African-American News&Issues

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™ Vol. 13 Issue 10

TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective

April 9-15, 2008 www.aframnews.com

Houston - Galveston - Texas City - Missouri City - Conroe - Woodlands - Huntsville - Beaumont - Port Arthur - Grove - Orange - Lumberton - Liberty - Cleveland - Livingston - Crockett - San Antonio - Mexia - Gatesville - Bellmead Austin - Brenham - Hempstead - Prairie View - College Station - Bryan - Killeen - Temple - Waco - Dallas - Irving - Fort Worth - Arlington - Waxahachie - Elgin - Round Rock - Harker Heights - Copperas Cove - Ennis - Corsicana

Fighting the real war on drugs MARVIN D. CLOUD

Great empires fall

America mustn’t forget Rome’s history

African-American News&Issues

Bush should say “Amen” PAGE 2

HOUSTON- When President Richard Nixon first used the term, “War on Drugs” in 1972, AmeriSee FIGHTING page 3

Chaos rules 19th Senatorial Convention MARIO SALAS

African-American News&Issues

SAN ANTONIO- At the 19th Senatorial District Convention in San Antonio, Texas, chaos ruled the day as the local Bexar County Democratic Party leadership lost precincts, provided people with the wrong information, violated party rules, and was characterized by trickery. These tricks also included delaying the convention as long as possible, reportedly to the benefit of the Hillary crowd. Additionally, the convention was held in a “hot dump” of a building in which the owner kept walking around the property dogging people out. The decision to use the Martin Alvarez site was a total disaster with people claiming that the owner of the building would be boycotted and told not to support the businessman after he repeatedly harassed delegates who had brought their own food and drinks. Alvarez was hawking poor-quality food at a ridiculous price and threatened to kick people out for not buying his food. The Chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party, Carla Vela, accused the temporary chair of the convention, Nick Pena, of purposely losing dozens of precincts which resulted in the loss of delegates for

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both Clinton and Obama. The Obama delegation filed an official protest with the Senatorial Convention claiming that false See CONVENTION page 3

Chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party, Carla Vela, accused the temporary chair of the convention, Nick Pena, of purposely losing dozens of precincts. Annie Mae Mickle was one of Houston, Texas’ Fifth Ward community’s “Golden Girls” that’s personified by Alberta Martin, who at age 100 (and blind for over 40 years) extemporaneously shared precious memories of her “special friend” during the celebration of her long and prosperous life on April 14, 2007 at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 1510 Pannell. Pastor Harvey Clemons, Jr., officiated an order of service that also included: Shirley Baines. Rev. Michael Pickett and her beloved nephew Charles McCloud. Frazier-Mitchell Funeral Home’s staff (Sis. Mickles’ relatives) were active pallbearers, and The Deacons of Pleasant Hill were honorary pallbearers. Sis. Mickle’s Christian journey began on December 14, 1907, when she was the first of two girls born to Major and Elizabeth McDonald Wyatt in Elmina, Texas, a tiny hamlet on U.S. Highway 75, 12 miles southeast of Huntsville, in Walker County. It is believed that the town was named for the El Mina Masonic Temple in Galveston. In 1902, the Oliphant Mill was

Democrats vow to restore America’s greatness, but they continue to forget history and repeat past mistakes. BUD JOHNSON

African-American News&Issues

The inquiry [of legislators] constantly is what will please, not what will benefit the people. But it’s the people themselves, not the legislators, who are to blame. The people, murmur at taxes, clamor at their rulers, but then elect demagogues who appeal to our worst instincts. Today, we have a coarser public discourse and lower standards, and we have suffered the consequences of a political party that quite openly set about to divide Americans into hostile camps because it believed that strategy would give them a narrow electoral advantage. The result is an atmosphere in which it is almost impossible to have a mature, adult, logical national debate about important issues. The prefacing text adequately addressing 2008 America’s democratic election process is an edit-

ANNIE MAE MICKLE

DEC. 14, 1907- APRIL 8, 2007

sold to the Walker County Lumber Company, a branch of the Foster Lumber Company. Major Wyatt moved his family to the sawmill town of Conroe, Texas. Losing her father in a sawmill accident while still a young girl, Annie and her younger sister Bessie Mae were raised by their mother Elizabeth. Before the age of 12, Annie, along with her mother and sister, were doing domestic work, cooking and cleaning for others. At an early age, Annie joined the

ed excerpt from a corroboration of Tim Hacker’s 1992 treatise (Is democracy a natural state of mankind?), with founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s differing views about democracy. Hacker, a freelance writer, who served as press secretary for two Democratic senators in the 1980s and was a fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies in Charlottesville, Va., has long noted America’s intrinsic similarities to the Roman Empire’s fall. For sure, those similarities have been addressed many times in AfricanAmerican News&Issues’ articles that can be easily accessed in our Web page’s archives www.aframnews.com. Especially an article asking, “Has President Bush forgotten Rome’s history?” In addition you’ll find articles that also explain why a Democracy self-destructs, that should give one cause to pause and ponder, whether Rising Star Baptist Church in Conroe. Annie completed her formal education in Conroe. In the midst of the “Roaring Twenties,” Annie married Sampson Mickle, a classmate and friend. Sam and Annie moved to Houston, Texas where Annie united with the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church under the guidance of Rev. L.H. Simpson. She has been a lifetime member, serving in the Mission and as a Sunday School Teacher. Annie has been an integral part of the storied history of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. No children were born to this union, which lasted until Sam’s death in 1971. In Conroe, Annie began a lifetime of caring for the children of others. Her sister’s two children Alice Maud McCloud and Owen Charles McCloud were the beginning of a legacy of family and friends’ children that were under her care. Children and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church have always held a very special place in her’ heart. She considers her pastor, Rev. Harvey Clemons, Jr. as one of her children, proudly saying, “I held him when

or not, America is doomed to repeat mistakes world powers made in the past. Even so, those familiar with Edward Gibbon’s classic book (The Decline of the Roman Empire), will agree that great empires tend to self-destruct regardless of their governments. Yet, there’s a preponderance of historical evidence that parallels 21st Century America’s reality. According to Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, “In contrast with the ‘declining empire’ theories, historians such as Arnold J. Toynbee and James Burke argued that the Roman Empire itself was a rotten system from its inception. The entire Imperial era was one of steady decay of institutions founded in Republican times. “In their view, the Empire could never have lasted without radical reforms. The Romans had no budgetary system and thus wasted whatever resources they had availSee EMPIRES page 3

he was a child.” Annie was called “Nana” by the parents and children that she helped across generations. Since the mid 1950s, Annie has lived on the premises of the Frazier Funeral Home, which was owned by her sister, Bessie Mae Frazier. Since her sister’s death in 1975, Nana has had a special bond over the years with the FrazierMitchell Funeral Service staff as they shared the premises. In 2002, Annie became a resident of the Silver Springs Nursing Center. Her life ministry continued at Silver Springs where she endeared herself to the staff and residents during her five-year stay. As Annie approached 100 years old, her demise came on Easter Sunday night, April 8, 2007. Having outlived her parents, husband, sister, nieces and nephew, she leaves to cherish her memory two great nephews, Charles McCloud (Carol) and Jerry Malone, two great nieces, LeeBessya Green Bonds (Mason) and Belvya Darthard, eight great-great nephews and nieces and five greatgreat-great nephews and nieces. TX-1


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