Amerykah has turned a corner and we should all turn with it. I have thoughts ideas and suggestions but I also have patience and desire for us to be whole and one. I have been speaking a lot lately of the human condition and the generations of Black Americans. i will entertain any and all conversation as long as we can be respectful and grown up. Let the healing begin......
Sometime about the middle of October I realized that I was close to 100 post in just 3 months. Amazing for me considering that my last blog over on Yahoo 360 it took me a year to hit that number. So I knew I wanted the 100th to be something special...but what?
Well it’s democracy in action. I have been trying to figure out what I want to do after the election and today I figured it out. I want to work on the election process. I have been watching all the stories on the long waits for voting and that is something in the 21st century just should not exist.
5 to 8 hours to wait to vote? It should never be this way, and that is going to be my political project for 2009. Anyway Happy 100th to me, 200th coming soon!
I am a little disappointed with myself because I let my guard down. You see I got all caught up in the election and the feeling of people trying to rise above it all and work toward a more united America. But I forgot one of the first rules you learn as a black person in this country, it is that “you will always be a black person in this country.”
I will not repost Ashley Todd’s short but infamous resume’ here, if you don’t know who she is you have been living under a rock that does not get cable. I will say that it was reported today that she will be getting probation for her fraud and law breaking and that if she gets mental treatment and “stays out of trouble” her record will be expunged.
Yeah there is a ball in the pit of my stomach over this decision. Ashley committed a crime, worse she committed a hate crime, not in the sense that the law would recognize because she didn’t use any naughty words, but it was a hate crime. It seems however that now in this country that if you commit a crime against a group of people it is considered a mental illness. Not enough of a mental illness to get you a padded room, after all you aren’t dangerous right???
Let me take you back a couple of years to the infamous laugh factory incident and Michael Richards of Seinfeld fame. He used the “N” word a bunch of times against some black folks who were watching his routine. For the record, it was not the N that was so horrible about that incident, it was the talk of pitchforks and hangings and such. But I digress, that event happened a week or so before the last season of Seinfeld was set to be released on DVD. Sensing his and others money might be put in jeopardy, Richards claimed mental breakdown and took to the airwaves. In a completely unrelated story I notice that Dog the Bounty hunter got his show back….
Wikipedia (I love it) defines probation as:
Probation is the suspension of all or part of a jail sentence; the criminal who is "on probation" has been convicted of a crime, but instead of serving jail time, has been found by the Court to be amenable to probation and will be returned to the community for a period in which they will have to abide to certain conditions set forth by the Court under the supervision of a probation officer; or has served part of the sentence but has been released before its end. General conditions may include maintaining employment, abiding to a curfew, living where directed, abstaining from unlawful behavior, following the probation officer's orders, not absconding, and refraining from contact with other individuals, who may include victims of the original crime (such as a former partner in a domestic violence case), potential victims of similar crimes (such as minors when the crime involves child sexual abuse), potential witnesses, or those who have partnered with the offender in the earlier crime. In some cases the offender on probation is fitted with an electronic tag which signals his or her whereabouts to officials.
So as defined by that definition does this mean that she will not be able to speak to or stay away from black men? Sounds silly I know but no more so than forgiving and excusing this woman who defaced herself and blamed it on the social boogeyman “some black man.” Another brick in the bridge toward race relations destroyed.
Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone was born in Tryon, North Carolina, one of eight children (February 21, 1933–April 21, 2003), she was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist.
I have to admit I discovered Nina Simone late in life. She was one of those artist that my mother managed to keep a secret from me amongst her vast record collection. Nina’s music is a history book put to music. When I listen to her it is almost like going back in time to an America that I have only read about but thank God I didn’t have to live through. Never have I heard a more soulful expression of a moment in time. She would be so happy to see the 2008 Presidential campaign. (Her resume is to long to post here, it would go on for pages!)
So Nina Simone., please accept this invitation to the Dinner party of the year. Your opinion, your history, and your voice are more than welcome!
I am so excited, my brand new voters registration card came in the mail a few days ago, as i am a recent transplant to Baltimore. I plan on being one of the first people in line at my new voting place, they open at 7am. In exactly 168 hours from now I will be placing my Barack the vote! We have 7 days left folks "Don't screw it up!"
.. Never grow a life form from an alien signal. (part 3)
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about Sarah Palin stabbing John McCain in the back and her quest for Power. Well what can I say; my third eye did not let me down. According to the “elitist” media the McCain campaign is imploding on itself and there is much rumor that Sarah the Barracuda has gone rogue.
Now their calling Sarah a Diva, I thought she was a Maverick? If you want to label Sarah I say “Sil” the home grown alien girl from the 1995 movie “Species”. In the movie the scientist get an alien DNA code from a signal from outer space. They grow a female because females are more “docile.”
Well Sarah is anything but Docile, she has a taste for meat now, and she by all accounts is preparing herself to be leader of the Republican Party by 2012. At this point even if the McCain/Palin ticket manages to win the White house next week, will it be a house for of domestic unbliss?
A new mailer is going on from the McCain camp. It is yet another negative attack from McSnarky....
But the truth of the matter is would you want a doctor that delivered your grandparents? just kidding....but let's look at why McCain could not be my doctor.
All this talk of Grandmothers who raise you got me feeling emotional. I called my granny today and since she insist on having something to worry about we made a deal. I would let her worry about me as long as it didn't effect her health.
There is a joke that runs among black men of all shapes, sizes, descriptions, and locations. It is not a funny ha ha joke it is one of those funny ironic truthful jokes. The joke is “Well you know you fit the description!”
What is the description you ask? Here let me tell you … I was (some violent crime committed against me) by a black man. He was (various height) and (various weight) and he was wearing a hoody and a starter jacket.
Back in 1998 Susan Smith killed her kids, drowned them in the family car and screamed Black man did it! Charles Stuart in 1989 killed his pregnant wife and screamed Black man did it! Now we have Ashley Todd carved up her own face and cried Black man did it, and he did it for another black man.
Let me just say this story was fishy from jump, again I think it was one of those cultural things where you just need to know how folks think. No black man who has just robbed a white woman in the United States of America is going to stick around to see her safely to her car. No black man who has done anything to a white woman in this country is going to stick around. It is not in our DNA.
Since very early on from the time both blacks and whites walked this land together, there has been a fear that black men will try to take ,touch, fondle, rape, look at their beautiful white women. This clearly set up a system of power that white women had over black men back in the day. There was no he said she said it was do what missy said or she may scream rape and then you and the boys (you know those boys) will be separated.
So from a very early age in this country black men were taught the poor white women had over them. As time went on and cultural rules became laxed we grew out of some of these things in public, but still to this day when the white woman screams Black man did it, whatever it may be, it is time for all black men, no matter their shape, size, and description to get in the house and under the bed, cause you are fitting the description.
Since I have started this blog it seems that every other post has had a racially bases to it. I have never considered myself that person, but clearly the politics of the day has set my inner Black Panther afire. Ten more days huh??!!!
So here is my question for debate, how do we every move on when this stuff keeps happening? When the playing field is not even and we are not all subject to the same rules?
I can’t resist it, no matter how much I try, so the really did put Lipstick on a pig!!!! The everyday hockey mom went shopping in stores with 5th Ave names Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue. But her credit splurge didn’t stop with just her; she also made purchases for the entire Palin clan.
This news come on top of news that the good Governor billed Alaska for the travel of her family to political events that they were not requested to attend. While on the service this all seems like fluff the truth is there could be some legal questions she will have to answer, something completely new for her.
This also calls into question some character issues about good ole’ Sarah. She has been billing herself as the “Joe six pack” ”Hockey mom” “everyman” candidate. But how can you be the everyman after 150 grand shopping sprees?
This is also calls into question you as a female candidate. So you’re a female politician and you need to be dressed but you want to be treated like everyone else. Well sorry Caribou Barbie, you really can’t have it both ways.
I fear this may very well be the nail in the coffin for the McCain campaign; well fear may not be the right word. I think the fear for me comes in people who will still vote against their interest and vote the McCain /Palin ticket.
After all the “Who is Barack Obama” questions that Sarah has been asking I guess we don’t have to ask that question of you anymore do we Governor Sarah. You are clearly a press dodging, non question answering, clandestine making, elitist, moose hunting, Caribou barbering, power hungry, hate mongering, and liar! But that is just my opinion.
Allison Janney was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She is an actress best known as C. J. Cregg on the TV show “The West Wing” For me the measuring stick of how well can you act means I need to see you in more than one role, often 2 or 3. I first noticed Allison in the movie “Primary Colors” a tongue in cheek off the cuff unofficial biography of Bill Clinton’s road to the White House. The part was small and I think she had two minutes of air time if that much but she stood out. Then came the West Wing, where she was far and away my favorite of the regular cast. But it was her role as “Loretta” a hard drinking woman of loose morals in the mocumentary “Drop Dead Gorgeous” that let me know she was truly diverse. She has sense shown up in a number of movie roles including lending her voice to the animated “Finding Nemo”
So Allison Janney., please accept this invitation to the Dinner party of the year. Your opinion, your diversity, and your self depreciating humor are more than welcome!
Rick Davis, campaign manager for the McCain camp, has announced that in the last two weeks the campaign may well pull out the Obama/Rev. Wright controversy for the final weeks of the campaign.
I don’t know weather to laugh or cry. I mean after constantly being told that going negative is exactly what the nation does not want to hear, you pull out not something new, but something that Hilary tried to use against Barack back in the democratic primary.
Why not spend the next two weeks doing something you have yet to do in my opinion. Tell me that if you are made President what you plan to do, I mean other than get Bin-Ladin, cause for real, that is great and all but what do you plan on doing after that?
As I watched HardBall on MSNBC tonight Rep. Michelle Bachman was on quoting Michelle Obama when she said “For the first time she is proud of her country.” This line has been drilled into our collective consciousness by the Republicans during this campaign. The sad part is that when you hear this you don’t seem to understand what she means by this statement.
America is a great place in theory, hell I will go so far to say that America is a great place in practice (having never lived anywhere else) but she is far from perfect. Eric posted a piece a few days ago that I had to take a whole day to respond to. It didn’t anger me it caused me to have to sit and think and answer the questions he was asking, if you have not read it and my response you should.
America, this great land of mine, is full of freedoms and liberties. But those liberties didn’t come easy and they were not just given they were fought for. The Native American has been given a number of concessions because they were here first, and there land was taken. And they fought back! Blacks were brought here to be cheap labor and were seen as less than human (at a few points in history) but felt they were entitled to the America they helped to build. And they fought back. Women were not seen as equals in this country, they were not allowed to vote or work or educate themselves as men where. And they fought back.
Sadily it seems as though this country is only ripe for change when people make enough noise or draw enough attention to their plight. Bill Ayers bombed building and killed people, I don’t agree with his actions BUT I understand his need to bring the noise. Nat Turner was an escaped slave who killed slave owners and slave masters and built an army to free his people. Again, not big on the killing people, but who is to say how I would have felt 300 years ago. Stonewall riots, Iowa Cow wars, Boston Bread Riots, The Days of Rage. These were just a few examples off the top of my hand were people stood up and people died and change was effected.
So yes, Michelle Obama is proud of her country, because for the firs time in a history that is documented, a person of color had been put out there to run for the highest office in the land and beat someone everyone thought was a shoe in belonging to a national party. America was acting like America…and for her and for me and for many many people of all colors, it was GRAND!
.....not because of the photo, but because I like to know who just got their hood and robes back from the cleaners!
"I apologize to anyone who was offended because that was not my intent," said club President Diane Fedele. "It was poor judgment on my part. It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of Obama's statement that he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." The caption reads: "Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on ????? Food Stamps, what else!"
Today on October 14th some polls show Barack Obama ahead in the polls by 14 points. I will admit to you all I am a little scared. I am actually allowing myself to think that we might win this. Since the "selection" of 2000 that gave us George "W" Bush there has been a little part of me that had lost all hope that we the american people would ever get a fair shake, that the playing field would ever be equal.
14 points.
The ecenomy tanked three weeks ago (well the ecenomy tanked a lot longer ago than that but for the sake of argument) a people started hurting. McCain appears to still have no plan and Barack has stood head and shoulders (literally) above his competition. this financial dark cloud has certinally had a silver lining.
14 points.
The race has shown an ugly truth that still exist in America. A truth that some white Americans didn't want to know existed. Racism is a lot more alive in this country than they wanted to know or admit. Even without the use of the word NIGGER, the spirit of the 1960's has seemed to make a retun apperance and it is getting harder and harder to ignore. turns out I was not being so sensitive after all.
14 points
Has it taken the dawning plus eight years of a new Millennium to put this country onto the track of what America is really what it is suppose to be about. The great American melting pot, the land of opportunity, the place where you can in fact be anything you want to be?
14 points
Yes there have been casualties along the way, those who had set themselves up as heroes of the Black community. Seems they had a seperate agenda that would only work if we were kept bogged down in excuses and situations where they got asked their opinion. Guess I will be shopping for some new heroes.
14 points
I know the actual election is still aways off. three weeks and one more election is like Christmas Eve to a twelve year old. It seems an eternity away. But where that little part of me said no, it is now saying HOPE!
A friend sent me this picture today. It is very powerful and moving. To me from this date on it will always be a inspiration. Every time i think something is to big for me to do, every time I think something is beyond my grasp, I will go back to this image and I will carry on!
I was a huge "In living Color" fan and I am a huge David Alan Greer fan. I have enjoyed him since the days of Robert and his partners in crime specials. It is long past due that he get his own show. And topical humor is always funny!
Sheila Escovedo was born and raised in OaklandCalifornia. She is a musician best known as the drummer for Prince under the name Sheila E.
There is something about the drums and drummers with me. I think it must be something buried in my DNA cause being a drummer is another one of those professions that makes you sexy to me. Sheila comes from a rich musical family. Her father, uncles, cousins, and brothers are all musicians. While most are familiar with her thru her most popular song “The Glamorous Life” as well as Sheila’s work touring with Prince back in the 80’s Sheila has continued on with her career. She has worked with the Beatle Ringo Starr, Gloria Estefan, and Lynn Mabry formerly of “The Brides of Funkenstein”. She also runs a charitable organization, Elevate Hope, out of her home base in LA. At 50 this woman shows no signs of slowing down, and that makes me just a little happy!
So Sheila E., please accept this invitation to the Dinner party of the year. Your opinion, your diversity, and your jazz are more than welcome! (One of your albums will probably be in rotation in the background anyway so you won’t have to perform!)
"I don’t feel I have done anything that is idol worthy but I learned a long time ago that it is the little everyday things you do that people notice, so be the best you you can be." DJ
"If you don't tell your story someone else might, and they may not tell it as well" The Monkey
"Let he who is without dogshit on his sneaker, take the first step on the white rug!" Whoopi Goldberg
