For starters, Super delegates are current and former leaders in the Democratic Party with voting power, existing only in the Democratic Party. They are not to be confused with the regular delegate count, delegates which are apportioned by statewide votes acquired by a candidate, with approximately 25% of the delegates awarded in this manner. The rest are meted out by sub divisions, mostly through congressional districts.
This year, it is estimated that there will be approximately 850 Super delegates attending the 2008 Democratic Convention. Their votes will become crucial if there isn't a clear indicator of a Democratic nominee after all of the Presidential primaries.
Normally, being the hard head that I am, all anyone has to do to set me off on a 'I'll show you' tear is to tell me it's too complicated to understand. I usually take on that challenge because, it's been my experience that a good deal of the time, the 'you (meaning me) can't/won't understand' declaration is used as cover for two possible shortcomings to be attributed to the presenter of the information, number one, THEY don't really understand it or number two, they are at a loss to fashion a coherent explanation.
I've decided, in this case, the author of this USAToday.com article is correct about the confusion, mainly due to the unknown variables involved in this process, the most significant being that the Super delegates are not required to announce their choices and they can change their minds, lending their support to a different candidate other than their previous choice.
This system was instituted in 1972 within the Democratic Party after Senator George McGovern became the nominee, after he won only one state and 37.5% of the popular vote.
I'm undecided on how I feel about this custom. In discussions with friends and in commentary, I have pointed out that the United States of America is a republic and as such, that means, local and state ballot issues aside, the voter is selecting representatives to wield power on their behalf on the city, state and federal levels.
It would seem possible that former elected official that may be a Super delegate, whomever he/she may be, their views, since leaving office, may no longer reflect those of the constituency that previously elected them. But, I guess their experience and influence in the Party is supposed to give authority to their participation as a Super delegate.
So, based on that reality, the idea of current and former elected officials, in the persons of presidents, vice presidents, governors, senators and representatives, and some other guys and gals picked by the Democratic National Committee folks, the Super delegates sort of reflect the will of the people.... I guess, but still, in the case of the former elected officials from past elections, they may not represent the folks that voted, in the here and now, now!
Huh?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Legacy of Dr. King
On November 2, 1983, in the White House Rose Garden, President Ronald Wilson Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the United States of America, which was to occur on the third Monday in January. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.
In August 1983, Congress passed the King Day Bill with a majority vote of 338 for to 90 against in the House of Representatives and 78 for to 22 against in the Senate.
However, it wasn't until January 17, 2000 that Martin Luther King Day was officially observed in all 50 states, with Utah being the last hold out.
Shortly after Dr. King's assassination, on April 4, 1968, he was heralded by many sectors as one of the greatest leaders of our time.
Not everyone felt that way about Dr. King or his legacy, instigating a variety of campaigns to discredit his achievements and undermine the rising tide of change in this country and its policies toward those of African descent.
Dr. King was one among many other Black leaders of that time period who were investigated and whose organizations were infiltrated by the F.B.I. through the use of a program called the CounterIntelligence Program or COINTELPRO, the acknowledged existence of this program said to be from 1956 until 1971.
The F.B.I, under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover, instituted this program, with a specific interest in the Black community to, “.... prevent the rise of a Black Messiah.”
The concern and stated focus, as implemented in the Black community, was to neutralize elements of the Black community (possible leaders) that would “unify and electrify” the newly blossoming movements for social justice within the Black community.
In Dr. King's case, he was targeted because, even though his movement stressed nonviolent protest, it was feared, as stated in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, that if he abandoned those tactics and philosophy, he would have galvanized a substantial force that could not be ignored.
The television news media, the newest tool for mass consumption at the time, must be credited for providing the nation and the world an opportunity to see what was happening across the US during that period and being instrumental in making many aware of the unfair treatment accorded the Black community in relation to the treatment bestowed upon the rest of the United States' citizens.
A low murmur for change was spreading across America, with those in power and the presumed to be powerless unsure how events would proceed.
Enter Dr. King onto the world stage. His advocacy of a strategy of non violent protest, modeled after Mohandas K. Gandhi of India's movement, presented an interesting dilemma for the US, but, at the heart of this movement's impetus was a strategy that seemed to pose no possible physical danger or harm for the US government.
Of course, the ideological battle was yet to come. Night after night, television reports were beamed into homes in the US and around the world, complete with news footage, showing Black men, women and children, beaten, kicked, attacked by dogs and with high pressure water hoses, all with no sign of resistance from the victims. These were powerful images. How could the government, using today's parlance, 'spin' those images as if the actions of the police and government officials were justifiable?
When John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president in 1960, he appointed his brother, Robert Francis Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States Of America. One of Robert Kennedy's first tasks was to authorize the F.B.I.'s investigation of Dr. King, who was alleged to be a communist.
According to the Final Report of the Select Committee To Study Governmental Operations, completed in April 1974, Attorney General Kennedy's authorization was given in October 1963. He authorized the wiretapping of Dr. King, “.... at his current address or any future address to which he may move ....”.
This statement was used to justify bugging any hotel room, friend or acquaintance's home where Dr. King may have stayed temporarily. The offices of Dr. King's organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in New York and Atlanta were also wiretapped. There were also hidden microphones planted in Dr. King's hotel rooms for two years until 1965.
The trail of who authorized or allowed precisely what becomes fuzzy when questions are raised regarding the broad latitude that was applied when acting upon the authorization of wiretaps.
It is reported that Attorney General Kennedy's authorization was meant to be for limited wiretapping and surveillance but, it is alleged it was F.B.I. Director Hoover who extended the focus of the order.
In the case of Dr. King, reports on wiretaps from several locations were handed over to Attorney General Robert Kennedy until his resignation in September of 1964.
At the time of Dr. King's emergence as a voice speaking on behalf of the so called Negro in America, he was considered a more acceptable alternative to the perceivably more ominous segments among the Black community that decided the 'turn the other cheek' philosophy was not for them, namely elements of what was termed collectively, the Black Power movement.
The COINTELPRO directive sought to prevent the rise of a Black Messiah from any sector of the Black community, which led to the recruitment of spies and informants within numerous organizations involved in the Black Power/Civil Rights struggle, the infiltration of these organizations by F.B.I. agents, with disinformation campaigns waged to pit one organization against the other.
Many activists from both sides of the struggle constantly received death threats, with many losing their lives as did Dr. King, who was assasinated on April 4, 1968.
The concerns which motivated the government's actions seemed to mirror the beliefs of the most hard line Dixiecrats from the South during that time period, that being that the 'nigras' had been fine until 'outsiders' stirred 'em up so, therefore there had to have been some kind of Communist conspiracy and plot afoot.
As for United States citizens outside of the Black community, many of these citizens were truly moved and felt the need to participate to help end the injustices done in the Black community in their country.
Ultimately, Dr. King's strategy was embraced by many outside of and within the Black community, with still other voices, some inside the Black community, cursing his name for stirring up trouble and not letting 'sleeping dogs lie'.
Those of us who lived through this era know that only time has allowed Dr. King and his movement to be looked upon with favor in almost all sectors of American society.
No matter where one lines up on the issues relating to Dr. King and his contributions to what began as a movement for social justice, not a movement for civil rights, as was the eventual outcome of the period, it must be acknowledged that without Dr. King's legacy, and I hope on this point we can all agree, we would all be living in a much different America today.
In August 1983, Congress passed the King Day Bill with a majority vote of 338 for to 90 against in the House of Representatives and 78 for to 22 against in the Senate.
However, it wasn't until January 17, 2000 that Martin Luther King Day was officially observed in all 50 states, with Utah being the last hold out.
Shortly after Dr. King's assassination, on April 4, 1968, he was heralded by many sectors as one of the greatest leaders of our time.
Not everyone felt that way about Dr. King or his legacy, instigating a variety of campaigns to discredit his achievements and undermine the rising tide of change in this country and its policies toward those of African descent.
Dr. King was one among many other Black leaders of that time period who were investigated and whose organizations were infiltrated by the F.B.I. through the use of a program called the CounterIntelligence Program or COINTELPRO, the acknowledged existence of this program said to be from 1956 until 1971.
The F.B.I, under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover, instituted this program, with a specific interest in the Black community to, “.... prevent the rise of a Black Messiah.”
The concern and stated focus, as implemented in the Black community, was to neutralize elements of the Black community (possible leaders) that would “unify and electrify” the newly blossoming movements for social justice within the Black community.
In Dr. King's case, he was targeted because, even though his movement stressed nonviolent protest, it was feared, as stated in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, that if he abandoned those tactics and philosophy, he would have galvanized a substantial force that could not be ignored.
The television news media, the newest tool for mass consumption at the time, must be credited for providing the nation and the world an opportunity to see what was happening across the US during that period and being instrumental in making many aware of the unfair treatment accorded the Black community in relation to the treatment bestowed upon the rest of the United States' citizens.
A low murmur for change was spreading across America, with those in power and the presumed to be powerless unsure how events would proceed.
Enter Dr. King onto the world stage. His advocacy of a strategy of non violent protest, modeled after Mohandas K. Gandhi of India's movement, presented an interesting dilemma for the US, but, at the heart of this movement's impetus was a strategy that seemed to pose no possible physical danger or harm for the US government.
Of course, the ideological battle was yet to come. Night after night, television reports were beamed into homes in the US and around the world, complete with news footage, showing Black men, women and children, beaten, kicked, attacked by dogs and with high pressure water hoses, all with no sign of resistance from the victims. These were powerful images. How could the government, using today's parlance, 'spin' those images as if the actions of the police and government officials were justifiable?
When John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president in 1960, he appointed his brother, Robert Francis Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States Of America. One of Robert Kennedy's first tasks was to authorize the F.B.I.'s investigation of Dr. King, who was alleged to be a communist.
According to the Final Report of the Select Committee To Study Governmental Operations, completed in April 1974, Attorney General Kennedy's authorization was given in October 1963. He authorized the wiretapping of Dr. King, “.... at his current address or any future address to which he may move ....”.
This statement was used to justify bugging any hotel room, friend or acquaintance's home where Dr. King may have stayed temporarily. The offices of Dr. King's organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in New York and Atlanta were also wiretapped. There were also hidden microphones planted in Dr. King's hotel rooms for two years until 1965.
The trail of who authorized or allowed precisely what becomes fuzzy when questions are raised regarding the broad latitude that was applied when acting upon the authorization of wiretaps.
It is reported that Attorney General Kennedy's authorization was meant to be for limited wiretapping and surveillance but, it is alleged it was F.B.I. Director Hoover who extended the focus of the order.
In the case of Dr. King, reports on wiretaps from several locations were handed over to Attorney General Robert Kennedy until his resignation in September of 1964.
At the time of Dr. King's emergence as a voice speaking on behalf of the so called Negro in America, he was considered a more acceptable alternative to the perceivably more ominous segments among the Black community that decided the 'turn the other cheek' philosophy was not for them, namely elements of what was termed collectively, the Black Power movement.
The COINTELPRO directive sought to prevent the rise of a Black Messiah from any sector of the Black community, which led to the recruitment of spies and informants within numerous organizations involved in the Black Power/Civil Rights struggle, the infiltration of these organizations by F.B.I. agents, with disinformation campaigns waged to pit one organization against the other.
Many activists from both sides of the struggle constantly received death threats, with many losing their lives as did Dr. King, who was assasinated on April 4, 1968.
The concerns which motivated the government's actions seemed to mirror the beliefs of the most hard line Dixiecrats from the South during that time period, that being that the 'nigras' had been fine until 'outsiders' stirred 'em up so, therefore there had to have been some kind of Communist conspiracy and plot afoot.
As for United States citizens outside of the Black community, many of these citizens were truly moved and felt the need to participate to help end the injustices done in the Black community in their country.
Ultimately, Dr. King's strategy was embraced by many outside of and within the Black community, with still other voices, some inside the Black community, cursing his name for stirring up trouble and not letting 'sleeping dogs lie'.
Those of us who lived through this era know that only time has allowed Dr. King and his movement to be looked upon with favor in almost all sectors of American society.
No matter where one lines up on the issues relating to Dr. King and his contributions to what began as a movement for social justice, not a movement for civil rights, as was the eventual outcome of the period, it must be acknowledged that without Dr. King's legacy, and I hope on this point we can all agree, we would all be living in a much different America today.
New Jersey's Resolution 270
Rather quietly, with little fanfare, on January 7, 2008, the 212th legislature of the State of New Jersey passed Resolution 270, 29 - 2, apologizing for slavery, becoming the fifth state and the first Northern state to do so, following Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.
The resolution states that in 1804, New Jersey passed a gradual emancipation law that required that all children of enslaved women remain as servants to the alleged owner of his or her mother until the age of twenty one.
New Jersey enacted a law in 1786 prohibiting the importation of enslaved persons into the state however, abolition of slavery in New Jersey did not occur in the state until 1846.
New Jersey had one of the largest enslaved populations within the Northern states.
Resolution 270 reads, in part:
WHEREAS, After emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African Americans soon saw the political, social and economic gains made during Reconstruction dissipated by virulent and rabid racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement of African American voters, Black Codes designed to reimpose, subordination of African Americans, and Jim Crow laws that instituted a rigid system of state sanctioned segregation in virtually all areas of life and lasted until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, Throughout their existence in America and even in the decades after the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have found the struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of slavery long and arduous, and for many African Americans the scars left behind are unbearable, haunting their psyches and clouding their vision of the future and of America's many positive attributes; and
WHEREAS, Our nation acknowledges the crimes and persecution visited upon other peoples during World War II lest the world forget, yet the very mention of the broken promise of "40 acres and a mule" to former slaves or of the existence of racism today evokes denial from many quarters of any responsibility for centuries of legally sanctioned deprivation of African Americans of their endowed rights or for contemporary policies that perpetuate the existing state of affairs ....
With the permission of all of my relatives and ancestors who sought peace and solace in this life's walk, I pray that as one who remains behind on this plane of existence, I will continue to keep you in my memories, knowing all you endured to allow me to be here.
For my mother, I say ASHÉ! (It is so!)
For my father, I say, ASHÉ!
For my sister, I say, ASHÉ!
For my cousins, I say, ASHÉ!
For my aunts, I say, ASHÉ!
For my uncles, I say, ASHÉ!
For my grandparents, ASHÉ!
For my great aunts and uncles, ASHÉ!
For my great grandmother, ASHÉ!
For my great, great, grandmother, ASHÉ!
For all of my relatives whose names were known and are unknown to me, in Africa and in the Diaspora,
ASHÉ!
The resolution states that in 1804, New Jersey passed a gradual emancipation law that required that all children of enslaved women remain as servants to the alleged owner of his or her mother until the age of twenty one.
New Jersey enacted a law in 1786 prohibiting the importation of enslaved persons into the state however, abolition of slavery in New Jersey did not occur in the state until 1846.
New Jersey had one of the largest enslaved populations within the Northern states.
Resolution 270 reads, in part:
WHEREAS, After emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African Americans soon saw the political, social and economic gains made during Reconstruction dissipated by virulent and rabid racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement of African American voters, Black Codes designed to reimpose, subordination of African Americans, and Jim Crow laws that instituted a rigid system of state sanctioned segregation in virtually all areas of life and lasted until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, Throughout their existence in America and even in the decades after the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have found the struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of slavery long and arduous, and for many African Americans the scars left behind are unbearable, haunting their psyches and clouding their vision of the future and of America's many positive attributes; and
WHEREAS, Our nation acknowledges the crimes and persecution visited upon other peoples during World War II lest the world forget, yet the very mention of the broken promise of "40 acres and a mule" to former slaves or of the existence of racism today evokes denial from many quarters of any responsibility for centuries of legally sanctioned deprivation of African Americans of their endowed rights or for contemporary policies that perpetuate the existing state of affairs ....
With the permission of all of my relatives and ancestors who sought peace and solace in this life's walk, I pray that as one who remains behind on this plane of existence, I will continue to keep you in my memories, knowing all you endured to allow me to be here.
For my mother, I say ASHÉ! (It is so!)
For my father, I say, ASHÉ!
For my sister, I say, ASHÉ!
For my cousins, I say, ASHÉ!
For my aunts, I say, ASHÉ!
For my uncles, I say, ASHÉ!
For my grandparents, ASHÉ!
For my great aunts and uncles, ASHÉ!
For my great grandmother, ASHÉ!
For my great, great, grandmother, ASHÉ!
For all of my relatives whose names were known and are unknown to me, in Africa and in the Diaspora,
ASHÉ!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Érase Una Vez ....
.... when I was a child and through my teenage years, during the 50s and 60s, making New Year's resolutions was a really big deal. Everyone always asked, “What resolutions have you made for the new year?”
In those days, folks usually said something like they were going to try to quit smoking, not drink so much (very seldom did they say stop drinking altogether!), losing weight wasn't such a big deal back then but, that one came up as well.
Most resolutions related to a form of physical self improvement. I can't say I remember very many proclamations having to do with more spiritually emotional things like saying a kind word when it was sensed someone needed one, helping someone who didn't ask for help, in general, trying to generate positive 'vibes', as we used to say back in the 60s.
Many view the beginning of the new year with a sense of renewed hope, that all that went bad in the past year can and will be reversed or the damage blunted by equally good or positive happenings.
In order for this balance to occur, spiritual work must be done to help attain the desired outcome, evidenced by actions in harmony with the stated word.
We must all do our best to live our lives as examples for future generations to follow, most importantly those of us that count ourselves among the elders, striving to provide a beacon of light for those who seem to have lost their moral compass, succumbing to misguided and hedonistic value systems, caring for no one other than themselves.
I'll always remember the childlike simplicity of the lines uttered by a minor character in the film Forrest Gump, about a mentally challenged man who manages to live his life to the fullest while respecting all with whom he came in contact.
The woman, a person of questionable character, standing in a bar full of New Year's revelers as they watched the New Year festivities unfold on television, appears to address no one in particular, musing, “ Don't you just love New Years? You can start all over. Everyone deserves a second chance”, lines written that embody the stuff of which fairy tales are made.
We all could use a second chance but, it's been my life's experience, most often that you only get one chance to get things right, so you have to strive to get it right that first time. If one is granted a second chance, do not be heedless of the magnitude of the gift and squander such a precious event.
Always pursue wisdom as you live your life seeking the Creator's countenance, engaging only in noble efforts of pursuit in which the achievement of the sought for goals will bring honor to you and all those who have also learned to travel this plane of existence striving to attain excellence.
There is a time, before life teaches it's lesson, that it seems possible for innumerable second chances, limitless 'do overs'. When the lesson is learned and reality looms large that as life's opportunities evade one's grasp, that time that seemed so fluid and boundless in youth, reveals it's finite construct, the life student is often left with a twinge of regret and a lament, preceded by the language of the fairy tale, érase una vez, once upon a time.
My best wishes to all for a New Year full of the bounty of reward for good works.
In those days, folks usually said something like they were going to try to quit smoking, not drink so much (very seldom did they say stop drinking altogether!), losing weight wasn't such a big deal back then but, that one came up as well.
Most resolutions related to a form of physical self improvement. I can't say I remember very many proclamations having to do with more spiritually emotional things like saying a kind word when it was sensed someone needed one, helping someone who didn't ask for help, in general, trying to generate positive 'vibes', as we used to say back in the 60s.
Many view the beginning of the new year with a sense of renewed hope, that all that went bad in the past year can and will be reversed or the damage blunted by equally good or positive happenings.
In order for this balance to occur, spiritual work must be done to help attain the desired outcome, evidenced by actions in harmony with the stated word.
We must all do our best to live our lives as examples for future generations to follow, most importantly those of us that count ourselves among the elders, striving to provide a beacon of light for those who seem to have lost their moral compass, succumbing to misguided and hedonistic value systems, caring for no one other than themselves.
I'll always remember the childlike simplicity of the lines uttered by a minor character in the film Forrest Gump, about a mentally challenged man who manages to live his life to the fullest while respecting all with whom he came in contact.
The woman, a person of questionable character, standing in a bar full of New Year's revelers as they watched the New Year festivities unfold on television, appears to address no one in particular, musing, “ Don't you just love New Years? You can start all over. Everyone deserves a second chance”, lines written that embody the stuff of which fairy tales are made.
We all could use a second chance but, it's been my life's experience, most often that you only get one chance to get things right, so you have to strive to get it right that first time. If one is granted a second chance, do not be heedless of the magnitude of the gift and squander such a precious event.
Always pursue wisdom as you live your life seeking the Creator's countenance, engaging only in noble efforts of pursuit in which the achievement of the sought for goals will bring honor to you and all those who have also learned to travel this plane of existence striving to attain excellence.
There is a time, before life teaches it's lesson, that it seems possible for innumerable second chances, limitless 'do overs'. When the lesson is learned and reality looms large that as life's opportunities evade one's grasp, that time that seemed so fluid and boundless in youth, reveals it's finite construct, the life student is often left with a twinge of regret and a lament, preceded by the language of the fairy tale, érase una vez, once upon a time.
My best wishes to all for a New Year full of the bounty of reward for good works.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Kwanzaa
Dr. Ron Maulana Karenga, of the US Organization, termed United Slaves by the Black Panthers, was targeted along with the Black Panthers and many other organizations during the operation known as COINTELPRO, the Counterintelligence Program.
This specific phase of attack, instituted and directed by the FBI from 1956 through 1972, it has been characterized by some as the most disruptive and violent period of activity directed against United States citizens by their own government.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have revealed that under J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, within the Black community, COINTELPRO was meant to “....prevent the rise of a Black messiah.” To this end, the FBI waged a campaign meant to crush any Black organization or leadership it decided represented an internal threat.
Among the forms of attack used against US Organization and many others was disinformation meant to disrupt cohesion and the ability of Black organizations to unite in true solidarity among themselves.
The FBI exploited the apparent animosity between the Panthers and US, forging letters and sending them to each group, with the FBI signing all the letters in the name of the opposing targeted group, provoking an escalation of violent actions, resulting in a shootout in 1969.
In 1971, Dr. Karenga and others were convicted of charges resulting from torture, to which two female members of the US Organization testified. He was sentenced to 1 to 10 years in prison for felonious assault and false imprisonment.
In 1966, Dr. Karenga established an African American holiday, which he named Kwanzaa, taken from the Swahili word, kwanza, meaning first fruits.
The holiday embraces seven principles, in Kiswahili, the Nguzo Saba. The seven principles are:
Unity
Self determination
Collective work and responsibility
Collective economics
Purpose
Creativity
Faith
Dr.Karenga, at the official Kwanzaa website states, regarding the Values of Kwanzaa:
There is no way to understand and appreciate the meaning and message of Kwanzaa without understanding and appreciating its profound and pervasive concern with values.
In fact, Kwanzaa's reason for existence, its length of seven days, its core focus and its foundation are all rooted in its concern with values. Kwanzaa inherits this value concern and focus from Kawaida, the African philosophical framework in which it was created.
Kawaida philosophy is a communitarian African philosophy which is an ongoing synthesis of the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.Kawaida theory is explained in a book, Kawaida Theory: An African Communitarian Philosophy, written by Dr. Karenga.
Kwanzaa was established as a cultural not religious holiday. In the past, celebration of the holiday has emphasized an affinity with the need for African Americans to reach back and claim our African roots and heritage through the celebration of the seven African principles. It has been embraced by untold numbers within the so called African American community.
However, in 1997, during the unveiling of the Kwanzaa postage stamp, commissioned by the United States Postal Service that acknowledged the holiday, Dr. Karenga stated that all should:
".... respect, celebrate, and build on the rich resources of its diversity of peoples and cultures, to see [themselves] as an ongoing multicultural project to create a truly just and good society ; and to embrace an ethics of sharing—shared space, shared wealth, shared power, and shared responsibility of all peoples—African, Native American, Latino, Asian, and European—to conceive and build the world they want to live in."
As of ten years ago, the founder and creator of Kwanzaa appears to have rethought the celebration of Kwanzaa, in what many have characterized as a reversal of the major reason and call for and to Black people in American for the celebration of the holiday, that being its unique appeal to those seeking a new African cultural expression of African identity.
At this point in time, it is best that the spirit and focus of Kwanzaa, exemplified by the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self determination, Collective work and responsibility, Collective economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith, as Queen Mother Imakhu has said for quite some time, that these principles be embraced and incorporated into our every day lives as life principles.
As has always been, the celebration of the holiday of Kwanzaa remains a choice to made by individuals and their families.
This specific phase of attack, instituted and directed by the FBI from 1956 through 1972, it has been characterized by some as the most disruptive and violent period of activity directed against United States citizens by their own government.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have revealed that under J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, within the Black community, COINTELPRO was meant to “....prevent the rise of a Black messiah.” To this end, the FBI waged a campaign meant to crush any Black organization or leadership it decided represented an internal threat.
Among the forms of attack used against US Organization and many others was disinformation meant to disrupt cohesion and the ability of Black organizations to unite in true solidarity among themselves.
The FBI exploited the apparent animosity between the Panthers and US, forging letters and sending them to each group, with the FBI signing all the letters in the name of the opposing targeted group, provoking an escalation of violent actions, resulting in a shootout in 1969.
In 1971, Dr. Karenga and others were convicted of charges resulting from torture, to which two female members of the US Organization testified. He was sentenced to 1 to 10 years in prison for felonious assault and false imprisonment.
In 1966, Dr. Karenga established an African American holiday, which he named Kwanzaa, taken from the Swahili word, kwanza, meaning first fruits.
The holiday embraces seven principles, in Kiswahili, the Nguzo Saba. The seven principles are:
Unity
Self determination
Collective work and responsibility
Collective economics
Purpose
Creativity
Faith
Dr.Karenga, at the official Kwanzaa website states, regarding the Values of Kwanzaa:
There is no way to understand and appreciate the meaning and message of Kwanzaa without understanding and appreciating its profound and pervasive concern with values.
In fact, Kwanzaa's reason for existence, its length of seven days, its core focus and its foundation are all rooted in its concern with values. Kwanzaa inherits this value concern and focus from Kawaida, the African philosophical framework in which it was created.
Kawaida philosophy is a communitarian African philosophy which is an ongoing synthesis of the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.Kawaida theory is explained in a book, Kawaida Theory: An African Communitarian Philosophy, written by Dr. Karenga.
Kwanzaa was established as a cultural not religious holiday. In the past, celebration of the holiday has emphasized an affinity with the need for African Americans to reach back and claim our African roots and heritage through the celebration of the seven African principles. It has been embraced by untold numbers within the so called African American community.
However, in 1997, during the unveiling of the Kwanzaa postage stamp, commissioned by the United States Postal Service that acknowledged the holiday, Dr. Karenga stated that all should:
".... respect, celebrate, and build on the rich resources of its diversity of peoples and cultures, to see [themselves] as an ongoing multicultural project to create a truly just and good society ; and to embrace an ethics of sharing—shared space, shared wealth, shared power, and shared responsibility of all peoples—African, Native American, Latino, Asian, and European—to conceive and build the world they want to live in."
As of ten years ago, the founder and creator of Kwanzaa appears to have rethought the celebration of Kwanzaa, in what many have characterized as a reversal of the major reason and call for and to Black people in American for the celebration of the holiday, that being its unique appeal to those seeking a new African cultural expression of African identity.
At this point in time, it is best that the spirit and focus of Kwanzaa, exemplified by the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self determination, Collective work and responsibility, Collective economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith, as Queen Mother Imakhu has said for quite some time, that these principles be embraced and incorporated into our every day lives as life principles.
As has always been, the celebration of the holiday of Kwanzaa remains a choice to made by individuals and their families.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Health and Safety Versus Profit
Throughout modern history, world governments and private industry have aligned themselves as partners. Governments and private industry never approach any endeavor for altruistic reasons.
Governmental actions may be predicated by a variety of statements citing various concerns but, power and control are the outcome desired from any alliance. For private industry, profit is the main motivation. For both of these entities, financial capital or money enables wielding of influence and power.
The Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis (OLPA), as identified at its website, is an organization that:
.... facilitates and enhances the relationship between (the) National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Congress; advances NIH legislative priorities; and ensures that the NIH community receives essential information, advice, and guidance regarding developments in the Congress that affect NIH.
At the OLPA web site, Senate bill S. 1873 was listed as a bill of interest to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This bill has been replaced by Senate bill S. 2563, submitted with minor revisions. Senate bill S. 1873, known as the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005 and was introduced on October 17, 2005.
An excerpt from the Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP), provides an analysis of S. 1873:
Any vaccine or drug used during a public health emergency, the declaration of which is solely determined and defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and even if contaminated during manufacturing or distribution, as is often the case,[6] [7] is exempt from a liability trial by jury.
[Sec. 6(b)(1)(A)(i)] of S 1873 reads:
IN GENERAL- No cause of action shall exist against a person described in subsection (a) for claims for loss of property, personal injury, or death arising out of, reasonably relating to, or resulting from the design, development, clinical testing and investigation, manufacture, labeling, distribution, sale, purchase, donation, dispensing, prescribing, administration, or use of a security countermeasure or qualified pandemic or epidemic product distributed, sold, purchased, donated, dispensed, prescribed, administered, or used in anticipation of and preparation for, in defense against, or in response to, or recovery from an actual or potential public health emergency that is a designated security countermeasure or a qualified pandemic or epidemic product by the Secretary in a declaration described in paragraph (2).
Senate bill S. 2563, replacing Senate bill S. 1873, is now known as the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006, introduced in April 2006. As was the case under the previous bill, there will be an agency created called Biomedical Advanced Research Development Agency (BARDA).
Biomedical Advanced Research Development Agency (BARDA) will be the first-ever government agency granted total immunity from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as one form of incentive to assist and encourage private industry in developing products to be used as countermeasures to a possible pandemic or terrorist act.
BARDA, created as a result of the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act, initially slated to have an expenditure of $1 billion set aside, will exist with accounting for the use of its funding shielded from disclosure.
In addition, the bill allows: a fast-track approach to release of vaccines and medicines for use on the public, protection of the pharmaceutical companies from prosecution due to any possible harm or fatal results of vaccines or medicines distributed and provides anonymity for members of the advisory board that approves the use of any drugs dispensed to the public.
On November 1-3, 2005, the Time Global Health Summit was held in New York City, N.Y. This conference brought together leaders from business, medicine, government, public policy and others, to discuss health crises affecting the world.
A new funding strategy, that partners pharmaceutical companies with private industry, has emerged with foundations and organizations being funded by private individuals and in turn incorporating hospitals and universities, with all entities becoming linked through liaison or direct organizational ties to the drug companies.
All of the above mentioned entities exist with ties to numerous agencies under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with both of these agencies under the control of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The CDC is a collaborator and partner with the World Health Organization (WHO), whose stated goal is, “...the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.”
On May 22 through 27, 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, the WHO opened its 59th session of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body for WHO. Delegates from the 192 Member States of WHO were scheduled to be in attendance.
The major function of the World Health Assembly is to determine the policies of the organization. A significant item of focus on the 2006 agenda was strengthening pandemic-influenza preparedness and response.
At the WHO web site, from Media Release Centre, dated May 19, 2006:
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging research institutions and companies to register all medical studies that test treatments on human beings, including the earliest studies, whether they involve patients or healthy volunteers.
As part of the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, a major initiative aimed at standardizing the way information on medical studies is made available to the public through a process called registration, WHO is also recommending that 20 key details be disclosed at the time studies are begun.
This release, at the WHO web site, also states that groups such as the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, in a joint statement with fellow members of the industry, have raised concerns that these proposed requirements could, in their view, “ .... jeopardize academic or commercial competitive advantage if they apply to preliminary trials of new interventions.”
We, the people of the world, must demand regulations and practices that ensure our safety as the calculated introduction of rapidly developed drugs increases, with ongoing medical and genetic research in progress and future projects poised on the horizon. These series of events are aided by legislation and policies being introduced and enacted that will govern these processes, with a heightened concern for encouraging private industry's participation through promised cost saving methodologies and profit.
We, as patients in need of medical expertise and as consumers, should not be lulled into a false sense of security, deciding that we should leave these matters to others to act on our behalf. We must act against any and all proposed scenarios where those who may be responsible for causing harm and fatalities, are allowed to step off the path of accountability and become cloaked in a bureaucratic web of invisibility.
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Not So New COINTELPRO
A few years ago, I purchased a book entitled, War Against The Panthers: A Study of Repression In America by Huey P. Newton.
This book is a reproduced copy of Dr. Huey P. Newton's doctoral dissertation, (Yes, by the time of his death in 1989, he had earned the title doctor!), submitted by Huey P. Newton for his degree as Doctor of Philosophy in History of Consciousness at the University of California Santa Cruz.
In the preface to his paper, he writes:
What is perhaps most significant about [this study] is that it suggests how much we still do not know. How many people's lives were ruined in countless ways by a government intent on destroying them as representatives of an "enemy" political organization? What "tactics" or "dirty tricks" were employed, with what results? Perhaps we shall never know the answers to these questions, but this inquiry about the BPP and the federal government will hopefully help us in our search for "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
We who have lived through the 60s must understand how those of consciousness and those involved in any aspect of developing consciousness about themselves and their place in America and the world, were targeted for attack by the U.S. government under the FBI program called COINTELPRO.
It is known during the years 1956 through 1971, the FBI had implemented the Counter Intelligence Program or COINTELPRO, which functioned as an instrument used by the U.S. government to identify, isolate and neutralize elements within U.S. borders considered a threat to national security. As was standard practice at that time, the FBI used the excuse/reason of possible communist influence of groups or individuals for any and almost everyone it chose to target.
Of specific concern to the U.S. government, in the guise of the FBI, as revealed in declassified documents, was the desire to “..... prevent the rise of a Black messiah.” For the FBI, there were few distinctions to be made between pacifist organizations, as was Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam (NOI) or what were termed more radical elements, such as those like the Black Panther Party (BPP).
The United States of America has entered a new or extended phase of COINTELPRO. The enemy this time isn't communist inspired but a carefully orchestrated and staged war against terrorism, which, as conceived by the government, is a war without borders, with ever changing and morphing enemies.
Any individual or group that seeks to speak in opposition to governmental actions, as relate to the so called war on terror or raises any voice against injustices within U.S. borders, and the ever evolving strategies being crafted and used against U.S. citizens within U.S. borders, must prepare for possible acts meant to deter, prevent and silence their voice of dissent.
Anti war sentiment is gaining momentum and is likely to continue to do so. It was reported by NBC during the winter of 2006 that a leaked Department of Defense (DOD) document listed students attending anti military recruitment rallies on the University of California at Santa Cruz campus, the institution where Dr. Newton submitted his dissertation, as a “credible threat”, although the demonstration was peaceful.
It was reported that 1,500 demonstrations across the country were covertly investigated by the federal government according to the Defense Department document. The same document states the University of California Berkeley, New York University and the University of Wisconsin were also part of a ten month investigation by the Pentagon.
The distinct difference to be underlined concerning what has been and is occurring today, using the excuse and the aftermath of September 11, 2001 as justification, is that unlike the period during COINTELPRO, which is alleged to have ended in 1971, almost all of the actions deemed unconstitutional and illegal under that program have now been sanctioned and approved under the newly drafted and enacted laws under the Patriot Act and the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, also known as Patriot Act II.
During the period of COINTELPRO, there was a supposed distance meant to be maintained between local, state and federal agencies, allegedly to assure the protection of citizens' rights. However, those lines of separation were not observed and in fact the separation mainly existed on paper. Today, after September 11, 2001, the lines have been erased, with interjurisdictional involvement legalized, sanctioned and encouraged.
Now is the time to study aggressively and learn from history. I recommend War Against The Panthers by Dr. Newton, as a starting point for understanding how the government handles those considered internal threats, from the perspective of one of the founders of the Black Panther Party, himself, fellow Panthers and his organization, all victims of COINTELPRO.
This is a scholarly work that provides a glimpse into the actions taken by the US government during its war against African people and others during that period.
Another excerpt from this dissertation/book states:
From December 1963 until his assassination on April 4, 1968, Dr. King was the subject of an intensive COINTELPRO campaign. In the testimony of William Sullivan, who was in charge of the FBI campaign against Dr. King:
No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents. [The same methods were] brought home against any organization which we targeted. We did not differentiate.36
At the time of his death in 1977, William Sullivan was among six former FBI officials scheduled to appear before the House Select Committee on Assassinations.
Among these six men included two men identified as special assistants to J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, with the others being identified as the former head of a forensics lab, fingerprint analyst and document experts involved with the investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy.
Within a six month period, all six men died before their scheduled appearances to testify. It can only be speculated what may have been learned, if anything at all, about those within the Black Power/Civil Rights Movement that met their end through assassination under COINTEPRO. It is, however, certain that William Sullivan would in all likelihood have had information about the campaign of terror waged by the FBI at that time and would have helped conceive of and implement those plans.
Due to the popularity and far reaching influence of the mediums of television, cable access, radio, print media and the internet and most organizations' affinity with what can be called the established governmental policy and way of thinking, the viewpoints of those in opposition to the so called mainstream news and opinions, delivered to everyone for mass consumption, are often not heard nor as widely distributed.
Therefore, it is important that clear, articulate views be provided as a balance, beyond the lock step march down a path most often provided because it's parroted that everyone says that's what happened or that's what should be done.
Any literature written by any who considered themselves revolutionaries during the period between 1956 through 1971 and any group or individuals that have written of their experiences as victims of COINTELPRO should also be read.
The main purpose for reading the historical accounts of those targeted during the COINTELPRO era, a period when what have been labeled abuses occurred in relation to activities conducted against U.S. citizens, abuses whose defense in most cases was that the guidelines were unclear and in reality and by design, were meant to be nebulous and undefined, is for gaining enlightenment regarding how events transpired, to understand the extent of infiltration of any number of organizations, not only those identifed as socialists or communists but also peace groups, anti war groups, so called civil rights and Black Power groups, with infiltrators using their most effective weapon, disinformation, to create dissention, confusion and distrust among those who may have potentially become allies but instead became ideologically entrenched enemies and combatants.
A record must be created that documents the ideological struggles waged for the hearts and minds of the African community, of the skirmishes that were won and those lost, so that the next generation that follows has the benefit of our experiences and can begin a tally list of what did and did not work during our struggle for justice and freedom. This is the duty of each generation until we have achieved all we, as a whole race of people, can achieve.
This book is a reproduced copy of Dr. Huey P. Newton's doctoral dissertation, (Yes, by the time of his death in 1989, he had earned the title doctor!), submitted by Huey P. Newton for his degree as Doctor of Philosophy in History of Consciousness at the University of California Santa Cruz.
In the preface to his paper, he writes:
What is perhaps most significant about [this study] is that it suggests how much we still do not know. How many people's lives were ruined in countless ways by a government intent on destroying them as representatives of an "enemy" political organization? What "tactics" or "dirty tricks" were employed, with what results? Perhaps we shall never know the answers to these questions, but this inquiry about the BPP and the federal government will hopefully help us in our search for "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
We who have lived through the 60s must understand how those of consciousness and those involved in any aspect of developing consciousness about themselves and their place in America and the world, were targeted for attack by the U.S. government under the FBI program called COINTELPRO.
It is known during the years 1956 through 1971, the FBI had implemented the Counter Intelligence Program or COINTELPRO, which functioned as an instrument used by the U.S. government to identify, isolate and neutralize elements within U.S. borders considered a threat to national security. As was standard practice at that time, the FBI used the excuse/reason of possible communist influence of groups or individuals for any and almost everyone it chose to target.
Of specific concern to the U.S. government, in the guise of the FBI, as revealed in declassified documents, was the desire to “..... prevent the rise of a Black messiah.” For the FBI, there were few distinctions to be made between pacifist organizations, as was Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam (NOI) or what were termed more radical elements, such as those like the Black Panther Party (BPP).
The United States of America has entered a new or extended phase of COINTELPRO. The enemy this time isn't communist inspired but a carefully orchestrated and staged war against terrorism, which, as conceived by the government, is a war without borders, with ever changing and morphing enemies.
Any individual or group that seeks to speak in opposition to governmental actions, as relate to the so called war on terror or raises any voice against injustices within U.S. borders, and the ever evolving strategies being crafted and used against U.S. citizens within U.S. borders, must prepare for possible acts meant to deter, prevent and silence their voice of dissent.
Anti war sentiment is gaining momentum and is likely to continue to do so. It was reported by NBC during the winter of 2006 that a leaked Department of Defense (DOD) document listed students attending anti military recruitment rallies on the University of California at Santa Cruz campus, the institution where Dr. Newton submitted his dissertation, as a “credible threat”, although the demonstration was peaceful.
It was reported that 1,500 demonstrations across the country were covertly investigated by the federal government according to the Defense Department document. The same document states the University of California Berkeley, New York University and the University of Wisconsin were also part of a ten month investigation by the Pentagon.
The distinct difference to be underlined concerning what has been and is occurring today, using the excuse and the aftermath of September 11, 2001 as justification, is that unlike the period during COINTELPRO, which is alleged to have ended in 1971, almost all of the actions deemed unconstitutional and illegal under that program have now been sanctioned and approved under the newly drafted and enacted laws under the Patriot Act and the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, also known as Patriot Act II.
During the period of COINTELPRO, there was a supposed distance meant to be maintained between local, state and federal agencies, allegedly to assure the protection of citizens' rights. However, those lines of separation were not observed and in fact the separation mainly existed on paper. Today, after September 11, 2001, the lines have been erased, with interjurisdictional involvement legalized, sanctioned and encouraged.
Now is the time to study aggressively and learn from history. I recommend War Against The Panthers by Dr. Newton, as a starting point for understanding how the government handles those considered internal threats, from the perspective of one of the founders of the Black Panther Party, himself, fellow Panthers and his organization, all victims of COINTELPRO.
This is a scholarly work that provides a glimpse into the actions taken by the US government during its war against African people and others during that period.
Another excerpt from this dissertation/book states:
From December 1963 until his assassination on April 4, 1968, Dr. King was the subject of an intensive COINTELPRO campaign. In the testimony of William Sullivan, who was in charge of the FBI campaign against Dr. King:
No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents. [The same methods were] brought home against any organization which we targeted. We did not differentiate.36
At the time of his death in 1977, William Sullivan was among six former FBI officials scheduled to appear before the House Select Committee on Assassinations.
Among these six men included two men identified as special assistants to J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, with the others being identified as the former head of a forensics lab, fingerprint analyst and document experts involved with the investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy.
Within a six month period, all six men died before their scheduled appearances to testify. It can only be speculated what may have been learned, if anything at all, about those within the Black Power/Civil Rights Movement that met their end through assassination under COINTEPRO. It is, however, certain that William Sullivan would in all likelihood have had information about the campaign of terror waged by the FBI at that time and would have helped conceive of and implement those plans.
Due to the popularity and far reaching influence of the mediums of television, cable access, radio, print media and the internet and most organizations' affinity with what can be called the established governmental policy and way of thinking, the viewpoints of those in opposition to the so called mainstream news and opinions, delivered to everyone for mass consumption, are often not heard nor as widely distributed.
Therefore, it is important that clear, articulate views be provided as a balance, beyond the lock step march down a path most often provided because it's parroted that everyone says that's what happened or that's what should be done.
Any literature written by any who considered themselves revolutionaries during the period between 1956 through 1971 and any group or individuals that have written of their experiences as victims of COINTELPRO should also be read.
The main purpose for reading the historical accounts of those targeted during the COINTELPRO era, a period when what have been labeled abuses occurred in relation to activities conducted against U.S. citizens, abuses whose defense in most cases was that the guidelines were unclear and in reality and by design, were meant to be nebulous and undefined, is for gaining enlightenment regarding how events transpired, to understand the extent of infiltration of any number of organizations, not only those identifed as socialists or communists but also peace groups, anti war groups, so called civil rights and Black Power groups, with infiltrators using their most effective weapon, disinformation, to create dissention, confusion and distrust among those who may have potentially become allies but instead became ideologically entrenched enemies and combatants.
A record must be created that documents the ideological struggles waged for the hearts and minds of the African community, of the skirmishes that were won and those lost, so that the next generation that follows has the benefit of our experiences and can begin a tally list of what did and did not work during our struggle for justice and freedom. This is the duty of each generation until we have achieved all we, as a whole race of people, can achieve.
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