Air Force Chief Master Sergeant holding review of justice system

Chief Wright: ‘I am George Floyd,’ promises review of Air Force justice system

Air Force Times
Stephen Losey
June 2, 2020

“Who am I? I am a Black man who happens to be Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. I am George Floyd...I am Philando Castile, I am Michael Brown, I am Alton Sterling, I am Tamir Rice.” Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright posted a lengthy and passionate thread on Twitter about police brutality and the deaths of black men like George Floyd Monday night. (Air Force)

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright on Monday announced an independent review of the service’s justice system after a series of scathing reports that showed it disproportionately punishes young black airmen.

And in a lengthy, passionate Twitter thread posted as the nation continued to be roiled by protests and fury over racism, police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd and other black men at the hands of police, Chief Wright — who is the second black man in history to be the Air Force’s top enlisted leader — invoked several of their names and expressed solidarity with them.
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Not "tragically bound to the starless midnight"

Judge by the "content of their character"

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 30, 2020

Our nation is facing an epidemic of historical proportions. We have a pandemic claiming over 100,000 lives in a span of about 3 months. We have over 40 million unemployed. Healthcare workers are dying while trying to save lives while many other providers are losing their jobs. Protests to reopen the states have included individuals showing up with guns. Many people are regarding the pandemic as someone else's problem. We have racists, no longer ashamed of how they view fellow citizens. Native Americans are dealing with the virus killing them in higher number, poverty, lack of services, at the same time they are under threat of losing their lands. This is a nation in crisis.

“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated” ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly." as Thomas Paine said so eloquently, applies to what this nation faces today. More and more people are forgetting how we got where we are and the price paid by generations who came before them. They forget that entire generations risked their lives in service to this country in times of war, as well as times of peace. They paid for the freedom so many others want to claim as their "right to enjoy" at the same time they want to remove the rights of others.

While those who entered the military were from all political sides, color, states and religious beliefs, they managed to set aside their differences and were willing to die for one another. We should take that to heart, especially now, but we have faced the crushing burdens before. The difference is, we learned from them.

In 1968, someone filled with hate assassinated Rev. King after he was willing to pay the price to achieve social justice for Black Americans, peacefully protesting and speaking out against using violence to respond to violence. I was alive then and remember it. Just as I was alive when President Kennedy was assassinated, and his brother Bobby was killed. Yet all of these men moved the majority of my generation to stop seeing people based on color of their skin. It was about the "content of their character" that mattered.

Looking at what is happening in this country right now, we have witnessed a reversal of that. Are there bad police officers? Yes, but not all police officers are bad, but while the majority are good, they are all being attacked for what the few bad ones do.

We see protestors flooding the streets, rioters and looters destroying property and burning down businesses in their communities during a pandemic. We see some others showing up to protest orders by the governors of their states with arms, attempting to intimidate their fellow citizens and politicians to yield the better judgement for the greater good to do their will. Are all protestors committing crimes? No, but again, they are all being blamed for what a few do.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

While anger and fear have gripped this nation, we are forced to expand our view aways from what is on the news and see what else is happening to find signs of hope.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The majority of people in this country are trying their best to do the right thing. Mankind is not "so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war" because there is "peace and brotherhood" still alive in the shadows of one of the worst times in this country.

People of all political sides, color, states and religious beliefs are stepping up for their fellow citizens and the greater good. People are regarding the "content of character" that requires a heart that will not judge anyone by anything else. Thoughts are motivating action to fight against hopelessness. Prayers are motivating action to help others suffering by finding way to do whatever they can for total strangers.

Yes, these are bleak times in this country, but we have been in darkness before. We survived those days because others stepped up refusing to accept what "was" because they dreamed of what could be.

Racist Message Delivered by "Victim"

Racist messages at Air Force Academy were written by student who claimed to be targeted
Chicago Tribune
Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post
November 8, 2017 

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria gives a speech about race relations to U.S. Air Force cadets during at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sept. 29, 2017. (Jerilee Bennett / AP)

(This is what happened after it was reported.)

The speech, which the academy posted on YouTube, went viral. It was watched nearly 1.2 million times, grabbed headlines nationwide, and was commended by the likes of former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

(Reported but actually, did not happen the way it was reported.)

On Monday, police in Riley County, Kansas, revealed that a 21-year-old black man, Dauntarius Williams, admitted to defacing his car with racist graffiti as a "Halloween prank that got out of hand." Scrawled in washable paint were racist messages telling blacks to "Go Home," "Date your own kind," and "Die." 

The incident provoked controversy and concern at nearby Kansas State University, especially after Williams spoke with the Kansas City Star, claiming to be a black student who was leaving the school because of the incident. He was not, in fact, a student.

read the rest here 

Marine Corps' First Black Pilot Remembered at Naval Academy

Stevensville man and Marine Corps' first black pilot remembered at Naval Academy
Capital Gazette
Tim Prudente
September 3, 2015

"There were still separate drinking fountains on the Navy base in Pensacola (Fla.)," he said two years ago. "We could sit anywhere on the bus while it was on base, but as soon as we got to the main gate, we had to sit in the back. The barracks were segregated."

There were shouts and tears in the Naval Academy Chapel.

Frank Petersen Jr., the Marine Corps' first black pilot, died last week at his Stevensville home — and his life was being celebrated.

This undated photo provided by the Marine Corps shows Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first black aviator and brigadier general in Marine Corps. Frank E. Petersen III said his father died Tuesday, Aug. 25 at his home in Stevensville from complications from lung cancer. He was 83. (Associated Press)

His friend, Carlos Campbell, spoke Thursday during a memorial service, his voice rising in the chapel. Petersen finished flight training in 1952.

"From that day forward," Campbell said, and the people began to stand. "Nobody else in the entire Marine Corps," he was shouting, "ever had to deal with the indignation and humiliation that was subjected to Frank E. Petersen."

Cheers. Applause. More shouts.

"If you look around this room," he continued, "you will see the legacy of Frank Petersen."

The chapel was filled with other black Marine Corps officers, those who heard, during the memorial service, about a "ramrod-straight, chiseled-faced Marine." He was a retired lieutenant general and died at 83.

They heard how he was shot down over Vietnam, his hip mangled when he ejected.

He flew more than 300 combat missions in Vietnam.

"The military went through a hell of a catharsis in the '60s and '70s during Vietnam," he told The Capital. "There were two wars going on. One against the Viet Cong, and the second, the race riots among the military." In 1986, he also became the first black Marine promoted to lieutenant general. read more here

Viral Video Marine Veteran Says All Lives Matter

Message to the Black Lives Matter Movement
In this video I'm addressing the black lives matter movement and their agendas to have blacks kill whites and be racist towards them.

ALL LIVES MATTER AND THATS MY AGENDA THAT IM PUSHING. I LOVE YOU ALL NO MATER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE SUPPORT ALL LIVES MATTER
Michael Whaley

I am a Marine Veteran and I started this fundraiser because a recent video I made went viral and now I have support from thousands and thousands of people to help spread my agenda. My agenda is to promote the All Lives Matter movement and I need funds to be able to fly to the U.S. Cities to spread the truth to people so we can finally end racism and become a unified nation that sees no color, only human beings. Please donate all that you can. Even if you donate a penny, you helped made a difference

When Do They Prove All Black Lives Matter to Them?

There is a story that finished off any sympathy I had for the folks screaming about "Black Lives Matter" which was, admittedly, dwindling. It isn't the story you may think about.

St. Louis Police Shoot, Kill 18-Year-Old After Home Search, Associated Press, By JIM SALTER, ST. LOUIS — Aug 20, 2015

It was bad enough the other day when a disabled WWII veteran needed help and was robbed by thugs. The last time someone on TV used the term thug, some yahoos said it was a racist term. Even though it isn't.

thug
1. a violent person, especially a criminal.
synonyms:ruffian, hooligan, vandal, hoodlum, gangster, villain, criminal;
2.historical a member of a religious organization of robbers and assassins in India. Devotees of the goddess Kali, the Thugs waylaid and strangled their victims, usually travelers, in a ritually prescribed manner.
They were suppressed by the British in the 1830s

This "Black Life" didn't matter so much when 2 crimes were committed against him.

That area also is near where a 93-year-old veteran who was part of the Tuskegee Airmen — black World War II pilots — was the victim of crimes twice within a few minutes Sunday, being robbed and then having his car stolen. The veteran was unhurt, and his car was found Tuesday blocks from where it was taken.

Pointed a gun at police officers? What did he expect would happen?

At a press conference earlier in the day, Dotson said two suspects fled from the home about noon Wednesday on the city's north side before the 18-year-old turned and pointed a handgun at the officers, who shot him. That suspect, identified later in a statement by police as Mansur Ball-Bey of St. Louis, died at the scene. Police are searching for the second suspect, who they said is believed to be in his mid- to late teens.

But hey, some folks will use any excuse to loot, burn, destroy a city and then pretend they were justified. Honestly there are some good folks protesting with good intentions however they are totally oblivious to being used to give thugs the opportunity to do what they want.

I grew up in a large Northern city in the 70's. We didn't judge on color. We judged on how they acted and what they did. Color didn't matter to most of us since most of us had friends because we liked them and they liked us. It wasn't about White, Black, Hispanic, Native, or Asian any more than it was about what color their hair was.

We had good cops and some bad ones back then too and we knew who the bad ones were. Folks were judge for what they did.

I've been thinking a lot about those days. Maybe we had more common sense back then. We sure as hell had a lot more common decency.

This generation seems to think they invented protesting. What can we expect when were talking about a generation unable to learn what history really was?

The WWII veteran should have inspired a lot more reaction considering what he did with his life. He served during a time when Black soldiers were not just treated like crap in the military, they couldn't even eat at a lunch counter with White soldiers. The list goes on yet he was willing to go through all of it for a purpose greater than selfish considerations. Had it not been for veterans like him, history would have been a lot different.

Yet this same man managed to live 93 years after seeing it all, doing it all, only to look back at his car being driven away by thugs after other thugs stole his wallet. When do the Black Lives matter folks actually prove they really care about all Black lives?


They want us to not think too hard about what they say when what they do doesn't match up. The press plays right along because social media drives the reporting they do now instead of anything else.

This generation didn't invent outrage. They didn't invent protesting. They sure as hell didn't invent putting others first. What they did invent was false outrage to justify themselves.

I can't help but remember when Michael Brown was being mourned and his family asked for peace at least on the day they were burying him. Protestors didn't care. They didn't care when the truth came out afterwards.

But other citizens point to the details of the grand jury and subsequent Department of Justice investigation. Both ultimately determined Wilson was justified in the shooting and did not violate Brown's civil rights, saying the evidence showed Brown scuffled with Wilson in his vehicle and did not show Brown was surrendering when he was shot and killed.
Those details came long after months of protest that ultimately spawned a movement called Black Lives Matter. The details of Brown's death were often overshadowed by the pent-up frustration that boiled over in the black community about the way police treat and target them.

When do they hold drug dealers accountable for destroying lives? When do they hold criminals accountable for robbing stores and destroying neighborhoods? When do they protest down a city street after another child is killed while playing in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or even doing homework in her own home? Yes this just happened in Ferguson and this is the story that finished off any thoughts of who really matters to them and who doesn't.

Jamyla Bolden, 9, was fatally shot as she sat on her mother's bed in in Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday

She was a Black 9 year old child but I guess her life didn't matter either.

Vietnam KIA Family Receives Apology After 49 Years

49 years later, apology for racism from American Gold Star Mothers brings healing for Steelton family 
PennLive.com
By Debbie Truong
May 09, 2015

The sadness, anger and frustration that lingered from that slight was eased only recently after a classmate of Lise learned the family's story and helped seek a written apology from the organization.

It was March of 1966. Tracie Garnett, 6, was playing house in the playroom at her home on Ridge Street when a driver from the Steelton Taxi Cab Company pulled up. Tracie answered and was handed a Western Union telegram.

Reuben Garnett was killed trying to save a fellow officer during the Vietnam War. According to his family, decorations, personal and unit awards were not reflected in his record. Also, according to his family, Garnett's mother submitted an application to join the American Gold Star Mothers shortly after her son's death but was told that other mothers in the organization were uncomfortable with her joining because she was black. India Elaine Garnett, Tracie Garnett, and Lise Garnett, 3 of Reuben's sisters, with some of his medals. Sean Simmers, PennLive.com. May08 2015. (SEAN SIMMERS)

One of her parents — Tracie, now 55, can't remember which — read the note and started crying. Her brother, Reuben Louis Garnett Jr., the only boy and the oldest in the family, had died in the Vietnam War.

He was "on a combat operation when hit by hostile small arms fire," the telegram, addressed to Reuben's parents, read. He was 23.

Tracie was too young to understand what death meant. But her three older sisters — Janine Garnett, Lise Garnett and India Elaine Garnett — did.

Janine, 9, cried to herself on the stairs. Lise, 12, doesn't remember much of that day — she's blocked it from her memory, she said. Half a block away, India, 22, began screaming and wailing after her parents came over and showed her the note.

The Garnett sisters point to their brother's death as a turning point in their family's history. Their mother, they said, was forever changed. Her loss was further compounded after she tried to join a local chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, an organization for mothers who lost a child in the military, and was turned away because she was black.
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Apology letter erases years of hurt for woman India Elaine Garnett, 71, said an apology from the American Gold Star Mothers helped erase 49 years of agony. In the video, she is opening a gift bag containing an American Gold Star Mothers flag.