennsylvania They took refuge in Astabula County, Ohio, where John Brown Jr lived. They were described as voters in the location. By November 1859, Governor Wise offered a reward of $500 (or $16,956 in 2023) each for the apprehension of the four white escapes. Charles Plummer Tidd was a lumberman from Maine. He met John Brown in Kansas who died during the American Civil War in 1862. He died of a fever while being in the Union Army. Owen Brown lived in Ohio for a time. He raised grapes on an island in Lake Erie or the Chicago market. He died on January 8,1889 in Pasadena, California. His funeral was an event with a marching band. His burial site is atop a peak named Brown's Peak being a local tourist attraction today. Albert Hazlett, 23, fought in Kansas, escaped following the raid but was captured and hanged on March 16, 1860. He was buried in John Brown Burial grounds. Osborne Perry Anderson escaped capture following the raid. He died in 1873. Osborne Perry Anderson is both the only Black escapee and the only escapee that had been in the engine house. He is also the only raider to publish a memoir about the raid. He served as a recruiter for the Union Army and died in poverty in 1872. He is buried unknown grave at the National Harmony Cemetery Park Cemetery, Hyattsville Maryland. Barclay Coppoc, 19, escaped capture following the raid. He fought in the Civil War. He died September 4, 1861, in a train crash caused by bushwackers; buried Mount Aurora Cemetery, Leavenworth. Kansas. Francis Jackson Meriam, 22, grandson of Francis Jackson was a leader of Antislavery Societies. Meriam was an aristocrat. He escaped during the raid. Captain Meriam led an African American infantry group during the Civil War. He died on November 28, 1865; New York County.
Being Inspired
The John Brown raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) was a massive time in the antebellum period of American history. It happened in 1859 which is almost 100 years after the birth of America. America was born in the midst of conflict and controversies. The British Empire wanted to control the colonists in America, but many colonists wanted to set up their own independent country, free from monarchical rule. America at one point almost lost the Revolutionary War, and even Norfolk, Virginia was burned to the ground during the conflict of the Revolutionary War. Yet, aid from France, Spain, and other nations along with American resiliency caused the Patriots to be victorious by the end of the Revolutionary War (after the Treaty of Paris in 1783). Many Americans back then wanted justice for all, and many Americans didn't desire that aim. The Preamble of the Constitution mentioned that "all men are created equal," but slavery, oppression against women, and genocide against Native Americans were realities. John Brown was an eclectic, eccentric man who desired an end to slavery against black Americans. He didn't just talk about ending slavery. He was actively engaged in Kansas to fight pro-slavery forces. It is important to note that black freedom included people of many colors, but it originated and was headed by black people. The prominent role of black people in the overall global black freedom struggle should be acknowledged regardless of DeSantis and his MAGA allies trying to sugarcoat black history. John Brown's raid was not supported by everyone in the abolitionist movement, because many felt it was a suicidal, impossible mission. On the other hand, no one can discount John Brown's courage and firm conviction to fight overt tyranny in American society. There were black and white men involved in the raid. Most of these men lost their lives in service to the cause of freeing black people from bondage. Slavery involves torture, rape, splitting families, ruining culture, murder, kidnapping, other forms of abuse, and other evils that have no justification. The survivors of the raid moved to other places in America to live their lives. John Brown's raid was one of the final events before the American Civil War (Many Southern states seceded from the Union by the early 1860's, and the Confederate Constitution explicitly condoned slavery). The American Civil War ended overt legalized slavery and expanded the federal government to new heights to reckon with the reality that one nation means one nation (not multiple states acting as separate nations that existed in the era of the Anti-Federalists vs. Federalists). John Brown and his allies will forever be remembered as heroic people who desired goodness to prevail over injustice. In the end, good will triumph, and that day will be so glorious in the eyes of Almighty God.
Conclusion (Summer 2024)
Donald Trump visiting GOP Congressional leaders at the U.S. Capitol is him returning to the scene of the crime. Trump provoked the terrorist mob to attack the U.S. Capitol building in trying to ruin democracy as we know it. These insurrectionists destroyed property, called police racist slurs, threatened to hang Mike Pence, and did other graphic actions in the U.S. Capitol. Trump called these terrorists "warriors." These people are not warriors, but criminals who waved Neo-Nazi and Confederate flags in the U.S. Capitol for the first time in American history. We have to be clear that cowards like McConnell and Cruz (who Trump disrespected both of these men's wives without apology. They are not real men, as real men will defend their wives' dignity) still support Trump in the 2024 Presidential election. This battle for our democracy is real. Our ancestors defeated the Confederates in 1865, defeated the Axis Powers in 1945, defeated racists at Selma in 1965, and we will defeat Trumpism once again in our generation. This battle for our freedom and democracy is as real as it gets. This time of Juneteenth in 2024 should give us great motivation to earnestly keep advocating for this cause for human liberation.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss international issues. Vice President Harris said that more than $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine will exist. This conference in Switzerland desires peace in Ukraine. The money includes 500 million dollars in new funding for energy assistance and 324 million dollars in redirected funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair. The problem with the anti-Ukraine forces among the far right and the fake left is that they ignore or minimize the overt war crimes done by Putin's military forces. You can't condemn Netanyahu's war cries in Gaza and ignore the Russian war crimes in Ukraine. People who do that are hypocrites. Ukraine has every God-given right to use self-defense against Russian illegal invasion. There is a nuisance in the conflict. For example, I don't agree with Ukraine attacking Russia, but the overall point is that Ukraine has the right to be a free, independent nation without Russian imperialism.
Marilyn Mosby was sentenced to one year of home detention. She faced multiple years in prison, but the judge has shown compassion to her. She has three years of supervised release. Marilyn Mosby was a victim of a political agenda in trying to target Mosby, because she was a progressive black woman who fought for civil rights and human rights. Marilyn Mosby used the money that she used to create a better life for her family. I agree with her that she should be pardoned. The recent Supreme Court decision of Alexander vs. State Conference of the South Carolina NAACP represents Alito and other Justices' biases. The decision sought to keep a congressional map that a lower court had found to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Alito and five other Republican justices made it harder to challenge racial gerrymandering (like moving black voters from one district to another in South Carolina to promote a stronger Republican political power base).
Nikki Haley saying that she is voting for Trump in November is not shocking. It is typical of many Republicans caring more for a party than justice. Trump has promoted the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and his embrace of fascist rhetoric shows Trump to lack character as a human being. Trump disrespected Haley's own husband, but Haley wants to vote for Trump. That's cowardice. Haley said that Biden has been a catastrophe which is a false statement. Biden passed some of the most progressive legislation in American history since the LBJ era. President Biden oversaw massive reductions in the unemployment rate, growth of business, the cutting of child poverty, and an increase in the greatest economic recovery from the pandemic than any Western nation on Earth (proving the resiliency of the American economy). Haley believes in the myth that Trump and Biden are equally bad when Trump wants a Muslim ban, desires to harm the press if it disagrees with him and seeks to promote immunity for officers who commit police brutality. Haley is a hypocrite who condemned Trump's statements disrespecting the military, but she wants to vote for him. Haley doesn't embrace Putin, but many GOP and MAGA cultists glorify Putin like Tucker Carlson.
It is important to expose the racist far right person Lilly Gaddis. These enemies of truth are part of the new generation of racists who want to cause division and anti-black hatred under the guise of claiming to be real "conservatives.". She said the n word and used other xenophobic rhetoric. She spewed her nonsense on TikTok. She promoted herself as the "traditional wife," but character is something that she doesn't have. She cries about freedom of speech, but freedom of speech has consequences. People have the right to use the freedom of speech to boycott her and not support her because of her MAGA views. She lied and said that her statements were out of context, but her words speak for themselves. Gaddis lied and said that there is not a lot of racism in America. Tell that to the families of the victims of Buffalo whose loved ones were murdered by a white racist, tell that to the families of the victims of Emmanuel Baptist Church whose loved ones were murdered by a white racist, and tell that to the increased incidents of hate crimes against black people (and other minorities in America) now. Gaddis wants to exploit the pain of African Americans to advance hatred and stereotypes, but we are on to her nefarious game.
Many people have talked about the Diddy apology video. In that video, Diddy never said Cassie's name or made a direct apology to Cassie at all. He did apologize for what he had done, but he lied previously in denying all allegations against him. What he has done has no justification. Witnesses from bodyguards, Cassie, other victims, and videotape evidence document Diddy's history of emotional and physical abuse. Many people accused Diddy of sexual abuse and human sex trafficking. Diddy is desperate to salvage his reputation. The truth is that the story of Diddy is filled with materialism, violence, and depraved actions. The video shows it all. Diddy not only beat Cassie up, but he threw an object at her. This relates to a vicious mentality. Even during the 1990's, I knew that something wasn't right with Diddy. In our time, we have to promote ethics and morality, not nihilism. You will notice that Diddy lied in his initial statement that all of these allegations against him were false. Diddy was sorry that he was caught point-blank period. His recent video proves that his recent denials are lies. Therefore, the Golden Rule is one great truth that we must all live by.
By Timothy