Thursday, February 26, 2026

More Food for Thought

 

                                                              More Food for Thought

                                                               Junious Ricardo Stanton


             The Epstein files have become a major distraction; they are being used by the powers who shouldn’t be to re/misdirect Americans’ attention away from other critical and pressing issues. Yes pedophilia, financial manipulation and fraud and government corruption/capture are extremely important issues but unfortunately, what we are seeing now is a form of national voyeurism and salaciousness propagated by the media. Other than Epstein and Maxwell no one else in the US has been indicted, arrested or gone to jail! Why isn’t the media asking why? Around the world the fallout from the release of the Epstein files has been more severe, unlike here in the US, in Europe numerous prominent men have been arrested or forced to resign! Why isn’t the US media asking why this hasn’t happened here?

The media knew over ten years ago what Epstein was up to, how he received a sweet heart plea deal in Florida which allowed him to serve minimal jail time and be released for short periods of time every day to go to his office!  Epstein was charged in both Florida local and US courts. Alexander Acosta the US Attorney trying the case in Florida was told Epstein was “intelligence” meaning he was either CIA or Mossad which supposedly prompted him to approve the lenient deal Epstein received. This deal when it came to light prompted Alexander Acosta to resign his position as US Secretary of Labor in the first Trump administration. At the time the local media made a fuss but the deal was done.

The media and authorities also knew prominent men were flown on Epstein’s private jet to his private island in the Caribbean and around the world. They also were told by the victims underaged girls the names of several prominent men who abused them. Plus, Epstein’s flight logs also named names of the men who flew when and where. However, Epstein’s fortunes changed when he was indicted in New York on federal sex trafficking and networking charges.

The questions for me are: when are more people in the US going to be held accountable, when are more US men going to be indicted, arrested and jailed and what are the Epstein files coverage keeping off the front pages and the main spotlight? The media only focuses on one big story at a time so when are the Epstein files going to fade into the background.

While all of this Epstein stuff is going on in the media, little is being said about Trump’s saber-rattling, bluster and bluffs against Iran. Trump has massive US military assets parked within striking distance of Iran but little is said in the press because the media is fixated on the Epstein files. Is there a cover up, no doubt. Do Epstein and Maxwell’s victims deserve their day in court and justice? Certainly. But what about the potential for WWIII? Isn’t this important?

We have to realize the media selects the stories and “analysis” they want us to internalize and believe. We are routinely lied to by our government and the media working in cahoots as a team to treat us like mushrooms, kept constantly in the dark and feed massive amounts of cow manure. We were fed a bunch of cow dung about Iraq’s WMDs and COVID-19. We are being gas-lit and lied to about the economy and affordability and why the government does what it does.

We are being told by Isreal, our government and the media Iran is the bad guy, a sponsor of terrorists and a prime agitator within the region. But let’s look at the facts. Which country, the US or Iran, formed, armed and sponsored Al-Qaida a global terrorist organization with components around the world the US or Iran? Which two nations have been engaged in expansionist wars since their founding the US, Israel or Iran?  Which nation is currently engaged in a genocidal campaign within the region against unarmed harmless civilians, Iran or Israel? Which country has been lying for thirty plus years about the other having nuclear weapons Israel or Iran? Which country actually has nuclear weapons Israel or Iran? Which country is bombing and targeting Syria, Lebanon, Yemen; Israel or Iran? Which two nations launched unprovoked attacks on another country in June 2025, the US, Iran or Israel? Which nation overthrew the duly elected government of Iran in 1954? Which two nations (Iran, Israel or the US) are currently threatening to launch preemptive attacks which could potentially spark a regional or global conflagration? Which nation is a global empire with over eight hundred military bases around the world and is currently engaged in hostile actions against numerous nations, Iran or the US?

Based upon the answers to these questions which two nations are the greatest threats to peace in the region? Food for thought.

                                                                -30-

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

COurts Hand Trump Several Important Loses

 

                                        Courts Hand Trump Several Important Loses

                                                     Junious Ricardo Stanton


            Last week Donald J. Trump was handed major setbacks by Federal District Court Judge Cynthis F. Rufe and the United States Supreme Court. On Monday February 16th Federal District Court Judge Cynthia F. Rufe ordered the Independence Hall National Parks Service to completely restore the President’s House Slavery Memorial exhibit, located at Sixth and Markets Streets adjacent to where the Liberty Bell is located, to its original condition.

 . The President’s House Slave Memorial Exhibit is totally unique. It is the first exhibit on federal property created to pay homage to enslaved persons. It was built to honor the lives of nine enslaved persons of African descent who labored in bondage while George Washington resided in Philadelphia during his presidency.

The Avenging The Ancestors Coalition a grass-roots alliance of historians, activists, educators and elected officials fought to have the exhibit erected. It has been standing since 2010 and is a major tourist and educational attraction for the city of Philadelphia. It is located within an historical area which include Independence Hall, Carpenter’s Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Constitutional Visitors Center.

            Judge Rufe ordered all the instructive panels be returned and restored to their original condition, the video monitors be in pristine working order and the whole site made accessible to the public. She also ordered the site to be restored by Five PM Friday February 20th.  

A rally was held Thursday February 19 by the Avenging The Ancestors Coalition at Three- thirty PM, but the site had not been totally restored at that time. National Parks Service workers were working to comply with Judge Rufe’s order, but they stopped to allow the rally to take place on site.

The Trump administration has filed an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The struggle intensifies.

Also on Friday February 20th, the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 against Trump’s universal tariffs stating Trump overstepped his authority imposing the tariffs. The majority decision which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts noted the power to impose tariffs and taxes lies with the US Congress not the executive branch as is written in the US Constitution. The Supreme Court ruling confirmed a lower court ruling that use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act(IEEPA) was not appropriate since the IEEPA lacks specific language authorizing the levying of tariffs and taxes.

The ruling is a major blow to Trump’s agenda and at least temporarily checked his willful pattern of taking unilateral authoritarian actions since his return to the White House in 2025. But it didn’t take long for Trump to react and respond. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Trump in a fit of petulance immediately announced he would issue a 10% universal global tariff then later in the day, he said he would add another 15% to the tariffs! This is childish as his tariffs are not being used properly. Tariffs are designed to protect domestic markets and producers as well as raise money, not as bargaining chips and threats. The US Congress needs to step up and do its job as outlined in the US Constitution.

What we are seeing is a man determined to push the envelop on executive power, taking actions which are obviously unconstitutional. Trump will attempt to use other legislation to circumvent the US Constitution. He has used Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act in the past to take action against nations in the various trade wars he has instituted during his first administration.

While there are laws on the books that sanction specific international trade actions, Trump’s use of them always seems to blow up in his face. Take his trade wars with Canada, Mexico, China and the EU during his first term. They were a disaster.

Neither Friday court ruling has deterred Trump, he is pressing on. If his past patterns are a precursor to the future, his actions will blow up in his face like a Wylie E. Coyote ACME contraption. Stay tuned to see what happens.

                                                         -30-

 

 

 

Thursday, February 05, 2026

Tell The Truth Restore Our History

 

                                                  Tell The Ruth Restore Our History

                                                        Junious Ricardo Stanton


            When you read Donald Trump’s March 27, 2025 deceitful and misnomered Executive Order # 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500408/pdf/DCPD-202500408.pdf you discover Trump maliciously targeted the Presidents House Slavery Memorial located a Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia and the Smithsonian African-American Museum in Washington D.C. for shuttering. Trump’s Executive Order spells it out based upon a disingenuous prism with the express intent of obliterating and erasing the truth. The Executive Order is a shameful attempt to erase the factual documentation of American history and foster ignorance about George Washington and how deeply the institution of slavery was embroidered into the fabric of the American tapestry.

            On Thursday January 22, 2026 Trump’s order was executed by National Parks Service employees who dismantled and removed educational panels throughout the site which depicted the truth about George Washington (a documented enslaver) who kept nine persons of African descent in bondage and servitude while he resided in the Robert Morris Mansion in Philadelphia during his tenure as the first President of the United States.

            The City of Philadelphia immediately filed a lawsuit claiming the National Parks Service violated aspects of the Administrative Procedure Act by unilaterally dismantling the exhibit without conferring with the city. The legal team from Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the Presidents House Slavery Memorial Alliance headed by University of Pennsylvania law school, Professor Cara McClellan filed an Amicus brief in support of the City’s lawsuit claiming the government’s action created irreparable harm to both the city and the community.

Their brief asserted the exhibit’s dismantling directly harmed the local tourism industry and the community at large, from an historical, cultural, educational and economic standpoint. They argued Trump’s actions were a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection clause. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats also joined the lawsuit as friends of the court and expressed their unequivocal support of the City’s lawsuit.

            As part of a comprehensive response to Trump’s spiteful attempts to whitewash American history the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the broader based President’s House Slavery Memorial Alliance’s legal team presented their case during a hearing at the Federal Courthouse on Friday January 30th.  

Federal Judge Cynthia M. Rufe heard oral arguments and insisted she wanted to inspect the removed panels and the site before rendering her ruling on the motions. On Monday February 2 Judge Rufe inspected the panels and visited the site where she was given a tour by Mijuel K. Johnson a local activist and member of The Black Journey an organization that provides walking tours of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. The Judge said her decision will be rendered shortly, promising it would not drag on into the Spring or Summer.

            When they learned about Trump’s Executive Order, activist attorney Michael a founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition stated ATAC and The Presidents House Slavery Memorial Alliance headed by Roslyn McPherson initiated a coordinated campaign to bring attention to Trump’s reprehensible action. ATAC announced its latest initiative entitled Tell the Truth and Restore Our History. It is an concentrated thirty-day campaign designed to galvanize public opinion and pressure by enlisting support from media, elected officials, coordinated activism which includes social media, letter writing campaigns, a children’s letter writing campaign, an Online petition, a rally on February 10th at the Independence Park Presidents House Slavery Exhibit at Sixth and Market Streets, broad based inclusive faith based organizations, activist recruitment and engagement designed to keep this issue in the forefront of  America’s consciousness. They will also create a video testimony to chronical how important the site is to individuals, the region and the nation.

            For more information on Tell the Truth Restore Our History, contact the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition at ATAC.Avengingtheancestors@gmail.com or, https://www.phslavery.org/ To sign the Online petition go to https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-truth-restore-the-president-s-house-slavery-memorial?

                                                            -30-