Dem Rep Bennie Thompson Says Syrian Refugees Should be Allowed in the USA

• WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) commented on the screening process for Syrian refugees seeking to enter the United States.
  “The United States has a multi-layered system that vets people seeking to enter the country as refugees. This vetting process takes on average between 18 and 24 months. An individual seeking refugee status in the U.S. cannot step foot in the country until the Department of Homeland Security has made a determination of admissibility, having applied our Federal prioritization criteria and subjected the applicant to extensive biometric and biographic checks, multiple in-person interviews, and medical screenings.
  
  While concern about the risks associated with unknown persons in refugee populations is understandable, particularly in the wake of last week’s heinous attacks in Paris, we must not lose sight of the fact that three quarters of the refugee population are women and children and the U.S. government will be highly selective about which applicants it approves. Providing safe harbor to individuals who no longer have a home because war and violence is the humane – and American - thing to do.”

Rep Bennie Thompson Wants the Federal Government to Ban Mississippi Sate Flag

House Administration Committee Chairwoman Candice Miller sent a letter to her panel's Democrats saying she is looking to hear more from the Mississippi delegation and state-level leaders on the matter, and that she intends "to give thoughtful and serious consideration" to Rep. Bennie Thompson's proposal requiring flags with the Confederate symbol be removed from the House (unless it's the lawmaker's office displaying the flag).

• In a July 9 letter, the panel's three Democrats—ranking member Robert Brady, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, and Vargas—suggested holding one or more hearings on the resolution that has been referred to the House Administration Committee. They also suggested marking up the resolution, writing their own, or asking the superintendent of House buildings to remove flags bearing the Confederate emblem (as all state flags hang from the ceiling of the Rayburn House Office Building's basement).
  "The Confederate battle flag is obviously a symbol of both slavery and segregation and secession. That's not an appropriate symbol to be displayed in the Capitol of the United States," Minority Whip Steny Hoyer told National Journal. "I would hope that we would make a determination to come to grips with that."
  Lofgren said Wednesday morning that she couldn't comment on the letter, as she hadn't seen it yet (it was sent around late afternoon Tuesday), but that the Democrats on the committee believe the resolution didn't get referred just to bury it. "Let's take this up, let's have hearings, let's take this seriously," the California Democrat said.

SOURCE: National Journal

Are we going to totally wipe out our nation’s history from 1861 to 1865?

Ohio history teacher Dwayne Beggs [WLOX]: 

"Are we going to totally wipe out our nation’s history from 1861 to 1865? The Civil War? That flag was a sign of the Confederate Army. That's what it was when it originated, but now we have got controversy because it was used or perceived to be used as a piece of hate. Where does it stop?"

Beggs believes if future generations are not taught about the Civil War, mistakes could be repeated.

"How's it going to help us learn what happened to slaves, to black people, to the marginalized people, whatever the case," Beggs asked. "How are we going to know what has happened and make sure that doesn't ever happen again? As Shelby Foote said, people always thought of it as the United States is different states. Then, after the Civil War, it became the United States are we were kind of a collaboration, a group of states. It kind of unified us even though we had our sectional differences. We didn't always get along. We didn't always agree with everything. It still defined us as a group of people." 

BB King Laid to rest in Indianola, Mississippi

Hundreds of people filled a church in the Mississippi Delta for the funeral of B.B. King, who rose from sharecropper in the area’s flat cotton fields to worldwide fame as a blues singer and guitarist who influenced generations of entertainers.
King was 89 when he died May 14 in Las Vegas. At his request, his body was returned to his native Mississippi for a final homecoming.

On the way into the church, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant recalled spending time with King in the bluesman's tour bus before a concert last year in Indianola. Bryant said King was proud of being from Mississippi. Noting the thousands of people who came to Indianola for the public viewing Friday and funeral Saturday, Bryant said: "He would have loved to know that one more time he's helping the Mississippi Delta."[NBC News]

Amid rain, about 500 people filled the sanctuary of Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a red brick structure that sits in a field off of B.B. King Road in Indianola. More than 200 people who couldn't get into the sanctuary watched a live broadcast of the funeral in the church's fellowship hall, many waving hand-held fans with a black-and-white photo of a smiling King hugging his black electric guitar, Lucille.

At the beginning of the service, family members filed past King's open casket, which had an image of Lucille embroidered on the padded white cloth inside the lid. Later, the casket was closed and covered with a large arrangement of red roses.[Yahoo News]

The service was held at Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, which is just off B.B. King Road. According to The Chicago Tribune, around 500 people were in the church for the service. Among them was his longtime personal assistant Myron Johnson, who told stories of his first meetings with King—when the musician told him he could call him whatever he wanted, so long as he didn’t call him “Pops”—to his last evening with the legend.
Barack Obama’s letter, calling King an inspiration to all up-and-coming artists, was read aloud by Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson. “There’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight,” the president wrote. Thompson also read a letter from Bill Clinton, who presented King with his Kennedy Center honor in 1995.
The Rev. Herron Wilson, who delivered the eulogy, said King proved that people can triumph over difficult circumstances.
"Hands that once picked cotton would someday pick guitar strings on a national and international stage. Amazing," Wilson said.
Country singer Marty Stuart said King created a musical legacy for the home state they share.
"As a fellow Mississippian, I'm so proud to stand in his shadow as I walk across the world," Stuart said. [AP]

Congress Bennie Thompson Remarks on Passing of BB King

"Mississippi is the birthplace of the Blues and today it has lost one of its favorite sons. B.B. King, born and raised in Indianola, Mississippi, is one of the giants of American music and it is with great sadness that I give my most heartfelt condolences to his family, extended musical family and countless friends. “I have had many opportunities to spend time with B.B. in and around the Mississippi Delta and each time I was in his presence, I walked away with a greater sense of his brilliance and great dedication to his craft. “Considered by many to be the greatest guitarist of all time and the “King of the Blues,” B.B. King’s great career spanned six decades and he received many accolades including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, many Grammy Awards, and myriad other awards and honors. “He was a source of pride for the Mississippi Delta and its greatest ambassador across the world. From “The Thrill is Gone” to “Stormy Monday,” his songs resonated with everyone who heard them. I will, indeed, miss this great icon but I am confident that his legacy of excellence and his music will live on forever.” [FaceBook]