Tomorrow is Malcolm X's birthday and Bill Press once had a radio segment dedicated to making Malcolm X's birthday a holiday. Malcolm Little was born on May 19th 1925. I believe he is the most intelligent and articulate Black leader we have ever had. According to some accounts Malcolm's father was a white man who raped his mother. Actually the whole "X" thing denotes that Malcolm is disowning his family name and lamenting is host African heritage. They didn't have abortions back then and one wonders how many rabid crusaders for abortion rights are rape victims. I wonder how many mothers abandon their children in trash cans. I suppose the more humaine ones would put the child out for adoption, if they don't give too many details. I guess if Malcolm's father was white that a racist might say that he got his drive and brains from his father. Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. The events of his childhood, including his father's lessons concerning black pride and self-reliance, and his own experiences concerning race played a significant role in Malcolm X's adult life. By the time he was thirteen, his father had died and his mother had been committed to a mental hospital. I don't know about you but I get annoyed why certain people, and I have one person in mind, poke around in your family history and "make it up as they go along" and get facts wrong, as they bring out the big tar brush. I do have doubts about my own family history. I have unanswered questions about certain things, but they are MY doubts. It's MY business and not that of this other in-law. Sometimes I don't think my Mom showed proper respect to my Dad. On the other hand my Dad was not exactly a "stand up guy". Her philosophy as with so many women is, "It's hard to find a good man". People have to live with all sorts of realities in their life. If Laura has any children now I'm sure she'll have to explain to them her own past. People can be really judgemental about the strangest things as they pidgeon hole you. After living in a series of foster homes, Malcolm X became involved in a number of criminal activities in Boston and New York City. In 1946, Malcolm X was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison.
Prison is the hotbed of so many whacko ideas from the Aryan Brotherhood to born again evangelists. Depending on the area there are radical organizations eager to recruit you. It's kind of a thing in prison that you better have friends from "somewhere" and be a part of some tough group. While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam, and after his parole in 1952 he became one of the Nation's leaders and chief spokesmen. For nearly a dozen years he was the public face of the controversial group. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's quitting the organization in March 1964. First of all Elijah Mohamed may have great in his time but times change and call for a different type of speaker. When John Kennedy was shot Malcolm X gave the famous speech about America's violence has come back upon itself and "The chickens have come home to roost". Elijah Mohamed had told Malcolm to keep silent on this issue. Then he put him under some sort of "disciplinary action" and "submission" and he then accused Malcolm of failure to "submit". He subsequently traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East and founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated Pan-Africanism. Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was assassinated by three members of the group while giving a speech in New York. It's possible that Malcolm may have paid a call on "Father Divine" the way Jim Jones did. Malcolm gave numerous speeches on specific instances on police brutality. Many believe that the Nation of Islam was working with the FBI at the time and so that our own government was culpable in the death of Malcolm on February 21, 1965. We do know that Elijah Mohamed was a philanderer and that Malcolm was faithful to his wife. Malcolm hated the hypocracy, and I can't help but make comparrison to Jim Jones. Both Elijah and Jones had vastly inflated egoes.
The beliefs expressed by Malcolm X changed during his lifetime. As a spokesman for the Nation of Islam he taught black supremacy and deified the leaders of the organization. He also advocated the separation of black and white Americans, which put him at odds with the civil rights movement, which was working towards integration. Let's clarify this. Malcolm taught Black autonomy and that Islam would help the Black man achieve a little pride, even if he did have to give up pork, which seems like a sacrifice I wouldn't want to make. Unlike King, Malcolm didn't believe in whining to the government for the next handout or being a pawn in somebody's political game. After he left the Nation of Islam in 1964, Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim, made the pilgrimage to Mecca and disavowed racism, while remaining a champion of black self-determination, self defense, and human rights. Let me say that you don't hear about your garden variety Sunni Moslem these days. This is the sect the majority of the world's peace loving Moslems belong to. He expressed a willingness to work with civil rights leaders and described his previous position with the Nation of Islam as that of a "zombie". As you know I call myself "The Malcolm X of Christianity" for this very reason. You have to be in an almost zombie like state to propagate the religion "they" tell you you have to teach, and to disagree on even minor points is a grave sin. It's a but incorrect to say that "Malcolm became a different person". He was adopting to the times- which were a Changing. My guess, and it's only that, is that Malcolm always believed there would come a time when White and Black would work in harmony together, if in nothing else to overthrow the government. But the thing is when you are an oppressed minority, be it Irish, Italian, or Jewish, the survival instinct of your people kicks in and you want to make sure the perimiter is well defended. After the enemy has laid down their arms, then you can think about negotiating. (Selah)
This may be the coolest May we have had since May of 1982, and a psychic predicted that cool spring and she hit pay dirt. Of course it was early May of 1982 when we sent that piece to the media predicting the whole future from that year out to the year 2112 and there was not a rapture in the whole thing as I recall, or perhaps in 2040. And they a spiritual revival was predicted on earth. As you know during “right now” the earth is supposed to be in a war not with any named nation but “Alcyonne”, which was later amended to
A little boy takes on Stephen Hawking saying that he’s been to heaven. They are so desperate to fill a half hour of news now. It’s all re-hashed repeats. You hear the same stories repeated again and again in an echo machine. I got coffee from Dana around six. I haven’t gotten my medication again. It really doesn’t matter. I’m not one of those who is going to start drewling and climbing the walls if I don’t get my pills.
We had pork chops for dinner and rice and carrots, with tapioca pudding for desert. You know, if they keep trying to put new people at our table I’m going to suggest to Loretta we move somewhere else. Andy always seems to have a hangover or something and the other floating seat has gotten some weird clients lately. Actually I’d like to see Brenda back in that seat, but for some reason she’s been more distant.
I put the clothes away just after lunch. We had beans and franks and three bean salad, and Loretta gave me her bean salad. We had cantaloupe. Randy Rhodes was on and I listened to her at noon and at two. I went for coffee in the afternoon.
The soap opera is plumbing new depths of boredom. I missed most of Monday’s episode but didn’t even endeavor to make it up because this whole week has been one big waste. It used to be they had sweeps month on TV in May but the past few years I haven’t noticed that. I had Judge Pirro on at three lying on the bed and not caring how bored I was getting. Dr. Levy says he wants me to write something new for him but I’ve given him a lot of good stuff already and he’s used very little of it. I got John Black grape at the liquor store earlier today.
Newt Gingrich is running into tough sledding in his short lived campaign. His wife has a fondness for jewelry. Newt is drawing fire from Republicans for his remark against “right wing social engeneering” and now he’s being forced at gun point to back off and march in lock step. And now he has alienated the gay vote because some protestors covered him with glitter today. Just go to arts and crafts class for that. I went down for medication from Sarah and got chocolate chip cookies.
Eleven year
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