The Tribune Online, Page 5

A Family Affair...

In the words of Sly and the Family Stone, "It's a family affair."  I am referring to the recent public discussion between Tavis Smiley and Rev. Al Sharpton addressing matters of concern involving Black Americans. I enter this discussion by referring to a quote from an article written by Tom Joyner: "Tavis and Rev. Al agree that President Obama's agenda has got to include a strategy that will bring African-Americans up from where we are to a place we need to be...not just to survive, but thrive."

This is a quote I could not disagree with more, considering the history of blacks in America. We have been in this nation for over 400 years, allegedly freed since 1865, re-enslaved with Jim Crow, freed again with the "Voting Rights" act and now with a true and viable representative of that legacy in the person of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States...a personification of this noble background....which begs the question, how is it all other peoples can get on a path of progress in this nation (including all races and colors from all parts of the globe) and the "American Negro" just can't get control of his destiny?

There have been so many who have sacrificed their lives to accomplish the goal of a people wanting to make progress but progress subjected to misguidance, deception, destruction by what I call the "HNIC Syndrome", aka the slave mentality, aka "crabs in a barrel" jealousy...and out-right self-hatred...going back to the plantation days when the straw boss or the house servant felt they had some favored position with "massa" as if to be able to say  I know what's best for your slaves...boss.

Booker T. Washington stated that we had to be able to "pull ourselves up by our boot straps" and become economically viable as opposed to simply seeking social acceptance. Elijah Muhammad stated the concept of welfare would constitute a reason to bid economic farewell and these philosophies are coming into play with today's plight in black communities across America.

My point is that no one man, woman, or civil rights group will save us or absolve us of our lazy compliance in this society, with nothing but party, sport and play, and other social foolishness foremost in our minds, except by the singular input of each individual doing no more than making a trip to the nearest poll to vote...with the vast majority too darn lazy to do even this much. Too many people have suffered and died to deliver this "particular race" with nothing to show for it except the desire to publicly beg at the rich man's table.

Negro!! Please!!...

For those of you gearing up for the Tavis Smiley "dog and pony" show at Chicago State University...get it through your thick, wannabe HNIC skulls that the 44th President of the US is not the saviour or deliverer of American black folk, but the leader of a multi-ethnic free society. Now, if black folk can't seem to get their act together after four hundred years of so-called educated leaders, teachers, and preachers then why put this burden on the one man who had guts enough to pursue the highest office in the land at great personal risk to himself and family, eschewing an otherwise financially profitable future?

This Tavis Smiley get-together is no more than an opportunist's road show to sucker white sponsors out of more money...kind of like the old days whereby so-called civil rights leaders and political charlatans would play this "bluff contingency" for more HNIC spotlight.

Tavis...you, Jesse, Michael Eric, and Cornell need to get a life or maybe a "real job" being that all of you combined can't seem to produce any of significance for the black community. 

Black Critics of President Obama

Since the Tavis Smiley's waste of oratory from the so-called black leaders in America with no real solutions, and just more of the perennial rhetoric from talking heads, I would like to suggest just one that will make a difference. Not since the death of MLK, Jr. has there been a leader to actively engage the American society on its treatment of a major segment of its population that's really responsible for what is America.  Mr. King could have easily sold out and became a University Professor or President, or Big Time Minister in some church, or even the head of some even larger Civil Rights Group, or maybe even a TV Commentator with his own TV Talk show, but not him; instead, he chose to stay on the path of self-sacrifice leading to his assassination. It reminds me of the one who lived 2,000 years ago of which Christians around the world celebrate this Sunday...a man who put his life on the line for what he believed right and just for mankind.

As I have stated many times before, the President is not a saviour, a deliverer, a King, or a Jesus, just a man who decided to put his life on the line for a country that he felt strongly in upholding the principles of the great men before him...Jesus, Jefferson, Lincoln, King, etc. They, although flawed in their own way, put principle above life for mankind in the long-run, even though no one profund solution is ever available in an eternally evolving society striving for the higher goals of mankind's existence.

Here's my challenge, especially to Tavis and all of the "pulpit pundits" at his fringe gathering...instead of simply saying "keep the faith" at the end of each of your shows and for those "pulpiteers" during their Sunday Morning Socials...instead of simply saying "Amen", I suggest you say "Just Vote" each time you appear before an audience.        

"Can Tavis Come Back"?

This is a very profound question asked by Tom Joyner in his weekly blog. History reveals that public face and personal pride for many if not most, makes it virtually impossible, because it would make them look like fools or otherwise hypocrites in the eyes of their peers and the public to apologize and sincerely mean it...for they had more than ample time to consider and reconsider their actions before the historical consequences. Unfortunately, the wisdom of their hearts and minds is hardened in the face of destiny.

This was true of the great Pharoah of Egypt and especially the many millions of  religious leaders who have been knowingly keeping people ignorant and poor with their preachings. Preachings...that say you don't have to personally improve with constructive acts of mind and moral, but simply have personal and private faith, of which you will receive a free pass to an eternity of bliss after you die...by simply saying "I'm sorry I did what I did." "Born again! So, now let me go back and pick up where I left off and do it some more." For those who say they truly believe in God, if this doesn't make God look like some sort of sap, I don't what does.

The truth is that your current existence and actions are the determining factor for your legacy after you die for generations to come...good or bad.

Let's see if history is in fact a proven educator. I am not a betting or sporting man, but if I were, I would wager that history will prove to be consistent on the side of truth, about one's actions as opposed to one's words and personal or religious beliefs.

Limbaugh's "Americanism"

In listening to his "Royal Hillbillyness" or the "Lord of the Hicks", Rush is countering "liberalism" with his new jargon "Americanism". It was just before the recent election held this week that "conservatism" was his anecdotal counter to this particular platform. He also used Levin's term "statism" as disdain for this "liberalism".

Allow me to digress for a second. A few years back, I went to see the war flick "Midway" about the battle in the Pacific during WWII starring the old right wing actorial warhorses such as Charlton Heston, who could never ascend to a post of leadership such as Reagan. I believe it was in the epilogue of the movie that it was stated in so many words that this was a tribute to the greatness of the American race. I said to myself, hold on a second, I never saw America winning the war as an American race but as a collection of ethnicities fighting for the greatness of the nation and the promise it held for global humanity. As a matter of fact, terms such as "Americanism" border closely to terms advocating nationalism, and what kind of nationalism is Limbaugh attempting to promote to the saps who listen to him with mush-minded adoration?

Could "Americanism" be code for "Aryan Confederalism"? Could it be a signal to overthrow a duly elected government for his autocratic lust of power, leading his hicks...to...to... a pea-brained haven? I don't know how this con-artist is playing these suckers, but this America belongs to a wide section of various ethnicities who have shared their birth, blood, work, and offspring in wars and will be damned if you think this will be successful in going back to the old "yessa boss" times. What you saw in the election this past week was "independency" in the voting public, not liberalism, conservatism, statism, or Americanism but the free and independent electorate in action, with more to come.

Let's talk about what appears to be the confederation of Arizona, of which I advocated their putting a hold on the immigration issue and to place it on the ballot this November. What's the matter Arizona? Doesn't it merit a vote? I close with the irony of politics. It was just a few years ago, that President Ronald Reagan went to Germany, demanding that Mr. Gorbachev tear down the Berlin wall in order that the East Germans could make the bum's rush on the more prosperous West Germany. Hmmm, parallels from the past?

The "Birth of a Nation"...suffering from the "T-Bag Syndrome"

The symptoms of the "T-Bag Syndrome" apparently started with the right wing radio and TV talk show hosts, infecting people in Texas with wanting to establish "Creationism" as a science, whereby some bearded white man somewhere in the clouds introduced humanity to the earth with two of his white counterparts to produce the human family in six days...not a note of evolution or change in as many years as evidenced by the findings of scientists going back millions of years to contradict the theory.

It then spread to Arizona, whereby the state's confederation took upon itself to be more inclined to harrass people looking like Mexicans, with no initial support from its duly elected national Senators...a state government with national representation, but that be damned in the face of the "T-Bag Syndrome".

It hit in Oklahoma, with its Miss USA contender, espousing "states' rights" whereby blonde-headed bigots could lynch black folks because there was impunity due to the state's right to override the federal government. This makes me understand the cadre of thoughtless "blond-jokes".

It hit in Kentucky with Rand Paul and his meanderings about the "Civil Rights Act", you know the time before when the guy who became the Governor of Georgia, ran out to confront black folks who wanted to do business with him, vowed to use an axe handle to split their skulls before allowing them to eat a meal at his lunch counter? Yeah, those were the days. What's the antidote to the "T-Bag Syndrome"?

Vote! Vote! Vote!...it to death.

Selling Wolf Tickets

Sean Hannity posed the question, "Where will the US be when Israel does what it has to do against the saber-rattling Iran," much like the big mouth Saddam Hussein, the mother of all warriors in Iraq in the promotion of his WMD's? The US will do just fine. Selling wolf tickets is an old street bluff, used while growing up on the neighborhood corners with juvenile youths, of which those who were older and wiser would advise, don't let your alligator mouth overload your butterfly behind...for some one might buy the tickets that you're selling. Therefore, the Muslim world had better advise Iran and other radicals...that BeBe is a stone buyer. 

State Governors...the root cause of the "T-Bag Syndrome"

After doing an anecdotal analysis of the policies and beliefs of various governors, primarily in the South, I concluded that this disease (T-Bag Syndrome) is a residue of the bitterness emanating from the defeat in the Civil War...and the South just can't seem to get over it and on with the future; thus, an overall effort to drag America back into the past of ignorance, kicking and screaming.

I believe the first signs of "the syndrome" began in Alabama, my home state, of which the governor declared "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

The second sign was in the state of Georgia when the guy who before he became the state's governor, met the news media in front of his restaurant, declaring he would use his axe handle to kill blacks who wanted to buy a meal at his lunch counter.

The next notice was in Mississippi, when the governor wanted to honor the traitors to the Union, but overlook the fact that slavery was an issue in his mind's eye, just simply irrelevent in his state's history.

It then migrated up to Virginia, my current home state, whereby the governor wanted to do the same thing, and open Pandora's box each April celebrating the same group of traitors, for the sons of the traitors...also the forerunners of the KKK, the night-riders (midnight murderers); whereby, a class action suit might remedy "the syndrome" in these two southern states with a hefty burden on the taxpayers.

It then leaped over to Arizona with the state's governor acting as a confederacy, wants to dictate to the Federal government as to how it should support an un-approved by the citizens via vote, its issue of immigration policies. Lesson learned from the Civil War is that states don't dictate to the national government by independent fiats...Social Studies 101.

"The Syndrome" found its way into the state of Texas with the re-writing of history and the inclusion of "creationism" as a science, of which I can see the handwriting on the wall. Students from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia can say with glee...we are not the most stump-jumping dumb students in the United States of America.

The state has declared that you can't mess with Texas, and the civilized nations of the world will honor its declaration by advancement in ignoring "the mess" or " the syndrome" coming out of this state.

The Cowards of Conservatism

I submit this comment with fairness and objectivity.  Mark Davis sat in today for "Blubber Butt Limbaugh", and gave his thoughts on why Rand Paul...ran from the media, exuding the kind of cowardice typical of most conservatives, especially those infected with the T-Bag Syndrome. Nevertheless, the all time coward of the right-wing conservatives aka "Mr. Americanism" won't even enter the arena for the Presidency, while convincing political slugs that he has all the answers on his radio program. Say what you want about leaders such as President Obama, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr...they are not, were not and will never be noted in history as cowards, in the tradition of the land of the free and the home of the brave. By the way, I think this Mark Davis is probably as smooth-talking and intelligent as they come, even though a conservative...not an emotional bag of hot-air like "Blubber-Butt". 

Oh! I forgot to mention that tomorrow, "Blubber Butt" will have the Negro Professor from Matchbook U sitting in for him..."Roy Chester", or maybe I'm confusing him with "Boy Snerdley"...what the heck, they both look and sound alike... gobbling turkeys of a feather.

Walter E. Williams, DD (Doctorate of Dumbness)

As stated from the previous article, Walter E. Williams sat in for Blubber-Butt, aka Limbaugh's "Roy Chester". Neal Boortz, the talk show libertarian has a "Roy Chester" too...Herman Caine. Limbaugh's "Roy Chester" was trying to explain or to support Rand Paul's stand on Civil Rights and its relationship to desegregation in such agonizing logic, that the Klan would be as pleased as when the "Roy Chester" of the Supreme Court attempted to undermine the "Voting Rights Act" of 1965. I assume you know of whom I speak?

Anyway, for those who are uninformed about the work of these "Roy Chesters" in their support of the T-Bag Syndrome, States' Rights, limited Civil Rights for Blacks and other minorities, as well as watering down the Voting Rights Act....beware!! Sit on your butts and it just may happen, if you don't vote.

To the "Doctor of Dumbness", Plessy v Ferguson emanated from the use of the "black codes" in keeping blacks in a subservient, docile civil capacity; thus, Jim Crow and segregation. More important than social accommodation was the inability to succeed economically in the free enterprise society; consequently, muting whatever possibility of attaining free and fair citizenship...all other reasons are pure bullsh*t!

Gulf Oil Spill...from a capitalist's perspective

In our free enterprise system, there's a silver lining behind every cloud...if you look hard enough. The right wing conservatives, driven by a capitalist's binge only a few months ago cried aloud the dictum of "drill, baby, drill"! Well, you got your wish in spades... black gold gushing ashore on the Gulf Coast...my former home.

With this spill, it means increased employment in the area in the clean-up process for months, possibly years. It certainly will take years to get this region back to what is considered whole again. It also means the tab will come out of the international coffers of British Petroleum and not out of the domestic governmental coffers in terms of welfare or stimulus subsidies.

This is pure capitalism, with a return on the proceeds paid to private enterprise. You might even want to thank BP in this case of governmental undersight with a laissez-faire attitude for this benefit in disguise...getting paid real money for the sweat of your brow. To you right wingers, don't you just love it? Unchecked capitalism...I'm beginning to smell it as far away as Virginia and it smells like oil.

Give the man a break!!

Yes, I'm talking about the 44th President of the United States, the Honorable Barack Hussein Obama with this deluge of criticism about his patriotism, his lack of economic capitalism, his lack of social support for blacks and Hispanics, his walking the line between Jews and Muslims, his not nuking North Korea and Iran in a single day, his trying to keep an upbeat frame of mind with celebrations at the White House. It's enough to make the average person say you can kiss my butt...for you see, those like the radio talk jocks won't make any personal sacrifices such as entering the presidential race, will they?

I myself would in fact say to all of these whiny-spiny critics, I'm in the driver's seat for the next two plus years, and I'm going to run this "gd" operation the way that I see best for the nation's future, and if you don't like it, vote me out in the next election! Until then, you can stop flapping your lips or place them right square you know where.  You just may get more of what you wish for, like the "drill, baby, drill" episode in the aforementioned article and its illustration of true capitalism.

Quite frankly, I don't see anybody on the horizon that could do any better...black, white, Hispanic, Jew, Christian, Muslim, or any other religious sect or ethnic culture. In my study of the past historical destiny of nations...the tower of babel consequences are unforgiving when the divine quite possibly is making a last ditch effort to lead a bunch of asses out of chaos before total destruction. It happened to Egypt, Greece, Rome, and I don't think America has been endowed by any special  immunity along with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Prez threatens to kick some ass...what's the fuss?

The President seeks out an ass to kick for this mess...maybe, he should have done it much earlier and more often, for Samson slew many with the jawbone of one...

King James Bible, Judges 15-16:

"And Samson said, with the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men."

So, Mr. President, instead of simply going medieval, you might want to go biblical.