Small Victories to Cherish

"French activists and their decievers"


To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible, to be credible, we must be truthful.”
Edward R. Murrow

Over the past couple of weeks a couple of interesting things have happened concerning MOVE and the mostly non-existent movement to “Free Mumia”.
(I say small victories because MOVE is a group that has evaded justice for the murder of John Gilbride and for the abuse of the children in their midst.)

The first of such incidents occurred on Saturday, May 13th at the Liberty Bell, at the heart of Philadelphia, in the midst of it’s tourist Mecca. I don’t really know what occurred at this protest due to the fact that not only was this event not covered by the MOVE abdicated “mainstream” media, but neither apparently, did the alleged “alternative media” cover the event.

In a very literal way I believe this to be greatly disheartening. I am of the view that the day of May 13th 1985 should be forever etched into the psyche of a city that is obsessed with forgetting while all the while priding itself on remembering. For if a child can learn of Ben Franklin, a child should learn that the city dropped a bomb on a row home in a working class black neighborhood.

But I also believe that the tragedy should be placed within it’s proper context.
-It should be no secret that MOVE kept the children of the sect despite the pleas of mediators and non-police negotiators.
-It should be no secret that MOVE members, without regard to the children in their midst that they had adamant time (in fact all day) to abandon their fortified compound or at least send their children out.
-It should be no secret that MOVE fired first at police and had to have known full well what kind of response what happen when this was done.
-Neither should it be forgotten that “officials” abandoned their leadership positions to watch impotently as the calamity unfolded as if what was happening was happening somewhere else at some other time.
-Finally we should not forget that it was MOVE who initiated the conflict and who so therefore should abandon their morally squalid routine of monolatry enriching victimization.

The other firm defeat that MOVE and it’s pet cause Mumia took was that the media (even the alternative) media was in no mood to celebrate the fact that some street, somewhere in France will be named after him. (Are not street names usually given posthumously anyways?)

What did happen was that there was a tremendous outcry from both the media and citizens of Philadelphia against this deification of an American murderer in a nation that had been given it’s freedom via a mountain of American soldiers.
Nearly American 6000 casualties alone on D-Day and France rewards this sacrifice of blood and life with an homage to an unapologetic killer of an American police officer.

I would have to wonder if my great-uncle, who flew the Nazi gauntlet in Europe in his B-25 bomber would take kindly to France’s worship of cop-killers. He has passed on now, but something tells me that it would not be something he would be particularly pleased with.

Another event, one that I am sure did bring a quiet smile to the faces of Pam and Ramona Africa was the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Gary Skerski.
Despite the fact that they had to have known the heightening of emotions the death of a fellow officers, the leaders of MOVE chose to have their demonstration in front of the Fraternal Order of Police anyways and were given there just do, which from what I understand to have amounted to be a collective “fuck off’.
A
gain, there was little in the way of media coverage, but it does seem that a good amount of fed up Philadelphian’s were quick to give the six, and I say again six, Mumia demonstrators, a piece of their mind.

As a former supporter of Mumia and MOVE, I am at a loss to explain what the point this whole Mumia/MOVE debacle is other than a childlike and irrational desire for attention, despite the negativity that it might entail. Nothing was proved and nothing was gained.

A street was named for Mumia in a small town of ill-advised and duped people and perhaps this is not such a bad thing.
I am not of the view that conflict brings more “light than heat” and will take up the issue forcefully with the French authorities who are responsible for this latest outrage.

That said, I will not plea for the sign to be taken down.

I am all for indicators of ignorance, so long as they are reflective of the majority of those who demand them. If people want to worship a cop-killer, than let them do it but let us allow people to know exactly what is going on, let them suffer the reduction of tourism and other justified boycotts that may be called as a result of their disgraceful politicing. Let them take down their sad little sign because they come to realization that Jamal is a murderer and no hero. Let them take down the sign because they disgraced the American veterans of both world wars and let them take it down because they are shamed into doing so and not because of the fact that they were politically pressured to do so.

I must confess that I am proud of a lot of people this week. Many of whom I would consider political enemies realized that this was an issue to take on and did so appropriately. And moreover, I appreciate the people of Philadelphia who deserve some kind of accommodation for their patience in terms of dealings with the Mumiaidiots. There is much more to say and more people I would like to name off, but in all honestly my child and spring cleaning must take precedant..
Much more to come. Especially when it comes to our French friends