Ring of Fire Radio: #BlackLivesMatter Leadership Wants Progressives and Bernie Destroyed, Read This

[Larkspur]

Progressives--Don’t Waste Your Money on the Group #BlackLivesMatters. They Are Actually Hurting Minority Progress

SNIP
What is it about Bernie Sanders that threatens the leadership of BLM more than the other Democratic and Republican candidates? The answer is actually frightening.

The leaders of BLM like the status quo, unless the single focus of future equality is centered on black women; and even more so black, lesbian, women. They like racial tension over a quest for universal growth for all persons struggling, because it gives them power and a voice. This obviously is not what the vast majority of those supporting BLM believe, but it is what the leadership believes. It’s for this reason that the leadership is not standing up against members who claim to speak on their behalf and who prevent Bernie Sanders from speaking at rallies.

The present Democratic and Republican leadership will continue to promote racial divide by keeping all minorities impoverished and weak, and especially black women. Bernie wants to raise the plight of all minorities and those struggling, at the expense of the upper 1%. He is not solely focused on black women. He wants a society where people truly have opportunity; and where race, religion, sexual orientation, and other differences don’t matter. If Bernie were to succeed in this highly ambitious goal, then the leadership of BLM would not have their present power. They would lose their current identity in the movement, and the three founders are terrified of this. In fact, many times when others outside of black women have tried to help their cause and grow the message, they have become infuriated and attacked.

As the founders of BLM make clear, the movement (from their perspective) is all about black women. Anyone such as Bernie Sanders who wants to raise the plight of all struggling Americans offends them. They want the sole focus to be on them. They don’t want a peaceful movement that follows the lead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Instead, they want a militant movement that follows the lead of the Black Panther Party.

This is why Bernie frightens the leadership of BLM so much, because he is creating a huge movement of destroying the present system, which racist system gives the leaders of BLM their voice. These same leaders rather keep the status quo. If we at Ring of Fire are wrong, then we ask them to stand up and take a very strong stance against what is occuring at these rallies, and to state what their true goals are, and how we can assist them to help struggling black Americans.

SNIP

In Case You Doubted #BlackLivesMatter Leadership Wants Progressives and Bernie Destroyed, Read This

SNIP
As we detailed in our story earlier today, the leadership of this organization wishes to resist the type of change that Bernie and Progressives are striving to bring about for all those struggling in America, including African Americans. They don’t appreciate others who are fighting for their cause and are following in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr. to make change. They want change, if any, to occur solely through the following of the Black Panthers.

SNIP
Ask yourself why they are only showing up at Progressive events, and not at Hillary or GOP events? Who are the “other Black organizers and non-Black allies and accomplices” they refer to in their press release as helping them shut down Bernie’s event? Why would they be attacking Bernie when he was the one who joined the March on Washington, which featured the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, in 1963? He is one of only two sitting senators who can say that. Also, he is one of the only elected white officeholders who endorsed Jesse Jackson for President.

It’s pathetic that this organization, which is being supported in the grassroots by so many well intentioned people, is being hijacked by a few militant leaders who solely wish to protect their turf. Until such time as the silent majority of blacks and others stand up to these leaders, they are going to win and set peace and acceptance of minorities back decades. This is what they hope. This is what they demand. It’s the same as fanatic Muslims preventing the voice of the vast majority of true peaceful Muslims being heard. It’s the same as warmongers creating fear to make sure that peace, such as with Iran, will never occur. It’s the same as fanatic liberals supporting unworthy and hate filled people such as the leaders of #blacklivesmatters when they are not deserving of support.

We at ROF will not sit by silently and appease people we believe are wrong, even when they are part of a group that we so strongly support and want to rise up from their plight. We are going to speak the truth, and we are going to yell. Please remember we are angry at the imbalance of power and wealth in this country, and the fact that way too many are living in poverty, and without proper food, shelter and health care, when we are the richest country in the world. We are going to speak out against injustice, even when the injustice it being perpetrated by those we wish to defend.

We have been doing this since our inception, and we never are going to change.

Thank you Ring of Fire for this information.

[MisterP]

1. seems unfair to the Panthers--even James Cromwell sorta was one

it also doesn't really pick apart the different groups or tendencies in BLM, which is much more important than simply proving that they were attacking Bernie and not just finding an unguarded venue by a responsive candidate

[socialist_n_TN]

9. Yeah, I caught that about the Panthers too........

Not that I don't have some problems with the Panthers and their Marxist orientation, but at least it's a problem with their interpretation of Marx. The WERE a revolutionary socialist group and Marxist which means that they were on the right track and had it mostly right.

[Aerows]

60. The "contingent" strike me as "hipsters"

For some reason, they end up at your house with a friend, and proceed to tell you "that's a good band, here's a better one."

"You cook well for someone that hasn't been doing it long.

and finally "Hillary Clinton has a stance on the XKeystone, but you've probable never heard of it."

[KoKo]

73. They DID..but the Execution of their Ideals caused problems "down the road"...

As with all Radical Movements............the Backlash does come.

How to move beyond that GOING FORWARD... I think we need better ways...but, searching to find them...

[sufrommich]

2. So BLM is about black women? Specifically lesbian black women?

And something,something Black Panthers? It's like the freepers and the left are crossing streams.

[Gman]

14. Amaxibg, isn't it?

Incredibly true.

[emulatorloo]

87. Hard to forget this thread, isn't it?

[m-lekktor]

3. I don't agree with the premise in this piece that the Black Panthers were bad.

Huey Newton spoke out for gay rights back then when nobody else did, for example. They were unfairly demonized and destroyed by COINTELPRO, IMO. Whatever my thoughts are on the current BLM incident(s), I can't agree with the implication in this piece that the Black Panthers were bad.

[jalan48]

17. I agree. The Panthers started food programs for kids in schools in Oakland. I had the sense they

were more about making their communities better places to live. Hoover went after them because he thought they posed a threat to the established order. From what I remember Fred Hampton was basically murdered by the Chicago police.

[Snotcicles]

4. I'm going to reserve comment. I do though want to mention that I hold those at ROF in high regard. n

[romanic]

5. Keep the struggle going

is the motto of extremists. I wouldn't say it's BLM itself, but a few like Marissa and Mara who want to keep the fight going so they have a "voice"....forever.

[emsimon33]

6. K&R

[HooptieWagon]

7. It's all about them, BLM is just their vehicle.

That has been repeatedly mentioned on DU, for those paying attention. RoF has said it better now. BLM is being badly set back by its narcissistic leaders.

[FreakinDJ]

8. Like PUMA ?

[JackInGreen]

12. Yup! You said the secret word!

Have a lolipop.

[HooptieWagon]

13. Exactly.

[JI7]

10. oh no the scary black lesbians

[emulatorloo]

16. Evil Power-Hungry Black Lesbians With a Secret Plot to Destroy America!1!!1!

Typical DU 2015, I guess.

[okasha]

20. Trifecta!

Blacks!
Women!
Teh Gay! (Specifically, lesbians.)

[truebrit71]

22. Yup. Or it could be a reaction to be being called "white supremacist liberals"...

... by a couple of clueless morons.

Your call...

[okasha]

24. Please explain

why "Black lesbians" is in any way equivalent or comparable to "white supremacist liberals."

[truebrit71]

26. Why? I didn't make that comparison. You did.

Care to explain why it's okay to call people "white supremacist liberals"?

[okasha]

27. Your post 22.

[truebrit71]

40. You made the comparison.

I contrasted them.

[okasha]

46. Your post 22.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

61. Yes, they are 3 lesbians - so what?

When you design an event / campaign / et cetera based on the work of queer Black women, don’t invite them to participate in shaping it, but ask them to provide materials and ideas for next steps for said event, that is racism in practice. It’s also hetero-patriarchal. Straight men, unintentionally or intentionally, have taken the work of queer Black women and erased our contributions. Perhaps if we were the charismatic Black men many are rallying around these days, it would have been a different story, but being Black queer women in this society (and apparently within these movements) tends to equal invisibility and non-relevancy.

- Alicia Garza

[Agschmid]

11. Umm...

[Gman]

15. I cannot believe I'm reading any of this on a liberal board

Incredible. Now we're posting propaganda.

How dare they speak of the Black Panthers this way.

[sadoldgirl]

19. I don't remember much about the Black Panthers,

but RoF is representing not only a liberal but also
honest group. I wished though that they would have
put the names down of the 3 founders of BLM.

[840high]

31. Here

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi co-founded the Black Lives Matter Movement when George Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. They created the hashtag, which spread like wildfire.May 4, 2015

[sadoldgirl]

34. Thank you so much

I will try to google for more info of them.

To me it seems a betrayal of all the people,
who believed in their efforts, including me.

[starroute]

44. Here's something I posted on another thread

It doesn't mention those same three names -- unless they're the ones it refers to as having coined the hashtag -- but it does make it clear that queer black women are prominent in the movement. It's altogether a more positive take on things, though -- and though ROF could be right about the self-serving nature of their agenda, I'd rather wait for confirmation and to see how far it extends.

http://inthesetimes.com/article/17551/the_women_behind_blacklivesmatter

What few realize, however, is that a movement often described as “‘leaderless,” and largely framed by the bodies of slain black men and boys, is being propelled by the efforts of women of color.

The Nov. 24, 2014 decision that Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting death of Michael Brown prompted Synead Nichols, 23, and her friend Umaara Elliott, 19, to organize what would become Millions March NYC. It began as a Facebook event. “We maxed out everyone on our friends list,” says Umaara, “and they started RSVPing and resharing.” The website www. millionsmarchnyc.org debuted about a week later, and a Twitter handle, Instagram account and even a Tumblr page soon followed. . . .

Look into the roots of other #BlackLivesMatter protests, and you’ll often find women like Nichols, Elliott and Perez. Ferguson’s Millennial Activists United, founded in the wake of Brown’s death, was created by three young women of color, Ashley Yates, Alexis Templeton and Brittany Ferrell (after meeting in Ferguson, Templeton and Ferrell married in January).

The hashtag that has become the movement’s signature, #BlackLivesMatter, was itself coined by three black queer women, in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

[840high]

47. Thank you.

[840high]

49. I feel hoodwinked.

[7962]

38. "Propaganda" because you dont like it? Can you refute the quotes?

Ive said from the START of this that they were hurting the cause with their actions and it wasnt about "change", but all about THEM.

[A Simple Game]

18. This explains some posts on DU that had me puzzled and one in particular that

was in response to my invoking Kings name. I didn't continue the conversation because I was a little harsh to the poster when they suggested that polite discussions got nowhere so I just let the conversation drop.

But there were at least two other posts that mentioned lesbians and particularly black lesbians that I thought were going off on a tangent for no apparent reason.

I always thought that BLM was the wrong approach to begin with because it is exclusive and not inclusive like all the rest of the civil rights movements. Almost like they don't want to be a part of the whole. It all fits in with the above article.

[Hydra]

21. I'm not supportive of the Panther hate

People who push for change are rarely appreciated. That said, this would explain the odd behavior of BLM and their rebuffing of any offers to help. It would also explain their bizarre support of the status quo.

Any way you look at it though, it's a disgusting betrayal of the people who have been abused and died. Using their names as weapons to keep the death train moving.

[sadoldgirl]

23. I would suggest that you read the whole

article on their site. If their citation from one of the
BLM founders is correct, then it becomes clear, that
they don't want the help of other poc groups nor of
any white person.

Boy, this should be read by everyone on DU and elsewhere.

[KoKo]

43. It was disturbing to read they don't want help from other POC or White (Progressives)

Last edited Mon Aug 10, 2015, 04:16 PM - Edit history (1)

because those are all tainted as sell outs or something.

I was an activist in late 60's against Vietnam War. Ran into many different groups with different agendas...and there were some who wanted to "break off" and "do their own thing" not trusting anyone. So, this isn't new.

What's sad is that living through what I remember and my experience is-- that those who "broke off" into more violent actions ended up doing stuff that got them in jail or killed. Others not seeing change fast enough became bored or frustrated and dropped out becoming very establishment. But, there are so many positive actions that survive from the 60's we have to hope that "BLM" will reform our our whole Militarized Police and for profit Detention System along with Racial Targeting, Stop & Frisk without Cause and all the other reforms in the legal system that causes hostile Police Actions against POC, Mentally Ill, Homeless and Youth population.

I think this article is a good read for young people who may be looking for a more radical way of supporting a cause they believe in, feeling frustrated with what they view as "Establishment Failures"..but, having been through an era long before now..with much the same kind of language...I'd probably look and read carefully and think hard before I jumped in head first.

Focusing on "Constructive" and NOT "Destructive" Efforts win more people (hearts and minds) to work with one towards a Goal that might achieve progress over outright rage of Shaking Fists and Shouting Down those who could support your efforts and move one's "Agenda for Change" forward in a better more productive way.

But...in the end...Every Generation needs to find their "Own Path" to fight the injustices particular to their Own Time and Life Experiences.... BUT, be aware, that there may be "forces behind the scenes" with an Agenda You Aren't Aware Of that Might Come Back to Bite You on The Neck. Like a Vampire.

So, there's that.

[bvar22]

63. I only have one tiny criticism.

My problem is with paragraph 2:

"What's sad is that living through what I remember and my experience is-- that those who "broke off" ended up doing stuff that got them in jail or killed...one way or the other, and those who survived changed and became very establishment."

There are many, many of us who Kept-the-Faith,
and are still involved in making out communities better.
Many are still living on their homesteads growing good (non-factory) food, and bartering for other goods.
Many of the friends I grew up with in the 60s are still serving in low paying Counseling, Community Organizing,
1/2 way houses, citizen advocates, food banking, showing up when needed.... I could go on.

Not everybody sold out.
Many never committed in the first place.
The great majority of "hippies" who appeared on TV were Weekends Only Suburban kids living off Mom & Dad who just wanted to good dope.

[KoKo]

64. Yes...I didn't make it clear enough about the good that came out of the 60's Movement...

Environnmental Protection, Food & Water Safety, Green Movement, Restore our Waterways, Buy Local, Recycling, Community Organizing, Community Gardens and the issues you mentioned.

I meant that those who broke off and became very radical often ended up in anarchy groups because of their frustration and that led to either arrest and jail terms , disillusioment and others not seeing fast enough results, became bored and dropped out and were then done with organizing around causes. I meant that for the radical of "BLM" who are acting out so aggressively with name calling and mic grabbing which turns people off because they feel that they have no agenda but to disrupt.

I'll edit to make it clearer. Thanks for pointing that out.

[bvar22]

65. An edit is unnecessary.

The great Bulk of your post is 100% correct.

There are many who are dead now,
and a few even went to Wall Street.

Off Topic, but I SAW me and my 19 year old friends from the 60s at the OWS encampments.
I am so proud of those kids. Whether they realized it or not,
they became a part of a movement that has been continuous for 120 years in the US.
The Movement for Economic Justice that began with the fight for Organized LABOR and better working conditions.
This movement ebbs and flows, and has had many names over the years,
but it is the same movement.
It will never die.

[KoKo]

67. ...! Many seem to feel OWS didn't achieve anything...

but the 1% became a Meme that our Candidates are going to have to tackle. It changed the Dialogue for this Election and gave us voices like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and others who recognize how the out of control money at the TOP is eroding our whole society by buying Elections, Candidates and Legislation that advantages that same 1%.

They did this! And, it doesn't matter that it was a short lived movement to "Occupy" because it served its purpose. The PTB couldn't stop "THE MEME."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

25. WoW

The leaders of BLM like the status quo, unless the single focus of future equality is centered on black women; and even more so black, lesbian, women

[Comrade Grumpy]

28. In her own words:

She sounds like the architect of a self-marginalizing movement:

If you think Ring of Fire is making this up, all you need to do is read the following writing by Alicia Garza, the co-founder of BLM, which full article is available at A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement.

Below are just some of the quotes:

When you design an event / campaign / et cetera based on the work of queer Black women, don’t invite them to participate in shaping it, but ask them to provide materials and ideas for next steps for said event, that is racism in practice. It’s also hetero-patriarchal. Straight men, unintentionally or intentionally, have taken the work of queer Black women and erased our contributions. Perhaps if we were the charismatic Black men many are rallying around these days, it would have been a different story, but being Black queer women in this society (and apparently within these movements) tends to equal invisibility and non-relevancy.

We completely expect those who benefit directly and improperly from White supremacy to try and erase our existence. We fight that every day. But when it happens amongst our allies, we are baffled, we are saddened, and we are enraged. And it’s time to have the political conversation about why that’s not okay.

Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes. It goes beyond the narrow nationalism that can be prevalent within some Black communities, which merely call on Black people to love Black, live Black and buy Black, keeping straight Black men in the front of the movement while our sisters, queer and trans and disabled folk take up roles in the background or not at all. Black Lives Matter affirms the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, Black-undocumented folks, folks with records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. It centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. It is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement. [As stated in WikiPedia, “The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground, black nationalist militant organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed largely of former Black Panthers (BPP), the organization’s program was one of ‘armed struggle’, and its stated goal was to ‘take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States.’ The BLA carried out a series of bombings, murders, robberies (what participants termed ‘expropriations’), and prison breaks.]

It is an acknowledgment that Black women continue to bear the burden of a relentless assault on our children and our families and that assault is an act of state violence. Black queer and trans folks bearing a unique burden in a hetero-patriarchal society that disposes of us like garbage and simultaneously fetishizes us and profits off of us is state violence; the fact that 500,000 Black people in the US are undocumented immigrants and relegated to the shadows is state violence; the fact that Black girls are used as negotiating chips during times of conflict and war is state violence; Black folks living with disabilities and different abilities bear the burden of state-sponsored Darwinian experiments that attempt to squeeze us into boxes of normality defined by White supremacy is state violence. And the fact is that the lives of Black people—not ALL people—exist within these conditions is consequence of state violence.

And, to keep it real–it is appropriate and necessary to have strategy and action centered around Blackness without other non-Black communities of color, or White folks for that matter, needing to find a place and a way to center themselves within it. It is appropriate and necessary for us to acknowledge the critical role that Black lives and struggles for Black liberation have played in inspiring and anchoring, through practice and theory, social movements for the liberation of all people. The women’s movement, the Chicano liberation movement, queer movements, and many more have adopted the strategies, tactics and theory of the Black liberation movement. And if we are committed to a world where all lives matter, we are called to support the very movement that inspired and activated so many more. That means supporting and acknowledging Black lives.

Progressive movements in the United States have made some unfortunate errors when they push for unity at the expense of really understanding the concrete differences in context, experience and oppression. In other words, some want unity without struggle. As people who have our minds stayed on freedom, we can learn to fight anti-Black racism by examining the ways in which we participate in it, even unintentionally, instead of the worn out and sloppy practice of drawing lazy parallels of unity between peoples with vastly different experiences and histories.

Please do not change the conversation by talking about how your life matters, too. It does, but we need less watered down unity and a more active solidarities with us, Black people, unwaveringly, in defense of our humanity. Our collective futures depend on it.

------

As the founders of BLM make clear, the movement (from their perspective) is all about black women. Anyone such as Bernie Sanders who wants to raise the plight of all struggling Americans offends them. They want the sole focus to be on them. They don’t want a peaceful movement that follows the lead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Instead, they want a militant movement that follows the lead of the Black Panther Party.

This is why Bernie frightens the leadership of BLM so much, because he is creating a huge movement of destroying the present system, which racist system gives the leaders of BLM their voice. These same leaders rather keep the status quo. If we at Ring of Fire are wrong, then we ask them to stand up and take a very strong stance against what is occuring at these rallies, and to state what their true goals are, and how we can assist them to help struggling black Americans.

[840high]

32. I'm glad you posted. Thank you.

[passiveporcupine]

50. Well fuck

Bernie's campaign people need to read this. I couldn't understand what they were doing, but this does shine a new light on it. Unfortunately they are not helping the real "Black lives matter" theme, which happens to be mostly black men being killed.

And of course, it's just another reason why they are not attacking Hillary. The women's movements are all about Hillary.

They want the sole focus to be on them.

Yeah, I got that part...now I understand it better.

[Doctor_J]

59. That actually adds uite a bit of clarity.

Some of the attacks on Sanders now make sense

[KoKo]

48. I don't take this as a slur...as you seem to...but, a reality that there are many people today

who are fighting for their "Individual Rights" because they feel powerless.

But, how did we get to where we feel "Powerless" in "21st Century America" when we thought we had the most advanced Civilization in the World here with our Freedoms and Democracy well established.

Lots of people are hurting. Its not unusual in times of hardship to see people of "like interest" ban together to try to protect themselves and their lifestyle.

But...there are others hurting to who want to protect THEIR own interests. So...there's a clash with people going off into "Interest Camps" unwilling to work with each other.

Bernie is trying to address this and he is a Threat to some Interest Groups because of that. But, think who benefits to have us Citizens fighting with each other of dwindling resources, accessibility to gainful employment, adequate housing and a future that isn't threatened by climate change, layoffs, health care concerns and a MSM that doesn't address these issues...focusing on Celebrity Porn and other Distractions to keep us docile and in a dreamlike state of semi-ignorance.

Who Benefits when the Populace is in Constant War With Each Other?

[zentrum]

29. I really like and respect ROF

But can't quite figure this out yet.

I know I'm distrustful of what's going on with the Seattle BLM women, until they take over a Hillary rally and make her talk about what the Clintons did to welfare in the 90's as well as her hawkishness which really hurts minorities b/c enlisting is often the only job there is.

There's no reason or way they shouldn't be working with Bernie as an ally. Treating him like an enemy is absurd.

[Starry Messenger]

30. It's like they decided to embody the entire stereotype that BLM correctly pointed out.

Great job.

[KoKo]

53. Don't know if you have interest in this...but passing along...

as I did to "Big Tree" below in thread:

https://darkarethedays.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/seattle-socialist-alternative-and-the-black-lives-matter-movement/

[bbgrunt]

33. well this is one big mind-fuck. I have utmost respect for ROF and find this information

pretty disturbing. I wonder how many outside the leadership have this agenda in mind. And one must question certain posters here who so strongly support BLM as to their connection to this stated agenda.

It is time to unmask what is really going on here.

[ozone_man]

54. I think so.

If this is true, then it's counter to what blm should stand for. Yet I can understand why the leadership may have twisted the movement for reasons of power. Do DUers support this group?

[HoosierRadical]

35. I don't understand the reasoning behind continuing to disrupt Bernie's events

why not target the GOP candidates? Bernie is a true ally and has been before the entire leadership of BLM was born. And what is with the attack on the panther party or Black lesbians? WTH is that about?

[7962]

36. There are plenty who make a living off of "racial problems".

Al Sharpton has made quite a good living off of it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. The irony is that if there was genuine racial comity and equality the reverend wouldn't exist...

There are plenty who make a living off of "racial problems".
Al Sharpton has made quite a good living off of it.

The irony is that if there was genuine racial comity and equality the reverend wouldn't exist, at least not in his current iteration.

[KoKo]

55. Good Point......and that's why we need to work harder..

and not divide ourselves as we see here on DU and out there these days. We worked too hard to have everything we worked for dissolve into some kind of "Free for All" where we start to distrust and attack each other...calling names and dismissing varying view points.

This falls into the hands of those whose "Mode of Operation" we on the Dem Left side have been fighting against for Decades...imho..

[Jamaal510]

70. +1

There wouldn't be a necessity for people like him, or for things like the VRA or hate crime laws.

[stupidicus]

37. any and all of them may have potential lucrative careers waiting

as a rightwing pol or pundit.

all they have to do is devolve a little more, no?

[MrModerate]

41. Is BLM the NRA of this election cycle . . .

A well-meaning organization hijacked by zealots?

We all know how that worked out.

[pnwmom]

42. Wow. Now they're going to blame LESBIANS for this?

This really is turning into a witch hunt.

Blame Hillary, blame lesbians, do anything but use common sense: like other candidates, Bernie needs to avoid venues like Westlake Mall where security cannot be controlled and various protesters can storm the stage and grab the mic.

This is political reality, if you aren't campaigning in rural Vermont. (And probably even if you are campaigning there, for President.)

[bigtree]

45. reads from the beginning like a right-wing manifesto

...complaining about 'black, lesbian women' wanting to assert their rights...seeking 'power' and a 'voice?'

And, ragging on the Black Panther movement...SMH

This is a dirt dumb article with a phony premise which is downright insulting. Approaching 50 recs for this diatribe...any port in a storm, I guess.

I have to start questioning my participation here.

[KoKo]

52. Passing this along...You might find it interesting, or not..but, worth a read, I think:

https://darkarethedays.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/seattle-socialist-alternative-and-the-black-lives-matter-movement/

[bigtree]

56. good read, KoKo

...reflects much of what I've seen from the youth-oriented Black Lives movements.

I'm old-guard, lol, but I'm at least able to understand the need to listen to these new generations and support their own view of how they want to conduct their movement and what they want to accomplish.

[KoKo]

57. It goes into more.

I'm a speed reader also...and sometimes I miss things.

It's a long article....to the end.. a bit different in that it breaks with the "BLM" movement that one might not immediately recognize from the beginning.

[bigtree]

58. what I'm saying is that I'm more inclined to agree with the movement

...than agreeing that the movement has betrayed their own promises or abandoned some valuable principle.

Sanders has said he wants a people-driven revolution. That's not going to be organized or centered; it's going to be a messy mix of motivations and interests which most Americans will expect the presidential leadership to reconcile and manage. We can accept this movement's own view of their purpose without imposing our own expectations for them onto their legitimacy.

[KoKo]

72. Practicallity and Principles of Conduct are STILL IMPORTANT

To get along and get one's views heard, though. Would you disagree?

[DhhD]

51. Women, Sexuality and the Black Panther Party

http://www.gayrva.com/news-views/women-sexuality-and-the-black-panther-party/

[jmondine]

62. Evidence?

These are very strong accusations to make. I don't see any evidence being cited for this premise.

[AgingAmerican]

66. BLM 'leadership' is doing more damage to their own organization than to Bernie

They are openly trying to destroy the one candidate who agrees with them. This makes it pretty obvious they are trying to preserve the status quo. They support the oligarchy, the same oligarchy that unleashes the police on their supporters and strips them of their voting rights.

They have completely lost focus on why they came to exist. They are rudderless, using right wing talking points, and sinking fast. They are fast becoming marginalized by their own actions, They are fast becoming an island unto themselves.

The only question is, who is paying them? The Kochs or Hillary?

[bravenak]

75. Hi!!!

I remember you saying this!!!!

[sabrina 1]

68. Thanks and we knew something was very wrong from the beginning.

Shame for the Ferguson protesters that this group has coopted their sincere efforts to get justice for all AAs.

But now that people know who they are, hopefully it won't damage the movement itself.

To be honest I read about the 'rift' a few weeks ago, but refrained from posting anything here because I despise the USE OF THIS ISSUE AS A POLITICAL FOOTBALL and won't initiate anything that perpetuates it.

I WILL however respond to the despicable smears being spread.

[seveneyes]

69. Advocating xxxxx Power is not a good sign

Treating everyone as free equals is the only way to peace.

[KoKo]

71. K&R!

[bravenak]

74. Zombie thread needs kicking!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

78. Why?

It doesn't seem to matter what BLM 'leadership' wants. The group is decentralized enough that what matters is what each individual group associated with them wants, as witness Hillary's poor showing against the group that just showed up to protest her lack of any definitive racial justice plan months after O'Malley and Sanders put theirs together.

[bravenak]

81. Because people are two faced

Pretending to LOVE BLM. I hate fakers more than anything

[HassleCat]

76. Doesn't seem right to me

Another case of speculating abut what "they" want.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

80. It's also from months ago.

For some reason, bravenak decided to kick it a few times to bring it back around.

[emulatorloo]

86. It is a history lesson, and a good thing to keep in mind these days

as the rec list shows people who are now embracing and praising BLM.

Three months ago they reviled BLM and smeared them with all kinds of conspiracy theories.

[RandySF]

77. .

[stevil]

79. Links don't work

Did this article get pulled from ringoffireradio.com?

[emulatorloo]

85. Yes, to their credit, they took it down pretty quickly

[tularetom]

82. I always sort of liked the Black Panthers

Because Ronald Raygun was scared shitless of them.

The reason we have these idiotic gun control policies in CA is because a bunch of armed Black Panthers stood on the steps of the state capital and made all the tight ass politicians poop their diapers. They all begged Raygun to save them from the scary black guys and Ronnie responded by pushing through a program of restrictive firearms laws.

[portlander23]

83. Complete made up paranoid horseshit.

[Zenlitened]

84. Do any of you even know what "centering" means in this context?

Answer: no, you obviously don't. The replies in this thread make that stunningly clear.

Centering people who've been pushed to the margins in the past does NOT mean erasing everyone else.

Forfucksake, this kind of White Liberal Narcissism is pathetic. And I say that as a white liberal myself, one who's making an effort to look beyond the end of her own nose once in a while.

What kind of Glenn Beck wanna-be cesspool is Ring of Fire that they'd publish such laughably stupid, cringe-inducingly earnest nonsense?

And WTF has become of DU, that this bilge-water is being slurped up so eagerly here?

What a pathetic joke.

I can't tell some of you self-ordained "progressives" from John Birchers or Lyndon LaRouchies any more, the stupid self-absorbed paranoia is that extreme.