FROM ANTHONY G FLOOD'S WEBSITE

 A few days ago National Public Radio's Morning Edition had a segment to remind listeners of the centennial of the birth of Malcolm Little, who became Malcolm X;  I spoke with Mr. Flood soon after on other topics, mentioned the NPR report, and complained to Flood, that as usual, the liberal radio network did not mention an important aspect of Malcolm's critique of the civil rights movement.  Mr. Flood then composed an addition to his website for the following day.  I have copied part of his site and placed it on my own blog today.  It is below -  I copied only one of the 2 letters for my blog.

Marking Malcolm X’s centennial: Hugh Murray’s probing letters from the 1990s.

I missed it by a day (sorry!). The centennial of the birth of Malcolm X and 60 years since his assassination (a few months after his Queens home was firebombed a few miles from me) warrant swiping from my old site two letters that my friend Hugh Murray got published in 1994 and 1995. Without further ado:

 

 

What about the Nation of Islam’s Historical Ties to Fascism?

The New York Times, February 23, 1994

It was widely reported when Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, suspended Khalid Abdul Muhammad, who told an audience at Kean College of New Jersey that Jews are bloodsuckers, gays are sissies, and the Pope is a cracker.

Mr. Farrakhan rebuked the manner in which Mr. Muhammad delivered his message, but Mr. Farrakhan reaffirmed the “truths” of that message! Reporters speculate if this is a repudiation of bigotry or not.  But they are silent about the history of the Nation of Islam on these subjects.

American Nazi Party Commander George Lincoln Rockwell (center) at a Nation of Islam (NOI) rally, Uline Arena, Washington, DC, June 25, 1961. During the collection, he shouted: “George Lincoln Rockwell gives $20!” (almost $135 in today’s money). Malcolm X, noting the applause, asked him: “George Lincoln Rockwell, you got the biggest hand you ever got, didn’t you?” Elijah Muhammad, NOI founder, invited Rockwell to speak at their next Savior’s Day Convention, which he did on Sunday, February 25, 1962, before 12,175 people in Chicago’s International Amphitheater. (Muhammad Speaks, April 1962, p. 3.) At the podium, in full Nazi regalia, Rockwell opined “that Elijah Muhammad is to the so-called Negro what Adolph Hitler is to the German people. He is the most powerful black man in the country. Heil Hitler!” (Black History and the Class Struggle, Spartacist League, August 1994, p. 37.)

In the early 1960’s, at a large gathering of the Nation of Islam, the featured speaker was Elijah Muhammad, its leader.  But the speaker just before him, addressing Elijah Muhammad’s followers, was George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of the American Nazi Party.1

In the early 1960’s Malcolm X, as a Nation of Islam spokesman, mocked the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.  At the height of civil rights protest Malcolm traveled to the South, not to partake in civil rights protest, but to negotiate with leaders of the Ku Klux Klan on how to thwart the struggle for civil rights.  This scene is omitted from Spike Lee’s film and from the recent PBS documentary on Malcolm X.

And in the 1920’s, even before the founding of the Nation of Islam, Marcus Garvey led the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which became America’s largest black nationalist organization.  The association created the Black Cross Nurses, the African Legion, the Knights of the Nile and established the Black Star Steamship Line.  Though black liberals and socialists like A. Philip Randolph and W. E. B. Du Bois bitterly opposed Garvey, Garvey found other associates—the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan.

Garvey and Klansmen met and shook hands in the 1920’s.  Eventually, Garvey was deported and lived in Britain, where he supported the Conservative Party and hoped Britain would transfer some of its African colonies to him.  Garvey also admired some European leaders, like Mussolini.  Garvey even reminded his followers, “We were the first Fascists.”2

Thus, the problem is not a single speech by Khalid Muhammad.  Behind much of black nationalism and the Nation of Islam lurks the idea of fascism.  And black fascism, like white fascism, is still fascism.

When Jesse Jackson and the Congressional Black Caucus attempt to embrace Louis Farrakhan, they are seeking an alliance with a tradition of fascism.

Notes

1 See William H. Schmaltz’s When George Lincoln Rockwell, Elijah Muhammad, and Malcolm X Shared the Same Stage and Rockwell’s own account.—A.G.F.

2 For the source of this quote, see the third reference note to Hugh Murray, “From the Communist Party to Affirmative Action.”—A.G.F

Hugh Murray, Milwaukee

PS--- Kanye is not the first

In January 1965 Malcolm was the featured speaker at the Militant Labor Forum in NYC.  In Feb. 1965 Malcolm was shot dead.  In August 1966 I was the featured speaker at the Militant Labor Forum in NYC.  Happily, I have not been shot. 

CONTRAST - JOE BIDEN'S ECONOMIC INVADERS WITH REAL REFUGEES FACING CONFISCATION AND RACIST MURDERERS

This is my comment on Newser's site.  The Economic Freedom Fighters got about 10% of the vote in the last election.  Unfortunately, the song of murder is sung beyond the ranks of the EFF.  Hugh Murray

 Most of Biden's invaders were not refugees facing confiscation and death because of their race, they were econoc migrats, which by definition are NOT refugees. Not coming in legally, they should be deported. By contrast the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters political party in South Africa, sings in a stadium filled with supporters - "Kill the Boers, Kill the whites" as his rifle the makes the sound, tat, tat, tat, of gun fire. The masses in the stadium laugh and join in the song, again, and again. South Africa is a racist state today, with one of the highest murder rates in the world masking the racist nature of many murders. We in America should have room for real refugees; but others should apply to enter legally, or be deported under Trump's reasonable policies.

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Reply

From RT - CHINA'S MILITARY CAPABILITY

I include this article because it mentions wars in recent history about which I know nothing.  In discussing the Peoples Liberation Army, that includes the nave, and the article does not include China's aggression against the Philippines in the South China Sea.  Still, it is a short article that opens possible research into many little known battle spheres.  I hope you find it informative.  Hugh Murray 

Think China is a ‘nation that can’t fight’? Think again

The West has mocked Beijing’s military for decades – it may soon regret it

By Vasily Kashin, Political Science PhD, Director of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, HSE

FILE PHOTO. ©  CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

The internet is flooded with quotes attributed to Chinese philosophers. Who hasn’t seen a meme with a “Confucius” saying or heard of the so-called “ancient Chinese curse” about living in interesting times? In reality, 99% of these quotations are fake, reflecting Western projections of Chinese wisdom rather than its reality. Yet one saying – “good iron does not make nails; good men do not make soldiers” – is genuinely Chinese. Known since at least the Song Dynasty (late 10th – early 12th century), it remains in use today, much to the irritation of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) political officers.

Globally, the proverb helped fuel a myth that China “never liked to fight” and “always lost wars.” Yet the absurdity of this view is clear if one simply looks at the world map today. Nevertheless, it persists – and now, as China becomes a true superpower, this misconception could have dangerous consequences for the world.

Historical roots

To understand the proverb’s origin, we must look at the structure of the Song Dynasty's military. Early Chinese empires such as the Han relied on conscription, but over time, mercenary armies became the norm. Chronic shortages of volunteers were addressed by drafting criminals and debtors – turning armies into collections of society’s “undesirables.”

Officers, by contrast, came from privileged classes who passed imperial military exams. These exams, though less prestigious than their civilian counterparts, still conferred status. But it is crucial to remember that the civil bureaucracy was tiny, making its officials extraordinarily powerful, while rank-and-file soldiers remained socially degraded.

Read more

 The West is breaking up – here is what Russia and China must do

This pattern closely resembled Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries: a privileged officer corps and low-status, often criminal, enlisted men. Wellington’s remark in 1811 that “only men of the worst character enter the regular service” could have been said about China too. Military service was a punishment; soldiers were feared more for their misbehavior than admired for their valor. In that context, the “men and nails” proverb made perfect sense – and was hardly unique to China.

The modern Western glorification of the soldier – tied to mass conscription, nationalism, and industrial militarism – only emerged in the 19th century. In China, where social and political backwardness lingered longer, this transformation began only in the 20th century with enormous difficulty.

China’s true military record

A regular, centrally commanded, professionally trained army – the PLA – was only created in the 1950s, after the Communist victory. Almost immediately, the PLA demonstrated its effectiveness by intervening in the Korean War, inflicting a series of defeats on UN forces and saving North Korea. The Soviet Union, by contrast, limited itself to sending small air and anti-aircraft units.

In 1962, China launched a well-timed, surprise offensive against India, achieving a quick victory and territorial gains. Beijing struck while the world was distracted by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Throughout the 1960s, China also provided major military support to North Vietnam, at times deploying up to 170,000 troops – considerably more than the Soviet Union ever committed.

In 1969, Beijing provoked and fought small border clashes with the USSR – a calculated show of strength aimed at achieving key foreign and domestic policy goals, including paving the way for rapprochement with the United States. The military component was minor; the political impact was enormous.

Meanwhile, the PLA fought a prolonged counterinsurgency campaign in Tibet, defeating US- and Indian-backed guerrillas by the early 1970s. It also engaged in recurring military action against Taiwan, demonstrating clear superiority across the Taiwan Strait.

Read more

 Fyodor Lukyanov: Forget land – this is Russia’s main demand from the West

Risk-taking and adaptation

In February 1979, China launched an invasion of Vietnam, a newly minted Soviet ally. This bold action risked conflict with a nuclear superpower. The campaign exposed PLA shortcomings but also demonstrated its resilience, willingness to absorb heavy casualties, and ability to carry out major offensives.

While Vietnam held out thanks to Soviet military threats against China, Beijing’s ability to act – and to compel both Moscow and Washington to recalibrate their policies – was a major achievement.

The Sino-Vietnamese conflict evolved into a decade-long border war marked by artillery duels, naval clashes, and raids, culminating in China’s decisive naval victory in the Spratly Islands in 1988.

Comparing China’s record from 1949-1989 to the Soviet Union’s reveals a striking fact: China used military force more frequently, and arguably more effectively, than the USSR during the Cold War.

Modernization and patience

After Mao’s death, the PLA underwent profound modernization, both politically and socially. Military service gained prestige. During the Cultural Revolution, the army became a pillar of governance and society. Yet, China’s foreign policy turned defensive from the 1990s onward – not from weakness, but from strategic calculation.

After the Soviet collapse, China faced a unipolar world dominated by the United States. Survival and development required patience. Beijing avoided major military engagements for nearly 30 years, instead focusing on economic and technological breakthroughs. Shows of force were reserved for defending “core interests,” such as during the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis.

Read more

 Challenging anarchy: Russian roulette in post-Assad Syria

By the late 2010s, the global environment had changed. American dominance weakened. The unipolar order eroded. China’s rise, both economic and military, became undeniable.

Beijing’s gradual reassertion of military power has been cautious but unmistakable: expanding operational reach, forging military partnerships, and conducting exercises in potential conflict zones.

A dangerous myth

The myth of Chinese military incompetence is not only historically false; it is potentially catastrophic. In the past, underestimating China’s capabilities led adversaries to miscalculate – to their great cost. Today, as China carefully prepares for its first major combat operations in decades, its adversaries would do well to shed illusions and study history more carefully.

Beijing will not rush into war. It will act only under conditions it judges favorable and under circumstances it has painstakingly prepared. But make no mistake: when it acts, China will not be the passive, incompetent power that outdated stereotypes imagine.

This article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team.

ANALYSIS

FROM RT - DEPRESSING NEWS FROM CHINA

I saw nothing about this on today's news in America, but I do not watch all the programs.  This is not the news I expect on Easter, or any day for that matter.  Hugh Murray                           The RT story is below: 

China detonates non-nuclear hydrogen bomb — media

The South China Morning Post has cited researchers as saying the 2kg magnesium hydride device generated a 1,000 degrees Celsius fireball

FILE PHOTO. ©  Getty Images/JulNichols

Chinese researchers have successfully tested a non-nuclear hydrogen bomb that created a sustained fireball, far outperforming traditional explosives, the South China Morning Post has reported.

In an article on Sunday, the newspaper cited the researchers’ study published last month in the Chinese-language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance. According to the report, a team from the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) 705 Research Institute — a key player in underwater weapon systems — developed a 2kg (4.4lbs) bomb primarily composed of magnesium hydride, with conventional explosives serving as the catalyst.

In a field test, the device reportedly generated a fireball with temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit) that lasted for more than two seconds, which is "15 times longer" than what an "equivalent TNT blast" is capable of producing.

READ MORE: Russian flamethrowers pound Ukrainian positions (MOD VIDEO)

In the reaction, magnesium hydride, a compound originally developed as an efficient fuel, rapidly releases stored hydrogen gas, resulting in a sustained inferno.

The novel explosive device’s destructive power thus is said to lie not in its blast pressure, but rather in the ability to generate extreme heat.

The South China Morning Post quoted CSSC research scientist Wang Xuefeng as explaining that its properties also allow for “precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas.”

If fully developed, the method could presumably yield a weapon similar to a thermobaric device – ideal for annihilating defensive structures and armored vehicles.

While the production of magnesium hydride used to be mostly small-scale and rather complicated, China has recently developed a cheaper and safer production method and built a plant capable of producing 150 tons of the compound per year.

You can share this story on social media:

MUSINGS ON EASTER

     If I were in a sad mood, depressed, and chose to cut my wrist, then what to do?  I can sit and watch the blood flow out.  Or I can use my good hand to grab my mobile phone and call an ambulance.  Which way?  I do not have all day, for I will get weaker, and then unable..  What should I do?  What do I do?

     Then, there is Jesus on the cross.  He certainly did not hammer the nails into his feet or hands/wrists.  On the other hand, his preachings were so outrageous, so blasphemous to the orthodox Jewish community of that era, that they demanded the Roman authorities put him on trial.  When the Roman adjudicator sought to make inquiries, he seemed confused as to the charges.  What was this all about?  What is truth?  The conventional Jews had given him an earful, and more.  Now he asked the accused, Jesus, for his side of the story.  Jesus remains silent.  Enough, Pilate will let the verdict go to the jury, in this case to the people assembled before him.  Is Jesus guilty of high blasphemy, disturbing the peace, and other crimes.  The people judges - not merely guilty, but to be executed through crucifixion.

      Jesus is to be crucified along with 2 regular criminals.  For irony, the Romans label him, INRI, Iesus of Nazareth  King of the Iudea.  Not only must Jesus endure the terrific pain of the nails in his body, but the very weight of his body enhances the pain.  In addition to the physical pain, taunts come from the crowd - If you really are a son of god, come down from the cross!  If you are god's chosen, turn the nails into flowers and step down from the cross.  The response of Jesus, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

    So Jesus remained on the cross, suffering.  Till death.  Why?  According to his followers, Jesus had performed miracles.  He turned water into wine.  When there was not enough food to feed a multitude of his followers, he delivered enough fish through another miracle.  And after Lazarus had died, Jesus raised the dead man.  If he could waken the dead, surely he could turn nails into roses.  Or, if he was a fakir all along, a clever magician at best, well of course he could not perform a miracle on the cross.

     But if he has the power to stop the execution, and does not use the power, is Jesus not a suicide?

     On the other hand, if he does not have the power to stop it, perhaps he was simply a regular man, like the rest of us; but also a teacherpreacher who infuriated his "betters" and paid a heavy price for that.  Perhaps, his teachings were worth the gamble of spreading them, while making many others angry.  Perhaps.  So Jesus would not be a suicide, but a religious teacher who paid for his unyielding pushing of his views.  Jesus paid in death, like Socrates had before him.

        Hugh Murray

For a somewhat related post to Easter, see my SOME ODD THOUGHTS post of 12 May 2024, though that is far less serious and more off beat.  Hugh

From RT - CELEBRATION OF AND EXPANSION OF AZOV INFLUENCE IN THE UKRAINE

 

Ukraine promotes neo-Nazi unit commander

Azov’s Denis Prokopenko will soon lead five more brigades, the National Guard has announced

FILE PHOTO: Azov members in July 2024. ©  Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Ukrainian National Guard has announced that the commander of the notorious neo-Nazi Azov brigade, Colonel Denis ‘Redis’ Prokopenko, will be promoted, significantly increasing his troop command.

Originally formed as a volunteer unit of radical nationalists, Azov rose to prominence in Ukraine following the 2014 Western-backed coup, reportedly becoming a central part of an international white supremacist network.

The Ukrainian government incorporated it into the National Guard the same year.

In an interview on Thursday, National Guard Commander General Aleksandr Pivnenko announced that Prokopenko would lead a new corps, which will encompass Azov along with four additional brigades. 

In 2022, the Ukrainian government and its Western allies positioned Azov members as the public face of the resistance against Russia, particularly during their doomed defense of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Read more

 Danish politicians applaud member of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi unit (VIDEO)

The Soviet-era facility was surrendered in May 2022. While Kiev has denied the existence of radical extremists in its military ranks, many Azov POWs were found with Nazi-themed tattoos.

Four months later, Prokopenko and other Azov leaders were transferred to Türkiye as part of a mediated prisoner exchange. Ankara initially planned to detain them until the conclusion of the conflict, although they were released back to Ukraine the following year.

Azov troops and their families have received a hero’s welcome at some of the most prestigious Western institutions, including Stanford University. Their lobbying efforts featured a rebranding, replacing the unit’s original insignia inspired by the Nazi Wolfsangel symbol with a less controversial logo.

Moscow has accused Western governments of ignoring the prevalence of neo-Nazi ideology among Ukrainian nationalists and their influence within the military. As of March, Russian courts had convicted over 140 Azov members for various offenses, while the unit itself is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.

My Comment, not in RT.  I am no expert on the area, but most Western books maintain that Stalin was especially brutal to Ukraine.  What had been the "bread basket of Europe" was to be transformed into collectivized farming, and the landowners who opposed yielding their profitable lands, the Kulaks, soon became the "enemy of the people's organizations and the Communist Party.  How many had all their crops taken while they starved, or were shot, or sent to Siberia for re-education?  Estimates vary from a million up to 9 million in 1932-34.  Some call it a genocide.  Certainly this was one reason that when Hitler invaded the area, many Ukrainian's chose the side of Hitler rather than Stalin.  It was monster v. monster, Godzillq v. King Kong.  One large population in the area had not choice, the Jews.  By this time it was known what would be their fate in a Hitler victory.  But non-Jewish Ukrainians, and indeed other Europeans, could choose the Nazi side of the   World War, as for many, it would be better than life under Stalin.  This is made visual in the film "Europa, Europa!"  In the film, Hitler has invaded  Poland a few weeks prior, and the film show many people swimmin across the river to the East, to flee the Germans.  Suddenly, while some still swim East, many have turned round to swim Westward!  "What has happened?"  The Russians just invaded from the East.  Poles, choosing which monster to flee too, Stalin in the East, Hitler in the West.  I assume most Jewish swimmers continued Eastward.  In the early 1940s many Ukrainians were quite willing to fight for their "liberators," the Germans. And at war's end, many Russians would view them as traitors, and Jews as murderers. Putin prbably see Ukrain as a treasonous province of Russia. But the worst of these events occurred 70, 80, 90 years ago.  How long to grieve; time to forgive and forget. 

  Happily, in the US, we had other choices.  During the Cold War, the US agencies may have supported the anti-Stalinist (pro-Azov faction).  And again in 2014.  But I am no expert on the area.  However, it is a sick game to play, oh, my holocaust was bigger than yours.  If there is to be peace, people must move on, try to understand all sides, and forgive as best you can. Hugh Murray

2 VIEWS OF TRUMP

 Hugh:  I sure wish I had voted for Donald in the election, then I could tell myself what a sh*t faced, anus faced, cock-s**k sh*thole I was to have voted for the orange blob, for believing all his sh*t.  Instead, I voted for that stupid woman, so I cannot tell myself those things.  Clark

Subject: Re: Can I change my vote?

Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2025 18:12:45 GMT

Clark, we are entering new territory with Trump.  Much, I suspect is bluster, but...The border is basically closed to the masses entering under Biden, Dems, and lib Republicans.  Salvador seems to have ideal prisons for nations over run by criminals.  Seems most of their regular folks are happy with the prisons.  We should send more and more invaders there, and include a few judges too.  We should get to learn more about Lee Harvey this year;  I hope so   I don't think much new will be divulged on RFK.  Sirhan said he did it for his county.  Many bewildered.  He was Christian, Palestinian, emphasis on the latter. Unfortunately, not the last of Palestinian terrorists in the USA.   MLK surely had powerful enemies, but also poor crazy ones too.  

I suspect the tariff jumps are simply a bargaining tool, but his aim is to bring back industrial production to the US.  Am delighted to see possible end of anti-white, and anti-male discrimination (DEI).  It has taken longer, but I do hope Trump can end the Ukrainian war.  Ike did not end the fighting in Korea in a day either.  Struggle against pro-crime DAs and judges will go on.  If you cannot buy a beer till age 21, you should not be able to change you sex until then either.

    During the Cold War, we had many hidden bases in Greenland, but cold problems, expense, and we abandoned most of what we had.  We'll see what Trump can get.  We built the Panama Canal, and should have priority rights.  Gaza, prime land, but a hornets nest.

   For much of his new term, it is too early to tell.  A new direction, some experiments, but results are not yet in.  Surely better than more of the Dems, open borders to millions, spending ever more trillions, esp on welfare and corruption all over the globe, and cozy connexions with CCP.  Yes, I believe Hunter AND Joe were getting Chinese money, as they are corrupt.

    Our main opponent is China. Trump will try to get Putin away from his Chinese alliance, save Taiwan, and if we play our cards right, we'll have VN, Philippines, and other SE Asian lands at our side.  We allowed China to turn the S China Sea into their sea.  China has built the world's largest army, navy, hypersonic weapons, ...Trump has a task.  A very difficult one.  There will be some mistakes with the huge tasks left in his lap by the anti American Democratic Party.  I am proud to have voted for Trump for his 3rd run for President.  I hope he will be a great one.  Nasty bathroom barbs do not change the reality.  Most Americans hope Trump can and should change our reality for the better.     Hugh Murray