Photos of Newspaper Guild Officials Who Were Attending the National Convention of the American Newspaper Guild in San Jose California, 1958

Black Buzz News Service
The Beatrice L.Saunders-Robinson Project
Saunders Family Archives
Pittsburgh, PA
August 29, 2011



Pictured from left to right are: Ethel Cobb who was the representative from the Post-Gazette to the Pittsburgh Local of the American Newspaper Guild, Helen Minear who was the Secretary of the Pittsburgh Local of the American Newspaper Guild and Beatrice L. Saunders-Robinson who represented the Courier unit of the American Newspaper Guild and was also Treasurer of the Pittsburgh Local of the American Newspaper Guild.  Mrs. Robinson was the first African American female in the United States who was treasurer of a local union which was affiliated with the national union, American Newspaper Guild.  All three of the above pictured women were members of the executive board of the Pittsburgh Local of the American Newspaper Guild.
The above picture was taken in Yosemite National Park. California



Beatrice L. Saunders-Robinson on the pier of Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco as she and her son, Black Buzz along with other Guild officials were going to eat a sumptuous meal at Fishermen's Grotto which is pictured in the background.





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Pittsburgh Courier Reunion 1972 in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Pittsburgh Courier

Black Buzz News Service
Pittsburgh, PA
August 27, 2011
This is part of the James S. and Beatrice Robinson Project, Robinson-Saunders Archives



The top picture features from left to right: Marta Brown ( wife of Raymond Brown), Beatrice L. Robinson (Black Buzz's mother), Lorraine Brown (James S. Robinson's youngest sister), and Raymond Brown (Lorraine's son).  This was taken on the island of St. Thomas in 2001.

The bottom picture features: Beatrice Robinson and Lorraine Thomas in a restaurant in St. Thomas in 2001.



* Note Mrs Lorraine Robinson Brown is the sister of James S. Robinson Jr. and the Sister-In Law of Mrs Beatrice L. Saunders Robinson and the aunt of Black Buzz. Mrs Lorraine Brown son Raymond, was named after his uncle the Great Jazz Bassist Ray Brown.
Mrs. Lorraine Robinson Brown formerly worked for The Pittsburgh Courier.

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The Hijacking of a Dream: Why We Need to Reclaim Dr. King’s Legacy

Black Buzz News Service
College Park, Maryland
August 27, 2011

By: Solomon Comissiong

On August 28, 2011, the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial will take place on the National Mall in Washington DC. Having the dedication of this memorial on the 48^th anniversary of the March on Washington, is clearly a symbolic gesture—paying homage to one of the many defining moments in the great civil rights leader’s life. However, the planners/corporate contributors of this event, along with many of the politicians that will be in attendance, are symbolic themselves—they are symbols of everything Dr. King was, and would be opposed to—if he were alive today. These frauds know very well of this fact, which is exactly why they, and mainstream America itself, continue to desperately try to reshape the image of Dr. King. If these people have their way, Dr. King, and his legacy, will stand for nothing more than a superficial image. They without doubt, wish to recreate him into someone they can feel more comfortable with. This is why most children, and adults, can only recite one quote in relationship to Dr. King—“I have a dream that my four little 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.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for much more than what mainstream America has methodically reduced him to in the minds of tens of millions of Americans. In fact, if he were alive today many of the corporate war mongering politicians, including President Obama, would be vilifying Dr. King as if he were some crazed angry black man. This is why we will never hear the likes of Barack Obama quote Dr. King when he referred to the US government as “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today”. Dr. King said those powerful and honest words on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City (exactly a year before he was assassinated). Over four decades later—the US government is still the greatest purveyor of violence on earth. You can bet that the following quote with not be read at the dedication of the King memorial:

“As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they ask — and rightly so — what about Vietnam? They ask if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.”


After listening to/reading Dr. King’s Beyond Vietnam — A Time to Break Silence speech, anyone still thinking that he would be in approval of what this current administration is doing in places like Libya and Afghanistan, should have their head thoroughly examined. Dr. King was much more than simply a man who was anti-war; he was a man who stood for peace and social justice. He was truly a man of principles and convictions, which is why he was unafraid of speaking truth to so-called power. Remaining silent, as so many gutless politicians and celebrities do today, was not an option within Dr. King’s conscious. And because of this, he was routinely targeted by the US government, by way of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and devils like J. Edgar Hover.

The US government’s military industrial complex has been a prominent issue dating back decades. The military industrial complex is a vastly profitable behemoth that must be fed a steady diet of wars in order to maintain its existence. Those who threaten the existence of this killing machine become expendable. Dr. King’s outspokenness against, not only the Vietnam War, but also the military industrial complex—secured his status as a target. Dr. King’s crime—he dared to challenge the conscious of a nation entangled within the web of an imperialist war throughout Southeast Asia. Among other things he said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Which one of the political frauds, or entertainers, in attendance at the dedication to Dr. King’s memorial will take such a courageous stance in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Don’t hold your breath waiting.

In 2011 the US government has methodically found a way to direct itself into multiple military campaigns of aggression, including dropping missiles indiscriminately upon Libya and arbitrarily using drones to bomb villages in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over a trillion dollars have been used on these campaigns, including Iraq, since 2001—- all the while people in the US are losing their homes to foreclosures, school systems are being defunded, and 40,000 Americans die each year due to a lack health insurance. If Dr. King’s statement is true then America’s spirit must be on life support—needing an end to its defense spending as part of a multi-tiered remedy for rehabilitation.

Dr. King knew very well about the US government’s record of going into countries, whose governments refused to be obsequious to their addiction to other nation’s resources, and then destabilizing them by waging war, by assassination of leaders, or both. Dr. King knew that the US played a role in the removal and murder of people like Congo’s Patrice Lumumba in 1961. In 2011, very little has changed at all. The US and its gang of European minions (NATO) are currently bombing Libya and its people, into oblivion. This is, in fact, the kind of immoral act of war that Martin Luther King, Jr. would be completely opposed to, along with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His life should give us ample reason to come to this conclusion, and only this conclusion. However, how many children in America know this, especially children of color? Dr. King’s image has been reshaped by some amoral adults as well as by adults who, themselves, have been purposely mis-educated. When we see ridiculous t-shirts with the face of Dr. King juxtaposed next to that of President Obama we should see this as a blatant assault on the civil rights leader’s work, as well as on his character. Comparing Dr. King to the warmongering Barack Obama is completely unwarranted. These kinds of comparisons further confuse the masses, especially those who have purposely been given little to no historical point of reference in regard to Dr. King and his complete body of work.

The night before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated he was giving a speech in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. He understood the need for unions and supported their struggle. He passionately supported the economically disenfranchised as evidenced with his organizational work around the Poor People’s Campaign. Studying his work on these issues it should be clearly evident that this man would be completely opposed to the current vicious attacks on labor unions and the poor. The fork tongued Barack Obama campaigned in support of labor unions, saying whatever he needed to, in order to curry favor from them—as a means of gobbling up their valuable votes. However now that he is in office, he has deliberately distanced himself far away from their struggle, all the while bending over backwards for their nemesis—Wall Street and the gangs of mega-corporations that lurk there. Are we really that foolish to believe that Dr. King would have been in favor of Barack Obama’s multi-trillion dollar bailout for the same banksters that are largely responsible for the current economic crisis plaguing the US, and the world?

Dr. King made it quite obvious, with his actions, which side of history he stood on. He made it even clearer that he stood with the masses of oppressed and poor people riddled throughout the unequal social fabric sewn throughout America. Serving as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Dr. King supported SCLC initiated programs like Operation Breadbasket which was aimed at economically empowering black communities. In 1967 Dr. King said, ‘‘Many retail businesses and consumer-goods industries deplete the ghetto by selling to Negroes without returning to the community any of the profits through fair hiring practices.’’ In 2011 numerous members of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as President Barack Obama, appear to have no problem selling out the interests of black communities to the benefit of vulture-like corporations. Whether it is the privatization of public schools, gentrification, or the growing economic disparity between whites and blacks; politicians like Barack Obama could care less about their policies overall negative impact on African-Americans. It remains perplexing as to why so many black people remain in support of Barack Obama—the absence of historical perspective and critical analysis can have this effect on people. Obama’s actions, regarding Black America, are antithetical to those of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Obama has become rather skilled at blaming black people for their plight, whenever he decides to acknowledge their existence at all. He even had the audacity to do this at the NCAACP’s 100^th anniversary when he said, “We’ve got to say to our children, yes, if you’re African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face. But that’s not a reason to get bad grades — that’s not a reason to cut class — that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands — you cannot forget that. That’s what we have to teach all of our children. No excuses. No excuses. You get that education; all those hardships will just make you stronger, better able to compete. Yes we can.”

Obama would never have gone into a poor white community and told the parents of a vastly underfunded school system and marginalized community that they should, in essence, accept those conditions without protesting or fighting to hold the government accountable. However, Obama knows he can slap around the black community in that manner because, for some reason, far too many African-Americans continue to support him in a most pathetic manner. Unfortunately, Obama, like many other Democrats, will continue to disrespect the black community until they completely divorce themselves from that party and form/support a truly independent party that actually advocates for their collective interests.

In regards to black people, especially poor black people; Dr. King had a knack for placing their living conditions within the context of institutional racism and its impact on their communities. In 1968, just months before his assassination, Dr. King said, “It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society.” The great civil rights leader said those words within a speech he gave to his staff at a SCLC meeting in Frogmore, South Carolina as he was preparing them for the Poor People’s Campaign. His commitment to black people, and poor people in general, was the polar opposite to a man like Barack Obama who seems to thrive at marginalizing those demographics while catering to his corporate and military bosses.

In the same Beyond Vietnam speech, Dr. King gave a prescient warning when he said, “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” In 2011 much of the world is suffering from the impact of America’s insatiable hunger for global domination. The US’s runaway military industrial complex continues to take lives away from innocent civilians in places like Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Libya. The American military industrial complex creates carnage abroad, all the while preventing Americans from having things like a single-payer healthcare system. In 2011 institutional racism is a disease that destroys the lives of black and brown people in America, by way of police brutality, economic inequality and unequal school systems—to name a few. And in 2011 runaway capitalism is imposing economic terrorism on countless people and their rapidly disintegrating communities. Dr. King’s words may be more relevant now, than ever before.

The dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is almost assured to be a most superficial event replete with superficial politicians and luminaries. The organizers of this event, and their corporate cronies, are already licking their capitalist chops—promoting and selling everything from expensive hotel rooms, sponsorship opportunities, to high priced exhibitor space. In essence, they will be “honoring” Dr. King by not embracing his legacy of social justice, but by financially capitalizing on his name. There will be no speeches of ending America’s imperialist wars, like Dr. King did. Anyone with that message trying to get on stage will be swiftly removed by security. There will be no speeches about destroying institutional racism in America—most likely the lie of America being a post racist country will be bandied about. Don’t expect any talk about waging a war on poverty—after all some of the sponsors of this event are in fact large multinational corporations (such as Wal-Mart) that benefit from destroying local businesses while dissuading their workers from unionizing. However, what you are sure to see is cameras on disingenuous politicians crying crocodile tears, as if they give a damn about Dr. King’s legacy. Many of these political actors will be men and women who have, at one time or another, voted to finance one or more of America’s current military campaigns. Unfortunately, some of these frauds will even be members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Far too many members of the CBC have become quite comfortable with taking the easy way out and remaining silent about things that matter. The same goes for countless black entertainers riddled throughout Hollywood. They have lost their spine and made the conscious decision to protect their political interests and/or their potential sponsorship from white corporations that could not give a damn about social justice or the well-being of the communities from which many of these black politicians and entertainers come from.

Dr. King once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Ending Institutional racism in America, eradicating poverty, and stopping the US’s destructive wars, are all things that matter. They matter so much that life and death hinge upon each injustice. It is obvious that we cannot expect Democrats or Republicans to vociferously break their collective silence about the cauldron of social injustices that have been brewing in America for quite some time—that job must be ours. We must raise our collective voices and speak out against them and stand up for justice. This is the greatest way we can honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Solomon Comissiong is an educator, community activist, author, public speaker and the host of the Your World News media collective (www.yourworldnews.org).

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Earthquake Response Information

Black Buzz News Service
Special Report
Vienna, Virginia
BBNS

      What to Do During an Earthquake

Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually fore shocks and a larger earthquake might occur.
Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place if you are indoors, stay there until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.

 If indoors
    * DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn't a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
* Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
* Stay  in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
* Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load bearing doorway.
* Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
* Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
* DO NOT use the elevators.

If outdoors
  * Stay there
  * Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
  * Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls.
Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of the buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If in a moving vehicle
* Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
* Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris
 * Do not light a match.
 * Do not move about or kick up dust
 * Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing
  * Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

Thank You

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Qaddafi's Fall From Power

Black Buzz News Service
 Cairo, Egypt
August 24, 2011
BBNS

 With Qaddafi's fall from power in Libya the jury is still out as to what type of governance will emerge from the fiasco in the North African state.
 Without NATO's assistance led by the U.S. and France this overthrow of Qaddafi would not have occurred. The U.K. has had special forces on the ground for the last 8-10 weeks.
President Obama had ruled against U.S. forces on the ground. Obama could not afford politically to see any more SEALS, or J-sock, Delta Force getting killed for a country Libya that had sent the largest numbers of insurgent fighters to kill U.S. forces in Iraq.
One must be cognizant of the fact that Rebel Transitional Council has many insurgents who are not reliable. Also the Rebel Transitional Council nor any of the other Tribes in Libya have the necessary training, experience to run a government.
Show me one Arab country in North Africa or the Middle East that has some semblance of democratic governance?
Its no secret that the French, Italians, U.S and the nasty Brits were desirous of getting control of Qaddafi's oil. Libya has some of the best sweet oil in the world, which is easy to refine.
Colonel Qaddafi had spent hundreds of billions of dollars building-up the Libyan infrastructure, which now has been devestated.
So who will pay for that destruction of Libya? Will the French, Italians, and the Brits line up to rebuild Libya in an exchange for oil? How much aid will the U.S. taxpayers have to deliver to this unknown regime of misfits?
Some experts have already predicted that it will take Libya a whole year to get-up to full oil production.
The only deal for the U.S. is the fact that some U.S. oil firms will be able to get a toe hold in some area's, which should mean lower petrol prices.

What we have just witnessed in Libya with the fall of Qaddafi is the recolonization of Libya with a group of hand picked lackey's who will represent and broker the interests of the EU and U.S.  It may take a counter revolution in Libya which would give all the stake-holders a chance to participate in a government of their choice.

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Unidentified United States War Department Photo, Dated November 24, 1943 of African American Servicemen and One Female

   

Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson, Jr. Project
Robinson Family Archives
Rare Photos
Slippery Rock, PA
August 16, 2011




On the back of the  above picture is the following: "Released for Publication, War Department, Photo News Bq, Bur. Pub.Relations, Nov.24, 1943, 3

This picture is part of James S. Robinson, Jr.'s collections of rare photos who was drafted by the FBI during World War II because of his unique expert skill in self defense.  He worked as a self defense instructor for the War Department.

Black Buzz in November of 2010, met with Michael G. Kraus, Curator Historian and John L. Ford, Historian, both of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh, PA in attempt to obtain the names of the persons in the above photo.  Mr. Kraus stated that he knew that the above picture was a World War II era photo because of the boots and the uniforms.  Both men stated that the female in the picture was probably a celebrity whom they also could not identify.

If any personnel from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture or any other entity can identify anyone pictured above, it would be greatly appreciated.

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Yvette Carnell: Enter the Clowns – Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner Join Forces

Black Buzz News Service
Washington, D.C.
August 16, 2011

August 14, 2011

By Yvette Carnell, Your Black World

One broad watermelon smile deserves another.  So when I read on Yourblackworld.com that Steve Harvey had joined Tom Joyner in using his Benson-eque platform to both defend the White House and malign Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, surprise was not an emotion that befell me.

Both Harvey and Joyner are much too enthralled with their own proximity to power, too lost in the glow of gator tuxedo shoes, too bewitched by engraved invitations to President Obama’s 50^th birthday bash to actually think before crowing about Smiley and West.

These two self-styled  soul hipsters would have us believe that they have somehow magically transformed themselves from low brow entertainers to thoughtful political pundits. They haven’t.

And what we are now witnessing are the after affects and wreckage caused by men who doggedly refuse to engage in any meaningful self-reflection or collective race reflection. They don’t understand – or own- the fact that black suffering and the accompanying poverty are part of our inheritance and as such, must be dealt with in a meaningful way.  In shorthand, this means that
Steve Harvey’s purchase of a new lime green suit doesn’t benefit the whole.

Smiley and West are merely making the argument that President Obama hasn’t used the ample resources available him to redress wrongs caused by those who engineered this crisis. Obama hasn’t put forth any meaningful plan to address how the poor will make up the gains lost by the recession or how they’ll regain their footing, let alone any hope of joining the narrowing middle class.  That’s the crux of it. Harvey is free to offer an alternate view, but offhandedly dismissing Smiley and West as Uncle Toms just doesn’t pass muster.  And neither does passing off misinformation as a thoughtful critique.

Here are a few examples of the nonsense that now passes as serious black commentary on black talk radio:

On his syndicated talk show, Harvey asked ““Who in the hell got 2-3 days for your ass? I ain’t got time to sit down with your monkey behind for two, three days, let alone the President of the United States. We got three wars going on, the economy crashing and we going to sit down with Tavis ass for three days?”

Here’s another quote, this one from the White House, “On  Monday July 11th and Tuesday July 12th, the White House will host a Hispanic Policy Conference, bringing community leaders from across the country together with a broad range of White House and Cabinet officials for an in-depth series of interactive workshops and substantive conversations on the Administration’s efforts as they relate to the Hispanic community.”

Compare the 2-3 days the White House spent with leaders of the Hispanic community to the ½ hour Obama afforded NAACP’s Ben Jealous and the Urban League’s Mark Morial. I can only hazard a guess that either Steve Harvey is o.k. with this disparity or he wasn’t aware of it. But if you’re going to be about the business of offering a political critique, a thorough examination of the facts is required.

Speaking of facts (or lack thereof), Harvey blusters on that Smiley and West   “don’t have any real basis behind your dislike for this man…you keep masking it saying it’s not about hate. Then what is it about? Poverty existed before January 20, 2008. Where was your damn bus then?”

But this discounts the fact that there were an ample number of liberals, especially black ones, who made it their business to criticize the impact of Bush and Clinton’s policies on poor people. Now however, the chorus of black and principled activists has largely dissipated due to the pressure imposed by folks like Joyner and Harvey. So, in effect, Smiley and West are filling a void left by a once principled group that abandoned their principles in favor of Obama absolutism.

It should also be noted that West wasn’t kind in his criticism of George W. Bush. It was West who described hawks in the Bush administration as “evangelical nihilists — drunk with power and driven by grand delusions of American domination of the world”. The idea that West is a Johnny come lately of sorts who only recently jumped into the political fray just doesn’t hold water when viewed within a full political context.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire Steve Harvey’s philanthropy. His work with young men is a standard that all black male celebrities would do well to follow. But we’re at the crux of something huge now.  The top 1% are administering, almost daily, devastating blows to the poor and middle class, and the question we’re all asking is whether Obama will hold us down while they strike the final blow or stand up to the bullies on our behalf. If Harvey and Joyner have something to add to this discussion, I’d love to hear it. But if they’re content to just clown Smiley and West with the rhetorical equivalent of “yo’ mama” jokes, then they should get back to their day jobs. The world of serious commentary just doesn’t need them.

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Dr. Ron Daniels: The Huff, Puff and Bluff of the Obama Administration to the GOP

Black Buzz News Service
Youngstown, Ohio
August 10, 2011

by Dr. Ron Daniels

Once again Liberals/progressives and a large sector of the electorate have witnessed a dismal and disappointing performance by President Obama and the Democrats. In the face of staunch opposition by conservatives and fanatical determination by the Tea Party Caucus, the Democrats and Obama abandoned the “principle” that legislation to lift the Debt Ceiling must include “revenues” as well as cuts in spending.

Even though polls indicated support for Obama’s concept of a “balanced” approach, including closing tax loopholes for the wealthy, he and the Democrats capitulated, handing the Grand Obstructionist Party (GOP) another major victory. Though some Tea Party fanatics wanted total victory (they wanted even more draconian cuts in spending), House Speaker John Boehner was content to declare that he had achieved 98% of what he wanted!

The bill calls for $2.4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, $970 billion of which must be imposed immediately. By Christmas of this year a bi-partisan Congressional Super Committee composed of 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats is to recommend another 1.5 trillion in savings. If the Super Committee cannot come up with a proposal or the Congress votes its proposal down, 50% of the savings would automatically be imposed from social programs and 50% from Defense. In previewing the next battle of the debt/deficit, President Obama served notice that “everyone will have to chip in. That’s the principle I will be fighting for during the next phase of the process.” Obama was signaling that this time, this round would be different, essentially promising that revenues from closing tax loopholes on the wealthy and/or increases in taxes for those with incomes of $250,000 or more, will be part of the package.

The problem is we’ve seen this movie before. Obama huffed and puffed and drew a line in the sand declaring that he would not extend the Bush tax cuts as part of the 2011 budget agreement. When the GOP called his bluff by screaming that taxes should not be raised on anyone during an economic slow-down, Obama backed down – a capitulation that increased the deficit by some $800 billion. During his Budget message he huffed and puffed that Medicare and Social Security were off the table and would be protected at all costs. Apparently, Speaker Boehner challenged him on this pledge when they struck their “grand deal” that would have resulted in $4.5 trillion in savings over the next decade. By his own admission, the President put cuts in Medicare and Social Security on the table. Now he is huffing and puffing that he will really fight to ensure that savings from revenue will be part of the next deal. Well by now we know that Obama sometimes talks a good game, but the obstructionists are totally prepared to say, “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.” Having successfully called the President’s bluff on more than one occasion, they will hold fast to their demand for a spending cuts only approach, confident that when the going gets tough, Obama will lead the majority of Democrats in full retreat!

This is what’s so disappointing and frustrating about President Obama. Liberals/progressives and a sizeable segment of the American electorate keep waiting for him to lead, to stand and fight for anything, as opposed to positioning himself as the “referee” in a game where he should be picking sides and sticking to his “principles.” At the eleventh hour when it became clear that the obstructionists were willing to default on America’s debt if they could not get their way, President Obama should have invoked the power some constitutional scholars and former President Clinton indicated he had at his disposal under the 14^th Amendment and raised the debt ceiling by Executive Order.

Simultaneously, he should have sent Congress his “balanced” deficit reduction package with increases in revenue and spending cuts, timed to kick-in after economic indicators signal the economy is in full recovery. In a separate bill, the President should have submitted a New Deal type WPA/CCC jobs program to put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work immediately; an act which progressive economists believe would stimulate the economy by increasing aggregate demand/consumer spending. No doubt the obstructionists would have cried foul, and there would have been court challenges. It would have been too late because the debt ceiling would have been raised. The President would have come off as a bold and decisive leader! This time the huff and the puff would not have been a bluff. This is the Obama we’ve been waiting to emerge to no avail.

Rather than act boldly, Obama has allowed the obstructionists to handcuff him with a deficit reduction deal with cuts that stifle his ability to put forward a meaningful jobs program. Indeed, there is the imminent danger that reducing spending will further aggravate a stagnating economy.

By calling Obama and the Democrats’ bluff, the obstructionists are forcing them to play with what they hope is a losing hand in the 2012 elections – high unemployment/joblessness, crawling GDP, low consumer confidence and legions of people who feel the country is headed in the wrong direction. At the moment, Obama’s prospects for re-election appear dim. They will become bleaker unless he sheds the self-imposed shackles of timidity, caution and obsessive bi-partisanship. He needs to stand, fight and lead or all may be lost.

To be fair, there were a number of Democrats, many of whom are associated with the Progressive Caucus in Congress, who voted no on the deficit/debt bill deeming it harmful to the interests of workers, the middle class and poor people. In fact the Progressive Caucus urged Obama to reject the bill and lift the debt ceiling using provisions of the 14^th Amendment. The vision and courage of these Democrats is to be commended. Hopefully, they will be among those who will join in a major effort to galvanize a liberal-progressive force for change in 2012 and beyond. Liberal-progressives cannot allow disappointment with Obama to deter the essential effort of building a movement with a message so clear and an economic security platform so strong that a majority of Americans will repel the obstructionists and align with the forces seeking to create a more just and humane society.
Dr. Ron Daniels is President of the Institute of the Black World 21^st Century and Distinguished Lecturer at York College City University of New York. His articles and essays also appear on the IBW websitewww.ibw21.org and www.northstarnews.com .

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James S. Robinson Jr. was an accomplished harmonica player

Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson, Jr. Project
Robinson Family Archives
Rare Items
Slippery Rock, PA
August 10, 2011

 

Blogger Black Buzz's father, James S. Robinson, Jr. was an accomplished harmonica player and also loved to play the piano.  Above are two of his prized harmonicas: one made in Germany and one made in China.  My dad was a man of many talents and interests.




James S. Robinson, Jr.






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Jim Robinson's parents enjoy a pleasant outing on our Slippery Rock Property.

Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson, Jr. Project
Robinson-Saunders Archives
Rare Pictures
Slippery Rock, PA
August 10, 2011



Pictured above are Mr. &  Mrs. James S. Robinson, Sr., grandparents of Blogger Black Buzz, with the Collie dog, Rocket, and the International tractor, on the family property in Slippery Rock Township



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James S. Robinson, Jr's. Ceramic Birds Are in the Homer S. Brown Memorial Room at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia

Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson Jr. Project
Robinson Family Archives Rare Items
Slippery Rock, PA
August 10, 2011



This is the bird that appears in Judge Homer S. Brown's Memorial Room
Virginia Union University in Richomnd, Virginia
James S. Robinson, Jr. was an accomplished ceramist and teacher of the art.  Blogger Black Buzz's family continues to display during the holidays the magnificent ceramic Christmas Tree made by his dad, Mr. Robinson.

      Blogger Black Buzz's Mother and Father leaving from their apartment to go to their Church, Christian Tabernacle Church located on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh, PA.
  

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Judge Alito's record

Black Buzz News Service
The Ronald B. Saunders Project
The Ronald B. Saunders Collection
Of Papers
The Archives of The National Black Political
Caucus
Pittsburgh PA.
August 10, 2011
      
               The below letter appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on December 15, 2005 and is part of Ronald B. Saunders Papers.

                        Judge Alito's record
                     
  I am responding to the articles "Alito Crafted Plan in 85'to Weaken Roe" ( Dec.1 ) and "Alito Seeks to Ease Worry" ( Dec 3 ) and the Dec. 5 Intellectual Capital column, "Alito on Roe: It's Not' Personal."
    Judicial candidates and sitting judges don't reside in glass houses.
Judges are not immune from being political animals. And Mr. Alito like his contemporary John Roberts Jr. contrary to their public utterances will say anything that is their best interest relative to adhering to the principle of stare decisis for long-standing precedents.
   It is my belief that Mr. Alito will bring his own peculiar brand of bias, prejudice and other far right-wing ideological views to the Supreme Court, which is evidenced by Mr. Alito's dissents. The majority of his dissents are to the right of others members of the panel and totally out of the mainstream of sound, moderate, judicial interpretations of the law.
 In the United States' anemic political climate, the corrupt arch right-wing reactionary conservatives have taken over the West Wing of the White House, and the American people can ill afford to have our Supreme Court taken over by activist judicial extremists.
                                                                 Ronald B. Saunders
                                                                          Chairman
                                                        The National Black Political Caucus
                                                                        Pgh. PA


Note:  Indeed Alito and Roberts have proven to be judicial activist extremists which is evidenced by all of their rulings on the United States Supreme Court.

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The Congressional Black Caucus Claims They Are Starting a Jobs Initiative

Black Buzz News Service
Cleveland, Ohio
August 10, 2011
Breaking News
(BBNS)

The Congressional Black Caucus announced today that they are tired of waiting for a new job creation plan by the Congress and they will develop their own plan.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) should have had a bona-fide job creation plan to introduce to Congress on the day that the infamous George W. Bush and cohorts left the White House. So what did the Congressional Black Caucus do in the way of job creation from the day that President Bush left office?
I believe they just sat on their lazy behinds in the comfort of the House and did nothing while many of their constituents continue to live in a on-going depression with sky-high unemployment and while an obscene wealth gap between African-Americans and Whites has quadrupled since 1985.
The CBC has been AWOL during the present deep, deep recession.
'Whatever happened to holding your elected officials accountable?"
Whatever happened to holding their feet to the fire?
The Congressional Black Caucus used to have people in their ranks like Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm and Ron Dellums who would fight for the interests of the American Negro.  Apparently John Conyers, Jr. is either too old or he has been co-opted by power and tenure. John Conyers used to be a fighter, but what happened to all that fire and brimstone?
Where was the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congress and President Obama when American Companies took 1.4 million good paying American jobs overseas in 2010?
Congress has a disapproval rating hovering around 84% and that figure could he higher for members of the CBC. We should not give the Congressional Black Caucus a free pass because they are African American.
Let the truth be told that the CBC has done a miserably poor job of representing the interests of African Americans in the worst economic crisis in the USA since the Great Depression in the 1930's.
We have a tremendous crisis of mediocre, inept leadership in all the political systems in the United States of America from the White House down to the local school boards. We have grown accustomed to accepting lower standards in all our institutions in this experiment in democratic governance. 
Is the CBC merely a microcosm of the people they allegedly represent?
The constituents of the Congressional Black Caucus must hold the CBC accountable by writing, sit-ins, protesting their action, demonstrating against their House Servant behavior, e-mailing, calling, and visiting in their local and House offices. Your silence is just another form of oppression.

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James S. Robinson's, Jr.Extraordinary and Gifted Family

Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson, Jr. Project
Robinson Family Archives
Pittsburgh, PA
August 4, 2011




Mr. & Mrs. James S. Robinson, Sr., Parents of James S. Robinson, Jr.

 



Pictured left to right, Annie Robinson Sloan, daughter along with James. S. Robinson, Sr. and Elizabeth Groves Robinson

 The following are the obituaries of Mr. & Mrs. James S. Robinson, Sr.

Elizabeth Groves Robinson, daughter of the late George and Annie Groves, was born March 8, 1882 in Rappahannocke County Virginia. She was one of fifteen children: nine boys and six girls. She accepted the Lord and was baptized at an early age.
In her teens she went to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to work and it was there she met and married James S. Robinson.
In 1954, James and Elizabeth moved to Philadelphia, PA.  She moved her Church membership from Ebenezer Baptist Church in Pittsburgh to White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Then in 1976, they moved back to Pittsburgh. She devoted her entire life to her family and to helping others.
On September 9,1983, at 8: 20 P.M. in Allegheny General Hospital, God called his wonderful servant to come home. She will be greatly missed not only by her family, but by all those helped by " Big Mama" as she was affectionately called.

James Samuel Robinson Sr., son of William and Ella Robinson, was born July 15, 1883 in Richmond, Virginia.
James passed into eternal life on March 29, 1986 in the Sky Vue Nursing Home, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In his youth, James moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
There he met and married the late Elizabeth Grove Robinson. From this union were born eight children. In 1904, he and his wife and family moved to Pittsburgh, PA where they resided for many years. In 1954 James and Elizabeth moved to Philadelphia, PA and remained there until 1974, when they returned to Pittsburgh, PA.
He was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District while living in Pittsburgh, and the White Rock Baptist Church while in Philadelphia.
James was a quiet man, loving and devoted to his family and many friends. He shared the gifts of life God gave him with others in a way that will long be remembered.
Survivor's include four sons, James S. Jr., G. Arnold, Pittsburgh, PA, John R., Philadelphia, and William H., Willingboro, New Jersey; three daughters, Mrs. Viola E. Fant, Pittsburgh, PA., Mrs. Julia G. Robinson, Philadelphia, and Mrs. Lorraine J. Fields, Harrisburg, PA; 36 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, 12 great-great grandchildren and host of nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.

* Note: Mr. and Mrs Robinson Sr. are the grandparents of Blogger Black Buzz.
All the family members and friends called Mr. Robinson "Pop" and Mrs. Robinson "Big Mama."
There is more to the rest of the story so stayed tuned.
* Also in the photo with "Big Mama" and "Pop" is their daughter Mrs. Annie Robinson Sloan who passed in 1986. The photo is a reprint from Kaufmann's ARCADIA PORTRAIT STUDIO.

The Robinson clan is living throughout Western PA, the state of Pennyslvania, country and world. The Robinson and Groves families are employed in various occupations in all fields of endeavors in the U.S. and abroad.

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James S. Robinson Jr., Was The Second Person of color in the United States of America to receive the highly coveted American Legion School Award in 1925, at the Watt Street School

Black Buzz News Service         

James S. Robinson, Jr. Project

Robinson Family Archives
Artifacts Collection

Slippery Rock, PA

August 3, 2011



 James Robinson Junior's first police whistle with the Pittsburgh PA, Department of Public Safety, Police Detective Division                                                                                                                            



American Legion School Award



American Legion School Award



Superintendent, Department of Public Safety, City of Pittsburgh, Friendly Service Bureau

* James S. Robinson Jr. earned the American Legion Honor School Award for outstanding exemplary service to his school and community while attending the Watt Street school in the Hill District section of Pittsburgh PA in 1925.
Mr. Robinson was the second person of color in the United States to receive the coveted award. My dad also made straight A's in all subjects from the first grade to the eight grade and he made a double which means he skipped a whole grade level.
The highly distinguished Homer S. Brown Sr. and attorney Oliver Johnson attended the American Legion Honor School award ceremony at the Watt Street School along with my grand parents Mr. and Mrs. James S. Robinson Sr.  My dad's name James S. Robinson is on the American Legion Award on the side with the two soldiers along with the date 1925, which is difficult to read.

* Note two of my swim team members at the Centre Avenue YMCA and Herron Hill Jr. High School Morris Fountain Jr. and Nate Clark also received  the American Legion Honor School Award at Herron Hill High School for the school year 1955-1956. Nate Clark was the first African American in the United States to place or score in the NCAA Championship in Swimming coming in fifth place in the 200 meter Butterfly in 1962, while swimming for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State was the premier collegiate team in swimming at the time that Nate placed fifth in the 200 meter butterfly.

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Television Station WIIC, In Pittsburgh PA Donates a TV ANTENNA To Dunbar Community Center located in Butler PA during the time that James S. Robinson Jr. was the executive director of the Center



Black Buzz News Service
James S. Robinson, Jr. Project
Collection of Special Papers
Robinson Family Archives
Slippery Rock, PA
August 2, 2011

Note the following from the above picture:
Pictured are Caley E. Augustine, public relations and promotion director of Television Station WIIC, James C. Robinson, executive director of Dunbar Community Center and John Barnett, a four-year-old member of the Center.
Also note that my dad's middle initial is S not C.
Subsequently, the Intermediate League and Kelly Chevrolet-Cadillac did in fact donate television sets to the Dunbar Community Center.

Black Buzz is presently working on the following articles as part of the James S. Robinson Jr. Project:
1. Jim Robinson Prevents a truck hijacking on the New Jersey Turnpike in  1954.
2. James S. Robinson, Jr. demands that businesses in Butler, PA hire and       promote Negroes.
3. Jim Robinson assists the Jack and Jill Organization in Pittsburgh, PA in the fight against polio in 1954.
4. James S. Robinson, Jr. captures two escapees from the Butler County Jail who were found on our property in Slippery Rock Twp/Cherry Twp.
5. James S. Robinson, Jr. puts eight bigoted men from Tennessee in Butler Memorial Hospital with severe body injuries who had stormed into the Dunbar Community Center to teach the " Nigger" a lesson.
6. James S. Robinson, Jr. works on the construction of the Howard Johnson Restaurants on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
7. The Allegheny County Warden asks James S. Robinson Jr. to assist with the escort of Stanley Hoss from the " Bull Pen" to the Court House.
8. While working for the FBI in 1943, a County Sheriff in West Virginia refuses to give a White prisoner to James S. Robinson, Jr.

* Indeed James S. Robinson, Jr. was an exceptional extraordinary American of many unique talents and whom I have been writing about since last year as part of the James S. Robinson Jr. Project.
In 1925, my dad was the second person of color in the United States of America to receive the highly coveted American Legion School Award while in attendance at the Watt Street School in the Hill District section of Pittsburgh, PA which is now Robert L. Vann. 

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