Friday, June 18, 2021

HAPPY JUNETEENTH, EVERYBODY!



What a fantastic and beautiful thing to wake up to! Wow!

Exactly one year and six days ago I posted a piece on this site where I argued that June 19th ("Juneteenth") should be made into a national holiday (see link below).  Because I was feeling rather low yesterday, I was not connected to the news all day and just stayed in bed reading and watching DVDs. When I woke up very early this morning, I had no idea that I was living in a new federal holiday (This year, June 19th falls on a Saturday so we're celebrating it today). It was not until I drove to the store at about a quarter to five AM when I saw a photograph on the front page of the New York Daily News of a smiling President Biden signing into being this new holiday. This is, beyond a molecule of doubt, my happiest morning in a very long time! It's a shame that it's too damned early to drink a toast to Joe! The liquor stores open up in over an hour here in New York.

In addition to the first African American vice-president and several lawmakers at the signing ceremony, there was Opal Lee, a ninety-four year old lifetime activist. Five years ago she walked from her home in Texas to Washington D.C. to call attention to this very issue. I can well imagine that yesterday was the happiest day of this lady's long life. Hats off to Joe Biden for having the courage to do this.

So help me Mitch Miller - I did not see this coming.

To no one's surprise (certainly not mine) there was much boohooing and gasbagging from the loony right wing - within congress and without - regarding the new Juneteenth Day. Some are even suggesting that "a holiday just for black people" will only divide us further. Predictably these knuckleheads are missing the much bigger picture.  Let me remind everyone that Juneteenth is a holiday for us all. I am less free when any other human being is unjustifiably  denied their freedom. Today is not merely a day for my black brothers and sisters to celebrate; it's also a day for this grumpy old white guy to celebrate as well (And I'm gonna be doing some SERIOUS celebrating! You'd better believe it, baby!)  

In all fairness, it must be pointed out here that, to my utter and eternal astonishment, only a handful of GOP members voted against Juneteenth in the House, and it passed the Senate unanimously. Bravo for them!

Some are arguing (as some are prone to do) that we have too many holidays as it is in the USA. While I don't believe this to be the case, I would further argue that we do away with October 12 as a National day of rest. It can still be "Columbus Day" but we can celebrate it in the same manner we do "St. Patrick's Day" - which is not a holiday, but still gives me a dandy excuse to get falling-down-drunk every March 17. What we should do is combine Veterans Day with Election Day as a single holiday - both being in November. This would make voting a whole lot easier for all Americans. This ain't rocket science, kiddies - although I would advise you not to hold your breath waiting for it to happen.

FUN FACT:

Our knowledge of Christopher Columbus (who never even set foot in what is now "the continental United States") is based upon a popular 19th century novel - and not on historical fact. The sad truth is that when Columbus and his gang of "explorers" arrived in the Western Hemisphere in 1492, they committed untold acts of genocide on the native people. Scores of thousands of them (the exact number is lost to history) were murdered in cold blood. No, we shouldn't be celebrating that guy at all!

So there you have it my fellow Americans of all races and creeds: the first Juneteenth of our lifetimes and what will be, I am certain, many many more. It's something that African Americans have been quietly observing since June 19, 1865, when the slaves on the far-reaches of Galveston, Texas were finally informed by Union General Gordon Granger that the war between the states was over and that slavery had been abolished by the late president, Abraham Lincoln, two-and-a-half years before with the signing of the emancipation proclamation. Henceforth, they were finally and eternally "free" (at least technically - we're all still working on that "freedom" bit). Although we have come a long way, we have a very long way to go. Let's get moving.

Happy Juneteenth, everyone, and God bless us - one and all!


Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED READING:

Celebrating Juneteenth 
from The Rant, 12 June 2020


This is a great day, indeed.

SUGGESTED LISTENING:

The Stars and Stripes Forever
by John Phillip Sousa.


This calls for a little patriotic music, ay? I have always loved this one!



37 Comments:

At 9:06 AM, Blogger rustcoal said...

Putin must of forgot that his buddy trump was president during the insurrection in his whataboutism response when asked if he was a killer. In a DEMOCRACY we the PEOPLE vote out two bit dictator wannabees.

 
At 11:00 AM, Blogger Jerry said...

This new and ongoing Holiday will remind people (especially the younger generations) what the despicable history of oppressing blacks is/was, and in the future will make sure that history is not lost even when whites are no longer the majority. It will also help stop discrimination against other minorities.

 
At 2:52 PM, Blogger Just the Facts! said...

MI State Criminal Justice Professor Says Rallying Cry To ‘Defund The Police’…Emboldened Criminals…

Another job well done by the Democrats. Another example of those White Supremacist in MI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58BiedxLc8&t=1s

 
At 3:12 PM, Blogger TB3 said...

Random Internet Blog Reader TB3 commented, 'Give TB3 a million dollars'

Oh. Man. Just saying something didn't make it happen or true!

Awwwwwww maaaaaan!

 
At 5:04 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Racist cops who murder Blacks are what "embolden" protests, riots, and crimes associated with them. The radical racist Right can't figure that out.

If there were no racist cops who kill helpless Blacks, no protests, riots and associated crime would follow.

Vern can't show us where the MI State Criminal Justice Professor offered such an opinion that "Democrats" are to blame.

Vern means this Criminal Justice Professor Scott Wolf:

Important new paper by @JustinTPickett and @agrahamphd on 'fear of the police.' This is very telling: "About half of Blacks would rather be robbed or burglarized than be questioned or searched by the police." Convincing evidence of a legitimacy crisis, no?

https://twitter.com/scott_wolfe_msu?lang=en

 
At 6:48 PM, Blogger Just the Facts! said...

Chicago is a city with a lot of problems: gangs, crime, bad housing, limited access to health care — in other words, problems that most large Democrat controlled American cities experience.

We can now add one more problem to Chicago’s list of woes: racism is now a public health crisis.

Chicago isn’t the first to make this sort of silly declaration.

Dave Dubya thinks the murder rate of blacks in custody of cops is increasing but can't prove it.
"If there were no racist cops who kill helpless Blacks, no protests, riots and associated crime would follow." Prove that claim Dave. YOU CAN'T.

The murders in Chicago of blacks is clearly the fault of racist cops, and white supremacist. BUT first you have to prove that those helpless blacks aren't killed by black cops. Bet YOU CAN'T.
Isn't odd that Dave is excusing black riots and protests over the death of blacks but is quite about the blacks who die at the hands of a black abortionist.

(Bet Dave would change his tune if protests, riots and associated crime would follow every murder of a white by a black cop or otherwise.)

He won't, he can't! But what DAVE will do is deflect like crazy, scream racism, (it is all he's got), he will blame Trump, and call black conservatives Uncle Toms and Tokens, me a racist, bring up Christianity, (while being unable to answer the simple question, what makes a person a Christian), and excuse the murder rate of blacks on blacks (in the hundreds) and focus on the 29 blacks killed by cops in 2019 while in police custody.

And then Mofart will inject some useless post that will defend Biden/Hillary/Obama, attack Trump (who is not president) ignoring the crisis on our southern border, a crisis that Biden created and has done nothing about, ignore the increase in inflation and the cost of building materials, housing, food and fuel claiming Biden has nothing to do with any of these. Leading me to ask, MOFART just what the hell does Biden have under control? LMAO, still dumb as a box of rocks. Tip of the hat to woodenman.

TB3 will post some 2-3 line bit of stupidity in an attempt at a "gotcha" while never taking a stand on any position, just sniping away. Guess TB3 lacks guts cause he never takes a stand on anything.

Tom will make a big deal about everything except the failure of his own State's governor and the thousands who died due to his mishandling of the pandemic in NY. Which you would think would be important to him. Guess death of his neighbors isn't that important.

But thank God we no longer have any mean tweets from the White House, that's what's important.

The left is losing. Can't wait till the midterms.

 
At 7:18 PM, Blogger TB3 said...

Oh boy. JTF sure does a great job analyzing a bunch of random comments online from random people. It'd be cool if used those powers to actually analyze the "information" hw gets from rando YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

 
At 7:53 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

I will be celebrating every "Juneteenth" because it's me wedding anniversary! LOL


Seriously, this is long overdue.

Of course Sybil HAS to bring up "Chicago crime" because that's OBAMA'S City.

He disregards the fact that ALL large cities have crime.

Sybil also LOVES to remind us that trump is not President, but he SHOULD be reminding trump himself and all the batshit followers that think he's be "reinstated" in August.

Of course, Obama is no longer president either, but we do keep getting reminded about Chicago don;t we?

Yeah, Chicago is so horrible that I'm spending the next 5 days there as we chose it for our honeymoon. What a HORRIBLE place! LOL

Cub game, Museums, the Zoo, great food and entertainment...

The left is losing? If that's true, why does the GOP need to make it harder for citizens to vote?

 
At 9:06 AM, Blogger TB3 said...

Yeah, Chicago is a neat city. Congrats! And enjoy. We went to Chicago specifically to go to Wrigley before they added their jumbotron. Hit up the Museum of Scienece and Technology. :)

 
At 10:01 AM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

What kind of person would obsess over, and harp on, urban Black crime in a thread about Juneteenth?

Something about that, isn't there. He seems to have a one-track mind in his constant negative way of thinking of Black people.

I think there's a word for it, too. What kind of Southern conservative white person is that? Hmmm.

 
At 11:35 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Vern, aka Just the Facts, whined about Juneteenth at another blog:

"It shouldn’t be a holiday for only black people when white people died fighting for slaves to be free. Who's with me?"

So Vern wants to celebrate white people again?

Southern white people died to keep them slaves. White people like Vern's Great, Great Grand Dragon, I mean Granddaddy.

Racists think Juneteenth is a holiday for Blacks only.

Figures.

It's a celebration of the triumph of our better angels, that Lincoln hoped would prevail. It is a celebration of America striving for equality, forming a more perfect Union.

Independence Day meant nothing to slaves. Juneteenth is their Independence Day.

As predicted, white racists only resent it.

Who's with Tom, rustcoal, TB3, Jerry, and me in joining our African American brothers and sisters in celebrating the end of slavery?

Vern?

Vern?....


Meanwhile, last year radical Right Trumpist Charlie Kirk lectured those whiney liberals:

“Hey liberals, do you notice that when conservatives lose races we don’t riot, scream, smash windows, burn cars, assault people, or need days off of work?

It’s amazing how mature and civil conservatives are.

Please remember this and take notes when we get Trump re-elected in 2020.”

Oops. That didn’t age well.

Trump lost the election, lied that it was stolen, told a mob to “March to the Capitol, fight like hell and stop the steal”.

Trump proceeded to watch his coup unfold on TV, doing nothing to stop his mob from terrorizing and threatening our Congress.

The attempt to overturn the election and steal the presidency for Trump failed. Trump’s coup ended America’s long history of peaceful transfer of power.

I’ve been saying for years that the radical Right are enemies of democracy and the republic.

I was right.

 
At 10:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

White Supremacist try to ruin Chicago's JUNETEENTH Weekend.

This past weekend racist White Supremacist Trump supporters terrorize black Chicago neighborhoods resulting in 8 murdered, 54 shot in Chicago.

 
At 2:32 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

^Racists lie.^

 
At 5:29 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Wrigley is still GREAT! The MSI was great, but slightly disappointing due to a few exhibits still closed over Covid.

Brookfeild zoo was amazing! The hard Rock cafe was really cool.

The City is wonderful. Great food, great people...driving around is a challenge, but what big city isn't?

 
At 7:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Suddenly, Democrats Express Support for Voter ID Laws

In 2018, Georgia’s wannabe governor, Stacey Abrams, said voter ID laws are intended to “scare people out of voting.” Now, she audaciously says, “No one has ever objected to having to prove who you are to vote. It’s been part of our nation’s history since the inception of voting.”

For years, then-Pastor Raphael Warnock, now a senator from Georgia, claimed ID laws were a form of “voter suppression” so “unnecessary and unjustifiable” that they amount to “dismember[ing]” Martin Luther King Jr.

Now he lies, “I have never been opposed to voter ID. And in fact, I don’t know anybody who is.”

Typical liberal liars. Just like Mofart.

 
At 7:13 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

There is no reason whatsoever to require new ID's. There has been no widespread voter fraud committed by individuals.

What we NEED is to stop VOTER SUPPRESSION which is what this is.

We need to stop the GOP from shutting down polling places, making "helping voters" illegal, sabotaging the USPS, banning mail in voting, etc.

And when Sybil can show ONE TIME that I have lied, I'll be here.

When Sybil can answer ONE simple question honestly, Let me know.


Look what we did with no new ID's.|

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2017/07/07/iowa-woman-charged-voting-twice-trump-pleads-guilty/459718001/

 
At 9:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mofart travels to Chicago's white supremacists north side, avoiding the Juneteenth celebrations on the South side and brags how safe he was...Very racist of him.

 
At 9:03 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So a couple times now we've heard Gropey Joe mumble about 2nd Amendment rights and sending in F-35s and nucular bombs against the opposition.

But a couple dozen mostly peaceful protesters at the Capitol were an existential threat to our "democracy".

 
At 1:10 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

The radical Right are opening an inquisition on educators. Their message is quite clear. Conform to the radical Right or lose funding.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/06/22/state-university-faculty-students-to-be-surveyed-on-beliefs/#

State university faculty, students to be surveyed on beliefs

Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested that budget cuts could be looming if universities and colleges are found to be “indoctrinating” students.

What's next? Loyalty oaths to their Fuhrer Trump?

Just don't call them authoritarians, amirite?

 
At 1:21 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Roy Cohn, Michael Cohen, and now Rudy Giuliani. It's probably safe to say that if you've gotten multiple attorneys disbarred, jailed, and/or suspended due to what they did to help you, you're probably a criminal.

 
At 4:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

7 Things You Didn't Know Were Racist

Dogs are racist.
Crying is racist
Paid Time Off for whites is racist
Dieting is racist
Glasses are racist
Bandages are racist
ALL white people are racist.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjuhqpJespU








 
At 9:52 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In keeping with the fallacy that “police are killing people at will and the streets run red with blood!”, there have been 13 killings of unarmed people this year by police.

Thirteen for this year.

Some people don’t want you to know the truth.

Source: Washington Post database

 
At 9:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe Biden FALSELY claims "I haven't been to China."

He must have forgotten about that 2013 trip he took there with his son Hunter on Air Force Two.

On the trip Hunter pedaled his father's influence to secure a Chinese business license.

 
At 6:11 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

So Sybil admits that cops are killing unarmed people, that the Trump family does millions in business with China, including Ivanka's contract for...wait for it...VOTING MACHINES.

Why we care about some people making a stupid Youtube vid I have no idea...

I traveled to the places I wanted to see...just because I didn't let Sybil plan my honeymoon doesn't make me racist.

And there MIGHT have been a "couple dozen mostly peaceful" protesters in DC Jan 6, but there were definitely THOUSANDS of violent ones storming the Capitol and seeking the heads of Pence, Pelosi, etc.

Oh, and Hunter Biden is not President. He doesn;t even have a job in the WH like trump's kids did.





 
At 11:41 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Oh, and BTW Sybil...

The Museum of Science and Industry is on the South Side of Chicago.

Have you ever BEEN to Chicago? Not just white people living in the North, not just Blacks living in the South.

Go figure racist Sybil doesn;t know anything about the city he attacks.

 
At 1:20 PM, Blogger Just the Facts! said...

The Biden administration is failing big time with its inability to control illegal immigration, adding it to one of several issues that could doom Democrats if left unchecked.

In a new Harvard/Harris poll, an overwhelming 80% said that illegal immigration is a serious issue and one that needs more attention than what President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris are giving.

What’s more, 68% said that signals from Biden’s White House are encouraging illegal immigration, and 55% believe that former President Donald Trump’s border closing policies should have been left in place.

Race only matters to racists.

 
At 1:24 PM, Blogger Just the Facts! said...


Biden says protecting women’s sports from unfair competition by “trans” athletes is “Un-American.” So he’s basically calling over half of the population un-American. Because 56% of adults say it is totally unfair to allow “trans” athletes in womens sports.

You know, men who are now calling themselves women but who still have the advantages they were born with genetially BECAUSE THAT IS HOW SCIENCE WORKS.

19% of respondents in a new Rasmussen survey weren’t sure about it. A mere 25% say it’s fair. So really Biden is trashing about 2/3 of Americans.

 
At 1:29 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

What white racists always say: "Race only matters to racists."

Racism isn't racism to the racist.

 
At 3:17 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Sybil continues to argue over something that's only an issue on social media and he thinks that the GOP is "half".

Notice that he didn't publish the actual polls...


Clearly he's never been to Chicago...and he trashed that great city constantly. Why take anything he says seriously?

Oh yeah, Hunter Biden is not President.

 
At 6:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And black racists say "Racism isn't racism to the racist."
Makes perfect sense since black racists say race matters more than a person's character.

 
At 7:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mofart admits he didn't join in the South Side of Chicago's celebration of Juneteenth. How very white supremacists of him.

So, if this Administration is against the border wall, and we don’t need it, can someone please explain to me why VP Harris (trying to be respectful), went to the safest border town that is behind 161 miles of border wall???? If the border crisis isn’t that bad, why didn’t she go to say, Del Rio, Eagle Pass or Laredo???? Inquiring minds want to know?!?!

Biden says he never has been to China, another LIE. Of has his dementia effected his memory to where he doesn't remember going to China with his son? Either way America is in trouble with this Commander in Chief (who failed college ROTC), don't you agree?


 
At 8:55 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

"...black racists say race matters more than a person's character."

Racists LIE. White American racists blame Blacks. Nazis blamed Jews.Same thing.

Their racism, hate and lies echo Hitler's Nazis.

White nationalist Marjorie Taylor-Greene shows us what she really is:

“You know, Nazis were the National Socialist Party. Just like the Democrats are now a national socialist party.”

“We can look back in a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens — so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany, and this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.”

“Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star.”

Marjorie Taylor-Greene at the June 26th Ohio Trump rally: “AOC, the little communist from New York City. That’s right. Yeah, lock her up, too. That’s a good idea. She’s not an American. She really doesn’t embrace our American ways.”

They are nothing but neo-Nazis. Real "Christian" of them, amirite?

 
At 10:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dave just admitted race is more important than the character of a person. What a racists thing to believe.
He just admitted he believes the color of a persons skin is more important than their character. He is such a racist he can't even see his own racism.

Race only matters to racists, and to Dave race is the only thing that matters, just read his posts.

Deflections follow.

 
At 10:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about that Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Outed as Member of All-White Club? Is Whitehouse (d) a racist?


 
At 12:06 AM, Blogger Just the Facts! said...

El Paso Democrat U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar says El Paso is the new Ellis Island...except that at Ellis Island, children weren't thrown over the wall.

 
At 1:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Doesn’t Deny Being a Communist in Spat With Marjorie Taylor Greene, but neither do Dave and Mofart, just par for the course.

 
At 6:37 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Has she ever been asked if she's a "Communist"

I know I have not, and one cannot issue a denial over things they have not been asked about.

I have never denied being from the planet Koosbain either. LOL

At Ellis island, children had been sent from Europe ALONE and many were quarantined for various ailments.

Some died alone.

But those who didn;t were let in...IS IT BECAUSE THEY WERE WHITE?

Then there are the CUBANS, welcomed with open arms by Floridians, and they attacked President Obama when US law required that a child be returned to his Father in Cuba.

WHY are Cubans not only accepted, but defended, yet Mexicans are criminals and terrorists?

"These aren't people, they are animals" --- Donald J Trump

 

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