Statue of Octavius Valentine Catto Unveiled
From
The Ramparts
Junious Ricardo Stanton Octavius Valentine Catto
Statue Unveiled
Most Philadelphians are completely
unaware of the significance of Octavius Valentine Catto in the history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and the nation. Catto like so many people of African descent in the US was deliberately
excluded from the history books and historiography of this city, state and nation.
Octavius Valentine Catto was born in Charleston South
Carolina on February 22, 1839 to a free born Black
mother Sarah Isabella Cain and William Catto an enslaved Black man who was a
millwright by training. William Catto purchased his own freedom and due to his
devotion as a Sunday School teacher was recruited to become one of the few
Black ordained and licensed Presbyterian Ministers. He was originally groomed
to be a missionary to Liberia,
the US "colony"
established in Africa by the American
Colonization Society in 1821. (Do some research on the American Colonization
Society, you will be surprised by what you find, who some of their most
prominent members were and their plans
goals for free people of African descent in the US.)
The elder
Catto was sent to Baltimore in preparation for
departure to Liberia
but the discovery of a letter he wrote caused the Presbyterian leadership to
rethink the motives and loyalty of Catto. He was forced to flee and take his
family to Philadelphia were he reacquainted with
several men he knew in Charleston.
Catto became an itinerant preacher alternating between the Presbyterian and the
AME Church
serving as pastor for several churches in the Northeast US.
Reverend Catto sent his son Octavius to the
best schools available that would admit blacks. Young Catto excelled in school
and eventually made a name for himself as an honor student, orator,
intellectual, educator, baseball player and activist.
During the
US War Between the States, Catto advocated for Blacks being allowed to enlist.
He and several of his friends travelled to Harrisburg determined to enlist in the Union
Army but they were turned down after being encouraged to petition for
enlistment by several white Philadelphians.
Undaunted
Octavius worked to support the Union effort by raising over eleven regiments of
"Colored Troops" to fight. It was Blacks like Catto, Frederick
Douglas, Henry Highland Garnett and Martin R. Delany who used the war as an
opportunity to press for freedom, equality and later enfranchisement.
In addition
to raising troops Octavius took on additional challenges to the existing
socio-political order. Octavius became the first president of the
Institute For Colored Youth (the forerunner of Cheyney University)
alumni association. He was a teacher and principal there. ICY graduates sent more of its graduates to
teach the enslaved and newly freed Blacks during and after the war than any
other organization or institution. Catto and his Black friends actually wrote
and lobbied for passage of the legislation that eventually desegregated the
street car lines in Pennsylvania.
Catto was
an active member of the historic St Thomas African Episcopal Church founded by
Absalom Jones in 1792 in Philadelphia the first
African-American Episcopal church in the US. Like Catto many prominent Black
Philadelphians were members of St Thomas
which from its beginnings was a hub of social uplift, community activism and an
ardent supporter of the Underground Railroad during slavery.
Catto also
pressed for the right to vote. Black males were stripped of the right to vote in
Pennsylvania
in 1848 and regaining the ballot was one of the goals Catto and his socially
conscious agitator/activist colleagues sought to achieve.
During a
heated mayoral contest in 1871 Catto was murdered in cold blood in broad
daylight by Frank Kelly one of many
Irish ruffians and thugs who bedeviled and assaulted Blacks in Philadelphia. Assaults and
mob riots against Blacks had been going on for decades. Kelly was apprehended
but somehow escaped and fled the city. He was captured five years later,
brought to trial in Philadelphia
but acquitted of Catto's murder!
Most of
Catto's exploits and accomplishments have been deliberately left out of history
books. But now this travesty is being rectified. Recently there have been
scholarly articles and books written about Catto and now a statue in his honor
has been commissioned, sculpted, erected, unveiled and placed on the Southwest
apron of Philadelphia's City Hall. This statue will be
the first statue ever erected of an African American on municipal property!
On Sunday
September 24th the African Episcopal Church of St Thomas held a special service
honoring Octavius V. Catto, part of their two hundred twenty-fifth anniversary.
One of the special guest speakers was Mayor James Kenney. The celebration at St Thomas marked the
beginning of several days of activity to promote the unveiling of Catto's
statue. The Mayor explained how and why he because fascinated about Octavius
Catto and why he initiated the drive to recognize him with a permanent statue
when Kenney was a councilman. It's been a long time coming, it took almost
fifteen years to raise the funds and secure a sculptor to complete the project.
Octavius Valentine Catto is finally
getting his just due.
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Brainwashing
From The Ramparts
Junious
Ricardo Stanton
Brainwashing
"Avoiding
brainwashing techniques often involves avoiding the brainwashers themselves,
but this is next to impossible. Taking advertising as an example, you can't
avoid them all and attempting to do so can be rather expensive if you still
want to watch television and movies. Your best bet is to cut out what you can
and, when you can't, seek balance. Finding balance is often easiest by simply
providing yourself with the information you need." Adam Dachis https://lifehacker.com/5886571/brainwashing-techniques-you-encounter-every-day-and-how-to-avoid-them
In today's world we are all subjected to constant mind
control, perception management and brainwashing techniques. Potential leaders have
always employed a myriad of means to control the tribe, family, clan and
nation. Humans have always had hierarchical leadership whether it was informal
or formal, recognized or implied. But in our modern world we are targets of
constant manipulation, prompting, coercion, intimidation and fear designed to
make us acquiesce comply and conform. Advanced technology and psychological
manipulation are used by the ruling class and the institutions they create own
and control like organized religion, commerce, government and "education"
to brainwash us into going along with
their agendas.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, there have been
beneficent righteous leaders who adhered to and practiced the notion of Summum Bonum the greatest good for the
greatest number which George G.M. James proved in his book Stolen Legacy was a
concept originated by Africans in the Nile Valley
which later Greek "philosophers" plagiarized.
Western elites have fashioned a social order whereby they
exploit, ravage and manipulate the masses for their personal benefit, wealth
and wellbeing. Their form of governance from ancient tribal times to the
present nation state is "might makes right", they utilize fear,
intimidation and violence to maintain both a domestic and imperialist "order" designed to benefit
themselves.
"Although business
interests eventually replaced the church as the
dominant force behind imperial expansion, the techniques of population
analysis and coercion -pacing and leading the target audience remained the
same. The British East India Company for example was formed in 1600 and given a
'perpetual charter' from the British monarchy for trade in the East Indies and
later, China. In a series of well funded wars spanning centuries, the company
used a private army to effectively annex India
for the British Monarchy and Queen Victoria
eventually became empress of India
in 1876. Instead of using pure might the imperialists exploited researched
tensions between the Indian Moghul emperors and their constituencies. After
successfully breaking down the Moghul rule, the smaller factions were easily
conquered" Douglas Rushkoff from Coercion Why We Listen to What They Say
pages 153-154.
Modern technology allows the ruling class to beam
messages directly into our psyches to manipulate our perceptions of reality and
on a more insidious level program us for what I call "the three B's":
what to believe, what to buy and how to behave.
The ruling class likes to tell us we live in a
"democracy" that there is upward mobility, opportunity and freedom,
and to a limited degree for a limited number of people there is; as long as you
adhere to their criteria. It is not about ethics or morality because this
system is unethical and immoral, it is about not rocking their perch and
threatening their status quo!
For example I was reading a story about Colin Kaepernick
in the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/sports/colin-kaepernick-nfl-protests.html?mcubz=3,
in which the writer used adjectives such as "traitor", "divisive",
"second string" "has been" to cite a few to describe
Kaepernick. While the article mentions the money he has contributed to non
profit grass roots organizations and Kaepernick's quest as a bi-racial man to
discover his African roots, the article in my view did not do him full justice
because he is not the usual unconscious shufflin', shuckin' professional
athlete divorced from his people, who shuns community interaction and the crucial
issues impacting us.
Kaepernick has been white-balled by the NFL just like Muhammad
Ali and Paul Robeson were shunned and persecuted by the ruling class and their
minions. Kaepernick was kicked to the curb just like Craig Hodges of the NBA
was. But I believe that like all our great advocates and heroes Kaepernick will
be vindicated for his stance, not by the ruling class and their acolytes but by
the people.
Don't allow the words and cunning of others to determine
how and what you think. Think for yourself, make up your own mind, act and live
your life based upon your own dictates not the whims or manipulation of others.
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Weather Manipulation
From The Ramparts
Junious
Ricardo Stanton
Weather Manipulation
"The US military has developed advanced
capabilities that enable it selectively to alter weather patterns. The
technology, which was initially developed in the 1990s under the High-frequency
Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), was an appendage of the Strategic
Defense Initiative – ‘Star Wars’. From a military standpoint, HAARP
–which was officially abolished in 2014– is a weapon of mass
destruction, operating from the outer atmosphere and capable of destabilising
agricultural and ecological systems around the world... Military analysts and scientists are mute on
the subject. Meteorologists are not investigating the matter and
environmentalists are largely focussing on greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The
possibility of climatic or environmental manipulations as part of a military
and intelligence agenda, while tacitly acknowledged, is not part of the broader
debate on climate change under UN auspices." The
Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction: “Owning the Weather” for Military Use- Professor Michel Chossudovsky https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-ultimate-weapon-of-mass-destruction-owning-the-weather-for-military-use-2/5306386
When
people are skeptical of the official media or government narrative of an
incident or happenstance they are called "conspiracy theorists" as a
means to damage their reputation because of their skepticism and
non-conformity. The term "conspiracy theorist" was first coined by the
CIA to discredit those skeptical of the official narrative about the
assassination of JFK which most sane people realize is a bunch of hooey and
hokum.
People have
been asking me if I thought this rash of severe weather was man made in some
form or fashion? I don't know and I can't say for sure but I do know it is
possible. There is a Website http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org that
specializes in providing information about ecocide and climate manipulation as
a form of warfare, global depopulation and political control. They recently
posted articles with accompanying videos on Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on their
site. Before you dismiss my assertions as
preposterous go to their Website and see the evidence for yourself. Also check
out a piece by the History Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHJm2EzeKrw
Skeptics
might ask, why would corporations or governments do such a thing? Why would
they turn weather into a weapon then unleash it on their own people? Good
question. Answer, because they are megalomaniacal psychopaths and deviants. Ask
yourself why would elements in the government lie about the way a president was
killed, or provide such a silly explanation how three World Trade Center
buildings collapsed when only two were hit by planes or why would the
government lied and went to war over non-existent weapons of mass destruction?!
We could
also ask why corporations like Monsanto knowingly and deliberately poison the
Earth, why major pharmaceutical companies sell drugs with lethal side affects, why
food processing companies sell products that contain harmful additives or why
the government which is supposed to protect us allows this to happen.
European
elites: the monarchs, Popes, financial and corporate heads and government
officials love war, they love to kill, despoil and wreck havoc in their
maniacal quest for world domination.
Some of you
may be familiar with the fact the US government has a long history of
weaponized weather modification. If not read https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v28/d274
or http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-secret-weather-manipulation-program-of-the-vietnam-1689249533.
The US
and several other governments have weather modification programs and weaponized
weather initiatives. In the US
it is called HAARP which stands for High Frequency Active Auroral Research
Program, read about it here.
https://geopolitics.co/2015/06/06/us-air-force-admits-they-can-control-weather/
As for why
the government/corporate elite would do such a thing, there are many reasons
such as: environmental control, ethnic cleansing and tactical superiority
during conflict to name a few. But from my perspective they are psychopaths
hell bent on global domination.
While I can't say for sure the current
hurricanes are man made I can definitely say the US government ignored the
information provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration, the US military and various weather services in the run up to
Hurricane Katrina! Bush's inaction (he did nothing even though he was briefed
about the storm's severity days in advance) which not only allowed New Orleans
a predominantly African-American city to be flooded but his bungling caused
massive loss of lives and property damage resulting in many residents being
displaced and the Black population reduced dramatically.
The US has a
department called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) which
is a place where government and university mad scientists carry on the legacy
of the Nazis creating fiendish weapons technology making it operational and
usable. Knowing the history of white people, can you honestly say they are not
capable of this. Remember the US
dropped atomic bombs on Japanese civilians!
So before
you call me a conspiracy theorist nut case, do some research on the evil and
depravity of the corporations and government.
-30-
Work For PEACE
From The Ramparts
Junious
Ricardo Stanton
Work
For PEACE
"Americans no longer fight to keep their shores safe,
Just to keep the jobs going in the arms making
workplace. Then they pretend to
be gripped by some sort of political reflex, But all
they're doing is paying dues to the Military Industrial Complex.
The Military and the Monetary, The Military and the Monetary,
The Military and the Monetary. The Military and the Monetary,
Get together whenever they think its necessary,
They turn our brothers and sisters into
mercenaries, they are turning the planet into a cemetery.' Work For
Peace by Gil Scott Heron
The media hysteria about North Korea's development of
weapons demonstrates just how brainwashed and programmed we are. North Korea was
designated part of the mythical "Axis of Evil" by the dim wit
president George W. Bush and of course the corporate media regurgitated the
NeoCon narrative and lies. Now too many Americans believe the North Koreans are
our enemy and pose an existential threat to the world if not the USA.
Most people don't know the ancient history of Korea nor the modern roles Japan and the Western allies played in the
current situation in Korea.
The Japanese first invaded Korea
in 1592 as part of their imperial assault on the Asian mainland. They were
successful because they has European weapons, muskets and pistols they received
from the Portuguese and their soldiers wore metal armor. The Koreans fought
using bows and arrows. During that invasion the Chinese came to the aid of Korea. They
subsequently defeated and drove the Japanese out. The relationship and antagonism
against the Japanese goes back centuries.
Japan
again invaded Korea and made
Korea
a colony in 1910. The occupation lasted until the Japanese defeat in WWII in
1945. During colonization and after the war Korea was divided into various
zones first by the Japanese who were later replaced by the Russians and
Americans.
The country was divided and many factions attempted to
control the government and land. In June of 1950 North Korean forces invaded
the South and a vicious war ensued which left three million Koreans, over a
million Chinese and 54,000 Americans dead.
The US
bombed Korea to smithereens
using the same strategies they used against Germany
and Japan during WWII and later
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia: bomb everything in sight,
indiscriminately kill civilians, animals, destroy the infrastructure and lay
waste to the land. The war never ended. A cease fire exists and the North and South
remain separated along arbitrary border lines imposed by outsiders called the "demilitarized
zone" even though the boundaries are some of the most heavily fortified
areas in the world!
The Koreans remember this carnage but the US propaganda
machine trivializes the conflict and paints it as the "good" US
versus "evil" Communism. Rarely mentioned are the horrendous atrocities
committed by the United States.
"The bombing was long, leisurely and merciless, even by the
assessment of
America’s
own leaders. 'Over a period of three years or so, we killed off — what — 20
percent of the population,' Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay, head of the Strategic
Air Command during the Korean War,
told the Office of Air Force History in 1984.
Dean Rusk, a supporter of the war and later secretary of state, said the
United States bombed 'everything that moved in
North Korea,
every brick standing on top of another.' After running low on urban targets,
U.S. bombers
destroyed hydroelectric and irrigation dams in the later stages of the war,
flooding farmland and destroying crops." The US War Crime North Korea Won't
Forget by
Blaine
Harden https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-war-crime-north-korea-wont-forget/2015/03/20/fb525694-ce80-11e4-8c54-ffb5ba6f2f69_story.html?utm_term=.35f03bdc8ca3
The Koreans
remember and this is why their leaders have taken the stances they've taken
over the years. Unlike West Germany
and Japan whose "constitutional
governments" were created by the victorious US following WWII, North Korea is
a sovereign nation. Remember there was no treaty to end the Korean War only a
cease fire agreement!
Given this
reality, given what the US and its allies have done to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya,
Syria and Yemen, small wonder the North Koreans view the US as a ravaging predatory
jackal. This is why they are taking frantic measures to protect and defend
their sovereignty.
Unlike the US, North Korea has not invaded any
countries since 1950. In this situation, the US is the aggressor nation, the
bully, a global thug trying to take the world's lunch money. Once we know the real
history we can see the reason why the Chinese and Russians are trying to
ratchet down the bellicosity, they know how vicious and genocidal the US can be/is.
Now that we
know, don't go for the North
Korea is a threat okey-doke, don't fall for
the we've got to go to war flim-flam; give PEACE a chance. As Gil Scott Heron
wrote/sang, "We've got to work for Peace, Peace ain't coming this way. If we only work for Peace, If everyone believed in Peace the way they say they
do,We'd have Peace. The only thing wrong with Peace, is that you can't make no
money from it."
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