OBM: Part 1 of this (GREAT) show, which focuses on racism over the years, giving a history whites would all do well to familiarize themselves with. One of the few real attempts that the U.S. government made to really look at and learn the destructive power of their racism. Unfortunately it came only after wide spread violence and years of horrible poverty. The problem is that after white people looked at what they had created as a country they quickly began to reinstitute the racist laws and practices that continued these problems during the Reagan years. I am a beneficiary of the racism atonement programs that were started after the Kerner report. My father was able to get a family sustaining wage job and our family flourished. My siblings I and received a much superior education than our parents. Being the youngest I received the best education of my siblings. Because of our education, free lunch programs, and even bussing (which became assimilation programs that I oppose) we all have been able to more easily build professional careers and maintain financial stability with our families. My point...while slow...the racial atonement programs did work and instead of ending them they should of continued and be enhanced, and not have been eliminated or become under funded, corruptly managed, or hollow political campaign speak.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Bill Moyers Journal on Race, Part 1, with former Senator Fred Harris (3/28/08)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Different Standards for Black and White Preachers
OBM: Massa Amerikkka & racist white men....please excuse Pastor Wright for stating facts about some of the damage Amerikkka has and is doing to other people. Please don't pay him no mind. He’s just one of thoes field hands who's always complaining. Massa...we's lov's you...and want to say thank you for bringing us negro's here, giving us longer jail sentences for the same crimes, hiring a few of us in your fine companies, for providing our neighborhoods with fine alcohol stores and drugs, for taking the time to under educate & brainwash our children with the lies of this great country, and best of all...we'll always remember those good "no-wage" paying jobs that you use to build our beautiful country. Thank you Massa!!!!
Posted March 19, 2008
Cenk Uygur
The Huffington Post
Rudy Giuliani's priest has been accused in grand jury proceedings of molesting several children and covering up the molestation of others. Giuliani would not disavow him on the campaign trail and still works with him.
Mitt Romney was part of a church that did not view black Americans as equals and actively discriminated against them. He stayed with that church all the way into his early thirties, until they were finally forced to change their policies to come into compliance with civil rights legislation. Romney never disavowed his church back then or now. He said he was proud of the faith of his fathers.
Jerry Falwell said America had 9/11 coming because we tolerated gays, feminists and liberals. It was our fault. Our chickens had come home to roost, if you will. John McCain proudly received his support and even spoke at his university's commencement.
Reverend John Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore." He has said that the Anti-Christ will rise out of the European Union (of course, the Anti-Christ will also be Jewish). He has said all Muslims are trained to kill and will be part of the devil's army when Armageddon comes (which he hopes is soon). John McCain continues to say he is proud of Reverend Hagee's endorsement.
Reverend Rod Parsley believes America was founded to destroy Islam. Since this is such an outlandish claim, I have to add for the record, that he is not kidding. Reverend Parsley says Islam is an "anti-Christ religion" brought down from a "demon spirit." Of course, we are in a war against all Muslims, including presumably Muslim-Americans. Buts since Parsley believes this is a Christian nation and that it should be run as a theocracy, he is not very concerned what Muslim-Americans think.
John McCain says Reverend Rod Parsley is his "spiritual guide."
What separates all of these outrageous preachers from Barack Obama's? You guessed it. They're white and Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not. If it's not racism that's causing the disparity in media treatment of these preachers, then what is it?
I'm willing to listen to other possible explanations. And I am inclined to believe that the people these preachers go after are more important than the race of the preacher. It's one thing to go after gays, liberals and Muslims -- that seems to be perfectly acceptable in America -- it's another to accuse white folks of not living up to their ideals.
I think there is another factor at play as well. The media is deathly afraid of calling out preachers of any stripe for insane propaganda from the pulpits for fear that they will be labeled as anti-Christian. But criticism of Rev. Wright falls into their comfort zone. It's easy to blame him for being anti-American because he criticizes American foreign and domestic policy.
If Rev. Wright had preached about discriminating against gay Americans or Muslims, there probably would not have been any outcry at all. That falls into the category of "respect their hateful opinions because they cloak themselves in the church."
But one thing is indisputable -- the enormous disparity in how the media has covered these white preachers as opposed to Rev. Wright. Have you ever even heard of Rod Parsley? As you can see from what I listed above, all of these white preachers have said and done the most outlandish and offensive things you can imagine -- and hardly a peep.
If the disparity in coverage isn't racist, then what is it?
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Pasror Manning attacks Obama
OBM: I checked several of this guys clips out on youtube and I suggest you do the same. First this guy is no Christian pastor. A pastor is able to make his point without attacking and degrading people. I'll pray for this guy. Second...he is a shining example of why blacks can not criticize blacks like this in public. The racist are going to use what he says a weapon and justification for themselves. I do agree that blacks have areas of physiological improvement that are desperately needed. Can you say “Willie Lynch”….So many of us are still asleep and focusing on material possessions, rap music, sports, and who's gettin' wit' who. We need to spend more time focused on education of ourselves and or kids, learning our history, learning truthful corrupt American history and not “his-story” full of lies, local and national employment issues, crime and police brutality, health issues, and our spirituality to name a few. I do agree with the point of the reason middle age and elderly whites like Obama. Obama is not a confronter on issues of race. I also agree that God often has a leader experience jail either to break the person first so he can use them later or as a test of the leader’s faith and an example to those who follow them, but I disagree that jail time makes a leader.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Black. White. : Families Swapping Color in Hopes of Tasting the Others Experience
There is a great new show on TV it's Black. White on the fx channel. I highly recommend it to everyone. Two families one black & one white switch skin color with the other and attempt to experience life from the other perspective. The first show was eye opening mostly because of the possibilities that could be explored. I hope the show lives up to the possibilities. The truth must be told discussions about racism are rare and mostly unsuccessful.
Article summary: If you're looking to understand why discussions between blacks and whites about racism are often so difficult in this country, you need only know this: when the subject is race and racism, whites and blacks are often not talking about the same thing. To white folks, racism is seen mostly as individual and interpersonal--as with the uttering of a prejudicial remark or bigoted slur. For blacks, it is that too, but typically more: namely, it is the pattern and practice of policies and social institutions, which have the effect of perpetuating deeply embedded structural inequalities between people on the basis of race. To blacks, and most folks of color, racism is systemic. To whites, it is purely personal.
These differences in perception make sense, of course. After all, whites have not been the targets of systemic racism in this country, so it is much easier for us to view the matter in personal terms. If we have ever been targeted for our race, it has been only on that individual, albeit regrettable, level.
But for people of color, racism has long been experienced as an institutional phenomenon. It is the experience of systematized discrimination in housing, employment, schools or the justice system. It is the knowledge that one's entire group is under suspicion, at risk of being treated negatively because of stereotypes held by persons with the power to act on the basis of those beliefs (and the incentive to do so, as a way to retain their own disproportionate share of that power and authority).
Until white folks get as upset about racism actually limiting the life choices and chances of people of color, as we do about black folks hurting our feelings, it's unlikely things will get much better. In the end, it's hard to take seriously those who fume against this so-called reverse racism, so petty is the complaint, and so thin the ivory skin of those who issue it.
Tim Wise is the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (Soft Skull, 2005) and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White (Routledge, 2005). He can be reached at timjwise@msn.com
Hip Hop: Who is Your All Time Best?
Who is your top 3 all time best Rapper? (based on Lyrical content, & flow - Not Sales)
Who is your top 3 all time best Female Rappers? (based on Lyrical content, & flow - Not Sales)
What is your top 3 all time best Rap albums? (based on listening Pleasure, & replay value - not sales)
My picks are:
Aritst: Rakim, K.R.S. ONE, & ????
Female: M.C. Lyte, Da Brat, & ????
Album: P.E. Takes a Nation Of Millions, ?????, &???????
As you can see I'm still working on my list.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Need To Know Info. : Are You A Black Conservative, Moderarte, or Librial?
Booker Rising Web Site
(Answer yes or no for each statment. For each yes answer give yourself 1 point. Click "Read More" for Moderate quiz.)
Booker Rising Quiz: Are You A Black Conservative?
____ Are black (duh!)
____ Oppose abortion
____ Oppose affirmative action
____ Oppose gay rights
____ Support little or no welfare state
____ Support school vouchers
____ Support school prayer
____ Oppose drug legalization
____ Oppose gun control
____ Support lower taxes for all
____ Believe blacks should assimilate more
____ Believe racism poses little or no obstacles
____ Support USA's hawkish foreign policy
____ Like Clarence Thomas more than Colin Powell
____ Believe Hollywood and the music industry have ruined American values
If at least 9 of the 15 points (60%) apply to you and you answered yes to the first question, then you're a black conservative. Notable black conservatives: Clarence Thomas, Star Parker, Thomas Sowell
FYI, Booker Rising scored 8 out of 15 (53%) on this quiz. Now if we could give this quiz to every black person…
Booker Rising Quiz: Are You A Black Moderarte?
____ Are black (duh!)
____ Support school vouchers
____ Support/oppose abortion, with exceptions
____ Support some gay rights, but not marriage
____ Support lower taxes for all but rich folks
____ Favor integration over assimilation
____ Support gun ownership, with restrictions
____ Favor an internationalist foreign policy
____ Like President Bush I more than President Bush II
____ Are "squishy middle" on affirmative action
____ Like Colin Powell more than Clarence Thomas
____ Mainly support one political party, but do swing vote
____ Favor a welfare state, but believe it is currently too high
____ Believe racism poses an obstacle, but so does victimology rhetoric
____ Believe black Americans should have some ties to Africa, but focus on USA
If at least 9 of the 15 points (60%) apply to you and you answered yes to the first question, then you're a black moderate. Notables: Colin Powell, Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN), Debra Dickerson
One Brotha’s Mind Quiz: Are You A Black Liberal?
___Protecting the environment is a primary social responsibility we have, regardless of how it effects businesses.
___Immigration policies should be less strict. Immigrants enhance this country.
___Gay marriage should be legal and given the same rights as heterosexual marriage.
___Public education could be improved by having a voucher system.
___It's your business if you smoke marijuana and it should be legalized.
___Affirmative action gives minorities and women a level playing field.
___Carrying a gun is taking responsibility for one's own defense, and admirable.
___Social Security can easily be fixed by making the rich and employers pay more.
___Taxes should be something the rich pay more of. (“To whom much is given, much is expected”)
___It's more important for our country to help the poor and helpless than reduce the deficit and national debt.
___The Fed should be more concerned with controlling unemployment rather than controlling inflation.
___The only social responsibility of a company should be to deliver a profit to its shareholders.
___Everyone has a right to health care, even if they can't afford it.
___All authority, by its nature, should be questioned.
___Abortion should be completely legal and available rather than restricted, discouraged, or illegal.
___Military action that defies international law is sometimes justified.
___The problem with the US justice system is not enough rehabilitation and prisoner's rights rather than too many plea bargains and loose interpretations of law.
___The death penalty is a violation of human rights and is not appropriate in any cases.
If at least 14 of the 20 points (60%) apply to you and you answered yes to the question, then you're a black Liberal. Notable black Liberal: Bryant Gumble, Bill Cosby, Walter Williams, Larry Elder.
Now if we could give this quiz to every black person...
Monday, December 19, 2005
Checking Ourselves : Hip Hop vs Rap: Which Should We Keep?
To start, I love Hip Hop or Rap what ever you want to call it. From Doug-E-Fresh to Paul Wall, but I must admit. During the last 10 years or so I have developed more and more of a problem with so called “Rap music”. The general creativity is top notch, the beats are slammin’ and as an adult the lyrics only really bother me if I listen to too much of it. Through out rap history there has always been lyrics and songs with adult content, but they were the minority. Today they are the majority. My main concerns are: Is today’s rap music helping the image main stream has of us and is it helping us get ahead as a community. Most do not understand…and probably never will. I’m not only speaking of the words, but also the subject of the songs. Today with slang you can say a lot without technically cursing. Should adult subject matter rap or songs in general be played on live radio before 9pm where most kids are listening? Also, what impact is it having on our kids? Just a refresher, the definition of pornography is: Lurid or sensational material; Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal; Material that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement. Is today’s popular rap music mostly about anything other than sex, money, drugs, and violence?
As an adult I know that there are plenty of other Rap songs that are just fine. Even songs by so called “Thugs” but, the lyrics and subject matter of radio songs and music videos have gone over the top. I am not talking censorship even thou I would support family friendly radio time schedules; this is America where freedom of speech exists. I’m talking of personal censorship within the African American community. I applaud BET for the show “Uncut”, but I feel BET needs to go further by putting all adult subject songs on after a slated time.
We create the music; we can control the music. If the Adults of our community reach out to the Rap Industry and make them understand our concerns I believe we can come up with a compromise in regards to limiting the words and subject mater that’s aired on the live radio and TV.
In addition, Parents, we must do a better job of censoring what music our kids are listening to. Rap has been around a long time, we don’t have to start our kids off listening to Snoop Dog. How about starting off with some old school and slowly as they grow older introducing newer and newer rap music. Ok, here it comes….”They are going to here it any way”. This is true, but if they are not allowed to here it on the radio, and they are not allowed to have the songs in their homes or in their personal players. The only place they will have access is with other kids. That’s ok though…most kids will get the point, just like we did. That is that these songs are not intended for kids and should not be celebrated. Also as we got older we began to understand why our parents had those rules and now most of us agree with them.
In addition, parents need to do a better job of getting to know the kids their kids are spending time with. So when you identify a kid as a bad influence you can take action to protect you kid. There were things when we were kids that we were not supposed to see or listen to, so if we did we respected our parents and their rules by sneaking. Today to many parents are allowing or putting adult content (music/video) right in front of kids. I mean buying your 9yr. old kid a Bow Wow cd is ridicules. Bow Wow is not a kid any more he's in his 20's and is talking about 20yr. old things.
There are not enough clean respectful songs about love, break-ups, fine women & men, partying…etc. I bet most of these Rappers don’t allow their kids to listen to their songs. It is pass time for us to make this change and save the adult music for the adults.
Consumer Corner : The "Con" in Today’s Contracts
The definition of a contract is: A legally binding arrangement or agreement between parties. Question: Can anyone explain why the “Con”-tracts of today are more one sided than ever before? Also, when did these one-sided contracts become legal? It does not mater weather it is the business, sports, consumer, or entertainment industries; It seems that the only way to get a fair, balanced, or even favorable contract is if you either hold an equal position in regards to money or power to the company or business you are signing a contract with, or you have the leverage of competition to force a company or person to offer a fair contract.
What I mean by fair is not only a legally binding arrangement, but also a contract that governs the agreed responsibilities of all parties involved. Example: Most cell phone contracts now have a cancellation fee clause the forces the user to pay either a full years cost or the total remaining cost of the contract period to end their service with that company. The problem: this applies even if the cell phone company has failed to provide satisfactory service to the customer. Why does the company according the contract still get the money for the full “Con”-tract period even if they are the ones that have defaulted? Consumers used to have the power to end their use of a product or service in the event that the product or service did not perform properly.
In addition, why are companies allowed to change the product or service itself during the “Con”-tract period? This is being done without notifying the other party involved or giving the other party involved the option of canceling the contract at no charge because of the change. Example: A major satellite TV company changed its service and removed channels from its regular channel line up to make room more NFL channels during football season. Every customer of this service does not watch football, so those customers are just screwed out of channels that they previously received.
In sports most are familiar with the T.O. saga. He was penalized harshly and correctly for all of his actions, but you would be a fool to believe that he was the only one who had fault in that situation. The organization and coach did some dirt to, but there was noting in his “Con”-tract that penalized them for their wrong doings.
Companies, employers, an organizations are “getting away with murder” and it seems no one is saying anything about it. Where are the people and agencies that are standing for the rights of the little man? Why is there not anyone in the government or national media drawing attention to these horrors? I just listed a few, there are thousands of people who have been surprised be the fine print clauses in their “Con”-tracts. I’m pretty sure it is because they are all controlled and paid by these same companies so they will be fired if they do. Will here is one place for you to speak out and if nothing else inform and warn other people of the crap that these companies are pulling.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Just Having Fun : The Wiz Remix: Who should be cast in the main roles?
Dorothy, the lion, scarecrow, tin-man, the wicked witch, oz, and the good witch; what stars should be cast for the roles if/when a Wiz remake is done? To try and stay true to the roles the people first must have the talent for the role. Weather it requires singing, acting, or dancing. Also the cast should be made up of respected entertainers who are admired not because they have a platinum CD but because they have demonstrated the skills for the roles in previous performances. In other words, when most people see your list, whether they agree or not, they a least should say that they could see your selections legitimately playing the roles. My list is made up of:
Dorothy - Beyonce or Janet Jackson
The Lion - Charles S. Dutton or Busta Rhymes
Scarecrow - Omarion
Tin Man - Bernie Mac
Wicked Witch - Monque
Oz - Samuel Jackson
Good Witch - Loretta Divine or Jill Scott
Director - Spike Lee
When a remake of the Wiz is done who ever is doing the casting hopefully will take this post and its comments into consideration. Now let see what kind of list you can come up with?
Checking Ourselves : Degrading & Disgraceful or Enlightening & Creative
Aaron McGruder's "The Boondocks" attempts to reflect the racial diversity and complexity of our world. Combining childhood antics with contemporary political and social satire. It has now been turned into a TV series on cartoon network adult swim. With a combination of sharp opinions and creative delivery it guaranties to both entertain and offend. One question remains, is “The Boondocks” degrading and disgraceful or enlightening & creative?
After viewing several episodes the creativity and writing is refreshingly top notch, but the cursing and the frequent use of the “N” word proved hard to swallow. Not just because the use of the “N” word should be offensive, but because its use could diminish the original meaning and violence intended by the word to a young audience who already struggles to understand and identify with black history in America.
Historically in short, it was culturally necessary to believe, or be able to believe, that Africans were inherently and naturally less than human but were beings of a somehow sub-human, non-human, nature. This we see proven with the written words documented in the original text of the Constitution of the United States which originally stated that Africans were 'three-fifths' a man (by law). It became necessary to dehumanize Africans and devalue their historical worth as a people in order to ensure their value as slaves.
When the word n***er was devised, the meaning it implied was of a debased, ignorant, or very low person. Then, African-Americans dropped the 'ER' and added an 'A' thus forming a new word N***A. This word has been accepted and approved because 'the word now has a new meaning, we mean it a different way' is the obnoxious excuse. This is the same word that was used against our ancestors who shed blood for...now being accepted and used (daily) by the same people it was used against! The term is meaningless in reality but has become a useful word for those who help perpetuate the negative stereotypes of Africans worldwide.
Why do we choose to use a word that degrades Africans everywhere and turn around and call someone who looks just like you, a N***A! We can't possibly believe that we have the power to change the meaning of a word and expect other people to follow along with this mentality, this isn't progress folks. Depending on your view acknowledging the frequent use of the “N” word within our community and to share those conflicting comforts outside our community is a whole different issue. Black people need desperately to stop using the “N” word and stop acting like “N****s so that we can demand and command respect, fairness, and equal opportunity in America.
Does this show help blacks in our struggle…..NO, but it must be said …..This is America, were suppose to have freedom of speech. If that’s true we also have the choice to not tune in or turn the channel. As far as a Christian perspective...you should already know. If you don't...you better ask somebody. Continue to watch I will, enjoy? Not sure. I'll wait until the season ends to make a final desision. P.S. please…please do not let our kids watch this show. Its not called Adult Swim for nothing.
