Obama

This week, the award for African-American Flavor of the Month goes to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who said he is considering a presidential run in 2008. Why would a politician who has only held a major seat for a few years consider such a high post? Because, like so many others before him, he believes the African-American vote is there for the taking. It’s not uncommon for a politician to show up at a church with a large black congregation a week or two before an election and encourage them to get out and vote. There is a misconception that African-Americans as a whole are lazy and naive when it comes to the election process, and their minds can be changed right up to the time that the polls open. I say misconception because it would be a serious miscalculation on the part of any campaign manager to believe that in 2006 African-Americans don’t have this voting thing down pat. In a time when unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, single parent homes and a high level of hopelessness are rampant in the African-American community, if they think African-Americans don’t have a desire to see things improve, they don’t have their fingers on the pulse of the community. Today, more than ever, African-Americans want accountability from those who claim to have their best interests at heart. That means politicians must come with more than a common color campaign slogan and shouts of “I’m Black and I’m Proud” to garner the African-American vote. Al Sharpton found this out in 2002, and anyone who would follow a similar path also is doomed to fail. Yes, like every community, there is an element that can either be easily swayed with promises of false dreams or is uninterested in the process as a whole. But that element is in the minority, and the politician of today must realize that he or she is dealing with a community that has become highly educated about the political process. The Bush/Gore race changed the dynamics of politics and awoke a sleeping giant that has plenty of pull. From the barbershops and beauty salons to the suburbs to the degreed and non-degreed, the conversations about politics is running the gamut in the African-American community. This brings me back to Sen. Obama, who recently said a run for the Oval Office was not beyond his realm of possibilities. No doubt such a run would require the support of the African-American community to have any chance of succeeding, and Sen. Obama and his team are counting on that support. But what has changed and what Sen. Obama must understand is that the African-American voter has options and is well aware of what those options are. Kwesi Mfume campaigned heavily in the black community during his race for the Senate in Maryland and lost decisively in the primary because African-American politicians are not realizing that there is a more conscious voter who has not only been lied to historically by Caucasian politicians but by African-American ones, too. African-American voters are flocking to the Republican side because they have choices, and it doesn’t always have to be Democratic. There was a time when African-Americans were heavy Republican voters, but recently they have been pigeonholed into believing that Democrat was the only way to go and to vote any other way was a strike against your blackness in the community. But with soaring drug usage, higher crime and a homicide rate so high -- if it was in a Third World country, it would be called genocide -- the African-American voter is looking for more than a politician of the same color. African-Americans are looking for a representative that will carry out promises and bring about some positive changes. Sen. Obama would be smart to heed this before embarking on a national campaign.

FreeFlowing

Money Bags Pt. 1
If you have an extra $3 million lying around and you want to buy a child then head to the impoverished African nation of Malawi and all your dreams can come true. If you don’t believe me then ask the faded material girl Madonna whose money was rich enough for the country to suspend their laws forbidding adoptions by foreigners. Imagine having a job as Madonna’s assistant and your task for the week is find a country gullible and weak enough to accept money for the rights to a child. Aren’t such transactions illegal? In return she’ll ‘donate’ a couple million to an orphanage to help those poor children left behind. Oh yeah, the orphans must be taught with the kabbala curriculum and for an extra million we’ll record the whole damn thing and make a documentary. “Hey Boss I’ve found the perfect suckers and they said they’ll even put some boys in a lineup and you can pick who you want,” said the assistant. “You’re kidding me, Angelina told me it was a done deal as soon as you flash the cash but I didn’t believe it would be that damn easy” said Madonna. “Hell at that price I need to get two.”

Who’s Crazier?
So football star Terrell Owens drops a few extra pills and the media labels him crazy, suicidal and all kind of unpleasant names. Then a white athlete, New York Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle, pilots his plane straight into an apartment building and he’s a sympathetic figure in that same media. As far as wagering on whose crazy I’m betting the house on Lidle.

Pedophilia
So Rep. Foley was able to keep his job even though he had been preying on underage boys for years and his boss knew about it. Imagine having a job where you could solicit teenagers for sexual games and acts and your supervisor is aware of it and lets you stay employed even though the teenagers work in the same place as the pedophile. In a day and age where people are being fired daily from their jobs for having so called inappropriate things on their computers it’s odd that Pedophile Foley was allowed to stay employed- in Congress at that. Meaning that place is crawling with Pedophiles and the gifts those interns must be receiving to keep their mouths shut are to die for. Envision your congressional members sitting under a sign with the words Birds of a Feather Flock Together and then you’ll understand how Foley was able to keep his job.

Money Bags Pt. 2
A $600 million sprawling complex is being built for U.S. personnel in Iraq where running water, electricity; housing, employment and way of life are scarce for the natives. And you wonder why the country is in the midst of a civil war. Good job Mr. C-Average!!!

And You’re Surprised?
A New York City Police Caption is under fire for telling his officers to stop and search all black males coming through a certain subway stop in the city. I’m just surprised somebody told on him because orders like this are given everyday if people want to be truthful.
Sellout of the Week
The second dancer involved in the Duke Rape case has contradicted the testimony of the accuser and in essence is siding with the three defendants. All I want to know is how much did she get paid to pull this stunt? If the accuser was lying and the second dancer knew it, why didn’t she come forward and refute the initial allegations and stick to that story? Again, all I want to know is how much did she get paid to pull this stunt?

What the Hell Is That Pt. 1?
Reality Television

What the Hell Is That Pt. 2
More Reality Television

Under The Radar
1) Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
2) Israel’s preparing to bomb Iran

I Can Do It But You Can’t
So the United States and Israel can have nuclear warheads but North Korea and Iran can’t?

LOCKDOWNS = POLICE STATE

In the last two weeks there have been a rash of school shootings around the country that have resulted in heightened security methods. From Las Vegas to Colorado to Pennsylvania, outsiders have entered schools and taken the lives of children. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so. Hear me out before you disagree with my assessment. Everyday our government is moving this country closer and closer to a total police state. They have created this terrorist movement complete with characters named Osama and Al Queeda to scare the average citizen into giving up what little rights you have left. The adult population has for the most part been exposed to the capabilities and powers of a police state and has thus far cooperated. But the youth is a different equation. They are rebellious, open to different theories, and much more suspicious of the powers that be. Thus, in order for a police state to be effective all citizenry must be in compliance and fear of the leading powers. At this point the youth as a whole fear no one. Thus, the practice runs the last few weeks in which schools all around the country have been locked down and parental access denied or delayed are important in a bigger picture. Yes, there were deaths but that is also important as it’s used as a scare tactic against the youth. The government must gain the support of the youth and have figured out that they can’t do it on television, where their message must compete with the likes of MTV, and they can’t do it on the air waves where Kanye West and 50 Cent have their ears more than Bush. So the government needed to tighten up its game and move in closer and the schools are the perfect setting. We are your friend, we will protect you from these creatures and we’ll move you to a safe setting because the school personnel and your parents have failed to protect you so your friendly government will do the job. As tight as security is in schools today and you’re telling me that outsider after outsider is able to gain access to schools across the country in a deadly 10-14 day period. To gain entrance to my children’s school you damn near have to give a blood sample and are fingerprinted just to get YOUR child. The process is so grueling that you leave wondering if your child really belongs to you or the school. Look, the United States has a long history of scrupulous activities and in the last ten years it has increased its level of brazen behavior. To stage these hideous acts is not beyond its realm of possibilities. Remember 9/11 and New Orleans in case you’re having a hard time picturing the devious actions of your government. Throw in the devastation of Iraq and complicity in Israel’s destruction of Lebanon and you get what I’m talking about. I didn’t even bring up Hiroshima or the small pox incident. In other words, is it beyond the US to stage shootings in school to scare the young? No it isn’t. The youth have to be reined in so that government can control them and the lockdown of schools and the tightening of security that will come from these acts is a step in that direction.

LATE ASS COLIN

When Colin Powell recently announced that he was fired and mistreated by the Bush administration I could hear the words of Clarence Thomas ringing in my ears. “This is a high-tech lynching,” is what Clarence declared when HE decided that the powers that be were doing him wrong. Now here comes Colin crying about his treatment some three years after they threw his ass out of the White House. It’s called the White House you ignorant Negro. Your stay was only going to be temporary and you enjoyed your status while you where there. You fell right in line with the status quo of the government and you upped the ante with your bogus America’s Promise program. You enjoyed the benefits and you never stopped to question the moral basis of what you were participating in with the devilish Bush administration. When you could have made a difference to the country, world and black community, you took a pass and now we should give a damn about your feelings being hurt. Pleeeeezeee. Folks have real issues today (poverty, homelessness, divorce, gas prices, etc…) and your whining about how you were sent out the door will fall on deaf ears. Shut your mouth, enjoy the cushy payout they gave you and go write your book.

Stop Whining Bill

It is comical to hear former President Bill Clinton whine about his portrayal in the recent ABC 9/11 movie. No, Bill is not at fault by himself for the Bush administration is the main culprit but Bill is guilty, too. Even if he was free of guilt for 9/11, which he isn’t, this would be karma for all the things he did but didn’t get caught for. Seeing him whine is like sitting in the stands at a basketball game and watch the coach jump up and complain that his team is being cheated when we see that clearly isn’t the case. His team is just guilty of committing fouls, he’s guilty of sideline abuses and so you keep yelling, “Sit down coach” recognizing that Coach is finally getting his due. In his defense, Bush and other outside forces (Israel) bare a huge portion of blame for the before, during and after of 9/11. Evidence leads back to the Bush administration as carrying out the attack on its own homeland but it’s been guilty of such acts before (Oklahoma City, medical experiments, Pearl Harbor, etc…) and will commit such acts again. The war in Iraq and Israel’s invasion of Lebanon are lonely part of a larger plan being carried out by Bush and his cronies. Iran and Syria are next on the list and they know it. Think they don’t know they are the final pieces in a bigger picture of power, land, oil and history. But Clinton is guilty of power abuses that are only outsized by the incredible arrogance of Bush and his money-grabbing frat brothers, family, business associates and political allies. Aside from the Monica gate foolishness Clinton imprisoned a record number of Black males, cut a boat load of problems beneficial to the black community and society as a whole, oversaw the cutting of required fairness (quotas) at colleges, never addressed the social ills plaguing the communities (increase in drug addicts, homicides, unemployment). Not to mention the growing number of high school dropouts that he never paid any attention to, even though Hilary was supposedly touting this “It Takes a Village” theme. The violence and looting of riches and resources in Africa never got a second look on the humanitarian issue. Millions died in senseless violence as Clinton’s foreign policy allowed and encouraged the wars raging in the Homeland. Damn the people, prostitute the land. So how he is portrayed in the movie is really not indicative of what he should be accused of. Plus, this negative portrayal doesn’t help Hillary’s potential Presidential run. Even though their marriage is a shame they are still husband and wife and the public recognizes that when it comes time to vote. To me, he’s getting off easy. Hell, I didn’t even mention the number of people associated with Clinton that ended up dead or imprisoned. Oops, I just did.

Condo-sleeee-zza

Do not act surprised that an educated, black person would compare the continued existence of slavery during the Civil War to the war in Iraq as Condosleeeezza Rice recently did. She doesn’t know anything about true Black History and if she does then she’s consistently putting on an awfully good dumb blonde act. You see, ignorance is not limited to poor, black, white and Hispanic folks as most media outlets have led you to believe. As a matter of fact, I would put my money on there being a large amount of rich, college bred folk who not only don’t have a clue about history, yesterday and today, but are willful partners in destroying and suppressing what little truth still abounds in our society in the 21st century. Ms. Rice has been programmed by our government to serve it and only its needs and wants and she has become an expert at doing such. Coming down to earth and doing an interview in a magazine geared towards common, black folk would do nothing but expose her for the ignorant fraud that she is. She doesn’t associate with common folk so how could anything she says resonate with the common folk. For her to do anything but put her foot in her mouth and sound anything but uninformed would have been the surprise. This is one of her quotes when questioned about George W. Bush’s response to the New Orleans situation, “I resented the notion that the President of the United States, this President of the United States, would somehow decide to let people suffer because they were black. I found that to be the most corrosive and outrageous claim that anybody could have made, and it was wholly and totally irresponsible.” That sounds like “Don’t you’s bee’s talking bout my Massa, he’s been good to us and we.” Negro, wake up!!! She is brilliant at what she does and that is to protect the best interest of the Zionist influenced government of the United States. She might have come from the back woods of Alabama, a hub of racism during her formative years, but that is something that is relevant only when it needs to be used for her benefit. You know like taking pictures with her Black family during Black History Month or appearing with some Black folk on Martin Luther King Day. Rice is like a drug-induced zombie who no longer has any ties to that which she really is – A Black Person. If you began to hold a conversation with her on the history and state of black folks you would get the same blank stare that a nodding, drug addict would give you. She has been shot up with power, government lies and a promise of everlasting success as long as she renounces what she really is. Yes, she has sold her soul to the devil but she eats and lives well. In her defense, some of us have sold our souls for less but still that doesn’t excuse her actions. She doesn’t write her own words, she only repeats what has already been written for her and she does a damn good, believable job of it. If you’re going to walk with the devil then you best put on your fire suit and do the greatest job of devilry that you can. So don’t be mad or surprised at Condi’s actions and words, just realize that she’s gone from reality and the black community and she won’t be back.

Morehouse and the Mystique Question

I watched the video of the latest Morehouse graduation ceremony and it gave me chills and brought back memories of when I walked the halls of the famed institution and I was proud. Then I read the edition of Black Enterprise which recently released its annual listing of colleges and saw how Morehouse had dropped from first to 45th. That is one hell of a drop on any kind of list especially one that list academics as one of its criteria. I also read the story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution which questioned whether the Mystique is leaving Morehouse in light of the recent death of one of its students and how it occurred. The young man was tortured and killed by one current and three former students over some money they thought he had. They ended up walking out with $20, a murder rap and a major role in embarrassing themselves and their school. Yes, convicted rapists, murderers and thieves have their issues in prison but former college students turned murderers will have a lot of issues and problems in prison. Good luck you idiots!!! But my column is not centered on this particular issue but more so on the aura surrounding Morehouse. It is the only institution of higher learning for black men in the country and its alumni is a who’s who of success. It is unique and has maintained a status of high achievement for over a hundred years and produced Martin Luther King Jr. and Sr., Spike Lee, Maynard Jackson, Edwin Moses and the list could go on with countless bankers, lawyers, government officials and so on. But what has been overlooked, until Black Enterprise brought it up, was the enormous amount of brothers who never make it out of Morehouse. According to the latest figures, Morehouse graduates only 49% of it students and that’s the official count. One thing I’ve learned is that an official count is never, ever correct and so I would surmise that the graduation rate is even lower. But we’ll go with the 49% for this writing. You see, Morehouse and Spelman are to the black community what Harvard and Yale are to the white community. They are the elitist schools where the brightest of the bright go, where entry into validates the struggle and progression of one’s family. These schools have lineage and that is just as important as passing chemistry or English. But what Harvard, Yale, Morehouse and Spelman also have are mystiques that cloud the true identity of what they are. They are colleges just like Alabama State and Howard and Hampton. But they cost a whole lot more and don’t think high tuition cost and low graduation rate don’t have a connection. It’s a myth that everyone who goes to Morehouse is wealthy, yes there are those who come from well-to-do households but they are not in the majority. Many of those who I went to Morehouse with didn’t have a clue where the money for next year’s or for that matter next semester’s tuition was going to come from. Was it going to be financial aid, grants, scholarships or money that just dropped from the sky? Many of us had to work a job or two to get tuition and spending money. The out-of-state cost to attend Morehouse is extraordinary and most of the college’s students come from outside of Georgia. Yes, I know Spelman is more expensive and its graduation rate is in the low 70’s but let’s be real. Families will have yard sales and sell blood to ensure Baby Girl has tuition for next year but Baby Boy is a man and he needs to be a man and figure it out for himself. The mentality is different in Black communities when it comes to putting males and females through college. Another factor in the low graduation rate at Morehouse is that some cats just don’t like it and the experience. The elitist attitude is not for everybody and the facilities don’t compare to the local university at home. So you can go back home, sleep in your own bed, get up and go to class and come home to Mama cooking dinner and you get hang out with all your friends you’re familiar with. Sounds pretty good!! But here’s something Black Enterprise overlooked, the graduation rate is down for black males across the country and has been for years. However, until recently, Morehouse has been able to withstand a little better than most. What’s happening at Morehouse now is across the board and it has more to do with economic conditions than some mystique. Each year I was at Morehouse I saw more and more people leave either through their own will or because of circumstances. That doesn’t have a damn thing to do with mystique those are just facts of life. Is Morehouse perfect? Far from it for I could tell you some stories that would leave your mouth hanging open. Could they do more to get brothers across that stage? Absolutely and administration has to take a big chunk of the blame for the falling graduation rate. Could its star studded alumni play a bigger role? Certainly but that would have to mean that they acknowledge that there is a problem and get involved in more than just Homecoming. Huge egos are plentiful among Morehouse Men.But let’s not take lightly the 49% of Morehouse students that do graduate and give them their just due. That means out of some 3,000 males, close to 1,500 of them will graduate at some point. Now, when they figure out how to get the 1,500 other ones to graduate then they should bottle how they did it and sell the formula nationwide. But until the black community as a whole figures out how to raise the graduation rate for black males in not only college but high school as well, let’s slack off the bashing of the mystique and give credit where it’s due

Marion Jones

During the 1990’s when I first heard about this black, teenage, high school phenom in California, who was not only out running grown folk but breaking records doing it, my interest was peaked. When I finally saw her, she was not only fast and attractive but lived up to all the hoopla surrounding her. Then she proceeded to destroy the nations and world’s best in any race in which she competed including winning five gold medals at the Sydney Olympics. She was good, so good that you knew something wasn’t right but you just couldn’t put a finger on it. Then came the doping allegations and you knew there had to be some validity to them. Her ex-husband (CJ Hunter) and her Baby Daddy (Tim Montgomery) were both found guilty of using steroids and banned from competition. Her coach (Trevor Graham) was implicated in a drug scandal and the man whose company made the illegal drugs (Victor Conte) has provided detailed info on what and when Jones was using. She has had an extraordinary career but she cheated. Her latest drug test has come back negative even though the first sample was positive. But it doesn’t matter, Jones is forever tainted and it was long before these results came back. She can scream all day long about all her drug tests coming up negative but if Average Joe can beat a drug test for a job you best believe that a athlete worth millions to sponsors, advertisers and herself can beat any drug test available. If everybody around you was a cheat, then chances are you a cheat too. Broke folk hang with broke folk and rich folk hang with rich folk. You are what you surround yourself with. Throughout life, I’ve seen people cheat at things and not get caught so does that mean they’re not cheaters? Nope, it just means they were damn good at devising ways not to get caught. That is the group that Marion Jones falls into and as painful as it is to admit that’s the truth. With this latest drug sample coming back negative, Jones is free to run again but she will never be able to outrun the allegations that have ruined her legacy. Could she have won five gold medals without using performance enhancing drugs? The thing is we will never know and neither will Jones. I can’t help but think that when I first laid eyes on her during her teenage years and watched her blow away the competition that might have been the only period of her career when it was pure Marion Jones.

Poetically Speaking

Historical, true to their culture, a desire to be free
The truth is a lie, the lie is the truth is what they see
A never ending search for that missing key
I’m looking for someone Black like me

Respect for woman, child, self and family
Can feel the pain and hear the slave cries from the sea
Knows this battle is not about I but more about we
I’m looking for someone Black like me

Willing to sacrifice material to know the significance of history
To be open to that which is unknown, the quest for our deed
Unafraid to take on the powers that long to be
I’m looking for someone Black like me

No crab in a basket syndrome, no fifteen minute celebrity
Knowing you always a Nigga to them, that’s their testimony
But be willing to overcome, go deeper, the quest is true liberty
I’m looking for someone Black like me

Ancestors died as slaves and you live to be the white man’s commodity
Brothers killing Brothers, bringing a fake gangsterism to our community
Living among the spoils and remnants of illiteracy and poverty
I’m looking for someone Black like me

Pray to a higher being, you chose who you want it to be
You Black, I’m Black whether you study Islam, Judaism or Christianity
Don’t be fooled, there’s more to this life thing then their A to Z
I’m looking for someone Black like me

I hear the history of Mother Africa, see the opposite in the inner city
Listen to the words of the people, leave you wondering who they be
Don’t they know they started civilization, setting the world free
I’m looking for someone Black like me

Don’t need no lying television, keep your cable channels and all that BET
I know royalty when I see it and it looks just like you and me
Keep your buck dancing, booty shaking Negroid lost in the breeze
I’m looking for someone Black like me

I’m looking for someone Black like me
Seeking the truth of our history
Not scared of the powers that be
I just need to find someone Black like me