Bruce’s Friday Five v8.24

For those of you who lived through the 1960’s or are simply interested in the political climate of that time, you may have heard of Seth Rosenfeld’s new book, Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals, and Reagan’s Rise to Power where he claims that one of the day’s best known activists and reputed arms supplier to the Black Panthers, Richard Matsui Aoki, was an FBI informant. Not so fast, says Diane C. Fujino, author of Samurai among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life, who asks the question, Where’s the evidence Aoki  was an FBI informant? I loves me a good conspiracy theory debate, but I tend to fall on the side of Fujino on this one. Fascinating stuff for sure.

There is so much pain in the world and what seems to be dominating headlines as of late have been stories of gun violence. Just this morning 10 people where shot at the Empire State Building, this past week in Chicago 19 people were shot in the course of one evening and, while the Silence after Sikh shooting has been deafening, it occurred only a few short weeks ago. Historically, some shootings and communities that are impacted by gun violence get more media play than others, but this is not time to engage in competitive tragedy ranking, but a time for all of us to find a way to fight gun violence. Lord hear our prayers…

Like many who fancy ourselves some kind of “thought leader” doing a TED talk would be very cool. But then I listen to some folks and quickly realize that I am probably writing motivational checks that my speaking proficiency cannot cash. Still, maybe my bolt of lightening moment will come at 4 in the morning inspired by this ode to the mystery of 4 o’clock in the morning by poet, John Rives, 10 minutes, but quite good.

This is a post from last month, but if you did not stumble upon Enuma Okoro‘s blog post for She Loves Magazine, These are our bodies, broken for you it is well worth the read. I met Enuma last year and was struck by her genuine nature, insightful questions and fun spirit. Take a read and pass it on. You can also follow her on twitter at @TweetEnuma.

This morning I posted on my Facebook Page, the question, “What brings you joy?” and immediately folks started posting. From family to food there is so much to be thankful for in the world. It’s great to hear what feeds peoples’ souls and brings them joy. Please visit the update, add your joy or just revel in the joy of others.

My blog highlights since my last Friday Five . . .

• My Daughters, Trixie Pixie and The SheVil Dead [Patheos] [Huffington Post]
• Three Reasons You Should Try Instagram [Patheos] [Huffington Post]
• Oh Pussy . . . Riot, How You Make This Boy Squirm [Patheos] [Huffington Post]
• The Church’s Doomed Pursuit of the Elusive Young Adult [Patheos] [Red Letter Christians]
• The Role of Satire, Snark and Sarcasm in Building Community [Patheos]

My Friday Five  is a mishmash of weekly-ish happening and people that I find compelling, provoking and/or just plain quirky. If you stumble upon such things over the course of your day, please feel free to pass them along to me via Twitter or Facebook.

Number images are from the Leo Reynolds’ Collection, Creative Commons