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At his inaugural address yesterday President Obama's rhetoric was reminiscent of his predecessor Mr. Bush; "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you," he said."Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right."Rest in peace and love Dr. Martin Luther King--who's January 15th birthday was celebrated on Monday, January 19, a day before the swearing in of President Barack Obama. Would that President Obama had paid tribute to Dr. King by quoting from his speech entitled "Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence."
"This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nation's self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls "enemy," for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers."It is encouraging for the world that even though the U.S.'s new "Commander and Chief" was not forthcoming with the love, his supporters, be they U.S. born or internationally bred, were. They have warmly embraced the new "leader of the free world" and wish him the best. Hopefully, with their love, support and civic involvement -- "a change is gonna come."
On New Year's Eve, Oscar Grant was murdered by a transit police officer. Grant was subdued, posed no threat, and was shot execution style.
Johannes Mehserle, Grant's killer, has not been arrested, charged with a crime, or even questioned by the Alameda District Attorney. More than 10 days later Mehserle still walks free.
Join us in demanding that California Attorney General Jerry Brown take over the case from the District Attorney and arrest Mehserle immediately. At the same time your action will result in an appeal to the US Department of Justice to investigate the repeated failures of BART Police and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office's to hold officer's accountable in police-killings.
CNN is reporting that the group Human Rights Watch has observed Israel firing white phosphorus into Gaza. Human Rights Watch is demanding that Israel stop. The practice of using deadly poisons on civilian populations is against international law; as is this collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza. On CNN an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson claimed last week that they were not using white phosphorus.
Haitians celebrate and honor Papa Dessalines--the founding father of Haiti. Although the former house slave Toussaint "The Opening" L'Ouverture played a vital part leading the start of the revolution, it was the former field slave, Jean-Jacques "Le Tigre" Dessalines who won freedom and independence from the French. There is considerable and rampant misinformation about this fact -- but it was Jean-Jacques Dessalines who defeated the French and won Haiti's independence, not Toussaint L'Ouverture. Toussaint L'Ouverture mistakenly believed in French honor and was seduced by the decorous words of the French Revolution, which stated that "All men are created equal, natural rights of liberty, security, property, and resistance to oppression were given to all citizens," In practice this declaration did not include anyone of his complexion. He was betrayed -- lured to a meeting, where he was detained and shipped off to France -- to die in a cold dank French dungeon. But historians credit Toussaint (perhaps rising on the third day?) with defeating the French and winning the Haitian Revolution. These revisionist historians find the house slave's decorous manners and Francophile ways to be more palatable to the unrefined field slave, Dessalines. It was Dessalines' name which struck fear in the hearts of slaveowners. His triumph is often repudiated by those who deem him unworthy of acclaim -- who have labeled him a violent tyrant. But it is clear that Dessalines possessed the same "killer instinct" of today's celebrated "war heroes." He was a true hero, who fought and won for the noble cause of freedom from slavery and for independence. As Haitians begin another year under UN occupation, they wonder when the struggle will be over. Today Haiti is burdened with the task of wrestling its freedom from the jaws of their oppressors again. In 2004, the U.S., Canada and France engineered another intervention that robbed Haitians of self-rule and its first democratically elected president. Today Haiti is not an independent sovereign nation because of the occupying force of MINUSTAH. Haiti is also enslaved by oppressive corporatist interests who hold the reigns of power and crack the whip of neo-liberal structural adjustment measures. These outside forces keep Haiti poor, underdeveloped and burdened with an onerous and unjust debt. France began this cycle when it managed "to extort an agreement" that condemned Haiti to pay a substantial annual indemnity to France for the success of the revolution. This criminal burden was faithfully respected by the Haitians, though it caused them no end of grief. With much of their revenue exported to France, there was little left to develop Haiti. The endless struggle continues for Haitians, but they are honed and scarred by many decades of an undeclared war and are up to climbing the difficult road ahead towards freedom. Today is also the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution; a struggle that involved many Haitians on the ground in Cuba. Cuba gives safe harbor to many Haitian immigrants and has a significant Haitian population, as evidenced by the fact that Haitian Creole is Cuba's second language. VIVA! While the U.S. and world media show remarkable ignorance in not recognizing the historical and deep impact of the Haitian Revolution, they do live daily with the repercussions. It is not an exaggeration to say that Haitians changed the map of the world and hastened the end of chattel slavery in the Americas. In defeating Napoleon, Haiti dashed the ambitions of France to build an American empire, resulting in the sale of its Louisiana Territory, which doubled the size of the U.S. Simon Bolivar benefited from the aid he received when he appealed to Haiti for help in winning the liberation of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Panama; all the Haitian president Petion asked in return was that Bolivar also free the slaves. One, Respe! Here's to the courageous men and women who fought and died in a heroic war that lasted 14 years and involved defeating three powerful nations and established the first independent Black Republic. Haitians will never forget the great achievements of the Haitian Revolution. Remember the Haitian revolution achievements by: 1. Circulating Boukman's Prayer; and 2. Send letters demanding France pay Haiti back the Independence Debt. (See sample letter). |
Zili Dlo: PHOTOS
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