tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81786876586192269922012-01-18T00:31:49.940-06:00Insights on Race, Culture and "Living in the Light"Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.comBlogger2711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-6114211107529020972012-01-10T16:18:00.003-06:002012-01-11T18:08:35.115-06:00

First of all, a belated Happy New Year!!! In retrospect... Just a few 2011 things that I started writing about, but - as has increasingly been the case with me - sat, as drafts: It’s official. We’ve got bragging rights to our First, Black Murderer-in-Chief. No need to really go further into that except to say - Black folk, please stop conflating him with MLK!  That many of you see him as the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-9047853840449551652011-12-30T00:11:00.001-06:002011-12-30T00:12:38.331-06:00

Posted over at The Intersection of Madness & Reality last week, the following video seemed a perfect segue into this, the last part of "A Homegoing."  If you've not yet seen it, please take a moment to watch - and carefully listen: This beautiful young sister definitely spoke to my own, "single story" existence, growing up Black in America (my collection of Nancy Drew books is still boxed up -

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-17796567358947549862011-12-24T12:06:00.001-06:002011-12-24T13:04:45.952-06:00

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-9839531604032710712011-12-17T01:03:00.011-06:002011-12-28T16:07:51.575-06:00

I'd initially included "neo-colonialism" in the title for this piece but, with all the current examples of European and American, wink-and-a-nod R2P policies (encompassing regime change, to include out and out murder - and bragging about it {smdh}); the continued land-grabbing in Africa; and The shadow war in Syria (all which have transpired since Part 4!), I figured belaboring that point 

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-85899183169064306872011-12-01T20:40:00.001-06:002011-12-01T20:42:29.044-06:00

"World AIDS Day: Doctor who first ID'd the disease chats with readers"

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-20216749696563498292011-10-21T21:13:00.020-05:002011-11-29T14:25:56.768-06:00

Oddly, that was the first thought that popped into my head as I sat (yet again) in the doctor's office yesterday morning.  With no other patient in the waiting room but me, and a white,older-than-me, retired military guy - the local morning show was interrupted with this breaking news report: "Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi is dead." When I looked up at the flat-screen from my book, I saw a bloodied

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-53652309479880619292011-10-07T00:41:00.021-05:002011-10-24T20:44:52.669-05:00

As Michelle Alexander wrote in "The New Jim Crow," convict-leasing is still very much alive and well - and enriching the Prison Industrial Complex under the guise of being beneficial not only to inmates, but to surrounding communities in particular and the country in general - Georgia may use prisoners to fill farm labor gap: State officials have set their sights on another potential pool of

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-67068331109872928872011-10-05T14:53:00.004-05:002011-10-06T10:41:39.565-05:00

Since I can find no way to login to my account in order to ask this question, I'm hoping SOMEONE (anyone!) can help me out. I've been following Black Agenda Report ever since I found them some years ago - because they speak the kind of truth to power that needs to be spoken by Black folk.  Not until they were recently hacked, have I ever had a problem with logging in and commenting. NOW, the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-63493219531159682552011-10-04T14:58:00.004-05:002011-10-04T22:12:01.855-05:00

Even though bell doesn't begin speaking until nearly the end of the first video, I included it because I thought the DR.'s (she IS in Texas - guess she wanted to make sure the white folk present didn't get shit twisted - you'll see what I mean when you listen) information on studying abroad in Ghana was important. Sort of in the same vein, when you get a minute, check out this post that my Lil

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-55264989586928461152011-09-26T22:40:00.002-05:002011-10-04T17:25:48.418-05:00

I was sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for a minor procedure today, and they had CNN on.  I wasn't really paying attention to the shit they were shoveling under the cover of "news" - at least not until I heard the Changeling's voice - trying to flex.  And when I looked up from my book, and realized he was talking to the Congressional Black Caucus - I felt that appalling, condescending "

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-56734921392725403942011-09-21T21:07:00.003-05:002011-09-22T01:46:58.030-05:00

I am so undone right now. I'm enraged. I can't stop crying. And where are the Changeling and Brother Ass-Coverer??  Doing what they've been doing for Black folk since their asses were allowed in the Big House!  And Clarence Thomas?  He had one chance - THIS CHANCE - to rehabilitate his damned self, but he, of Pinpoint, GA, did not even dissent. {SMMFH} The state of Georgia obviously hasn't

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-47054636284441722292011-09-16T04:11:00.001-05:002011-09-21T13:16:38.247-05:00

I.  State-sponsored murder is still murder - particularly so, if there's "Too Much Doubt." I've read many an article on the Troy Davis case but, this Dispatch from Death Row:  Saving Troy Davis With a Family's Love brings a definite ray of sunshine amid all this sadness - his nephew. (Photo Courtesy Amnesty International) I can't say whether he's innocent or guilty.  But what I can say is

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-42675202639913500502011-09-10T20:46:00.028-05:002011-09-20T10:11:21.152-05:00

"In the church I come from - which is not at all the same church to which white Americans belong - we were counselled, from time to time, to do our first works over. Though the church I come from and the church to which most white Americans belong are both Christian churches, their relationship - due to those pragmatic decisions concerning Property made by a Christian State sometime ago -

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-17973405749066554052011-09-01T19:45:00.009-05:002011-09-03T16:18:52.319-05:00

...because he was wa-a-a-y more than the 39 year-old, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" kinda guy - AND - because some folk, obviously, get him twisted. In his own words, "The Drum Major Instinct:" (And, per his request, Coretta Scott King - obliged) Revealingly interesting and also encouraging, is the fact that my still-respected elder, Maya Angelou (

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-55124443669993527492011-08-25T18:14:00.028-05:002011-10-26T19:05:00.196-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about Dr. King since I first read about the dedication and I have to admit, Sunday's dedication will be particularly bittersweet for me. Bitter - because like me and others, I think "Dr. King Would Be Appalled" with "The Corporate King Memorial and The Burial of a Movement."   I look at the body languange of the statue - it's crossed arms and stern face - and I thought,

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-13954700085114425562011-08-22T16:29:00.001-05:002011-08-22T16:31:31.833-05:00

When I got this email from "Reform Immigration FOR America," my immediate response was the side-eye directed at the Obama administration: For the past few months, you’ve called and petitioned the White House and the Department of Homeland Security asking for them to show some courage and protect our immigrant communities. Our demands have been heard and the Administration has taken a step in

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-1557816342689451802011-08-15T17:24:00.006-05:002011-08-25T23:13:49.538-05:00

(England - take note:) ...joined by the honestly observant, and gracious-to-another-Brother, Dick Gregory! A heartfelt, "I'm totally grateful for your posting this"  H/T to CountPierreBezukhov)

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-28070633465157313872011-08-10T22:00:00.007-05:002011-08-11T19:44:23.403-05:00

"People who treat other people as less than human, must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned." James Baldwin Rather than my rehashing, take the time to read these two ladies' posts in response to what's happening in the UK England (with the video in mind) - "Burn, Baby, Burn:  Why United States Citizens Should Follow the UK's Lead"

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-39768737624761049952011-08-08T19:35:00.005-05:002011-09-20T19:20:29.446-05:00

On the heels of some delayed justice for the victims on the Danziger Bridge, my celebratory feeling, however, is overshadowed by the release of this video of yet another white man - in a pick-up truck: Post-racial America - what a damned joke!

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-31748733850228591722011-08-01T17:49:00.014-05:002011-08-25T23:15:36.828-05:00

(h/t Crew of 42) Passing 218 - 210 in the House, with 5 abstentions, here's a breakdown of the voting on the Changeling's and Boehner's, hardly bi-partisan, "Please sir, can I have more"/debt-reduction bill (such an oxymoron!) Hopefully for their sake, come 2012 - after (maybe) having been thrown a few crumbs and (definitely) more bullshit promises - the CBC and the rest of the "faithful" will

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-80319502684639491742011-07-24T15:20:00.005-05:002011-07-25T20:05:41.765-05:00

Finian Cunningham of Global Research so hit the nail on the head here: The US President said of the attacks:  “It’s a reminder that the entire international community holds a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring.  We have to work cooperatively together both on intelligence and in terms of prevention of these kinds of horrible attacks.” And with Juan Cole driving the point home

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-77265312015598293012011-07-16T17:04:00.011-05:002011-08-02T15:14:48.362-05:00

From The Nation: "A recent Nation investigation conducted by Isabeau Doucet and Isabel Macdonald revealed that the shelters in Haiti provided by the Clinton Foundation are dangerously flimsy and filled with toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde. Similar shelters were used in the US as temporary FEMA trailers immediately after Hurricane Katrina, and Clayton Homes, the company that provided those

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-78120860804270255912011-07-12T18:14:00.011-05:002011-07-21T01:57:55.747-05:00

I stumbled upon this interview at this black sista's page and I'm grateful because: As did my favorite writer of all time, Mr. James Baldwin, August Wilson honored our lived experiences in these United States by speaking clearly, unashamedly and uncompromisingly to my growing up Black in America.  "The Piano Lesson" rings particularly and painfully true for me.  When it was made into a Hallmark

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-62109782759129608922011-07-04T15:44:00.014-05:002011-07-06T16:43:52.776-05:00

"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (in its entirety) ...Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too, great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-89450351667965945332011-07-01T15:18:00.003-05:002011-09-20T19:23:13.063-05:00

From Glenn Greenwald's, as usual and spot on:  "Torture crimes officially, permanently shielded": Over 100 detainees died during U.S. interrogations, dozens due directly to interrogation abuse. Gen. Barry McCaffrey said: "We tortured people unmercifully. We probably murdered dozens of them during the course of that, both the armed forces and the C.I.A." Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-81679752019466945282011-06-29T12:21:00.001-05:002011-06-29T14:01:30.000-05:00

Embedding was disabled for the full YouTube video.  CNN bought it from the guy who took it with his phone.  I rarely (and that's with a capital RARE!) watch CNN, but I read the story - US police smash camera for recording killing -  on Al Jazeera English.  The complete video is there and please, do read the story. I won't comment right now, except to ask two questions: How many bullets does it

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-16102379477897245552011-06-25T20:56:00.000-05:002011-06-25T20:56:10.336-05:00

And thank you Siedah Garrett - for your knowing kind of love....

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-18518461643184150532011-06-21T21:05:00.009-05:002011-07-01T16:51:41.694-05:00

I'm no attorney, but I think I'm safe in saying that - had Congress passed that pesky Paycheck Fairness Act (about which I wrote here and mid-page here) instead of Lilly Ledbetter, the "Walmart Women" would have had some real muscle behind their fight for equality. Maybe, they would've been able to use pages 8 - 11 of Paycheck's amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 216(b

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-73041752940401033402011-06-20T12:44:00.001-05:002011-06-20T23:21:11.976-05:00

The confluence of the mysterious hospitalization and as yet, unexplained death of the 30 year-old brother of the second son's girlfriend, followed by the 30th birthday of my first-born son the next day and then, Father's Day (among other peripheral goings-on!) - contributed to Juneteenth slipping my mind yesterday.  Though a day late and a dollar short, I thought since I'm actually sitting in

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-17071432102556988792011-06-17T22:54:00.004-05:002011-06-18T11:35:24.314-05:00

... and because I will always feel this way about him in my head and in my heart - to him, from my beautiful sister, Ms. Lauryn Hill... It's stange, how sometimes you can remember exactly what you were doing when a given thing occurred.  I was here in 1996 at a club, when the DJ stopped the music - and announced the death of Tupac Shakur.  He would've been 40 yesterday.  Sending a "Mama-love"

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-63681189160658903702011-06-09T22:11:00.005-05:002011-06-12T19:10:51.684-05:00

I'm still a work in progress but, once I really GOT how integral a part colorism played in white supremacy's "wheel of fortune," it became crystal clear how our continuing to blame each other for its pernicious pervasiveness - merely reinforced the divide-and-conquer strategy of its creators.  And the beat goes on... From The Sentencing Project's  - Spotlight on Research: LIGHTER SKIN REDUCES

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-45545314643970739782011-05-30T16:16:00.002-05:002011-05-30T16:51:22.749-05:00

Remembering Gil Scott-Heron With the advent of television-as-distraction (coupled most recently of course, with My Space, FaceBook and Twitter), OUR revolution has certainly and most effectively been thwarted in the 40 years since Gil tried to get his point across.  But despite the Changeling (or maybe because of him), there still may be a chance.  These young heads - "on the right page

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-90396461724933744402011-05-24T10:07:00.743-05:002011-10-06T15:19:02.323-05:00

A little update (kind of):  I didn't give this sister all she deserved when I posted this video. That had more to do with me, than with her so, I thought I'd correct it. From the 7:15 - 9:56 clicks:  I appreciated her explicitly owning her "asleep at the wheel," non-critical thinking regarding our "justice" "Just Us" system in these supposedly - United States.  But more importantly, her "

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-26549191842783296772011-05-02T23:53:00.040-05:002011-09-09T21:23:52.806-05:00

The Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning head of "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today" speaks... ...and plenty of exceptional, "we're-so-much-better-than-those-savages-over-there-celebrating-American-death-in-the-streets" Americans - celebrate. Did you now?  Not what some folk are already saying (Warning:  photo is graphic, even if not real).  And really, after all this time hunting

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-70570913805616554622011-04-15T22:48:00.012-05:002011-08-27T17:28:11.160-05:00

(Names have been changed by request) I approached a small, Black newspaper yesterday, about submitting a short piece on the violence in Ivory Coast from an Ivorian point of view.  I'd hoped to generate some genuine interest in our community, for the thousands of civilians left helpless and homeless amid the four months of fighting to unseat disputed president Laurent Gbagbo. I'd been sitting

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-85384635383507761102011-04-10T11:48:00.018-05:002011-09-28T15:39:57.093-05:00

I left Ibrahim to his sand painting and went to the lobby where I found Gerald and John laughing and talking animatedly with a young woman in uniform. Reminding me of a younger version of my older sister, she had the same unmade-up smooth, dark skin, almond-shaped eyes, great cheekbones and a beautiful, slightly gapped-toothed grin.  Her name was Mariatou and she was Mandinka. She reached to

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-1377375998398124452011-03-19T19:36:00.019-05:002011-07-01T14:45:51.641-05:00

(Yeah, no - "hypocritic" isn't a word - but I know y'all get my meaning!) Sorry - again - for the interruption of the Africa series (it was life-changing - of course there's more!), but really - if there was ever any doubt about the hypocrisy of the Changeling (Nobel-laureate for peace that he is), Miz SOS and their whole "Change You Can Believe In" administration - they should all be cleared

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-43086811914863538592011-03-12T12:01:02.807-06:002011-09-20T18:23:51.955-05:00

We arrived at Banjul International Airport on time (6:40 p.m. GST), and as I stepped off the plane into that hot darkness, apprehension and anticipation skipped off, hand-in-hand, right behind me.  Though not sure exactly into what I was headed - I certainly could not wait to find out.   As we waited on the runway for a bus to the main terminal, I was bathed in sweat due to the heat (and a

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-79286141572849864172011-03-02T13:16:00.010-06:002011-09-20T18:23:09.302-05:00

Mr. Baldwin's, "Where are you from" story is familiar to most of us whose ancestors' entry into this country "was a bill of sale" (the remainder of the discussion's here and here). Growing up in the Deep South, I was always confused when white folk would sneer at us and say, "Y'all niggers need to go back to Africa!"  Angrily, I'd always say to myself (What?  I was little!), "I ain't never

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-26665174175431621762011-02-18T19:31:00.003-06:002011-02-19T12:51:05.816-06:00

Today is the 46th anniversary of Gambian independence from British colonial rule. Read the stark contrast to Ghana's independence day celebration back in 1957 (as described by Dr. King).  It makes me wonder if there is a correlation between the WAY in which the end is celebrated (if, in fact, it ever ends), and how the nation fares on its own down the road. 

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-36336040710512789402011-02-17T18:46:00.006-06:002011-09-20T18:25:31.509-05:00

I'm hoping my litany of hiccups in Part 2a , will be helpful for those who've not yet travelled "across the pond" - going "home" - but plan to do so one day.  If nothing else, at least you'll know that spontaneity alone, won't get you there! I'd rescheduled my departure date for Dec. 4th (and changed my 3-day, hotel reservation to coincide with my Dec. 5th arrival), pushing that rock a few feet

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-7279761580786981982011-02-15T21:35:00.006-06:002011-02-21T13:56:53.919-06:00

Fast forward to today: "We’ll have to bring down health care costs further, including in programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which are the single biggest contributor to our long-term deficits. I believe we should strengthen Social Security for future generations, and I think we can do that without slashing benefits or putting current retirees at risk. ...blah, blah, blah."the Changeling - 2/

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-13736226988999186972011-02-14T22:10:00.008-06:002011-09-20T18:11:15.406-05:00

Getting there involved wa-a-a-y more than I expected - especially since, unbeknownst to me at the time, the window in which I'd given myself to meet Gerald in-country (on, or about Nov. 21st) was only opened a crack! "They do not know the world in which they live" Marian Wright Edelman That day sadly, she was talking about today's children (which, in itself, is profoundly instructive).  How

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-41346351635960565732011-02-10T22:09:00.008-06:002011-02-11T13:18:28.089-06:00

I apologize for the interruption in the series on The Gambia.  I've just been so engrossed in what is going on in Egypt (thanks to Al Jazeera English)!  I've been following, with so much PRIDE (and more than a little envy and sadness, I must admit!), this movement of fearless, committed people who have united - as a people - to seek a better country in which to live. Aside from the, "...punks

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-52905183323256992582011-02-04T00:16:00.017-06:002011-09-20T18:25:57.643-05:00

When most people talk about a "home-going" - they're talking about a death and a burial.  And in a sense, so am I, though not of a corporal kind. My recent "home-going," involved the death and burial of a way of thinking about Africa - shared, I know, by many Blacks in America.  Since the beginning of our existence in this country up to this day, we've been taught to see Africa as the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-55587185182934780322011-01-26T21:39:00.000-06:002011-01-26T21:39:15.764-06:00

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-16161357914748377152011-01-25T00:53:00.002-06:002011-01-26T21:32:55.010-06:00

Congress to Investigate Pentagon Decision to Deny Coverage for Brain Injured Troops.  They need an investigation?  What the hell for?  So they can continue to cherry-pick the results?  And how long will this investigation take?  Until those returning - damaged within or without - die?  Until their families are destitute?  Or both?  Given what it's costing, and has cost, these returning injured

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-72584536573489640542011-01-20T22:21:00.000-06:002011-01-20T22:21:44.587-06:00

Mr. Lewis?  The man I thought I knew is definitely gone!!

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-33718589177833371562011-01-15T12:16:00.008-06:002011-01-22T15:42:34.490-06:00

Though my brother Tavis is on his very own, "Dammit Tavis!" list with me - his show on MLK is absolutely insightful - particularly from the 32:34 click forward (Unca Jeh C. are you listenin'???). Would that I was so mightily intelligent, cognizant and prescient at the age of 37 - who knows what I would have been able to accomplish!  Do check it out.

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-56772983765132761192011-01-14T19:34:00.012-06:002011-01-15T12:30:17.862-06:00

Michael L. Rhodes, the Defense Department's director of administration and management, applauds Jeh C. Johnson, the department's general counsel, after presenting him a certificate of appreciation for his keynote address at the 26th annual observance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Pentagon, Jan. 13, 2011. DOD photo by R. D. Ward  (h/t Justin Elliott @ Salon for this

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-35372035608147157042011-01-10T20:26:00.009-06:002011-01-12T01:57:33.964-06:00

"People who treat other people as less than human, must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned."James Baldwin The first statement in the title was a part of what Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' brother-in-law, Cmdr Scott Kelly had to say from aboard the International Space Station. The second, is from Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. "How

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-82493152257302632222011-01-05T19:08:00.008-06:002011-01-07T11:51:17.314-06:00

I told y'all I was slow - as molasses!  But even for me, this was quite a stretch! I do, however, have an absolutely, wonderful reason for the delay about which I'll post shortly - but first things, first. If I'd never read the book, or been so personally involved in a small adaptation of the play, I wouldn't have been thrown off as I watched Janet Jackson's "lady in red" character, Jo, icily

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-13912111715889976502010-12-01T23:03:00.002-06:002010-12-02T10:03:59.975-06:00

...despite people like Mayor Michael Rubens Bloomberg - New York Kills AIDS Prevention:Yes, that's correct. In a city which is a liberal icon, a city where immigrant rights and gay marriage are key causes for the political elite, the Department of Health's "redistribution" of federally funded AIDS services increased the portion of AIDS deaths of black and brown women.How long will "we the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-64848812772198267892010-11-05T21:20:00.008-05:002010-11-06T12:48:42.921-05:00

From the moment I saw this embedded in Seattle Slim's post - "For Colored Girls" Trailer Looks Good; Complaining Begins..." - I knew that, though I'd not watched a movie in its entirety since Tyler Perry's, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," I would go and see this movie. I have no issues with Mr. Perry's work in general, but depending on the Black person with whom you are speaking, he has become

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-14885361039766699112010-11-05T14:59:00.008-05:002011-04-07T13:51:46.113-05:00

...I'm gonna make this short.  Note to the Changeling-n-nem:  If you don't stand for something, you will fall - period!  There were few surprises for me in these mid-term elections - but there were a couple.  First and foremost, my home state of South Carolina (one of the of the original 13s) - which propped Strom Thurmond up in Congress until he was a-damned-100(!) years old (those last couple

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-91092850599210275972010-10-30T11:38:00.009-05:002010-11-01T08:26:45.576-05:00

I purposely omitted this last - "What the hell are you talking about Earl?!" - from the previous post. It was directed toward all the broken promises the Changeling made to the Latino community as he bellowed his co-opted, “¡Sí, se puede!” from both the campaign trail and the Big House. They were so numerous, and so blatantly flaunted, I had to stop, take a breath and gather myself before I wrote

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-75196797248184542602010-10-21T22:14:00.007-05:002011-10-09T14:55:33.336-05:00

Earl Ofari Hutchinson's been churning out what I can only describe as lunacy, amid dribs and drabs of truthfulness lately. His Black Republicans Peddle Fantasy of Ousting Democrats in November" had me talking back to him just like one of my great-aunts used to do while watching TV a long time ago (she was in her 70's then). But instead of her, shouted-at-the-screen warnings to the unsuspecting

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-21985708157261415622010-10-16T22:57:00.015-05:002010-10-21T22:20:32.545-05:00

UPDATE I:  Military recruiters told to accept gay applicants - Oh it's going to be interesting how the Changeling and his crew spin this! And if they can't stop it, I'll bet you a nickel they'll say this was their plan all along - to get those midterm votes. {smdh} UPDATE II:  U.S. Military Moves to Accept Gay Recruits - Knowing how "media conscious" the government and the military are, the face

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-4295930053563698322010-10-13T03:17:00.005-05:002010-10-16T21:42:20.977-05:00

I've hardly been online because I spent the weekend in a small town outside Dallas, with the oldest and his friends at the Fall Indie Fest (will post about it soon).  But when I got back to the hotel on Saturday, I checked my email, finding this notification of a comment posted October 8 @ 4:14 p.m. on my old (and oddly most visited), "What's the difference between Colored, Negro, Nigra, Nigger,

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-72428838469679170312010-10-07T16:18:00.010-05:002010-10-08T03:48:25.731-05:00

Here's the piece in The Nation that they're discussing:  Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite.  There's not much more I need to say about this - except I'm not surprised.  But I do have two questions: Dobbs was at CNN from 1980 off and on (more on than off), until 2009.  You mean to tell me - that all this time - NOBODY  knew (at CNN, or anywhere else in our glorious Fourth Estate - with all that

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-80308173419708946172010-10-05T20:34:00.005-05:002010-10-05T20:49:11.874-05:00

...the highest type of man

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-10450718007129104942010-10-02T19:24:00.017-05:002011-03-02T21:17:40.673-06:00

While Krauthammer's take on the Democratic strategy of painting the Tea Party as extremists in his, "Visigoths at the gate?" is hardly far-fetched, we already know, or should know by now, that they're no different than the other side of the aisle.  What was more interesting (and typical Krauthammer) was this : Sweet irony. Fear-over-hope rides again, this time with Democrats in the saddle

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-13261094141140880262010-10-02T06:57:00.006-05:002010-10-06T12:30:58.196-05:00

Okay, when I read - US medical tests in Guatemala 'crime against humanity' - my visceral response was, "The U.S. has been conducting crimes against Black humanity since they brought us here!  Hell, those men and their families in Tuskegee suffered, unacknowledged, for 40 damned years -  and not until 1972, did they apologize!"  But of course, as Baldwin explains it so well: I have said that the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-48271801173530884962010-09-22T03:59:00.010-05:002010-09-27T01:27:02.017-05:00

Unlike the little rodents in the video, allegedly offering a better quality product than what's already out on the streets - the little Democrat rodents in DC have just shown that they were merely shining up the same old shit and calling it gold with Reid's Don't Ask Don't Tell/Dream Act amendment. I'm no fan of McConnell or the Republicans, - but I definitely co-sign this observation: “They

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-34731531982176808182010-09-07T16:18:00.006-05:002010-09-14T14:52:28.132-05:00

I got this email from MoveOn.org today and thought it was hi-larious - let me just count the ways (all emphasis mine): ### Dear MoveOn member, Election Day is less than two months away, and we need to decide today whether we'll have enough resources for a major campaign to help stop the Republicans and their corporate allies from taking over Congress.  (1. Guess we can all agree on one thing - 

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-10380916634843854212010-09-01T23:42:00.014-05:002010-09-02T11:33:09.256-05:00

I try to keep my posts about the Changeling to a minimum, since I REALLY dislike him - and respect him even less.  But given his little speech yesterday, the field Negro in me kept screaming, "Man!  That mofo is a real piece of work ain't he?!  He'll co-opt any-damned-body or any-damned-thing to make himself look good - even Shrub!  And what?  You ain't sayin' shit for posterity's record??!! I

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-79516856103395623292010-08-31T03:29:00.004-05:002010-09-07T18:40:44.537-05:00

America's summer of white discontent reached its apex this past weekend, with Glenn Beck and the fearful at the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech.  And while, in these United States, they certainly have a "right to assembly" on any day for which they can afford to pay - let's not pretend that no insult to Dr. King's memory, the civil rights movement and 

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-63289887202053593552010-08-04T08:04:00.006-05:002011-07-01T09:52:10.960-05:00

"So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-86680455976416497552010-07-31T23:29:00.003-05:002010-08-01T00:32:24.000-05:00

Leo Personality:  When the mighty Lion enters center stage, everyone notices. This dramatic, creative, and outgoing sign has the keyword magnetism for good reason. Fiery and self-assured, a Leo's charm can be almost impossible to resist. Whether it's time spent with family and friends or efforts on the job scene, a Leo is going to bring a lot to the table. Symbol: The Lion Element: Fire Group:

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-83480429934375322762010-07-30T01:47:00.001-05:002010-07-30T01:52:03.277-05:00

...it tolls for thee..." Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, (age 30 and 25 respectively). As I read Second missing U.S. sailor in Afghanistan is found dead, I couldn't help but think of a Navy tradition that has always been near and dear to my sentimental, sap of a heart:  the Two Bell Ceremony - a solemn part of the annual commemoration of the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-39637078583265024372010-07-26T08:17:00.014-05:002010-08-27T12:11:37.911-05:00

Okay - so the horse isn't dead yet.  I was "talking" about this with The Fabulous Kitty Glendower of AROOO in the comments on Thursday.  And with that razor-sharp clarity for which these ladies are known, she said: "And I don't care if Ms. Sherrod wants a beer summit or not, I don't appreciate how it has already been concluded that she does not deserve a beer summit."That pretty much sums up

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-39077363696351849092010-07-21T22:06:00.001-05:002010-08-25T15:18:54.415-05:00

Not to beat a dead horse but, people (young Black folk in particular) should really see and listen to the entire version of this woman's speech because it seems some have no idea how she got here, from there. Having been born and bred in one of the original 13's in the 1950s, this speech rings as true for me as it did for the people in that audience. Hell, while listening to her recount how she

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-6559175729123814532010-07-21T14:50:00.016-05:002010-08-27T12:48:15.309-05:00

NAACP Statement on the resignation of Shirley Sherrod: With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias. Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-65043904111814364962010-07-09T05:28:00.014-05:002011-09-20T23:27:57.596-05:00

UPDATE:  "Feds to investigate Calif. train station killing" - First, let me say that I suspect their motives (mid-term elections ever closer, Kool-Aid  at-the-ready for Black folks and such).  I mean, really - NOW, they want to investigate??  And even with the video, there was no "urgency of now" coming from the Changeling, et al (apparently MLK was only talking about him & his) - they never said

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-31360403125594019112010-06-15T22:15:00.014-05:002010-07-17T13:31:04.124-05:00

UPDATE WITH OLD NEWS:  Seems the weak-assed, "manly-men" of the Seattle PD get-off on beating girls: ======================================= As perfect as perfect can be... H/T to Rippa for this shit: Wonder how many white families have to "instruct" their kids to meekly stand fast, control themselves and not say shit to cops - except, "Yes sir," "No sir," "Three bags full sir" - just to

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-51946525185516374762010-06-15T17:49:00.016-05:002010-06-17T22:01:34.829-05:00

**UPDATE** - I didn't watch it in real-time (just couldn't stomach it) but, you can go here for the video:  President Obama: 'We will make BP pay': "He presented himself Tuesday night as presidential, conveying empathy for the economic hardship facing fishermen and hoteliers on the Gulf Coast and taking the approach of a chief executive by getting tough on BP while making sure the company

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-77786231796080713302010-05-26T23:59:00.003-05:002010-05-27T00:47:17.684-05:00

I've begun so many drafts that I've just left sitting and I've decided to get them finished.  While I try to stay current with all the other shit going on, I'll slip them in 'til I'm done.  This little doohickey at the beginning of a post (or intermingled with a current one) indicates something that's been "simmering" and I've finally gotten - "around to it."  :-) But for now, some Baldwin. 

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-9261774898736854492010-05-18T22:20:00.002-05:002010-05-18T22:27:51.485-05:00

From Politico: Rep. Joe Sestak has defeated five-term Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter in their state's Democratic Senate primary, according to the AP. Specter's loss marks the end of a 30-year career in the Senate, most of which he spent as a Republican before switching parties in April 2009. I don't know if this is the result of some shit the Democrats have been cooking up for later or what,

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-71226426771347169152010-05-03T19:59:00.001-05:002010-05-03T20:06:17.564-05:00

If a descendant of people who emigrated to America (becoming immigrants from some other country to native-born Americans) says, "And how many of 'em are you gonna let in?"  regarding those of Mexican descent crossing the borders of America - what would you think of that person?

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-22333639623694258992010-04-26T14:42:00.005-05:002011-09-20T18:16:23.129-05:00

Perusing Salon.com, I came upon, "American Idol" recap: Crystal Bowersox saves by Mary T. Kelly and damn if that Montell Jordan title didn't just pop into my head!  Here's a little of it: Alicia Keys, a woman who could make believers out of the most cynical among us, was the mentor for the week. Talk about a god in the music industry. This woman has earned 12 Grammy awards and sold over 30

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-38408419146823182432010-04-23T01:11:00.004-05:002011-09-20T19:26:21.275-05:00

This horrific, Good Friday night news story - Authorities: Mother Kills Two Children, Then Self  (watch video at link) - just jacked me the hell up from under myself. Nothing I'm dealing with compares to this tragedy. So unsettling on its face, I couldn't tune it out.  And once I heard the details (such as they were), I just could not add, yet another "swirling of thoughts" to the already

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-5757036712917371342010-03-23T23:36:00.000-05:002010-03-23T23:36:47.226-05:00

Back in December, I wrote - Congressional Black Caucus got juice??? - Ah, No...  - and they still don't.  This two-fer of a Politico piece (managing a stab at both "kinfolk and skinfolk"), Congressional Black Caucus: President Obama's not listening, makes that fact perfectly clear. Here we have, the Black CBC begging plaintively asking for attention, while the first,

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-53535298693182604752010-03-21T02:42:00.002-05:002010-07-17T15:19:42.959-05:00

Tea Party Protests: 'Ni**er,' 'Fa**ot' Shouted At Members Of Congress

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-1742478840416777822010-03-08T01:20:00.016-06:002010-09-08T16:25:30.190-05:00

In June 2006, then 16 year-old, Colorado High School jazz saxophonist, Daniel Weidlein, (Wait!  Let me say that again - 16 years old!!)  placed fourth in a National History Day contest for creating the following short, documentary film detailing the making of  Billie Holiday's, "Strange Fruit" - and the horrific acts of racism upon which it was based.  I needed to begin this post with it, to help

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-89806628503060196662010-03-07T18:08:00.000-06:002010-03-07T18:08:53.645-06:00

I watched Lee Daniels' "Precious" on December 9, 2009 - online - because I wasn't about to go to a theater and watch it in "mixed company" - white and Black, male and female, particularly.  I started writing a post, back then but,  found it difficult to finish - for a variety of reasons, personal and not.  Hollywood will - tonight - reach the culmination of their, "

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-88056125641085630382010-03-03T02:02:00.001-06:002010-03-03T02:03:32.179-06:00

So, after filing suit last November, opponents of same-sex marriage have been dealt a serious upper-cut with this - Chief justice denies stay of District's same-sex marriage law.  Now, all those who waited, can start applying for licenses tomorrow!  For now. Since Congress didn't act within the 30-day required time period after the bill passed first reading on December 15th, their only recourse

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-28251013661804805382010-02-25T18:36:00.009-06:002011-09-20T18:58:50.761-05:00

When I volunteered in New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity in 2006, I got to sit and talk with a lot of Black New Orleanians who said the shooting on the Danziger Bridge had nothing to do with self-defense.  Their take?  The crooked NOPD was "protecting" the people on the predominantly white, other side of the bridge, scared that the poor and predominantly Black folk were coming to take their

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-42557767204817342852010-02-19T23:57:00.003-06:002010-02-20T16:23:58.892-06:00

With this being the Year of the Tiger and all (some interesting and eerily similar characteristics in there), I thought I'd pull him from my next "Ruminations..." post and ruminate on him all by himself since I'd not written anything about any of this.  Well, that and the fact that since I've been ruminating about plenty these days, the post would have just been too damned long! I was at the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-47461751186133491102010-02-07T20:55:00.004-06:002010-02-25T13:56:25.985-06:00

CONGRATUALTIONS, CLIFF - AND ALL A YA'LLl!!! (Allow me a little schadenfreude here, Cliff - I told you so!!)

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-40737964685953656642010-02-02T21:04:00.008-06:002010-02-06T15:02:17.027-06:00

This is just a mental bookmark - a stick-pin if you will, for the above-titled post which I began writing on 1/31/10.  Situations are such that I can't publish it in its entirety right now - but I will.

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-36508477094572725232010-01-27T01:26:00.008-06:002010-07-17T15:22:34.031-05:00

(Update I & II below) H/T to RedDragon62 not only for this video, but for his outrage: "What shocked me is the lack of outrage at what this animal had to say. Not one Liberal blogger, not one "Progressive site, Not ONE came to the defense of the poor! Not one called this asshole out on his RACIST... (yeah I said it) RACIST remarks!"I'd read the story earlier and intended to link to it for this

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-73425686837553842922010-01-24T21:43:00.003-06:002010-02-25T13:58:57.542-06:00

I was ready to write, "Who in the hell punts on 4th and 1 in the first damn quarter of a championship game, UNTIL - the interception.  I am so damn happy and proud of those Saints!  They were able to bring euphoria back to a place that has seen so much pain and suffering.  Perseverance is something else - for the team AND the city. I'm not even looking past today - I just want to savor this

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-26390079782110385842010-01-20T19:07:00.012-06:002010-08-27T01:08:26.555-05:00

(Updates I, II, III & IV below) I say in the title, "Wyclef, my heart cries for Haiti too."  And it does, and it has, and it will - still.  Because with all of the monetary aid pouring in, with all the "temporary suspensions" of debt and policies, Haiti will continue to be at the mercy of countries (including our own), who fail to understand - worse yet care - how self-determination works for

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-110569164912738862010-01-17T15:46:00.001-06:002010-01-17T15:47:48.433-06:00

One can't help but see how far we've not come when listening to this, Dr. King's final sermon, "The Drum Major Instinct:" And using some of his own words as eulogy, his request WAS honored: Those of you continuing to conflate the current resident of the Burning House with Dr. King, not only insult his life and work with revisionist history - but our memories of him as well.

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-84567218510217286342010-01-17T01:46:00.001-06:002010-01-17T13:50:34.444-06:00

Okay, because I'm always telling folk - "Don't step to me, unless you're willing to own your shit - and  if you're not, I WILL call you on it." - I have to own my own shit.  I was WRONG about Tavis Smiley for all these years. There!  That feels good! When I read this, Tavis Smiley Ends State of Black American Union Show, Continues Media Lockdown of Obama's Black Critics at Black Agenda Report,

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-77730970480627188502010-01-14T12:09:00.002-06:002010-07-17T15:25:48.894-05:00

He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome for me back in the day - and Lawd have mercy, that voice!  I'm so, so proud to be a part of this generation of Black music. Teddy Pendergrass, Philadelphia Soul Singer, Dead At 59 Yes, Teddy - it was definitely a joy to have you...Repos dans la paix.

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-63184434200597624362010-01-12T20:47:00.013-06:002011-12-24T11:39:55.558-06:00

Answer:  Empowerment and Self-determination!  But white folk - so used to telling us who we are, labeling us like property for hundreds of years - just can't seem to wrap their brain around that concept. Here are a couple of them: Despite the fact that there's a society-identified Black man in the Burning  White House (or maybe because of it?), old habits DO die hard don't they?  Especially

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-56958506335981545702009-12-25T17:12:00.000-06:002009-12-25T17:12:28.947-06:00

From Uhuru News: MERRY CHRISTMAS by Langston Hughes Published In New Masses (Dec. 1930) Merry Christmas, China From the gun-boats in the river, Ten-inch shells for Christmas gifts, And peace on earth forever. Merry Christmas, India, To Gandhi in his cell, From righteous Christian England, Ring out, bright Christmas bell! Ring Merry Christmas, Africa, From Cairo to the Cape! Ring

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-69702783868088947782009-12-24T16:52:00.000-06:002009-12-24T16:52:25.924-06:00

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8178687658619226992.post-40546470956945945862009-12-17T12:14:00.007-06:002009-12-17T13:23:12.181-06:00

Last month, I talked to my friend Eric Sheptock, the homeless - homeless advocate whose story I began to tell back in April.  After catching up, we talked about DC's same-sex marriage amendment that passed its second vote in the DC Council just two days ago.  I'd asked his permission to repost his literal, "Man on the Street" perspectives on the amendment, Catholic Charities, homelessness and the

Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02018798227792356966noreply@blogger.com8