Roberto Duran: Last Plane from Brick City

By Michael Tombs

While sitting in his World Trade Center office suite soon after his arrival from St. John, United States Virgin Islands, Michael Tombs began to privately reflect, “I knew the Duran assignment was a very tough, dangerous, and challenging assignment. However, I knew my security team had dotted every single I and crossed every single T in the war on terror in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984533104

Michael Tombs

“I personally have always rejected the Puritan premise of original sin, however, any notion that I’m not serious, not intellectual, does not summarize my feelings.” ~Michael Tombs “I personally always believed that a warm, enthusiastic, confident, and concerned voice puts all of the resources to learn at the student’s command; eventually, I had to ask myself “The Grand Question” and its answers helped shape my choice of institutions of higher learning for the remainder of the 20th Century. These ideas offended a number of the so called white elite and their racist establishment, however, they were accepted by a huge segment of the African American community. They informed the Black Youth Organization (BYO) of the popular dialogue of the 1960s, in addition, many of the on campus demands of the 1960s protesters relied on beliefs such as acceptance, positive regard, & family life. As our distance from Elijah Muhammad grows, the American critiques, in my opinion, seem increasingly irrelevant. What Muhammad provides- what all Messengers provide is a unique vision. Before being dismissed and forgotten, Muhammad was attacked on a series of particular grounds. Reviews of Islam’s literature showed the necessity and the sufficiency of his teachings difficult to prove, although the evidence of Sunni and Shiite culture remains strong…

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Introduction

Preface

The Apologia

Foreword

The Dossier

The Blue Moon

Royal Farms

The Farm Land

The Lady with the Baby

My Favorite Things

Code Name; Sitting Bull

Code Name; Crazy Horse

The Lady in the Elevator

The Application

The Bounty Hunter

The Ava Marica

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my genetic sisters; Joyce, Joan, and Reba;

A man is only allowed a certain number of heart beats in his lifetime. Thank you and God bless you all for being the melody of my heart.

- Michael Tombs

"If I love you I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.

- James Baldwin

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.

- Alexander Hamilton

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the memory of my late brother

Stanley Solomen and my late sister Margaret Rebadene Rice for

the greatest memories and reflections I shared together in

my brother Stanley and my sister Reba’s

life and time. May their souls forever Rest In Peace.

…#inshallah

INTRODUCTION

Democracy Dies in the Darkness

As far back in my early years as I can remember, Roberto Duran was not only a part of my life, Roberto Duran I later learned from General James Phillips, my director of security for Franklin Technologies, Inc., that Roberto Duran was an integral part of my learning experience in Newark, New Jersey when we both were residing in The Little Bricks. The Little Bricks housing projects in Newark, New Jersey stimulated my consciousness during our brief history together in the summer of 1957 to a level where Roberto Duran and I were urged on by an intense desire to become the very best of friends. It is 5am on September 29, 2017. Michael Tombs is safely aboard his corporate yacht, the Ava Marica, docked in his private secluded harbor on the bay in St. John, United States Virgin Islands. From the harbor one could notice the Virgin Islands’ headquarters of Franklin Technologies, Inc. to the north east in the distance. Michael Tombs began looking over at the fire place in his state room as he began sipping his favorite vanilla caramel latte and began eating a lightly toasted cinnamon raison bagel. His two Afghan hounds Tamar and Khabar are sleeping on the floor under his desk, and the kitchen crew is preparing the staff’s morning breakfast. It is a calm morning in the St. John bay, not a ripple in the blue ocean water as Michael Tombs is listening to the music of John Coltrane, Lianne La Havas, D’Angelo, JayZ, Beyonce, Amanda Cole, and Maxwell on his Apple 8 music sound system. Michael Tombs just received an e-mail on his new mack lap top containing the change of command delivery order from Adel for DuBois and Kwame’s 10 reserve oil tankers in the bay in St. Croix. Five oil tankers are to be now commanded by Atilla in the North Atlantic Ocean delivery route, and Abdullah Sawab’s instructions are to command the remaining 5 oil tankers in the South Atlantic Ocean delivery route. Adel requested Michael Tombs’ immediate signature by e-mail to process the new pay roll compensation order with DuBois and Kwame in the St. John headquarters. General James Phillips and Leona were on their way to The Ava Marica for the Franklin Technologies, Inc. weekly briefing. All 4 comrades were temporarily relieved of their command of The Livingston and The Springfield’s fleet, including DuBois and Kwame’s command of the 10 reserve oil tankers. According to Michael Tombs, the 2 flagships and their 8 oil tankers and the 10 reserve oil tankers will be docked in the bay in St. Croix until further notification. However, it is very important that my international client’s oil deliveries are made. It will be Adel’s responsibility to make sure that Atilla and Abdullah Sawab’s consultation fee is paid in full, and they both are to request time off from the fall semester at the university to begin this special North and South Atlantic Ocean oil delivery assignment. Suddenly Michael Tombs hears the engines of several late model SUV trucks arriving in the park and lot as he looked out of his state room window to the south. It is General James Phillips along with Adel, Dr. Cameron, DuBois, Kwame, and Leona arriving in 3 separate vehicles coming aboard his yacht for his security team’s weekly briefing. The entire security team is directed to the conference room on board by General James Phillips where breakfast is waiting to be served anxiously by the Ava Marica’s kitchen staff. Michael Tombs says, Adel, when Atilla and Abdullah Sawab returns my oil tanker fleets to the Virgin Islands and docks the oil tankers in the St. Croix bay, they are not to return to their teaching positions at the university until after Dr. Lateef Jamal is presented the Imhotep Life Time Achievement Award by The Black Youth Organization. Adel says, Michael I’ll make the reservations for Atilla and Abdullah Sawab at the Embassy Suites Hotel in St. Croix immediately. And by the way Michael, purchases from the Franklin Technologies, Inc. new yacht sales division are up by 50% per-cent this quarter. In addition, the purchasing of new oil tanker sales by our Eastern European new clients is up by 90% per-cent this quarter in that division to. Michael Tombs says, that’s very interesting Adel. General James Phillips says, "Michael, your best friend Roberto Duran has been