Positively Good Productions

We all have God-given rights. 

 The Bill of Rights is protection to preserve

our God-given rights.

God gave us freedom to choose Him as the Lord

 and love of our lives. May we reap the goodness 

God made us for... through our devotion to Him. 

It is a crucial time for our nation

to collectively seek God's divine 

intervention.

 is apparent that we are headed for some dark

 days in America. 

In April 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote 

a letter from the Birmingham Jail. He argued that 

“There are two types of laws: just and unjust.” 

Dr. King stated: “A just law is a code that 

squares with the moral law or the law of God. 

An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony

 with that moral law.”

Dr. King stated, “Any law that uplifts the 

human being is just. Any law that degrades 

human beings is unjust. All segregation is unjust 

because segregation distorts the soul and 

damages the human being.

Scripture seeks to bear testimony while it 

seeks to preserve events.

Pontius Pilate freed Barabbas

at the Passover Feast in 

Jerusalem while keeping Jesus

a prisoner.

Are we choosing

Jesus or Barabbas?

“What happens when you are faced with

doing something you believe is right; but

may cause many to be upset with you, or 

even turn against you? 

When have you said or done things aimed 

at satisfying the crowd? 

When have you remained silent when you 

should have spoken out?”

The governor's custom each year during 

the Passover celebration was to release

 one prisoner... whomever the people 

requested. Which would they free, Jesus, 

the Messiah  or Barabbas, the murderer?

Barabbas was a well known, hardened

 criminal. He was a blood-thirsty 

revolutionary, who committed murder 

during an uprising. Barabbas was 

condemned because of his own sin. 

Barabbas was facing the penalty of 

death because of his insurrection 

against the Roman government and 

the murders he had committed.

The crowd pushed forward and asked Pilate 

to release someone, as he regularly did.

Pilate answered them, "Do you want me to 

release to you the King of the Jews?"

The chief priests stirred up the crowd to have 

Pilate release Barabbas to them instead. He knew 

that the chief priests had handed him over because

 of jealousy. Pilate replied, “Then what do you want 

me to do with the one you call King of the Jews?”

They shouted back, “Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Why? What wrong

 has He done?” They shouted even louder, 

“Crucify Him!”

Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he 

released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus 

whipped, then handed Him over to be

 crucified.

Mark 15:6-15

Mind you, the city was filled with people 

Jesus had healed. The eyes of the blind had

 been opened, the deaf made to hear, and the

 lame to walk. He had awakened within the 

people the hope, the flaming desire, that this 

was indeed the Messiah, come to deliver them 

from the yoke of Rome. All their ideas of 

messiahship centered around the thought that 

He would be the one who would set them free 

from the hated bondage of Rome. Now, when

 they saw Him standing helpless before the 

Roman governor, saw His apparent 

unwillingness or inability to make any defense

 or to do anything against the Romans, all their 

loyalty to Him collapsed. In anger and 

disappointment, they turned and chose Barabbas, 

who lived by force... Barabbas, the known

murderer was set free at the trial of Jesus. 

The crowd voted for the killer to be released, 

not the man who said, 

“Love your enemies.” 

Jesus suffered unjustly.

Prayer:

Father God, help us not to 

look away from times when 

injustices happen, but to pit 

ourselves against

injustice with all our minds,

 hearts and strength. 

Amen.

The Scriptures are overwhelmingly historical, 

presenting factual accounts of things that happened

in time. The meaning of history is: Creation, Fall,

 and Redemption.

In Solomon’s time, many advances took place 

in society, but, from the larger perspective of 

life, human nature has remained and always 

will remain the same.

For whatever was written in former days 

was written for our instruction, that through

 endurance and through the encouragement

 of the Scriptures we might have hope. 

Romans 15:4

According to an article, written by 

Beth Schwartzapfel, in the Marshall Project, 

nonprofit journalism about criminal justice,

 she writes, 

"After years of focusing efforts on private prisons,

mandatory sentences and money bail, people trying 

to change the criminal justice system have identified

 another target: prosecutors."

In an influential book last year, Fordham University

professor John Pfaff argued prosecutors were the 

main driver behind the soaring U.S. incarceration 

rate — 

almost always unwatched

and unopposed. 

Lynchings, for some, were considered as fun for

the whole family. Murder was celebrated in postcards.

Some wanted others to know they were there... and 

Satan is having a field day being the grand 

puppeteer of the sheeple.

Barabbas, the known murderer

 was set free at the trial of Jesus. 

The crowd voted for the killer 

to be released, not the man who

said, 

“Love your enemies.” 

The Criminal Justice System 

has historically treated Black

defendants more harshly. Blacks 

are more likely to be physically 

harmed and arrested by police... 

and be both convicted of crimes

 and sentenced to longer jail terms

 than whites... 

The Declaration of Independence couldn’t be

 more clear on the source of our rights and the

action to be taken when governments infringe 

upon them:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that

 all men are created equal, that they are endowed

 by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, 

that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit 

of happiness. 

 To secure these rights, governments are instituted

 among men, deriving their just powers from the

 consent of the governed. Whenever any form of

government becomes destructive of these ends, it 

is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it,

and to institute new government, laying its 

foundation on such principles and organizing its

 powers in such form, as to them shall seem most

 likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

Notice who gives us our rights: God, our Creator. 

They are “unalienable.” Governments cannot and 

should not try to take them away. What is the 

purpose of government? To protect these rights, 

among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of 

happiness. What right do the people have when a 

form of government becomes destructive of its 

God-given duty to protect God-given rights? To 

alter or abolish it and form a new government to 

effect our safety and happiness.

Unfortunately, the American Justice System has

many subtle and very blatant biases and prejudices 

that threaten America's judicial system. There are

many legal professionals and judges who are not 

fit to serve and should not preside over certain 

cases.

It is time for the people to question the two-tiered

  laws and lawmakers. People, regardless of position, 

are human and are prone to not treat some 

individuals in a fair and impartial manner... 

especially when there is bias, racism, and 

discrimination coming from the bench. If we 

are to be honest, we all know there are many 

cognitive failures and intrinsic flaws that 

undermine the search for truth, in our 

Criminal Justice System. Countless Black

 men, in many cases, have become victims

of America's Criminal Enterprise.

We've all heard stories of people who served 

decades in prison for crimes they didn't commit. 

We like to think such miscarriages of justice

 are rare, but many routine procedures in the 

criminal justice system are bound to lead to 

mistakes and unfair outcomes because they 

rest on false assumption and common police 

practices which has encouraged falsely 

identified suspects.

The criminal justice system is comprised of 

three major institutions which processes a case 

from inception, through trial, to punishment. 

A case begins with law enforcement officials,

who investigate a crime, gather evidence to 

identify and use against the presumed 

perpetrator, and make arrests. 

The case continues with the court system, which

weighs the evidence to determine if the defendant

is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If so, the 

corrections system will use the means at their

 disposal, namely incarceration and probation, to

punish and correct the behavior of the offender.

On paper, the criminal justice system is designed 

to deliver 

“Justice for all.”

 which should mean protecting the innocent, 

convicting criminals, and providing a fair justice

 process to help keep order across the country.

 In other words, on paper, it is designed to keep

citizens safe.

Scripture makes it clear that caring for the

 defenseless is central to true faith. 

We, as Believers, are commanded to take up 

the cause of the defenseless by fighting injustice 

and keep ourselves unstained from the world.

Regardless of where we have been, what we

 have done, how many failures and frustrations

we may be surrounded by... how wealthy, 

influential, fruitless or futile we are or 

have been... no matter how profoundly deep

 the hurts and struggles have been, regardless

 of how astute, shattered, worldly-wise and 

polished, or religious one may be... no matter 

what we have done in the past... God loves us

 and is under no illusion about who we are, 

where we have been, what we have done or

 acquired. 

We are all flawed, frail, and sinful. We all have

 sinned and cannot undo what we have done. We 

have all done, thought, or said unrighteous things, 

which the Bible calls sin. The fallen man is a 

sinner by birth and by choice. 

God knows we are not perfect. 

Some may think their works, perfection and 

performance driven, people pleasing lifestyle 

makes them right with God, but...

they need to think again. 

A truly democratic, community-controlled justice

 system would be accountable to marginalized 

and working-class communities, and it would be

life-affirming rather than punitive and criminalizing.

 There can be no economic justice and worker power

 without true democratic community control of the 

public institutions entrusted to uphold justice.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of fatally shooting

 two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during The

 Black Lives Matter racial justice protests last year. 

There's no fair justice if one belongs to a 

certain"social society". The question becomes, 

if Rittenhouse had been a Black male, would we

 have seen so much effort by the judge to help

the defendant?

Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two of them, 

with an AR-15-style rifle during a chaotic protest

 against police brutality in Kenosha last year. A 

jury deliberated about 3 1/2 days before finding

 Rittenhouse not guilty on Friday of five felony 

charges, including a murder charge that could have 

carried a life in prison sentence.

This is really disturbing. What has our country

 and government become where an armed 

murderer with his private agenda can freely 

perch over the shoulder of the judge. Had he

been of another hue, do you honestly feel

 he could have gotten this close to the trial judge?

Rittenhouse is the Illinois teen who traveled to 

Kenosha, Wisconsin, as protests broke out 

following a police officer’s decision to shoot

 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake in the 

back seven times. There, having taken it upon

 himself to “protect” a local business, carrying 

an AR-15, Rittenhouse shot and killed two men 

and wounded another. 

Were the local police too incompetent to handle

 the affairs in their jurisdiction without this 

17 year old AR-15 carrying boy? 

During the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial, that 

ended in an acquittal, Judge Bruce Schroeder 

prevented Kenosha County prosecutor Thomas

Binger from using the pinch-to-zoom feature on

 an iPad while showing drone footage, from the 

night of the fatal shootings in Wisconsin. The 

trial judge also threw out gun charge. That jury 

never got to consider the gun possession charge. 

Rittenhouse was 17 at the time, 

and was armed, the night of the

shootings, with a Smith and 

Wesson AR-style semi-automatic

 rifle strapped to his chest. 

Hours before closing arguments began on 

Monday, Judge Bruce Schroeder granted a defense

 motion to toss out the weapons charge. Rittenhouse

attorneys pointed to an exception in the law that 

they said allows minors to possess shotguns and

 rifles as long as they’re not short-barreled.  They

 acknowledged that Rittenhouse’s rifle’s barrel was

 longer than 16 inches, the minimum barrel length

 allowed under state law, Schroeder dismissed the 

charge.

If Schroeder could be this biased and unfair in court, 

knowing that the case was nationally televised, just

 concerned that many people of a different hue may

 have been sentenced, under his watch, and are

 serving time; although they committed NO crime.

"14 Words" is a reference to a white supremacist slogan:

"We must secure the existence of our people and a future

for white children." The slogan was coined by David 

Lane, a member of the white supremacist terrorist 

group known as The Order (Lane died in prison in 

2007). They feel the white race is doomed to extinction 

by an alleged "rising tide of color".

[Transcript] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a

Jewish-based group that tracks and fights against anti-

Semitism and hate groups, added the “okay” hand gesture

 to their “Hate on Display ™ Hate Symbols Database.”

The hand gesture has been used by hateful people to

display a “white power” symbol.

Naturally there was a reaction from some in the Deaf

community who felt like this was something that

threatened our ASL signs that have either the “F” or 

the “9” handshapes.

I will admit I had that initial reaction as well, I thought the ADL was inconsiderate of deaf people and ASL users, that it felt like an infringement on our language.

But after reading the ADL’s explanation on the gesture, it’s clear that they acknowledge that the gesture is an important part of ASL, as well as Hindu and Buddhist worlds, and yoga.

The ADL said the okay symbol in “most contexts is entirely innocuous and harmless.”

The ADL explained that in 2017, members of the website 4chan tried to start a hoax by promoting the “okay” hand gesture as a representation of “wp,” short for “white power.” They were successful because actual white supremacists or far-right individuals would flash the “okay” gesture, possibly to troll people or to actually express their views.

The symbol gained worldwide attention after the New Zealand terrorism suspect flashed the “okay” gesture in a court appearance in March. There were enough instances of people using the “okay” gesture in a hateful way that prompted the ADL to add it to their database.

The ADL said the overwhelming usage of the ‘okay’ hand gesture today is still its traditional purpose as a gesture of approval, so if there’s someone using the symbol, they cannot be assumed as trying to troll or showing support for white supremacy. The ADL encouraged people to not jump to conclusions.

I reached out to Dr. Julie A. Hochgesang, who is an Associate Professor at Gallaudet’s Department of Linguistics, to give some perspectives. She said context is key and explained that forms themselves — the written shape, the sound, or the part of a sign — have no meaning. The symbolic meaning comes from the people and their intentions. She said the Deaf community should feel confident with using the “okay” gesture because we have never viewed it as something hateful. Of course, if a Deaf person purposefully used the “okay” gesture in a hateful way, then the meaning of the gesture changes.

Thank you, Dr. Hochgesang for the analysis. So we see that the usage of the “okay” handshape is fine as long as the intent is within its normal use and not hateful.

Now, in related news, an actor at Universal Orlando who was dressed as a character from “Despicable Me” was fired on Wednesday because he made the “okay” gesture and placed it on the shoulder of a biracial girl during a photo opportunity. A video shows the actor asking the girl to stand near him, then purposefully placing the “okay” gesture on her shoulder.

[Video clip]

A Universal spokesman said what the actor did is unacceptable. The photo was taken in March but the family did not realize it until recently.

https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/okay-hand-gesture

https://my.gallaudet.edu/julie-hochgesang

https://fox59.com/2019/10/02/universal-orlando-actor-fired-for-making-racist-hand-gesture/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/01/universal-orlando-resort-fires-despicable-me-actor-after-ok-symbol/3791483002/

———

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Gallaudet University: [gallaudet.edu]

No one can escape God. GOD'S Justice will 

eventually prevail. The judge, gets the murderer 

off knowing full well the defendant is guilty, and

 Rittenhouse, someday you will have to answer 

for all your crimes. Including your lawyers. 

Rittenhouse was and

 is guilty! 

The judge and Rittenhouse will have to live

 their own Hell and reap what they have sown.

continues to operate by subtly complicating, 

deceiving, oppressing, disadvantaging,

 trying to control and destroy

African Americans. 

 originally designed. What is written and

 what is actually executed are totally 

opposite.

.

.