Second Amendment: Hidden History

Joaquin Tenedora-Forte

June 21, 2016

Last week america had an incident,the worst mass shooting in its history and the worst terrorist attack since September 11, 2001. In Orlando Florida,  in a LGBT night club. Naturally people blame the second amendment and america’s lacks gun laws in this incident. In todays blog we are talking about the hidden history of the gun amendment also known as the second amendment.

I did not know this I just heard this on Kyle Kulinski’s show Secular Talk a radio show on the internet last week. He mention that the second amendment is use to preserve slavery. Wow. I can not get that out of my mind. Obviously I rush to the internet and research the history of this amendment, to my surprise Kyle is right.

So why is it that they put “a well regulated  militia necessary for a free state” instead of for a free country, the founders are aware of that though. (Please check out the 10th amendment) because the needed to preserve slavery to get Virginia to join the union, America needed to compromise, because Virginia is a slave state.

The line where there is the right of the people to keep and bare arms is use, to the people of the militia or slave patrol, it did not say individual. In the these states their’s slave patrol so you need guns. The slave owner wants to make sure that that there slaves are in check. Do not tell me that it says individual because it does not.

What the supreme court on the case District of Columbia vs Heller is wrong, because people do not have a right to buy guns. The justices give the gun lobby namely the NRA more power than it deserves. You have no right according to James Madison to a weapon of mass distraction.

Lastly, people died in an elementary school,  in a high school, in universities, in a movie theatre, a church, in a work place, now the latest is in a night club. Is this added to Americas great traditions.

Finally, What the heck! america. Please stop with all the shootings. Let us think of people that died, guys. To the senators who voted NO to basically stoping a shooting like this from ever happening again: YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.`

My source:The Second Amendment was Ratified to Preserve Slavery

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Racism Wednesday: The #BlackLivesMatter movement

Joaquin Tenedora-Forte
The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri last year brings a lot of anger to the black community. There are some rioting, looting and arresting. The protesters are shouting “hands up, don’t shoot.” Many protestors are peaceful, some are not. The most prominent group is the #BlackLivesMatter movememt.

  
Black Lives Matter is a mostly online organization, that sparked after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, Martin an unarmed 17 year old who was killed by George Zimmerman a subdivision security guard, and later was aquitted. And garner more popularity during the deaths of Michael Brown, 18 (an unarmed African American teenager who was shot by a police officer for marijuana possession) and Eric Garner, 43 (who was chokehold to death by a police officer for selling cigarettes in New York with out a permit.) The police officer in Both cases are not charged.

   
For conservatives, like Bill O’Rilly of Fox News the movement is a terrorist organization and a hate group, who is coming to get them, i.e white people. For progressives the movement is necessary for the advancement of race relations in the country. The truth is the movement is a movement for equality and equal rights for all.

  
I need to address what happened to Bernie Sanders in a protest rally in August of this year. Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that will help the #BlackLivesMatter movement in America. Sanders a true progressive he will be able to keep the policies that the movement want and needed. 

  
Lastly, the black community in America, is an oppress minority, that is the truth about them. People especially conservatives need to understand the fact that people are dying because of police brutality in America and most of them are young blackman.  

Photos curtecy of Google photos  

Racism in America: Segregation

 
Joachim Tenedora-Forte

After the civil war, During reconstruction, America build facilities like schools, offices and public transportation to acomodate black people. But it became apparent so quickly that this is not the right thing to do. In today’s piece I want to look back on America second sin segregation and the aftermath that is felt in America until today.

We are all created equal with inalienaable rights, this according to the founding father Tomas Jefferson. But in America, sadly this is not true. After they did slavery. America did not just free it’s slaves instead did Jim Craw and Segregation. How come separate is equal? I was really outrage that people back then are treated as literal second class citizens in their own country. I am talking of course about the truth that America treats its black citizens with a certain look.

In Plessy v. Ferguson 1898 were the defendant Homer Plessy was 1/8 black, was arrested after sitting in a train cart that was set up for white people. In the Supreme Court the consensus was that separate is equal. It will take more than 50 years to correct Plessy, In the landmark Supreme Court case Brown Vs. Bord of Education of Topika Kansas. In his opinion Chief Justice Earl Warren said that separate is inherently not equal. 

Till this day it is very apparent that the effects of the literal racism that happened 60 years still ligers. Look at the police brutality that is happening in different cities in America today. Where in black people especially young Black man was targeted by police for little to non.

Lastly, people should accept the fact that in America that there is still racism. Though it’s so sutle, it really exist. If and only If people actually accept that can we talk real solutions to the problem that is overt racism. 

My favorite U.S. Supreme Court case: Loving v. Virginia

Joachim Tenedora-Forte 
  

        Why is it that if there is something different or weird Americans want to ban it to the point of no return. Even though they have nothing to do with it. America prides themselves as the pellets of liberty but in reality they are not. Liberty means freedom, freedom means less regulation especially in people’s private lives. In today’s article I want to write about my favorite Supreme Court case, no it’s not the recent ruling on marriage equality but the first marriage case Loving vs Virginia 1967.

    Richard and Mildred Loving are childhood sweethearts who wanted to get married in their home state of Virginia. But there’s a big problem. They are mixed race. Richard is white and Mildred is black. In southern states there are laws that ban interracial marriages. The reasons why interracial marriage is ban, was absurd to say the least. 

    The Loving’s went to Washington DC to obtain a marriage license. When they went back home, the police come knocking at their door. It is illegal what they have done. Richard and Mildred were in jail for one year. Until they were let go. They were proclaim persona non grata by their home state, Virginia. They were outrage that they can’t even visit family together. 

      The Loving’s sued the state of Virginia to the fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution. In the equal protection clause. But the Loving’s lose at the circuit court, the judge in his decision said that God created the races separate (absurd right?), and that people shouldn’t marry interracially. 

       The Loving’s case went to the Supreme Court, unable to come to the hearings, Richard Loving convey to the court thru his lawyer Bernard Cohen the following words: “Mr Cohen tell the court I just love my wife and I can’t wait to live with her in Virginia”. In a unanimous decision the U.S. Supreme Court in the grounds of equal protection and due process decided that all anti miscegenation laws is unconstitutional. Protecting the right to interracial marriage.

         The fact that the decision came only 45 years ago tells something about how America views racism. My favorite Supreme Court ruling, they got this so right, 9-0 favor the right to interracial marriage. It breaks my heart why Richard and Mildred Loving need to go thru that. 

   

      

     

Racism in America: the Japanese interment camps

      During World War 2, where in Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich is slaughtering Jews in Germany, Holland and Poland. In America something sad was happening. The Japanese interment camps where in Japanese Americans where put after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in December 7 1942. America was devastated and fearful; of its own citizens. In today’s article let us look back on the Japanese interment camps in Korematzu Vs United States.  
    Fred Korematzu was born in Oakland California in 1919 to two Japanese parents who immigrated in 1905, making him a natural born citizen of the United States. He studied in Oakland and work in the family business. As far as he is concern he is an American.   

     The bombing of Pearl Harbor made America join the War. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sign an executive order; Executive Order 9066 which authorize the use of force in containment of Japanese Americans with out further notice. Korematzu was not happy with the executive order and hid from the government. And unfortunately was found and put in a interment camp.

     Korematzu sued the United States to the fifth amendment of the constitution, the due process claus. But lost, he lose partly because of the government tampering with the evidences. Also America is so fearful of the Empire of Japan. In 1983 it was discovered that the U.S. Government hid evidence, the case was overturn by a circuit court in California.

    For me Fred Korematzu is a hero because he challenged the government in war times. America is so wrong in the First place by doing essentially what the Nazi was doing in Germany. They often talk about liberty and justice when it comes to other countries. I wish America never did the Japanese interment camps.

Reviewing the MTV Documentary White People

Joaquin Tenedora-Forte
       First of all I want to say this I love Jose Antonio Vargas. So I may be a little bit bias on this review. But having said that I want to be as objective as I can be reviewing. this made for tv documentary.

      ‘White People’ is about five young white persons living in the United States. And their journey of being young and white in a changing America. I like the fact that Jose took this topic. I know that this is a hard topic to tackle because in America racism is very prevalent. 

    What I don’t like about the film, the film doesn’t go too far enough that you will go, wow, this is a good film, it made me uncomfortable to watch it. I am just used to his first documentary: Documented (released in 2014), I have high hopes for the film. Because his CNN film is so good and awesome. 

     I understand that MTVs core audience are young people. I felt like White People’ is too commercial. There is something missing in the film. It doesn’t move me at all. It did not live out to the hype it made in social media. 

     Will I recommend White People? Yes, I will recommend it because it is good and tackles racism. Jose is a good writer and filmmaker. He does made do with what he needed to work with. The film 2.7/5 stars for me.

The N word: a word to hate

By: Joaquin Tenedora-Forte 
    Note: I mean the word Nigger, not NIGGA    

     In recent years there have been a talk about the usage of the word NIGGER. The word Nigger is one of the most controversial words in America today. Because it represents hate and racism. I have a question, who can use the N word?

       Historically, the N word was use by white people to degrade black people in the United States. During the days of slavery it was use by the white slave owners to literally degrade blacks. Furthermore there have been some instances that while hung and dying, black men were called the N word. 

        After the Civil War, in the 1870s ‘s the N word was use to refer to black people. Although, blacks are now “equal” to whites. It didn’t stop whites to degrade black people. White people uses the word until the 1970s where it started to lose its popularity.

       What change? Attitudes change suddenly, we have TV shows with black people on the lead. Like the Bill Cosby Show and Stanford And Sons. White people gradually see blacks as not less than them. Parents didn’t pass the racism and bigotry to their kids. In 1992 the support for interracial marriage grow from only 30 percent in 1967 (the year of the Loving case) to 50 percent in that year. To 90 percent this decade.

        Now to my original question, who can use the N word? The N word in my opinion should be use very carefully, for historical purposes,in history classes. in museums, in intellectual conversations. Because it’s very degrading and hateful. It’s offensive and wrong. But I know it is not what America stands for. The first amendment literally says that you. have the freedom of speech. I guess anyone can say the word but that doesn’t mean you should say it.

The drug war: the war on black man

Joaquin Tenedora-Forte
        In August of 2014 a young man name Michael Brown was shot and killed by Darren Willson a police officer in Ferguson Missouri. They are supposed to arrest Brown but instead shot him while facing backwards.

           Why are they arresting Michael Brown in the first place. Because he was perceive to possessed Marijuana. In the U.S. marijuana is a scheduled one substance according to the FDA. It meant that has no medicinal value, and is extremely addictive.  

    Since the 1930’s in America there have been some regulation on drugs. The start of the bias towards minority groups. it was offensive as white Protestant kids didn’t do drugs. Until the 1960’s when the hippy culture came along where in people are doing LSD and things like that. Parents are freak out and outrage.

     Like in the 1920’s when the mafia was so much in control of the alcohol consumption in the U.S. Now it’s the Mexican drug cartel that is so much in control of the drugs. America should and needed to decriminalize drugs. If it’s decriminalize or legalize, look at all the kids that can get a college degree out of the revenue from taxes, just saying.

      Blacks and whites do drugs at the exact same rate. But blacks are four times more likely to get arrested by the police. Because of drugs, black neighborhoods are police more. Black kids are more Likely to be orphans by this kind of system.

       Conservatives will often moan about family, and the idea of a father and a mother . But continuing with the war on drugs is way will destroy ideas of the family. America needs to legalize drugs it’s the only way to end the cartel, beat blatant racism and lastly to protect the family.     

         

Racism in America: Black American History

Joaquin Tenedora-Forte
     Since the emancipation of slaves more than 150 years ago there have been all sorts of laws that blacks and whites are not equal, making blacks second class citizens. From Dread Scott to Mr. and Mrs Loving, this cases of an inherent discrimination happened only 60 years ago, in today’s article I want people to reflect on the Black American history.

    The emancipation of slaves means that the slaves are free. Free maybe but certainly unequal. People at time that think that’s it’s equal, so people assumes that this is the right thing to do. There are black schools, black public transport blacks and whites aren’t allowed to mingle with each other. I thought that conservatives are so much into limited spending but providing the people two schools are not limited spending, just saying.

       It took so many years until Black America revolted against their government, but the government said No: Plessy vs Ferguson 1896. The government said No, separate is equal, the problem becomes when it’s not because in schools the black kids are using hand me down books and other school supplies from the white schools.
     So by 1956, the perfect storm of civil rights wins: in this time Plessy v Ferguson was over turned. in a landmark decision Brown Vs Board of education which stated that separate is definitely not equal. But there are some opposition to the ruling specially in the southern U.S. The governor of Alabama Bull Connor stands at a school door and protest black kids going to a newly desegregated school. 

     By 1967 a young couple named Mildred and Richard Loving wanted to get married but in their home state Virginia, they can’t. They are interracial. So they sued the state, but lost they accepted a 25 year bar and went out of state. They sued again but this time it went to the Supreme Court. They won the right to interracial married not only for them but for countless other people.

     Today 48 years since the Loving decision in America I can say that it gotten a lot better in every aspect of the lives of black people but the fight is not over.

      Last year was a particularly bad year for black people because of the blatant discrimination of blacks by the police in America. In August a young man named Michael Brown was shot dead by police in Ferguson Missouri. At that same time a man by the name of Eric Garner in Staton Island in New York was chokehold to death by the police, in this cases no one was charge.There have been protest after the non indictment of police officers.but nothing changes.
    If you will ask me, Are black people equal, I will say no, no because, three reasons. The first reason is the Police targeting blacks.. The second reason is the wages when you look up a black family makes 10 times less than their white counterparts. The third reason is the perception of black people in America as “thugs”. This should change. We should judge people not by the color of their skin but the content of their characters.