Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What! No "Beer Summit" scheduled for FLOTUS and her home-boy?

(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 post.  But havin' Massa Bauer actually speak his White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchal bullshit for his lil ole self, is so-o-o-o much better don't you think?  If you've not heard Good Ole Boy, Jr. at his best - take a listen:

And what made this extra-specially karmic, is that we're only one month shy -(almost to the day) - of the one-year anniversary of the Changeling's first, big address to Congress where he paraded young, Ty'Sheoma Bethea from Dillon, SC into the "Kingdom" for a night (and a photo op). You remember that don't you?  Here are a few snippets to help you if you don't:
In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent, for a mother or father who will attend those parent-teacher conferences, or help with homework, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, read to their child...(snip)
These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children, but it is up to us to ensure they walk through them...(snip)
I think about Ty'Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina, a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom.

She had been told that her school is hopeless. But the other day after class, she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this chamber. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.

The letter asks us for help and says, "We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself, and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina, but also the world. We are not quitters."

That's what she said: "We are not quitters." (snip)
Young Miss Bethea is one of those poor "animals" to which Jr. up there is referring.  Hailing from the homestate of FLOTUS, she lived in Dillon, where 85% of the students live below the poverty line and the drop-out rate is 60%!  Here's a RECENT profile of J.V. Martin Junior High School where she was enrolled last year:

The emphases in the figures are my own.  I'm not a computer wonk, so if it's too small, I apologize.  I just wanted you to see why Miss Bethea - probably confident, that on the first Black-identified president's watch, things would change - wrote her letter to Congress.

I also wanted you to see, why Jr.'s little spiel is about nothing BUT Race. Seems there's plenty enough "quitting" to go around given these numbers.  And word has it, since her day in the sun? Miss Bethea's mother lost her job and has relocated her family to the Atlanta area.  But I ain't mad at her and her family at all.  What do you do when you reach out for help and are ignored?  You fend for you and yours, the best way you know how, that's what.

Hailing from THIS particular "Original 13," I'm used to Jr. and his ilk.  As a matter of fact, I kinda prefer 'em.  At least there was never any doubt where my Black ass stood.  Dealing with whites from other parts of the country however, required an entire reeducation for me once I left home. All that patronizing,smiling in your face, while stabbing you in the back took a helluva lot of getting used to I tell you!

Is Jr. a racist? Hell yeah!!  But that's no surprise to me. For them in the South, Poor = People Who Look Like Me. I've heard it, lived it and felt it all my damn life. It's 2010, and not a damn thing's changed in South Carolina, I promise you.

Good Ole Boy, Jr. - is the reason why the "O & MO" Show (with the assistance of that other "O" who, back in the day, would have had plenty to say about this shit.  Anybody remember when she took her show to the sundown town of Vidor, TX in thelate 80s/early 90s - before she became theirs because they pay so much better?) was able to pull their damn "race card" to stir-up Black folk in South Carolina against the "Bill & Hill" Show (they're all politicians to me).

Good Ole Boy, Jr - is the reason the Changeling got nearly 100% of the Black vote in SC (and probably will again).  I can still remember my sister excitedly calling me from their "Hoodwink Road Show."  And when I started my list of reasons why they weren't shit, she quickly said, "I gotta go, they're about to start!"

My people were looking for a "Black Savior" - for a change (none of them will own that in "mixed company however").   And trust me, I totally understand that feeling (I don't care about "mixed company").  But he used the KNOWLEDGE OF THEM, gathered from his South Carolina born-and-raised wife and mother-in-law, to bamboozle them with false, "Black Saviorly" hope. But just like a bad, damn boyfriend - he got what the hell he wanted from them and never looked back (ask Miss Bethea and her mother).

And it was easy to do.  Because - despite Jim Clyburn (or because of him) - Jr. and his crew still have their feet firmly implanted on the necks of Blacks in the state. And seeing as the "O & MO" Show didn't waste any time calling out the Clintons for THEIR RACISM back then, I was just sure there'd be some kind of "Beer Summit" in the offing for Jr. But I guess - if you believe Jr. - it'd be awful difficult to get all of South Carolina's "animals" to stop breeding long enough to come and sit around a table and sip some, "Can we all just get along" beer with Massa Lt. Gubna and his homegirl.

UPDATE I:  H/T to Miska over at the bearded lady's radical feminist disco of rage for this little nugget -  Hungry Haitians like animals, says UN peacekeeper.  Jr.'s not the only one lovin' the term "animals" - out loud.
UPDATE II:  Obama keeps pledge to help J.V. Martin - Well, isn't this CONVE-E-E-E-NIENT!  Right before his 2nd big speech, he again "uses" Ms. Bethea to try to make himself look good.  Call me a cynic, I don't care.  But these two sentences in the piece tell me this little move is as contrived as it could be:

The funds will come from the $787 billion economic-stimulus bill Obama signed into law last February.

The announcement came on the day before Obama's first formal State of the Union address to be delivered this evening before a joint session of Congress.

Okay:
- He had his little photo op in January 2009
- Signed the behemoth bill into law in February 2009.
- Sanford refused the stimulus funds until two lawsuits were filed by students and school administrators (much respect to them for their invovlement in "saving themselves") and the "Supremes" ordered his silly self to request the funds in March 2009. 

And now, MAGICALLY, right before he has to get up before the people with some more bullshit NOT in our best interests (presumably - based on the leaks from the Big House), He plans to soften the blow with this announcement of a promise kept - just so Black folk will say, "See!  He did what he said!"  Yes he did.

And while they celebrate, I suspect he'll be picking already empty pockets in the Black community with tonight's speech.  But I'll be fair.  I'll wait until he spews forth on jobs, health care (if it passes, I still see no benefit for those who couldn't afford it before, especially that sweet "fine" thing if you don't get it from his cronies with whom he made a deal early on and the fact that nothing will happen until what, 2013??)), disparate sentencing policies and mass Black/Brown incarceration in the prison industrial complex along with the corporatization of the education system just to name a few.  And let's not forget those pesky little issues facing my LGBT brothers and sisters like, getting rid of DOMA, supporting same-sex marrriage and sounding the death-knell for Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

I think my sister Cin would definitely call this kept promise a "dog-whistle" - so would I. 

Let's be clear though, I AM glad the school will be rebuilt and that Miss Bethea can feel empowered by the part she played in making that happen.  Who knows?  Maybe she and her family will move back home.

15 comments:

TBL said...

Hi Deb, great post as always. I see what you mean about how it's kind of preferable to the covert racism and outright hypocritical, lying racism. As least you know where you stand.

I think that the theme of politics in the last 20 years (and probably always?) is betrayal of people's hopes and dreams. It happened in the UK with the Labour party, which so many people had fervently believed would make things better, more equal, more just etc. And it's happened with Obama. Seems he is not so much challenging racism as using racism to keep himself up there at the top.

The Fabulous Kitty Glendower said...

I need to let all of this simmer, but before I do, I am missing a piece of the puzzle. I didn’t catch who is the “O” who went to sundown town Vidor. I have been so full of rant that I need to back a way for a quick minute. The racism is just running rampart.

DebC said...

TBL...Thanx! I just don't think it's too much to ask for people to honest about shit - good or bad. How can we fix what we don't even acknowledge??

You're probably right on the "always," because most of us (I know I wasn't) weren't critically thinking in our 20s and 30s.

Far as the Changeling and using racism to keep himself up there - I think so. Unless, of course, he's using the old slave SURVIVAL tactics on Massa. Which also pisses me off because it's 20-damn-10 and we're supposed to be FREE! to determine for ourselves - OUT LOUD - our path in this country. But that's just me.

Kitty...That'd be Miss Winfrey - before the weight-loss, weaves and now, privileged turning her back unless we act the way she, white folks and the O & MO Show think we should. Hell, my damn Mama AND Daddy are long dead and I'm grown. I don't need their patronizing, Stepin Fetchit bullshit.

I tried to find a link using "Oprah Winfrey takes show to Vidor TX," but NOTHING came up about it. Only her victory over the Texas cattlemen. Guess we all "frame" our existences when appearance is all that matters.

Anywa-a-ay. The KKK, still today, has a strong base in Vidor. She took her show there and faced their racist asses down - in their house - empowering four families in 1994, to at least try to integrate an all-white, public housing complex (twice, but unsuccessfully). Here's a link to a Jet, archived article about it - a part of it anyway (can't pay another subscriber fee right now): http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-14809450/blacks-move-into-four.html

Those were the days when I thought we were acting like "Free" people. Acting like we understood what the whole Civil Rights Movement was about. Now, we just act like them - and it sickens me.

And you're right, the racism is running rampant - out loud. This damn knucklehead, Reid, an all f*ucking white basketball league, The Changeling's ass-kissing, the weak ass CBC. Shit, I could go on and on. Yeah, I'm simmering my-damn-self!

HT said...

I saw this over at Red's, and couldn't comment because I was so appalled, and of course, being of the lower middle class, but comfortable white persuasion, I was ashamed.... This is far more than just skin colour bigotry - it is classism and elitism in it's worst incarnation. It's "I've got mine, and you can go rot" it's climbing the ladder, and kicking it down so no one else can climb and challenge. Hateful, hateful stuff.
I was a single, sole support mother who happened to have a good job that allowed me to work at home, so I was available most times for PTA meetings, and meetings with the teacher. In my neighbourhood, there are 83 townhouse units, most of them populated by families that moved here when their children were young. Most of the folks worked several jobs in order to pay for the home, so when the time came for teacher interviews, they were unavailable, because they needed to keep their jobs to feed and nourish their children. I remember many times when I volunteered to step in and represent the parents - because they where my neighbours and I knew how much they loved their children. P.S. some of them didn't have a command of the English language, so they needed someone to advocate on their behalf.
People like this man need to be stripped of all their wealth and thrown out on the streets, so they can live, first hand what ordinary people have to endure on a daily basis. If I believed in a deity, then I would postulate that there is a spot in the 9th circle of Dante's hell reserved for this chump.
And yes, I still feel ashamed when I hear drivel like this.

Citizen Ojo said...

Good Post - I will have to take offense on one thing. Bloggers did come out against that clown. One in particular...rippdemup.blogspot.comP.S. I live in North Carolina and I wish my dad would stop confusing South Carolina for my state when someone says something ignorant. Which South Carolina does alot of.

Cinie said...

Ahhhh, Deb. Tokenism works doesn't it? Fix one crappy school to shut up all the other people who have crappy schools. OBrotherPlease has learned his lessons well. And, couldn't agree more about Oprah and Obie coming from a "superior inferior" place, and the damage that causes. Basically their mindset goes like this:

"We, unlike you, understand that while we're not quite as good as white people, we are better than you. You see, Little People Who Look Like Us, you belong in the fields and kitchens of our National Plantation, while we, and those we deem worthy to seek approval of, dine on its veranda, and shop in its fine stores through the back door. That, Chillun, is progress."

DebC said...

HT...Hey, favorite lurker!

While I agree there's some classism and elitism of the white persuasion going on here, having been born and raised in the South - I promise you - this is about Black People not having theirs and "breeding," and not going to PTA meetings, etc. Now, due to the influx of Latinos, it probably includes Browns as well. But I just don't think he meant white folk because when I was growing up there, poor white folk looked down their noses at OUR po' Black asses (with the exception of my little friend, Bonnie)! And it is "our condition" that embarrasses the likes of The "O & MO" Show and Oprah (remember Pookie and the cold fried chicken in his speech?) - as Cinie succinctly explains above.t is hateful.

Preciate ya HT!

Citizen OJO...Thanks for dropping in! I'd agree with you, there were plenty bloggers coming out against this knucklehead! I followed the link - great post! Thanks for that (is that you? If not, I have to go over and tell Brother Rippa thanks for the spotlight!).

Yeah, South Carolina's racism is notoriously and historically ignorant but, North Carolina holds its own as well - even with all those high-fallutin' banks-n-such! :-)

Cin...Damn I missed my separated-at-birth other half! :-) Nuttin ' to add!

Anonymous said...

I haven't got anything intelligent to add, but I have to tell you we had a tv programme here the other day, on the bbc no less, a documentary called 'God bless Barack Obama'. I nearly puked. I would have watched it and reported back, but I wasn't in the right head space to deal with both god and his rightful son in one tv session!

Hope all is well Deb. :)

DebC said...

TBL...I heard about that documentary! Lawd have mercy! I know I couldn't have watched it either, Hell I can barely watch him on the news! I tell you, we will never rid ourselves of this manufactured image of this man.

I'm well TBL, thanks for asking. Hope you are too. :-)

The Fabulous Kitty Glendower said...

Deb, have you read the Time article where Barry is calling his oldest a little chubby? WTF? This after the fried chicken speech. And then the changes they supposedly made are things I would have expected from them from the get go? WTF? Honestly, WTF? And the first comment or so talked about how is ass is still smoking like a chimney, on the down low of course.

DebC said...

Kitty...I haven't read it - got a link? I did past something about MO taking on obesity somewhere, but I didn't read it.

The Fabulous Kitty Glendower said...

You know after I left that comment I thought about how I probably should have left a link. But you know, you and Cinie are always on time with the news. Here are two links.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7008978.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247254/Michelle-Obama-puts-daughters-diet-launching-obesity-campaign-U-S.html
You know it is usually the “liberal” blogosphere that takes on fatphobia. Funny how there is been no derision launched at Obama for calling his eleven year old, chubby. And I don’t understand the need for a diet. Weren’t the Demmies and all the Obama lovers the ones who were demanding that the caterer at the DNC present a minimum of 60% veggies with specific colors? Also, I know that skinny bastard still smokes. And I am still burning up over that stereotype of people feeding their children Popeye’s in morning. Not only is it stereotypical it is classist as hell. Who can afford Popeye’s for breakfast? That would imply that some was left over from last night. Who buys so much Popeye’s that there is enough for breakfast? Have you bought a breast and a wing and a biscuit from Popeye’s in the last ten years? The tab is no joke.

DebC said...

Kitty...read one of the pieces. Sounds like the one I skipped over reading but anyway, I agree with you, the liberal media/blogosphere rarely, if ever, says anything bad about the "Chosen One's" choice of words (remember the Special Olympics shit?" Seems it runs in the Chicago family seeing as Rahm recently got some shit about using the word "retarded").

And yes, having been a smoker myself for 42 years (yes, I started in the 6th grade - and still smoking) - I know he still smokes while frontin' about all this health shit. Maybe if he was honest about THAT battle and took on the people who continue to profit from making and selling cigarettes (i.e. shut their asses down), then maybe he, she and the rest of the "second-hand smoke" brigade might have a little credibility with me regarding concern for "our health."

"Have you bought a breast and a wing and a biscuit from Popeye’s in the last ten years? The tab is no joke."

Girl you are too funny!!! I know though, the fried chicken reference was intentional - and classist - and Cin's comment above illustrates the thinking perfectly - "We, unlike you, understand that while we're not quite as good as white people, we are better than you..."

Anonymous said...

nice post. thanks.

DebC said...

Anon...Thanx and you're welcome

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