Thursday, May 30, 2013

Leutrell Osborne, 'Black Man in the CIA' calls for 'More Cloak and Less Dagger'

Gary Revel
JONGLEUR MUSIC PICTURES
1017 N. 3RD STREET
TEMPLE, TEXAS 76501
Music/Movies/Books

CIA agent offers advice


Leutrell Osborne, 'Black Man in the CIA' calls for 'More Cloak and Less Dagger'

Leutrell Mike Osborne, Sr. the author of the "Black Man In The CIA" (BMCIA), said that the recent statements by President Barack Obama about the USA now planning to do more "spying" and less "Counterterrorism" is compatible with his own strategy of 'More Cloak and Less Dagger'.

Osborne is a former Case Manager for the CIA who spent 26 years with the Agency. His experience in vital areas of CIA activities around the world have made him an expert on the mission and strategy necessary to accomplish that mission.

CIA is a maze of acronyms that mystify the uninitiated. The real culture of CIA is as difficult to capture as the intelligence it seeks. The chain of command makes it difficult to place blame, when even a George Tenet can be bullied by a President into doctoring the analysis of his own intelligence for a war agenda. There are many hierarchical levels from the deep insiders of Skull & Bones to the Case Officers, translators, analysts, the man in the street, assets, and pawns. They surveille one another as well as the enemy. They are The Watched as well as The Watchers.

Leutrell “Mike” Osborne joined the CIA in 1957, and became one of the first African American Case Officers (C/O).  He directed CIA agents and assets in over 24 countries on three continents.  Mr. Osborne is the only C/O to also serve as a Communications Security Officer (COMSEC Officer) for over six years.  Mr. Osborne resigned his post at CIA in 1984 to pursue private sector opportunities.  He returned to government service in 1989, where he oversaw Small Business Administration contracting programs for the Office of Personnel Management.
In 1994, Mr. Osborne retired from Federal Government after 31 years of service.  He then returned to private sector advising small businesses on the acquisition of government contracts.  In addition, he began an active schedule of personal appearances, radio interviews and television commentary. He and his wife, Rose, have been married for more than 50 years and have five children.  Mr. Osborne lives in Annapolis, Maryland and spends his time working on his memoirs and providing inspirational and transformational leadership speeches to audiences throughout the country.

He is now undertaking a motion picture project, THE OSBORNE EFFECT: BLACK MAN IN THE CIA. The movie will explore one man’s dream to join the Intelligence Community and desegregate various aspects of Agency culture, while maintaining a rich and rewarding home life as well as keep close to his own spiritual integrity. 

His book, 'Black Man in the CIA' can be found at Amazon.com and other book sellers.

For more information contact:

Leutrell Osborne
"Leutrell Osborne, Sr" <leutrellone@gmail.com>
Telephone 301 858-8455

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Gary Revel
JONGLEUR MUSIC PICTURES
1017 N. 3RD STREET
TEMPLE, TEXAS 76501
Music/Movies/Books

Friday, May 24, 2013

Public Pressure Works; Drone Attacks In Decline

Public protest, critical media coverage and Congressional hearings are contributing to what theNew York Times calls a “sharp decline” in US drone attacks during recent weeks. (New York Times, April 7, 2013)
In Pakistan, the attacks have dropped from 117 in 2010, to 64 in 2011, 46 in 2012, and eleven so far this year. In Yemen there were 42 in 2012, but none since January of this year.
A negotiated settlement over Afghanistan is likely to include a de facto cessation of drone strikes on Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan, assuming the US gives up its hope of bombing the Taliban into submission.
A majority of Americans continue to favor the use of drones, because they reduce US casualties and costs, signaling the need for greater public outreach efforts by peace activists. A forthcoming movie from Brave New Foundation will prove useful as an educational tool, but nothing will turn the tide more rapidly than Congressional hearings tied to specific proposals linking any funding to greater scrutiny, transparency, accountability, and a shift of the drone policy from the CIA where it is protected by a cloak of secrecy. 
For more, please see also by Tom Hayden, “Bug Splat,” and “The Path to Curbing the Use of Drones.”

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Dick Gregory on W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Thursday - Live

Dick Gregory, civil rights icon

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:"Bro. Dick Gregory Make It Plain 2013 LIVE!!!"
 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Resurrecting Black Radio one podcast at a time!!!

Date: Thursday May 16, 2013

Showtime:

3pm Eastern/2pm Central/12pm Pacific

 This is a 2 hour show/discussion

Listen Live!!!


Call-In & Participate!!!

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Featured Guests... 
1.)  The Honorable Bro. Dick Gregory

 A meeting of 2 artivists: The Honorable Bro. Dick Gregory & Bro. Ron aka r2c2h2 tha artivist (6/14/2012) 
2.) You!!!

The call in Phone Number: (646) 652-4593

**The show will be archived and available for listens/downloads 24/7 after live airing @ same link...**

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Dick Gregory Gone Wild I Mean Viral… 
'Nigger' Happened!!!~Bro. Dick Gregory
  
In January 2013, an interview W.E. A.L.L. B.E. did with venerable comic legend, author, nutritional guru and civil rights activist Bro. Dick Gregory went viral…The interview, which was uploaded on theW.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV YouTube channel deals with his endorsement of the controversial award winning film “Django Unchained” and his criticisms of Spike Lee as ‘a punk’ and ‘a thug’ for offering a negative review of the film without even seeing it…My video has caused a firestorm of controversy, debate and was even picked up by respected and popular national media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Bossip, NewsOne, The Root, and Black Enterprise magazine just to name a few…The comments made on the YouTube video range from the profane to the profound…I also enjoy reading the insightful comments and blog posts it has generated on social media forums and other internet outlets…I have also received phone calls from folks all over the USA thanking me for the video and sharing their own insights on why hearing the interview was such an affirming learning experience for them…The literally tens of thousands of responses it generated could actually probably make for a great foundation for a decent dissertation on the topic…I was glad that the moment W.E. A.L.L. B.E. captured and shared for posterity also became a true teaching moment for the rest of the world too… 
You can view the actual interview and video that I created at the following link:
 W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Bro. Dick Gregory On 'Django Unchained': "Spike Lee Is A Thug & A Punk." (1/13/2013) 
As a matter of fact the first 4 full interviews the master teacher did with W.E. A.L.L. B.E. this year have gone viral!!! Please listen and/or view at your leisure via the following links...And remember to share with your networks:

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 1 (1/13/2013)


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 2 (1/16/2013)

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 3 (2/22/2013)


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 4 (4/14/2013)


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 1 (1/13/2013)

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 2 (1/16/2013) 

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 3 (2/22/2013) 

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 4 (4/14/2013)

For more Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained episodes please visit W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV(http://www.youtube.com/weallbetv)!!!
And The Best Is Yet To Come!!!  

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Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

50 Years Ago Today in Birmingham, AL Negotiations Begin Ending Jim Crow: Update

Freedom Lifted
News Release

Civil Rights Spotlight:  Birmingham, AL

Birmingham, Alabama was the site of some the Civil Rights Era's most iconic and most contentious struggles. In the early 1960s, Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the country. Black citizens faced economic exploitation, political repression, and violence. Between 1948 and 1957, there were 48 unsolved, racially motivated bombings, garnering the nickname "Bombingham" for the city.

Who was "Bull Connor?"

Birmingham was also home to the notorious Commissioner of Public Safety, Eugene "Bull" Connor, a strong proponent of segregation. In 1961, when a group of Freedom Riders was being attacked by a local mob, Bull Connor's police force offered them very little protection. Connor was quoted as saying, "If the North keeps trying to shove this thing [desegregation] down our throats, there's going to be bloodshed."

Leading with courage and conviction:  Fred Shuttlesworth

It was in this context that Black citizens of Birmingham began to organize. When Alabama banned the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1956, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, a local Civil Rights leader, formed the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR). In 1962, he invited Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to come to Birmingham, telling him, "If you come to Birmingham, you will not only gain prestige, but really shake thecountry. If you win in Birmingham, as Birmingham goes, so goes the nation."



What was "Project C?"

In April 1963, Shuttlesworth and King joined together the ACMHR and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to launch "Project C." Project C (for confrontation) was a massive series of direct actions directed at the government and businesses in Birmingham. It launched on April 3 with a number of mass meetings, lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall, and boycotts of downtown merchants. These actions continued until April 10 when the City obtained a court-ordered injunction to stop the protests. Shuttlesworth, King, and the other leaders of Project C debated whether to continue the protests and risk arrest, despite the fact that they had depleted their funds for bail money. The decision was made to continue the actions, and on April 12, King and 50 other protestors were arrested and taken to Birmingham Jail. It was while in solitary confinement there that King wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail." He was released April 20.

How did young children make a difference?

With fewer people willing to risk arrests, the Birmingham Campaign was beginning to lose steam.James Bevel, the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education at SCLC, came up with the idea of involving children and youth in the campaign. He recruited and trained hundreds of young people, from elementary school to college, to be part of the "Children's Crusade." On May 2, over 1,000 students gathered around the 16th Street Baptist Church and began to march through Kelly Ingram Park. Bull Connor was overwhelmed by the size of the protests and had hundreds of students arrested. When the protests continued the next day, Bull Connor ordered the protesters to be attacked by dogs, sprayed with fire hoses, and beaten with police batons. During the protest, Shuttlesworth was injured by a fire hose and hospitalized. The photos and news reports of the brutal treatment of young people at the protests caused international outrage. Over the next several days, protests continued, and the leaders struggled to keep them from becoming violent. Attorney General Robert Kennedy prepared to send the Alabama National Guard into Birmingham.


50 Years Ago Today.
On May 7th, with the city in chaos, white business leaders and the leaders of Birmingham campaign began negotiations. The business leaders asked that the protests be suspended while the negotiations took place. King agreed to call off the protests, which enraged Shuttlesworth, who was still in the hospital. On May 10th, an agreement was reached that promised the removal of "White Only" and "Black Only" signs from public facilities, desegregation of lunch counters, an ongoing program of "upgrading negro employment," the formation of a bi-racial committee to monitor the agreement, and a release of the jailed protestors.
We remember four little girls.

These promises slowly began to be realized in Birmingham. By July, most of the segregation ordinances had been overturned, but some businesses moved slowly in desegregating their facilities. There were also a number of violent responses from segregationists. In the weeks after the agreement, the hotel where King had stayed as well as King's brother's home were bombed. On September 15, the16th Street Baptist Church was bombed, and four young girls were killed. King gave the eulogy at their memorial. 


What Birmingham taught the world.
Some felt the leaders of the Birmingham Campaign had offered too many concessions and not demanded enough of the government and business leaders. However, Shuttlesworth believed the true impact of the Birmingham Campaign was not only local, but in the way it exposed the conditions of black people in the South to the whole nation.

Birmingham Today

Many people and organizations are working in Birmingham today to continue the city's legacy of activism. Check out these great organizations:

The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) is working to protect and promote civil and human rights in Alabama by exposing rights violations, educating the public and the media, supporting leadership development in immigrant communities, strengthening alliances with communities of faith and concerned citizens, and fighting anti-immigrant legislation.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) is an interpretive museum that showcases Birmingham's role in the Civil Rights Movement. In addition, the BCRI hosts educational events including workshops for teachers, commemorations of social movement history, conferences on the role of youth activism, and more.

The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) seeks to fight bias, bigotry and racism and to promote respect and understanding among all races, religions and cultures through education, conflict resolution and advocacy. NCCJ hosts leadership programs for youth and adults, interfaith dialogues, and diversity training and consulting.

New Emmett Till Video Posted on YouTube; Mississippi, Conspiracies, Assassinations, Colonia Dignidad All Featured

Susan Klopfer, author
The Plan
http://susanklopfer.com
Publication Date: June 2013





The author of a new fiction book due out in June focused on the multiple murders of two black, gay lawyers and a straight, white FBI agent, today released a Mississippi-based video on YouTube.

"The Plan is based on actual and fictional characters. It starts out in the Mississippi Delta during the modern civil rights movement and moves into South America, as the truth about a torture colony there is coming to light."

Susan Klopfer, the author, once lived in the Delta, on the grounds of Parchman Penitentiary, before moving to Ecuador, where she currently resides. 

I wrote The Plan after spending a number of years living and doing research in the Delta, and wanted to share these photos with readers before the book actually comes out in June," Klopfer said.

"I especially hope that students will find this video on the Internet helpful, because it features dozens of photographs ranging from a civil war era, popular steamboat on the Mississippi River, to burial markers often found around the cotton fields, homes of early civil rights pioneers, as well as the faces of people who helped make a difference in the Modern Civil Rights Movement.

“In Mississippi, this movement was initiated by returning WWII veterans including Amzie Moore, Aaron Henry and Medgar Evers."

Delta Blues lovers will find photographs of The Crossroads sign in Clarksdale, a bluesman wall mural,  a famous rail crossing, Robert Johnson, the Dockery Plantation and more.

"The video also features photos relating to Emmett Till’s murder as well as Mississippi Burning, and I plan to add more photos as I go through my collection."

Klopfer said she included pictures of an early service station owned and operated by Moore, "who had one of the few bathrooms in the Delta that black people were allowed to use in Jim Crow times," as well as photos of the "burned out interior” of Henry's home in Clarksdale.

What’s The Plan about?

“In a nutshell, The Plan is a digital novel about two murdered gay, black lawyers (from Mississippi and Alabama) who probably knew too much about the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President John F. Kennedy – and a murdered white, Vicksburg detective, formerly an FBI agent, who got in over his head in New Orleans, working for one of the alleged JFK assassination planners – with a quick sidetrip to Ecuador.”

Klopfer said she wrote The Plan with the Fiftieth Anniversary of the JFK assassination in mind. “We just cannot let this date pass by without asking questions. Few people, except for government officials, actually believe the Warren Commission Report was valid. It was even invalidated by a later House Select Committee on Assassinations that concluded the killing of the president was a conspiracy.

“Since only two reporters actually covered the civil trial relating to the murder of Dr. King, we understand well why the national media has continued to stick with its basically flawed reports on this death. In the words of Tommy Smothers -- "I feel nothing [for the national media] but total embarrassment"

Klopfer said she believes it is imperative that armchair historians and lesser known authors keep pushing for truth. “I personally look forward to the release of classified CIA documents on Colonia Dignidad in Chile, showing the agency's involvement in this torture chamber and its use of the facility as a training camp.

“For anyone asking what THIS is about, start googling – because most likely readers in the United States will be kept from the complete truth on this emerging news story, as well.”

The author said The Plan actually revolves around recent reports from Chile on a lawsuit filed against the that government by victims and relatives of people killed in the Southern Andes “Nazi torture chamber.”

“Will the U.S. government be embarrassed when it all comes out? I hope so. It’s our tax dollars at work, so at least anger is a possible response. But first the whole story is required."

The Plan is set for June publication and will be available on all major online bookstores in digital format.




Saturday, May 4, 2013

John Grisham's New Book Revisits Mississippi; The Land of Emmett Till

NEWS RELEASE

(Editor's Note: This is such good news for avid readers of John Grisham books. It will be hard to wait for this newest novel. Meanwhile, The Plan, is set for June release. More to come. sk)


John Grisham set to release 'Sycamore Row,' sequel to 'A Time to Kill,' in October

grisham.jpg
What Billy Mays did for OxiClean, John Grisham has been doing for the legal thriller since his first book, “A Time To Kill,” came out in 1988. It was therefore — to put it mildly —  kind of a big deal when Grisham’s publisher Knopf Doubleday announced that the former jurist would be publishing a sequel later this year.

Grisham, then a lawyer and member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, had witnessed the testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim a quarter-century ago; the shock spurred him to spend the next three years rising at 5 a.m. and working on the novel before work.

Although the book was initially rejected by numerous publishers (and first paled in comparison to his second release, “The Firm”), Grisham’s story of Jake Brigance — a white lawyer defending a black man charged with murdering his daughter’s rapists — was later adapted into the widely successful Joel Schumacher film starring Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock (fun fact: Grisham’s first-ever reading for “A Time To Kill” was in Oxford, Miss’ Square Books, which recently won the Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year award).

In Grisham’s latest, titled "Sycamore Row" and set for release on October 22, the author returns Brigance to his  “Time to Kill” stomping ground. The sequel, according to Grisham, “will have [Brigance fighting] for justice in a trial that could tear the small town of Clanton apart.”

Whoa, man..