The Tribune Online, 46

Truth or Dare...The Big Confederate Lie

Not only is there controversy about the "honor" to be found in celebrating "Confederate History Month" but also the lies accompanying it that were found in Virginia's textbooks, e.g., "blacks fought by the thousands in support of the South". Another revisionist's view about the Civil War was that the "rebels" were God-fearing servants fighting to protect their homes and the dignity of their rights..."true" to a certain extent, but really, it was about rich white "devils" in the South drafting these poor white "rebels" to protect the ill-gotten profits from slavery and cotton production, thus a "rich man's war but a poor man's fight."

Now, I am not one who seeks to begrudge any man or woman who wants to hold their ancestors' memory in high esteem, with the weekend celebrations of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War on April 11, 2011 throughout southern states. However, I do have a deep unresolved issue with being forced to celebrate the "Sons of Confederate Veterans" each April in Virginia, a month at a time, probably on my taxpayer's dime; with Virginia wanting to fly the "battle rag" while dishonoring my ancestors' enslavement, their being robbed, raped, and murdered by these "sons of traitors" and likewise, to be celebrated by the infamous and cowardly residue of the "Confederate Veterans" aka the Ku Klux Klan.

Nevertheless, I tried to paint an accurate picture of those blacks who did support the South during the Civil War, although I didn't agree with their loyalty, in the book entitled "The Cult Conspiracy that killed Booker T. Washington". It is an e-book and can be downloaded at no charge from Buck Publishing by e-mail request to infobuck@juno.com. It certainly will prove to be a more correct assessment of the Civil War than the big "Confederate lie" being told in Virginia's textbooks. http://infobuck.com/catalog.html

Kwanzaa...not my heritage

I am sure most Americans are familiar with this annual celebration instituted by Ron Karenga, known at one time as a black nationalist. I even referred to my coming in contact with him in the sixties while in the Navy, stationed in California... of which my conversing with some of his members didn't go very well. My impression of many so-called black militants was just as consistent.

My reasons and feelings coincided with the thoughts of those taught to me by my grandmother when I sat at her knee, as she instilled the nobility of men such as Booker T. Washington, the man I most admire in American history, and most influential in what might be called my heritage. There was also Martin L. King, Jr. who expressed his discontent with America's involvement in Vietnam, of which I was still an active member of the military during that conflict.

King outlined his thoughts and his existence as an "American Negro" in an appearance on the "Mike Douglas Show." His appearance can be seen in the film entitled "King: Man of Peace in a Time of War" and is available from "Netflix". At the same time, January is the month that we celebrate the life of this noble man with an American holiday...a holiday truly worth noting...not with alcoholic beverages, frivolous parties, or sundry novel activities, but with acts of true community services.

Anyway, the "fad" of Kwanzaa, and that's what it is, will fade with time as black Americans come to understand their existence and true roles in this land, without all the tom-foolery of hollow and meaningless celebrations. One last show of ignorance, is the consuming of chitlins for the New Year...and you have to ask, how can something that smells so bad while cooking, be good to consume?? Well, it's not!!  It's just a symbolic residue from the enslavement of our ancestors...that should be buried in the past like other meaningless symbols.

"JustUs" Bros..."Rev. Nutscutter" and "Al B. Conked"

I commented some time back how shysters should be expelled from the "BAR"...acronym for Black American Race. Why? They have shown themselves to be no more than exploiters in conning those outside of the BAR, and unfortunately misleading those dupes inside of the BAR...to the benefit of themselves and those lackeys in cahoots with the exploitation.

Both have lost, you would think, credibility in the eyes of the BAR years ago, but no, they still are hanging on with their palms up, heads down, and knees crusty...along with other jacklegs and their "pie in the sky" get-over.

Just in case you have not been enlightened to see these "schemers" for who they truly are over the past decades...go back and make an objective comparison to the life of MLK, Jr. to which they claim they are continuing his legacy.

Don't knock the "hocks" 

A respondent to my article criticizing the consumption of "chitlins" as a New Year's tradition among black folks...said, he could understand my damning those awful smelling [chitterlings], but Sunday wouldn't be Sunday without the "gospel bird" and a side of turnips flavored with hamhocks (hambone).

I could relate to this tradition because of my grandmother's made-from- scratch meals with what was called "soul food". She grew up during the "Depression" and considered fat kids to be healthy kids, knowing what it was to be poor and emaciated during those bad economic times.

In all due respect to my grandmother's guidance, she was wrong on this issue. Soul food was a slave's diet from the sustinence the "massa" discarded to keep his chattel barely fed in order to continue their usefulness. This sort of food was not only unhealthy but as time has shown can and will absolutely shorten your life.

Therefore, in staying within healthcare ethics, I have to "knock the hocks" and all of those meals of my past that were lovingly served as soul foods. Consequently, eat wiser, live longer and healthier.

Julian Bond, NAACP Mum on "Confederate History Month"

April, 2011 begins the month long celebration of the Sons of Confederate Veterans as ordained by Governor Bob McDonnell...which I surmised to be no more than a misdirectional ploy of history, an attempt to revise a war responsible for the greatest loss of domestic life in half a decade of America's existence.

I sought to get input via Julian Bond and the NAACP in Virginia as to what their thoughts were about this political faux pas by McDonnell. Julian Bond responded he didn't want to receive additional updates and to be unsubscribed from postings. I did have a telephone conversation with Brenda Hale of Roanoke's Branch of the NAACP, who said she is planning a meeting with her officials and would let me know of any actions that might be undertaken regarding the issue.

I have yet to hear any comments from Mayor Doug Wilder of Richmond, which might be the focal point of these celebrations, nor from Sheila Johnson, formerly of BET being that he, Wilder, indirectly helped McDonnell into office and Sheila Johnson directly assisted him in becoming Governor, who would later support the Sons of Confederate Veterans...mums the word.

In my conversation with Brenda Hale, I told her of the nineteen black ministers as reported in the Richmond Times Dispatch of their signing a petition of disapproval of McDonnell's gesture, and asked why couldn't the civil rights' groups collectively, through their networks, get petitions signed by every black minister within the state seeking some sort of recourse if not abandoning the idea altogether? No response, so far. 

I have chided and continue to say that civil rights' organizations as we knew what they stood for and against have lost their utitlity, when they can no longer get blacks and minorities to be more forthcoming in voting, legal actions to shut down efforts by people like McDonnell and Cuccinelli, who not only seek to mock the suffering of their enslaved ancestors but to deprive their descendants of better healthcare. I am offering these so-called civil rights' groups an open forum via my publication to let the public know what they are getting in return for their dues and/or lifetime memberships. E-mail infobuck@juno.com 24/7.

Mike Steele continuing as RNC Chairman?...not likely

Today, a debate was held to see who would be the next chairman of the RNC and in the debate, Steele said look at my record...we (meaning the Republicans) won in the mid-term. Now, the right wingers are probably surmising that yeah we won, not because of you (Steele) but inspite of you, which implies an "NP!!" moment. If you readers don't know what that means, then you don't understand why Steele is a "goner".

Robert E. Lee, Arlington Cemetery, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans

PBS featured the life of Robert E. Lee, a noble southern gentleman with a psychologically twisted outlook about God and slavery. Lee actually believed God was on the side of the South during the Civil War, but at the same time also believed in chaining and using the lash on his black slaves under the bondage of "God fearing" white folks...like himself...poor fool.

The film revealed that Arlington Cemetery was to be a reminder of the bloodshed Lee brought upon this nation or the "Union" as it were; thus, the flowerbed in the yard of Lee's father-in-law's home in Arlington that he (Lee) inherited, was the most befitting place for that memorial of the fallen.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans want to resurrect this bloody past with a monthly celebration each April, and it's been ordained by Governor Bob McDonnell...certainly not by God, by a long shot. Virginia at the time contained more slaves than any other state in the Union and yet the leaders of civil rights' groups, such as Julian Bond, politicians such as Doug Wilder and Onzlee Ware, combined with business people such as Sheila Johnson, formerly of BET are in tacit support of this celebration by not speaking out in one voice against a celebration of slavery, suffering, and death...making Judas look like a "boy scout".