Funeral Service For First Black Congressman Louis Stokes- Biden attends Louis Stokes funeral

Funeral-service-for-former-Congressman-Louis-Stokes- the first blackCongressman elected to office!Hundreds celebrate life of beloved former U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes at funeral

                                                                             The Pastor At Oliver Instructional Baptist Church Says A prayer At Louis Stokes Funeral

                                                                         A member of the Celebration Choir at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church sings-How-Great-Thou-Art

                                                                        Eric Hammond, grandson of former Congressman Louis Stokes, makes a family tribute with all of his other grandchildren during the funeral service at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. John Kuntz, Northeast Ohio Media Group       

Vice President Joe Biden greets family members of former Congressman Louis Stokes during his funeral service at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. John Kuntz, Northeast Ohio Media Group           

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Hundreds celebrated the life of beloved political icon Louis Stokes,Ohio's first black congressman and a civil rights pioneer, at his funeral Tuesday morning at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church.

Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge and former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich were among the admirers at the 2 1/2-hour service, where family, Fudge and pastors paid tribute through eulogies, song and prayer.

Fudge spoke on behalf of public officials, and remembered Stokes as her mentor-turned-colleague and friend.

"Louis Stokes, thank God, never embraced the shallow notion that he should be like everyone else. Had he done so, he would have never reached his extraordinariness," Fudge said. "As the drama of history unfolds, Congressman Stokes will be ranked as one of the all-time greats and to be sure, his greatness will endure."

Stokes, 90, died a week ago after a brief battle with brain and lung cancer. The celebrated statesman was raised in poverty by his mother, Louise Stokes, who worked as a housekeeper to ensure he and his brother, Carl Stokes, received a good education. Both graduated with law degrees and climbed the political ladder to pave the way for other black civic leaders.

Carl Stokes was the first black mayor of a major U.S. city. Louis Stokes served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he held prestigious leadership roles, including as a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of the House Appropriations and Intelligence Committees. 

Funeral service for former Congressman Louis StokesA celebration of the life of former congressman Louis Stokes was held at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. Stokes, who was Ohio’s first black congressman and served for 30 years, was laid to rest at Lakeview Cemetery. Dave Andersen, Northeast Ohio Media Group

As an attorney, Stokes challenged Ohio congressional redistricting that split districts to curb black voting power, and argued the landmark Terry vs. Ohio "stop and frisk" case.

Stokes' gentle spirit, infectious laugh and love of "people and fairness" made his personal life as memorable as his career, Kelley Stokes said in a tribute to her "granddaddy."

"He worked tirelessly to develop individual relationships with each of his grandchildren," she said. "I will miss that joyous 'Kelley girl' greeting more than I can ever say. He was himself all the way to the very end."

Another of Stokes' seven grandchildren, Nicolette Thompson, remembered how Stokes embraced everyone with kindness. Both dedicated Cleveland sports fans, the two would attend Cavaliers games together.

"He greeted every single person he recognized," she said.

At the joyful service, the choir sang gospel hymns for more than 30 minutes before Biden entered the church to a standing ovation. He greeted the Stokes family and was seated next to Brown.

Stokes' family members, including his wife of 55 years, Jay, paid their respects at his casket before it was sealed and draped with an American flag in dramatic fashion.

Several pastors, some from Stokes' home church St. Paul AME Zion, led the ceremony.

The legendary Rev. Otis Moss Jr. gave Stokes' eulogy, in which he listed the multiple buildings and scholarships named after him: The Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library at Howard University, the Greater Cleveland Veteran's Hospital, the Cleveland Public Library expansion, the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Louis Stokes Scholarship and more.

"In spite of all the chaos ... in spite of all the despair in the world, God keeps sending us apostles of hope," Moss Jr. said. "Stokes was that kind of apostle."

Stokes will be buried at a private ceremony this afternoon.                                                             By Sara Dorn, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

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on August 25, 2015 at 2:25 PM, updated August 26, 2015 at 7:31 AM

CRUZ AND ZELDIN DEMAND STATE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION OVER ISRAELI ELECTION INTERFERENCE

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/01/30/cruz-and-zeldin-demand-state-department-investigation-over-israeli-election-interference/

by MERRILL HOPE30 Jan 201525

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1) teamed up on a strong letter sent to Secretary of State John Kerry on January 29. It demanded a thorough investigation into the details behind news reports that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used to oust Prime Minister Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli election.

“Has President Obama launched a political campaign against Prime Minister Netanyahu and his representatives?” Cruz asked in a press statement.

Breitbart News reported on the anti-Netanyahu, left wing Israeli newspaper Haaretzreport on a group called “One Voice,” reportedly funded by American donors, is paying for the Obama campaign team. That group is reportedly being led by Obama’s 2012 field director Jeremy Bird, who was also the founder of Battleground Texas, the federal and state Political Action Committee that worked overtime to turn Texas blue in the November 4, 2014 election. They failed miserably.

The Cruz-Zeldin letter to Kerry specifically spelled out Haaretz’s findings including that OneVoice was working with political campaign machine “Victory 15″ (V15) to replace Israel’s government. OneVoice is expected to merge with V15 before the March 17 election.

It also detailed one of the lead V15 organizers saying that instead of calling the operation “Anyone but Bibi,” members of V15 merely phrase it slightly differently: “‘We say ‘replace the government,’ so it is not directed at specific individuals. There have been many years of right-wing governments during which little happened, it’s time to change course and give people hope…We will go to homes and we will win…The work with the research team that Bird brought has really ignited sparks…”

The letter expressed pointed concerns over the financial ties OneVoice has to the US State Department. They received grants from the State Department in 2014.

“OneVoice lists the State Department as a partner on its website. In its 2013 annual report, the CEO of OneVoice touted the organization’s work ‘together in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem…made possible by two parallel U.S. Government grants,'” the Cruz-Zeldin letter stated.

“This administration’s relentless harassment of Israel is utterly incomprehensible. The Islamic Republic of Iran is pursuing the deadliest weapons on the planet, and there can be no doubt that their first target will be Israel, followed by the United States. This administration should be focusing its animosity on the very real enemies we face, not on our staunch allies,” Cruz also commented in the press release statement.

Cruz and Zeldin asked for prompt answers to eight questions:

1. How much funding has the U.S. Government provided to OneVoice, PeaceWorks Network Foundation, and any connected initiatives, projects or subsidiaries?
2. Who approved providing such funds?
3. What is the oversight and accounting process for how these funds are being spent?
4. How often and on what dates has such funding been provided?
5. What were the specific reasons and terms for providing funds, and how are these funds specifically being spent?
6. Can the Department of State guarantee that none of these funds have been or will be used in the endeavor detailed above, namely the partnership with V15, or any similar effort to exert undue influence over the Israeli political process?
7. Was there any knowledge from the State Department or other U.S. government officials of the partnership with V15 prior to providing funds to OneVoice?
8. Does OneVoice’s work with V15 violate its 501(c)(3) status (or the status of the PeaceWorks Network Foundation) as a tax-exempt organization and should such status be revoked?

“It is completely unacceptable to use U.S. tax dollars to influence the elections in Israel,” said Zeldin in the press release issued by the Cruz office.

“State Department grants should never be given to entities working to overthrow strong allies like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We have great allies around the world, but Israel is our strongest, and a beacon of freedom in a region filled with radical Islamic extremists and state sponsored terrorism. Today, I join with Sen. Ted Cruz in calling for a U.S. Department of State investigation into this important matter,” Zeldin added.

Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.

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