April 11, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 26, Issue 11
who police the police? “Addressing Current & Historical Realties Affecting Our Community”
VOTING TOUGHER IN TEXAS By: Roy Douglas Malonson
Old Jim Crow laws have officially returned to Texas. Really, they never left. Lawmakers in Texas are already trying to attack the Black vote ahead of the 2022 midterm elections by making it even tougher to cast a ballot. The State Senate approved an election law that is basically ending all of the provisions made last year that made it safer and easier to vote during the pandemic. They have now put roadblocks in place, including statewide limits on polling-place hours, a new formula for locating polling places and a ban on drop boxes to assist mail-in voters. The proposal also would ban anyone except the voter who filled out a ballot from dropping it in a mailbox or delivering it to an election official. This move adds new paperwork requirements for voters who need help be-
cause of language problems or disabilities. And it will give so-called poll watchers the right to videotape voters if they deem them suspicious. We know what this is -- a clear case of voter suppression. They may as well ask us to count jellybeans in a jar again! Texas is now following in the footsteps of Iowa and Georgia, where lawmakers also attacked voters’ civil rights by tightening voting rules last month. ‘Trump Republicans’ are waging a war after jumping on the baseless claims that former President Donald Trump was “cheated” out of the election. Despite there being no evidence of election fraud in Texas last year, supporters of the bills say their measures are needed to make Texas Voting cont’d page 4
DESHAUN’S DOMINO EFFECT By: N.L. Preston
As more women begin to surface, more brands are beginning to distance themselves from Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson is being accused of having inappropriate contact with various women during what were supposed to be massage therapy sessions. The “falling” star is getting dropped left and right by sponsors who want to detach his name from their products. Nike, Beats by Dre and HE-B have all ended their contracts with Watson. Nike says it’s “deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.” Watson has been a star feature in H-E-B commercials during football season, but the Texas grocery store chain released a statement saying it has “no plans for future engagement” with Watson. This domino effect came just a day after Deshaun cont’d page 4
“OUR VOTE AND OUR MONEY ARE THE TWO MOST POWERFUL THINGS WE HAVE. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE THEM TO.” - ROY DOUGLAS MALONSON
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April 11, 2021
EDITORIAL
President/Chief Editor
Tristar
Griselda Ramirez: Production
A Revival of God
Consciousness Bobby E. Mills, PhD Office: (713) 692-1892 Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
George Floyd: Derek Chauvin George Floyd and Derek Chauvin: these two names are forever historically/spiritually linked as a tragic inhumane injustice, because justice is a spiritual concept, and without a God conscience justice cannot ever prevail. Thus, when individuals do not know the Spiritual Lawgiver, it is impossible for them to justly enforce manmade laws. The public police execution of Floyd shocked the moral conscience of the world, and raised a spiritually profound moral question: how could such a public display of law enforcement injustice exist in the greatest democracy the world has ever seen? Moreover, human rights are the cornerstones of American democracy: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. American history is characterized by
racial injustice and racial violence; even though, America is guided by the most profound spiritual governing document that the world has ever known: The Constitution. Hence, we all know that Only God can judge motive (s); even though, in courtrooms prosecutors attempt to assess motives indirectly by analyzing action (s). Question: what would motivate a police officer in his official capacity to openly in public scrutiny commit a brutal inhumane murder while onlookers beg him to stop? Is the spiritual answer to this question grounded in personalized grudge hatred? Officer Chauvin was not the initial arresting officer on the scene of a non-violent crime; he only went to the criminal scene after hearing over the police dispatch system the name George Floyd. Hence, upon arrival, Chauvin being the senior level officer he took charge. The question of questions is what is it about the name George Floyd that triggered such an ungodly violent response in Chauvin? Reasonable minds must conclude that
Floyd’s death was not about a criminal offense or effective community policing, but a payback grudge crime under the cloak of policing/law enforcement. Here’s why! We know that Chauvin and Floyd knew each other from a night club work-related environment as security guards. Therefore, we can surmise that some type of incident occurred between the two men that triggered in Chauvin a hatred towards Floyd. Hence, he took advantage of his policing authority which provided an opportunity for a payback of revenge that resulted in the death of Floyd. No doubt about it, Chauvin has a depraved mindset, because when an individual is defenseless and begging for his life; even crying out for his deceased mother and you continue to perform an execution-style posturing because you have the police-power to do so, there is ungodly depravity in you. The individuals who watched were so horrified, defenseless, and guilt-ridden that they could not Chauvin cont’d page 7
Partin’ the Waters By Omowale Luthuli-Allen
Stimulus YES, the borrower is slave to the lender “The people are naturally conservative. They are more conservative than the financiers. Those who believe that the people are so easily led that they would permit the printing presses to run off money like milk tickets do not understand them. It is the innate conservation of the people that has kept our money good, in spite of the fantastic tricks which financiers play, and which they cover up with high technical terms. The people are on the side of sound money. They are so unalterably on the side of sound money that it is a serious question how they would regard the system under which they live, if they once knew what the initiate can do with it.” Henry Ford I am writing this arti-
cle with some trepidation as a literary economist without formal training. It is somewhat schizophrenic. But to quote a friend, you don’t have to be an expert mathematician to understand mathematics. Consider that your hard-working family is on a beer budget but drinks champagne and cognac daily. There is no reason to change your habits because you have lenders that keep extending you credit. Your adult family members think that the good times will last forever. If you think that this piece is about your relatives or neighbors that refuse to live within their means, you are somewhat mistaken. This piece is about your lenders and how they are managing to acquire so much money to lend. Your lenders have your permission to act on your behalf. It is my view that this policy as practiced is unsustainable. The stimulus checks of $1400 for single citizens and $2400 for married filing jointly, plus $600 for children was necessary to temporarily ease the suffering and stave off Stimulus cont’d page 3
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION Stimulus cont’d massive social unrest. With 40 million unemployed, the risk of falling through the safety net threatens livelihoods and the stability of the nation. Did we have $2 trillion in the bank to pull from and respond to an extraordinary crisis sparked by this COVID- 19 pandemic? Our government had courageously acted before to secure the general welfare of the people. Following the great depression, Roosevelt and the Progressives pumped dope money into the economy to fight unemployment. Too many people had wrinkles in their stomach and a nickel and nail in their pocket. Put a Mississippi saxophone-harmonica- with this meme and you have the BLUES. John Lee Hooker called it BIG BOSS MAN. Roosevelt pioneered the Civilian Conservation Corps, Tennessee Valley Association and other government sponsored work. Of course, the budget ballooned, and the national productivity rose. This was good government because the welfare of people is the ultimate end of good policy. Then as now, money had to be created to be loaned to state authorities and industry. This money is not directly created by the federal government but is manufactured by a special monster called the Federal Reserve which is a series of 12 Private shadowy banks. In my 70+ plus years I have only personally known one person to be on this board. This monster sends the dollars to the Treasury Department to distribute to US citizens. The Federal Reserve can expand or contract the money supply in the country at will. Are the lenders- The Feds- getting this money out of thin air? The United States had collateral for its currency until about 1971about the time of the Vietnam war. The collateral was Gold. Gold was abandoned in favor of the con-
April 11, 2021 fidence of the citizens of the US backing the dollar. The gold standard will not be back. After all, we are the sole superpower on the planet, but clearly the US is in decline. Yes, citizen confidence backs the production and distribution of dollars. Now, as I back down from the fiscal prudence argument, let me advance and promote the argument for this $2 trillion infrastructure supernova stimulus bill. We can produce smart bombs, but we cannot fully test 50 percent of the population or repair 10,000 deteriorating bridges. Meanwhile, nearly 600,000 US citizens have perished from the virus from hell and the party goes on. 40,000 children have lost a parent during the pandemic. The CEO’s golf and eat goose liver while millions are protesting inequality and injustice. Many politicians and robber barons are busy looting the treasury. Millions are preparing to get their hustle on. Nevertheless, a fourth stimulus might be in the works as the Chinese, Japanese and the Europeans buy more Gold and US Treasury bills. Respected minds are suggesting that at least $10 trillion are needed. to right size the American supertanker. God forgive that they demand repayment. During the time of P r e s i d e nt Dwight D. E i s e n h owe r, the highest tax rate was 94%. The top 10% absorbed most of the tax bur-
den and for the Biden infrastructure plan to succeed, taxes on the rich and corporate will have to increase. Let’s pray that the lower middle and middle class don’t have to endure higher taxes and usher in inflation. Neither do we want higher taxes for our children and grandchildren because of higher prices. Higher taxes are coming for our children and grandchildren, falling prices are here but a cruel tax called inflation (rising prices) maybe waiting at the door. Biden-Harris with guts like we can’t believe, is proposing reversing the low intelligence stable genius tax cuts by raising the corporate tax rate to 28%. Treasury Secretary Lady Janet Yellen is focused on enacting a global minimum corporate tax that would prevent the flight of capital to countries that are floormats for robber barons that trumpet the fiction that they are “good corporate citizens.” This action would shut down the global fox dens. Lenders appear to have abandoned the idea that the Federal Debt can ever be eliminated. Key
AFRAMNEWS.COM 3 economists, including Nobel Winner Paul Krugman appears to have conceded to the view that continued productivity (Gross National Product GNP) precludes the need for radical fiscal restraint (change in monetary policy). This also translates as deficits do not matter. Your household is not the government, I do understand. The Bible teaches that the borrower is slave to the lender. The wicked creditor can be cruel when he ups the ante and calls for payment of the debt. Jeezus, there are not any hard assets to reclaim. The predatory pawnbroker wants hard assets-cars, houses, gold bullion, diamonds, tools- before he separates from his money. Loose printing of milk tickets ($$$) when 40 million are unemployed will temporarily plug the dam. Get excited about this monumental shift for 40% of the money is targeted towards black and people of color communities. This is bigger than the Great Society of President Lyndon Johnson. It means Stimulus cont’d page 7
4 AFRAMNEWS.COM Texas Voting cont’d the state’s elections more secure. “This bill is designed to address areas throughout the process where bad actors can take advantage, so Texans can feel confident that their elections are fair, honest and open,” State Senator Bryan Hughes said during Senate debate. Forgive my speech, but that is complete and total BS. There was not voter fraud and Trump lost, plain and simple. What everyone fails to realize is that Trump said early on that he would not accept any decision of defeat, with the egomaniacal thought he would not -- or could not -- lose to any candidate. He clearly said that, if he lost, Deshaun cont’d the first accuser to reveal herself to the public held a press conference. Ashley Solis is among the 22 women who have now filed a lawsuit against Watson. The licensed massage therapist calls herself a SURVIVOR of the quarterback, and says she has met with the Houston Police Department. Solis says she is seeking justice not only on behalf of herself, but for all survivors. Her attorney, Tony Buzbee, says each of the women describe a strikingly similar pattern of Watson’s alleged lewd behavior during his massage sessions. According to the lawsuits, between March 2020 and last month, Watson allegedly engaged in lewd behavior with the women he hired for massages. He used Instagram to find the women and flew them in from various cities. Many of the women claim Watson exposed his body parts to them, or moved his body in ways in order to make them touch him. Watson has admitted to finding many of his massage therapists on Instagram, but denied any misconduct, saying he “never treated any woman with anything other than
April 11, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
it would mean someone cheated. Critics of the Senate bill illustrated how Republicans are trying to stack the deck disproportionately against people of color, who are mostly Democrats. In reference to the clause allowing “poll watchers” to videotape voters - that appears to be nothing more than intimidation. For the clauses limiting voting hours to 6 a.m. to. 9 p.m., banning drive-through voting and changing the formula for allotting polling places in counties with more than one million residents -- that would apply mostly to counties with big cities like Houston, which expanded its voting hours and allowed for drive-through balloting
in November. And Houston has a large Democrat population of voters. Some big companies are taking a stance against these laws which are designed to harm Black Americans. Corporate giants American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, and Dell Technologies, headquartered in Round Rock, were among the first to take a position. American Airlines said in a statement that it was “strongly opposed” to the bill that passed the Texas Senate “and others like it.” In Georgia, civil rights groups and activists pressured some of its biggest corporations, including Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, to op-
pose the law. Major League Baseball announced it would no longer hold the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta this summer, with commissioner Robert Manfred saying the league “fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.” We applaud everyone who has stepped up, but it is going to take a whole lot more of us. It looks like Texas is trying to become the next Georgia. Don’t let it. Make sure you do what you did in the presidential election: VOTE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT... Guess what, it does! - AANI
the utmost respect.” Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, fired back in a statement saying despite Buzbee’s prior comments, the lawsuits are about money, adding, “Mr. Buzbee sought $100,000 in hush money on behalf of Ms. Solis to quietly settle the allegations the month before he filed the first lawsuit.” Hardin and Watson have produced 18 women of their own who say Watson never touched them during any interactions. Hardin said the therapists issued voluntary statements of support for Watson, and have worked with him a collective 130 times over the past five years. Both sides have released emails and texts they each say supports their versions of what happened. Young Deshaun apparently didn’t get the memo the elders have been trying to hammer into the minds of young Black men for decades. You need to watch yourself, make wiser decisions and understand, there is such a thing as money and power. We don’t know what happened and are not taking sides, but it could go either of these ways: A young, rich Watson got full of
himself and thought he could do what he wanted to women with no consequences. OR A young, rich Watson is being targeted by women who want to bilk his Black behind out of money. Either way .. money and power are something he is being stripped of right now. Money -- because Rusty Hardin’s fees ain’t cheap. Power -- because everything he’s worked so hard for before, is slipping out of his fingers day by day as more companies drop
him. Well, first goes the reputation. Then the endorsements and, possibly, followed by his career. We know Watson was publicly saying he wanted to leave the Texans and he could get exactly what he wants. But now we are left to wonder, will he be forced out of the NFL altogether? -- AANI
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April 11, 2021
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KNOW YOUR HISTORY
HOUSTON SAXOPHONIST ARNETT COBB By: N.L. Preston
Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, sometimes known as the “Wild Man of the Tenor Sax” because of his uninhibited stomping style. Cobb wrote the words and music for the jazz standard “Smooth Sailing” (1951), which Ella Fitzgerald recorded for Decca on her album Lullabies of Birdland. Born in Houston, Texas, Cobb was taught to play piano by his grandmother, and he went on to study violin before taking up tenor saxophone in the Wheatley High School band. At the age of 15, he joined Louisiana bandleader Frank Davis’ band, doing shows in Houston and throughout Louisiana during the summer. Cobb continued his musical career with the local bands of trumpeter Chester Boone, from 1934 to 1936, and Milt Larkin, from 1936 to 1942 (which included a period on the West Coast with Floyd Ray). Among his bandmates in the Larkin band were Illinois Jacquet, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Tom Archia, Cedric Haywood, and Wild Bill Davis. Having turned down an offer from Count Basie in 1939, Cobb replaced Jacquet in Lionel Hampton’s band in 1942, staying with Hampton until 1947. Cobb’s featured solo on Hampton’s theme song “Flying Home No. 2” generated much excitement, his blasting style earning him the label “Wild Man of the Tenor Sax.” Cobb then started his own sevenpiece band, but suffered a serious illness in 1950, which necessitated spinal surgery. Although he re-
formed the band on his recovery, in 1956 its success was again interrupted, this time by a car crash. This had long-term effects on his health, involving periods in the hospital, and making him permanently reliant on crutches. Nevertheless, C obb
worked as a soloist through the 1970s and 1980s in the U.S. and abroad. As late as 1988 he played with Jimmy Heath and Joe Henderson in Europe. He died in his hometown, at the age of 70 in 1989. - AANI
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defend Floyd against such inhumane treatment by a police officer that they called the “police on the police.” What a shame! What then can we say concerning these things except God sits high and looks low, and if a man thinks he is something because of a title, he deceives himself, because: “God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). Selah. -- AANI
Stimulus cont’d that we have crossed the Rubicon. It is advisable not to say the wordDemocratic Socialism, but we understand that the redistribution of wealth via the stimulus is a policy determination to employ new social and economic interventions to promote social justice. Progressives have taken the mandate from the 2020 voters to keep a mixed economy and make the society fairer. This 2T infrastructure plan is an admission that the market has lost its magic for the average citizen. This is my code word for the newer NEW DEAL that is designed to ensure a living wage, productive work, universal health care and affordable housing and education for all. We are at cusp of a European style social democracy-long overdue. Don’t forget that the Biden-Harris progressive multiplier can walk with you but not for you. Let us figure out and unite behind the wisest policy for survival and prosperity before the music stops. A supermajority is not needed to pass this game changer. -AANI
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