EBOLA OUTBREAK – Is it a FALSE FLAG ATTACK?

Posted by Nicole Bourbaki 


A Liberian health official says the Ebola outbreak is now above the control of its government.

“Our government has declared this now as a humanitarian crisis that is above the control of the national government,” Tolbert Nyenswah, Liberia’s assistant minister of health, told CBS News.

More than 700 people have died in four western African nations during the largest Ebola outbreak ever, with over 320 known cases in Liberia alone. One American died while contracting the virus in Liberia. Two other American medical missionary workers also contracted Ebola.

Model State Emergency Health Powers Act “could turn governors into dictators” Federal health authorities could exercise authoritarian powers to control an Ebola outbreak if the deadly disease hits the United States under the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, legislation passed in the wake of 9/11 which attracted controversy at the time for its draconian scope.

With the Ebola outbreak in West Africa having been declared the worst in history by the World Health Organization, concerns are mounting that the disease could spread via international air travel. Asked whether the virus could arrive in the United States, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said, “It’s going to happen at some point.”

The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, drafted during the 2001 anthrax attacks, has since been adopted in whole or in part by 33 states. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons warned that the legislation “could turn governors into dictators,” while constitutional lawyer Phyllis Schlafly labeled it “an unprecedented assault on the constitutional rights of the American people.”

Truth Raider Warns of Ebola False Flag The federal government already has the authority to round people up against their will Ebola Vaccines: Poor Market Potential and Lack of Subjects for Clinical Trials Holding Up Testing The most promising one is stuck in safety testing for the simple reason there is no money for a vaccine that has no market. Most big pharmaceuticals do not like to sink assets into developing any drug with low potential. That leaves the playing ground largely to the government and small, niche companies.

Western governments are now issuing alerts to doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of the disease after an infected Liberian man was found to have traveled through a major transport hub in Nigeria. The World Health Organization has called the outbreak the worst on record, while Doctors Without Borders says the situation is “out of control.”

Back in April, the Department of Defense announced that it had deployed biological diagnostic systems to National Guard support teams across the U.S. in readiness for any potential Ebola outbreak.

An NHS doctor has urged the world to wake up to the growing threat of Ebola after risking his life working 24-hour hospital shifts trying to save pregnant women struck down by the disease.

If the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history reaches the United States, federal law permits “the apprehension and examination of any individual reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease”. These individuals can be “detained for such time and in such manner as may be reasonably necessary”. In other words, the federal government already has the authority to round people up against their will, take them to detention facilities and hold them there for as long as they feel it is “reasonably necessary”. In addition, as you will read about below, the federal government has the authority “to separate and restrict the movement of well persons who may have been exposed to a communicable disease to see if they become ill”. If you want to look at these laws in the broadest sense, they pretty much give the federal government the power to do almost anything that they want with us in the event of a major pandemic. Of course such a scenario probably would not be called “marital law”, but it would probably feel a lot like it.

You might also like:

• Ebola Outbreak — Be prepared for a False Flag

• Ebola Outbreak — Why Does U.S. Government Have PATENT RIGHTS on the EBOLA VIRUS?

• World Health Organisation Warning : Ebola is out of Control

By David Swanson
Remarks at Veterans For Peace Convention, Asheville, NC, July 27, 2014.

I started seeing graphics pop up on social media sites this past week that said about Gaza: “It’s not war. It’s murder.”  So I started asking people what exactly they think war is if it’s distinct from murder.  Well, war, some of them told me, takes place between armies.  So I asked for anyone to name a war during the past century (that is, after World War I) where all or even most or even a majority of the dying was done by members of armies.  There may have been such a war.  There are enough scholars here today that somebody probably knows of one.  But if so, it isn’t the norm, and these people I was chatting with through social media couldn’t think of any such war and yet insisted that that’s just what war is.  So, is war then over and nobody told us?

For whatever reasons, I then very soon began seeing a graphic sent around that said about Gaza: “It’s not war. It’s genocide.”  And the typical explanation I got when I questioned this one was that the wagers of war and the wagers of genocide have different attitudes.  Are we sure about that? I’ve spoken to advocates for recent U.S. wars who wanted all or part of a population wiped out.  Plenty of supporters of the latest attacks on Gaza see them as counter-terrorism.  In wars between advanced militaries and poor peoples most of the death and injury is on one side and most of it — by anyone’s definition — civilian.  This is as true in Afghanistan, where war rolls on largely unchallenged, as in Gaza, about which we are newly outraged.
Well, what’s wrong with outrage? Who cares what people call it? Why not criticize the war advocates rather than nitpicking the war opponents’ choice of words?  When people are outraged they will reach for whatever word their culture tells them is most powerful, be it murder or genocide or whatever.  Why not encourage that and worry a little more about the lunatics who are calling it defense or policing or terrorist removal?  (Eight-year-old terrorists!)

Yes, of course.  I’ve been going after CNN news readers for claiming Palestinians want to die and NBC for yanking its best reporter and ABC for claiming scenes of destruction in Gaza that just don’t exist in Israel are in fact in Israel — and the U.S. government for providing the weapons and the criminal immunity.  I’ve been promoting rallies and events aimed at swaying public opinion against what Israel has been doing, and against the sadistic bloodthirsty culture of those standing on hills cheering for the death and destruction below, quite regardless of what they call it.  But, as you’re probably aware, only the very most open-minded war advocates attend conventions of Veterans For Peace.  So, I’m speaking here backstage, as it were, at the peace movement.  Among those of us who want to stop the killing, are there better and worse ways to talk about it?  And is anything revealed by the ways in which we tend to talk about it when we aren’t hyper-focused on our language?

I think so.  I think it’s telling that the worst word anyone can think of isn’t war.  I think it’s even more telling that we condemn things by contrasting them with war, framing war as relatively acceptable.  I think this fact ought to be unsettling because a very good case can be made that war, in fact, is the worst thing we do, and that the distinctions between war and such evils as murder or genocide can require squinting very hard to discern.

We’ve all heard that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  There is a parallel belief that wars don’t kill people, people who misuse wars, who fight bad wars, who fight wars improperly, kill people.  This is a big contrast with many other evil institutions.  We don’t oppose child abuse selectively, holding out the possibility of just and good incidents of child abuse while opposing the bad or dumb or non-strategic or excessive cases of child abuse. We don’t have Geneva Conventions for proper conduct while abusing children.  We don’t have human rights groups writing reports on atrocities and possible law violations committed in the course of abusing children.  We don’t distinguish UN-sanctioned child abuse.  The same goes for numerous behaviors generally understood as always evil: slavery or rape or blood feuds or duelling or dog fighting or sexual harassment or bullying or human experimentation or — I don’t know — producing piles of I’m-Ready-for-Hillary posters.  We don’t imagine there are good, just, and defensible cases of such actions.

And this is the core problem: not support for bombing Gaza or Afghanistan or Pakistan or Iraq or anywhere else that actually gets bombed, but support for an imaginary war in the near future between two armies with different colored jerseys and sponsors, competing on an isolated battlefield apart from any villages or towns, and suffering bravely and heroically for their non-murderous non-genocidal cause while complying with the whistles blown by the referees in the human rights organizations whenever any of the proper killing drifts into lawless imprisonment or torture or the use of improper weaponry.  Support for specific possible wars in the United States right now is generally under 10 percent.  More people believe in ghosts, angels, and the integrity of our electoral system than want a new U.S. war in Ukraine, Syria, Iran, or Iraq. The Washington Post found a little over 10 percent want a war in Ukraine but that the people who held that view were the people who placed Ukraine on the world map the furthest from its actual location, including people who placed it in the United States.  These are the idiots who favor specific wars.  Even Congress, speaking of idiots, on Friday told Obama no new war on Iraq.

The problem is the people, ranging across the population from morons right up to geniuses, who favor imaginary wars.  Millions of people will tell you we need to be prepared for more wars in case there’s another Adolf Hitler, failing to understand that the wars and militarism and weapons sales and weapons gifts — the whole U.S. role as the arsenal of democracies and dictatorships alike — increase rather than decrease dangers, that other wealthy countries spend less than 10 percent what the U.S. does on their militaries, and that 10 percent of what the U.S. spends on its military could end global starvation, provide the globe with clean water, and fund sustainable energy and agriculture programs that would go further toward preventing mass violence than any stockpiles of weaponry.  Millions will tell you that the world needs a global policeman, even though polls of the world find the widespread belief that the United States is currently the greatest threat to peace on earth.  In fact if you start asking people who have opposed every war in our lifetimes or in the past decade to work on opposing the entire institution of war, you’ll be surprised by many of the people who say no.

I’m a big fan of a book called Addicted to War.  I think it will probably be a powerful tool for war abolition right up until war is abolished.  But its author told me this week that he can’t work to oppose all wars because he favors some of them.  Specifically, he said, he doesn’t want to ask Palestinians to not defend themselves.  Now, there’s a really vicious cycle.  If we can’t shut down the institution of war because Palestinians need to use it, then it’s harder to go after U.S. military spending, which is of course what funds much of the weaponry being used against Palestinians.  I think we should get a little clarity about what a war abolition movement does and does not do.  It does not tell people what they must do when attacked.  It is not focused on advising, much less instructing, the victims of war, but on preventing their victimization.  It does not advise the individual victim of a mugging to turn the other cheek.  But it also does not accept the disproven notion that violence is a defensive strategy for a population.  Nonviolence has proven far more effective and its victories longer lasting.  If people in Gaza have done anything at all to assist in their own destruction, it is not the supposed offenses of staying in their homes or visiting hospitals or playing on beaches; it is the ridiculously counterproductive firing of rockets that only encourages and provides political cover for war/ genocide/ mass murder.

I’m a huge fan of Chris Hedges and find him one of the most useful and inspiring writers we have.  But he thought attacking Libya was a good idea up until it quite predictably and obviously turned out not to be.  He still thinks Bosnia was a just war.  I could go on through dozens of names of people who contribute mightily to an anti-war movement who oppose abolishing war.  The point is not that anyone who believes in 1 good war out of 100 is to blame for the trillion dollar U.S. military budget and all the destruction it brings.  The point is that they are wrong about that 1 war out of 100, and that even if they were right, the side-effects of maintaining a culture accepting of war preparations would outweigh the benefits of getting 1 war right.  The lives lost by not spending $1 trillion a year in the U.S. and another $1 trillion in the rest of the world on useful projects like environmental protection, sustainable agriculture, medicine and hygiene absolutely dwarf the number of lives that would be saved by halting our routine level of war making.

If you talk about abolishing war entirely, as many of us have begun focusing on through a new project called World Beyond War, you’ll also find people who want to abolish war but believe it’s impossible. War is natural, they say, inevitable, in our genes, decreed by our economy, the unavoidable result of racism or consumerism or capitalism or exceptionalism or carnivorism or nationalism.  And of course many cultural patterns interact with and facilitate war, but the idea that it’s in our genes is absurd, given how many cultures in our species have done and do without it.  I don’t know what — if anything — people usually mean when they call something “natural” but presumably it’s not the provocation of suicide, which is such a common result of participating in war, while the first case of PTSD due to war deprivation has yet to be discovered.  Most of our species’ existence, as hunter-gatherers, did not know war, and only the last century — a split-second in evolutionary terms — has known war that at all resembles war today.  War didn’t used to kill like this.  Soldiers weren’t conditioned to kill.  Most guns picked up at Gettysburg had been loaded more than once.  The big killers were diseases, even in the U.S. Civil War, the war that the U.S. media calls the most deadly because Filipinos and Koreans and Vietnamese and Iraqis don’t count.  Now the big killer is a disease in our thinking, a combination of what Dr. King called self-guided missiles and misguided men.
Another hurdle for abolishing war is that the idea rose to popularity in the West in the 1920s and 1930s and then sank into a category of thought that is vaguely treasonous.  War abolition was tried and failed, the thinking goes, like communism or labor unions and now we know better.  While abolishing war is popular in much of the world, that fact is easily ignored by the 1% who misrepresent the 10% or 15% who live in the places that constitute the so-called International Community.  Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come or weaker than an idea whose time has come and gone.  Or so we think.  But the Renaissance was, as its name suggests, an idea whose time came again, new and improved and victorious.  The 1920s and 1930s are a resource for us.  We have stockpiles of wisdom to draw upon.  We have example of where things were headed and how they went of track.

Andrew Carnegie took war profits and set up an endowment with the mandate to eliminate war and then to hold a board meeting, determine the second worst thing in the world, and begin eliminating that.  This sounds unique or eccentric, but is I believe a basic understanding of ethics that ought to be understood and acted upon by all of us.  When someone asks me why I’m a peace activist I ask them why in the hell anyone isn’t.  So, reminding the Carnegie Endowment for Peace what it’s legally obligated to do, and dozens of other organizations along with it, may be part of the process of drawing inspiration from the past.  And of course insisting that the Nobel Committee not bestow another peace prize on a war-thirsty presidential candidate or any other advocate of war is part of that.

The case against war that is laid out at WorldBeyondWar.org includes these topics:
War is immoral.
War endangers us.
War threatens our environment.
War erodes our liberties.
War impoverishes us.
We need $2 trillion/year for other things.

I find the case to be overwhelming and suspect many of you would agree.  In fact Veterans For Peace and numerous chapters and members of Veterans For Peace have been among the first to sign on and participate.  And we’ve begun finding that thousands of people and organizations from around the world agree as people and groups from 68 countries and rising have added their names on the website in support of ending all war.  And many of these people and organizations are not peace groups.  These are environmental and civic groups of all sorts and people never involved in a peace movement before.  Our hope is of course to greatly enlarge the peace movement by making war abolition as mainstream as cancer abolition.  But we think enlargement is not the only alteration that could benefit the peace movement.  We think a focus on each antiwar project as part of a broader campaign to end the whole institution of war will significantly change how specific wars and weapons and tactics are opposed.

How many of you have heard appeals to oppose Pentagon waste? I’m in favor of Pentagon waste and opposed to Pentagon efficiency.  How can we not be, when what the Pentagon does is evil?  How many of you have heard of opposition to unnecessary wars that leave the military ill-prepared?  I’m in favor of leaving the military ill-prepared, but not of distinguishing unnecessary from supposedly necessary wars. Which are the necessary ones?  When sending missiles into Syria is stopped, in large part by public pressure, war as last resort is replaced by all sorts of other options that were always available.  That would be the case anytime any war is stopped.  War is never a last resort any more than rape or child abuse is a last resort.  How many of you have seen opposition to U.S. wars that focuses almost exclusively on the financial cost and the suffering endured by Americans?  Did you know polls find Americans believing that Iraq benefited and the United States suffered from the war that destroyed Iraq?  What if the financial costs and the costs to the aggressor nation were in addition to moral objections to mass-slaughter rather than instead of?  How many of you have seen antiwar organizations trumpet their love for troops and veterans and war holidays, or groups like the AARP that advocate for benefits for the elderly by focusing on elderly veterans, as though veterans are the most deserving?  Is that good activism?

I want to celebrate those who resist and oppose war, not those who engage in it.  I love Veterans For Peace because it’s for peace.  It’s for peace in a certain powerful way, but it’s the being for peace that I value.  And being for peace in the straightforward meaning of being against war.  Most organizations are afraid of being for peace; it always has to be peace and justice or peace and something else.  Or it’s peace in our hearts and peace in our homes and the world will take care of itself.  Well, as Veterans For Peace know, the world doesn’t take care of itself.  The world is driving itself off a cliff.  As Woody Allen said, I don’t want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen, I want to live on in my apartment.  Well, I don’t want to find peace in my heart or my garden, I want to find peace in the elimination of war.  At WorldBeyondWar.org is a list of projects we think may help advance that, including, among others:

• Creating an easily recognizable and joinable mainstream international movement to end all war.

• Education about war, peace, and nonviolent action — including all that is to be gained by ending war.

• Improving access to accurate information about wars. Exposing falsehoods.

• Improving access to information about successful steps away from war in other parts of the world.

• Increased understanding of partial steps as movement in the direction of eliminating, not reforming, war.

• Partial and full disarmament.

• Conversion or transition to peaceful industries.

• Closing, converting or donating foreign military bases.

• Democratizing militaries while they exist and making them truly volunteer.

• Banning foreign weapons sales and gifts.

• Outlawing profiteering from war.

• Banning the use of mercenaries and private contractors.

• Abolishing the CIA and other secret agencies.

• Promoting diplomacy and international law, and consistent enforcement of laws against war, including prosecution of violators.

• Reforming or replacing the U.N. and the ICC.

• Expansion of peace teams and human shields.

• Promotion of nonmilitary foreign aid and crisis prevention.

• Placing restrictions on military recruitment and providing potential soldiers with alternatives.

• Thanking resisters for their service.

• Encouraging cultural exchange.

• Discouraging racism and nationalism.

• Developing less destructive and exploitative lifestyles.

• Expanding the use of public demonstrations and nonviolent civil resistance to enact all of these changes.

I would add learning from and working with organizations that have been, like Veterans For Peace, working toward war abolition for years now and inspiring others to do the same.  And I would invite you all to work with WorldBeyondWartoward our common goal.


David Swanson is Director of World Beyond War, host of Talk Nation Radio, author of books including War No More: The Case for Abolition, War Is A Lie, and When the World Outlawed War.

Black-ish Trailer, Would You Watch this? Yes/No Why?

Watch First Full Trailer For ‘Black-ish’ Starring Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-teaser-for-black-ish-starring-anthony-anderson-tracee-ellis-ross-laurence-fishburne

I laughed at the trailer. I can also relate. I can relate to the father. I went to catholic school grade school and high school, and off to an all girls’ college who was seeking to reach a quota for federal funding and PR. My mother was strong about being black in America, but  she did not do it to the point of identifying with her culture from Africa, or not even identifying with African American culture. She did it because it had become a popular thing to do. We are talking about the 60’s.

Angela DavisMy mom was one of the first people I knew to have an Afro hairstyle. But again, not for the cultural aspect of it, but because it was popular. She had fried our hair up until that point. In fact, she fried the hair of other friends in the community we lived in. I can still remember that smell of frying hair.

She didn’t talk about black power, or to be young gifted and black, nor did she wear a dashiki, or any other African garb. She wasn’t a nationalist, socialist, communist or a fan of Angela Davis. She was always changing her hairstyle so I guess, it was just a change of hairstyle that she was after. And let me not forget, my mother was a rebel, in her own right, and since wearing an Afro meant you were rebelling against the system, well she did it, just to be rebellious.

Left, me with my Afro @graduation, 1969
At the time, I did not see it as rebellion. I thought she was expressing her strong sentiment about her African heritage. Quite frankly, I took that literally and want one myself, just like mom so I could identify with her and possibly make her happy one day????? Like I said, I can relate to this story line.

We grew up in North Philadelphia, a part of Philadelphia, where we were constantly being reminded of how it used to be all white years ago and how after the “blacks” moved in the property value and neighborhood went down, down, down. There was an elder gentleman who had a shoe shine stand on the corner of 29th & Dauphin Streets… He would hire young boys in the area to help him shine shoes. That would be his story, whenever you walked by you would hear him talk about all the white folks that use to live in the area, and now look at it. Well, the area had become all black. Black business, black stores, black churches, black dentist, black doctor, black shoe repair man, black milk man, black post man. In fact, the entire area was “black” except for the insurance man who visited homes on Saturday morning, the landlords, and the man who owned the fish store. Well, I must admit that the school, though full of black people, only had white priests, and nuns… In fact, though I wanted to grow up and be the only black nun I knew, I doubted that I would NOT be the only Black nun in the entire world!! Ha, I found another in college years later.

Somehow, I managed to truly identify with my African culture. I was inclined towards African dance, and

Me @ African Dance Performance, 1968African fabrics, and while I didn’t have access to African fabrics during those days, I managed to create something from some fabrics that looked African, at least to me. I doubt that my emphasis on African culture would have happened had it not been for my perception that my mother was into it.

When I went to college, there were 7 African Americans on campus of 1500 students. My mother told me to go to that college. She knew about racism. I knew she knew, though it was not spoken aloud, except the little innuendos that were said when we shopped in a store that was not black owned. I would watch my mother transform and speak “proper” English so that she could impress the cashier. She would do that on the phone too, when she was making important business calls. It was funny to watch her transformation, but we knew deep inside, she wanted to appear educated and talking like we did in the house among ourselves, friends and family, did not make us appear educated. So again, I can relate.

My mother’s agenda for encouraging me to go to an all white, catholic girls college was simple. “You are a fly in a bowl of milk. They will not, not teach their own, simply because you are there.” We knew what that meant on so many levels. I would definitely get a good education because they give their own a good education. I may miss my “black” friends, but that’s no problem, I can always come home on school breaks to be with them, and… after college, I will still be “black in America”. Yeah, I can relate. Plus, I really wouldhn’t have too much trouble getting along there, my high school was 75% white. It wasn’t too popular for African Americans to be Catholic during those days. Those of us who went to Catholic School were often teased and called “stuck-up” mainly because Catholic school was not free, like public school, and if your family could afford Catholic school, you must have had some money. At least enough to put you in a class slightly upper than the rest of the neighborhood folks. This perception was hard to comprehend, since we lived in the same neighborhood as everyone else, but Catholic education was considered elite during those days. It was brutal, but that’s a topic for another blog.

In 1969, I went to Marywood College, in Scranton, PA. I have to admit it was a culture shock. Grass, trees,

Marywood Universitymountains and open spaces????? Full meals cooked 3X’s a day??? Food I had never seen eaten before. White people doing the laundry, cutting the grass, picking up the trash and serving us meals in the Dining Hall?? Yeah that was a culture shock for certain. I had to get used to that. In fact, when they hired ONE African american Service Staff person, they called me in to ask, “How should we treat her?” I was baffled by the question. We never wondered how we should treat white people, what was the problem? My response may have been a bit abrupt but I said, “Treat her like a human being, like you treat everyone else around here.” Not quite the answer she expected, but I was not going to give her a crash course on race relations because they decided to hire ONE Black person as personnel. I wondered who she asked when she got the 7 black students to come to her college.

I am not sure if it was the times, the protests or my desire to affirm my identity, but after a while I had to do
something. I started to lose myself, the way I spoke changed. I began to speak “proper, just like my mom. I did not like that one bit, and I made a concerted effort to reclaim my identity by speaking Ebonics (Black English). Of course I did not use it in my research, term papers and tests, but out of the class, I had to, it was all I had to hold on to. My roommate made innocent fun of me, she would mimic my saying “Maf” and Baf” “You’re going to Maf class and you gonna take a baf.” She was wonderful and very very cool, we would laugh together, and her mother made excellent brownies, but I digress. After a while I found myself speaking Ebonics on purpose, I was getting lost in the sauce.

One day, Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble came to Scranton! What a shot in the arm that was for me. I seemed to remember that I was African, Black and that I could hold on to my identity and still attend an all white college. I totally embraced this concept and started a black power movement on campus. I started a Black Student Union. BOSS, Black Organization of Students in the Struggle, by now there were 9 of us. We represented the Macrocosm, as every single type of “us” was there.

Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble
I read “Black Muslims in America”, “The Souls of Black Folks”, “Black Cargoes” “The Outsider”, “Black Rage”  Nikki Giovanni and several other books about Black Americans that I found, interestingly in the College Library. Imagine that!

I started wearing the “Black Power” pins and pendants, red, black and green hat and belts, a khaki jacket and walked around campus like I was a genuine black panther. My English Professor, called me a Pink Panther…. I didn’t take it to mean she was racist or demeaning. Besides, when I found out what the Black Panthers were really about I knew what she meant.

Nevertheless, I became a spokesperson for everything black. Being the most outspoken and outgoing of all the other Black Students on campus, it fell upon me to explain it all to them. There I was in the middle of conversations about being black in America. I would discuss what growing up was like for me in my neighborhood, where we never used the term impoverished, deprived or ghetto. We were resourceful and creative, making a way of no way, making a dollar out of 15cents.


The Flip Wilson Show – “Geraldine” + Bill Cosby… by videohollic

I was in the middle of discussion attempting to explain to folks that Flip Wilson, WAS NOT YOUR AVERAGE BLACK MAN IN AMERICA, when that is all they knew. I was in the middle of discussion with folks who had never seen an Black person up close and were extremely curious as to why my hair grew up and out instead of down. I became the First African American Freshman Class President! Why?? Because I stood out, imagine that, and they didn’t know each other or who to vote for, so why not our token black girl.

I was in the middle of my own desperation along with a Black Classmate, who could tolerate being in that all white environment anymore!!! So one night, we made flyers and put them under the doors of the Nuns who lived in the dorms with us, along with other adult staff who lived in the dorms with us. What did our signs say?
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL     POWER TO THE PEOPLE      BLACK POWER   We did that, it was a desperate attempt to retain, reclaim, reaffirm and identify with our heritage, a heritage we knew so little about, but one we felt the need to hold onto at all costs. So yes, I can relate.

Baba Tunde Olatunji-Drums of PassionWe knew we were black in a bowl of milk, and that racism was alive and well, no matter how much those around us pretended it wasn’t. We were in the middle of the Civil Rights movement, they had just raided the Black Panthers in Philadelphia, strip them naked, and posted that on the front of Newsweek. They were fire bombing, lynching and terrorizing black folks in the south. They had just opened the restaurants for black folks to come to along with white patrons. They had just killed Dr. Martin Luther King! Yeah, we were certainly aware of the racism but we knew little about our African Culture. And for certain, the administration of the school knew little as well, so when they asked me to do an African Dance for their World Cultures Course, they never knew I was making those steps up and dancing to Baba Tunde Olatunji Drums of Passion. I may have been a fly in a bowl of milk, but I never lost my wings, or my desire to fly.

I remember my trips home, and how different I felt being among African Americans in my familiar environment than I did on campus. Every trip home required a major adjustment.

Me. 1969 Freshman in CollegeI mentioned the Microcosm of the Macrocosm… truly we were. Each one of us represent a different experience being in the African Diaspora. During my stay there I manage to find out where each of these young ladies’ head were. Again, the Microcosm of the Macrocosm. We are as varient in our expression in the African diaspora as we are in our skin color. Our identities span the gamut of Black Nationalism to Integration.
How did we each experience our own bowl of milk??
1.  Me (Freshman) – I have already explained my role.
2.  KG (Freshman) – from South Philadelphia and sincerely not interested in being in this bowl of milk. She looked forward to leaving next semester and made no bones about wanting to get out!! She didn’t hate white people she just did not want to live anywhere near them.
3.  BJ (Freshman) – she came from Northfolk, VA… there was no question in her mind about her identity or racism, she had experienced it first hand, and did not trust a single white person. She was a deep thinker, so deep she spent much of her time being depressed. She also wanted to leave.
4.  CF (Sophomore) – who had completely assimilated into her environment, she came there with several white friends and had no problem continuing to talk their talk and relate with them as her best of friends. She did have an Afro though which showed on some levels that she hadn’t completely assimilated, but was basically taking the path of least resistance. If you can’t beat em, you might as well join em.
5.  DS (Sophomore) – in a dark room, it would be hard to tell where she came from, or whether she was white or black. There was no indication in her voice that she was anything but a white girl who happened to have black (darkest out of all of us) skin. She was not interested in joining anything that was about Black, for Black, by Black or with Black. She was a person, a human being and she did not relate to the skin she was in at all.
6.  VS (Sophomore) She was from the Virgin Islands and due to the color of her skin, she was considered white. Her family was elite and well off. That she would come to the US for an education had her as upper class. She was completely intolerant and disdainful of all that Black stuff, and told me clearly, she considered herself white, as she was considered white where she lived.
7.  Novice (Senior) She was so intriguing to me, a black nun. What made her pursue it and stick to it to the point that after Senior year she would complete her training and be a real Nun. I later learned that the IHM order of nuns, had more African Americans in it than any other. And since I was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, I had no idea. She was sweet and cordial and very much into being a nun. Her main focus was on continuing her training and completing her journey. She was definitely not going to join BOSS!
Next Semester, lost two students and gained 4 black students, one female and one male in the School of Social Work and one Freshman and one Sophomore.
8.  DC (Freshman) came from Philadelphia, and she also attended Catholic High School, which at that time were majority White students there. She did not seem to have any trouble getting along with the other students but she was extremely homesick. She cried every night for the first semester it seemed, I could hear her in the hallway as I passed her room. She identified with me to the point of at least being able to have someone familiar to cling to. Her position was not political or religious, she just wanted to get through it all.
9.  BS (Sophomore) came from a family that had already assimilated. Nice car, nice, house, 2.5 children, two car garage, father a professional and recognized by the White Professional World, mother an educator who had taken time from her career to raise her children. They were very color struck in my estimation as I remember it being said that she was not allowed to bring anyone home darker than her. In fact, I could hardly tell if she was black or white due to the paleness of her skin and the way she blended. And of course she would not join BOSS. She did wear a curly Afro which she flattened on the weekends when she returned home. No way on God’s green earth would her parents allow her to wear an Afro!!! And since at that time, the Afro was our clarion call to arms, anyone without one was certainly not part of the struggle.
10.  JR (School of Social Work).. was from Philadelphia as well. She was older and more refined. She was more accepting of each of us being so different from one another and would often function as a mediator when we couldn’t come to terms with our differences. Primarily, I had become emboldened as I had never really learned about the Transatlantic Slave trade, or much else about African history predating Slavery. . It seemed there was none, well especially not in an inner city Catholic School. And here I am on an all white college campus, learning about these things and so much more.
My mom used to remark how they learned about what Black people did in her school. She lived in Virginia and the educational system was actually better than in the Northern City. She was quite surprised that we were not taught Black history as she was.
11.  RH (School of Social Work) was a male student from Harrisburg. It quickly became clear that he was going to be the most sought after Black “man” on campus. The numbers themselves showed the imbalance. He was the only male student on campus as the School of Social Work had opened to male students while the undergraduate school was not. Coming from Harrisburg he had some experience interacting with White folks, being the only black man on campus, he also became the star of every show, that is, those white women who were not adverse to interracial relationships sought him out and so did I.
When I think about it, I really didn’t have any competition with the Black women on campus, because none of them were really interested in him. It was more of “he is the only one and that’s all you got”??? But for some reason, I was interested in him and attempted to get him to join our organization to no avail, he was content, just being the only male student on campus. I think he shared mutual interest but I got the impression that he preferred white girls. Thus coming up from the rear is another aspect of the African diaspora, a black man who prefers dating white women.

By my junior year, two other black female students had come to Marywood. I won’t describe how they presented except to say that one was totally blind, and the other was also from Philadelphia, and the same high school I attended.

My identity crisis came to a head during my junior year. I became a Black Muslim. It was a radical change that made me feel completely uncomfortable on campus. I made the decision to quit college and return to Philadelphia and get married. Another long story.

I would like to note that today, Marywood College is now Marywood University and is coed and has Black folks in numbers. Something that I would have never imagined. I returned there a few years ago with my group, the “Voices Of Africa” Choral & Percussion Ensemble, and to my surprise there were Africans there from the continent!!! Along with the Nun who asked me to do an African dance for her World Cultures Course! Now I don’t know if I opened the door for that or if it is just a sign of the times or maybe a bit of both, but I was floored to find them there, along with African Americans functioning as administrative staff. The black population during my time there was a little over 300 and now they have staff members of color.

From Negro, to Black, to Afro-American, to African-American to African descendant… we have continuously been trying to identify ourselves in a world that is foreign to us, and no matter how much we assimilate, in a world (not just a nation) that has taken up the discourse about the superiority of a race based on skin color… it is quite evident that there will be several attributions made by each of us. These attributes will be affected by the way we are raised, along with how we process our reality.

So yes, I may watch this show from time to time, I don’t have a TV so I will see if it comes on the internet. But again, my own experience, helps me to relate and gives me some insight to the various challenges we face, trying to find our identity in a society that has stripped us of it, and caused us to look upon our heritage with disdain.

I am not sure which direction I want to take this rant.

1. Do I go on about the current news story and reactions from the so-called World about the kidnapping of over 200 young ladies sold into slavery or marriage, or both?

2. Do I go on about the self righteous out cry from folks whose backyard has to be filled with bullshit clutter?

3. Do I go on about how this thing has been going on for quite some time and that it only just hit the news after 3 weeks and the Nigerian Government had done little or nothing to resolve this issue?

4. Do I go on about the so-called Afri-Con logo?? 

Yeah, maybe I will start here. 

Folks, are we too blind to see? What does this symbolize?
Looks like a vagina to me!!! Looks like it is encased in a red oval, looks like them same NWO leaves embracing this red oval, and looks like they are focusing on 4 stars, 4 star nations… I am sure Nigeria is one of them…. then Sudan, which they have already made sure that it was split apart. Libya of course, Man Made River, water resources, gold…

But for sure they are concerned with the whole continent. Where are the African voices against this tyranny? Is the idea to birth a New Era for African Nations, Peoples, Resources, Commodities, Wealth? A New Era of domination by Euro-Western powers (NATO)? This image is scary. Where does it display cooperation between nations. There are 54 nations in Africa…. Or should I say 55 countries in Africa, how do they intend to Command 55 Nations? and draw them into their new womb, web of Command??

How ludicrous, how blatantly arrogant to think that one small country can claim dominion over a whole continent! What if it were reversed and Africa decided to create the United Africa USA Command and put all 50 states and its various land claimed territories around the world.

And the most unfortunate thing about this impetus is the so-called Leader of the Free World, has a Black Face. How utterly disappointing!

The US military in Africa

Posted by Paul Shannon / April 5, 2014

Africa has risen in importance to the United States. US tax dollars are pouring into the nations of that continent. The continent is in constant struggle between tribes and religions, with no end in sight. All the while, the US military presence is growing in some places, while others are glaring in the lack of troops. Here is a look at the amount of troops involved in this very unstable continent.

Africa Command

Here is what the official amount of troops and commands are for Africa.

U.S. Africa Command has approximately 2,000 assigned personnel, including military, U.S. federal civilian employees, and U.S. contractor employees. About 1,500 work at the command’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Others are assigned to AFRICOM units at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and RAF Molesworth, England. The command’s programs in Africa are coordinated through Offices of Security Cooperation and Defense Attache Offices in approximately 38 nations. The command also has liaison officers at key African posts, including the African Union, theEconomic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre in Ghana.

AFRICOM is part of a diverse interagency team that reflects the talents, expertise, and capabilities within the entire U.S. government. The command has four Senior Foreign Service (SFS) officers in key positions as well as more than 30 personnel from more than 10 U.S. government departments and agencies, including the Departments of State and Homeland Security, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The most senior is a career State Department official who serves as the deputy to the commander for civil-military engagements. Our interagency partners bring invaluable expertise to help the command ensure its plans and activities complement those of other U.S. government programs and fit within the context of U.S. foreign policy.  Read More: Page 2  Page 3

News story and reactions from the so-called World about the kidnapping of over 200 young ladies sold into slavery or marriage, or both?

There is so much more to this story than is being told. Corporate media needs another distraction. The spin is nauseating. We can always find reason to point fingers, how many of these heralders are willing to undo the damage their ancestors did to the African when they were colonizing it. How many Africans were kidnapped, raped and murdered? What about the hundreds of years when Africans, male and female, were denied the right to read thru fear of punishment? How many of them became rich families due to slave labor? Where is the outcry? The retribution? The reparations? The acknowledgment that they too are guilty. Not to mention the underlying theme of Destabilization to create a reason for invasion. Be careful. Haven’t they learned yet?

U.S. to Send Team to Nigeria to Help Find Kidnapped Girls

The Obama administration is dispatching military officials and hostage negotiators to Nigeria to aid in the recovery efforts of more than 250 girls kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram, whose leader recently boasted “I will sell them in the market”
Read More: http://time.com/89665/boko-haram-nigeria-girls/

Re: Cia And Mossad To Divide Nigeria Soon 

by akanke79(f): 8:25pm On Dec 27, 2011

US Army Prepares for Nigeria’s Possible Break-up (2015)
-The article below and related articles raise pertinent questions- 1. Is the United States promoting a breakup, in what’s known as the ’tissue scarcity scare’ scenario, where the suggestion and promotion of a concept leads to its manifestation. Nigerians skeptical about the possibility of a breakup get reassured that best analysis from the US suggests its high possibility of success and parties in favor of this go ahead in full force to make this so-called expert analysis a reality? Or is a natural breakup indeed the reality?

The US has been known to be at the center of important breakups in the past. Countries like Vietnam and Korea had the US play a major skewed role, and when these Nations divided into North and South, the US stationed its troops at the border to defend usually the Southern territory, and the Northern usually became a rejected, isolated rudiment.

In Nigeria the North, currently the power holding block, which is majorly Muslim, and lacks petroleum resources will almost certainly be turned into an Arab aligned, possibly terrorist ‘axis of evil’, Nation. While the US will according to experts defend and instill puppet rule over the resourceful South, which it is believed it will assist in secession if a breakup war occurs.

 cover of Newsweek magazine,
dated January 11th, 2010The US will likely favor such a breakup for obvious reasons- the current leader of Nigeria thumped his finger in the US nose, clearly rejecting the installation of US AFRICOM military command in Nigeria. Nigeria’s government has also of recent signed deals with Russia and Iran for major resource, military and power(Nuclear generation) mutual ventures. This alliance possibly does not sit well with the US. In addition, Nigeria has been promoting development, not by serving US interest but by cooperation’s with so-called third world Nations like Brazil………………………………………………..
Read More:     http://www.nairaland.com/833643/cia-mossad-divide-nigeria-soon#9845155

Nigerian church at Christmas 2011

Nigeria is reported to be used as a major drug transit and money laundering centre for the proceeds of the CIA drug trade. (CIA Agents & Nigeria.)

The CIA takes a strong interest in NIGERIA

Former Nigerian leader Ibrahim B. Babangida is reported to be a Mossad or CIA agent (CIA Agents & Nigeria.)

“IBB is a Mossad/CIA asset, as was Abiola and Umar Muttalab (father of the crouch bomber and former Chairman of Nigeria’s premier bank, First Bank) amongst others like Orji Uzor Kalu.

“Mossad’s chief operative in Nigeria is Alon Nelken, an Israeli and owner of Megaplaza shopping mall in Victoria Islands, Lagos.

“In Nigeria, one would find a clear infiltration of foreign bodies posed as foundations and organizatonal institutions all geared toward influencing government policies in the oil and gas sectors.” (THE CIA IN NIGERIA)

Freedom Rider: How Not to “Bring Back our Girls”

by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley  May 7, 2014
“The last thing Nigeria needs is a foreign military presence to prop up its corrupt government.”

Bring back our girls. The message is a simple one that resonates with millions of people around the world. Those four words were first seen in a now famous twitter hashtag in the aftermath of the kidnapping of 280 teenagers from a school in Chibok, Nigeria on April 14, 2014. The Boko Haram group which is fighting that country’s government admits to holding the girls captive.

Only people who closely follow international news were aware of this situation until last week. It is right that so many people are concerned for the girls’ safety. Unfortunately, the effort to draw attention to this horror is of little use without a deeper understanding of Africa’s political situation.

Because western nations continue to interfere in Africa’s affairs and place compliant “strong men” in power, nearly every government on that continent is weak. Presidents and prime ministers exist only to enrich elites and ensure that valuable resources reach the western capitalist nations. It seems ludicrous that Nigerian president Goodluck Johnathan at first denied that the kidnap had taken place, and then vacillated between claiming that the girls had been recovered or that the number captured was smaller than reported. Hashtags and petitions are a poor substitute for a government whose infrastructure is dedicated to producing and delivering oil to the West but not doing very much for its own citizens…………………………………
Read More:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/freedom-rider-how-not-%E2%80%9Cbring-back-our-girls%E2%80%9D


People need to get their own house in order before pointing fingers backed with little or no knowledge of what is really happening. Not to mention the resources that are mysteriously missing from this equation.

Self Righteous outcry from folks whose backyard has to be filled with bullshit clutter? Oh and did I mention child prostitution? Real men? Don’t buy children, organs, drugs, politicians, land from the indigenous, poor education, toxic chemicals to be sprayed in the air, nuclear weapons, I can’t even think about this. There are billions of things that real me should never buy, but it is done daily without a second thought. 

Please, we really need to wake the hell up!

Facebook Page

Prosperity Of Black Women (POBW)

May 6
“wow, it’s sad when you have more white celebrity men speaking more against this than the black celebrity men, but are we really that surprised??”

Then someone posts this picture of Jamie Fox, yep that certainly fixes that issue.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6lmc1DV2U1qzkvnro1_400.jpg
Folks really need to research stuff before they get on the band wagon. I don’t know how many of these pics were photoshopped or how many celebs agreed to be posted with these signs, but for information about where it came from in 2011 check out this article.

Why “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” Just Doesn’t Work
http://popdust.com/2011/04/12/why-real-men-dont-buy-girls-just-doesnt-work/
Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 04/12/2011 at 4:51 PM News

The Popdust Files: Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, drake, justin timberlake, viral video

It’s noble that celebrity power couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are attempting to use their fame and hypnotic hold on the internet for a worthwhile cause such as raising awareness of child sex slavery. Enlisting some of their more popular friends for a series of ads on the subject, attempting to go viral with the campaign, getting creative with the message—all commendable. But watching through one of their “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” spots, something just feels wrong about the entire venture. Not immoral, not insensitive, but rather simply misguided, in a very fundamental way.

In case you haven’t seen them yet, the “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” spots are under-a-minute-long shorts based around male celebrity cameos—including pop stars Drake and Justin Timberlake—which feature them doing goofy, irresponsible things (Drake beats up a robot, Justin shaves with a chainsaw) in order jokingly to demonstrate what “Real Men” do (view robots with distrust and prefer a close shave, respectively). This pronouncement, voiced by an unseen narrator, is then immediately followed by another pronouncement: “Real Men don’t buy girls.”
Read More: http://popdust.com/2011/04/12/why-real-men-dont-buy-girls-just-doesnt-work/

Do I go on about how this thing has been going on for quite some time and that it only just hit the news after 3 weeks and the Nigerian Government had done little or nothing to resolve this issue?

A few years ago, I was listening to NPR, believe it or not, it was my lucky day, and the information that came across the airwaves about Nigeria was daunting to say the least, then a few years before that, the Women protested topless against the Oil Moguls, then another article about how the regulations are next to nil when it comes to how the oil is refined, the toxic waste in the water, the debate over GMO foods, the so-called Goodluck and the cronies gathering the riches into their coffers and leaving the rest to suffer and die in poverty and lack of good educational facilities. The influence of the IMF and WB and the backroom deals that were/are going on. The internal agitation and disposition between so-called warring factions. 

It was just a matter of time before Nigeria began to tumble. Its support of the toppling of Qaddaffi was key. I have sat among Nigerians and heard them discuss the state of affairs in their beloved country and the corruption of the leadership. My heart cried out for my brothers and sisters in Ghana, especially when they found oil reserves there. 

The BEAST can only prevail when there is fighting and antagonism amongst the people. “United we stand, divided we fall.” Nigeria is falling because it is divided… this issue is just the tip of the iceberg and it demonstrates a deeper problem that has been going on for decades. The Nigerians can call for Global Assistance from NATO (North Atlantic Terrorist Organization) but they obviously are short-sighted and forgetful about what that cry has done to other Nations around the world, and particularly what it has done to Libya!!! Here’s an article that you may want to archive…

EXPOSED! AMERICA’S DESTABILIZATION PLOTS AGAINST NIGERIA

Written December, 2011

NewsRescue[Op-ed] In the aftermath of the unfortunate bombings and sporadic attacks that took place in Damaturu the Yobe State capital and environs on the last Sallah Day, the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria hastily put out a public statement declaring that such like bombings should be expected in three well known hospitality establishments in Abuja the nation’s capital.

To discerning observers not only did that score high marks for bad manners as that was hardly what a nation still grieving and coming to terms with its losses expected from a supposedly friendly nation, but that the US embassy was being economical with information on what it actually knew about the incident, and more significantly, the role the US government itself has been playing in the whole gamut of acts of destabilization against Nigeria.

http://newsrescue.com/boko-haram-a-cia-covert-operation-americas-destabilization-plots-against-nigeria-greenwhite-coalition/#axzz1yjB38NOK

“REAL MEN DON’T BUY GIRLS”

This meme really got me going in more ways than seven. I have always had an issue with the term “real men” or “real women” as opposed to fake ones? I would always ask. Who determines what is real and what is not real and who determines who is more of a man/woman than another? Certainly, the Western man who goes to the gym and eats out three times a week finds himself much more privileged than the man who has to hunt for his food. And women who have gotten their education in the so-called “finest” western institutions of learning feel themselves more “real” than a woman who feeds her family by farming.

But more than these examples is the blatant bias and bigotry that these memes convey. Without further details, the picture says it all. We, Eurocentric White Males are “Real” and anything other than what we convey is “not real”. And that means all of you out there who are not “privileged” to be a part of our class.

We are looking at celebrities, people! We are looking at people who have been bred into one of the most corrupt industries the Western world has to offer. We are looking at people who cover their own guilt and complicity with a sign signaling that they are “better” and more “real” than the rest. They are telling their “fans” who have made them “rich” through their hard work and support, that they are better than them, and the fans don’t get it, as they are mesmerized by the very idol, they idolized.

Does it really matter how many celebrities carry this sign when these same celebrities give blood diamonds to their to be spouses? 
Does it matter when these same folks own more things that they could ever use, at the expense of slave labor in some godforsaken land? 
Does it matter that these celebrities eat at the finest restaurants being served by folks who do not even make minimum wage. 
Does it matter that these celebrities have enough money to buy all the “fashion models” they want and fill their parties with them. 
Does it matter that these celebrities have their pick of the finest wines, glasses and drugs that wars have been fought over to satisfy their elitist palates. 
Does it matter that the core belief that these celebrities were bred on was the superiority of their stock over all of humanity. 
Does it matter that pedophilia, child porn and child prostitution runs rampant in the Cult of Entertainment. 
Does it matter that they ate a few opponents on their way to the top?

And with that and much more, does it matter that these celebrities carry a sign……. A sign that singularly drenches its carrier in disgusting bigotry!

I say, put down the sign, and clean out your own backyard. Confess your own hypocrisy and move to change the world YOU LIVE IN! 

LOOK AT THE MAN IN THE MIRROR!

Children today are rather keen and determined about their media gadgets. Two weeks ago, I introduced my Anisa Joseph – Amma Tacheampong to Gummy Bear. Now her older brother, Kwesi, who is now 10 years old introduced me to Gummy Bear. This was several years ago, maybe he was about 4 or 5 years old. At that time he was confined to the computer. He did not have his own cell phone and sat for hours watching Gummy bear playlist I made for him on YouTube. Now, forward to 5-6 years later and cell phones have become small computers that can connect through wifi to the internet, whether it makes calls or not. So, instead of throwing your cell phone away, it can become an alternate computer. But who guessed it would create such a ruckus with the little ones who not only know how to watch it, but know how to manipulate the touch screen, navigate to the movies they want on Netflix, or YouTube and stare at that tiny screen for hours upon hours.

This is exactly what my granddaughter does. She has our discarded cell phones and uses them to surf the net for movies she wishes to watch. And I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t mention that she will throw a tantrum if you don’t give her a phone. She does understand that the phone dies when the charge is all gone, she also has come to understand that she can only use her phone, not anyone else’s. That was a tough one, cause we had to learn that too. If you put it in her hands just to show her something, she will NOT LET YOU TAKE IT BACK!

Fortunately, she rarely watches movies that are not suitable for her to watch, she has her own account on Netflix and knows exactly how to access it in order to watch the movies that are for children her age.

I don’t get a chance to post all the movies and pics and stories I have of her, but I had to stop whatever I was doing and post this one. SMDH…….. LIttle people know their way around this technology better than most people over 40. They are growing up with this technology and leaving the old stuff behind.

Anisa doesn’t know how to use a standard mouse, but she certainly knows how to use her little finger on a touch screen to navigate her way around the internet. I don’t know, part of me is really really worried about this, and another part of me is amazed at how smart she is. She will be having her 3rd birthday June 11, 2014.

SHE FOUND THIS VIDEO!!!!!!!

Anisa and her gadgets. She is proficient at using the Kindle and her Cell phone to navigate the Netflix videos and Youtube videos. She knows how to click on the app that she wants to work with. From the photo gallery; to watching videos of herself, to playing music, especially the silly ringtones; to Netflix account that has videos for her, and she knows how to go to Youtube and click on videos she would like to watch.
She does this for hours until the charge goes on the kindle or phone. Fortunately she has been watching appropriate videos. And BTW, she loves Dora!!!
Anyway, I am not sure if she is going to be quite vain or not. All I know is that I was in my 40’s before I saw a video of myself and it was weird watching myself. She watches videos of herself from age 5 months to now, she will be 3 years old, June 11, 2014

The jury is still out on this one for me. Mainly because of how much time I spend on my computer and interacting with social media. My granddaughter is 3 years old, she has been using cell phone since she was a little younger than 2years of age, maybe younger. 
I am amazed at her abilities. Everyone around her has a gadget. Her older brother would use the Kindle and she would mimic his way of using it. He didn’t really have to show her, she would watch him. He would find games and movies on the Kindle and she did it too. 
She will be 3 years old come June 11. She is still intrigued by nature and her surroundings, and will play in the yard for hours, but her older brother, well, he would rather play with his gadgets. We shall see if the gadgets will totally consume her as she gets older. 

Who is Ole Nellie, you may ask. Well, she is part of a family of Nellie’s. In fact, once we have gotten all that we can get out of her, she is replaced with a new Nellie. But she is never called New Nellie, as that has absolutely no catchy ring to it. So now my once New Nellie, named ole Nellie has gone to the Great Car Heaven in the Sky. I feel very sad about that right now.

My first Nellie was a 1976 Toyota Corolla. I never really learned to drive by someone teaching me, I learned by watching other folks drive. A few years after college I was ready and passed my test with a minor error, I leaned to the side when I made the turn. The lady didn’t know I was a low rider, but she let me pass.

First car came from GMC, paid off and good credit rating to boot. She was just what we needed, for our family of 5 at the time. Everybody was little, and we didn’t have a bulky car-seat taking up room in those days. Unfortunately, she died for lack of lubrication over many, many months. Engine locked up and that was it!!

Found a New Nellie, a little while later. Great car for growing children and friends children too. We only had one issue with this one, the hatch had a tendency to not catch. So we would slam it extra hard till we broke it and then would have to repair it, especially after we lost a kiddie out the back door. Hairy scary times. I was speechless, how could I explain to the little boy’s mom, that he fell out the back of the car into oncoming traffic. The Angels saved him so he could live and continue to drive his family up the wall, but that’s another story.  This Nellie had engine trouble early on. Had a great mechanic in the Northeast who did all he could, several times to bring her back to life. But she ultimately left us for the Great Car Heaven in the Sky but not after we got good use out of her!!

Now, here I vaguely remember another Nellie. But she was very, very short lived. Her engine caught on fire one day, and that was that. Another one bit the dust and went to the Great Car Heaven in the Sky.

Every Nellie was a gift in some way or other. They got me out of tight squeezes and provided a great service that I am still grateful for to this day. Whenever they broke down, there was always a car Angel around to help me out with a carload of children they were certainly heaven sent.

Then Came the Greatest Nellie Of Them All!!!

Why do I say that? Well, for a number of reasons, four reasons to be exact. My 4 younguns who were terribly embarrassed to rid in this New Nellie. Puuuulease!!! They simply did not realize that this New Ole Nellie was a Cadillac! I mean, power steering, disk breaks, power windows, air conditioning, seats that did all kinds of stuff. Who cared if she was once a cab??!! And for $50 and a title, who could beat that, especially since we had been walking and taking the bus everywhere. No one understands what it feels like to have the stares of well meaning folk pitying me as I would climb on the bus with 4 little people going in four different directions. The youngest did not like sitting next to anyone, the second oldest was always falling asleep and had to be awakened at least 20 minutes before we got off. The second daughter loved to wear her clothes and shoes on backwards…. um, before it was a style and the oldest one, well he was quite helpful, but he was just a little tike himself. I had 4 children in 6 years. Yay, me!!!! So imagine the adventure we went on whenever we boarded an inner train or bus.
To me this car was a Godsend… To my young’uns, quite the contrary. They were mortified, they were embarrassed, they hated that car!!! The jeers they got from neighboring children yelling “Taxi”!!! Jeez, children can be cruel, but that car was awesome, little did they realize they were riding in style in an expensive gift car, painted like a taxi.

And right around the corner, was a wonderful mechanic who did all he could to keep her on the road. I think that is why I am writing this blog post. I have certainly been blessed with cars right at the right time when they were most needed and when there was a wonderful mechanic not to far away. I’m talking about a mechanic that didn’t see a woman coming and decide to take advantage. I am talking about a mechanic who saw this woman coming with a carload of children and did all he could to keep me on the road with them.

Well as the story goes, Ole Nellie died and she stayed dead for 10 years. Imagine, ten years without a vehicle!! Living in the inner city did make it a bit easier, but I rode my bike and homeschooled during this time. We walked to wherever we had to go or took the bus, and again, they were a bit older, but not much different and certainly quite noisey. Nothing like the chatter of stairsteps, enjoying each others company or not!

It took Ole Nellie 10 whole years to re-incarnate. I would question myself as to why I was back on foot. Did I offend the Great Car Heaven God in the Sky by the way I treated his servant? Did I drive his servant into the ground, so now it was my turn to take another look and be more circumspect about how I would be treating Nellie, when she incarnated again?? I don’t know if I ever figured that out. Nevertheless, another gift came, and Ole Nellie re-incarnated as a Ford Station Wagon. It was once used as a cab but I dared not to tell my children. By now the boys were gone and only the girls remained. New/Ole Nellie was a blessing as well. Someone I knew had her and sold her to me for cheap. She only last 2 years but I was grateful to have her for that long. She blew a hose in her engine and caught on fire that would have cost more than she was worth to fix. I think I had her towed away, or sold her for parts but I don’t remember. Something about trauma and how it affects your memory.

But this time Nellie decided to come back a little faster this time around. She manifested as a 1988 Toyota Corona Station Wagon. And guess what, I paid $1 for her and the registrations fees. Long story short, she had been sitting there waiting for her other owner who moved away and never came back to get her. She was a gift from the Gods cause surely, I really needed a car so I could get to some of VOA events without having to spend money on rentals. Ha, I spent so much money on rentals I could have bought at least three luxury cars.

But of course the VOA folks love luxury, and preferred to ride in the new cars instead of my Ole Nellie, so many times we would pack them in the rental and I would take Nellie, we had an unbelievable bond, we did!!!! True story..

New/Ole Nellie lasted for about 2 or 3 years.. Again, I had a great mechanic who did all he could to keep her on the road. She was old and tired and while she was willing to get me from point “A” to point “B”, she didn’t feel like it all the time. So sometime we would leave her for another traveling option cause she was a bit finicky. But still a wonderful companion that I totally appreciated, especially for only $1!!!!!

She carried our VOA instruments and one day, someone decided to break into the car and take them out. Now that was the funniest ever. We could barely figure out why anyone would go through the trouble of stealing a bunch of African drums, agogo bells and shekeres that they could not sell on the black market. Ha, we could barely sell them on the open market. And if folks didn’t know how to use them or play them, then what??

We later found out that they took them to a thrift/boutique store who gladly took them off their hands, cause she knew what they were. Ironically, most folks aren’t gonna buy drums off the street peddler anyways. I mean really!!! And what would they do with this thing?

Well, it was late January, and after the news outlets were informed by my enraged daughter that we had been robbed, they all flocked to my door questioning us over and over again about this event. It had become a “Black History Month” Story that everyone wanted to tell. Strange indeed.
For an entire week, our lives belonged to the media, they were in our hair for 7 days straight. We had TV cameras in our faces, we were on the radio and we had a serious 15 minutes of fame, that brought folks out of the woodwork to donate drums and instruments to us, along with money to buy more stuff!! It was incredible!! The outpouring of love from the community was overwhelming and we went on tour with all new instruments but at least we had some!!!!! Even a Jewish Agency called us up and offered to raise money for us to get new instruments! Now imagine that!!!!!

I must say, that every single Nellie brought a wonderful experience with her. She did her part and made up for the parts she couldn’t do. Like she didn’t have an alarm so she was able to be robbed, but she got her picture took by NBC news and ended up in the paper and that made headlines. She smiled and I was so thankful for all her help!!!

And for a little bit of Poetic Justice, in May, a temporary office assistant arrived to work in the office. When I told her about the Event she said: “Oh was that your stuff?? My brother tried to sell it on the corner to some Africans who were walking by and they said they didn’t want it.” That was absolutely too funny. There she was working in the office of the person whose car her brother broke into and stole the contents. Which were partially found by the way.

Then Ole Nellie got the call.. It was a small call, a short call at first, a little kink here and another kink there, but she held off. She did not break down in some dark deserted place where I was in danger. And the few times she did break down, the Car Angel was right there to pull her through. Wonders…!! But she was old and tired. She had sat too long and it was a little harder for her to completely revive herself for the long journeys and traveling back and forth that I needed her to do. But she did give me a good trade in and with that she was reborn into my current New/Ole Nellie.

Ole NellieThe current New/Ole Nellie had only been in my possession for approximately 11 of the 12 weeks she was under factory warranty, she decided to break down in NY city! Needless to say, I was dumbfounded, I barely had her and she was breaking down?? Of course the Car Angels showed up and tried all they could to figure out her problem but to no avail. She had to be towed. I had two choices, tow her to Philly, or get her fixed in NY. Triple A’s mechanic claimed to have fixed her, and after borrowing $300 from my godmother and driving home two days later, she cut off again.
I took her back to where I bought her just within the warrantee time and they fixed her, free of charge. They fixed her so good she never had a serious problem again!!!! It was a clogged up engine. Turns out these Toyota Sienna’s 2000, were known for that problem. She did me good for 10 years folks!!!!! TEN WHOLE YEARS!! I swear by Toyota’s they are really good cars. The only weather Nellie didn’t like was rainy weather, she always started right up. Even now.
Again I had a wonderful mechanic, in fact I used the same mechanic I had till I moved to Darby, and would you believe it, another wonderful mechanic was one block away from my house. He was marvelous and did not overcharge me at all!!! I would refer him to anyone who needs a good mechanic.

Even now, she cuts on, but she leaked all her transmission fluid out and she won’t go. Now I not only need the Car Angel, but I need another Car Angel who wishes to gift me with a new car, or a New/Ole Nellie.

I ain’t mad at her, not one bit, she kicked it out, really hard for me. We have many, many shared memories. The journeys we took with her were each adventures in their own way. She was the most awesome of all the Nellie’s that preceded her, in respect to her endurance and functionality. She road as far north as Wisconsin and as far south as Florida. She has only the dents I put in her, her tires are in good shape and she has a few quirks but other than that, she was a darned good car!!! She also hauled around the VOA paraphernalia and with good measure.

But I get the feeling this is it for her. She won’t go. 

Last August, I moved to New Jersey.

I am happy about my move. And didn’t think that I would move here of all places, and not have a vehicle. I am sure there is a lesson in here somewhere, but when it came down to making the choice between getting the car fixed and paying my rent… well, I guess you could say I did the thing that makes most sense. I paid the rent.

Meanwhile, Ole Nellie is collecting dust from not having moved in over 2 weeks. About the same amount of time I have been a bonafide NJ-ite. 

I feel some kinda way about all this…. just not sure what way that is right now.

I guess I am writing this for several reasons

1. to pay homage to parts of my life that I may have taken for granted.

2. to have a memorial for Ole Nellie

3. to ask the Universe to let her re-incarnate in the magical way she has done over and over again

4. and to thank her and wish her well.

Here’s the irony, the little part that most of these reporters on this situation are grossly overlooking. The “lands” that supposedly belong to the ranchers belonged to the Indigenous people before the European came and decided to take it over. In taking it over with the belief that they could and had the authority to do so, the whole of North and South America was “captured”. Now these people whose Ancestors did it to the Natives are crying out about how unfairly they are being treated. I always say, “When the shoe is on the other foot, it’s a tight squeeze.”

This government and its agents are doing exactly what they have been doing since they first came here. They feel they have the right to claim any land, anywhere they so desire and for any reason. Remember, the first settlements were in the Eastern Region of North America, then they decided to “Go West”. I am almost certain that that land which the Bundy ranch is on did not originally belong to anyone named “Bundy”! And to compare being there since 1870’s or so to being there for thousands upon thousands of years is a small fry of an argument to a government that not only feels it can claim land in its jurisdiction, but it can claim territory and it’s people’s way of life, all over the world.

How many of these same ranchers and citizen militias fought in the wars overseas? How many of them voted for war against a contrived enemy? How many of them hold prejudices and biases against “Immigrants”?

Federal Land Per StateMy point is, if you support a government that oppresses others, steals from others, lies to others and creates chaos with others, what makes you think that that same government is not going to perpetuate that same abuse upon you? Your Ancestors laid down this government, this constitution, these laws…… exclusive of the Indigenous people, the Africans and women. You blatantly support your governments actions in creating a “Constitution” that was derived with these inherent exclusions. And now, you want that same government to treat “you” differently. Is this collective cognitive dissonance or is it ignorance or is it the idea that because your Ancestors did it to others, you believe that the fine print reads that you are exempt???

This is my major departure from this video and this reporter. It is as if he, Stefan, lives in the twilight zone, or on another planet or other reality. He seems grossly unable to connect these dots, that is, this land does not belong to the US government, State government, or city government. It was inhabited by a people who were brutally displaced and pushed into reservations so that invaders can take it over, settle on it, and claim that their family has been there for 2 centuries! I am sure that the few remaining tribes left in the area find this quite comical and a form of “chickens coming home to roost.”

I don’t know the land rights laws that are implied in the Constitution of the US or the State Constitution of Nevada, but what I do know is that everything is in Divine order and what goes around comes around. Humanity has this thing about owning land and its resources, they have been fighting wars over it since the beginning. What does that say about human beings? They are territorial, insecure, fearful beings who feel threatened by another territorial, insecure, fearful being. Rather than negotiating amicably, they would rather fight! Some are so bold to take their “flag” to another celestial body and plant it as if to claim that territory as well. In fact, they sell stars and plots of land on the Moon. Really??? This situation is simply a tiny pimple on the mound of a much bigger problem. Man’s disconnection from Source and therefore its disconnection from everything around him including the Sun, Moon, Stars and this here, Planet Earth.

Indian Reservations Map of Nevada, pdf 

Nevada Tribal Lands, Maps, Air Quality Analysis | Pacific …

Nevada Tribes – Nevada Indian Territory

Category:American Indian reservations in Nevada – Wikipedia

Nevada Tribes – 500 Nations

Nevada Tribes

Battle Mountain Band
35 Mountain View Drive #138-13
Battle Mountain
NV 89820-
(775) 635-2004
Fax: 635-8016

Carson Colony
2900 S. Curry St.
Carson City, NV 89704
(775) 883-6459
Fax: (775) 883-6467

Dresslerville Colony of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
1585 Watasheamu
Gardnerville, NV 89460
(775) 265-5645

Duck Valley Reservation – Nevada & Idaho Shoshone-Paiute Tribes
P.O. Box 219
Owyhee,
Nevada 89832
(208) 759-3100
Fax: (208) 759-3940

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation
101 1st Street,
DUCKWATER, NV 89314
(775) 863-0227 ‎

Elko Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians
525 Sunset Street
Elko, NV 89801
(775) 738-9251

Ely Shoshone Tribe
16 Shoshone Circle
Ely
NV 89301-
(775) 289-3013
Fax: 289-3156

Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
565 RIO VISTA DRIVE
FALLON, NEVADA 89406
Phone: (775) 423-6075
Fax: (775) 423-5202

Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe
Post Office Box 457
McDermitt
NV 89421-
(775) 532-8259
Fax: 532-8263

Goshute Tribe
White Pine County, Nevada

Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada
680 Greenbrae Dr., Suite 280
Sparks, NV 89431
Phone: (775) 355-0600 Ext. 130
Fax: (775) 355-0648

Las Vegas Paiute Tribe
1 Paiute Drive
Las Vegas
NV 89106-
(702) 386-3926
Fax: 383-4019

Lovelock Paiute Tribe
Box 878
Lovelock
NV 89419-
(775) 273-7861
Fax:(702) 273-7861

Moapa Paiute Band of the Moapa Indian Reservation
Post Office Box 56
Moapa
NV 89025-0340
(775) 865-2787
Fax: 865-2875

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
Post Office Box 256
Nixon
NV 89424-7401
(775) 574-1000
FAX: 574-1008

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
98 Colony Road
Reno
NV 89502-
(775) 329-2936
Fax: 329-8710

Shoshone Paiute Business Council
P.O. Box 219
Omyhee
NV 89832-

South Fork Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians
Post Box B-13
Lee
NV 89829-
(775) 744-4223
Fax: 738-0569

Stewart Colony
5258 Snyder Ave.
Carson
Nevada 89701
(775) 883-7767
Fax: 887-3531

Summit Lake Paiute Tribe
510 Melarkey #11, Suite 207
Winnemucca
NV 89445-
(775) 623-5151
Fax: 623-0558

Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians (4 Bands)
525 Sunset Street
Elko
NV 89801-
(775) 738-9251
Fax: 738-2345

Walker River Paiute Tribe
Post Office Box 220
Schurz
NV 89427-
(775) 773-2306
Fax: 773-2585

Washoe Tribal Council
919 Highway 395 South
Gardnerville
NV 89410- (775) 883-1446
Fax: 265-6240

Wells Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians
P.O. Box 809
Wells
NV 89835-
(775) 752-3045
Fax: 752-0569

Winnemucca Colony
420 Pardde
Susanville
CA 96130-
(916) 257-7093
Fax: 887-3531

Woodsfords Colony
96 Washoe Blvd.
Markleeville
CA 96120
(916) 694-2170
887-3531

Yerington Paiute Tribe Colony and Campbell Ranch
171 Cambell Lane
Yerington
NV 89447-
(775) 463-3301
Fax: 463-2416

Yomba Shoshone Tribe
HC 61 Box 6275
Austin
NV 89310-
(775) 964-2448
Fax: 962-2443 



Nana Baakan Connections

I’m confused, can anyone help me? — RT Op-Edge

I’m confused, can anyone help me?

An anti-government protester waves a flag in front of the seized office of the SBU state security service in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine April 14, 2014. (Reuters / Shamil Zhumatov)

I’m confused. A few weeks ago wewere told in the West that people occupying government buildings in
Ukraine was a very good thing. These people, we were told by our political leaders and elite media commentators, were ‘pro-democracy protestors’.

The US government warned the Ukrainian authorities against using force against these ‘pro-democracy protestors’ even if, according to the pictures we saw, some of them were neo-Nazis who were throwing Molotov cocktails and other things at the police and smashing up statues and setting fire to buildings.

Now, just a few weeks later, we’re told that people occupying government buildings in Ukraine are not ‘pro-democracy protestors’ but ‘terrorists’ or ‘militants’.

Why was the occupation of government buildings in Ukraine a very good thing in January, but it is a very bad thing in April? Why was the use of force by the authorities against protestors completely unacceptable in January, but acceptable now? I repeat: I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

Pro-Russian activists gather outside the secret service building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk on April 14, 2014. (AFP Photo / DimitarDilkoff)

The anti-government protestors in Ukraine during the winter received visits from several prominent Western politicians, including US Senator John McCain, and Victoria Nuland, from the US State Department, who handed out cookies. But there have been very large anti-government protests in many Western European countries in recent weeks, which have received no such support, either from such figures or from elite Western media commentators. Nor have protestors received free cookies from officials at the US State Department.

Surely if they were so keen on anti-government street protests in Europe, and regarded them as the truest form of ‘democracy’, McCain and Nuland would also be showing solidarity with street protestors in Madrid, Rome, Athens and Paris? I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

A thousand people gather in front of fences blocking the street leading to the Spain’s parliament (Las Cortes) during an anti-government demonstration in Madrid (AFP Photo / Javier Soriano)A few weeks ago I saw an interview with the US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry who said, “You just don’t invade another country on phony pretexts in order to assert your interests.” But Iseem to recall the US doing just that on more than one occasionin the past 20 years or so.

Have I misremembered the ‘Iraq has WMDs claim’? Was I dreaming back in 2002 and early 2003 when politicians and neocon pundits came on TV every day to tell us plebs that we had to go to war with Iraq because of the threat posed by Saddam’s deadly arsenal? Why is having a democratic vote in Crimea on whether to rejoin Russia deemed worse than the brutal, murderous invasion of Iraq – an invasion which has led to the deaths of up to 1 million people? I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

AFP Photo / Pool / Mario TamaWe were also told by very serious-looking Western politicians and

media ‘experts’ that the Crimea referendum wasn’t valid because it was held under “military occupation.” But I’ve just been watching coverage of elections in Afghanistan, held under military occupation, which have been hailed by leading western figures, such as NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen as a “historic moment for Afghanistan” and a great success for “democracy.” Why is the Crimean vote dismissed, but the Afghanistan vote celebrated? I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

An Afghan policeman keeps watch as Afghan voters line up to vote at a local polling station in Ghazni on April 5, 2014. (AFP Photo /Rahmatullah Alizadah)Syria too is rather baffling. We were and are told that radical Islamic terror groups pose the greatest threat to our peace, security and our ‘way of life’ in the West. That Al-Qaeda and other such groups need to be destroyed: that we needed to have a relentless ‘War on Terror’ against them. Yet in Syria, our leaders have been siding with such radical groups in their war against a secular government which respects the rights of religious minorities, including Christians.

When the bombs of Al-Qaeda or their affiliates go off in Syria and innocent people are killed there is no condemnation from our leaders: their only condemnation has been of the secular Syrian government which is fighting radical Islamists and which our leaders and elite media commentators are desperate to have toppled. I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

AFP Photo / Amr Radwan Al-HomsiThen there’s gay rights. We are told that Russia is a very bad and backward country because it has passed a law against promoting homosexuality to minors. Yet our leaders who boycotted the Winter Olympics in Sochi because of this law visit Gulf
states where homosexuals can be imprisoned or even executed, and warmly embrace the rulers there, making no mention of the issue of gay rights.

Surely the imprisonment or execution of gay people is far worse than a law which forbids promotion of homosexuality to minors? Why, if they are genuinely concerned about gay rights, do our leaders attack Russia and not countries that imprison or execute gay people? I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia (AFP Photo / Saul Loeb)

We are told in lots of newspaper articles that the Hungarian ultra-nationalist party Jobbik is very bad and that its rise is a cause of great concern, even though it is not even in the government, or likely to be. But neo-Nazis and ultra-nationalists
do hold positions in the new government of Ukraine, which our leaders in the West enthusiastically support and neo-Nazis and the far-right played a key role in the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government in February, a ‘revolution’ cheered on by the West. Why are ultra-nationalists and far-right groups unacceptable in Hungary but very acceptable in Ukraine? I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

Chairman of the far-right parliamentary JOBBIK (Better) party Gabor Vona (C) reacts for the result of the parliamentary election with his party
members at Budapest Congress Center in Budapest on April 6, 2014. (AFP Photo / Peter Kohalmi)

We are told that Russia is an aggressive,  imperialist power and that NATO’s concerns are about opposing the Russian ‘threat’. But I looked at the map the other day and while I could see lots of countries close to (and bordering) Russia that were members of NATO, the US-led military alliance
whose members have bombed and attacked many countries in the last 15 years, I could not see any countries close to America that were part of a Russian-military alliance, or any Russian military
bases or missiles situated in foreign countries bordering or close to the US. Yet Russia, we are told, is the ‘aggressive one’. I’m confused. Can anyone help me?

Neil Clark is a journalist, writer and broadcaster. His award winning blog can be found at www.neilclark66.blogspot.com. Follow him on Twitter



Get short URL Published time: April 15, 2014 10:06







Nana Baakan Connections

Today I took a trip to the NJ MVC (NJ Motor Vehicle Commision). After 8 months the pressure was on to conform to the rules of the land, or be without the convenience of paying more dues to it! My car has been acting weird and she really sounded weird today, but she got me there.

When I stepped outside, all I could do was shake my head at the big giant X that stretched across the entire sky. I had no time to dally with the sky phenomenon today so I quickly got into my car and turned on my GPS and headed towards Runnemede, NJ.

The panic I felt the few days before going there was immeasurable. They have a 6 point checklist of things you need to prove you are who you are and that you belong here on this planet. And if you don’t they will flatly send you home and tell you try it again. Fortunately, I was able to gather all that I needed and a little some for good measure. My goal, to get a photo ID. I was under the impression that I would have to take the NJ driving test so I opted for the ID card.

The “citizen slave” receptionist told me I had just what I needed and asked me,
“Are you sure you want to surrender your PA driver’s license?” The word surrender” sounded so ominous.
“Surrender?” I asked, “you mean I have to give it up in order to get a NJ ID card?”
“Of course,” he respond candidly, “You cannot have several ID cards.”
(Like lady, what do you think this is?? Do you work for the CIA? Or some other top brass official organization, cause they the only ones allowed to have more than one ID card. In fact, some of them have several and depending on the occasion they will flash them for you, but you little comely “citizen slave” is only allowed one.)
I am stumped, now what do I do.
“You can just get a NJ driver’s license and that will be sufficient.”
“But how will I go about doing that? Do I have to take the driver’s lesson over again?”
“Oh no!” he responded as if he were just so happy to tell me that the slaves that come to his state need only surrender their other slave master’s jurisdiction and they are welcomed with open arms.
“You can do that today. You can get your NJ driver’s license today.” He smiled so nicely at me. It almost tricked me into feeling relieved. He actually believes in his slave master and that his slave master is one of the nicest slave masters around.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see in a picture frame, hanging on the wall behind him, the smiling face of Governor Chris Christie, whose face seemed to smile even broader now that he has been exonerated from that NJ BridgeGate Scandal. Even as I was leaving, the little happy “citizen slave” receptionist, went out of his way to bid me a fond farewell.

Standing in the MVC in Runnemede, NJ, I watched as “citizens slaves” renewed their vehicle registrations, their driver’s license, and get new ones. I watched “citizen slaves” pay $46.50 for vehicle registrations, $24.00 for ID cards, and $34.00 to transfer your license from another state to NJ.

I watched “citizen slaves” line up for their numbers and ID cards and had flashbacks of South Africa, when you could travel no where without an ID card. I watched the little old lady receptionist “citizen slave”, check the paperwork of other “citizen slaves” to make sure it was all there according to the law.

One “citizen slave” was so distraught, he wanted to register a vehicle in his name, a vehicle that belonged to a deceased or long gone relative. In his haste he started erasing the name of this relative on the registration document and then quickly caught himself before he erased everything. But, to his chagrin, he had altered the document which made in inadmissible. He was completely outdone, as he begged the other “citizen slave” to allow his document to pass. She flatly refused, fearful of her job being jeopardized as he begged and pleaded. She demanded that he get another document and get the person whose name is on it to get a new one.
“But he’s dead!” he cried.
“Dead?’ she responded.
“Well, he’s missing, he’s gone, I don’t know where he is. We can’t find him!” he responded frantically. “Is there anything you can do?”
“No, you need another document, you altered this one, we cannot take it.” She responds definitively..
“But isn’t there anything I can do?” the poor little “citizen slave” begged.
“Well, you can declare the car abandoned. Then you can take ownership of it.” Crestfallen, the “citizen slave”, walked away as I wondered why and how we are so anxious to add another chain to our ankles.

After several months, I finally am standing in this line to tell the world, I am no longer a “citizen slave” of Pennsylvania, but have transferred my slave owner to New Jersey. Then it was my turn, after standing in the wrong line for over an hour, I step up, to become a “citizen slave” of New Jersey. 

The little old “citizen slave” representatives busily worked away in their pastel blues and spring

yellows. The younger “citizen slave” customer servant agent had perched on her desk a picture of her fiancé, totally clad in dressed army uniform. And as she faded away for a minute, creating a soft pause between herself and her paperwork, I wondered if that “citizen slave” representative was wondering if she would ever see her “citizen slave” soldier again.

Then she called my number, 67. Her diamond ring sparkled on her finger as she thumbed through my paperwork. She takes a soft break, and I traveled with her wondering how he is doing and will she ever see her fiancé again, and if she does, what kind of physical and mental condition will he be in. She was kind and courteous and most likely looking forward to getting out of there in contrast to her senior “citizen slaves” who appeared quite competent, white haired, deep glasses busily typing the information into the MVC standard software on their computers. I wondered how long they had been there. Was it Nepotism or genuine qualifications that had them there long past retirement age.

It’s lunch time and the “citizen slaves” lined up, one by one, almost two by two.

The young “citizen slave” customer servant agent looked at my head wrap and said,
“Um, it’s part of your religion, right?”
I nodded, she never looked up, and said,
“Right, it’s your religion, it’s okay” in a moving-right-along tone.

Then I felt compelled to tell her how outraged I was when they questioned me when I got my PA license renewed for 2014. I had been wearing my headwrap for these many years, which I politely did not state, and showed her my other license and passport with my headwrap and now they want me to take it off??!! She chuckled at my story, admitting that they would never take anyone of their “citizen slaves” through that as long as it’s their religion!! Again, the citizen slaves are not allowed to wear any head wear unless it’s for religious reasons. Though they are aware that some just want to wear the headwrap to cover their messed up hair. I can understand covering messed up hair, but I only thought that, avoiding the look I would have gotten if I changed my story. But seriously, many of us who wear headwraps ain’t wrapping up a new do, that’s for sure.

Then SNAP!!!!!!!

I questioned myself, wondering why didn’t  I feel jubilant!! What’s up with that? It’s finally done, I have all I need for anything, anywhere to prove I am a registered “citizen slave”. I can use this card to open a bank account, register to vote, get a passport update, show proof of address all over the place. I am in like Flint! but somehow I just don’t feel like happy days are here again. Where’s Pharrell Williams when you need him?

And then on the mechanical side of life, Ole Nellie, my car is acting up. She is leaking transmission fluid and had to be towed home after the ordeal at the NJ MVC. But Ole Nellie, she is a blessing, she came to a complete stop after several others, near home base, and quietly allowed herself to be drawn onto the tow truck and moved through the streets of NJ to my front door. I wondered if she felt my own conflicting feelings and since she had trouble with her transmission fluid leaking, I wondered if she was manifesting my own reticence to transition from PA Law to NJ Law.

I guess I am writing this to get a grip on how I feel about this. The irony of it all, is that as hard as you may attempt to get off the grid, consuming only a very little, at some point, you have to prove to somebody that you have the right to be here. How is it that human beings have to prove that they belong on the land they were born on?

Watching people have a glimpse, a tiny glimpse of “mission accomplished” as their paperwork past the acid test, and then slowly as they made their way to the door, you could hear the rattle of the prison guard keys and the slam of the prison gate, as each person knew, this was temporary, until that next date when they would have to stand in that line, once more, or else!!

Many of them have no idea of how they turned themselves in to the “citizen slave” master’s prison guards. They do not realize that by registering themselves, their property, their lives; at any point, at any time a law can be enacted to take them, their property, their lives away. The story of their life and survival on this prison planet is at the forefront of their minds. And if they register to vote, bequeath an organ, pay their taxes, they will be free. Free to live in America, the so called “greatest” country in the world. So the truth that they/we are walking around in a prison without bars is incomprehensible to most of those folks I saw today. They pride themselves in being good “citizen slaves”, doing their civic duty and staying within the extent of the law. And since it ain’t gonna change any time soon, I too stood in the line, felt that momentary sense of freedom and walked out, with my badge, my imprint, my chip, my picture and my acceptance into the “citizen slave” state of NJ.


I guess, I am feeling a little mournful. A deja vu of my ancestors who were transported to a new slave master, after they had just gotten used to the ways and wiles of the old one. Delving into the unknown can be a bit scary… then you pull yourself together and realize, it ain’t unknown, it’s the  
same slave master, just a different slave state.

So, I won’t just promise my poet friend I met in the line that I will come out and engage with him and his art; but I will go, because quiet as it’s kept, it is through our creativity that we can transcend slavery on this prison planet or at least find some joy.

It was interesting as I was surrendering myself to the banking system as a self employed “citizen slave”, the “citizen slave” Bank rep, chose to identify my Performing Arts rather than my Mental Health Profession as my main source of income. Ha! Could that be a sign, a signal, a message, that he inadvertently gave me? We are all in this boat together, at least pursue your Cultural Performing Arts to get that fleeting sense, “yeah, we live on a prison planet, but we can find some freedom through the arts.” He whimsically mused as he told me about his singing days and desire to go back to them.

I am grateful, I am blessed, I am honored to have the knowledge I have about this world, I would not give it back for any reason at all. It just felt like I had stepped into the twilight zone today, standing in the NJ MVC line adding another nail in the coffin of “citizen slavery”.

It’s over, it’s done, I am now a bonafide member of the human slave population of NJ. And what a cute little colorful chipped license they gave me. New address, new face, new license, but for some reason, it didn’t feel joyful, not at all.

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON 

Do you like this dude??
Actually, I really don’t care for his science, but this article is interesting, I should call it an interesting spin on Science, because clearly, the scientists and the fundamentalists are flip sides of the same coin.

What they each call “provable evidence” is based on a belief system that is hardly verifiable due to the limited analysis they both stand use. Neither will move outside of their own paradigm. Neither will budge in the face of facts that do not align with their world view. Each of them have conferences, write books, set up educational systems, debate and demonize others who do not comply with their belief systems.

Science is a belief system that works in some cases but is subject to continued experimentation and analysis, all the while claiming each new discovery as the final “truth”. The extreme of fundamentalists on the other hand, will continually refer to their world view as the fundamental and true frame of reference.

Both extremes keep these two teams battling within and without their circle for dominance of their position. However, there is a deeper meaning of life than what can be scientifically proven, tested and verified, there is more to life than can be reference in the fundamentalists doctrine. There is the unseen, the unpredictable, the unknowingness, the indescribable and definitely the unmeasurable that neither the Scientists can “physically” prove it exists, or the fundamentalists can gather references in their doctrines.

Additionally, they both want to believe that they “know” what happened when the Universe was created. They pull together a series of proofs with such authority that to question it makes you a skeptic, heretic or conspiracy theorist. For this reason, such limited science and religion will have these two groups spinning around on their self created treadmill, both fearful of the unknowable.

Indeed the one system they both defy is the paranormal. Until they realize this, the strides they make into understanding the universe and all that’s in it from a scientific or spiritual/religious point of view will continually be flawed.

Unfortunately, what typically happens is the so-called “death bed” confessions. By then it is too late. The Masses have all been brainwashed. The impact of changing your story midstream can be catastrophic to those who “follow” without question and conform without inner discernment. Ultimately, the “deathbed confession” is cast aside, considered the ravings of a madman, or creates such cognitive dissonance that many will simply go back to sleep.

Thus, the two institutions on this Human Planet, who have the responsibility to bring Humanity to the deepest knowledge of self and science… fails!!!!!! Humanity continues to process and reprocess the fallacious doctrine of the scientists and the fundamentalists. Humanity becomes polarized and remains unable to balance the two extremes within themselves. IE, scientists cannot espouse a spiritual doctrine and fundamentalists cannot espouse a scientific doctrine.

Humanity remains cemented to 3D reality of polar opposites for eternity until such time as this major bridge is gapped. Let me just add, that this is ONLY the fate of those who conform to the Western modalities of Science and Religion. Indigenous societies for as long as humanity has inhabited this planet are at the center. Their science and spiritual beliefs support each other.

THURSDAY, MAR 27, 2014 07:50 AM EDTCosmic terror: Why Neil deGrasse Tyson has religious fundamentalists so freaked

Religious belief systems prefer a universe with mankind firmly at its center. No wonder “Cosmos” is so threatening

ADAM LEE, ALTERNET
The new Cosmos TV series airing on Fox is a worthy reboot of Carl Sagan’s original. Following in Sagan’s footsteps, host Neil deGrasse Tyson takes viewers on a voyage through the outer reaches of the solar system and beyond, showing how our sun is just one star out of a hundred billion in the majestic spiral of the Milky Way galaxy, and even the Milky Way itself is a speck in the observable universe. As in the original series, he compresses the history of the universe into a single year, showing that on that scale, the human species emerges only in the last few seconds before midnight on December 31.Sagan’s Cosmos was due for an update, and not just because our computer graphics are better. Since the original series aired, we’ve sent robotic rovers to Mars, sampling its rocks and exploring its history. We’ve detected hundreds of alien planets outside the solar system, finding them by the slight gravitational wobble they cause in their home stars, or by the brief dips in light as they pass across the star’s face as seen from Earth. We’ve found the Higgs boson, the elusive and long-theorized particle that endows everything else with mass. We’ve discovered that the expansion of the Universe which began with the Big Bang is accelerating, driven by a mysterious force called dark energy. All these scientific advances deserve to be recognized and celebrated.The story of Cosmos is also the story of human beings. For the vast majority of our history as a species, we were wanderers, small hunter-gatherer bands. Civilization is a recent innovation, arising within the last few thousand years, and science is more recent still, appearing only in the last few hundred. But in just those few short centuries, we’ve made dramatic strides, from wooden sailing ships to space shuttles, bloodletting to bionic limbs, quill pens to the Internet. We’ve drawn back the curtain on ancient mythologies and glimpsed the true immensity of time and space. Compared to that vastness, we’re unimaginably small and insignificant; yet we possess an intelligence and a power of understanding that, as far as we still know, is unique among all the countless worlds. As Carl Sagan said, “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”  Read entire article here:  http://www.salon.com/2014/03/27/cosmic_terror_why_neil_degrasse_tyson_has_religious_fundamentalists_so_freaked_partner/?source=newsletterThis article originally appeared on AlterNet.