On April 4, 1968, the man we called King, was taken from our midst. For many, he was a Dreamer, for other a Drum Major, still other saw him as a savior of sorts. His message was one of freedom and equality. His calling was to do God's Will. Yet, a sniper's bullet silenced silenced this gentle soul in a attempt to silence his voice, his dream, his calling. What a futile and senseless attempt. For a dream, albeit deferred, does not always shrivel or dry up...sometimes it festers and runs...and sometimes it explodes.
In Honor Of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Black News Junkie ~ ~ Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
First, it confirms the NAACP's conclusion that suicide was not the cause of Johnson's death (how the NAACP intended that ruling to be taken by the general public may be up for debate). Secondly, it rules out any potential for a violent death. This was an unspoken issue, but considering the natural racial overtones that surround the incident's circumstances, well, it was there. The police department, with this ruling, appears to be off the hook. And finally, it would appear that Johnson's family has little reason to ever consider filing a lawsuit in this matter, barring some defective issue with the shotgun. And that's not to say this is the last we'll hear about Johnson's family or the late high-school superstar; there's a chance, given the extremely mysterious nature of his death, that more evidence surfaces.
In December of last year, I reported on the case of Billey Joe Johnson, a gifted George County High School running back, who was shot to death following a traffic violation. At that time, the reported evidence was pointing to an "apparent suicide". Now we learn that earlier this month, the Grand Jury ruled Billey's death an accident. In addition, the Grand Jury ruled out any potential for a violent death and found that Sheriff Garry Welford was in no way responsible for Billey's death.
According to, Will Brinson, the Grand Jury ruling does three things:
AAPP provides the timeline of event - according to police - leading up to the "accident".
So, let me get this right. It wasn't a suicide, because the Grand Jury determined that Billey had too much to live for. So what that means is that Billey accidentally pick up a shot gun and accidentally put it to his head and accidentally pulled the trigger. Right? As Michael Corleone said to his brother-in-law before he had him whacked "Don't tell me your innocent. It insults my intelligence".
Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
More lay-offs...Stock market down another 100 points...Another plant closes...House values plummet, again...Economy is done...Utility costs up...We're in the worst recession of our time...
Each day we wake up to the dismal news of our fledgling economy. Each day we wake up to news of this company or that company laying off tens of thousands of workers with more lay offs on the horizon. We hear the numbers and wonder where the bottom is. We wonder when are things going to get better. We wonder how long we, as individuals, can hold out or for that matter - hold on. But, how often do we wonder or even realize that behind the news there are people just like you and me. People with hopes and dreams. People with families and responsibilities. People for whom the American dream is not only deferred - but a dream whose ashes now blow in the wind. People for whom there appears to be no shining light at the end of a tunnel.
People for whom there is only a tunnel that seems to have no end in sight. And because there is seemingly no where to turn, people like Erwin and Ana Lupoe of California and Mark and Jennifer Meeks of Ohio find an unthinkable way out. They kill themselves and their children. The stories of the Lupoes and Meeks have haunted me for several days now. But, as I listen to the debating and arguing over President Obama's stimulus plan, I wonder if their stories are haunting those we have elected to govern in the best interest of our citizenry. I wonder if their stories are haunting state officials who would choose to "wait" on "their share" of federal tax dollars rather than to look at potential revenue streams within their own borders.
So, while our local, state, and federal officials argue over taxes and pork, families with names like Lupoe and Meeks do the unthinkable because the American Dream has failed them at the hands of greed, self-centeredness, and self-preservation. No doubt, these families and other like them, were at the depths of despair and cared not about our officials proving that they "have a pair" by voting against increased taxes or the stimulus plan. I am not arguing the merits of the plan, in fact right now I could really care less.
What I am arguing is that Americans are hurting. And we are hurting to the point of no return. We are taking our lives and the lives of our children because we don't have jobs, we can't keep a roof over our children's heads or food in our children's stomachs. Theirs are not isolated cases and according to Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, such incidents have become "an all too common story in the last few months.
Many will say that they were crazy. That there was something they could have done. They should have saved their money. They should have this or the should have that. Well, I don't know what they should have done - but, I know that they should not have had to resort to this way out in the richest country in the world. A country that espouses human rights. A country whose basic premise lies on the words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". I pass no judgement on the Lupoes or Meekes because I know that "There but for the Grace of God, go I".
Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
In the case of Billey Joe Johnson, suicide is neither painless or the truth. Although an investigation is currently underway, the preliminary reports of the death Billey Joe Johnson are wanting and filled with many unanswered questions. What is even more disturbing is the supposed chronology of the circumstances leading to his death as told by the officer making the routine traffic stop.
Billey Joe Johnson (17), a gifted George County High School running back, was shot to death on following a traffic violation on Monday morning in Alabama. Sheriff Garry Welford, has been reported as saying that it is not sure as to whether or not his death was "simply" an accident or the result of suicide. Billey's mother, however, insists that her son's death was not the result of suicide and the Alabama chapter of the NAACP concurs:
But the state chapter of the NAACP said its own investigation had determined that Johnson did not commit suicide. Curley Clark, the group's vice president, said the organization would have a second, independent autopsy performed on Johnson's body, with results expected to be announced later this week.
Clark said the NAACP's findings did not preclude the possibility that the shooting was an accident. But he said that based on interviews with people who knew Johnson and on physical evidence, there was nothing to suggest Johnson was in the state of mind to kill himself.
There being little to no evidence that Billey committed suicide, one is then left with only 2 possibilities: accident or murder. The officer making the routine traffic stop of the star running back, has gone on record as saying that he told Johnson to remain in the car and while running Billey's license he heard the gun shot.
In that report, Deputy Joey Sullivan wrote that he was traveling west at 5:34 a.m. on Dec. 8 when he saw a red truck run a red light and head south on Mississippi 63. He turned on his blue lights and saw the truck run a four-way stop on 63. A little bit later, the truck pulled into a parking lot, Sullivan wrote.
“A black male got out of the vehicle and advised me that the reason he ran the stop sign was that he was on the way home because his mother was sick,” Sullivan wrote.
“I ask for his drivers license and advised him to have a seat in his vehicle while I check his license out. When I went back to my vehicle I picked up the radio to call it in and heard a gun shot and glass breaking. I looked up and the black male fell on the ground, and the gun he had in his hand fell on top of him. I called dispatch and advised them that the subject had shot himself to send me some help.”
While I am certain that the fine law enforcement officials of the State of Alabama investigating this case are doing so with great due diligence, but I do have some very specific questions which beg answers:
1. Is it common practice in Alabama for the driver to exist the vehicle when stopped for a traffic violation prior to being told to do so by the officer? (In the two states in which I have resided, drivers must remain in the vehicle. Getting out of the vehicle unless told to do so means trouble. Getting out of the vehicle when told to do so typically means you're about to be arrested.)<
2. Did the officer do a visual scan of the inside of the vehicle? (Even in routine traffic stops, po-po typically does a visual scan of the vehicle for weapons, contraband, and anything else that might be suspicious. And this practice seems to be a must when stopping those violating the DWB law.)
3. Where was the gun? (Trunk? Underneath the seat? Where? Must have out of the officers line of sight)
4. Did the officer watch Billey get back in the vehicle or did he simply return to the squad car obviously turning his back to Billey?
5. When did the officer "see" the gun on top of Billey? Immediately after hearing the shot? While on the radio? Or when investigating what occurred?
There are many more questions begging answers to this tragedy. But, while I am trying my best "not to go there", it is extremely difficult not to do so. The report of this tragedy given by Officer Sullivan defies the logic of any rationale thinking person.Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
A Memphis Federal Grand Jury returned a 10-count indictment against white-supremacists Daniel Cowart and Paul Schlesselman on Thursday, November 20. Cowart and Schlesselman main goal in life it seems was to go on a killing spree of African-Americans including then-Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.
The indictment also alleges that between Sept. 1, 2008 through Oct. 22, 2008, these two SOBs not only conspired to kill African-Americans on streets and sidewalks but also transported and stole firearms and a short barreled shotgun solely for the purpose of killing and robbing. Only Schlesselmann, however, appears to have been indicted for threatening to kill Obama on May 16, 2008.
Yes, that's right May 16, 2008. It's quite interesting that on May 23, 2008 - just one week after Schlesselmann's alleged threat these words were uttered by then-Candidate Hillary Clinton:
My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California
primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it.
Well isn't that interesting? If convicted, Cowart faces a prison term between 10 and 90 years while Schlesselman faces up to 60 years. And that's all I got to say about that!
Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
...it becomes very, very dangerous!
Obliged to you for hearing me,
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Technorati ~ ~ Del.iciou.us ~ ~ Digg This! ~ ~ StumbleUpon ~ ~ Twitter ~ ~ My Good Towels ~ ~ FeedBlitz ~ ~ Email SjP
Throughout the day, I have heard McCain's proclamation that he would rather win the war than win the presidency. I cringed every time I heard it because the images of of a war-torn land, displace families, wounded, dying, and dead Americans and Iraqis, and mayhem entered my minds eye. I ask, win the war? At what price? For what result? And what constitutes a "win" in Iraq?
McCain has often been characterized as a war-monger and his obsession with winning the war in Iraq could certainly be considered further evidence of this characteristic. But, I think not. I say this, not in jest, but in real concern for a human being who - in my opinion - is suffering from a type of self-loathing much akin to Lt. Dan in Forrestt Gump. As you might recall, Lt. Dan was from a military family. In fact, Lt. Dan's fraternal military ancestry could be traced from the Revolutionary War to World War II. Dan felt that it was not only his destiny - but his "right and privilege" to die a soldier's death - as his ancestors before him - in combat during the Viet Nam War. When his life was saved by Forrestt, he felt cheated of his destiny.
What does that have to do with McCain you ask? McCain, unlike his own military ancestral line in the wars prior to Viet Nam, saw very little combat spending 5 years in a POW camp. While It is reported - and one should suspect - that at any given moment McCain could have feared for his life - he was not exposed to the ground war, potential for hand to hand combat, land mines, sniper fire, and the like. In addition, he is unable, unlike his forefathers, boast with pride of being a soldier in an honorable war in which America was victorious.
I believe that this war in Iraq, represents to McCain a way in which he can re-write his military biography. A biography must end with Americans returning home amid thousands of confetti throwing citizens cheering a victorious end to the war. And while, he himself can't go into combat, he is willing to continue to sacrifice the lives of young American men and women for a victory for his own self-fillment.
But, I ask you. What exactly does winning the war mean? Does it mean that Iraq truly becomes a non-secular democracy? Does it mean that Iraq returns to be a sovereign government? Does it mean that Iraq will be an ally against Iran or Korea? Does it mean that Iran will become a friend of Israel? Does it mean that Al-Qaida or the Taliban will not attack American and if they do, Iraq will come to our assistance? Or does victory mean that we get their oil and maintain a military presence in that region?
Perhaps if I knew the answer to these questions, I would be less inclined to believe that Senator McCain, the Republican Nominee for the President of the United States, is because of his own self-loathing trying to make every aspect of his Viet Nam service (or lack there of) right in his own mind. But, until then, I guess that I'll keep thinking that he is delusional at best or a war-monger at worst.
Speak the Truth!
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old SjP ain't got nothing more to say.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old SjP ain't got nothing more to say.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
July 4, 1776
Speak the Truth!
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner's Place ain't got nothing more to say.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner's Place ain't got nothing more to say.> > >SjP's truth continues
but I'm sayin'...
**After signing the Switch Over petition to sponsors of the Olympic Games, I received an auto-response email from Anheuser-Busch. Really pissed me off as it was very clear from their response that the care and well-being of the Clydesdales mean more than the blood and human suffering occurring in Darfur. To paraphrase they said that they are hopeful that diplomatic conversations and Bush's efforts will put and end to the crisis. Yeah! Right! So I tore them a new one!
**In Bid (or Spades for you post-baby boomers), if you cut with a trump when you should have followed suit you just reneged. The definition of renege is (1)To fail to carry out a promise or commitment and (2)To fail to follow suit in cards when able and required by the rules to do so. Well, by definition the leaders of the Group of Eight richest nations are set to backtrack on their landmark pledge at the 2005 Gleneagles Summit in 2005 to increase development aid to Africa to $25 billion a year. Now, that's just plain low down. These rich countries need to get off their a$$ and keep their promise to provide aid to the Continent that they have raped and pillaged d*mn near since the beginning of time. Please tell them about themselves and while your at it you can join ONE.org to stay up on future developments. Much obliged for the heads-up on this Ms. Lady Deborah!
**In Texas you can kill someone to protect your property, stop arson, burglary, robbery, theft or criminal mischief at night. In Chicago you can have sex with a child and video tape it and get away with it. Wonder if the color of the victims have anything to do with it?
**Kudos to the due diligence of the FBI. Seems that some G-men recently spent two days gathering evidence in the 1946 mass lynching in Georgia. Four people were brutally murdered in this the last documented lynching in the United States. The victims were two black sharecropper couples were shot hundreds of times and the unborn baby of one of the women cut out with a knife.
**What's all the hooplah with Wesley Clark's evaluation of John McCain's military service in Viet Nam? McCain, a naval av-i-a-tor (like Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman) flew in...dropped some bombs...and flew out. Yeah, he got captured and spent 5 years as a POW; but he didn't see the affects of the bombs he dropped, the flag-draped body bags, or the other horrors of that war that most Viet Nam vets I know won't even talk about. So what did Clark say that was so wrong? And another thing! Who served with McCain? Where are they? Still alive? Dead? What? Can you say Manchurian Candidate? Hey! I ain't sayin'...I'm just sayin' (don't want no unmarked vans outside my crib)
**I predict that we will open up a diplomatic relationship with Cuba in an effort to get at the oil in their Gulf. Hey, Bush has already put that in motion by allowing us to send Cubans cell phones, next we'll be able to get their cigars legally...AND THEN THE OIL! Gotta get it before China does!
**Empty nesters and folks without children are spending thousands of dollars to adopt monkeys and treat them like babies. They're dressing them up, changing diapers, and even having birthday parties. They never have to worry about them growing up and asking for the keys to the Benz. Eternal babies or so they think until these little Capuchins go ape-sh*t (pun intended) the dumba$$es wonder why? Duh! Capuchins = Monkey = Animal = NOT DOMESTIC (i.e., WILD ANIMAL)!
**So, we all know that ARRAH got off regardless of the video tape of him doing what he was doing to that young girl at his own self's house. But the real kicker here is that ain't nobody talking about the fact that its a video out there with an adult man doin' the do with a minor! The celebrity of the case out-weighed the despicable act itself. So, I eagerly signed the petition
BLACK MEN AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF BLACK WOMEN. Anybody can sign it. Much obliged for the heads-up on this one Francis "Hussein" L. Holland.
Like I said...I Ain't Sayin', but I'm Just Sayin'
Speak the Truth! Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner's Place ain't got nothing more to say.
This Wordless Wednesday is my attempt to come to grips with our - my - use of the n-word. I'm conflicted...but when I look at these images, my confliction turns to anger and remorse.
Speak the Truth! Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner's Place ain't got nothing more to say.
> > >SjP's truth continues
From: spookytom
CNN reports that FEMA gave away about $85 million in household goods meant for Hurricane Katrina victims. Ranging from cleaning to cooking supplies and utensils, these goods never reached one Louisiana victim of Hurricane Katrina.
Where are the goods now? Gone! Poof like Houdini! FEMA's acting press secretary said that the agency was spending nearly $1 million dollars a year to store all what the agency considered excess. So, in proven FEMA-style and because another federal agency wanted the warehouses (no typo...that's warehouses) torn down FEMA gave away all of the goods. But, none went to Louisiana. Why, because Louisiana declined the offer. When asked about this by CNN, McIntyre answered via email that the "give away was not news".
I think CNN should ask Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal about the give away since someone in his administration declined FEMA's gift. His answer would be quite interesting since he's on McCain's VP short list.
Holla Back! Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner's Place ain't got nothing more to say.
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (aka) Malcolm X
May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965
Remembering You on the 83nd Anniversary of Your Birth!
In his own words...
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.
I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.
I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn't know how to return the treatment.
Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him? Did he ever do a mean thing? Was he ever himself associated with violence or any public disturbance? For if you did, you would know him. And if you knew him, you would know why we must honor him: Malcolm was our manhood, our living, black manhood!
This was his meaning to his people. And, in honoring him, we honor the best in ourselves. Last year, from Africa, he wrote these words to a friend: My journey, he says, is almost ended, and I have a much broader scope than when I started out, which I believe will add new life and dimension to our struggle for freedom and honor and dignity in the States. ~~ Excerpt from the Eulogy for Malcolm X delivered by Ossie Davis on February 25, 1965
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say. ~~SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
Remembering the Kent State Massacre
Four Dead in Ohio
May 4, 1970
The units that responded were ill-trained and came right from riot duty elsewhere; they hadn't had much sleep. ...the Guard bayonetted two men,... The following day, May 4th, the Guard,...marched down a hill,... Seconds before they would have passed around the corner of a large building,...many of the Guardsmen wheeled and fired directly into the students, hitting thirteen, killing four of them, pulling the trigger over and over, for thirteen seconds. (Count out loud--one Mississippi, two Mississippi, to see how long this is.) Guardsmen--none of whom were later punished, civilly, administratively, or criminally--admitted firing at specific unarmed targets;... The closest student shot was fully sixty feet away; all but one were more than 100 feet away; all but two were more than 200 feet away. One of the dead was 255 feet away; the rest were 300 to 400 feet away. The most distant student shot was more than 700 feet from the Guardsmen.
Four Dead in Ohio
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say. ~~SjP > > >SjP's truth continues
It's hard to believe that 40 years has past since that fateful day. It started off for me like any other day. I was sophomore in high school and that day was filled with all of the typical teenage nonsense things. Concerns about friends, relatives, and acquaintances serving Nam, somehow did not overshadow the who's going with who...she think she cute...damn, I wish I'd done my English homework...James ditched class again and ain't no way Mr. Principal not gonna put some wood to his a** when he come back. Yes, just a normal day in the hood.
And then, the announcement. School would let out early - but there would be no buses. Wow! That's weird! School out? No buses? Wonder why... Oh well, we get to go home early! Bet I get him to walk me home...won't she be mad...HA! Alright!
And then, as we walked home, we realized that something must have been up. The streets were relatively clear...but there were police everywhere, kind of escorting us all home? No, as we would find out later - trying to make sure that us black kids would no find a way to leave our small black community and find our way to the white folks just a short ride or walk away cross the track. Didn't want no trouble... DAMN! They got him, too!
He was dead...he'd been assassinated...his voice now silent...and for the rest of the walk home, so was mine.
Do you remember that day? Please share it here...
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.
SjP
The Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
I've Been to the Mountaintop - Part One
Mason Temple, Memphis, TN
April 3, 1968
I've Been to the Mountaintop - Part Two
Drum Major Instinct Sermon
Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA
February 4, 1968
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.
SjP
Black and Missing but not Forgotten: Found Dead: 3 Georgia Children and Father
A Georgia father [Eddie Harrington] who allegedly kidnapped his three children earlier this month has killed himself and the toddlers, authorities confirmed to ABC News.The bodies were found in a rural industrial park area outside Columbus, Ga., where the family lived.Please keep their mother, Agena Battle, in your thoughts and prayers. I can't even imagine her suffering.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner('s Place) ain't got nothing more to say.
SjP
> > >SjP's truth continues
|
|
Who I Be?
- SjP
One Christian, African-American, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Professional, Sorority Woman just Sojourning for the Truth and not afraid to tell it!
Welcome to Sojourner’s Place!
Created with the professional African-American woman in mind, the scope of Sojourner’s Place evolves every day. So glad you stopped by and I hope you will be inspired, informed, motivated, and energized!
Once again, welcome and much obliged for stopping by. Come back soon!
SjP
Est. January 1, 2008
Take a Plate Home
Posts
All Comments
Global Day of Action for Troy Davis
SjP passes this award on to all Global Blogging Day of Action for Troy Davis Participants.
Home of the Helping Hand Emblem
For My Sistas
'Cause, I Sing America, Too
The 44 President of the United States~~~~~
The White House Briefing Room
~~~~~
Your Money at Work? Recovery.Gov
LeKeesha Alert!
Chioma Gray
Adji Desir 
