Black "Royalty" fools no one at the IOC

I know, I know.  I said there'd be a Part 2 to the last post - and there will be, right after I get this off my chest so I can sleep tonight!

Yes, I do lay awake some nights pondering why, in the hell, people can't or won't see, that when it comes to "competing loyalties" for the Changeling, there never seems to really be any competition.  At least not when it comes to a choice between what to do for money, prestige and perceived power, versus what is, and always should have been - right!

Two things happened that had "the voices" going in my head all night long (and spawned this brief diatribe, I might add).  First, as I sat at the kitchen table yesterday reading blogs, I could hear the 6 o'clock news, but I wasn't watching it.  I heard it go to the sportscaster and his piece on Denmark and the Olympics.  I looked up, because just the other day, I'd asked Pips over at Cinie's World, about Danish reaction to the Paul Revere-esque, "Obama is coming!  Obama is coming!"   I wanted to see what she'd described.

And at that very moment, he was running videos of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and David Robinson respectively, during various stages of arrival and introduction in Denmark, adding, "And the president will be there too!"  All of a sudden, I had the strangest damn feeling - in my heart!  It was a sadness combined with a deep disappointment that I just could not reconcile the Black pride that I should have been feeling - as the faces of my skinfolk (in Denmark!  Representing America!) flashed across the screen - with the nauseating feeling I had in response to the charade-parade being perpetrated before my eyes.

The local news guy was excited though. He could barely contain his glee, saying how, with all these "heavy-hitters," Chicago was lookin' good for capturing those "5 Rings" in 2016.  Putting that "glee" into perspective, however, let's just remember that even in the "belly of the beast" that is Texas - gettin' those "dollar bills ya'll," trumps e-e-e'rything else).

I looked across the table to my youngest, sitting at his laptop, and said, "Damn!  I really should be feelin' so proud, right now!"  He looked at me with that, "What you talkin' 'bout Willis??" wrinkle in his brow, and looked up too.  Then, he slowly shook his head, knowing what was coming next.

I was at once, angry and hurt.  Angry because, the charade-parade was truly a vision I'd long hoped to see in this country.  That of strong, smart, beautiful Black people, doin' the damn thing  - and doing it well!  Hell, doing it better than it had ever been done before, because we were doing it - right!  And hurt - because that so-o-o wasn't the case (Yeah that's my shit, I know.  Still workin' on it).

I couldn't hold it in though - that  "quiet riot" had already started  rumbling deep in the pit of my stomach. 

"I can just hear my people right now, chests all swole 'cause of this shit on TV!  I bet you, not many of  them see, or even connect this charade-parade to that other charade-parade of him sending Eric-damn-Holder and Arne-ain't-never-taught-a-single-kid-Duncan to Chicago to meet with school officials and kids about youth violence  - next week, after that 16 year-old boy got beaten to death - last week!  I tell you, he gets on my last nerve!"

After the rant, I realized both my son and husband were smiling and just shakin' their damn heads (they've come to expect my "sharing" on topics such as these).  I calmed down - for a minute.

The youngest left, and the oldest came home from work while the husband and I were in the bedroom having a conversation on Skype with my nieces and nephews in the hinterlands (I must admit, I'm so glad I'm still  alive to see the Jetson-esque way technology has made it possible for us to sit, see and talk to one another in our respective living spaces - in real time!).

After catching up since the wedding in July, and talking about  various and sundry things, somehow or another, the conversation turned to the Changeling and Yep, you guessed it!  The rant was rewound and I hit play all over again!  My nephew (I wrote about his email in the last post) started laughing, because he knew, I'm sure, just what I was going to say.  And I did  - no need to rehash the whole thing here, except to say, where was he then???  Finished, I said, "Okay, I'm going now," as I went to the kitchen to get a glass of wine.  There was none.  (That didn't help!)

I tossed and turned all night, struggling with the feelings I was having:

Voice #1:  "Can't you just accept that we've come this far???"

Me:      " No!  Because we haven't  - come this far!"  We just look like we did!  And everybody else, but, us, knows it!!!"

Voice #2:  "Just look at that cast of characters tonight!  You gotta admit now, that was something!

Me:  "More like somethin'-damn-else!!  First of all, we have the Queen of Daytime talk who opened a school for South-African girls, while Chicago girls are still dodging bullets and beat-downs!  And, just  stop!  Don't say one damn word!  I know it's her cash to do with what she chooses, but come on, now!  You're grinnin' in the face of the IOC Chair, a part of the beggin'-to-bring-the-games to that same city where you didn't give two shits about looking out for the safety, education and well-being of girls!  And don't start me on Michelle Obama and her husband!  Derrion Albert was but one, of the many children who've lost their lives to violent crime in Chicago since - and way before - they moved into the damn Big House!  Of those I saw, only "The Admiral," seems to be walkin' that talk with his Carver Academy!  Hell, it's in the decidedly Black, East side of San Antonio, AND, 98% of the student body is on scholarship!

Voice 1 & 2:  Well, you've got a point there.  A few, actually.

And so it went, off and on, until almost morning (haven't refilled my Lunesta since I got here).  Then, the Second thing happened - in two parts.

I subscribe to Earl Ofari Hutchinson at HuffPo (What?  I read everything!  Hell, before Obama won, I thought my boy was on to him!  Not!!) -  Chicago Beating Death Shocks White House -- But Now What?   It began like this:

“There's an outsized map of Chicago on the wall of the office of the Black Star Project. In the center of the map there's the letter "A". The letter is the Chicago home of the Obamas. The "A" is surrounded by yellow stickers that make the map look like the bullseye of a dart board. The analogy is deadly fitting because each one of the stickers represents a child under age 18 who was murdered. 

The victims were all African-American…”

My "quiet riot" was validated.  Please read the piece to see what I mean.  Needless to say, I forwarded the link to my nephew who replied:

CRAZY! Well said!  Awesome "hanging" out with you guys last night!!!!!!!!!!!! We all left happier, gotta love the power of the internet.Love you,
Lar

Then, I sauntered on over to Salon and came upon Joan Walsh and this, Reading "The Clinton Tapes," thinking about Obama.  Predictably, when I got to this line, I lost it - again:

"I have to start by saying Taylor Branch's trilogy, "America in the King Years," is my favorite work of history. He brought the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive for me. And to see my favorite civil rights historian -- so far, there are some up-and-comers that deserve a look, too! -- grappling with the president who, until Obama, thought and did more about civil rights than any president before him, well, it's a thrilling combination."

I just had to post this response:

Really, Joan...

"He brought the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive for me. And to see my favorite civil rights historian -- so far, there are some up-and-comers that deserve a look, too! -- grappling with the president who, until Obama, thought and did more about civil rights than any president before him, well, it's a thrilling combination."

Joan, if Taylor Branch brought the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so alive for you, why is it that you cannot see Obama is NOTHING LIKE HIM - except of course, a little brown! Please.

And Joan? Could you please tell me exactly WHAT Obama has done for civil rights??? Except of course, be a little brown!

Joan, is that all it takes for you to feel this country is moving forward on the civil rights/human rights issue??

I am a Black woman who WAS alive when Dr. King fought and died for civil rights in this country. Please, do not sully his achievements with that of your "Paper Tiger."  Sorry my dear, Obama is no MLK - not even close!

The-e-e-en, I stumbled on this and it was confirmed, Karma is a definite bitch:



Not even in the damn running!  Knocked out in the first draft!  The whole charade-parade was for naught -as it should have been.

And don't get it twisted, I'm not all HAPPY that Chicago missed the opportunity for jobs, exposure, etc.  It's just that I know that if they DID get the games, the people who needed it the most would not  have benefitted, all while the Changeling would have been able to happily tell his numerous Chicago backers like, Penny Pritzker,  "I told you not to worry about investing your funds in me, I got this!"

The charade-parade fooled no one on the other side of the pond or anywhere else.  They know - when will we?

(Found the Port....better now)