The Dark Side Of America

It vexes me when white people seem so surprised by their own wretchedness. They seemed so shocked by the behavior of their follow white America’s or could it have been because a white woman was killed! If not, they would have been dancing in the streets. This was the most disgusting behavior displayed in a long time. They saw white folk at their true nature – barbaric!

This nation will long remember with shame and sorrow when white supremacists descended on the college town of Charlottesville, Va.; supposedly in fury over the threatened removal of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park. I will say that and you should know Robert E. Lee was a terrorist just to be clear! These idiots showed up with Nazi slogans, shields. KKK sign without hoods, and anti-Semitic tirades. They injured more than a hundred mostly white people when a deranged member of their ranks sped his car into a crowd and left a woman.

Their President saw it as not an assault or a terrorist act on fellow Americans, but a clash of hate upon hate, violence upon violence, bigotry upon bigotry. Then he issued the most ridiculous statement, he said: “On many sides,” a phrase for the ages. This is what they are taught – racism. If not why would white supremacy lasted four-hundred years? Yes, they have been doing this to us along with the police murder black people – men, women, and children – on average two or three a week. But they all claim to be Christians.

Trump never uttered a word in his remarks and tweets about the nature of the march, the source of provocation nor anything that indicated racism or racism. It clearly was because in an interview late the Grand Wizard of the KKK and the event’s organizer said so. Once torches scare black people but let me let you in on a scared – not anymore. The more shocking part about this was they turned on each other because each wanted to be the biggest racist and the more demonic!

Those white folk who regularly insist that the racists and bigots are a minority of us and that the white-power movement is a marginal and demented faction were proven wrong. Thinking like this and using those kind of statement are what they want you to believe. The mayhem in Charlottesville displayed that this was only a code that is embedded in every white person. However, many came forth with phony and sort of passionate condemnations of blood-and-soil nationalism across the spectrum of ideology.

A president who cannot bring himself to say this immediately and unequivocally squanders any claim to moral leadership. These forms of witnesses were a necessary defense of the American idea and underscored the shamefulness of Trump’s embrace of moral equivalence. There are not, as Trump insisted Saturday, “many sides” to questions that were settled long ago: Racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination, and white supremacy are unequivocally wrong.

Because Trump and many white folk’s inexcusable moral equivalences what actually this event was all about is simply a weak philosophical cover-up of the racism they have in their hearts! As for the president and most white people, they bear his guilt as demonstrated throughout his public life, from his birtherism to his reluctance to turn away 2016 endorsements from Klansmen and other racists.

Nothing has changed and we see that it has not. I have been harshly critical of those black people who support 45 and say things like “our or my country”. I think these fools are INSANE or  uncle toms. And that’s my thought provoking perspective…

Thanks To 45 – The End Time Is Near

There are a lot of people who preach and predict the end times. I will tell you that I am not one of them. However, as I look at the state of the world, its leadership, and the condition of it – I have to conclude that life as we know it is coming to an end. The terrorist (white supremacist) are the main culprit in the destruction of the planet and the people who live on earth all in the name of greed. There is no secret that those people are planning an escape from this planet, which is why they search the skies for a place to inhabit, at our expense.

In just six months America has lost most of its standing in the world and most people despise its new leader, which is to include most world leaders. There are many places around the world where nation wish and perhaps plan to attack this nation because America is over-stretched or embroiled in other conflicts that they are losing. For example, this little place called Afghanistan; where it has been for 17 years and being no further ahead than the day they invaded it.

Then there is North Korea that is itching for a conflict, as well as many other nations of the world. I know and understand that many of you will say the Bible speaks of Armageddon but I am sorry to tell you that the Bible was written by white men and several of them. In fact, it has been rewritten 28 times to suit their desires, like to justify slavery for example. I say this because; there still many fools who think God wrote it. So don’t expect to see the four men on horseback coming.

No doubt there will be famine, starvation, and war but guess what the rich will be saved – not you; which means the Orange Dummy, his cohorts, and his rich friends will be spared which is a damn shame. To be truthful the world is over-populated and most of its resources are depleted so in order for the world to survive it has become necessary to get rid of humans/mankind. If you believe in the story of Noah and the flood, this was done to restate mankind’s existence, which we are likely to see again.

The bigger problem, as I see it, is that the people of the world have lost faith in their leaders and more problematic is the loss of faith in societal institutions. However, it is the immoral wretchedness of the dominant society that will be the blame for the demise of mankind! And that’s my thought provoking perspective…

The Master Of Distraction

Well people the master deflection, and disinformation just struck again. As questions continue to swirl around Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump officials’ contacts with the Kremlin, 45 on Wednesday declared that he “thinks” Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice committed a crime. America his always had a history of liars and con-artist but this guy beats them all. The republicans have always claimed to be laser focused on spending  or as they say fiscally responsible but the this guy spend an enormous amounts of money on himself and his family. They would claim that president Obama was taking the country in the wrong direction but it appears this guy is going in a direction nobody know where!

I think the story of this guy’s legacy is going to be the biggest story of our time. But then, just as they have sanitized the history books since the first of their books, they will also change the narrative about his story. These people, white folk, are in denial about the wickedness they have inflicted on the world and the dangerous person they elected. When history looks back at his time in office it is going to be shameful period, if we survive it.

His entire history is one of shame and disgrace. From his racially motivated attacks on his predecessor to the calling for the death of innocent black men known as the Central Park rapist. This president is under investigation by his own intelligence agencies. Also, just in the last week or so he paid out a multi-million dollar settlement for what was basically a fraud case. He has maligned every ethnic group and has not told the truth about anything to date. Worse yet, he has insulted women in the most disrespectful and egregious ways. Also, his collusion with the Russians could be viewed as treason!

He blames most of his presidential problems on his predecessor. He claims to be a deal maker but all we have seen is incompetence. All of the people around him meet the same low bar. So far most would agree that what he has shown us is disgraceful! The only thing most sane people see it the art of possessing irresponsibility and buck passing. He has done nothing but sign executive orders and tries to erase his predecessor’s name for history. But then that was the plan.

He accused president Obama of bugging his office and now he claims Susan Rice committed a so-called offense by unmasking the names of Americans swept up in surveillance of foreign officials by intelligence agencies, then, supposedly, leaking the names by determining the identities of individuals obscured in intelligence reports is kosher, and frequently done for national security reasons. This guy lives in a world of fantasy or a world far removed from reality. I must make this clear, like with his Obama claiming he “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower, the claim about Rice is equally false!

Even after the claim was rejected by FBI Director Jim Comey and congressional intelligence committees, enough people cling to the claptrap that it pollutes the public mind. Yet try as he might, away from Trump’s firecrackers and smoke bombs, the real story is emerging and expanding sending the blame his way. There are revelations that prior to being named a Trump adviser; Carter Page had once passed along documents to Russian operatives trying to recruit Americans.

Then there is Erik Prince, founder of the mercenary firm once known as Blackwater reportedly represented Trump in a January meeting with a Russian emissary in the Seychelles. In addition, there is Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, his daughter, and most of his appointments. So the problem is you 45. Try as you might but changing the subject is easy. Burying facts is hard. They would say Obama would not say the word islamic terrorist, but he will not say white terrorist for their acts of domestic terror! And that’s my thought provoking perspective…

The Aftermath Of Integration

I recently had a conversation with a group of young people, none of which lived during the age of government segregation. Each had strongly convoluted opinions about the era that were not based in fact. This made me think about how much the current world view has changed the reality of black life, as it relates to a historical perspective.

First, white folk never wanted it and chatted go back to Africa at the time. It was never intended to be fair or equal! I am not suggesting that integration should not have happened, but it did have a negative impact on black life and the future of African Americans in many ways. Two prominent ways were in the areas of family and black business.

One thing that happened, for sure was that the black community stopped supporting the businesses in their own communities. After segregation, African Americans flocked to support businesses owned by whites and other groups, causing black restaurants, theaters, insurance companies, banks, etc. to almost disappear. Today, black people spend 95 percent of their income at white-owned businesses. Even though the number of black firms has grown 60.5 percent between 2002 and 2007, they only make up 7 percent of all U.S firms and less than .005 percent of all U.S business receipts.

I took the opportunity to educate these young people that in 1865, just after Emancipation, 476,748 free blacks – 1.5 percent of U.S. population– owned .005 percent of the total wealth of the United States. Today, a full 135 years after the abolition of slavery, 44.5 million African Americans – 14.2 percent of the population — possess a meager 1 percent of the national wealth.

If we look at relationships from 1890 to 1950, black women married at higher rates than white women, despite a consistent shortage of black males due to their higher mortality rate. According to a report released by the Washington DC-based think tank the Urban Institute, the state of the African American family is worse today than it was in the 1960s, four years before President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act.

In 1965, only 8 percent of childbirths in the black community occurred out of wedlock. In 2010, out-of-wedlock childbirths in the black community are at an astonishing 72 percent. Researchers Heather Ross and Isabel Sawhill argue that the marital stability is directly related to the husband’s relative socio-economic standing and the size of the earnings difference between men and women.

Instead of focusing on maintaining black male employment to allow them to provide for their families, Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act with full affirmative action for women. The act benefited mostly white women and created a welfare system that encouraged the removal of the black male from the home. Many black men were also dislodged from their families and pushed into the rapidly expanding prison industrial complex that developed in the wake of rising unemployment.

Since integration, the unemployment rate of black men has been spiraling out of control. In 1954, white men had a zero percent unemployment rate, while African-American men experienced a 4 percent rate. By 2010, it was at 16.7 percent for Black men compared to 7.7 percent for white men. The workforce in 1954 was 79 percent African American. By 2011, that number had decreased to 57 percent. The number of employed black women, however, has increased. In 1954, 43 percent of African American women had jobs. By 2011, 54 percent of black women are job holders.

The Civil Rights Movement pushed for laws that would create a colorblind society, where people would not be restricted from access to education, jobs, voting, travel, public accommodations, or housing because of race. However, the legislation did nothing to eradicate white privilege. Michael K. Brown, professor of politics at University of California Santa Cruz, and co-author of“Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society” says in the U.S., “The color of one’s skin still determines success or failure, poverty or affluence, illness or health, prison or college.”

Two percent of all working African Americans work for another African American’s within their own neighborhood. Because of this, professionally trained Black people provide very little economic benefit to the black community. Whereas, prior to integration that number was significantly higher because of segregation people in the black community supported each other to sustain their lives and families.

The Black median household income is about 64 percent that of whites, while the Black median wealth is about 16 percent that of whites. Millions of Black children are being miseducated by people who don’t care about them, and they are unable to compete academically with their peers. At the same time, the criminal justice system has declared war on young Black men with policies such as “stop and frisk” and “three strikes.”

Marcus Garvey warned about this saying:

“Lagging behind in the van of civilization will not prove our higher abilities. Being subservient to the will and caprice of progressive races will not prove anything superior in us. Being satisfied to drink of the dregs from the cup of human progress will not demonstrate our fitness as a people to exist alongside of others, but when of our own initiative we strike out to build industries, governments, and ultimately empires, then and only then will we as a race prove to our Creator and to man in general that we are fit to survive and capable of shaping our own destiny.”

Maybe this proves that once past truths are forgotten, and the myths that are lies are born with an unfounded reality detrimental to all, but those who seek to benefit. As I have often said, “I firmly believe education is the single most important ingredient necessary to neutralize those forces that breed poverty and despair. We can change the world but first, we must change ourselves.” And that’s my thought provoking perspective…

Twitter @JohnTWills

Source: Black Atlanta Star

George Duke: Rest In Peace

Its been one year since we lost the Grammy-winning jazz keyboardist George Duke. Mr. Duke was a producer whose sound infused acoustic jazz, electronic jazz, funk, R&B and soul. Duke was born in San Rafael, Calif. During his stellar 40-year-plus career, he appeared on a number of Frank Zappa albums and played in the Don Ellis Orchestra, Cannonball Adderley’s band and with jazz musician Stanley Clarke. Duke also played keyboard on Michael Jackson’s multi-platinum 1979 album, “Off the Wall.”

Duke began taking piano lessons when he was four years old, after seeing Duke Ellington perform. He said on his website, “I don’t remember it too well … but my mother told me I went crazy… I ran around saying, ‘Get me a piano, get me a piano!’”

Like most of the greats, Duke learned a lot about music from going to church, which helped him add a funk style to his sound. He played in high-school jazz groups and was heavily influenced by Miles Davis. He earned degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and San Francisco State University.

On tour as part of the George Duke Trio, he performed in Los Angeles at a show where Adderley, Zappa and Quincy Jones were in attendance. Duke soon joined Zappa on a tour for a year in 1969. He joined Adderley’s band in 1971. He met Clarke through Adderley, and they formed the Clarke/Duke Project. Their song “Sweet Baby” was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard pop charts.

Mr. Duke became a solo artist in 1976 and released more than 30 solo albums. He also produced for Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole. His latest album, “DreamWeaver,” was released and features a touching tribute to her. He worked as musical director for the Soul Train Music Awards and other special events. He also scored songs on soundtracks for “The Five Heartbeats” and “Karate Kid III.”

Every life is born with a purpose. I am honored that I had the pleasure of being inspired by the wonderful music from this man of class and stature. I send my love, respect, and sympathy, from the depth of my heart to the family of George Duke for all the love he left the world. Rest In Peace and we will remember the “Dukey Stick”! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

What Would Jesus Say?

It is safe to say that most people believe Jesus is coming back and/or think he is the savior of mankind. Whether you are a believer or not, as a result of the conditions of man might be the reason he has not returned. I’ll tell you that if I were him and see the sad state of affairs man has created, I would seek out a Noah and start all over again!

When I look at the senseless murders due to wars, be it in the streets or against nations or this divided nation whose views on feeding the homeless, the lack of healthcare, poverty, the murders and other acts against religious thinking proves civilization is in despair. Hippocrates use as justification their support of such evil by adding scripture in God’s name. My sense they believe their view is the natural order of things or maybe God’s plan for life. I cannot and will not speak for God, but I do not believe this is what God planned.

When it comes to the wretchedness of government and its leaders, it shameful to see the actions and hateful diatribes about race, the least of thee, and religion. As you know, all of these issues are commonly used by the right-wing nuts to vilify the poor. Admittedly, and shamefully, race is and has always been a stain on the soul of America. As I began to ponder just what kind of country we would have without a government that mandates laws for civilization to exist. What would Jesus or you higher power think!

More disturbing is that religion, God, and Jesus have become little more than instruments of the wicked. For example, on any given Sundays between the hours of 9 AM – 1 PM is the most-segregated hours in the country. I can’t speak to what is in the mind of others except for what they say, and some of the vitriol gives a good indication as to what’s in their hearts. I, in good conscience, rail against the racially charged political environment, and for sure the teabaggers designed declaration of “taking back their country.”

Finally, on the issue of justice and racial justice in particular; maybe understanding that Jesus came from that region of the world where his hue had to be of color could more likely be one of the reasons why he had to be crucified! Just as was the case with the murder of Jesus; there are people who are killing the messenger of truth now.

What I think Jesus would say, as his mission was for the salvation of the least of thee, I think he would say – “Thou shalt not Kill.” And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective.

Stand Your Ground Against Injustice

History has proven there is only one way to get the attention of unmovable ideologies to achieve change. Matching and protests are strategies, which is nothing more than a good show for the cameras. For example, the March on Washington and the Million Man March produced little in terms of measurable results. On the other hand, BOYCOTT’s work – the Birmingham Bus Boycott and the Martin Luther King Holiday Boycott on the state of Arizona – WORKED! It is time to stop BS-ing and BOYCOTT INJUSTICE and the system that supports connected to it. We will then get change. And that’s my thought provoking perspective…

Remembering Trayvon Martin

On this day, a year ago, a coward was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin. Everyone PLEASE take a moment to remember the injustice of this child’s murder as he is now a symbol of injustice, alongside of Emmett Till and others. Next time, it could be your child… God bless you Trayvon.

JUST US!

My message for today comes from a powerful video that you should be sure to WATCH. Every single thing the speaker is saying can be proven without a shadow of a doubt. Just look at the power of the prison lobby and the massive increase in prison population since the 1980’s.

America has MORE prisoners in jail than China or any other country on the planet. How is it possible that we have a higher prison population than China who is extremely oppressive and has four times our total population? The overwhelming proportion of the population are people of color. How can this be when we represent such a small portion of the overall population?

I’m sharing this message with hopes that it is food for thought. Stop dancing to the tomb!!! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

Remembering Juneteeth

We must never forget Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that those enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. Many attempts to explain the two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years.

The story often told is of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another story is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. Then there is yet another story that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these version, could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question. Regardless, the conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”

The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former ‘masters’ – attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom.

North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory. The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants.

The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date. A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which continue in the tradition today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement. Thus, often guest speakers are brought in, and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations.

The Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s yielded both positive and negative results for the Juneteenth celebrations. While it pulled many of the African American youth away and into the struggle for racial equality, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. This was evidenced by student demonstrators involved in the Atlanta civil rights campaign in the early 1960’s, who wore Juneteenth freedom buttons. Again in 1968, Juneteenth received another strong resurgence through Poor Peoples March to Washington D.C. Rev. Ralph Abernathy’s call for people of all races, creeds, economic levels and professions to come to Washington to show support for the poor.

Juneteenth today, celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.

The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us. This indeed brightens our future – and that is the Spirit of Juneteenth. So lest not forget!!! And that’s my Thought Provoking Perspective…

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