Friends built and hatched
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Friends built and hatched. SJ Dodgson MJoTA2015 v9n1 0619
This week we have witnessed a witch hunt against a young woman in Washington State who is doing what she can to protect her sons. She is incurring the wrath of her parents, her brothers and every racist in the United States, who want to determine who young women can hang out with and what they care about.
We also witnessed the criminal behavior of a builder whose 4th floor balcony was constructed of wood and which collapsed under the weight of young persons from Ireland, the land of my mother and my mother's mother. Six died from the fall, most immediately. Four floors is a long way to fall. Even in California.
Third, we witnessed the excitement of a young man given a gun as a birthday gift, who learned from his family, his school, from the Confederate flag flying in the South Caroline Statehouse, that a church of peace and reconciliation would not be packed with cowboys with guns, and so for his initiation into manhood and legally drinking alcohol, strode into the church and murdered 9 members. I am deeply sad, because I know that 35,000 gun deaths a year is irrelevant to the folks who give guns to disturbed kids for birthday presents, and who wear them like jewelry. I know that the Federal laws did not change when a mentally ill male shot dead a kindergarten filled with blonde girls and boys. And that the Confederate flag will continue to fly, and the Americans martyred in this June Charleston massacre will be blamed for their own murders.
Fourth, we are hearing reports from the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic and by the Creole- and French-speaking Republic of Haiti. Haitian-descended Dominicans lost their citizenship some months ago, and this week was the deadline for all of the 250,000 non-Dominican citizens to leave. What is going on in Dominican Republic click here.
This week is the summer solstice, when the summer day is as long as it can get, and on this very day we celebrate June Teenth, when the proclamation of release from the chains and rapes and thefts of slave-owners was declared. And 150 years ago, in an instant, the country that was founded on the principle that "all men are created equal" kicking in its "except women and descendants of Africa" clause. Scroll down for a message from my favorite male NYC councilmember.
So it is a good time to gather around friends who will not hurt you, or cannot hurt you, or only care about where there food comes from. Not sure I would ever have a python as a pet, but I have great respect for friends in California and Brazil who would, or do. I wish the parents of the mass murderer in South Carolina had given him a robot dog, or a snake, rather than a gun.
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Winter solstice, the start of a robotics engineer click here
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Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn), Deputy Leader and Chair of the Council's Housing and Buildings Committee, released the following statement regarding the observance of Juneteenth, which marks June 19, 1865 when federal officials arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
STATEMENT BY COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS
"150
years ago today, men, women and children from each corner of the
country became free citizens. On this historic anniversary, it's
important we remember that the wealth of our nation was built on the
back of slaves, and New York City is no exception. In fact, the City Hall area I work in almost daily was constructed largely in part by the sweat and blood of slaves. As a Black elected official, I could not be more proud to be a part of what is now such a diverse legislative body fighting for the rights of all in our nation's quintessential melting pot.
"We've come a long way since June 19, 1865, but as our country mourns those lost in the incomprehensible Charleston
massacre, it's clear we still have a long way to go to fully address
racism, bigotry, discrimination and hate. My prayers continue to go out
to the entire Charleston community who will forever be scarred by this tragedy.
"Our
city and nation are facing difficult social issues harshly affecting
communities of more color, so it's my hope that this Juneteenth, we
recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight of equality, which must begin
with meaningful conversations at a grassroots level. As Dr. King once
said: Our goal is to
create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in
our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives."
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