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Friday, July 18, 2008

Bigotry, the 1st Amendment & dollars

It never ceases to amaze me as to the level of tolerance that African Americans possess for blatant daily acts of bigotry that is often perpetuated against them by the dominant white majority in their own country. Now don’t get me wrong, ever so often a fortunate elite disgruntled member of the black caste, aka Clarence Thomas my speak out when something is done personally towards them, but generally a deafening silence remains whether through fear or intimidation one never knows for shameful behaviors by conniving proponents of despicable behaviors towards them. A useful ploy for most of the characters is to hide behind the 1st Amendment and use the free speech shield argument in defense when challenged. To illustrate I’ll take the case of Doron Braunshtein, an Israeli native transplant and now an American T-shirt designer. Like the New Yorker magazine publishers and editors, Don Imus, Fox 5 and countless others prejudicial media freaks, this conniving entrepreneur too is grasping an opportunity to exploit, while denigrating African Americans for a buck. In this instance he is making a lucrative killing as it were, by selling T- shirts for $69 a pop with inscriptions like “Obama is my slave,” “Obama = Hitler”, “Jews Against Obama”,and “Who Kill Obama”. In his defense, he claims he does not like the Senator because he reminds him of Hitler, and not because he is allegedly Muslim or black. Most Americans do not see a future black President when they look at Obama, but a slave. I say, tell that to Obama white Kansas and Midwest ancestors. Only in ‘color blind America’- black and white equals black.
Ironically enough, the only reason we heard about this despicable piece of exploitation was because one of his many white customers was accosted and assaulted by four African American females for daring to wear one of his merchandise in public. This says a lot for America and freedom. I could not help but wonder what might have transpired had the situation been reversed and a black Senegalese vendor was pushing T shirts stating that Hitler was their hero for orchestrating the murder of millions of Jews. One could have clearly anticipated the swift response to his defense of political satire and 1st Amendments rights , as a Jewish and African American cop arrest him on directions possibly from the Mayor and have him on the next boat back to Africa.
As I have said, occasionally a bit of outrage occasionally takes place, but it is haphazard as best. There is a failure to understand that the behavior starts at the micro levels then expand to the macro to reach even global in reference to foreign policies. Often the defense comes from some of the most unlikely places. Let’s me just throw a few examples your way to gauge your reactions. Kathrina, Haitians boat people, hanging chads in Florida, millions of blacks’ racially motivated incarcerations, lost of rights to vote as a result of incarcerations, reordering of districts because of bolstering of prison populations, 800,000 Rwandans dead as the UN Security Council led by the US remains asleep, blatant acts of discriminations perpetuated against Ethiopian Jews in Israel by the dominant majority after they had fulfilled their political purpose of ensuring the American financial aid gravy train to Israel continues unabated, Professor Leonard Jefferies relegated to an empty shell at CUNY for preaching racial and ethnic pride, while Charles Murray of the Bell Curve fame was applauded for saying that blacks are genetically dumber than whites with overwhelming lower IQ’s. I hope that the picture is getting clearer for a few too weak or scared to stand up and be counted. It is the responsibility of all African Americans to stand up where ever they are to blatant bigotry, institutional racism, and similar discriminatory actions by individuals in the media, businesses, and general society or at the political realm. By first doing this at home, it gives them the legs and moral authority to fight and be counted at the global levels when similar acts are done to others across the Diaspora, especially where America is debating its national interest before taking action. Let’s not make the work of good folks like Marcus Garvey, Stokley Carmichael of Black Power fame, Malcrom X, Martin Luther King, and, Thorogood Marshall go in vain. Others have stood up is a united and economically vibrant Europe thriving Russia, and evolving Asia. The Daron Braunshtein’s of the world must be reminded that without the free sweat and blood of African Slaves, America would not eventually become the global power it is today. Remind him that many of the slaves ancestors helped liberate some of his ancestors from Hitler’s Europe encourage the creation of his homeland, and sacrificed millions of tax dollars years to ensure its survival. To be forewarned is to be forearmed I believe the saying goes.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Biting off More than One can Chew, or the Audacity to Dream

“Barrack will rid the world of nuclear weapon the headline,” screamed the headlines. Now did, I hear correctly? That’s a very tall order I mused, or is it simply that some liberal media editor pro closet Clintonite is at it again, practicing another alleged satirical move aimed at destroying this noble Senator future Presidential legacy. One cannot help but bring out these conspiratorial theories every now and again. At the same time I feel a bit of sympathy for the confused national media, as they are not used to this brashness, and really have no old playbook from which to deal with him and his spunky wife. Could you remember how similar enemies -or friends if you feel helped put the nail in the coffin of the President’s father in the 80’s before the ‘end of history’?
Yes ,this Yale old school liberal Republican made some funny comment about “Read my lips, no new taxes”, and had the audacity as well to say it on record -and the rest as we say was history. You might recall this was soon after the Reagan’s revolution that he called ‘Voodoo economics’ even as he fervently smiled and supported it for 8 years as VP. We all know how that turned out for the former CIA Chief that made history in being the first head of state, to arrest a sitting head, bring him for trial to his own country , convict and put him away for close to 100 years . The American people had as much sympathy for the Mr. H Bush come reelection some four years later, as they had back then for Noriega the ‘School of the Americas bully,’ and Panamanian drug lord. We’ll leave out for the time being as irrelevant how he got to power.
Let me categorically make this claim here and now. People are beginning to get a bit wary about this Obama kid. Some are starting to worry if he can be able to finish a first term at this rate. He was against the war and did not vote for it. He supported spending because he is for the troops. He promised to bring home the troops within the first few days of office. He wants to talk to Iran and Cuba. He is angry at being called a Muslim by the New Yorker. He is against turbaned women in his picture on TV. He believes that many good Muslim Americans are out there and love them all. He believes Israel is under treat. Now this historic pronouncement, the very week he plans to go to the Middle East region to break bread with the troops and attempt to convince them that the man who spent 5 years in a prison camp don’t really care about them , but a double Ivy leaguer that never wore a boys scout uniform have their backs .
Americans have been generally very proud of their achievements since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since those two atomic weapons fell in Asia her supreme position on power has rarely been tested. The USSR is no more, and the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan is moving smoothly according to most distinguished military and political circles. A significant part of this had to do with the presence of 35,000 nuclear weapons that still existed in the world, with 5,000 warheads still on trigger alert since 1998. Many would be trilled to know I am sure that the combined explosive yield of these weapons in the stockpiles of eight countries led by the USA was estimated to be approximately 5,000 megatons, or about 200,000 times the explosive yield of the bomb used in Hiroshima. Better yet, most will be overjoyed at the fact that since the end of the Cold- War , 13,000 of these weapons are deployed with 4,600 on high alert and are ready to be launch within minute’s notice. The UN,Non – proliferation Treaty or not, moral responsibility aside, Iran, North Korea double standards, whatever, Americans generally enjoy the sense of power they have rightfully owned. One man wants to do end all that sacrifice, by getting rid of nuclear weapon. Let’s wish the future President luck, as he would need it. Americans would have to get use to the optimism once more by a young idealistic President. Hey, they went to the moon with the first Irish American President, any this is possible. I still believe that he has bitten off more than he can chew, but so did the Clinton’s party machine and 20 million ardent supporters. So also did the other five guys he beat out for Harvard Law Review President. Talk about audacity- of hope I mean.

Tattam, Amanda. "Call away from nuclear arms to doctors.(News)." The Lancet 352.9144 (Dec 12, 1998): 1918(1). Health Reference Center Academic. Thomson Gale. City University of New York. 17 Sep. 2006

See Summary of Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Reported entitled Weapons of Terror: Freeing the world of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. www.wmdcommission.org. 2003

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sports trancendent powers from CLay to Shih Tzu

Many people do not treat sports in exactly the same way that most American do, but there is something about these events and favorite pastime that transcends a mere game. In this country, guys can become instant millionaires before they can fully comprehend how to analyze a grammatical sentence or work fully a fraction to perfection. A few high school drop outs have been known to make just as much or even more than some fortune 500 CEOs and even the President of the United States. It is in the political and social arena however that sports in this country have been able to have its greatest impact. Let me throw a few images at you, Mohammed shouting I am the greatest, even while he was nearly incarcerated for daring to defy the draft authorities with the claims that innocent Vietnamese people did him no harm. At the kids of countless American elites were safe in the colleges through deferments, and even volunteering for soft assignments in the National Guard and other nonsensical areas .He thus became a useful symbol for social justice across the nation and is revered even as we speak today. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1072751,00.html
Remember Jackie Robinson becoming the first to open the doors for other blacks in America’s favorite game baseball? How about Michael Jordan becoming the idol and basketball icon that allowed his dark skin to be almost irrelevant as most across the globe wanted to “be like Mike.” Today outside of soccer, basketball is perhaps the most popular sports in the world-and gives true meaning to the expression world champion when a team’s coach need 12 dictionaries or he must be multilingual to organize a practice among his globally diversified team. Can you remember Jesse http://german.aboblgermyth10.htmut.com/library/Owen , as he made the fool and buffoon Hitler looked like an idiot by destroying his quaint superior Aryan race ideology, by beating every white German athlete to walk away with every medal , all the time knowing fully well that most of his own white countrymen harbored similar prejudicial and discriminatory views about blacks. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1072751,00.html
Then what about that black power salute by a few defiant black Americans willing to pay the price and make a stand against perceived injustices at home. http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/mexicocity68ii.htm Then there are the Williams sisters in tennis, Tiger Woods in golf and the 2008 Boston Celtics champions. The first two sports have changed dramatically and might never be the same the actions of them all. Their total domination against overwhelming odds, proved once and for all what can be done via commitment and strong spirit. Two decades ago one token black or more would be wearing a Celtics uniform as they dominated the game year after year in an overwhelming Irish and often racist state. Today , with the exception of the general manager and owner , the entire victorious team that took to the floor including the coach ,to again bring a championship to the state were black and no one gave it a second thought as it is seen as the norm.
The world is catching up, but perhaps not fast enough. With the Olympics fast approaching a billion people in China are walking on eggshells as it were for fear that thousands might make a political move reminiscent to that which was engineered by Americans in boycotting the Moscow Olympics. The issues, China, prevailing human right record at home especially against dissident groups like the Tibetans , and her tactic supports for tyrants such as Sudan that are presently committing similar acts of genocide that mirrors that which took place in Rwandan, Kosovo, and Hitler’s concentration camps. As a first sign of contrition or is it a PR stunt by the political savvy nuvo rich emerging capitalist, the country has decided to ban one of its favorite meats in restaurants during the Olympics . http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/robinson.htm The objective I believe was, so as not to offend the sensibilities of foreign tourist. Now one good deed deserves another, so the Western powers, United Nations and others remain silent as China weald his economic clout and global big stick in its stance against sanction Zimbabwe, and Sudan. Some things just take a bit longer to accomplish , but no one can really deny the global interconnection and soothing influence of sports in the past, and most definitely today.

Sports power from Clay to Shih TZU

Many people do not treat sports in exactly the same way that most American do, but there is something about these events and favorite pastime that transcends a mere game. In this country, guys can become instant millionaires before they can fully comprehend how to analyze a grammatical sentence or work fully a fraction to perfection. A few high school drop outs have been known to make just as much or even more than some fortune 500 CEOs and even the President of the United States. It is in the political and social arena however that sports in this country have been able to have its greatest impact. Let me throw a few images at you, Mohammed shouting I am the greatest, even while he was nearly incarcerated for daring to defy the draft authorities with the claims that innocent Vietnamese people did him no harm. At the kids of countless American elites were safe in the colleges through deferments, and even volunteering for soft assignments in the National Guard and other nonsensical areas .He thus became a useful symbol for social justice across the nation and is revered even as we speak today.
Remember Jackie Robinson becoming the first to open the doors for other blacks in America’s favorite game baseball? How about Michael Jordan becoming the idol and basketball icon that allowed his dark skin to be almost irrelevant as most across the globe wanted to “be like Mike.” Today outside of soccer, basketball is perhaps the most popular sports in the world-and gives true meaning to the expression world champion when a team’s coach need 12 dictionaries or he must be multilingual to organize a practice among his globally diversified team. Can you remember Jesse Owen , as he made the fool and buffoon Hitler looked like an idiot by destroying his quaint superior Aryan race ideology, by beating every white German athlete to walk away with every medal , all the time knowing fully well that most of his own white countrymen harbored similar prejudicial and discriminatory views about blacks.
Then what about that black power salute by a few defiant black Americans willing to pay the price and make a stand against perceived injustices at home. Then there are the Williams sisters in tennis, Tiger Woods in golf and the 2008 Boston Celtics champions. The first two sports have changed dramatically and might never be the same the actions of them all. Their total domination against overwhelming odds, proved once and for all what can be done via commitment and strong spirit. Two decades ago one token black or more would be wearing a Celtics uniform as they dominated the game year after year in an overwhelming Irish and often racist state. Today , with the exception of the general manager and owner , the entire victorious team that took to the floor including the coach ,to again bring a championship to the state were black and no one gave it a second thought as it is seen as the norm.
The world is catching up, but perhaps not fast enough. With the Olympics fast approaching a billion people in China are walking on eggshells as it were for fear that thousands might make a political move reminiscent to that which was engineered by Americans in boycotting the Moscow Olympics. The issues, China, prevailing human right record at home especially against dissident groups like the Tibetans , and her tactic supports for tyrants such as Sudan that are presently committing similar acts of genocide that mirrors that which took place in Rwandan, Kosovo, and Hitler’s concentration camps. As a first sign of contrition or is it a PR stunt by the political savvy nuvo rich emerging capitalist, the country has decided to ban one of its favorite meats in restaurants during the Olympics . The objective I believe was, so as not to offend the sensibilities of foreign tourist. Now one good deed deserves another, so the Western powers, United Nations and others remain silent as China weald his economic clout and global big stick in its stance against sanction Zimbabwe, and Sudan. Some things just take a bit longer to accomplish , but no one can really deny the global interconnection and soothing influence of sports in the past, and most definitely today.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Shame and Non- Empathy in the Family.

The first Black female Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was high in praise for her bosses’ administration decision to wage the preemptive Iraq war in his effort to retaliate against Saudi Terrorist Bin Laden for his attack against the United States in 2001. It is also the 53 year old view that the world is much safer as a result .This 2003 invasions has produced some 30,000 wounded US soldiers along with 4,107 official dead ,as well as countless Iraqi civilians displaced and killed. To the former Ivy leave Professor, all is still fine , as she keenly look forward to heading back to the quite peaceful life she left in academia at the Stanford campus to continue to be “active in educational causes” , particularly for “underprivileged kids”.
Let me throw some stats to the Professor who entered college at the ripe, mature age of 15 some 38 years ago. The incarceration rose from 300,000 in 1970s to 2.2 million today , but has not produced much of a dent on crime .Further, reports by the WHO indicates that US youth homicide rates is 10 times that of all leading industrial nations with 1 out of every 100 is now under the control of the prison system. Each day in America, according to President of the Children Defense Fund Marian W. Edelman, 4,302 children are arrested. That is further broken down to 1 in 3 black boys in their 20s as opposed to 1 in 17 black girls. By midyear 2006 approximately 579,000 Black Males were serving sentences, while only 48,000 earned a bachelor degree that year.
I am extremely happy to see a caring black leader like this is about to head back to this premier educational institution to deal with some of these underprivileged kids. I certainly believe that they would welcome some attention as they were certainly neglected during her stewardship. The violence in our inner city has been appalling, and every day at least 80 people are killed with guns, which is the leading cause of death in the country. I would hate to make too much of a stretch here , as I know that the psychologist , social workers and other social science experts would be quick to focus only on the many economic disparities that exist which may be true . Some may lament the intervention failures, and emotional imbalances that might force kids to act out violently against each other. I wish however that few patriotic psychotherapists will pay some attention to hasty decisions to run to war by out elected leaders. What message can that send when the world sole superpower is not afraid to be too quick on the draw with limited facts, and less regards for consequences.
We demand that out kids use restrain and dialogue to deal with problems, as well as frown on bully like behaviors when they occur. But next time Johnny girlfriend refuses to kiss him and he exercise his recently upheld Constitutional Rights to have a gun, and he decides to do another Columbine or Virginia tech massacre remember where the precedent was set. It was in the corridors of power in Washington, with the support of Congress, Senate and the Supreme Court warp up in one. It is a case of “do as I say, but not as I do,” perhaps. I am happy to know that the President’s personal advisor, national security adviser, and Secretary of State will now give some attention to this problem in 2009, as she expressed interest to return and refocus on educational causes, and underprivileged issues once more. The last few years rather,

Thursday, July 3, 2008

A word to the wise is enough

Recently in Denver, black Jazz singer Rene Marie was nearly tossed in jail, and given life imprisonment, followed by the death penalty for committing the most abominable and possible outrageous crime in the history of the State since Basketball player Koby Bryant alleged rape of a white groupie hotel cleaner, and local all star player Carmelo Anthony was pulled over for driving while drunk and black simultaneously. Her crime was, having the gall to switch on local officials at the Mayor’s State of the City address and sing the black national anthem instead of the familiar nation’s national anthem. This ordeal or for many of the distinguished and white official was endured for some three minuets and the Mayor speech 12 minutes and caused and uproar that nearly necessitated the intervention of the National Guard all the way from Iraq where they are all now stationed. Denver as many know might be a liberal and tolerant state that might allow 5 year old Sally to have two mummies and all such freaky things such as hugging trees and saving spotted owls, items are all geared to send the blood pressure of any Republican up the roof, but are not interested or find in amusing to tempt fate and their patriotism in that manner. http://patdollard.com/2008/07/denver-uproar-singer-replaces-%E2%80%98star-spangled-banner%E2%80%99-with-%E2%80%98black-national-anthem%E2%80%99-with-video/

There definitely seem to be something wrong in this era with these liberated Afro American females, some Denver citizens must be thinking just at this very moment. First it was the uppity Ivey leaguer, Michele Obama debating her love for America even when she works last earned $500, 000 per year, no longer live on the South Side of Chicago, owns a house valued at close to 2 million and may soon be allowed the privilege to hang the colorful African Kenti cloth in the Lincoln bedroom. To compound that, black men are no longer joining the military in droves, her husband wants to end the illegal war on day one, and might just be secretly contemplating allowing in 2009 Mexican illegal immigrants the chance to be recruited from near the Arizona border across from and just to irritate Senator Mc Cain and his ultra patriotic millionaire wife Cindy.
The Obamans might well be forewarned, there is so much Americans can tolerate, but this is not one of them. Now it’s possible that every right wing nut, from Bill O Riley to Hannidy to Rush might just blow a fuse in outrage. If this singer never gets another musical contract in her life just like those exotic Country and Western gals Dixie Chicks -who dared to condemn next door Texan neighbor , the Crawford Kid sanity for taking the country to war- then she have no one to blame but herself , and further would not be able to cry discrimination . Let me let her know as well that the Supreme Court is soon going on vacation and have no intention of hearing her future case when she appeals the life and death sentence that she’ll get because her state appointed free legal aid lawyer gave her shoddy representation. She could have gotten the best lawyer that money can buy just like P Diddy, or Snoop, Buster, or Foxy Brown but believing that jazz is still important as hip-hop she took a chance. Would you care to bet that even she cannot tell when was the last time she sold a record, perhaps at her 16th birthday some 30 years ago? All I can say to Ms. Marie is that this is a shameful act and she might have to own up her responsibility and faces the consequences for her oversight and blatant non patriotic fervor so blatantly.

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Speaking truth,as one major prerequisite, to concrete justice. A novel form of social advocacy.

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