Monday, April 30, 2018

NYPD answer to a mental health crisis: Shoot

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/23/nypd-answer-to-a-mental-health-crisis-shoot

Inundated by Nazis...and even more cops

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/30/inundated-by-nazis-and-even-more-cops

Taking solidarity to new heights in Colorado

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/30/taking-solidarity-to-new-heights-in-colorado

Monday Information in Late April of 2018.



Tons of people in the world love the great sport of tennis. It incorporates skill, teamwork at many junctures, perseverance, and a sense of athletic excellence. Adults and the youth have inspired the world with their tennis accomplishments, their philanthropic work, and their other contributions outside of the court too. Rackets, umpires, and legendary players outline a large part of the atmosphere. Fans go into stadiums in the thousands to witness the fast play, the close games, and the victors achieving monumental accolades. Tennis-like games have existed or centuries and modern day tennis has existed since the nineteenth century. France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America had a large role in the fundamental development of the sport of tennis. When you see the longevity, the greatness, and the skill of Serena Williams, you witness the greatness of tennis. When you see Roger Federer’s determination, you also witness how tennis a transcendent sport. For a long time, more human beings are honoring the contributions of tennis players of black African descent. Althea Gibson’s historic wins in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open galvanized the growth of tennis in enumerable ways. Arthur Ashe advanced black excellence along with the iconic sisters of Venus Williams & Serena Williams. In our generation, more black tennis players are making their own marks in history. Black people and people of color in general have every right to perform tennis via a magnificent fashion (just like anyone else regardless of background). We are always inspired and motivated to fight for our dreams. Consequently, we adhere to the principle of social justice. After all of these years, we still believe in the Dream. During the future, tennis will continue to invoke wonder, excitement, and the constant truism of human greatness being achieved via resolve prodigiously.




The Native American civil rights movement was inspired by indigenous peoples being tired of oppression and discrimination. Many Native Americans back then and today experience racism, police brutality, discrimination, drug addiction, suicide, poverty, and unemployment. This movement was inspired by the African American Civil Rights Movement too. Since 1961, the National Indian Youth Council or the NYIC wanted to preserve native fishing rights in the Northwest. This group changed to be a broad organization to promote civil and human rights for Native Americans. One singer of the 1960’s who addressed issues of Native American was the Canadian Cree singer Buffy Sainte-Marie. She used folk music constantly. She went into college and released many bestselling albums during the 1960’s. She said that she wanted people, “to come and hear triumphant music that underscores the joy, beauty, and dignity of being Indian.” By 1968, Chippewa activists Dennis Banks and George Mitchell created the American Indian Movement or the AIM. The AIM helped Native Americans at first in urban communities in Minneapolis. They would monitor police and report any police brutality against Native Americans. Later, they addressed all civil rights issues. They wanted land, legal rights, and self-government among Native Americans which should exist. By November of 1969, Native Americans occupied Alcatraz, which was prison on an island that ended its federal prison usage since 1963. The Sioux Native Americans said that the island belonged to them based upon treaty. About 100 Native Americans made up of 50 tribes were on the island in San Francisco. The Coast Guard and federal authorities tried to evict them, but they remained in Alcatraz until mid-1971. By the 1970’s, more activism came about by the indigenous peoples Dennis Banks and Russell Means led a march in 1972 from San Francisco into Washington, D.C. This was called “Trial of Broken Treaties.” When they came into D.C., they controlled the Bureau of Indian Affairs temporarily. They renamed it Native American Embassy for a time. The reason that they did this was because they felt that Native Americans were treated as foreigners instead of indigenous human beings. The Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 gave tribes more control over resources and education on reservations. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed in 1978. Ronald Reagan back in 1981 did the disgraceful action of cutting funds for Native American social programs by 40 percent. Many Native Americans during the 1970’s and the 1980’s won victories involving land and fishing rights. During this time, there are old and new debates. Today, we see casinos that brought billions of dollars of revenues to Native Americans. Also, we have offensive mascots (like the mascot of the Cleveland Indians), and symbols found in professional and non-professional sports teams. I am totally opposed to those offensive mascots, nicknames, and symbols. Still, many Native Americans suffer disproportionate high rates of unemployment and other social ills. That is why many Native Americans are still in the fight for legitimate liberation for their people. The first peoples of the Americas certainly deserve dignity and respect.



One of the greatest heroes of black America is Dr. Olivia Hooker. She is 103 years old today. She was one survivor of the racist 1921 Tulsa attack. She and other members of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission have fought for justice as it relates to the events of 1921. By February 20, 2018, the Oklahoma state legislators created an online public school curriculum related to the 1921 racist attacks on black Americans. Before this time, this history hasn’t been taught in Oklahoma’s public school system. Dr. Olivia Hooker is a teacher and a social activist. Back during that time, black people created autonomous communities that prospered in the midst of Jim Crow apartheid (which was a system that was evil and deprived black people of basic human rights). Back then, the law overtly promoted white supremacy and privilege. Even today, America has racism and imperialism. The community of Greenwood in Tulsa by the early 20th century had many businesses and much wealth. It had the nickname of “Black Wall Street.” Residents had banks, churches, restaurants, homes, theaters, hospitals, hotels, and stores including schools. Many of the black residents were highly educated. Jealous, white racists were jealous of the Greenwood community. Later, mob violence by racists exploded. Many of them used rifle shots from planes and fire bombs were dropped on innocent black men, women, and children. Rioters looted black homes and businesses before burning them down. They or the racists destroyed more than 1,000 homes. More than 10,000 black people were homeless. They murdered about 300 people and injured about 800. Many people died by murder and by being trapped in the fires. The police shot residents. The whole community in 35 blocks was destroyed. Martial law existed. The National Guard didn’t arrest the racists. They rounded up and detained thousands of black Americans for days. Men and boys were placed in internment camps. Even black people with weapons for self-defense had their weapons confiscated and given to whites. Dr. Hooker and her family were attacked. Dr. Hooker was six when the Tulsa attacks came. Racists stole her belongings and grabbed her father and brother. Dr. Hooker and her family moved into Columbus, Ohio (her father and brother survived). By 1937, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Ohio State University. She was the first African American woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard. She has a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester in 1961. It would take until 2001 when the city of Tulsa formally apologized for destroying Greenwood. Reparations have been fought by Dr. Hooker to this very day. To this day, no one has received reparations which is a shame. No victims or their descendants received just compensation. Dr. Hooker is a hero who is an advocate for freedom and a courageous humanitarian. 
 

During this era of 1968, massive changes existed in America plus the world. The unjust murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 changed our country. Many people were saddened at the cruelty of such an act. People mourned worldwide. His death in Memphis, Tennessee represented the end of the old school Civil Rights Movement era and the beginning of the post-civil rights era. Immediately, over 100 American cities had rebellions which lasted for several days. Buildings were destroyed, people mourned, and society had to reckon with the point that racial injustice has no place in the planet. On this same day of April 4, the Apollo Program allowed Apollo 6 to be launched. This was the second and last unmanned test flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Robert F. Kennedy gave his “The Evil Menace of Violence” speech at the Cleveland City Club on April 5, 1968. It was a very eloquent speech. The speech outlined the vicious nature of violence and how constructive avenues are key measures in establishing a society where justice is made real for all, regardless of someone’s race or color. By April 6, 1968, the Black Panthers and Oakland police had a shootout. Many people were arrested and died. One person who died was 16 year old Black Panther Bobby Hutton. This was personal to the Panthers since Bobby Hutton was one of the original members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. He carried guns as a means to promote self-defense. Witnesses say that Hutton was unjustly murdered by the police.

There was a double explosion in downtown Richmond, Indiana that killed 41 and injured 150 people on April 6, 1968. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on April 11, 1968. This came after pressure from civil rights leaders and other Americans following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After 1966, this law was difficult to pass since Republicans dominated the Congress by 1966. This law banned housing discrimination in all of its forms. Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy for President in the Democratic side on April 27, 1968. He was one of the greatest progressives on domestic issues of the 20th century (he was right to promote racial equality as far back as the 1940’s), but his weakness was that he was too tied to LBJ’s agenda (he supported LBJ's Vietnam war policies in public while having questions about it in private. Humphrey would split with LBJ in public on Vietnam completely late in the 1968 Presidential campaign by September). New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller ran for President on the Republican side on April 30, 1968. From April 23-30, 1968, the Columbia University protests of 1968 existed. The students protested racial discrimination and the Vietnam War. It lasted from April 23-30, 1968. Students took over administration buildings and shut down the university. The musical Hair opened on Broadway officially on April 29, 1968. It was a play that was ahead of its time that dealt with racism, the counterculture, religion, astrology, sex, sexuality, the Vietnam War, the counterculture, and other issues. The musical promoted the Age of Aquarius (which is a New age teaching of massive change in the world from the Age of Pisces) and hippie living being against the Vietnam War. The play resolves around characters deciding about the draft and how to live in a changing world.

The United States and North Vietnam start to agree on peace talks in Paris by May 3, 1968. On May 14, 1968, the Beatles announced the creation of Apple Records in a New York press conference. Many thunderstorms created tornadoes that made huge damage plus casualties in Charles City, Iowa, Oelwein, Iowa, and Jonesboro, Arkansas. Robert Kennedy won the Nebraska primary on May 14, 1968 too. It was Kennedy’s first majority victory. He beat both McCarthy and LBJ. Nixon won the Republican primary in Nebraska over Ronald Reagan and Nelson Rockefeller. Back then, Rockefeller was a liberal Republican, Reagan was in the conservative wing, and Nixon was in the middle. On May 17, 1968, the Catonsville Nine enter the Selective Service offices in Catonsville, Maryland, take dozens of selective service draft records, and burn them with napalm as a protest against the Vietnam War. The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores. This happened on May 22, 1968. McCarthy won the Oregon primary on May 28, 1968 because Oregon was much more conservative back then (and RFK’s pro-gun control stance turned many Oregon voters off). Nixon easily won the Oregon primary. Robert Kennedy campaigned in California during this time. McCarthy stumped California’s many colleges and universities, where he was treated as a hero for being the first presidential candidate to oppose the war. Robert Kennedy campaigned in the ghettos and barrios of California’s larger cities, where he was mobbed by enthusiastic supporters. Kennedy and McCarthy engaged in a television debate a few days before the primary; it was generally considered a draw. On June 4, 1968, Robert Kennedy narrowly defeated McCarthy in California, 46%–42%. However, McCarthy refused to withdraw from the race and made it clear that he would contest Kennedy in the upcoming New York primary, where McCarthy had much support from anti-war activists in New York City. Robert Kennedy ultimately gathered support among African Americans, white progressives, Latino Americans, Native Americans, women, and others to win the California primary. On June 5, 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy died from his injuries the next day on June 6, 1968. With the assassination of Robert Francis Kennedy, another tragedy existed where human beings (especially the youth) were sadden plus confused on where to go next in the movement for social justice. Yet, RFK’s unfortunate, unjust death never ended the Dream. The Dream continues.



By Timothy

Saturday, April 28, 2018

The American West Part 4: The Finale (1900 - the Present)

https://www.scribd.com/document/377666283/The-American-West-Part-4-The-Finale-1900-the-Present

Economics Parts 2 and 3

https://www.scribd.com/document/377666010/Economics-Parts-2-and-3

REMEMBERING MAYA ANGELOU, AND THE LESSONS SHE LEFT US

https://whispersofawomanist.com/2018/04/04/remembering-maya-angelou-and-the-lessons-she-left-us/

DECODING DECEPTION MASTERY

https://whispersofawomanist.com/2018/04/11/decoding-deception-mastery/

NICE FOR WHAT? DRAKE, #METOO, AND BLACK FEMALE ERASURE

https://whispersofawomanist.com/2018/04/08/nice-for-what-drake-metoo-and-black-female-erasure/

SCANDAL: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

https://whispersofawomanist.com/2018/04/21/scandal-the-beginning-of-the-end/

Nikki Giovanni: Bill Cosby

A new lynching memorial highlights America’s grim legacy of racial terrorism



https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/legacy-museum-opens-montgomery-alabama-highlight-slavery-lynchings-n869686

https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/4/26/17286236/lynching-victims-memorial-alabama-equal-justice-initiative

Friday, April 27, 2018

Revolution and counterrevolution in Syria

https://isreview.org/issue/108/revolution-and-counterrevolution-syria

Analysis: HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s proposal to triple rents for poorest households would hurt single mothers the most

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/analysis-hud-secretary-ben-carson%E2%80%99s-proposal-to-triple-rents-for-poorest-households-would-hurt-single-mothers-the-most/ar-AAwpIiC

WPA worker memorial at Norfolk Botanical Garden

Friday News




There should be more opportunity in the world for people, but we must advocate more than just opportunity. We must advocate in this 21st century outright equality. That equality means that we are entitled to freedom, justice, and equality by birthright. It means that we are entitled to health care as a human right. It means that all human beings are entitled to housing. These words are beyond just liberalism. It involves revolutionary ideological truisms. These legitimate aims are against the old school conservative view that the free market can free everyone since history teaches us that the market is imperfect. We have to oppose an unjust hierarchy which rewards human economic exploitation at the expense of the poor and of the working class. We don't live in a meritocracy because of the discriminatory system that harms the lives of many black people, other people of color, women, the poor, immigrants, Muslims, refugees, undocumented human beings, and others. Divide and conquer systems among workers has been used by capitalist elites in hoarding more wealth among themselves while maintaining oligarchy instead of economic justice. The evil of capitalist exploitation is complicit in environmental degradation, labor exploitation, and other evils. These policies are just executed by the GOP (which we already know from Reaganomics to the tax cuts for the wealthy). Even some compromising Democrats follow Third Way neoliberalism which wants massive deregulation, privatization, austerity, corporate trade, bank bailouts, and other nefarious aims. That is why the polls have shown a majority of Americans endorsing the following: universal health care, free college, a living wage, the mass expansion of the public sector, the universalization of resources and industries, and democratic controls on big finance and the free flow of capital. Therefore, the truth is on our side. So, keep on fighting the good fight.

I will outline these words about Kanye and Chance the Rapper and move on. Both of them are wrong. Trump is a known racist, sexist, xenophobe, and he admitted to promoting assault against women. So, Kanye supporting Trump is not only disgraceful, but an affront to the black community. You can still be politically independent, open minded, and progressive plus still oppose Trump's evil views. Trump is the person that lied and wanted the death penalty for the innocent Central Park Five. Trump is the same person investigated and sued by the federal government for housing discrimination based upon race. He is the same one who advocated violence against peaceful protesters in his rallies. He is the same male who wanted peaceful NFL protesters to be fired to just standing up for an end to police brutality and for the creation of real racial justice. Many of these "rappers" and musicians from other genres show what they believe in. We shouldn't be surprised at these developments. Some (not all entertainers) of them spew colorism, materialism, self hatred, and have no Knowledge of Self (while corporate entities fund and support their degradation of black people. These corporations sponsoring garbage are just as responsible for this as the artists who voluntarily degrade their people). Some of them don't respect who they are and Chance the Rapper supporting Kanye is truly disappointing. These deceived individuals, who love Trump more than they love truth, are who they are and it's time to move on to advocate for the liberation of the human race.

Days ago was the Birthday of the late, great Sister Ella Fitzgerald. She was born in Newport News, Virginia (so, the 757 is always in the House). She is a famous jazz musician. Her songs shave shown the world the greatness of her voice sensitivity and her improvisation. She toured the world. She worked with the civil rights movement. Ella Fitzgerald loved to be around people and awarded greatly as a product of her magnificent accomplishments. Her neighbors were other legendary musicians too from Count Basie to others. In 1993, Fitzgerald established the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation focusing on charitable grants for four major categories: academic opportunities for children, music education, basic care needs for the less fortunate, medical research revolving around diabetes, heart disease, and vision impaired. She lived to be 79 and passed away at the year of 1996. She collaborated with Duke Ellington and other artists for decades throughout the twentieth century. Fitzgerald's rendition of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" is iconic. Ella was a gorgeous black woman too. She inspired the world to be better and her legacy is always eternal. Rest in Power Sister Ella Fitzgerald. Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Tionne Watkins. She is now 48 years old and she was born in Des Moines, Iowa. She is part of the ionic R&B group TLC. For decades, she has toured the world, expressed herself, and been legendary in her songs plus her other actions. She was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved there when she was 9 years old. She is also known as T-Boz. She is a singer, songwriter, producer, and an actress. She has written a book about her life as well. She has many children and been a part of TV shows and movies like Living Single, Days of Our Lives, etc. T-Boz is an amazing artist. She also brings awareness to sickle cell anemia, which she does have. I wish Sister Tionne Watkins more Blessings.


Today, Bill Cosby has been convicted of all three counts of sexual assault. The civil settlement existed. If someone was innocent, why have a civil settlement.  He faces about 30 years in prison. Over 50 women saying the same story can't be all lying. Cosby is a man who disgraced his wife by his adultery that he has admitted (while lecturing others on morality and mocking police brutality victims by talking about "pound cake") and he has glamorized "Spanish Fly." He or Cosby has admitted that he used drugs for sexual purposes (towards women who are not his wife). People from the older generation know what Spanish fly means. Therefore , this verdict was long over due. Women have the right to have their voices heard. Also, many black people have talked about double standards involving cases like this and they are right. If Cosby should be convicted then white people who have committed sexual abuse should be convicted too. That means that Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, Donald Trump, and others should be convicted too (which is true). This verdict shows the lesson that the Golden Rule, respect, and honor must be promoted in our society. We know about the system of racism/white supremacy, which is evil. We know about how unfair the judicial system is for black people and the poor. Yet, a man who committed adultery against his wife and dozens of women saying that this person committed violations to their bodies is a man who is problematic and he is not a role model for anyone. You can agree or disagree with me. That's fine since we can have a diversity of views. Yet, my views about Cosby (who is a vicious predator, adulterer, and an abuser of women) are well known.


Many Pilgrim Society members were linked to the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank. The Pilgrim Society is a group created back during the early 1900’s. Its goal is to form a more united front among Americans and those from the UK. Also, this group has a disproportionate amount of influence over the American political, economic, technological, and social systems of the United States of America. Many of the leading bankers and political leaders in our history are members of the Pilgrim Society. The Pilgrim Society is an elite group with much more power than the CFR. Some of these people were educated from Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, and other large universities. They have links to NGO, think tanks, privately funded foundations, and research agencies. In essence, the Pilgrim Society is part of the Western Anglo-American establishment whose allies stretch globally. The Jekyll Island meeting on November 1910 in Georgia was one major planning location for the FED in general. They discussed monetary policy and the banking system. Henry P. Davison was at the meeting. He was not only a Pilgrim Society member, but he was a prominent banker too. Senator Nelson Aldrich was in the meeting and he wasn’t a Pilgrim although many members of his family were. J. P. Morgan was in the Pilgrim Society and one of the most famous bankers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. John D. Rockefeller Sr. was at the meeting. His relatives were Pilgrim members, but not himself. Jacob Schiff was related to the Rothschild family and he was a member too. Benjamin Strong was a famous Morgan banker. He was the President and chair of the U.S. Trust Company from 1947-1962 and he was vice President of J.P. Morgan Library. Frank Vanderlip was a member of the Pilgrim Society. Other Pilgrims included Edward Vreeland and Paul Warburg.

By Timothy


Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The Past and Events in our Time



On the day of April 23, 1968, students occupied Columbia University in New York City. It was a very historic time in America plus the world. This event revolved around the student activist movement which desired an end to the war in Vietnam, women's rights, black studies in colleges, the embrace of social equality, and an overall change in society whereby the status quo is gone (and true justice is subsequently made real for the human family). Hamilton Hall in Columbia was occupied first. The reason was that many progressive students wanted to protest against the institution’s ties to a Vietnam War research firm, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Also, the students (made up of people among many backgrounds) wanted to fight against Columbia University's construction of a new gymnasium whose design plan appeared to offer segregated access to black residents of Harlem, which was adjacent to the building’s lower side. This proposed gymnasium was heavily opposed by Harlem residents and many student activists. Five buildings were occupied and one dean was held. It lasted for over one week. It involved hundreds of students. The occupiers demanded the reinstatement of six students suspended for protesting against the IDA, an end to the construction of the gym, amnesty for all students joining in the occupations, and the reversal of an edict by university president Grayson Kirk banning indoor protests. Later, the authorities went too far in suppressing the student revolt. Kirk called the police. He cut the power and water off from the occupied areas. On April 30, 1968, at 2:20 in the morning, some 1,000 police brutally attacked the students. Cops used axes to cut the doors. They or the NYPD assaulted not only students unjustly and viciously. They assaulted journalists and photographers for no reason. Many students were beaten by plains clothes NYPD officers. Some cops destroyed photographic equipment. Within three hours, the occupation was crushed. About 720 students and faculty were arrested, and 136 demonstrators suffered injuries in the police attack. Leaders of the Columbia protests were Black Power activists and SDS members like Mark Rudd. The protests achieved two of their stated goals.

Columbia disaffiliated from the IDA and scrapped the plans for the controversial gym, building a subterranean physical fitness center under the north end of campus instead. More protesting Columbia and Barnard students were arrested and/or injured by New York City police during a second round of protests on May 17–22, 1968, when community residents occupied a Columbia University-owned partially vacant apartment building at 618 West 114 Street to protest Columbia's expansion policies, and later when students re-occupied Hamilton Hall to protest Columbia's suspension of "The IDA Six." Before the night of May 22, 1968 was over, police had arrested another 177 students and beaten 51 students. The legacy of the Columbia protests was that student activism could cause change. All of the freedom that we have today was a result of activists, who in many cases, shed blood in order for us to live on this Earth. We have to always honor the sacrifices of heroes (both men and women including the youth) who desire social and economic justice. The struggle continues and we shall overcome in the end.

When you have even Natalie Portman (who supports Israel's existence) cancelling a trip to Israel because of the atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza, then we have a problem. The corporate media is silent, but we aren't silent. Journalists and ordinary Palestinian people have been abused of their rights not only in Gaza, but throughout the West Bank. Therefore, there is no solution in that region except Palestinian liberation plus where both Jewish and Arabic peoples in that part of the world being respected as equals without occupation. There are millions of sincere Jewish and Arabic people totally disgusted and rightfully opposed to the brutal slaughter going on in Gaza. It is not right. That is why it is no secret that Trump and Netanyahu (who are both right wing nationalist extremists. Both of them have many scandals) are in unison with the status quo. It's taboo to hold my perspective in America, but we won't back down. An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every where as said by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Therefore, we have to oppose injustice and defend human rights. You can't have freedom with occupation. You can freedom excluding it.


Also, we can never forget that we live in class struggle too. In this century, we have record economic inequality. It is no secret that the financial oligarchy has the system in place where millions of America work sometimes 2-3 jobs just to get a middle class paycheck in total. Then, you have large homelessness in NYC and in LA. You have social programs being cut massively in Wisconsin and in other locations. Many politicians advocate work requirements on Medicaid and SNAP which harm the most vulnerable economically of our society. Predatory capitalism solves nothing. History has proven that the only solution is social activism and political agitation in getting living wages, collective bargaining, the improvement of farms (as farms in the States contribute heavily to economic growth), the growth of the social safety net, and other investments to grow our infrastructure. Also, it is important to note that Rosa Parks was a Revolutionary. She was involved in the anti-war movement, the anti-apartheid movement, a supporter of Malcolm X including Dr. King, and opposed the prison industrial complex. So, her legacy ought to be honored completely.


What are my views of Kanye West and Candice Owens supporting Donald Trump? My views are the same. Both people are deciding to support a male who uses vicious language against women, minorities, and fighters against racial injustice. They voluntarily agree with a male who wants peaceful protesters in the NFL to be fired and has advocated for violence against dissenters in his rallies. They have aligned with a person who made the racist comment that one's ethnicity determines whether he or she is biased in judging a case. Nothing is new under the sun. People like Jim Brown, Ray Lewis, and Omarosa Onee Manigault-Newman (who later disagrees with Trump after she was fired from the White House recently) have supported Trump when he is the antithesis of progressive liberation. Therefore, we shouldn't disrespect Kanye West or Candice Owens in an unfair fashion. They are still black people in pain and in ideological confusion because of the circumstances of society. Likewise, we don't have to agree with their pro-Trump rhetoric at all. We do have the right to disagree with them. Candice is wrong to equate Democrats to a plantation. That trivializes and mocks the experiences of black people in slavery. She or Candice is wrong to say that Trump is the savior of the world. Trump a'int no savior of mine. God is my Savior. She is wrong to assume that people like me (I'm a black person) should vote for Republicans when the GOP leadership has been complicit in the war on drugs, austerity, and other evil policies. I'm a progressive on economic issues, so I can't vote for a Republican whose many leaders agree with bigotry instead of tolerance and in radically reactionary positions on issues. Social justice, government intervention to help unions, a strong social safety net, workers' rights, and environmental protections are always sacrosanct values that we all support. She and Kanye omits that black people are oppressed by an evil system and wishing it away isn't going to solve this problem. Solving this problem revolves around unity, programs, action, and preparation for resistance against racism/discrimination. People have the right to believe in what they want. I have the right to disagree with both Kanye and Candice Owens in a rational fashion.

By Timothy


Reflections on The Pan-Afro-Asiatic Civilizational Complex

https://blackagendareport.com/reflections-pan-afro-asiatic-civilizational-complex

“Cruise Missile Left” Complicit in American Escalation Toward World War III

https://blackagendareport.com/cruise-missile-left-complicit-american-escalation-toward-world-war-iii

Monday, April 23, 2018

The economics of their waste

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/23/the-economics-of-their-waste

NYPD

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/23/nypd-answer-to-a-mental-health-crisis-shoot

Tennis Culture.




Tennis has much accessible equipment. The 2 main types of equipment in tennis are rackets and tennis balls. A tennis racket has a handle and a grip connected to a neck. All of these things are held up with a matrix of tightly pulled strings. Modern rackets have existed for over 100 years. Some are made up of wood. Laminated wood construction has given more strength to rackets. Other rackets are made up of metal and carbon graphite, ceramics, other light metals like titanium. These materials give rackets more power. The frame of them can be about 29 inches. Rackets are constructed by companies like Wilson, Head, and Babolat. Tennis balls are made up of originally of cloth strips stitched together with thread and stuffed with feathers. Some were white. Today, most are yellow by the latter part of the 20th century to the present. It was used for increased visibility. The International Tennis Federation or the ITF do make tennis balls to confirm to specific criteria for size, weight, deformation and bounce. The ITF defines the official diameter of tennis balls in the following terms: the official diameter as 65.41–68.58 mm (2.575–2.700 in). Balls must weigh between 56.0 and 59.4 g (1.98 and 2.10 oz.). Tennis balls are traditionally manufactured in America and Europe. More manufacturing takes place in Asia. There are materials in the region that people desire to make tennis balls. Advanced players use other accouterments to improve their performance. One is about vibration dampeners may be interlaced in the proximal part of the string array for improved feel. Racket handles may be customized with absorbent or rubber-like materials to improve the players' grip. Players often use sweat bands on their wrists to keep their hands dry and head bands or bandannas to keep the sweat out of their eyes as well. Finally, although the game can be played in a variety of shoes, specialized tennis shoes have wide, flat soles for stability and a built-up front structure to avoid excess wear.

The game of tennis is played by players whether they consist of 2 or 4 people. There is an officiating head judge or umpire who sits in a raised chair to one side of the court. The umpire makes determinations on points with help from judges if necessary. There is also a net judge that determines whether the ball has touched the net during service. The umpire has the right to overrule a line judge or a net judge. If the umpire is sure that a clear mistake has been made is when an umpire can do this. In some tournaments, line judges who would be calling the serve were assisted by electronic sensors that beeped to indicate the serve was out. This system was called "Cyclops.” Cyclops has since largely been replaced by the Hawk-Eye system. In professional tournaments using this system, players are allowed three unsuccessful appeals per set, plus one additional appeal in the tie-break to challenge close line calls by means of an electronic review. The US Open, Miami Masters, US Open Series, and World Team Tennis started using this challenge system in 2006 and the Australian Open and Wimbledon introduced the system in 2007. In clay-court matches, such as at the French Open, a call may be questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball's impact on the court surface. Final decisions in a tennis game are determined by the referee. He or she is usually located off the court. The referee can overrule the umpire’s decision if rules were violated. Many children can retrieve tennis balls. Junior tennis rules are for those under 18 years old.



Tennis is played on a rectangular court by either 2 players or four players (called doubles). Players stand on the opposite sides of a net and use a stringed racket to hit a ball back and forth to each other. Each player has a maximum of one bounce after it has been hit by their opponent to return the ball over the net and within the boundaries of the court. Once a players fails to do any of these actions, his or her opponent wins a point. The aim in any tennis game is to win enough points to win a game and enough games to win a set and enough sets to win a match. The first person to win six games wins a set. Matches are usually the best of three or the best of five sets. Sometimes, a coin toss determines which player serves first. If the ball hits the net and falls within the service court, this is called a “net serve”, the server will be entitled to re-serve the ball into the service court. For example, if a “net serve” is made on the server’s first serve, the server will be entitled to re-serve his first serve. There are no limits to the number of “net serves” a player can commit. In dealing with points, no points are scored is called Love. 1 point scored is 15 points. 2 points scored is 30 points, 3 points scored is 40 points, and 4 points earned is set point (or set over). A tennis player must win at least a two point lead to win a game. If the score is tied at 40 to 40 (what is called as a “Deuce”), a player must earn two consecutive points (an “Advantage” point and “Point”) to win the game. If the player who has an “Advantage” point loses the next point, the score will be “Deuce” once again. Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, and 27 feet (8.2 m) wide for singles matches and 36 ft. (11 m) for doubles matches. One set is a sequence of games played with service alternating between games. A break point occurs if the receiver, not the server, has a chance to win the game with the next point.



The modern age of tennis is dominated by international organizations, technology, Internet, and other funding by various entities. Video games readily show tennis as well. There are games like Mario Tennis, the TopSpin series, Wii Sports, and Grand Slam Tennis. Tournaments are readily organized by sex like there are men’s singles, women’s singles, and doubles. They can be divided by age groups and there are senior players too. Those with disabilities are in tennis with tournaments for those in wheelchair tennis and deaf tennis. The four Grand Slam tournaments are found in the Australian Open (January-February), the French Open (May-June), Wimbledon (June-July), and the U.S. Open (August-September). They are the most famous events involving professional tennis. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are great tennis players. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and other women tennis players have increased the popularity of tennis globally. Many tennis stars are millionaires, but many women have economic inequality. The Venus sisters have rightfully talked about these issues and publicly promote pay equality involving any tennis player regardless of sex. Many players travel the world to play in many tournaments and they get to witness the diverse cultures of the world. One very important message about this age is that regardless of what year that we live in, the game of tennis should always motivate excellence, great character, and happiness in the lives of humanity.

Yesterday was Earth Day. It was created during the early 1970's (in 1970), but its roots existed long before that time. Back in the day (during the 1960's and before like the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California that killed over 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals, and sea lions), many events of smog (like the November 24, 1966 smog disaster in NYC killing at least 169 people), other forms of air pollution, water oil spills, and DDT poisoning were all over America. Scholars like Rachel Carson and others wanted Americans to have more awareness about environmental issues. Ironically, the Great Society from LBJ has shown a large amount of pro-environmental laws that helped people including animals to this very day. For example, LBJ signed more than 300 conservation laws during his time of office. The Water Quality Act of 1965 improved our water supplies. The Air Quality Acts of 1966 and 1967 improved our air. Today, we have climate change and other important environmental issues. That is why Earth Day is important. It is about improving our world, so our future generations can live in a better environment. Rallies exist globally on this day to advocate stridently for environmental protection. People are readily doing great work too in our time. Some have used efforts to clean up parks and other locations. In real life, I have participated in those efforts to clean up areas around my location. Others have used science to discover new ways to solve flooding issues. Some people have courageously stood up against corporate pollution and environmental oppression. It is about a day where social activism can advance more recycling, more improvements of habitats, fights against animal extinction, and the realization that when we care for the Earth, the Earth in term will bless us. Therefore, we are committed to environmental justice 100 percent.

By Timothy


Friday, April 20, 2018

More Tennis History



By 1921, Dwight Davis or the donor of the Davis Cup was the umpire at the ATA national semifinals. In that same year, the first black owned and operated country club existed in America. It was founded by the Progressive Realty Group. These were a group of African American businessmen. They purchased and opened the Shady Rest Golf and Tennis Club at Scotch Plains, New Jersey. The Springfield, Massachusetts Tennis Club and the New Jersey Tennis Association was formed in 1922. By 1925, the New England Tennis Association and St. Louis Tennis Association were formed. Reginald Weir and Gerald Norman Jr. were denied entry into the U.S. Law Tennis Association (USLTA) Junior Indoor Championship because of their race, even after paying the entry free. The NAACP supported them in 1929 which resulted in a formal grievance after Norman’s father filed a complaint. The University of Illinois tennis player Douglas Turner is the runner up in the Big Ten championships in 1929 too. In 1930, the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) received the Williams Trophy after it was donated by members of the Grand Central Station staff. Jimmie McDaniels played in the New York State Negro Tennis Championships in 1940. By 1941, on the anniversary of the ATA’s Silver Jubilee, USLTA president Holcombe Ward extended his warmest regards to the organization without allowing a single person of color to participate in his league. In the letter, he stated, “I extend most cordial greetings and sincere wishes for the success of the American Tennis Association in its further development, work and efforts to maintain the high standards of the game of tennis wherever played.” In 1950, Althea Gibson became the first African American to participate in the U.S. Nationals. In the first round, she defeated Barbara Knapp, but would then fall to Louise Brough in the second round, 1-6, 6-3, 7-9. Before a thunderstorm descended on the court, Gibson was actually beating Brough. When the players came back the next day, Gibson lost three straight games and the match. Victor Miller and Roosevelt Megginson were the first African Americans to play in the USLTA Interscholastic Championships. Lorraine Williams won the USLTA National Girls’ 15 Singles to become the first African American to win a USLTA national championship in 1953. By 1956, Althea Gibson won the French Championship women’s singles tournament. She was the first African American to win a Grand Slam title. She left the French Championship with the women’s doubles title. Gibson’s victories and success continued into the women’s doubles final at Wimbledon too. She left London victorious too.

In 1957, Althea Gibson was the first black woman to win a major U.S. tennis championship. She defeated Darlene Hard in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to capture the U.S. Clay Court singles title in River Forest, Illinois. The match was only about 47 minutes. Later on in that year, Gibson won the U.S. National Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) becoming the first African American to do so. Gibson was also the first African American to play in the Australian Open championship. She lost to Shirley Fry in straight sets. This was the only Grand Slam championship she would not win in singles. However, Gibson would win the Australian Open women’s doubles championship in 1957. Gibson lost the U.S. National Championships women’s doubles championship. That was the only doubles Grand Slam title she didn’t win. She won the mixed doubles championship. For her wins in the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. National Championships, Althea Gibson was named the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year. In 1958, Althea Gibson repeated as both U.S. National and Wimbledon champion. For a third consecutive year, Gibson won the women’s doubles title match at Wimbledon. She repeated as the AP Woman Athlete of the Year. It was during this year that she also announced her retirement from amateur tennis.

By 1959, Bob Ryland broke the color barrier for black men as participating in Jack Marsh’s World Pro Championship in Cleveland. He was the first African American man tennis professional. Arthur Ashe Jr. won the National Indoor Junior Tennis Championship in 1960. Next year in 1961, he repeated as the National Indoor Junior Tennis champion and he also won the USTA Interscholastic Singles Championship. Arthur Ashe was the first African American in the Davis Cup by 1963. He won the U.S. Hard Court Championships. Lenward Simpson was the youngest male to play at the U.S. Nationals at Forest Hills, New York at 15 years old. Arthur Ashe comes into UCLA by 1965. He won the NCAA singles championship and doubles championship with Ian Crookenden. Arthur Ashe Jr. took home the U.S. Clay Court Championship and the U.S. Indoor Doubles with teammate Charlie Pasarell in 1967. By 1968, Arthur Ashe Jr. was the first and only black man to win the U.S. Open. It was the first Open in the Open era. He defeated Davis Cup teammate Bob Lutz to win the U.S. Amateur Championship. To this day, he is the only player to win the amateur and national championships in the same year.

In 1970, Arthur Ashe Jr. became the first and only black man to win the Australian Open. Juan Farrow won the U.S. Boys’ 12 Singles Championship and also won the doubles title with the teammate Lawrence Hooper. In 1971, Arthur Ashe Jr. teamed up with Marty Riessen to win the French Open men’s doubles title. In that year, Althea Gibson is elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Juan Farrow in 1972 won his second championship in the U.S. Boys’ 14 Singles. Diane Morrison in the same year won the National Public Parks Girls 16U Singles Championship. In 1973, Juan Farrow won the National Boys Indoor 16 Singles Championship. Lenward Simpson in 1974 signed with the Detroit Loves and was in the process of the first black player in World Team Tennis. Arthur Ashe Jr. won the Wimbledon men’s singles title by defeating Jimmy Connors in 1975. He was the first and only black man to win the event.  Bruce Foxworth and Roger Guedes won the NCAA Division II doubles. They were from Hampton University. Hampton was the first historically black college or university to win the Division II title. Andrea Whitmore in 1978 won the National Parks singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. She was the first African American to win a championship and the second only woman to win three major events in the tournament’s 52 year history. In that same year, the Girls 14 Indoor Doubles was won by Kathy Foxworth and Lori Kosten. In 1980, Leslie Allen was the first African American woman to play in the main draw of a professional tournament in Open era history. In the same year, the U.S. Girls 16 Hard Court Doubles, U.S. Girls 18 Indoor Doubles, and the U.S. Girls 18 Clay Court Doubles are won by Houston duo Zina Garrison and Lori McNeil. Leslie Allen won the Avon Championships of Detroit in 1981. She was the first black woman since Althea Gibson to win a major title. Yannick Noah in 1983 became the first black man to win the French Open when he defeated defending champion Mats Wilander, 6-2, 7-5, 7-6. He was 23 years old back then. He was the first Frenchman to win the French Open singles championship since 1946. He was the last Frenchman to win that event. That victory was his first and last Grand Slam singles title. In 1984, many events come about. Camille Benjamin made it to the French Open semifinals. Lloyd Bourne (who was a tow time All-American at Stanford) reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open. Todd Nelson made it to the round of 32 of the U.S. Open. Pepperdine University’s Jerome Jones and Kelly Jones (no relation) won the NCAA’s doubles championship.

Lori McNeil and Zina Garrison faced off in the Eckerd Tennis Open, which is the first time two black players meet in a major professional tennis championship in 1986. McNeil defeated Garrison, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Northwestern University’s Katrina Adams was the first African American woman to win a NCAA doubles title in 1987. She teamed up with Diane Donnelly to beat Stanford’s Patty Fendick and Stephanie Savides, 6-2, 6-4. In 1988, Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver won the Olympic gold medal for women’s doubles in Seoul, South Korea. Garrison also took home bronze in the women’s singles tournament. U.S. national team named MaliVai Washington to its team. By 1990, Zina Garrison defeated Monica Seles, ending her 36-match winning streak, and then stuns Steffi Graf in the Wimbledon semifinals to advance to her first Grand Slam championship. Garrison would go on to lose to Martina Navratilova in the title bout, but by playing in the championship, Garrison becomes the first black woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Althea Gibson in 1958. Mashona Washington won the USTA National Indoor 18 Singles by 1992. MaliVai Washington reached the Wimbledon singles final in 1996. He falls to the Dutchman Richard Krajicek in straight sets. Washington was the first black man to reach the title game since Arthur Ashe Jr. During the year of 1996 also, he is named to the U.S. Olympic tennis team. He was the first African American to receive that honor. Chanda Rubin and partner Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario win the Australian Open doubles title in 1996, and Rubin fights her way to the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she loses to eventual champion Monica Seles in three sets.

By Timothy


“They Eat Money”: How Mandela’s Political Heirs Grow Rich Off Corruption

https://blackagendareport.com/they-eat-money-how-mandelas-political-heirs-grow-rich-corruption

Gun Violence Debate Needs to Include Police Militarization and Drug Prohibition Violence

https://blackagendareport.com/gun-violence-debate-needs-include-police-militarization-and-drug-prohibition-violence

White Lies and Black Disbelief in a Fading Empire

https://blackagendareport.com/white-lies-and-black-disbelief-fading-empire

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Information about History and Culture in late April of 2018




Today is the 25th anniversary of the tradegy of Waco. One, false extreme view of this incident is that David Koresh was a martyr. He wasn't a martyr. He was a sick man, an abuser, and a false Messiah. Jesus Christ in the New Testament accurately predicted that in the future false Christs will come about. David Koresh was a despicable person who was another evil false Messiah. The other extreme view is that the FBI did everything right and no alternatives could have been achieved in order for authorities to rescue the victims from the Branch Davidian Branch compound and arrest David Koresh. Therefore, we have to look at reality. That event took place in April of 1993. I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. I was 9 1/2 years old. I remember it just like it was yesterday. Suspecting the group of stockpiling illegal weapons, the ATF obtained a search warrant for the compound and arrest warrants for Koresh and a select few of the group's members. Ex-members cited Koresh's illegal weapons and abuse of human beings. The ATF raided the compound which resulted in the death of many feds and Branch Davidians. Fires existed, CS gas was executed, and many people died. We know of the evil from David Koresh. The mistakes of the federal government include the following: the feds cut the food and water to the compound, they used vehicles to crush cars which have no merit in ending the standoff, they tried to use psychological warfare in showing sounds of dying rabbits which is disturbing, and they lack a mentality to create a peaceful outcome. The 2000 Danforth report said that the Branch Davidian sect started the fire. Attorney Ramsey Clark disagrees with much of that report. The Danforth report said that the actions of the federal government didn't violate Posse Comitatus since the military acted in a support role without active military engagement. The Posse Comitatus Act bans the U.S. military to act as a law enforcement role involving American citizens except in rare exceptions. Tim McVeigh cited the Waco incident as a means for him to cause the wicked OKC bombing in April of 1995 (which I was in the 6th grade of middle school). Survivors of Waco exist today. In all, 76 Branch Davidians died, and nine survived the fire on April 19 (five others had been killed in the initial ATF raid, and their bodies were buried on the grounds; one had been killed by the ATF after the raid; and 35 had left during the FBI siege). Waco was one of the great tragedies of American history. It showed the world that false Messiahs must be rejected and government accountability is important to advance.


Many people are talking about Beyonce's performances at the Coachella musical and art festival in California. Beyonce is one of the most famous artists of the 21st century. When it is all said and done, Beyonce will be one of the greatest entertainers of the 21st century and of human history. She is the first black woman to headline Coachella. She also is using funds to fund scholarships to help students to go into HBCUs. She is also celebrating black history, HBCUs, Nina Simone, etc. She also performed with Destiny's Child. With trumpets, she celebrated black culture. Being unapologetically black is part of our souls. She also performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing" too. In our lives, our consciousness grows. Regardless of how people feel about Beyonce, she should be given credit for showing the world the black cultural experience among my people. That should be cherished. Also, we should be motivated to defend the dignity and the human rights of black people too. We have work to do. Our work is ending the system of white supremacist and replacing that system with justice. We want people to be treated as equals regardless of the color of someone's skin. Beyonce reminds us that we are black and expressing our Blackness without apology makes us grow our consciousness fully.

One controversy is about how Sean Hannity has admitted that he worked with Michael Cohen, who is one attorney who is pro-Trump. So, one of Michael Cohen's client is Sean Hannity. Hannity works with FOX News and he is a far right extremist. Hannity is accused of wanting Cohen to fight back ideologically against courageous progressive activists. Hannity has denied this, but Vanity Fair has many sources talking about this very point. We do know that Sean Hannity is Cohen's 3rd client. On his radio show Monday, Hannity said, "I never retained him in the traditional sense" and said he believed his conversations about legal questions were confidential. These news document the bizarre situation of how pro-Trump supporters are linked to Cohen and Cohen is the one with many secrets as it relates to Donald Trump. Hannity has admitted that he has communicated with Cohen on legal questions.

Days ago was the Birthday of Brother Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He is not only one of the greatest basketball players in history. He is a great social activist who goes out to speak out in favor of racial and social justice. He is 71 years old and he was born in New York City. He played for the Milwaukee Bucs and the Los Angeles Lakers. He competed against the greats like Chamberlain and Dr. J. His skyhook shot has been very difficult to guard. By the time of his retirement in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), career wins (1,074). He was an excellent college player in UCLA. From the beginning, he was involved in politics to help people. He is a martial artist who knew Bruce Lee too. In the NBA, he set records and won 6 NBA Titles. He has helped basketball players for years and he continues to motivate excellence. I wish Brother Kareem Abdul Jabbar the best. One of the most underrated, greatest actresses of our generation is Sister Kimberly Elise. It was her Birthday yesterday and she is 51 years old. She is known for being a diversity of roles from drama, thrillers, comedy, and autobiographies (like showing the story of Loretta Claiborne to the world. Claiborne was a Special Olympic athlete who won many marathons courageously). She is the woman whose talent is not only involved in acting, but in other arenas too. She was in John Q, Almost Christmas, and other movies. She was in many television shows too. She has won the NAACP Image Awards four time. She has charisma and a great amount of love for her family and friends. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her maternal relatives are from the Songhai people. She is a vegan now. For her contributions in this life, we are reminded on the value of human excellence. I wish Sister Kimberly Elise more blessings.


This week is the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. This was about courageous Jewish people during World War II uniting to try to defeat fascism in Poland. Poland was heavily destroyed by Nazis. The invasion of Poland by the Axis Powers ultimately started World War two. Men and women united to fight against Nazi terrorism. Many women were involved like Malka Zdrojewicz who survived the Majdanek extermination camp. Political organizations in the ghetto, including the left-wing Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (ZOB), organized a large part of the resistance. They fought until May 16, 1943 when thousands of Jewish people were murdered. The Roosevelt administration did a disgraceful job in its refusal to send some Jewish refugees into America. I love what FDR did right like the New Deal and progressive legislation, but the lax policy on Jewish refugees was one of his great mistakes. We remember the sacrifice of these heroic Jewish people since it shows the truth that evil can't be reasoned with. It must confronted and fought against. Today, we have fascists. One is the President, who I don't respect. Likewise, we are committed to the end of oppression and the bringing of justice to the human family.

By Timothy


The search for truth in the rubble of Douma – and one doctor’s doubts over the chemical attack

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-chemical-attack-gas-douma-robert-fisk-ghouta-damascus-a8307726.html

Monday, April 16, 2018

Ernestine Shepherd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernestine_Shepherd

Waco: 25 Years Later

https://www.fox25boston.com/news/trending-now/a-quartercentury-later-dark-theories-still-hover-over-waco-seige/732737653

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/25-Years-Later-The-Waco-Branch-Davidian-Raid-475370773.html

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/timeline.html

http://abc13.com/the-siege-timeline-of-the-branch-davidian-compounds-fiery-end/1892261/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege

https://crimeola.com/waco-siege-timeline-events/

More news


https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/16/the-caravan-marches-north

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/04/16/pers-a16.html

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/17/will-trump-set-off-the-middle-east-powder-keg

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/the-legacy-of-harold-washington/

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/04/16/twih-a16.html#top

Recent Baseball History




By the 1950’s, more major league baseball teams moved into the West. Baseball has always been played in the West for a long time. There was the Pacific Coast League. This league included the Hollywood Stars, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Oaks, Portland Beavers, Sacramento Solons, San Francisco Seals, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Rainiers. The PCL was very large in the West. It was a member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. It kept losing great players to the National and American leagues for less than $8,000 a player. The PCL was more independent than other minor leagues. They rebelled against others in the East. The President of the PCL back then was Clarence Pants Rowland. He took on baseball commissioners Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Happy Chandler at first to try to get equity from the major leagues. He wanted to form a third major league. His efforts were rebuffed by both commissioners. Chandler and others saw the value of the market in the West. So, they plotted to end the PCL. Rowland didn’t have the financial power of the Eastern major league baseball establishment. Many people left the PCL club after the National or the American League build stadiums out west. Until the 1950's, major league baseball franchises had been largely confined to the northeastern United States, with the teams and their locations having remained unchanged from 1903 to 1952. The first team to relocate in fifty years was the Boston Braves, who moved in 1953 to Milwaukee, where the club set attendance records. In 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed the Baltimore Orioles.

In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City. By 1958, the New York market changed. The Yankees was the dominant draw in New York City. Many in the West grew as fans of baseball. The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants existed. The Dodgers moved into Los Angeles and the Giants moved into San Francisco. This was helped by owner of the Dodgers Walter O’Malley. Candlestick Park was built for baseball teams too. Expansion teams grew like the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The American League influenced southern California. By 1968, the Athletics moved into Oakland across from the San Francisco Giants. During the 1960’s, more players asserted themselves in unions. In 1966, the players enlisted the help of labor union activist Marvin Miller to form the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The same year, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale – both Cy Young Award winners for the Los Angeles Dodgers – refused to re-sign their contracts, and the era of the reserve clause, which held players to one team, was coming toward an end. The reverse clause was weakened.

Along with the Angels, the other 1961 expansion team was the Washington Senators, who joined the American League and took over the nation's capital when the previous Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. 1961 is also noted as being the year in which Roger Maris surpassed Babe Ruth's single season home run record, hitting 61 for the New York Yankees, albeit in a slightly longer season than Ruth's. To keep pace with the American League—which now had ten teams—the National League likewise expanded to ten teams, in 1962, with the addition of the Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets. By the late 1960’s, pitchers were favored between pitching and hitting. In 1968 Carl Yastrzemski won the American League batting title with an average of just .301, the lowest in history. That same year, Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won 31 games – making him the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Bob Gibson achieved an equally remarkable feat by allowing an ERA of just 1.12. That is why some wanted to create rules to benefit the batters in 1969. The pitcher’s mound was lowered and the strike zone was reduced. In 1973, the American League was suffering from lower attendance than the National League (which made a move to increase scoring even further by initiating the designating hitter rule).  The 1970’s saw many great individual achievements too. On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth's all-time record. He would retire in 1976 with 755 and that was just one of numerous records he achieved, many of which, including Total bases scored, still stand today. Hank Aaron is an African American man who endured death threats and vicious letters, but he spoke the record triumphantly. Aaron supports Kaepernick's protest movement too. There was great pitching too: between 1973 and 1975, Nolan Ryan threw 4 "no-hit" games. He would add a record-breaking fifth in 1981 and two more before his retirement in 1993, by which time he had also accumulated 5,714 strikeouts, another record, in a 27-year career.

The American League expanded by 1969 when the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, the latter in a longtime PCL stronghold, were admitted to the league. The Pilots stayed just one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee and becoming today's Milwaukee Brewers. The National League also added two teams that year, the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres. The Padres were the last of the core PCL teams to be absorbed. The Coast League did not die, though. It reformed, and moved into other markets, and endures to this day as a Class AAA league. The second Washington Senators moved into Texas to be the Texas Rangers in 1972. In 1977, the American League expanded to fourteen teams, with the newly formed Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Sixteen years later, in 1993, the National League likewise expanded to fourteen teams, with the newly formed Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins). By the 1994 season, the AL and NL were divided into the three divisions: East, West, and Central. There was a wild card team. The 1994-1995 Major League Baseball strike caused the new rules that didn’t go into effect until the 1995 World Series. In 1998, the AL and the NL each added a fifteenth team, for a total of thirty teams in Major League Baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays—now called simply the Rays—joined the American League. In order to keep the number of teams in each league at an even number (14 – AL, 16 – NL), Milwaukee changed leagues and became a member of the National League.
From the 1980’s to the present, major league baseball had increased in popularity. Training and workouts have improved. Cable television has shown more games. Average attendances first broke 20,000 in 1979 and 30,000 in 1993. That year total attendance hit 70 million, but baseball was hit hard by a strike in 1994, and as of 2005 it has only marginally improved on those 1993 records. There has been massive television investment and marketing. The Internet and video games play a huge role in baseball. On September 6, 1995, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. played his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old record. This was the first high-profile moment in baseball after the strike. Ripken continued his streak for another three years, voluntarily ending it at 2,632 consecutive games played on September 20, 1998.

In 1997, the Florida Marlins won the World Series in just their fifth season. This made them the youngest expansion team to win the Fall Classic (with the exception of the 1903 Boston Red Sox and later the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, who won in their fourth season). Virtually all the key players on the 1997 Marlins team were soon traded or let go to save payroll costs (although the 2003 Marlins did win a second world championship). During the year of 1998, the New York Yankees won a record 125 games, including going 11–2 in the postseason, to win the World Series as what many consider to be one of the greatest teams of all time. Some baseball players unfortunately used performance enhancing substances like steroids that tainted the race for records (Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, and Barry Bonds have been accused of using steroids. In the BALCO Grand Jury, Giambi admitted using steroids. McGwire and Bonds to this very day deny using steroids).  In 2013, no player from the first "steroid class" of players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame was elected. After the steroid era of the early 2000's, batting averages have declined to 1960’s levels and strikeouts are in all-time highs. There is a new pitching revolution too. Since the 1990's, the changeup has made a resurgence, being thrown masterfully by pitchers such as Tim Lincecum, Pedro Martínez, Trevor Hoffman, Greg Maddux, Matt Cain, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana, Marco Estrada, Justin Verlander and Cole Hamels. In 2013, in keeping with Commissioner Bud Selig's desire for expanded interleague play, the Houston Astros were shifted from the National to the American League; with an odd number (15) in each league, an interleague contest was played somewhere almost every day during the season. At this time the divisions within each league were shuffled to create six equal divisions of five teams.

By Timothy

Saturday, April 14, 2018

This new lynching memorial

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lynching-memorial-montgomery-alabama/index.html?sr=twCNN040918undefined0532PMStory

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/983673447862583297


The Complex Syrian conflict






https://www.globalresearch.ca/major-western-news-media-urge-trump-to-kill-syrians-risk-world-war-iii/5636116

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/14/attacking-syria-thumbing-noses-at-constitution-and-law/


https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/13/trump-attacks-syria/ 


This is the link.

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/11/international-lawyers-strike-against-syria-would-be-illegal/

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/13/do-u-s-oligarchs-exist-not-in-mainstream-media/

https://twitter.com/edwardedark?lang=en

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/04/13/big-noise-apocalyptic-tweets-limited-strikes/

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/04/12/americas-long-history-of-trying-to-determine-who-rules-syria/

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/04/13/syri-a13.html

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/04/14/pers-a14.html

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-syrian-show-must-go-on-us-led-strikes-against-syria-were-a-carefully-choreographed-dance-between-us-and-russia/5636149

https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/13/us-missiles-wont-stop-syrias-suffering

https://www.workers.org/2018/04/10/syria-poison-gas-pretext-for-u-s-military-attack/

Freedom Rider: Yaser Murtaja and Marie Colvin

https://blackagendareport.com/freedom-rider-yaser-murtaja-and-marie-colvin

Deep State Restrained Obama. Will It Restrain Trump? Time to Abandon Mere Hope For Action

https://blackagendareport.com/deep-state-restrained-obama-will-it-restrain-trump-time-abandon-mere-hope-action

Black Thinking.

https://blackagendareport.com/inside-negro-pan-african-intellectual-kingdoms-shifting-sands

Randy Moss gets emotional over Hall of Fame induction | ESPN

Friday, April 13, 2018

Friday Developments in Mid April of 2018




Recently, Comey has released his book. James Comey was once a FBI Director who was fired by Donald Trump on May 9, 2017. Unsurprisingly, his book has criticized Trump on his leadership skills and other matters. The book is like a tell all and it is very personal. Trump has personally shown disdain and hatred about Comey and Comey has shown disgust about Trump in his book as well. Many Republicans don't like him or James Comey because of his criticisms of Trump. Many Democrats don't like because of his investigation of the Hillary Clinton campaign. "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership" is the title of the book. His book describes in detail Trump's insecurities, his anger, his lies, and his narcissistic attitude. It is no secret that Trump readily executes illogical policies that harms the rights of so many Americans. He even endorses waterboarding and makes no bones about slandering (via profane language) peaceful NFL protesters knelling. For years, many people have tried to tell the public that Trump is a reprehensible person. Yet, some people still support Trump out of ideological extremism instead of utilizing legitimate logical analysis. James Comey has spoken his mind and confirmed what many of us has been describing about the Trump administration for a while now. Today, we are in a new era. Trump, so far, has refused to be interviewed by Mueller's team. We have events in Syria going on and we have many important domestic issues that we must solve. So, we live under the most bizarre U.S. administration in American history. This is an accurate description of the Trump regime.


Also, I don’t believe in Governor Jerry Brown wanting to send 400 National Guard troops to the Mexican border. This only emboldens Trump and his xenophobic allies. It places the lives of migrants in risk too. Trump has attacked undocumented immigrants in bigoted, racist terms when they seek a better life. Also, many of them are of black African descent. So, anyone claiming that we (who are black Americans) have no vested interests in defending the rights of immigrants is a liar. Brown said that he wants to use National Guard to support operations and he claims that they won’t round up women, women, or detain people. That’s hard to believe since Trump said that he wants National Guard troops to send the Customs and Border Protection logistics and surveillance plus support. He or Trump has slandered refugees seeking asylum in America as desiring to ruin American society. Trump has praised Jerry Brown too. Trump and Brown omit that immigrants face unprecedented threats. Many immigrants are raped and abused in detention centers. Many migrants suffer harassment and hate crimes. Also, many immigrants have been deported even if they have committed no felonious crime. We know how some want outright war with Russia and Syria. Russia and Syria are not democratic nations and their leaders are authoritarian autocrats who shouldn’t be glamorized. Putin and Assad aren't heroes. Yet, even Russia and Syria shouldn’t be militarily invaded.

We know that many Republicans are anti-immigrant, but some Democrats are as well. Some of them abandoned DACA for the sake of promoting “border security.” The previous President deported 2.7 million immigrants, which is the most in American history. Even Diane Feinstein in 2006 voted to support building a border wall with Mexico. Many immigrants die in crossing borders too. We know that the refugees fleeing Central America is a result of the U.S. support for military dictatorships and death squads spanning more than one century. The U.S. supported coup of democratically elected President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya is totally unjustified. We reject the scapegoating of immigrants. We know that the oligarchy uses divide and conquer tactics against both U.S. workers and immigrants as means to eliminate solidarity among us. Also, the global oligarchy (not immigrants) is responsible to the social crisis that resulted in the massive inequality economically that we see. We witness the richest three billionaires own as much as the poorest 160 million people in America (which is about half of the American population). Mass shootings, police brutality, unwarranted surveillance, lax wages, increased costs to health care, massive war, austerity, deteriorating infrastructure, etc. are not caused by immigrants. They are caused by capitalist neoliberals who cares more for power and profit than human liberation. That is why every immigrant, regardless of status, deserves total equal human rights.

Recently, Paul Ryan has officially retired during this year. He is a person who wants to spent time to his family. He is a well known man who not only supported Donald Trump. He has supported the GOP agenda of Ayn Rand economics, far right extremism, and other Tea Party positions. He is the person who faithfully advanced austerity policies which crippled legitimate social programs from the poor and working class human beings. Paul Ryan loved the disgraceful GOP tax bill that expands economic inequality. People know what works. What works involve investments in our infrastructure, increased taxes for the super wealthy, international cooperation, the protection of our civil liberties, union rights (including collective bargaining), a stronger social safety net, a living wage, expansion of health care services, and policies to abolish racism & discrimination. So, people like Ryan want to crush the New Deal, but they have failed. There could be a blue wave by the midterms in November of 2018. We shall see. Our justice advocacy remains.

Today, Mariah Carey has admitted to having bipolar disorder. She has made the great point that people with mental health issues shouldn't be demonized or stigmatized. They deserve love, respect, and compassion. Mariah Carey also has gone into treatment and is doing so much better emotionally. We know Mariah Carey as one of the greatest vocalist in history. Yet, we also know of her fun loving spirit, her wit, and her perseverance against obstacles. Her story is a very important one which shows that those who experience mental health issues are our Brothers and our Sisters. They merit our respect and appreciation. This is the week when Jackie Robinson signed to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers during 1947. He was the first black man to play for the MLB during the 20th century after WWII. He would make his MLB debut on April 15, 1947. He suffered an immense amount of disrespect, but he kept forward to inspire other athletes to go ahead and express their talents. He opened a door and saw massive changes in society. Also, it is important to recognize the Negro Leagues as they brought talent and great inspiration for our community in the African American community including for Americans in general. Jackie Robinson married a wonderful woman named Rachel. Rachel was his rock. To this very day, Rachel Robinson is a defender of racial justice. Jackie Robinson's heroic actions in baseball and outside of it is noteworthy. He supported Dr. King and wanted economic development.

By Timothy

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Discernment and Truth.

There are many news coming up. One is about how the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave his testimony to Congress yesterday. He talked about privacy, the Internet, fake ads, Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and other issues. He should have done more when many people's data were stolen, sold, and exploited by spying organizations. He spoke to the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees. Both major parties are in unison in criticizing him. The reason is that they feel that Zuckerberg didn't do enough in stopping the threats to privacy made by many entities. Eliminating very offensive, illegal posts is fine. The issue is that we should have our privacy, but we shouldn't have total censorship of the Internet. Some people exploit the legitimate issues of privacy as an excuse for them to promote unwarranted censorship of posts whether they be political or otherwise. In essence, the oligarchy doesn't care about the interests of the masses of the people (which relates to democratic rights, universal health care, an end to oppression, labor rights, etc.). They care about power for themselves and profit. So, we have to promote real privacy and fight against unwarranted censorship at the same time. Also, Trump is in a new era. Michael Cohen has had his property investigated by the FBI. Trump is furious and is considering to fire Rubenstein and Mueller. This is a battle among many in the intelligence community and the Trump faction (which is made up of militarists too). Trump's corrupt behavior certainly have provoked this situation. If Trump was innocent, he wouldn't use stonewalling tactics and try to try to end the Mueller investigation so prematurely.

That is why it is no secret that Trump is filled with controversy from his racist statements to his real estate/speculating past. Cohen is the keeper of Trump's secrets which is why the FBI is investigating him. Also, Stormy Daniels is cooperating with federal investigators. The raid goes into the investigation of possible bank fraud, campaign finance violations, information relating to the Stormy Daniels situation, etc. The doors got kicked in. The warrant was agreed too by legal authorities. Mueller and the investigators are doing its job. It is not a disgrace as Trump has falsely characterized this situation. The FBI raid existed after a lawful warrant was issued. Some people think that Trump may fire Mueller which will cause a constitutional crisis and possible impeachment of Trump (that will be an obstruction of justice). Cohen is completely loyal to the person named Trump. Trump is a person consumed with scandal, bigotry, fraud, and the abuse of democratic rights plainly speaking. Mueller is doing what we pay him to do which is to find the facts and to make sure that those who commit crimes are held to account.

At the same time, the world is dealing with the complex war in Syria. The war is among many sides. America is allied with rebels and Syria's Assad is allied with Russia. A chemical attack happened and many people want Trump to use a military strike. Russia says that it will attack American military forces in the region if the U.S. attacks Assad's military forces. There is no solution in Syria without a long term political strategy where Syria exists independent from Assad's rule (in the midst of social tolerance among Christians, Shia, Sunnis, Druze, etc. We know that Assad is an autocrat and committed atrocities along with many rebels from Al-Nusra too), but not to be ruled by a pro-Western puppet. Syria's independence socially and politically must be the long term goal for a solution. So, this is the dangerous real world that we live in.

I'm going to tell the truth in season and out of season. In the recent days, we have seen the exposure of culture vultures like Mike Rappaport and Gary Owen (who is a white comedian). A culture vulture is a non-black person who uses black people including black culture selfishly for profit or exploitation (not in the cause of enriching black culture in general). Mike Rappaport slandered Kenya Moore in racist terms. Kenya Moore is a beautiful black woman. Kenya Moore courageously refuted Rappaport. Also, Gary Owen made racist, anti-black jokes about Mike Blackson. I don't agree with Blackson on every issue, but he doesn't deserve to be call slurs or racist invective. Then, Owen used his wife (who is African American) as a means to inspire her to call Blackson the N word. That's sick and disgusting. Any black person calling another black person the N word at the behest of a white person is a traitor period (also, I don't agree with Stephon Clark's evil Tweets). Owen laughs and said that he wishes that he could say the n word in a video. He's a despicable person. This tells me that white racism isn't just shown by far right extremists (which we know exists). It is also shown by phony "liberals" who claim to be down, but they aren't.

You will notice that many people are silent, because those people have a vested interest in promoting the myth that slandering black people gets a pass if the person doing it is a so-called "liberal" or hangs out with black people. Yet, I will not be silent. I won't cower. Cowards like Rappaport (who doesn't respect his black wife since he used Twitter to disrespect black women journalists who disagree with him. He has some sick obsession with disrespecting Lebron James too) and Owen (who doesn't respect his black wife) should be checked, boycotted, and ignored. I will speak up and oppose the agendas of those 2 culture vultures and defend the dignity of black men and black women period. Unlike others, I won't make any apologies for my views on this issue. I stand for every syllable on my views on this issue.

Black Lives Matter.

By Timothy