Thursday, April 18, 2024
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
The Political World.
Corporate profits are at a 70-year high, but many people want to falsely blame all of the inflation in America on stimulus checks. The Justice Department is planning to sue Live Nation/Ticketmaster for running an illegal monopoly over the ticketing industry. The 2024 Presidential campaign of Donald Trump is blatantly reactionary and treasonous. Here are some reasons why. Trump has repeatedly rejected the legitimate outcome of the 2020 presidential election, without any basis in fact. Trump has continuously praised the criminal convicts of the January 6th insurrection. He called them hostages when most of them were convicted of injuring police officers during the attack. Trump has lied and said that any criminal indictments against him are part of a Biden-led conspiracy against him. The truth is that prosecutors and grand juries issued indictments and acted independently by themselves. Trump's 2024 campaign is the extension of his 2020 coup d'etat attempt against American democracy. Trump wants more tax cuts for the rich, gut worker protections, create mass deportations, and establish a new Muslim ban. Biden wants to tax corporations and the wealthy, have universal Pre-K, 12 weeks paid family and medical leave, and expand anti-poverty tax credits. The choice is clear. We should always defend the greatness of our democracy.
Six jurors have been sworn in involving the Trump hush money case. In Manhattan, about one-third of the jury has been seated in the Trump trial. The Constitution requires a speedy trial with an impartial jury. The judge reprimands Trump for Trump visibly and audibly reacting to one of the potential jurors. In other words, Judge Juan Merchan said that he can't intimidate any jurors or potential jurors. Attorney Bragg claimed that Trump wanted to falsify business records for his alleged role in a hush-money scheme before the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty. So, the prosecution in court must prove intent and cite the New York falsifying business records statute.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Historical Information in April of 2024.
The story of Ferguson deals with the state of Missouri. Missouri is a Midwestern state with a legacy of massive racism and a history of resisting that racism too. For example, there were protests in 1819 over the Missouri Compromise. Walthall M. Moore in 1920 was an elected representative from St. Louis, being the first black American to serve in the Missouri General Assembly. Homer G. Phillips was a champion of civil rights in Missouri. A hospital is named after him in St. Louis. DeVerne Calloway of St. Louis was the first black woman state representative in Missouri's General Assembly on November 6, 1962. Missouri borders Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. It's home to many forests, rivers, minerals, and near the Ozarks. Native Americans created the Mississippian culture with cities and mounds for about 12,000 years in the state of Missouri. European explorers lived in the areas and people of diverse backgrounds. In the Old West, Missouri has been a place where The Pony Express, the Gateway Arch, the Oregon Trial, and other locations existed. Famous people from the state like Mark Twain, Nelly, Sheryl Crow, and Edwin Hubble. Ferguson existed as a city in 1855 by William B. Ferguson ceded 10 acres of land to the Wabash Railroad in exchange for a new depot and gaming rights. Ferguson is a city near St. Louis. Ferguson saw a massive demographic shift. In 1970, 99 percent of the population of Ferguson were made up of white Americans and 1 percent were African Americans. By the 2020 census, we have 71.80 percent of the Ferguson population being African American and 1.19 percent of the population being white Americans.
Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown lived from May 20, 1996, to August 9, 2014. He just graduated from high school eight days before his death. He completed an alternative education program. He was a person with an amateur hip-hop career with his songs on SoundCloud calling himself "Big Mike." He was two days from starting a training program for heating and air conditioning repair at the Vatterett College Technical School. Surveillance video which was publicly released in the 2017 documentary film Stranger Fruit shows Michael Brown walking into Ferguson Market and Liquor at 1:13 a.m., ten-and-a-half hours before he entered the store for the final time. The footage shows Brown handing a young clerk a brown package, believed by the filmmaker to be marijuana, and then receiving an unpurchased package of cigarillos from the store. After the video was rediscovered and made public in 2017, some, including Brown's family, said they believed Brown had left the package there for safekeeping and later returned to retrieve it. The store owner disputed this through an attorney who dismissed claims that the store traded him "cigarillos for pot." The lawyer claimed "[t]he reason he [Brown] gave it back is he was walking out the door with unpaid merchandise and they [the staff] wanted it back." The store's attorney said the video had been in the hands of Brown's family and law enforcement since the initial investigation, and said the video had been edited to remove the portion where the store clerk returned Brown's package to him. Following this, on March 13, 2017, unedited footage from the store was released by the St. Louis County prosecutor to try to settle questions.
At 11:47 pm, Office Wilson responded to a call about a baby with breathing problems. He drove to Glenark Drive in Ferguson, east of Canfield Drive. About three minutes later, and several blocks away, Brown was recorded on camera stealing a box of Swisher Sweets cigars and forcefully shoving a Ferguson Market clerk. At 11:53, a police dispatcher reported "stealing in progress" at the Ferguson Market and described the suspect as a black male wearing a white T-shirt running toward QuikTrip. The suspect was reported as having stolen a box of Swisher cigars. Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, left the market at about 11:54 a.m. At 11:57, the dispatch described the suspect as wearing a red St. Louis Cardinals hat, a white T-shirt, yellow socks, and khaki shorts, and that he was accompanied by another male. Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said that the incident with Brown stealing cigars had "nothing to do" with why Brown was stopped by Wilson before the shooting, and that the reason Brown and Johnson were stopped was because "they were walking down the middle of the street, blocking traffic." At 12:00 p.m., Wilson reported he was back in service and radioed units 25 and 22 to ask if they needed his assistance in searching for the suspects. Seven seconds later, an unidentified officer said the suspects had disappeared. Wilson called for backup at 12:02, saying "[Unit] 21. Put me on Canfield with two. And send me another car."
Initial reports of what happened next differed widely among sources and witnesses, particularly with regard to whether Brown was moving towards Wilson when the shots were fired. Scholars all agree that there was a dispute among Brown and the officer. The debate is whether Mike Brown ran towards the officer or not before Mike Brown's passing. At noon on August 9, Wilson drove up to Brown and Johnson as they were walking in the middle of Canfield Drive and ordered them to move off the street. Wilson continued driving past the two men, but then backed up and stopped close to them. A struggle took place between Brown and Wilson after Brown reached through the window of Wilson's police SUV, a Chevrolet Tahoe. Wilson was armed with a SIG Sauer P229 pistol, which was fired twice during the struggle from inside the vehicle, with one bullet hitting Brown's right hand. Brown and Johnson fled and Johnson hid behind a car. Wilson got out of the vehicle and pursued Brown. At some point, Wilson fired his pistol again, while facing Brown, and hit him with at least six shots, all in the front of his body. Brown was unarmed and died on the street. Less than 90 seconds passed from the time Wilson encountered Brown to the time of Brown's death.
An unidentified officer arrived on the scene and, 73 seconds after Wilson's call, asked where the second suspect was. Thirty-one seconds later, a supervisor was requested by Unit 25. At 12:07 p.m., an officer on scene radioed to dispatch for more units. Also at 12:07, the St. Louis County police were notified and county officers began arriving on scene at around 12:15 p.m. The St. Louis County detectives were notified at 12:43 p.m. and arrived about 1:30 p.m., with the forensic investigator arriving at about 2:30 p.m. Police dispatched 12 units to the scene by 1:00 p.m. with another 12, including two canine units, by 2:00 p.m. Gunshots were recorded in Ferguson police logs at 2:11 p.m., and by the ambulance dispatch again at 2:14 p.m., which led to the response of 20 more units from eight different municipal forces in the next 20 minutes. As the situation deteriorated, the police commanders had investigators seek cover and detectives assisted in crowd control. At 2:45, four canine units arrived on scene, and the SWAT team arrived at 3:20 p.m. The medical examiner began his examination of Brown at approximately 3:30 p.m. and concluded about half an hour later, with Brown's body being cleared to be taken to the morgue. At 4:37 p.m., Brown's body was signed in at the morgue by workers. Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Wilson at about 12:02 p.m. The Ferguson Police Department was on the scene within minutes, as were crowds of residents. Many residents were angry at how Michael Brown's body was not removed until hours after the incident seen as demeaning and disrespectful. About 20 minutes after the shooting, the Ferguson police chief turned over the homicide investigation to the St. Louis County Police Department (SLCPD). The arrival of SLCPD detectives took about 70 minutes, as they were occupied with another crime scene 37 minutes away. On arrival at 1:30 p.m., they put up privacy screens around the body. There are two sets of witnesses. One group of witnesses believed that Brown charged Wilson and Wilson killed him. The other groups of witnesses believe in opposing Wilson's story and claim that Wilson killed Brown unjustly like Michael Brown's friend Dorian Johnson. Like always, we must stand for the truth and defend the human dignity of black life at the same time. It is true that the city of Ferguson has had racial, policing, and economic problems for years and decades.
Las Vegas in the West Coast of the United States of America was born amid massive change, economic development, and entertainment. It's the most populous city in Nevada. Beyond the clubs and the centers of money, tons of hard-working class people live in Las Vegas too. Located in Clark County, the city is the second largest city of the Southwest. It is found in the Mojave Desert too. Being a resort city, it's home to boxing events, music events, gambling, shopping, fine dining, nightlife, and other forms of entertainment. It has 641,903 people as of 2020, and its metropolitan area has about 2.2 million people. Las Vegas comes from the Spanish word las vegas meaning the meadows. From people getting married to watching large shows, Las Vegas is a very vibrant location. Its hotels are very numerous, and Las Vegas has a wide ranging infrastructure. It is also a recent, young city. New York City was born over 2 centuries ago. Norfolk, Virginia was born over three centuries ago. Las Vegas was a city during the early 20th century. The population of Las Vegas has rapidly expanded being in about 141 square miles.
The John Brown Raid took place 165 years ago. It was one of the most important events of antebellum America. 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 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 causes of World War One were complex. One major cause of the war was the competing political and military alliances that clashed causing war in Europe and beyond. By the 19th century, many European powers used colonialism, imperialism, rape, and other evils to steal lands in the four corners of the Earth. After the defeat of Napoleon and after the Berlin Conference, this competition continued. The 19th century saw many wars that signaled a prelude to World War One. European leaders want to maintain the balance of power for a time the Concert of Europe. After 1848, Britain grew, there was the Ottoman Empire declining, and other events challenged the Concert of Europe concept. There was the rise of Prussia in German areas with Otto von Bismarck as the leader. The 1866 Austro-Prussian War established Prussian hegemony in German states, while victory in the 1870–1871 Franco-Prussian War allowed Bismarck to consolidate a German Empire under Prussian leadership. Avenging the defeat of 1871, or revanchism, and recovering the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine became an obsession of French policy and public opinion for the following few years, yet since the 1880s this concern was eclipsed by the conquest of a vast colonial empire, and had disappeared from the programs of all French political parties as utterly unrealistic. The U.K. didn't want Prussia to get too powerful as Prussia had the strongest army in Europe.
To isolate France and avoid a war on two fronts, Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany. After the Russian victory in the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, the League was dissolved due to Austrian concerns over Russian influence in the Balkans, an area they considered to be of vital strategic interest. Germany and Austria-Hungary then formed the 1879 Dual Alliance, which became the Triple Alliance when Italy joined in 1882. For Bismarck, the purpose of these agreements was to isolate France by ensuring the three Empires resolved any disputes between themselves; when this was threatened in 1880 by British and French attempts to negotiate directly with Russia, he reformed the League in 1881, which was renewed in 1883 and 1885. After the agreement lapsed in 1887, he replaced it with the Reinsurance Treaty, a secret agreement between Germany and Russia to remain neutral if either were attacked by France or Austria-Hungary. Bismarck wanted peace with Russia too. France responded to this by signing the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894, followed by the 1904 Entente Cordiale with Britain. The Triple Entente was completed by the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention. While these were not formal alliances, by settling long-standing colonial disputes in Asia and Africa, the notion of British entry into any future conflict involving France or Russia became a possibility. British and Russian support for France against Germany during the Agadir Crisis in 1911 reinforced their relationship, increasing Anglo-German estrangement. German industry increased. German industrial strength and production had significantly increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich, French indemnity payments, and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine. Backed by Wilhelm II, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz sought to use this growth in economic power to build a Kaiserliche Marine, or Imperial German Navy, which could compete with the British Royal Navy for naval supremacy.
There were conflicts in the Balkans, because the Ottoman empire declined. In the Balkans, many people wanted nationalism, not empire or monarchies. While Pan-Slavic and Orthodox Russia considered itself the protector of Serbia and other Slav states, they preferred the strategically vital Bosporus straits to be controlled by a weak Ottoman government, rather than an ambitious Slavic power like Bulgaria. Since Russia had its ambitions in northeastern Anatolia, while their clients had overlapping claims in the Balkans, balancing these divided Russian policy-makers and added to regional instability. Austria saw Sebian nationalism as a threat to their empire. Austrian statesmen viewed the Balkans as essential for the continued existence of their Empire and saw Serbian expansion as a direct threat. The 1908–1909 Bosnian Crisis began when Austria annexed the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which it had occupied since 1878. Timed to coincide with the Bulgarian Declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, this unilateral action was denounced by the European powers but accepted as there was no consensus on how to resolve the situation. Some historians see this as a significant escalation, ending any chance of Austria cooperating with Russia in the Balkans, while also damaging diplomatic relations between Serbia and Italy, both of whom had their expansionist ambitions in the region.
There was the Balkan League with Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece. The Great Powers sought to re-assert control through the 1913 Treaty of London, which created an independent Albania while enlarging the territories of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. However, disputes between the victors sparked the 33-day Second Balkan War, when Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece on 16 June 1913; it was defeated, losing most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, and Southern Dobruja to Romania. The result was that even countries that benefited from the Balkan Wars, such as Serbia and Greece, felt cheated of their "rightful gains", while for Austria it demonstrated the apparent indifference with which other powers viewed their concerns, including Germany. This complex mix of resentment, nationalism, and insecurity helps explain why the pre-1914 Balkans became known as the "powder keg of Europe. Then, the Sarajevo assassination ultimately led to World War One with the Triple Alliance treaty being tested.
The second generation of country music existed from the 1930's to the 1940's. Radio was a major way on how country music was shown to the public. There were barn dance shows featuring country music all over the South (they existed as far north as Chicago and as far west as California). The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville and continuing to the present day. During the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood, many featuring Gene Autry, who was known as the king of the "singing cowboys," and Hank Williams. Bob Wills was another country musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a "hot string band," and who also appeared in Hollywood westerns. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, would become known as Western swing. Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had been played at Carnegie Hall, when Johnny Barfield recorded "Boogie Woogie." Dorothy Dandridge and her friends did Boogie Woogie cowboy music when they were very young.
Diana Ross was born in the Midwestern city of Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944. She was the second of six children. Her parents were Ernestine Moten and Fred Ross Sr. Ross grew up with two sisters named Barbara and Rita along with three brothers, Arthur, Fred Jr., and Wilbert (known as Chico). Diana Ross was raised in the Baptist Church. At first, her family were from 635 Belmont St., in the North End section of Detroit, near Highland Park, Michigan, where her neighbor was Smokey Robinson. When Ross was seven, her mother contracted tuberculosis, causing her to become seriously ill. Ross's parents sent their children to live with Ernestine's parents, the Reverend (pastor of Bessemer Baptist Church), and Mrs. William Moton in Bessemer, Alabama. After her mother recovered, she and her siblings returned to Detroit. By the time Diana Ross was 14 years old, in 1958, her family moved into the working-class Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, settling at St. Antoine Street. Ross attended Cass Technical High School. This location was a four-year college and preparatory magnet school in downtown Detroit. At first, she wanted to be a fashion designer. She took classes in clothing design, millinery, pattern making, and tailoring. During the evenings and on weekends she also took modeling and cosmetology classes (Ross has written that Robinson loaned her the funds required to attend these), and participated in several of the school's extracurricular activities, including its swim team. In 1960, Hudson's downtown Detroit store hired Ross as its first African American bus girl. For extra income, she also provided hairdressing services to her neighbors. Ross graduated from Cass Tech in January 1962. By the time when she was 15 years old, Diana Ross joined the Primettes, the sister group to a male vocal group called the Primes, after she had been brought to the attention of music manager Milton Jenkins by Primes member Paul Williams. Among the other members of the Primettes were Florence Ballard (the first group member hired by Jenkins), Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown, Williams' then-girlfriend. After the Primettes won a talent competition in 1960 in Windsor, Ontario, A&R executive and songwriter, Robert Bateman invited them to audition for Motown Records.
The Primettes had much success in live performances at sock hops and other events. Diana Ross approached William "Smokey" Robinson, her former neighbor (rumored to also have been her childhood boyfriend) about auditioning for Motown; he insisted that the group audition for him first. Robinson then agreed to bring the Primettes to Motown, on condition that they allow him and his group, the Miracles, to hire the Primettes' guitarist, Marv Tarplin (who had been discovered by Ross) for an upcoming tour. Tarplin ended up playing in Robinson's band(s) for the next 30-plus years. In her autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow, Ross wrote that she felt that this had been "a fair trade."
The Primettes later auditioned for Motown, before various Motown executives. In Berry Gordy's autobiography, To Be Loved, Gordy recalled that he had been heading to a business meeting when he happened to hear Ross singing "There Goes My Baby", and that Ross's voice "stopped me in my tracks". He approached the group and asked them to perform it again, but, after learning how young they were, Gordy advised them to finish high school before trying to get signed by Motown.
Undeterred, the group began coming to Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters every day, offering to provide extra help for Motown's recordings, often including hand claps and background vocals. That year, the group recorded two tracks for Lu Pine Records, with Ross singing lead on one of them. During the group's early years, Ross served as its hairstylist, make-up artist, seamstress, and costume designer. In late 1960, having replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the Primettes were allowed to record their own songs at Hitsville studio, many written by "Smokey" Robinson, who, by then, was vice president of Motown ("Your Heart Belongs to Me" and "A Breathtaking Guy"). Gordy, too, composed songs for the trio, including "Buttered Popcorn" (featuring Ballard on lead) and "Let Me Go the Right Way". While these songs were regional hits, they were not nationwide successes.
In January 1961, Gordy agreed to sign the group on the condition they change their name. Songwriter and Motown secretary Janie Bradford approached Florence Ballard, the only group member at the studio at the time, to pick out a new name for the group. Ballard chose "Supremes", reportedly, because it was the only name on the list that did not end with "ette". Upon hearing the new name, the other members weren't impressed, with Ross telling Ballard she feared the group would be mistaken for a male vocal group (a male vocal group was, indeed, named the Supremes). Gordy signed the group under their new name on January 15, 1961. The Supremes was born.
By Timothy
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Friday, April 12, 2024
The Controversial Life and Legacy of O.J. Simpson (and other News).
On April 11, 2024, there is the shocking news of O.J. Simpson passing away. It is important to note that his life was controversial and complicated. He went from a man raised in a working-class environment of San Francisco, California, to be one of the greatest running backs in football history (excelling in high school, college, the NFL, and earning his right to be in the National Football Hall of Fame), being involved in the legal system for massive charges, and working with hip hop artists Cam'ron and Mase in a recent podcast (in the year of 2024). OJ Simpson passed away with his family, friends, children, and grandchildren right there next to him from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is no joke, and men (including black men) must be tested to stop its spread. He was 76 years old when he passed away. We know of OJ's mistakes. His mistakes have no justification. God would want us to realize this fact, so we can be better people than in the past. We express empathy to OJ Simpson's family as they want people to respect their right to privacy. Also, we express empathy to the Ron Goldman's and Nicole Brown Simpson's families whose loved ones were murdered unjustly. OJ Simpson was a complex human being who both did amazing feats on the football field and had anti-black self-hatred found in his words and conduct (like him saying that he isn't black but O.J. , not being a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, and allying with Donald Trump. Many people didn't know that back in the day, corporate America supported O.J. a great deal from TV sports commentary jobs to being in the Hertz TV commercials when he was hurdling over objects. O.J. Simpson acted in popular movies too). He was a person who people loved and despised. I was in the 7th grade in middle school in October of 1995 when the verdict of his murder trial existed or the Trial of the Century.
The O.J. Simpson trial (which came after the L.A. rebellion in 1992, after the unjust beating of Rodney King by the LAPD, and O.J. had a better defense team filled with a Dream team of lawyers like Johnnie Cochran (who was great one in a generation talented lawyer) than the prosecution. The trial was watched by millions of people worldwide, the trial caused a circus in the public, and the trial caused a higher consciousness about the importance of DNA and forensics in the judicial system in general. Mark Fuhrman's racism being exposed by the defense was the beginning of the end of the prosecution's aim to convict O.J., regardless of if you feel O.J. was guilty or not. The prosecution team made mistake after mistake which caused the verdict to go in a certain way. Back then, most white Americans were shocked, and most black people cheered. Today, most Americans, regardless of color, view O.J. Simpson as guilty. O.J. was acquitted in the criminal trial, not in the civil case. O.J. would be arrested in the 2000's on another case. He left prison via parole in 2017. The trial represented a paradox of both the legacy of the judicial system being discriminatory against black people and how an accused person used all of the money in the world (and with a strong defense legacy counsel) to get off. Both things are true in an ironic way. The complex legacy of O.J. Simpson represents the complicated legacy of American society in general. Many of the same racial tensions back then exist now. Today, we have to realize that racial justice is a necessity along with morality, truth, and honor at the same time. I stand on every syllable that I wrote here. Therefore, O.J. Simpson had a complex legacy involving his life. These are my words about O.J. Simpson.
Judge Chutkan said that the January 6th terrorists are dangerous people, not hostages as said by Donald Trump. The judge is right. Many centrists and corporate Republicans support the FISA reauthorization. Many people forget that during the Bush administration, there was a scandal of the NSA using warrantless spying against U.S. citizens. We want America to be secure from terrorism and other evils, but we also want our civil liberties to be respected too. That is why a coalition of progressives and conservatives voted to block the FISA re-authorization bill over privacy and civil liberty concerns. One Presidential photographer quits the Ford Board of accusing the Foundation of bowing before Trump. The reality is that Trump is a threat to democracy whose views are antithetical to truth and freedom.
Justice has come to the black victims of sick former Mississippi law enforcement officers who did vile acts to innocent people. These acts are so evil that I can't mention them here because it was so graphic. These criminals pleaded guilty to charges of the January 2023 torture and abuse of 2 black men. 20 years were given to Brett McAlpin, Daniel Opdyke, and Jeffrey Middleton. Christian Dedmon was sentenced to 25 years, Hunter Elward was sentenced to 45 years, and Joshua Hartfield was sentenced to 15 years. All of their state sentences are to run concurrently with their federal sentences. The victims are Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins. Eddie Parker has to go to therapy, and Michael Jenkins can't sing because of a gunshot wound that shattered his jaw. One NAACP Rankin County President Angela English wants the Department of Justice to clean house of corruption found in the county's sheriff's department. Criminals are going to prison, and we have to do our parts in making sure that society is fair and just for all, beyond some people.
For the past few weeks and months, many pro-Trump supporters have tried to convince me to support him. I don't. I made my point clear for years that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to democracy and freedom in general. Donald Trump passed tax cuts for the super wealthy that caused massive record profits for large corporations but didn't benefit Main Street in a massive level. Conversely now in 2024, we have record low unemployment, massive job growth, and child poverty cut in half (all documented by statistics). Trump wants to free the insurrectionist terrorists at January 6th, and Trump called them hostages. These terrorists used poles to harm police officers, carried guns on Capitol grounds, waved Neo-Nazi and Confederate flags, and threatened to hang Mike Pence. These insurrectionists are antithetical and anathema to America and true freedom. In real life, my ancestors were part of the Union defeating the Confederacy and my relative was part of the Normandy invasion to defeat the Nazi fascists back in the 1940's. So, I know that it is my blood to stand up and speak up against fascists who attack women, immigrants, black people, etc. We reject authoritarianism as Trump has praised Hungary's Orban and other malicious people. I believe in the protection of the environment, and Biden did the right thing to impose national drinking water limits on toxic PFAS. Toxic PFAS can cause cancer and harm humanity. So, I will vote for democracy on November 4th.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Spring News.
Many military leaders gave an amicus brief to the Supreme Court to oppose Trump's claim that he has immunity in his actions. The reality is that Trump has no unlimited immunity to do what he wants. Unlimited immunity means that Trump has authoritarian powers to do what he wants, even assassinating innocent human life. Jack Smith is the prosecutor who wants Trump to be held accountable for his misconduct against American society. Special Counsel Jack Smith wants the Supreme Court to reject Trump's claim of Presidential immunity. Jack Smith rightfully cites one precedent of the Nixon Watergate scandal when the Supreme Court made Nixon give up tapes to the public which superseded Nixon's claim of Presidential immunity. A former President is not immune from prosecution. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will do the right thing and not grant Trump unlimited immunity. No one is above the law.
There is more information about my 3rd cousin Benjamin Frank Barrett Sr. (1947-2014) that I didn’t know about until recently. We share the same ancestor of my 4th great-grandmother Sarah Claud. The daughter of Sarah Claud was Susanna Sarah M. Hill (b. 1867). The daughter of Susanna Sarah M. Hill was Sarah B. Gooden (1887-1997), the daughter of Sarah B. Gooden was Dotsie Lee Barrett (1908-2008), and the son of Dotsie Lee Barrett was Benjamin Frank Barrett Sr. 1947-2014). Benjamin Frank Barrett’s father was Augustus McNeil. He lived in Hampton, Virginia for many years. He attended public schools in Newport News, Virginia, graduating from Carver High School in 1966. He loved cars, loved to play pool, talked with his family and friends, and loved to cook food like homemade rolls. He lived in Brooklyn, New York for years too. His children with Mary Louise Mills (b. 1949) are Benjamin Frank Barrett Jr. (b. 1968. His wife is named Michelle), Terethia Denai Barrett (b. 1970), and James Anthony Barrett (b. 1972. His wife is Angela Marci Bowles, who was born in 1973). His children with Charlotte Taylor are Jerome B. Barrett (1979-2014. He dated a woman named Tiffany) and Timothy Barrett. His child with Sharon Harris is James Harris. Benjamin Frank Barrett Sr. had 31 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Benjamin Frank Barrett Sr.’s grandchildren are: Jaysaun, Jayron, Jayvaun, Jaymara, Charity, Corina, Chareese, DeMonte, Abeni, Tyrik, Remy, Hassaun, Benjamin III "Tre", Cynise, RaKiah, Rodrique, Mychael, Janaye, Jaelyn, Mycah, Deborah, Alexis, Thomas, Kevin, Kahsandrah, Kenajah, Krystal, Jayden, Melanie, Terrance, and Sierra. Benjamin Frank Barrett Sr.’s great-grand children are: Demarcus, Kanaje, Nevaeh, Aliyah, Bentlee, William, Arie, David, Tyson, Kayden, Nasir, and Noelle.
I found out recently in early April of 2024 that Karen Cecelia Liggins Thompson (b. 1949) is my 4th cousin as we are descendants of my 6th great-grandparents of Burwell Williams and Winifred Woodson-Bozeman (b. 1791). Karen Liggins Thompson was born on March 31, 1949, at Norfolk, Virginia. She has lived in Portsmouth, Virginia and now lives in California. She once married Ernest Alexander Brower (b. 1944), and her child is Kyle Dexter Liggins (b. 1966). Her last husband was Leonard J. Thompson Junior. Leonard J. Thompson Jr. lived in Spring Valley, California for a long time. He was born and raised in the Midwest at Joplin, Missouri. He was the oldest son of 8 children and his parents were Cozetta Berry Thompson and Leonard J. Thompson Sr. Leonard J. Thompson Jr. worked on many jobs and was part of the Navy. He organized the first Softball Team and was stationed at the USS Dixon in San Diego, California. He was the District Manager of over 9 gas stations for the USA Petroleum Corporation. He married Karen Cecelia Liggins for 52 years. Karen Liggins Thompson’s parents were Cessar Harding Liggins (b. 1922) and Romine Sallie Peterson (b. 1921). Cessar Liggins and Romine Sallie Peterson’s other children (including Karen Liggins) are: Marilyn P. Liggins (b. 1940), Victor Barton Liggins (b. 1952), and Joslyn Erdine Liggins (b. 1956). Josyln Erdine Liggins once married Robert M. Harris (b. 1949), she married Chris Winslow Davis (b. 1956), and her current husband is Jimmy Lavelle Collins. Josyln Erdine Liggins’s daughter with Chris Winslow Davis is Lauren Kimberly Davis (b. 1986). My 3rd cousin Romine Sallie Peterson’s parents were James Edward Peterson (1885-1945) and Rosa W. Peterson (1887-1966). Rosa W. Peterson’s parents were Mary L. Williams (1855-1905) and Eddie Drew Kello (1851-1922). Mary L. Williams’s parents were John Burwell Williams (b. 1815) and Mary Williams (b. 1832). John Burwell Williams’s parents were Burwell Williams and Winifred Woodson-Bozeman (b. 1791).