History is not a rote set of events on some linear calendar, to be spewed forth
by those who are themselves imprisoned by misinformation,
obfuscation, and deceit. History is, in fact, circular,
intertwined with many occurrences - and more often
than not - very empowering to those who know, understand,
and value its lessons. History is an integral part of
an ongoing, incredibly important and often hidden or distorted
continuum.
In
large part, we Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people
are in the precarious political predicament that we find
ourselves today because we did not learn or give serious
attention to the ever-present lessons of and from history.
We have allowed ourselves to become the recipients and
victims of constant corporate / government / military
psychological bombardment and misinformation.
Prior
to, and since, the very inception of the United States
of America, both psychological and brutal physical
warfare have been effectively waged against the people
of this continent, beginning with the indigenous native
peoples themselves and continuing to grow and encompass,
in varying degrees, virtually every group of people
who have come to this continent and/or lived in the United
States.
From
the genocide of the indigenous peoples, to the enslavement
of Africans, to the serfdom of European so-called indentured
servants, etc., the essence of this nation has historically
been - and continues to be - steeped in wars and profiteering
- but wars that have always been rationalized by the established
elite and for their profit - to the ultimate detriment
of everyday people of all colors. However, the most insidious
war that has been carried on for generation after bloody
generation is the psychological war against the people
of this nation themselves. It is this war that
has relegated everyday people to economic, political,
and military cannon fodder - putty in the hands of the
corporate / military elite. This keeps everyday people
in a constant state of manipulated and perpetual war -
war first and foremost with themselves.
The
double-speak on the part of the present day Obama/Biden
regime must be understood as a continuation of the psychological
warfare that has been waged against everyday people by
the politicos of the corporate Democratic and Republican
two-party dictatorship [i.e. the Republicrats]. Thus,
as �America�
stumbles into the year 2011, its foreign wars rage on,
even as Black, White, Brown, Red and Yellow people in
this nation are simultaneously politically pimped, while
being economically emaciated.
It
is imperative that we everyday people revisit our
histories - this time with a view towards grasping the
true nature of the people�s struggle in this land - as
opposed to the corporate-stream, manipulated vomit, which
historical impersonations are being passed off
by �educational� institutions and the like as being everyday
people�s history. The fact of the matter is that women
and men of all colors in this nation have been waging
an ongoing struggle for social, political, and economic
justice. Notwithstanding changes in technology and/or
the names of political parties, the opponents to this
people�s struggle for social, political, and economic
justice remain today, essentially who they were
over three centuries ago - the entrenched, wealthy
elite.
Irrespective
of color, a people who lose their history, die.
For example, despite Barack Obama�s pigmentation and rhetorical
differences, he is of fundamentally the same mentality,
and represents the same interests of the entrenched,
wealthy elite as do their Republican Party White
House predecessors and congressional colleagues.
Thus, the effort to distort the true history of
the people�s struggle is continued by both Democrats and
Republicans alike. It is an insidious form of psychological
warfare against the people of this nation.
The
most effective way to struggle against the double-speak
and psychological warfare on the part of both the Democrats
and Republicans [i.e. the Republicrats] is to uncompromisingly
speak truth to power and organize with other everyday
people.
Let
it not be said about the everyday Black, White,
Brown, Red, and Yellow people of this nation: �They lost
their history, so they died.� Let us control our own
narrative.
We
must do as did Howard Zinn. We must tell and spread an
accurate account of the �People�s History of the United
States.�
Onward
my sisters and brothers! Onward!
BlackCommentator.com
Editorial
Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black
Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the
Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and
the only American to have successfully self-authored his
civil/political rights case to the United Nations under
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In connection with his political organizing activities
in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was
interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS News
Hour, formerly known as The MacNeil / Lehrer News Hour.
For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and
Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard
Zinn]. (Click
here
to read excerpts from the book). Click here
to contact Mr. Pinkney.