THE RASTAFARI COLLECTIVE--JUNE ARCHIVES

The RastafarI Collective: An Interactive Paper Made by InI The People, For InI The People. "...learning only stops at the grave." H.I.M EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE I THE FIRST

Sunday, June 2, 2002 to Saturday, June 8, 2002 Volume 2 No. 22 WEEKLY EDITION

FREE AFRICA

FREE THE WORLD!!!

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Subject: Ethiopian obelisk cracked by a lightning in Rome!

Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 10:43 AM

"Hi, I write you to describe something very crucial. Please, forgive my bad english, I'm italian, I live in Roma.

As you surely know, Ethiopia was attacked by mussolini's fascist regime in 1935, with the vatican's blessing. 2 years later, mussolini plundered a Holy monument, the Axum Stone, one of the most important obelisks indicating a royal grave from Solomon's discendence. He posed the stone in the centre of Roma to celebrate the imperialist war and the fascist regime. 2 nights ago (27 May 2002), a sudden thunderstorm hit Roma for half an hour and a lightning cracked the Axum Stone. In the city the weather was good and it's good still now. No metereologists explained how it was possible, there were no perturbations on all Italy. At the same time (27-28 May 2002), in Roma, the world's boss, Bush, encountered Putin to make Russia a member of the N.AT.O., with the intention to build a big war front against world's terrorism. I don't know were they can drive all this deadly machine, I only know that what's happened 2 nights ago is probably a sign. You can verify what I told consulting the major information sites of Italy and Rome: www.repubblica.it, www.corrieredellasera.it, http://ilmessaggero.caltanet.it/.

I hope you read this message.

Greetings from Babylon.

Paolo."

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(English translation follows original article)

CRONACA

Roma, la stele contesa fra Italia ed Etiopia

alta 24 metri spaccata in 40 pezzi

Un fulmine spacca

l'obelisco di Axum

di SIMONA CASALINI

ROMA - Un fulmine, lo schianto improvviso e il crollo a terra, non distante da alcune camionette delle forze dell'ordine che da ieri presidiano la Fao. Si è spezzata così, poco prima della mezzanotte, la parte superiore dell'obelisco di Axum, la stele alta 24 metri e pesante 200 tonnellate collocata dai tempi del fascismo all'inizio della passeggiata archeologica davanti alla sede dell'ente internazionale, allora ministero dell'Africa Italiana.

E' stata abbattuta da una delle saette che ieri a tarda sera hanno attraversato il cielo di Roma durante un violento temporale. Tonnellate di marmo ora disseminate in una quarantina di pezzi, il più grande lungo una novantina di centimetri, nello slargo di Porta Capena a poca distanza dal Circo Massimo. I danni che l'obelisco ha subìto sono "ingenti", così ha dichiarato il prefetto di Roma Emilio del Mese, informato a tarda notte del crollo e subito giunto sul posto, dopo una giornata trascorsa nella massima allerta per la presenza congiunta a Roma dei leader politici mondiali. Per accertare personalmente il danno, lo stesso prefetto è salito in cima alle autoscale.

Del Mese ha anche immediatamente informato dell'accaduto il ministro degli Interni Claudio Scajola perché oggi, proprio a fianco dell'obelisco spezzato, è previsto il passaggio dei cortei presidenziali per il vertice Nato-Russia: si teme per la staticità del monumento.

E ci potevano anche essere vittime: il troncone si è abbattuto a pochi metri da una delle auto dei vigili urbani che stazionava come presidio per la Fao, possibile obbiettivo sensibile. Nella notte la zona è stata transennata e la strada è rimasta chiusa al traffico, mentre oggi si circolerà solo su metà carreggiata. Fino a tarda sera, non si è avuta notizia di cambiamenti del tragitto dei presidenti.

Lo storico obelisco, portato via da Axum su ordine di Mussolini nella logica imperiale del fascismo, è da tempo oggetto di una contesa tra il governo italiano e quello dell'Etiopia, che ne richiede la restituzione. Simbolo della cultura etiopica precristiana risalente al III secolo avanti Cristo, è ritenuto dagli etiopi un simbolo caro "quanto per voi italiani lo è San Pietro".

Nel luglio scorso, durante una serie di colloqui con la leadership di Addis Abeba, il sottosegretario agli Esteri Mantica aveva ribadito l'impegno del governo italiano per la sua restituzione, specificando anche che alla Farnesina erano già stati messi in bilancio 3,7 miliardi di lire. Di opposto parere, il sottosegretario ai Beni culturali Vittorio Sgarbi che aveva minacciato le immediate dimissioni se la stele avesse lasciato Roma. La riconsegna era stata successivamente sollecitata dal capo della diplomazia etiopica in una lettera ufficiale al premier Berlusconi ma fino a ieri notte dell'obelisco non se n'era più riparlato.

(28 maggio 2002)

(English translation)

Rome, the stele contesa between Italy and high Ethiopia 24 meters cracked in 40 pieces a lightning cracks the obelisco of Axum of SIMONA CASALINI ROME - a lightning, the unexpected crash and the landslide to earth, not distant from some vans of the police enforcements that they give yesterday garrison the Fao It has been fallen apart therefore, little before the midnight, the advanced part of the obelisco of Axum, the heavy stele high 24 meters and 200 tons placed from the times of the fascismo to the beginning of the archaeological walk in front of the center of the international agency, then ministry of Italian Africa. E' be pulled down from one of the saette that yesterday to late evening they have crossed the sky of Rome during a violent thunderstorm. Tons of marble hour scattered in one pieces group of forty, the largest along one novantina of centimeters, in the slargo of Capena Door to little distance from the Maximum Circus. The damages that a obelisco have subìto are "huge", therefore have declared prefetto of Rome Emilio of the Month, informed to late night of the landslide and endured reached on the place, after one day passed in the principle allerta for the combined presence to Rome of world-wide the political leaders. In order to assess the damage personally, the same one prefetto is salted in top to the vans with movable ladder. Of the Month also it has immediately informed of happened the minister of the Insides Claudius Scajola because today, just to broken flank of the obelisco, the passage of the presidential cortei for the Born-Russia apex is previewed: one is afraid for the staticità of the monument. And us they could also be victims: the troncone it has been pulled down to little meters from one of the cars of municipal policeman that parked like garrison for the Fao, possible sensitive obbiettivo. In the night the zone has been barred and the road is remained sluice to the traffic, while today track will be circulated alone on half. Until late evening, news of changes of the way of the presidents has not been had. The historian obelisco, carried via from Axum on order of Mussolini in imperial logic of the fascismo, is for a long time object of contesa between the Italian government and a that one of Ethiopia, than of it he demands the restitution. Symbol of the culture going back preChristian Ethiopian to III the century R-avanti.Cristo, is thought from etiopi a symbol beloved "how much for Italian you it is Saint Peter". In the July slid, during a series of talks with the leadership of Addis Abeba, the undersecretary to the Mantica Foreign countries ribadito the engagement of the Italian government for its restitution, specifying also that to the Farnesina already 3,7 billions of Liras had been puttinges in budget. Of opposite seeming, the undersecretary to the cultural Assets Vittorio Sgarbi who had threatened the immediate dimissioni if the stele had left Rome. He gives back had been subsequently sped up from the head of the diplomacy Ethiopian in an official letter to premier Berlusconi but until yesterday night of the obelisco not if n' more riparlato. (28 May 2002).

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NOTE: East Timor has finally found independence from its captures, the main offender of all Portugal. All must note that Portugal was one of the most brutal enslavers of the Africans and East Timor in history's remembrance.  Ises to the people of East Timor, InI pray the blessings of InI God and King Haile I Selassie I The First.

East Timor Celebrates Independence

By STEVEN GUTKIN

DILI, East Timor (AP) - With the world watching, the small island territory of East Timor proudly took its place among the community of nations on Monday, triumphing at last over its long history of brutal oppression by foreign occupiers.

Lest the country forget those bloody struggles, grisly scenes of torture filled wide screens as the country declared independence just after midnight Sunday in a joyous, but at times tearful, ceremony in the seaside capital of Dili.

``I salute you - people of East Timor - for the courage and perseverance you have shown,'' U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan told an exuberant crowd.

``Yours has not been an easy path to independence. You should be very proud of your achievement,'' he said.

Annan was one of many foreign leaders, including former President Clinton, who attended the birth of the world's newest country.

Shortly after the raising of new national flag, Xanana Gusmao, a 55-year-old poet and former guerrilla leader was sworn in as East Timor's first head of state. Having served more than six years in jail and house arrest, he was elected president in a U.N.-supervised vote last month.

``Independence! As a people, as a territory, as a nation! One body, one mind, one wish!'' Gusmao said, reciting a poem he wrote himself.

Gusmao missed most of Sunday's ceremony. He spent the time with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, accompanying her on a visit to a cemetery containing the graves of Indonesian soldiers killed in East Timor.

The gesture revealed the enormous importance East Timor's leaders are placing on establishing good relations with Indonesia, a country whose brutal occupation killed tens of thousands of people.

Gusmao and Megawati entered the arena together. They held hands and raised them aloft as the crowd cheered and applauded.

On flags, bandanas and baseball caps, East Timorese wore their national colors - red, white, black and yellow - wherever they could fit them Sunday.

Tens of thousands of people smiled, cheered and hugged each other in an outpouring of emotion at the celebration, which ended four centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, 24 years of Indonesian occupation and 2 1/2 years of interim rule by the United Nations.

VIPs from around the world - among them Annan, former President Clinton, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio and Australian Prime Minister John Howard - watched the show from a covered stand made from bamboo.

The locals - parents with young children playing at their feet, students and old men and women in village dress - sat cross-legged on the grass.

East Timor is not only the world's newest nation; it's also one of the poorest. About 40 percent of the country's 800,000 people are illiterate, and unemployment is estimated at 70 percent.

``Everything will start from zero, but I am sure it will work out because we are starting with freedom,'' said Joao Freitas, a 22-year old student.

A 50-foot-long float, in the shape of a crocodile with a little boy sitting atop it, was wheeled into the arena. Legend has it that Timor island was once a giant crocodile befriended by a local boy, who then rode the oceans on its back.

After hundreds of years of foreign occupation, East Timor voted in 1999 for independence from Indonesia in a U.N.-sponsored referendum. Afterward, Indonesian troops and anti-independence militia gangs went on a rampage that devastated the half-island territory and killed hundreds.

During Sunday's eight-hour independence extravaganza, huge TV screens showed occasionally grisly scenes of emaciated bodies and torture victims. The crowd cheered - and many wept openly - when pictures of the resistance leaders were displayed during a tribute to the heroes of the independence struggle.

The audience was treated to a display of traditional dance and music. At one point, dozens of tribesman from different regions of the country rode into the arena on horseback to the sound of drums and flutes.

``I'm so old, I can only shuffle my feet, but I'm happy,'' said 57-year-reveller Alberto Amaral da Cruz.

Old ghosts haunt the new country - one speck of land in the 3,000-mile-long archipelago that is home to 200 million Indonesians.

Indonesia will be East Timor's top foreign policy priority because of its proximity and economic dominance. East Timor also wants to prevent disgruntled Indonesian officers from inciting pro-Jakarta militiamen still living in refugee camps in Indonesian West Timor.

Megawati has spent much of her political career opposing East Timorese independence. But she decided to attend the independence celebration anyway - a decision that angered hardline lawmakers at home.

Reducing poverty will be the biggest challenge facing the new government. East Timor is expected to sign a treaty with Australia on Monday dividing oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. But revenue from those reserves are not expected to kick in until 2005. In the meantime the country will be largely dependent on foreign aid.

For now, East Timorese are savoring the joy of independence.

About 500 people crowded into the residence of Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo for an Independence Day Mass earlier Sunday. They prayed in silence, but when the service was over they smiled and laughed and spoke of hopes for the future.

Bishop Belo shared the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with Jose Ramos-Horta, the new East Timorese foreign minister, for his peaceful struggle for independence.

Ramos-Horta told The Associated Press that now is a time for ``peace, tolerance and forgiveness.''

``We are very happy. We are a proud and simple people who deserve peace, who deserve freedom.''

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The American government seems to be yet caught in its own headache.  The patriotic voice of fighting terrorism has now become a voice of helplessness.  It has now told the tax paying citizens that there will be another attack and there is just nothing it can do than prepare for the blow.  It has been stated that the Jewish community of Brooklyn, NY were original targets.  Now that there is no sanctity for any in the West, will humanity continue to let the madness continue.  Will the people still put their faith in brutal men?  The confidence once brought to the people, has now become an every man for himself agenda. The sad part is there will be those who feel they will have take their own measure of defense, that usually becomes an offensive step.  When will the people learn arrogance has made a mockery of humanity and has put all at risk.  The man on top of the white tower has now stated he will have to take offensive measures to bring some kind of result on the war on terror.  Again InI state as it is reasoned before InI; let the righteous be righteous still, and let the wicked be wicked still, for the wicked will slew the wicked, and the right will be right.                                ********************************************************************************************

FREE AFRICA

FREE THE WORLD!!!

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Recent conversations with Black booksellers who vend on the New York streets revealed that sex, guns, and violence are the top sellers in Black books.  With all the "action" that can be found on TV, DVD, and all other media, it seems amazing that someone would use 2 good hours of reading time to search for the same.  One vendor in the Bronx spoke clearly stating, "The people want the pimp Bible, sex, guns, and violence.  They don't want anything to do with history."  According to this vendor, history books sit and collect dust because most people are not aware of historical facts, so they have no interest.  In a time where Black booksellers claim they are being chewed out of the market, they are taking the usual route of pandering to the public's wants.  Yet, it must be said that there are a few book vendors who choose to continue to promote Black history written by Black authors, for they will not compromise for a dollar.  The great question now is:  Will education of the people continue to suffer because the system refuses to teach them or do the people refuse to learn?  Especially with the recent events in New York City with the teachers rallying for a contract.  Pushing for more money in education is only a part of the problem. This idea people have of history being an irrelevant thing is what causes most youths to also disregard history.  In other words:  Children do as the parent does.  This situation of Black people only choosing to read "trash fantasy", is equal to, if not more dangerous to them not reading at all.      

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BLACK MUSLIM, TERRORIST & N'COBRA

- A Commentary by H. Khalif Khalifah

You are right, the Islamic question surfaced a few minutes ago as i was interviewed by a newspaper reporter at Emory University. She was very keen to attribute N'COBRA to being formalized by Black Muslims. Well, i think i straightened her out. I told her the truth as i know it, I am the only Muslim in the leadership ranks of N'COBRA. But before i told her that, i told her that separating Black Nationalist from Black Muslims have always been difficult for people in the United States of America.

Furthermore, i told her, that you can be a Black Nationalist AND a Muslim. And you can be a Black Nationalist and NOT be a Muslim. In answering the question about why the two are confused so much, i had to tell her it is probably because of the dynamic work that the Black Muslims have done in the Black community since 1933. That is, building something useful in the community that the people in the community knew of a certainty was not because of a grant from this foundation, or that government agency. Black Muslims did our work with the support of the Black community. The Black Muslims received the people's support because we established goods and services that they could "taste!" That is clean eating establishments (with great food), bean pies, grocery and bakeries, fish, not to mention newspapers with 100% Black points of view.....AND on top of all of these things, WE ORGANIZED AND STAGED THE MILLION MAN MARCH. The threat to use UNITED POWER was real. The community knew we were not afraid of the source of so much of their pain.

So yes, no doubt they (Bush, etc.) will try to pen Islam on every perceived threat. However, it will not work; in fact, it will surely back fire. Muslims have nothing to hide, or hide from. The Black Muslim Program is known very well. It hasn't changed for all these decades; and will not change now because the U.S. is in a war they can't win - they can't win because we all know that the war or terrorist is a war against people who are struggling to over turn the forces that are oppressing them. At the least, that is what most of them are about.

This Administration is vainly trying to lump all liberation formations on the planet with the terrorist.

As for as N'COBRA is concerned, as the only Muslim on the National Board of Directors, i am very, very comfortable amongst this "Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America," however, i look forward to the day when more Black Muslims get involved with organizing for our Reparations, IN THIS COALITION, Or in SOME OTHER COALITION, perhaps, "A Coalition of Black Muslims for Reparations in America." For, of a certainty, though i love N'COBRA and what it stands for, there must be more attention devoted to Spirituality and the Great Issue as well as Spirituality and the individual membership. After all, the lessons for black people are pregnant with failure because we neglected to keep our united efforts well GLUED together. GLUE in this use of the word means Spirituality. When you leave out Spirituality, you leave out the ingredient that hold the people together when things get tough. Spirituality, Love, Respect and Commitment to the Rules and bylaws upon which the formation is founded and evolved with suffice any outside attack. But without either...

Finally, and i feel my fruit fast paying big dividends, no, i think i'll leave it here.....................Khalifah

sent by khalifah@meckcom.net

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Who can answer this question:  How many people think that Black people can do the same, announce it in the newspaper and on the news AND get away with it?

Rabbi Wants Armed Patrols In Brooklyn

NEW YORK, 8:57 a.m. EDT June 10, 2002 - Citizens armed with shotguns will patrol the streets of the heavily Jewish Borough Park and southern Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn because of comments a suspected terrorist made about targeting them, a rabbi said.

The patrols, to begin June 16, are in response to comments Abdul Rahman Yasin made during an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" on June 2, said Rabbi Yakove Lloyd, founder and president of the right-wing Jewish Defense Group.

Yasin, who is sought by the FBI in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, said in an interview from a compound in Iraq that he and his accomplices originally targeted heavily Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. They later decided to attack the twin towers because they believed most of their occupants were Jewish, Yasin said.

Six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the bombing.

Lloyd said the street patrols will include 50 to 200 people of various religious faiths, mainly Jews, carrying shotguns in bags, along with people licensed to own and carry other types of firearms. Others will carry bats, pipes, cell phones and walkie-talkies. The patrols will run daily from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m. except Friday, the Jewish Sabbath.

"This will be a very effective deterrent against terrorism directed at American Jews and other targets," Lloyd said.

The rabbi criticized the police department for not adequately protecting the neighborhoods and said, "The only people who will view us as vigilantes already look at us that way anyway."

It is illegal to carry an exposed shotgun on city streets, New York Police Department spokeswoman Valerie St. Rose said. She said it was unclear whether carrying one in a bag is illegal.

"We'll monitor the (patrols), and if there needs to be police action taken, it will be taken," said St. Rose, who declined to say how many officers routinely patrol the neighborhoods.

A community leader from Williamsburg, another heavily Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, said he opposes the armed patrols.

"The Jewish community condemns such a thing. We don't need it. We can't have civilians running around with guns. It's going to look like Beirut here," said Isaac Abraham. "They're going to put our lives in danger. We should leave this totally for law enforcement, who are trained on how to deal with this."

Abraham said that, in light of the threat, police protection should be increased at synagogues and Jewish schools.

The Jewish Defense Group is "a group of men and women who are proud to be Jews" and are committed to defending, demonstrating and rallying for Jewish causes and against anti-Semitism, according to its Web site.

The JDG, founded by Lloyd in Queens in 1985, says it follows the principles of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League.

In January, JDL Chairman Irv Rubin and a group member were charged with conspiring to blow up a mosque and the office of an Arab-American congressman in California. Rubin and his co-defendant, Earl Krugel, pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go on trial Oct. 1.

The largest segment of the Borough Park and southern Flatbush population is Hassidic and Orthodox Jews. There are 290 synagogues in the area.

Yasin, 41, was at the top of the FBI's list of "Most Wanted Terrorists" issued in October.

He was born in Bloomington, Ind., and grew up in Iraq. He returned to the United States in 1992, living in Jersey City, N.J., and fled after the 1993 bombing.

The U.S. State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Yasin's arrest or conviction.

sent by rcserv540@yahoo.com

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