brotherpeacemaker

At the Denver, Colorado State of the City address, singer Rene Marie was supposed to open the event with the National Anthem but instead sang Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, commonly referred to as the Black National Anthem. Ms. Marie told a local news network that she kept her plans to switch songs quiet until the very last moment. Ms. Marie said she wanted to express her love of her country by mixing the lyrics of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing with the melody of the Star-Spangled Banner. Said Ms. Marie, “When I decided to sing my version, what was going on in my head was, I want to express how I feel about living in the United States, as a black woman, as a black person.”

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing is a beautiful song. It was originally a poem written by James Weldon Johnson and was later set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. According to Wikipedia, it was first performed in public in Jacksonville, Florida as part of a celebration of Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12, 1900 by a choir of schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal. The song became an expression of patriotism and hope for the future for black people. In 1919, the NAACP adopted the song as The Negro National Anthem. The song was entered into the Congressional Record as the official African American National Hymn.

Rob is the blogger behind Rob’s No Bull Zone on WOAI.com. According to his profile, all we know for sure about him is that he’s United States Air Force Retired. We should also note that he is another person who doesn’t tolerate racial diversity or black people who don’t know their place. In response to Ms. Marie, Rob wrote the following (click here to see his article in its entirety).

“I want to know why I have to know what it feels like to be a black person in America? Would it be right for me to force you to know what it is like to be Puerto Rican in America? No! So why does she think she has the right to do something as stupid as this? Why does she feel she has the right to disrespect this nation and impose her own opinions and views? Does everyone have to take notice of how she feels as a black woman? I am offended that she believes that I should be force fed her view of America.

“What this woman did was stupid and racist. I hope that no one ever makes the mistake of asking this so-called singer to EVER sing our National Anthem again.

“I am truly offended. We need to stop this type of assault on the values of our great country.”

Rob closed his article with a request for people to respond and voice their own opinion of this event. If anyone needed any confirmation of the racism and separatism that continues to exist in America they need only read this article and the train of comments that followed. The hatred many white people have for black people or anything that originates in the black community is evident with the way these good white folks responded. The first four comments follow in their entirety.

“I personally think that what she did was sick and disrespectful. She should be ashamed and punished for what she did.” - peakload

“I agree 1 million percent this a BS!!!!!!!!!!!! I work at a job where it is very new to me how racist black people are to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes me mad and it actually breaks my heart. I never knew their was a black national anthem and so much hate for this country. Never in the the national anthem do we say anything about it only being for white people it is the national anthem not called the white national anthem. If you do not love this country and love all that it stands for leave. Do us all a favor and get the hell out of here. If all you want to do is bring hate and war here leave and take your trash a** somewhere else. I am sick of this pity pity me crap and being held responsible for crap that happen one hundred years ago or longer. Most of us were not even around and in control of it back then. Let it go and stop this bs and racist way of living. I hope this lady is never asked to sing for any event ever again.” - jessica

“she needs to assiimlate with americans-america is not about me-it is about we the people-herself,family and friends should be ashamed of her -total disrespect-she should have been stopped -im sure there are a lot of embarrassed and angered- friends-it just shows there are idiots of all races” - ROOOFR1

“Catch the next flight back to Africa! There is only one National Anthem of for the US….and it isn’t this disgraceful crap. If this country is so bad, so untenable…take advantage of another freedom we enjoy here and get the hell out! Go where ever it is that is so much better than here…believe me…it will be a great gesture to all of us.” - GI Joe

“What I can’t stand is people like this that think they are being anti-racist by clinging to the view that they are some how different from each other due to color of skin or culture and that they need to “stand up” against people trying to stifle it. Personally i don’t see any stifling going on except by the authorities when they’re display of protest get out of hand and then their rights are being oppressed. Constantly claiming that it is so different and so hard to be black, hispanic, white, or whatever is what keeps making it hard. It reinforces stereotypes instead of putting them aside. The Nation is not supposed to be one of cultures or race trying to gain prominence over each other. It’s supposed to be one of cultures and races working together for a common goal. Prosperity, freedom, and the ability to enhance our quality of life. Get over yourselves and quit trying to make others “feel your pain”. The only pain your showing is pain you bring on yourselves.” - Troll

If these responses are indicative of the way the majority of white people feel about the black community it is no wonder that the black community is in the despicable condition we find it today. Somebody wants the woman punished for singing a song. Somebody wants black people to assimilate. By assimilation we can only assume that this person wants black people to check our blackness at the door and become dark skinned doppelgangers of white people. Somebody else says black people need to go back to Africa. These hateful people never think that if they don’t like the fact that black people are entitled to express their right to free speech that they should go back to their caves in European.

Black people are always being accused of playing the race card. Black people should be happy to sing the National Anthem, a song written by white people, for white people, when black people were not even considered people but white people’s property. Do any of these people ever think to wonder how some black people may feel about these facts? Did black people ever get a chance to say whether or not we approved of the Star-Spangled Banner or did we have a choice in the matter?

For a brief moment Ms. Marie gave a small gathering of white people a sample of what it is like to be black in America. For a brief moment in time, white people were subjected to black culture being used to express unity and harmony and national pride. The song is called Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. And for those who know little about poetic license, ev’ry is a poetic way of saying every. It is inclusive of all people. White people don’t like it because it is rooted in black culture. Where is all that bullshit about all of us being American? If a black American wrote it doesn’t it still apply to all people?

It is not just Ms. Marie who plays the race card. The race card is as American as the Stars and Stripes. For these white people, and the black people who think so little of themselves and their African ancestry, black culture is not acceptable as an expression of national pride. Black culture is too, for lack of a more appropriate word, un-American. Only white culture need apply to all Americans. It is safe to assume that white culture can be the voice of all Americans. But for too many people, black culture can never be the voice for white Americans.

Excuse me while I yawn through another celebration of America’s birthday of a country born of freedom and justice, two concepts that are not shared by many people in the African American community.  It’s kind of hard to celebrate freedom and justice when people who are sensitive to the plight of people in the black community have to see the injustice of America.  In the past year Sean Bell’s murderers have been acquitted of any wrong doing when they shot up a man on his wedding day.  The murderers of Martin Anderson were also acquitted for activating his latent sickle cell trait with a baton across his neck and an ammonia tablet stuffed up his nose.  The same government that tells the poor to pull themselves up by their boot strap will move with lightning speed to save Bear Sterns from collapsing.  The Supreme Court decides that people do not have the right to sue drug companies if the FDA approves the drugs.  It’s been a banner year for justice and freedom.

It should be no surprise to anyone that I celebrate America’s birthday with a grain of salt.  The way things are going it’s all I can afford to waste these days.  The price of gas is up.  The price of food is up.  The price of everything is up with the exception of sport utility vehicles and houses.  But with the squeeze on credit and with well over four hundred thousand jobs lost so far this year, jobs that won’t be coming back no matter how well the economy recovers, fewer people can afford to buy a house anyway.  The economy looks bad and the economy for people in the black community, the economy looks even worse.  So I really don’t have a lot to celebrate today.  I have to say that I am hopeful for a brighter future.  But things look pretty bleak at the moment.

Barack Obama and John McCain promise to change things and buck the system.  But the more they talk the more people should realize the more they sound the same.  There’s the promise of lower taxes, an end to war, more education, and more prosperity.  The politicians say they understand what I’m going through.  I found this funny because John McCain admitted he hasn’t pumped or paid for gas since premium was called ethyl and Barack Obama tells black people that black men should show some responsibilities and step up to the plate on Father’s Day following the age old hypocrisy of judging the entire black community based on the negative behavior of a relatively small minority.  Neither one gives me any confidence that they understand my situation at all.

I don’t expect many people from the racially generic dominant community that is predominantly white to understand my situation.  Most white people who have taken the time to read my articles and write a response will reply with hatred and some of the most insensitive comments.  It’s all one America.  But the America that people like Cindy McCain, with her nine figures of inherited wealth, has always been most proud of takes on a totally different perspective when the wealth isn’t quite as vast and the challenges are a lot more challenging.

We have a history of celebrating young blacks who are able to overcome the challenges of life in the black community.  Why?  Because we know that this country does extraordinarily little to help people in the black community overcome the conditions of racial disparity that the dominant community imposed on the black community ever since white people stole our ancestors from their homes back on the continent.  We see the rare example of the truly successful black person who uses his or her natural talent and intellect and a little bit of luck to overcome circumstances that discourages many black people.

Some folks like to wash their hands of the conditions of the black community.  Nobody alive owned slaves and nobody alive was a slave at the peak of America’s institutionalized slavery.  Nobody is blatantly telling black people that they can’t go to school or that they can’t work anywhere they want.  We can’t do anything to discourage people from being racist when they exercise covert racism.  We don’t owe the black community anything.

But on the flipside, we didn’t have to invade Iraq to keep the Iraqi people free.  We didn’t have to help the Taliban refine their fighting skills when Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union.  We don’t have to support Israel to the detriment of the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab community and the Middle East.  We didn’t have to invade Vietnam.  We didn’t have to invade Korea.  We didn’t have to help institute a Marshal Plan to help rebuild Europe after the devastation of World War II.  We didn’t have to airlift food to the people in Berlin when the communist iron curtain fell.  We didn’t have to help the Allied forces invade France on D-Day.  We didn’t have to impose sanctions on Cuba for retaking control of their country.  We didn’t have to bomb Kosovo or stop Slobodan Milosevic from slaughtering Albanians.  We didn’t have to do a lot of things that we choose to do as a compassionate country concerned with whatever is going on with humanity throughout the world.

It is only when we talk about doing something for black people that we start to throw our hands up in the air in frustration and bemoan the fact that we don’t have a responsibility to correct anything that might be wrong.  We can step up to the plate and go far beyond our responsibility for nearly anything that impacts people.  We just don’t have to do anything to help black people.  We don’t even step up to the plate to help black people get on their feet after a hurricane in our own backyard.  And this is the country I want to celebrate?

Just because some of us black people may be doing well individually doesn’t mean that America couldn’t do more to help the entire black community.  It might be true that we are doing better than a lot of black people in the rest of the world.  But we are not living in the rest of the world.  We are living here in America with other Americans.  Other countries aren’t responsible or able to do anything to alleviate the disparity black people live with.  America is responsible and is quite capable.

Maybe things will be better in the future.  Maybe by the time America’s three hundredth anniversary comes around we will finally have a social system that truly respects and appreciates racial and cultural diversity and doesn’t penalize people for being outside a finite definition of what is culturally acceptable.  Maybe by then we will learn that as a nationwide community we all need to be more compassionate for each other.  Maybe by America’s three hundredth birthday we will all be considerably proud of America.  And if we do find someone who isn’t as prideful as the rest of us to be here we will ask what we can do to improve our community instead of showing the animosity and the disdain for others that has become the norm for the way America treats the black community.

“When are black people going to stop blaming white people for slavery?” – Deb

If white people aren’t responsible for slavery, then who is? I’m not sure what some white people want. Is it some white people’s contention that white people are not responsible for slavery? Is it some white people’s contention that they have done enough to undo all the damage done to the black community during , the same damage that continues to manifest itself in the black community today, that they no longer deserve a finger pointed in their direction?

A lot of people make shortsighted statements like no white person alive ever owned a black person and no black person alive has ever been a slave. That little statement might be true. But nevertheless, the black community has never been properly compensated for the unequal treatment that it suffered through America’s institutionalized slavery or through the era of blatant racism that continued long after a law was passed to subject the black community to its substandard status.

Slavery ended years ago. But the conditions that were caused by institutionalized slavery, where the white community enriched itself by not compensating black people for their labor, where the white community could establish programs to educate its population while the education of the black population was neglected, where members of the white community were allowed to accumulate wealth and pass that wealth down from one generation to another, where the black community in general was not allowed to participate in the accumulation of wealth and had nothing to pass down through its generations, continue to exist today.

When will black people stop blaming white people for slavery? I’m sorry but white people are solely responsible for America’s era of institutionalized slavery. I know some people like to promote the idea that black people were capturing other black people and putting them on those slave ships. But it was white people who established that trade with black people and it was white people who sailed those ships across the middle passage. It was white people who enriched themselves in the trade of black people. It was white people who packed black people like sardines into the bowels of slave ships, where black people had to defecate on themselves and each other, making it easier for disease to spread and infect everyone within the hold. It was white people who would toss black people over the rail like a sack of dirt, into the waiting arms of the ocean, when one of the pieces of cargo got sick.

It was white people who created the market of supply and demand that led to America’s institutionalized slavery. It was white people paying for black people at auction. It was white people who kept black people in rickety shacks and on sustenance unfit for white people’s consumption. It was white people that kept black people from learning. It was white people who broke up black families.

It was white people who put laws in government books that made it legal to consider black people nothing more than white people’s property. It was white people who passed laws making it legal to consider black people only three fifths human. It was white people who stood idly by while other white people would whip an enslave black a person within an inch of his or her life. It was white people who were willing to look the other way as black women were raped at the white man’s whim. It was white people who invited other white people like Willy Lynch to develop processes to separate black people from their land, from their families, from their community, from each other, from their culture, from their spirituality, and from any hope that they would ever return home and any hope to be made whole again.

I know there are many who would prefer to absolve the racially generic dominant community that just so happens to be predominantly white of any and all responsibilities for the condition of the black community. But the simple fact is that the white community worked for generations to destroy black people, the black family unit, and the black community. And after America came to its senses and realized that this blatant form of racial discrimination was in fact cruel and intolerable, it was white people who spread the myth that just passing a law to make slavery and racial subjugation illegal was all it took to make restitution to the black community. White people who worked so hard to subject black people did nothing to restore black people. Slavery was white people’s fault and no one else’s. White people were the ones who benefited the most from slavery. Black people were the ones who suffered the most under slavery.

Hey, everybody who was alive during that time is now dead so no one is obligated to do anything to repair the damage that white people have caused. More of the dominant community’s propaganda. The hijackers of the planes that terrorized America on September 11, 2001 died with their passengers and with all the other people who were killed. But that didn’t stop America from taking her wrath out on the Taliban and the rest of Afghanistan. America even held Iraq partially responsible even though the evidence against Saddam Hussein was transparent to a blind man. The perpetrators and the victims were both dead. Yet, America is still there, six years later with four thousand dead troops and a trillion dollar bill for war to show for it.

White people will hold fast to the idea that they’ve done enough to repair the damage to the black community. Black people have welfare, isn’t that enough? If anyone were to ever take an honest look at what race benefits the most from welfare he or she will see that white people are, once again, the biggest benefactors of the various welfare programs. Trust me, if black people were the ones benefiting the most from the welfare programs they would have been terminated a long time ago.

When will black people stop blaming white people for slavery? I’m sorry but white people are responsible for those pages in the America’s history book. The idea that we can change the history of slavery if we stop looking at it is a popular one among many who wish to protect the status quo. The proper question a lot of people should be asking is, when will America take responsibility for the damage it caused, and continues to cause, the black community?

Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.) As he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” They all said, “Crucify him!” He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” - Matthew 27:17-26

The populace of Pilate’s district had a choice to make, to take Barabbas back into their community or to take Jesus the Christ. Guided by people with political status and power to protect, the people made the choice to take Barabbas and Jesus, the man we learned had developed a reputation for teaching and helping all who came to him to develop their own personal spirituality and not be swayed by the materialism and wickedness of the world, was abandoned by the community. More black people should see the similarities between this bible story and the modern political happenings between Barack Obama and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Before people get their panties in a wad let me say the intent of this essay is not to say in any way, shape, or form that Mr. Wright is a modern version of Jesus or Mr. Obama is a sinner on par with the notorious Barabbas or that this is to say that Mr. Wright is being crucified. Please refrain from the comments that refuse to accept the following analogy as it is intended, nothing more than an analogy.

For years, Reverend Wright has been using his church as a force for change in the black community. It is my understanding that Mr. Wright has developed a series of programs designed to help alleviate poverty in the black community. Trinity United Christian Church has grown into a very successful force of change for black people. But it is just one church against a national policy of black community neglect and institutionalized despair. Like the Christian messiah, there is only so much a single entity can do when the established culture promotes an environment of disparity and separation that creates a distinct difference between the people who have and the people who have not.

Reverend Wright has years of experience working for the betterment of the black community in the racially charged environment of the American culture. While many people insist that there is absolutely nothing to keep the black population in its perpetual state of subjugation, it is hard to deny the reality of the black community’s condition that manifest itself with each and every social measure. Black people have to suffer with higher rates of incarceration while simultaneously dealing with higher rates of crime. Black people have to deal with a lack of opportunities for employment as well as a lack of educational opportunities. The black community is usually neglected at all levels of government while white communities are supported and impeccably maintained.

After generations of such abandonment, the hopelessness of the traditionally urban black community manifest itself with black people who are programmed to become the very caricatures of black behavior that are constantly being pumped into the black community through various media sources. What’s the point? The national government of this country would rather twiddle its thumbs and sit on its ass then do anything to pick black people out of the water after a hurricane. If that’s not enough to drive home the point that the black community is not a priority for this country then what is? God damn a country that does not protect its own people.

But we sit on the edge of history where a black man will become the leader of a country that has such a strong history of neglecting and abusing its own black population. Barack Obama had an affiliation with Reverend Wright who has a history of calling attention to America’s disparity. People in search of status and with power to protect will manipulate the public and stoke the fears of people who have a vested interest of keeping the white privilege status quo. Look at who Mr. Obama associates with! Look at what Mr. Obama’s pastor has to say about us, the good people who have done nothing against the black community! Anything that was done to create the disparity that has the black community in its current condition was done so long ago that no one alive is responsible so therefore no one has any social responsibility to undo the disparity and black people need to lift themselves by their boot strap!

With the writing on the wall Mr. Obama finds it more advantageous to kick his affiliation with the black community crusader to the curb. Mr. Obama dismisses his former pastor as a bitter old man who grew up in a bygone era. Mr. Obama is intent to embrace the rather naïve notion that all we need is a dialogue in order to heal racial the racial conflict that continues to plague America. All we need to do is talk and we can stop police beating and killing unarmed black people because the police, in a rather imperfect and deadly impersonation of Don Knots as Deputy Barney Fife, are in fear of their lives.

To add insult to injury, Mr. Obama feels that it is more important to keep certain components of the black community at arms length as well. Mr. Obama cannot find the time in his hectic campaign schedule to visit the State of the Black Union program in New Orleans, Louisiana given annually by Tavis Smily and Tom Joyner. Mr. Obama could not make it to the annual remembrance of Doctor King’s murder at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. It is interesting to see that Hillary Clinton made time to appear at both events. It should be noted that even John McCain, the Republican nominee, made an appearance to appease black voters and make an appearance in Memphis. But Barack Obama can respond to a last minute call to give the commencement address at Wesleyan University for his good friend Ted Kennedy who was struck with a seizure that was later diagnosed as a malignant brain tumor.

And to add further insult to injury, many people in the black community have chomped onto the bitter bit given to us by the dominant community and have joined the bandwagon to express our anger and resentment at Mr. Wright for his attempt to hijack Mr. Obama’s campaign for the white house as some kind of narcissistic opportunity for personal attention. Reverend Wright has worked unselfishly for years to help the black community. Mr. Wright has been trying to educate people for years to the disparity of the black community. But now that Mr. Obama’s opponents can use Mr. Wright’s sermons as a weapon against Mr. Obama, black people now want to condemn the black man that has always manifested an interest for the welfare of the black community.

To many black people, if Reverend Wright is banished to the furthest corner of the Earth to live the rest of his life in obscurity then all the better. Mr. Wright should have stopped being the man he is and doing what he does in order to make it easier for Mr. Obama win the presidency. It is far more important that the black community have a black man in the white house that is more than happy to minimize the problems of the black community with the standard rhetoric that black people need to help themselves as some kind of sign that we have arrived rather than stand with the black advocate who truly has the welfare of the black community at heart.

In all honestly, it does not have to be an either or proposition. It just happened to have developed that way. As someone who is of the opinion that Barack Obama was wrong for not being more supportive of the man that was obviously supportive of Mr. Obama and the black community, I am often described as having little understanding of what it takes to win the office of the presidency.

But the office of the presidency is not the end all, be all for the black community. I have said before and I will repeat, like many black people, I look forward to the day that the oval office belongs to a black person. However, in all honesty any black man will not simply do. The black community should look forward to the day that there is a black man in the oval office that has the welfare of the black community truly at heart. For example, having a black Supreme Court justice that is truly disconnected from the black community is a serious detriment to black people. The generic idea of having a black man on the Supreme Court is truly attractive. The reality of having someone like Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court is a black community nightmare.

This is not to say that Barack Obama in the office of the President of the United States is the equivalent of having Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court. Heaven forbid that thought. This is not to say that Mr. Obama is not the best presidential candidate of whoever remains in the running. The point is that the black community should not be so gung ho to help a black man gain the presidential office without having that black man clearly express his devotion, connection, and affiliation to the black community that we will join the bandwagon to condemn an advocate of the black community, a man that truly demonstrates his love of the black community, to oblivion.

If we continue to believe that the black community is better off having a black president so much so that we don’t need advocates of the black community then we choose to trust government with the black community’s welfare, the very same government that supported institutionalized slavery, syphilis experimentation, and other manifestations of black subjugation and racial disparity. In all honesty, we choose Barabbas and we stand complacent as the true salvation of the black community is hung out in the open to die.

I have no love for thieves, politicians, presidents, or anyone who flagrantly disrespects the law. I don’t have a problem with thieves getting their comeuppance. When Joe Horn of Pasadena, Texas took his shotgun outside his house to shoot the two burglars breaking into his neighbor’s house, two burglars breaking the law, I have no problem. Unfortunately, Mr. Horn made the choice to break the law as well. He shot two unarmed men in the back trying to run from him. However, Joe Horn was acquitted for his crime when a Texas grand jury refused to indict him.

The two men Mr. Horn killed were two illegal aliens from Columbia. Some people feel that the fact that they were undocumented makes it okay that Mr. Horn shot and killed them. However, this was unknown to Mr. Horn when he pulled the trigger on his twelve gauge shotgun. The audio tape that was made when Mr. Horn called emergency operators recorded the altercation when Mr. Horn confronted the burglars. Not once did I hear Mr. Horn ask the men if they had any documentation. I cannot help but wonder if the fact that the two men he shot in the back are referred to as illegal aliens instead of undocumented foreigners has any bearing on the issue. The fact that the men were illegally here was simply a matter of circumstance. Besides, is it some people’s contention that foreigners are not entitled to protection by the law?

I have no problem with thieves getting their comeuppance. I don’t have a problem with murderers getting their just desserts as well. If Mr. Horn made the decision to kill two men by shooting them in the back then Mr. Horn made the decision to suffer the consequences of being a murderer.

Without question Texas is the single state within the union that enjoys a reputation for the highest rate of state sponsored murder. Texas has put people to death on the testimony of a single witness who is legally blind and “saw” the defendant and the victim struggle from a block away with an office building blocking the view. Texas will put people in jail for library book and jay walking violations. While Texas does have a reputation for being hard on some, Texas is very lenient on others. Texas is one of the most fucked up states when it comes to the disparity of murder charges and punishment.

In Texas, a woman with a daughter trying out for a cheerleader competition will hire a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter’s rival. The hit man she tried to hire was an undercover cop. The woman is on visual and audio tape saying that she wanted that woman dead and is ready to pay for it. The woman’s daughter’s rival will be so upset that she would drop out of the competition and the woman’s little girl would undoubtedly win. However, when the woman is busted, with intent and a videotaped confession, the most the woman suffered was a fine and six months of a ten year sentence.

In Texas, a woman with a cheating husband hires a private investigator to track him. When the detective finds the philanderer in the middle of philandering, the woman is called and shows up on the scene. While her husband is walking to his car in the parking lot of the hotel of the illicit rendezvous, the woman uses her high dollar Mercedes Benz to run her husband down. While the man is on the ground, she puts the car in reverse and parks it on top of him. The couple’s daughter is in the passenger seat watching her mother killing her father. But due to its application to specific circumstances associated with only the most reprehensible crimes, the death penalty is not even an option as punishment.

This is the same Texas that threw the book at a fourteen year old black girl who received a maximum sentence of seven years in a juvenile facility for shoving a hall monitor at her Paris, Texas high school. I guess the girl should have made sure she only shoved illegal alien hall monitors.

Texas is tough on crime, but only when there are special circumstances that allows the heaviest punishments to be handed out like the non white condition of the defendant.  It isn’t any surprise at all that Mr. Horn didn’t even get charged. If anything is a surprise it is the fact that it took six months or so for a grand jury to determine that it wasn’t going to indict a white property owner who admitted on tape that he was going outside to kill two men who were never a threat to him or his property. He cocked his twelve gauge rifle and challenged the direct order from the emergency operator telling Mr. Horn not to engage or kill the men. He ran outside, hollered freeze, and shot two men in the coldest of blood. He is one of the most despicable of law breakers. He is a murderer. One day he will get his comeuppance.

Sunday, June 29, 2008
Unity in Unity

Not a cute couple.

Saturday, June 28, 2008
Mugabe Wins

Mugabe wins! But the will of the people was thwarted. Any minute now we can expect the United States to launch another war to liberate a subjected people.

Friday, June 27, 2008
Seven Dollars Per Gallon Gas

We are told to get ready for seven dollars a gallon gasoline in two years? That way, when it only goes up to six dollars a gallon, we’ll be grateful!

Thursday, June 26, 2008
No Corporal Punishment For Rape

The Supreme Court rules that corporal punishment is cruel and unusual in cases of child rape. The last thing this country needs is another excuse to excessively put black men to death?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mugabe Sleeps While People Suffer

Didn’t this guy play Rolly Forbes on that old sitcom Amen with Sherman Hemsley?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Don Imus Again

On Monday’s show, Imus and Wolf were discussing Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones’ request Saturday that people stop using his nickname of Pacman. Wolf explained Jones was suspended from the NFL following a shooting at a Las Vegas nightclub and added that Jones had been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005. Mr. Imus’ next words were, what color is he?

Monday, June 23, 2008
Lieberman Supports McCain

Senator John McCain speaks with Senator Joe Lieberman during a campaign appearance. It appears that the once Democratic Pary member and vice presidential candidate, but now politically independent, is endorsing the Republican presidential candidate.

Saturday, June 21, 2008
McCain Didn’t Love America

Michelle Obama has been, and continues to be, viciously attacked by conservatives for an emotionally charged statement when she said, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country!” People were quick to question Ms. Obama’s patriotism and, by association, the patriotism of Barack Obama. However, on the MSNBC show Verdict With Dan Abrams, it was revealed that John McCain said, “I really didn’t love America until I was deprived of her company”, referring to his imprisonment in Vietnam. I wonder when the conservatives will start their attacks questioning Mr. McCain’s patriotism.

Friday, June 20, 2008
Barack Obama Refuses Federal Money

Barack Obama opts out of taking federal funds for his political campaign! Mr. Obama becomes the first black man in America’s history to actually anger white people by refusing to take a government handout!

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tiger Woods Out For The Season

Obviously in pain, Tiger Woods holds on to his left knee after teeing off at the US Open championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Mr. Woods will miss the rest of the season because his left knee will require more surgery. The impact to the world of golf will be tremendous! Mr. Woods is the epitome of golf and without his appearance interest will seriously wane. At least there is no impact to the black community.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Celtics Trounced Lakers

Congratulations to the forty million dollar slaves of Boston! The Boston Celtics trounced the Los Angeles Lakers 131 to 92. Your owners must be proud.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
God Is Not A Bigot

Two men take an opportunity to plant one on each other to celebrate same sex marriages in California. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people protested saying things such as god hates homosexuals. People shouldn’t say that god is a bigot in order to justify their own bigotry.

Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. But a seriously Happy Father’s Day to the dads doing what they can to help assure a future for the black community.

Saturday, June 14, 2008
Cedar Rapids Foods

Downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa floods in the year of Olodumare.

Friday, June 13, 2008
Detainees Are Entitled to Representation

In a five to four split, the Supreme Court rules that Guantanamo Bay detainees are entitled to due process in America’s courts. Justice Antonin Scalia, writing on behalf of the minority opinion, says that the decision will result in the needless lost of American lives. What can you expect from a man who says that torture is permissible as long as it is not called punishment.

Thursday, June 12, 2008
Google Founder Heads To Space

Sergey Brin, co founder of Google, is spending something like five million dollars, a fraction of his multi billion dollar fortune, to buy a ticket into space.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Ever Shrinking Economy

Over three hundred thousand jobs have been lost so far this year! People have to deal with staggering gas prices, a mortgage and credit crunch causing many to lose their homes, the price of food staples going through the roof, a shrinking economy, and now an extra three hundred thousand people have to deal with all these pressures without a job.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Assassination Of Art

This has got to be the most disgusting art exhibit ever put together! In the picture above, that’s a big black dick that circles the wall of this gallery. The sign in the back says, “Once you go Barack…” The name of the exhibit was The Assassination of Hillary Clinton / The Assassination of Barack Obama. It doesn’t take much to wonder why there was no exhibit with a title suggesting the assassination of any white male political candidates or office holders.

Monday, June 9, 2008
Big Brown’s Big Bust

Big Brown big loser. Maybe now we can get back to some more important news!

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Holyfield Goes Broke

Evander Holyfield’s seventeen bedroom mansion with bowling alley is going into foreclosure. After four championships and after millions and millions of dollars the man is broke. How in the world does that happen?

Friday, June 6, 2008
Abbott & Costello

Rick Kaufman, a school official in Bloomington, Minnessotta, took a tough stance on Abbott and Costello (pictured above) for bringing a confederate flag to school on their final day of classes. The school banned the two from graduation ceremonies. It’s good to see somebody taking this symbol of race based terrorism seriously.

Thursday, June 5, 2008
Obama and AIPAC

It should be noted that yesterday, Barack Obama stood in front of the American Israel Political Action Committee, a Jewish American organization rooted in the Jewish community, and pledged his unconditional allegiance to the state of Israel. When has Mr. Obama stood in front of the African American community and pledged his unconditional allegiance to the black community?

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Democratic Nominee

Thank god that’s over! Now it begins!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Kennedy Leaves Hospital

Senator Ted Kennedy after treatment for his malignant brain tumor said that he felt like a million bucks! A rather low figure considering the senator’s healthcare provider spent about ten million dollars on his treatment! It really pays to be above average people!

Sunday, June 1, 2008
Obama Leaves Church

Barack Obama kicks his church to the curb. After twenty years in the congregation the church is just too controversial for a black politician trying to become president!

I will admit straight off the bat that I know little of fashion. About ninety five percent of my fashion repertoire consists of polo style shirts and casual slacks from Targets balanced by T-shirts and sweats from Walgreen’s. One of my brothers once laughed at me and said that I looked like Carlton Banks when I dress for work and looked like a homeless man when I didn’t go to work. But I’m sorry. I’ll be damned if I ever use credit to buy my clothes. The closest I’ve ever come to watching a fashion show is probably the time I watched Mahogany featuring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams and the other time that I watched the Devil Wears Prada featuring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

When I first heard that Vogue Italia had come out with an all black issue it barely registered on my conscious. It was in an article in the AfroSpear written by ageorgegal published just a handful of days ago. My immediate reaction was one of, “And? What does this have to do with the black community?” I remembered the scene in the movie Mahogany where Tracy, a new supermodel in the world of fashion played by Diana Ross, arranged a photo shoot in the black ghetto. High dollar fashion models were being photographed along with some of the locals from the neighborhood. When Brian, a community activist played by Billy Dee Williams, visited Tracy at the shoot, he looked disgusted and asked how much some of the local people in the neighborhood being photographed were getting paid.

I never thought the world of fashion was a world that was inclusive of the black community. From what I have seen of this ground breaking, all black, Vogue Italia issue I would have to say that I have seen little to assuage my opinion. The only ground breaking, all black, concept is that this issue features all black models. The high dollar designers, photographers, editors, and all the rest of the people who typically work in the development of these issues are still at work behind the scenes. It is the same look and the only thing that has changed is the fact that the ethnicity of the people starring in the pictures is now all black.

Black women are beautiful. And the beauty of the black woman runs the gamut of the beauty spectrum. Like most articles of fashion that includes the occasional black person, this new all black issue focuses primarily on the wickedly famous, high profile, black people who are virtual doppelgangers of their waif thin white counterparts who look emaciated from serious food procurement challenges. While doing some cursory research for this article, I actually read that Carole White, co-founder of Premier Model Management, believes that one reason for the under use of black models may be the collapse of former Eastern-bloc, which led to a new gaunt look fueled by an influx of “white, bland, and very skinny girls” from countries where real food is a bit close to being considered somewhat of a luxury.

I have not seen this issue and I seriously doubt if I ever will. From what I have read the featured women are the typical black models associated with fashion such as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Alek Wek, and Liya Kebede. Somebody even blew the dust off of the relative antique Iman and put her back in front of the camera. All of these women are the rather thinner than average, taller than average, keen nose, high cheek bones, large doe eyes, small chin, and straight hair when there’s hair regardless if it is natural or not. Black women run the gamut. However, all too often black people are relegated to the often promoted concept that provocative black beauty is that which best mimics the standards of European beauty.

As a black person I hate the idea, the fact that people will judge me based on what they see without actually getting to know me. I am shorter than average, rather stout for my height, and about as far from a male model as one can get. On the beautiful human scale, I would register more on the Quasimodo or the Hunchback of Notre Dame side rather the Tyrese Gibson and Tyson Beckford side. I would have to work considerably harder than I do just to be considered average. Now I have to ask myself, why in the world would I spend my time and my dime to support a corporate industry that actually works exceedingly hard to make me feel even more insecure than I am already? On top of that, the fact that I am black obviously is something that does not go over very well in the fashion industry. I’m about as close to looking European as Mr. Potato Head without the moustache.

Why black people would knock themselves out to support Vogue or Elle or Mademoiselle or even Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, which unsurprisingly does little to promote concepts of true Africans in the Diaspora beauty, is truly beyond my ability to fathom. These books are designed to do nothing but prey on our individual vanity and help guide us in our never ending quest to promote facades of status and materialism on our friends and families and whoever else happens to look our way while we wear our status symbols of fashion. Instead of somebody looking at me and thinking that I might have my act together I’d rather people get to know me. My act does not depend on what I wear or what people who don’t even know me think about me based on how I look. I would like to think that I am deeper than that.

With all that said I cannot help but remain hopeful that the Vogue Italia issue does well with all the people who care about that kind of thing. I would suspect that there are a lot of people waiting for this issue to flop. An unsuccessful result would confirm people’s suspicion that black skin, black people, does not sell well. An unsuccessful result would confirm that the fashion industry is correct to keep black models on the outside or the down low because the market can only tolerate a few black subjects.

I hope this issue sells more than any issue in Vogue’s history. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt if a wildly successful run would put to rest all the nonsense that no name black models would scare away business or is just too much of an issue to be confronted. In an interview with Cathy Horyn, Italian Vogue photographer Steven Meise put it best. “[It’s] ridiculous, this discrimination…It’s so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place. Age, weight, sexuality, race, every kind of prejudice.” Some people are just simply working too hard to make true diversity just a distant dream or hope.

I got this hookup from blueollie!

A lot of people believe speculation is driving the price of oil to exorbitant amounts. With the housing bubble popping like a birthday balloon after speculators wreaked havoc and inflated home prices exorbitantly and the credit marking shrinking like a cashmere sweater washed and dried on the hottest setting in the Maytag, many speculators in control of large sums of money to invest are looking for something that will maximize their returns. Hey! It’s perfectly reasonable. Oil is something that’s getting more and more precious each and every single day! With so many investments petering out why not buy oil at a reasonable price and jack it up in the future’s market for all people think its worth?

For all of us who never thought about it, financial speculation is a fundamental part of capitalism. Buy low and sell high. The vast majority of people in America are looking for each and every advantage over their neighbor. Most people believe that it is their god given right to make a dollar by screwing everybody else on the planet. Didn’t Mahatma Gandhi become the icon of India because somebody in Britain wanted to make money for the government by taxing India’s salt, a staple for the vast majority of people and a rather plentiful commodity? Somebody was actually thinking, screw’em, if they want salt they gotta pay!

In a free market, people will look for any advantage to gain wealth as quickly as possible, as exclusively as possible. Everybody is looking for some kind of handout. Billionaires in mansions big enough to have their own zip codes will stay up at night doing their best to figure out ways to develop business ventures that would take a homeless man’s last nickel. Don’t look now but somebody is out there trying to figure out a way to pass a cardboard box tax. Get ready to pay up homeless man! It is saddening to see that the chief motivating factor of human nature these days is insatiable personal greed.

Somebody has figured out that investing in oil is permission to virtually print money. The funny part is that many of these people who are speculating in oil are using our own money as a weapon against us. Many of the investment funds that hold our 401k savings, Individual Retirement Accounts, money markets and other financial instruments that are above my understanding are taking our individual pools of money, lumping them into a giant tsunami of wealth to speculate in the oil futures, and are now drowning us in four dollar plus oil when just two years ago we were paying less than two bucks.

Speculators who invest other people’s hard earned money are ruthless. They insist that companies screw people for every cent their worth. Case in sad point, when Exxon/Mobile only made twelve billion dollars the quarter after it made eleven billion dollars, its investment rating was downgraded a bit because investors were expecting fifteen billion dollars. Investors are fueling Exxon/Mobile and the other petrochemical giants to make as much money as they can at the expense of the public’s welfare. Investors are speculating that they can inspire the oil companies to make as much money as possible if they want to keep growing their already considerable stock prices. More, more, more!

Speculation has driven up the cost of healthcare. Healthcare is one of the most precious commodities these days. Healthcare is almost more valuable than oil. Most countries have instituted a universal healthcare system that has eliminated the chance that insurance companies can make considerable profits on denying people adequate medical care. But here in America there are so many people willing to defend insurance companies’ right to make a dollar by denying medical care. Profits are down? Just say no! Instead of using healthcare premiums to hire doctors to provide more services to more people most companies hire lawyers to cover their legal exposure when they deny coverage. We are willing to allow people to make money at the risk of someone else’s life. Now that is nothing but the most despicable form of financial speculation at its finest.

American speculators are willing to tolerate people losing their lives and suffering immense financial losses because of the high cost of medical care. But when gas goes up to four dollars a gallon then we need to get some answers from the oil company executives and get our politicians involved so we get to the bottom of things. Even the American people have standards as to how far we’re willing to let things go. We have seen the speculators, and they are us.

As a people, we are willing to let speculators run amok and do whatever. For years we have allowed greed to turn other people’s lives upside down and even snuff them out without the slightest peep of dissent. Many of us are willing to let speculators turn our worlds upside down because if the situation was reversed we probably would not hesitate to take every advantage to make money at the expense of even our poorest neighbors. God bless capitalism!

Right after he won the Democratic Party presidential nomination Barack Obama paid a visit to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an advocacy group that lobbies the United States congress and white house for strong American support of Israel. It is ranked as one of the most powerful and influential lobbying organizations in Washington. Obviously these people feel the need to receive assurances from Mr. Obama that if he is fortunate enough to win the oval office he will endeavor to protect Israel and its interest from any and all enemies.

The racially generic dominant community which happens to be predominantly white needs these assurances from Mr. Obama as well. When the clip of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright making statements of support for Mr. Obama that many people found offensive became so popular, the dominant community demanded that Mr. Obama take the steps necessary to put their fears to rest. Many people demanded that Mr. Obama denounce his pastor of twenty years and quit his church. Mr. Obama tried to appease the dominant community with his oratory about racial healing. But that wasn’t enough. Many people said it was too little too late and they needed more to feel comfortable with the black candidate.

However, when Mr. Wright made his appearance on Bill Moyers Journal and explained that Mr. Obama was a politician that needed to make certain gestures for the sake of his campaign, and after Mr. Wright went before the National Press Club saying that an attack on the good reverend was an attack against the black church, Mr. Obama had enough. He responded with indignation and outrage calling for a divorce from his long time spiritual mentor, making another attempt at appeasement for the dominant community.

But, for some odd reason, many people in the black community feel that black people are not entitled to any assurances from Mr. Obama that he wants to protect the interest of the black community. When Jeremiah Wright made his comments about racism in the black community, Mr. Obama made it a point to assure people that he does not share the pastor’s sentiments. Mr. Obama dismissed his pastor as an angry bitter black man of a bygone era. The reverend’s rant had no merit.

When Mr. Obama made his statement in response to the district attorney of Jena, Louisiana charging six black students at the local high school with second degree attempted murder for a school fight with a white student, Mr. Obama was careful to make his statement as politically correct and as racially neutral as possible. His statement was a call for racial healing on both sides of the racial fence. The fact that the whole issue started when white students hung racially provocative nooses in response to black students sitting under a tree normally reserved for white kids is nothing that needs attention. We can mend the racial divide and come together as one.

Tell a victim of rape that he or she needs to put the rape in the past and come together with their rapist. Tell the various victims of muggings that they need to heal with their muggers. Only crimes of racism are solved with calls for the perpetrators to heal with their victims. Like many, Mr. Obama feels that the real crimes associated with racial prejudice are of a bygone era and what we experience these days are nothing more than misunderstandings of perceptions. There is no need to give any attention to issues that affect the black community.  We are supposed to believe that there is nothing keeping the black community in its poor condition other than the black men who refuse to take on their responsibilities as fathers.

If only Mr. Obama could fit black people into his busy schedule he might be able to take a step back, listen, and develop a fresh understanding of what our interests are. If only he could make an appearance at a black organization that isn’t just another church hungry for rhetoric he might be able to convey to the black community his plans for protecting our interest. But with commencement addresses to be given at Wesleyan University and appearances of assurance at AIPAC, Mr. Obama just doesn’t have the time, or desire, to make any appearances to allay any black people’s fears.  The black community needs to lift itself by its boot straps.

Besides, why should he? Black people require nothing from Barack Obama. We should assume that our interests are protected because Mr. Obama has black skin. No black politician would ever do anything to betray the trust of the black community. People who expect black politicians to clarify their position on issues pertaining to the black community are defeatist and house Negroes who are trying to sabotage the black politician’s run and keep black people from obtaining political power. The black politician needs to get white people’s votes so we should know that he’s trying to keep it on the down low.

Political power has always been kind to the black community. Black people have always been able to trust in politics for the social changes needed to bring equality to the black neighborhoods. That’s why black neighborhoods are thriving so well now.  Black people can trust each other without question because we know that no black person would ever do anything against another.

No one ever says that white people who ask white politicians tough questions about issues close to the white community are sellouts or defeatist. White people who ask tough questions are depicted as shrewd voters making sure they protest their interest. Mr. Obama is free to stand before whoever needs his assurances and will give detailed descriptions of why people should feel comfortable for supporting his bid for the presidency. But black people needn’t worry. He’s got that black skin after all. Sure we can trust him. He’s always had the black community’s true interest at heart despite anything we’ve ever seen to the contrary.

Black people who want to ask tough questions of the black candidates, who want assurances for the black community, really should learn to trust more and get over their victim mentalities. Black people really must learn to expect nothing from our black politicians.