June 19th -- Juneteenth -- Freedom Day

News of the termination of the illegal Confederate state did not reach Texas until May of 1865.

The liberation of Texas could not begin until the Army of the Trans-Mississippi surrendered on 2 June, 1865.

By June 18, 1865, 2,000 federal troops arrived to occupy Texas on behalf of the people of the United States, establishing the Department of Texas.

The commanding Gordon Granger read aloud the contents of "General Order No. 3", announcing the total emancipation of enslaved United States citizens:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. 

Memorials for this event, now referred to as Juneteenth and Freedom day, are observed by 43 of the 50 states (Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah do not recognize it), and it is not a federal observance.

To those who do not find this a good and just thing to remember, I say

Since accident, not conspiracy or planning, dominate human history, the proximity of the shootings of Wed, June 17 to this data is probably just an accident.

I hate to be fair...

..but this 'I Don't Know What Was On The Mind' Of Charleston Shooter  is an example of bad -- and in misleading journalism from a non-Foxish news source. (Not that the Huffington Post is bell weather for good journalism.)


Bush's response when asked whether the shooting was because of race,

 "I don't know. Looks like to me it was, ] but we'll find out all the information.
It's clear it was an act of raw hatred, for sure. Nine people lost their
lives, and they were African-American. You can judge what it is." [emphasis added]

The video click actually has him sounding actually reasonable.

Pillory people properly, not pettily.

The race is on,

I made a guess (Small prediction  below ), as to how the reactionary media were going to handle the Obama's statement about why we have some many of these killing.

Charleston shooting.  I expected a major focus on tearing at


Well, there is some of that already,Jindal on Obama's gun control comments: 'Now's not the time'


But, I may have been mistaken in what the main thrust would be.


Some are going with the focus on the church, not the racial, aspect of the shooting: specifically anti-Christianism: Todd Starnes: Security Expert: My Fear is That More Churches Will be Targeted.  (


I wonder if they are going to try and tie it to the LGBT community, which according to them is bullyingly anti-Christian and discriminatory.  Hm.



Anyway, I will be interested in which track it taken -- it's Obama's fault or the beleaguered Christian community.

It's going to be hard to judge which deception the reactionary press (can we call it the red press?) is going with.  For example, the Todd Starnes mentioned above seems to be hedging his bets here, his facebook page attacks Obama's comments a political.



Anyone interested in helping keep score?

Late yesterday (6/18), I submitted a post to Facebook on the shooting in Charleston, SC , where I said: "Perhaps I am just old and tired, but my first thought was to wonder how Fox News and other reactionaries will find the root cause of this to be a) The Black community, b) White liberals, c) Muslims." Adding later: "Oh, I left out d) LGBT people " I mention this because I was too small minded in my prediction. There is whole panoply of spn that can be used, some of which I hadn't thought of, for example that it the attack was part of hostility to Christianity (primarily) and this is an example of why we have got to be armed (see Fox's Steve Doocy: It's Extraordinary That Charleston Church Shooting Is Being Called A Hate Crime ). You have to admire the speed, creativity, and choice of messengers there But still, I will make a prediction, the big reactionary attack will be on Obama's comment (See Obama Reacts To Shooting ): At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence doesn’t happen in other countries."  That's going to be red meat to them.

Small prediction

Late yesterday (6/18), I submitted a post to Facebook on the shooting in Charleston, SC, where I said:

"Perhaps I am just old and tired, but my first thought was to wonder how Fox News and other reactionaries will find the root cause of this to be
a) The Black community,
b) White liberals,
c) Muslims."

Adding later: "Oh, I left out d) LGBT people "

I mention this because I was too small minded in my prediction.

There is whole panoply of spn that can be used, some of which I hadn't thought of, for example that it the attack was part of hostility to Christianity (primarily) and this is an example of why we have got to be armed (see Fox's Steve Doocy: It's Extraordinary That Charleston Church Shooting Is Being Called A Hate Crime).

You have to admire the speed, creativity, and choice of messengers there

But still, I will make a prediction, the big reactionary attack will be on Obama's comment (See Obama Reacts To Shooting):

At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence doesn’t happen in other countries." 

That's going to be red meat to them.

Teacher resigns after reading students book about gay couple

My daughter, and future Goddess/Empress of the World, has a finely developed sense of reality.

The other day, she channeled her grandmother*, and noted, with disgust that there was a fair chance that that once gay marriage is legal everywhere that people can just say, 'Well that's all fixed,' which will be an excuse for doing nothing.

Well, read on about what the future will still contain
Teacher resigns after reading students book about gay couple



* My mother, back in the 1970's, used to remark that she wasn't sure that an MLK birthday holiday would be a good thing.  She thought it would just let white folk think they were off the hook. 

Small victory for liberty?

To the right, you see not an Society for Creative Anachronism, but a the image that Turkish president Recep Erdogan chooses to project.


There is small hope at the moment, as his party lost its majority in parliament: Turkey’s election is a blow to Erdogan and a victory for Kurds.

Erdogan was hoping for a super majority, so as to amend the Turkish constitution for an executive presidency. 

Erdogan, started out making some real meaningful changes in the Turkish state, including breaking the power of the military, and providing social services.

He has more recently, moved in a predictably dictatorial way -- suppressing press (last I looked Turkey was the had the most journalists in jail), blaming outside forces for internal protests, preventing independent judiciary actions, you know the drill. 

I find it gratifying that this appears to have backfired -- a bit.  I hope this is Turkey's democratic process asserting itself, and that Erdogan's party, Justice and Development Party (AKP), may reign him in.

On the other hand, the AKP may argue that they still got the most votes (they did) and screw their constitution. They have initially addressed this as a minor set back.

It makes me think of the black knight in the Monty Python's Holy Grail. I am just trying to figure out who has the flesh wound.

Murder through misuse of legal process

I have heard of this story before.  Rarely have I felt as angry and ashamed, see: Kalief Browder, 1993–2015 - The New Yorker



There is a reason a right to a speedy trial is required by the constitution.