Nov. 1, 2023

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions…He will find his own “proper place” and will stay in it…You do not need to send him to the back door.  He will go without being told.  In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit.  His education makes it necessary.” - Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro

There have been defining times in history-moments, epochs and periods that are typically marked by notable events or particular characteristics that have changed the world forever. Nicolaus Copernicus’ publication of On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres in 1543, postulating the model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center was such a moment. The Industrial Revolution (1760 – 1840), was a defining period in the methods and processes of global production that transitioned most of the world away from hand production, towards more efficient and stable mechanical manufacturing processes. In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I, the earth's first artificial satellite, launching the “space race” that led to America landing the first humans on the moon in 1969.

These are just a few examples of moments in time that have changed people’s perceptions of the world as it was known.  The world-humankind, once again finds itself in the midst of one of those epochs. Humankind is witnessing the fall of the Western empire.  The shift is away from the unipolar world, financed by the US dollar and controlled by American military power projection and hegemony, to a new multi-polar geo-political landscape.  This “new world order” will not be controlled by American interests. It will be managed by the cooperation of numerous countries, with a goal of establishing, “… a more just, balanced and stable multipolar world order, firmly opposing all types of international confrontation…”

People naturally tend to think that a “fall” or collapse of this nature would be more immediate, dramatic and easily recognized. To the contrary, empires tend to collapse over time.  It’s analogous to going bankrupt. In Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, Mike Campbell, a bankrupt Scottish war veteran, was asked how he went bankrupt. Mike replied, “Two ways…Gradually and then suddenly.” When asked what brought his bankruptcy on, Mike replied, “Friends. I had a lot of friends. False friends. Then I had creditors, too.” 

Just as Mike had “friends”, the US has allies.  As Mike had “creditors”, the US is trying to finance multiple wars on multiple fronts. Treasury Secretary Yellen’s pronouncements that “…the U.S. can afford to support both Ukraine and Israel in their respective war efforts without hindering the nation's economy…”, reeks of OVERREACH. Financial overreach and military overreach are among the contributing factors that have historically led to the fall of empires.

As empires begin their decline messaging becomes very important.  The narrative that’s created to control people’s perceptions of reality are key. MSNBC told us, the “…U.S. is using intel to fight an info war with Russia, even when the intel isn't rock solid.” Simply put, the government is lying to you in order to maintain some semblance of order. It’s Plato’s “noble lie”. This is very important.  These are the lies that need to be told so Americans will believe that more US taxpayer dollars need to be sent to Ukraine and Israel while American infrastructure disintegrates. We’re told that the US needs to reinvade Haiti, that sovereign African countries should be sanctioned for doing business with Russia and a humanitarian pause in hostilities in Occupied Palestine is a bad idea and only benefits Hamas. These distortions and lies are part of the narratives that directly impact the development of our perceptions. These manufactured or misinformed realities then determine the policies put into place and actions taken. This becomes a vicious cycle as in the Easton model of systems analysis.

In telling the narrative, who tells it can be as important as what is being told. This is where the minstrel and “minstrel diplomacy” rears its ugly head. In the 19th century in the United States, a minstrel was a band of entertainers or an individual, typically white that would blacken their faces with burnt cork referred to as “corking up”.  They performed songs, dances, and formulaic comic routines based on stereotyped and demeaning depictions of African Americans. Sometimes, African American performers wore blackface when taking the stage in order to make their presentations more acceptable to White audiences.

What was once found to be an effective entertainment device, the minstrel show has now become a device to disseminate the dominant imperialist and racist Western narrative of American foreign policy.  Since the phenotype of many of the victims of these policies are people of the darker hue; the disseminators of the narrative have decided to “cork up” the people being used to sell the story. In a nutshell, using Black faces to explain and rationalize racism/white supremacy in order to make the audience more comfortable with and receptive to the message.  These people are easy to find.  They are part of what the late Glen Ford called “The Black Misleadership Class”, “…they have been busy selling out Black people for half a century…”.  The late Amiri Baraka called them “functionaries of the U.S. government”. They know their proper place, stay in it and do their jobs well.

Former President Obama recently published an Op Ed entitled, Thoughts on Israel and Gaza wherein he stated Israel had a right to defend itself against the Oct. 7 attacks and he reiterated the need to abide by “international law.” I agree that Israel has a right to exist, but not on occupied Palestinian land! According to the ADL, the Balfour Declaration continues to represent the first international recognition of the establishment of a Jewish national homeland in the land of Palestine. It clearly states, "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people … it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine...." Notice, the word “State” is never mentioned nor is the word “Israel”.  Why are Zionists allowed to ignore their own documents and rewrite the historical narrative?

Obama’s noncontextual and ahistorical talking points are being passed off as substantive analysis.  Obama goes on to write, “But even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters… that Israel’s military strategy abides by international law…”.  He does not acknowledge the humanity of the Palestinians. It’s as if Obama thinks that it’s okay to bomb them as long as we’re nicer about it or just use a nicer form of genocide. Also, Obama totally ignores the fact that Israel’s’ entire anti-Hamas strategy is based on the concept of “collective punishment” and is in violation of international law and is itself a war crime.  Many ignore the historic realities of this conflict.  If Obama is saying it and he’s Black, it can’t be racist.

AP reported that the U.S. recently vetoed Brazil’s proposed U.N. resolution condemning all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the council needs to allow current diplomatic efforts to unfold. She also criticized the measure for failing to underline Israel’s right to self-defense.  It’s hard to negotiate the terms of delivering humanitarian aid to a people suffering genocide when, as was the case with African Americans, their very humanity is in question.

The US veto of the proposed resolution amounts to the U.S. giving Israel as much time as it wants to, as PM Netanyahu said, “…to turn them into rubble”. Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman recently described Palestinians as "horrible, inhuman animals”. Israel’s defense minister called for a “complete siege” of Gaza, describing the Palestinian fighters who attacked Israel over the weekend as “human animals.”  None of this can be considered racist if Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield believes that humans can be exterminated because she does like the language in Brazil’s proposed resolution. Both Obama’s and UN Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s statements fail to provide historical context relating to the atrocities being committed against the Palestinians in Historic Palestine.

Other examples of “minstrel diplomacy” include U.S. Representative Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) supporting the Global Fragilities Act and the U.S. backed reinvasion of Haiti. Dr. Jemima Pierre writes, “The act and its prologue clearly articulate that the main goals are to advance “U.S. national security and interests” and to “manage rival powers,” presumably Russia and China.” The U.S. understands the poor optics of it leading the invasion into Haiti, so it is trying desperately to find a “Black led” country or “Black face” to take the lead.  VP Harris and Rep. Jefferies traveled to Nassau in June for the U.S.-Caribbean Leaders Meeting in a failed attempt to convince a CARICOM country to back the play.  They would not. Eventually, the U.S. was able to convince Kenya to take the lead in this U.S. misadventure and has agreed to pay Kenya over $100M.  This has also resulted in U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signing a five-year agreement with Kenya to shill for U.S. militarism on the Continent.  Much to the U.S.’ dismay, a Kenyan court has temporarily suspended the government plan to send Kenyan troops into Haiti. 

Another example of this minstrelsy is U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) championing the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act that sanctions sovereign African nations that decide to do business with Russia. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has vehemently expressed their collective opposition to this law.  In a recent statement they said, “Africa Is Not For Sale. Africa is open for business not for sale or looting. We must defend what is ours and make sure that no one takes from us what is ours…” We must be vigilant and aware of the Black faces that are being used by the failing empire to sell us on failed raciest, white-supremacist, imperial, neo-colonial militarism.

If we continue to allow these narratives to go unchallenged, Americans will continue to blindly support money laundering schemes disguised as military and humanitarian support bills for countries such as Ukraine, Israel and Haiti. As Woodson stated, “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions…” The real goal is to pay stock dividends to investors in the military-industrial complex and bonuses to the CEO’s of companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin with Americans hard earned tax dollars.

These are just some of the dangers of minstrel diplomacy. As the late Fred Hampton told us, “it’s a class struggle… We know that in order to be able to talk about power, that what you’ve got to be able to talk about is the ability to control and define phenomena and make it act in a desired manner…”. Listening to the minstrels we continue to get confused. We continue to come up with, as Fred Hampton said, “…answers that don't answer, explanations that don't explain and conclusions that don't conclude.”

Dr. Wilmer Leon is a nationally broadcast talk radio host. An adjunct professor of political science. Author of Politics Another Perspective. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.twitter.com/drwleon and Dr. Leon’s Prescription at Facebook.com © 2023 InfoWave Communications, LLC

Oct. 28, 2023 

(Trice Edney News Wire) — The World Conference of Mayors, led by Mayor Johnny Ford of Tuskegee, Alabama visited with the Honorable Allister is a member of the Board of Directors of The World Conference of Mayors. Allister Coward is also the Executive Director and leader of the National Policy Alliance Canada held the first Underground Railroad bus tour in Canada. Participants attended from many places around the world. Mayor Ford played a major role from the United States, along with others.

This historic event the first National Policy Alliance Canada US Underground Railroad bus tour to the North Buxton Museum in Buxton, Ontario saw Honorable Mayor Johnny Ford warmly greeted by the Honorable Mayor Darrin Canniff of the Chatham Kent County of Ontario.

In our own studies here in the United States, we remember the significance of Harriet Tubman and others leaving their enslavement in the United States and going to Canada—a nation that welcomed our brothers and sisters to Canada where many of them became active and productive citizens of that country. They went from enslavement to freedom by crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada. As Mayor Ford who is from Tuskegee, Alabama, and an expert on the work of Dr. Booker T. Washington, said “In the spirit of Dr. Booker T. Washington, there they cast down their buckets and made Canada their home.” Further, Mayor Ford said, “In Canada, we not only feel at home in Canada, but we also found other family here.”

The FutureBizNow Conference is a leading event that explores the convergence of technology and business. With a focus on innovation and growth, the conference gathered thought leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and visionaries to inspire and

drive progress in the digital age. A highlight of the event in Milton, Ontario, Canada was a historic event. A highlight of the historic event was the fact that Mayor Ford participated and was accompanied by a notable VIP delegation that included Former Mayor Darryl Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi who made headlines when he unveiled the Emmett Till Movie Exhibition in the recently opened Mound Bayou, Mississippi African American Museum commemorating a pivotal chapter in the civil rights movement. Joining them was Rev. Dr. Al Sampson of Chicago, Illinois, who holds the unique distinction of being the only living person ordained by the Honorable Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Additionally, Mayor Johnny Ford and the VIP Delegates were warmly received by the Honorable Mayor Darrin Canniff, Mayor of Chatham Kent County, and by the

Prince family, who are 7th generation custodians and curators of the North Buxton Museum in Buxton. This historic visit marked a significant milestone in the collaboration between the National Policy Alliance-Canada and the World Conference of Mayors (WCM), underscoring their commitment to fostering international connections and the exchange of innovative ideas.

This gathering promised to foster ongoing meaningful connections, celebrate heritage, and drive discussions on the intersection of technology and community development.

The FutureBizNow Conference 2023 together with "NPA Canada was more than just an event; it shaped up to be a historic moment where visionary leaders, innovators, and communities converged to explore the future while honoring the past. With a diverse lineup of distinguished speakers and a dynamic hybrid format, the conference sought

visionaries to unlock the boundless potential of the digital era. Allister Coward is Executive Director of the National Policy Alliance-Canada and Managing Director of Allviziers Business Group. .www.npacanada.org. He is also on the Board of Directors of the World Conference of Mayors. See www.worldconferenceofmayors.com and the Historic Black Towns and Settlements under the leadership of the Honorable Johnny Ford who brings together people from all across the world who are doing great things themselves to bring people together for good.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society and President Emerita of the National Congress of Black Women.)

Sept. 30. 2023

John Burnett

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As Congress used their best efforts to successfully keep the government open, it was also hard at work to re-authorize the farm bill, providing affordable food, assuring that farmers are able to insure their crops, and that ranchers can export their products to foreign markets. It’s not an understatement to say it’s one of the most important bills Congress can send to the president’s desk, which is why it is so important to get it right.

Yet, some in Congress think getting it “right” means restricting certain consumers' food items as “wrong” to buy. According to a recently introduced proposal, Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would be prohibited from purchasing snacks, fruit juice, and soda – including beverages that are low calorie or zero sugar – with their benefits. It’s the equivalent of putting the federal government in between consumers and the products they enjoy. 

Bottom line: consumers deserve to have choices in the grocery store. SNAP recipients are Americans in need and are fully capable of making their own food choices, and limiting their options also stigmatizes them as incapable of responsible decision-making. This approach undermines the dignity and self-respect of SNAP participants, and it puts the government in the position of choosing what people can serve their families. This is a slippery slope that would open the door to a government good-food or bad-food list that could apply to other everyday items on the grocery list.

Nevertheless, lawmakers like Marco Rubio and others may be seeking to jam this misguided idea into the farm bill. The legislative process is hard enough as it is, but it becomes significantly more difficult as individual members of Congress and D.C. special interest groups seek to attach pet projects or priorities to what should be bipartisan legislation. And in Congress, it’s easy for a few lawmakers to derail the progress on must-pass legislation.

The basis of the idea is about removing choice, but the authors of the so-called “Healthy SNAP Act” claim it’ll help reduce spending, but the data doesn’t support it. SNAP recipients will still have the same amount of benefits.  

On the SNAP side, lawmakers could look at generating savings by capping benefits, implementing work requirements, or reducing the overall size of the program.

We all want Americans to make good choices that promote healthier eating habits, but restricting the treats parents buy their kids is not the solution. It's a shortsighted and ineffective approach that infringes on individual freedom, further stigmatizing lower-income communities, and won’t yield the savings Senator Rubio is promising. Instead, we should focus on real policies that improve access to nutritious foods and empower all individuals, regardless of their income, to make healthier choices.

As Republicans, we are proud to be the party of individual choice and freedom. These foundational principles are essential to the promise of liberty for all – that we trust our fellow Americans to make their own life choices, even if we don’t agree with them. I’m proud to subscribe to these values, which is why it is important we push back on ideas from within our party that restrict the ability for us to make our own decisions. 

These values should apply at the grocery store, so lawmakers should reverse course on their misguided SNAP restriction proposal. The last thing Americans need is more nanny state decrees from politicians who think they know best for them.

John Burnett is a business and political analyst and an adjunct assistant professor at New York University.

To Be Equal 
October 1, 2023

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - “A government shutdown means that people who are doing critical work that is about upholding the structures of our government and all that we rely on in terms of those services could shut down. So let's start there. It would be completely irresponsible.  Second, people are playing politics. They're playing political games. There's a lot of showmanship that you're seeing. And if those people put those same levels of effort and talent into actually something that was productive, I don't think we'd be in this place of talking about a government shutdown.” Vice President Kamala Harris 

Based upon most of the punditry around the looming federal government shutdown, one might assume the only person with anything to lose is Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. 

Indeed, he and his cohort in the House are behaving as if McCarthy’s speakership, which he may have to defend if he doesn’t pander to extremists’ every whim, is the highest stake in their playground antics.

Largely missing from the public discussion – and completely absent from the House extremists’ debate -- is the potentially devastating human cost of a shutdown. 

Nearly seven million pregnant women, new mothers, and young children – including more than half of all newborns in the United States -- who rely on Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children will lose access to a source of healthy foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education. 

Another 42 million Americans risk losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. 

At least 10,000 preschool children will be denied the education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services of Head Start and risk falling even further behind in school readiness. 

Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs will lose a vital source of funding as the Small Business Administration is blocked from accepting, reviewing, or approving new business loans.  American small businesses would lose out on more than $100 Million in critical financing every day of the shutdown.  Furthermore, a shutdown would delay the issuing of licenses and certifications that small businesses need to operate.

Infrastructure projects that provide employment, stimulate local economies, and rectify historical and structural inequities would grind to a halt. 

The last three government shutdowns cost taxpayers at least $3.7 billion in back pay to furloughed federal workers, and at least $338 million in other costs associated with the shutdowns, including extra administrative work, lost revenue, and late fees on interest payments. 

The 2018-2019 shutdown precipitated by then-President Trump’s thin-skinned response to criticism from television commentators slowed the nation’s economic growth, reducing real GDP by $11 billion over the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. 

Meanwhile, the only major credit rating agency that still assigns the United States a top grade has warned that a shutdown “would underscore the weakness of US institutional and governance strength relative to other Aaa-rated sovereigns.” A downgrade to the US credit rating would drive up interest rates for all Americans.  

Either the extremists in Congress who are driving the nation toward pointless chaos and hardship don’t understand the consequences of their actions, or they do understand and don’t care. Either case is horrifying. 

Even more horrifying, there is no coherent public policy agenda behind their reckless behavior. Antagonizing their political adversaries and fanning the flames of partisan hostility is their only aim. 

If Speaker McCarthy cannot use his leadership position to steer the nation away from an avoidable disaster, there is no point in his clinging to it. 

Oct. 1, 2023

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - During the week of the Annual Congressional Black Caucus, NPA was meeting and included many of the same people. The annual meeting of the National Policy Alliance (NPA) held its meeting, too. One of the key leaders presenting the NPA conference was World Conference of Mayors leader the Honorable Johnny Ford, former long-time Mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama. Denise Tyler, NPA’s Executive Director, coordinated the meeting.

The conference dealt with numerous policy issues. Some of the issues were Supporting Black Organizations, Black Psychiatry and Psychology (And the history of anti-Blackness in the work of others), Black Lawyers for Justice, Education for Black Children, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Reclaiming Who We Are as African Descendants, Positive Aspects of Mentoring and How It Improves the Potential for Success of the Recipients, The Green Book—and how it assisted Black travelers, Health Disparities and  Making the Shift to Preventive Health Care, Goals of the National Bar Association—to increase the number of African American judges at the state and national level since they have always been under-represented, Addressing the Climate Crisis, Historical Preservation of Black communities and Black Businesses.

The most riveting story to which we must pay attention was presented by Atty. Malik Shabazz from Black Lawyers for Justice. In detail, he explained to us that six white police officers have now been convicted and incarcerated for a horrible crime, (including shooting one Black man in the mouth), against two innocent Black men in Rankin County Mississippi. We must know these things are still happening and not just in Mississippi, but this is the first time white men have been convicted of such a crime. The lesson is to recognize that such atrocities are still experienced throughout the nation. If Mitt Romney needs to hire private security because it’s not safe for him to speak out against evil, then it’s required that we practice as many security measures as possible.    

We must work together, learn what resources are available to help us build and preserve our communities, and share that information. We must support Black businesses and if we don’t have any, organize some and support them. We must increase our time securing information on which agencies have funds to help in improving our communities —especially Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture and Energy. The NPA is a coalition of African-American local elected officials and policy-related organizations. We must remember that we are stronger together. NPA is the leadership hub of several major organizations representing African-American public officials from federal, state, and local levels of government, the judiciary, school boards, and member organizations in the U.S. and internationally.  NPA’s focus is to advocate policies that impact the African-American community.

One key award was presented to the Honorable Rev. Jesse Jackson who received the NPA’s Medgar Evers Award.  Rev. Jackson has through the years caused thousands of our people to register and vote. He also ran a most inspiring candidacy for President after Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and Dick Gregory ran years ago.  I received the NPA’s Charles Evers Award.  I ran a campaign for Congress and did a lot of work getting Black people registered and voting, as well as inspiring numerous Black women to run for mayor in their communities, and more than 20 won shortly thereafter—including in the three largest cities.  I ran in Louisiana when no Black people were running for the U.S. Congress from Louisiana.  Since the time I ran and came in so close to winning (less than ½ percent), New Orleans has had Black people not only running, but the city has had a Black Congressional Member every time there was an election in New Orleans.      

(Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of The Dick Gregory Society. (The Dick Gregory Society.org)