Living while Black in "the land of the free and the home of the brave"...{SMDH}

Yes, Family -- "This IS America"...

Related:
- White people, stop calling the police on us -- They’re not your private security detail.
- #DrivingWhileBlackWithLeavesOnTheWindshield: Kansas Man Detained For Having ‘Vegetation’ on Window

Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1, Final -- State-sanctioned child-trafficking, "When animals attack"

What finally happened to Veronica Brown and her father, Dusten is pretty much what always happens when animals of the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy variety attack in full force.

White folk know, and all those wanna-be-white folk have learned that, more often than not, that whole, "skin you're in" construct (with a little white Jesus thrown in for good measure), crazily cements their white-savior "cred" both here and abroad in a major way (Hell, even Mitt's Fam's in on the save-the-savages bonanza!).  This peddling a deity (who looks like them) to other supposedly "lesser" folk, is to their distinct and seemingly infinite advantage, Family.  Why?  Because it makes them extremely powerful among those to whom they've sold him!

After ripping his heart right out of his chest, buying his child from a woman who didn't want her (or him), the wanton vultures they've always been -- just waited, hovering, intent on picking his carcass clean.  And true to form, they did:

• Sheriff:  Capobiancos, Veronica have left Oklahoma, criminal charge against Brown stands for now
• Capobiancos Sue Dusten Brown for Nearly Half a Million in Fees 

Both those pieces shook me to my very core for some time. Any illusion I might have had that this country and its inhabitants gave two shits about the "best interests of the child" were forever shattered.  But more importantly than anything, I felt that familiar "quiet riot" rumbling deep in my gut that I always get, when something patently wrong and hateful happens (and trust me Family, I've been feeling it on the regular here lately) -- and it did.

As I tried to make sense of the fact, that the very government that Dusten Brown had sworn to "serve and protect," was complicit in the taking of his flesh and blood, handing her over to their fellow white supremacists who, in their hubris and literature, claim to want to "protect Native American children and families," (but are really bent on wiping their culture out of existence by way of that old "Manifest Destiny" bullshit) -- it just did not compute.

The M.O. is as repetitively disgusting as it is old hat --  take whatever, or whomever you want, to fill some hole in what passes for your soul; use your money, influence and white supremacist ties to keep that jackboot firmly grounded on the necks of those you see as inferior and just to make the point clear, hang the threat of incarceration and the loss of all your livelihood over your head.  I tell you, white supremacy, like cotton -- remains the fabric of all our lives.

We can admit it or not, Family -- all of us, Others continue to live the many "-isms" the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy (WSCP) has craftily and consistently devised to divide and destroy us.  In Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, we've seen in great relief -- how the supreme law of the land, not only sanctioned, facilitated and masterfully perpetuated the selling of a more than capable father's flesh and blood for the benefit of a barren, white woman and her social-climbing husband, we've seen how ineffective the supposed, "America is a nation of laws" is -- for us.  In case you missed it, this is the WSCP in full effect.

My beautiful, young sister, Ms. Hill, absolutely nails what happened to Dusten Brown in all those courts (the ones we all think are there to protect us):

When, the, Son of Perdition is Commander-in-Chief, the standard is thief...

Marinate on that line right there, while I touch on a few points from the first link:

Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon confirmed this morning that Matt and Melanie Capobianco have left Oklahoma with 4-year-old Veronica under the watch of his deputies and a State Law Enforcement Division agent.

Cannon would not say where the James Island couple is or when they plan to return to South Carolina with their adoptive daughter, though he said he doesn’t expect them to come home today. Two deputies and a SLED agent will remain with them “for some period of time” to ensure they have a safe and smooth journey, he said.

Cannon said he doesn’t want to get into details about their travel plans because there is a great deal of emotion and frustration still surrounding the case.

“They are at an agreed-upon location where they are safe and comfortable,” he said. (emphasis mine)

First of all, Gov. Haley, how many South Carolinians okayed the use of their tax dollars to send these jackboots to Oklahoma in service to these two, PRIVATE citizens?  Two deputies AND a SLED agent at their disposal -- for however long??  And those of you who are not white supremacists raised no hell at all?!:

Cannon said he dispatched his law enforcement team to Oklahoma Monday because he had been monitoring the case and saw a possibility that a custody transfer might occur. He said he had been in contact with the Capobiancos’ attorneys as well.

Cannon said the decision by Veronica’s biological father, Dusten Brown, to hand her over to the Capobiancos does not mean that a pending criminal charge against him for custodial interference will just disappear. The custody battle and that charge “are two separate issues,” he said.

Cannon said his compliance with Monday’s exchange and plans for “some continued interaction between the Caponbiancos and Dusten Brown” could well be factors the courts will weigh in the case, but the matter still must run its course through the legal system.

“There is a warrant, he has been arrested and that has to be resolved,” he said. “There is every intention that that process continue to its conclusion, whatever that conclusion may be.”

Okay, whoever believes Cannon didn't know beforehand that the Capobiancos had already won custody of Veronica, raise your hands.  His lies are as ludicrous as the thought that no one recognized his veiled, "Keep being a good boy, Dusten and maybe we'll take that into consideration."

Dusten Brown held back tears Monday night as he packed bags for 4-year-old Veronica.

Oklahoma’s top court had cleared the way earlier in the day for the curly-haired girl to head back to South Carolina, where she spent the first 27 months of her life.

Veronica left the Tahlequah home where she had been staying recently. She said goodbye to Brown and her biological grandparents.

“He told her she was going to stay with Matt and Melanie (Capobianco) and they would be nice to her,” said Shannon Jones of Charleston, the birth father’s attorney. “He told her he loved her.”

After she walked away, Brown released the emotion he held in. He cried...

Emotional fight

Emotions have boiled on both sides of the legal battle since South Carolina courts gave custody to Brown in 2011. Veronica became a battle cry for American Indians intent on preserving their culture, while adoption advocates warned that an outcome not in the Capobiancos’ favor could discourage families from adoption...

...A South Carolina judge finalized the adoption in July and brushed aside all challenges, such as a request for an inquiry into Veronica’s best interests.

But Brown refused to relinquish his daughter.

Charleston prosecutors and deputies, as well as the state’s governor, wanted him arrested and extradited. He was jailed twice in Oklahoma, but the Charleston authorities’ attempts to reel him in never were successful. His lawyers have asked for a hearing to question the legality of the arrest warrant.

On Monday, Jones urged authorities to stop pursuing criminal action against her client. Jail time, Jones said, would greatly damage the Capobiancos’ future relationship with Veronica.

Surprise move

Courts in Oklahoma eventually approved the adoption decree, and in mid-August, one judge there ordered mediation that would give the Capobiancos and Brown a chance to iron out future visitation.

Over the coming weeks, the Capobiancos visited Veronica.

In photographs released Monday, Matt Capobianco clutches Veronica as she sits in his lap. Wearing a sparkly tiara, Melanie Capobianco tosses Veronica in her arms in another picture.

“(The) visits show that Veronica remembers them and loves them,” Lori Alvino McGill, the couple’s Washington attorney, said Monday.

Veronica celebrated her fourth birthday Sept. 15 with a Disney princess-themed bounce house, balloons and a table loaded with gifts. The Cherokee Nation presented her with a traditional dress...

...Later in the day, the move by Oklahoma’s top justices allowed authorities to enforce an Aug. 30 order from the Nowata County District Court demanding the Capobiancos get custody. The order is a version of one from a South Carolina judge.

The stay had been in place as the two sides talked about a settlement.

Five justices concurred with the opinion. Two dissented. One concurred in part and dissented in part. One did not vote.

The justices who disagreed with the move called for a hearing to determine whether a custody change is best for Veronica. Some said that finalizing an adoption without the proceeding was a violation of due process, making the South Carolina decree invalid.

The handover

Two deputies from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and an agent from the State Law Enforcement Division had arrived in Oklahoma earlier in the day, anticipating a significant development.

But even with the high court’s order, the Cherokee Nation expressed defiance against enforcement.

The tribe’s attorney general, Todd Hembree, said the state court’s order needed to be domesticated in tribal court to allow its enforcement on the land and the people it has jurisdiction over.

An order in tribal court, though, conflicted with Monday’s measure, Hembree said.  A tribal judge already has given custody of Veronica to Brown’s family.

“We are a sovereign nation with a valid and historic court system,” Hembree said. “I took an oath ... to uphold the laws and constitution of the Cherokee Nation and the United States. Nowhere in that oath is it required that I defend the laws of South Carolina.”

But it was Chrissi Nimmo, an assistant attorney general for the tribe that Veronica has come to know, who helped with the transition Monday night.

Nimmo took Veronica to meet with the Capobiancos and authorities.

Jones, the Charleston attorney, said her client had been given an hour to bid farewell to Veronica.

After the ordeal, Brown’s father suffered a heart condition, Jones said, and was taken to a hospital.

The Capobiancos last said in August that they wanted Brown and the Cherokee culture to play a role in Veronica’s future. It’s unknown whether any recent developments changed their views.

“We vow to hold them to their promise,” Jones said, “to let her know her heritage and her people.”

As she rode in a car Monday night with the Capobiancos, Veronica was quiet at first, said Noel Tucker, the couple’s attorney in Oklahoma.

Before long, she was singing to songs on the radio. (all emphasis mine)

Children are truly canvases at four years old, no?  Especially when their beloved Daddy assures them everything will be okay.  Big Ups to Todd Hembree for letting the state of South Carolina know how he felt, however, what we we're left with here is yet another Trail of Tears, Family.

~#~#~#~#~

Well, there is some good news on one front. Remember the Black father I talked about in the first part of this series, whose sister-girl, wife gave their daughter up for adoption to a couple in Utah while he was stationed somewhere else?  He got his daughter back!

Family, in whatever way you can,  please -- Let Your Life Be a Friction to Stop the Machine.  It's the only way, as Bro. Amenta said to me once, "...we may be able to awaken and fight the beast directly and not sideways."  That's how young, Brother Terry Achane fought it.  His words here show how deceptively simple it all is:

"I am not a very religious person,’ Mr. Achane has since told the Tribune, ‘but thou shalt not steal'.

Despite all the treacherous, well-worn tactics in which the Fries, this bio-Mom, this crooked adoption agency and this lawyer, along with their bought-and-paid-for media shills engaged (just like the Capobiancos) -- he won, Family!

But there are two major differences between Dusten Brown and Terry Achane -- this:

Judge Darold McDade berated the Adoption Center of Choice’s handling as ‘utterly indefensible.’ Once Mr. Achane contacted the Adoption Center of Choice … to let them know he opposed the adoption and wanted his daughter back, that should have been the end of this case,’ said Mr. McDade.

‘This is a case of human trafficking,’ Mr. Achane’s attorney Mark Wiser told the Tribune. ‘Children are being bought and sold. It is one thing what [adoption agencies] have been doing with unmarried biological fathers.  It is in a new area when they are trying to take a child away from a married father who wants to have his child.’ (all emphasis mine)

And this:

Even though he had the law, his sovereign Nation and his family on his side, Mr. Brown never stood a snowball's chance in hell with all those "low people in high places" amassed by the Capobiancos.  Being judicially and politically connected -- and wealthy -- made all the difference in how Veronica's case turned out, Family (Dr. Phil's nothing but a good ole boy from the Belly of the Beast, given a Hollywood chance by a Black woman who, it seems to me, detests her whole Blackness, more than she pretends to love it).

Though I definitely believe civil and human rights violations have been committed by both South Carolina and Oklahoma as well as The Supremes, I have serious doubts Holder & Co. will even think about looking into this case -- but we've got to try.  We've got to raise enough hell -- out loud -- because these two states continue to traffic Native American children for white, barren wombs.  Please, let's start now by signing this petition demanding a DOJ investigation of the entire case by signing the petition:  State of Oklahoma and U.S. Department of Justice - Eric Holder: Investigate the "adoption" of Veronica Brown

~#~#~#~#~#~

My Dearest Veronica,

Know your Daddy fought for you as hard as any Daddy could!  He went to court for you sweet child, and then he went to jail for you too, more than once. And guess what? He's still fighting -- all so you can know "from whence you came."

Where you are now, they will surround you with folk trying to make you believe your cultural identity does not matter at all, that you're a "fake Indian," like those whose images they've twisted or created for their own purposes -- like mascots.  But do know Little One, like many of us, one of your dear elders understands exactly what that's all really about.  She said I could share it with you here:

On Being a Fake Indian

by Cecilia Rose LaPointe

My Grandfather,

I've cared about you since I was 4 years old,

Since I can remember,

The funeral was odd,

I wasn't sad for you,

I knew you were hurting,

Decades later,

Stories were told,

In a suburban home of love and healing,

It was painful to hear what you have gone through,

What I fight for everyday is our story,

That I choose a certain way to live because of your story,

Because of our story,

There was too much to see,

Too much healing to be done,

Not enough supports in the dominant culture,

Crying on the curb,

Rubbing tears on our jeans,

We walked out into the great abyss of the streets,

Scary,

On being a fake Indian,

The stories are what we know in our souls,

No one would deny the pains,

Or sufferings in our family,

The flannel shirts-yellow smoke-bowling-UP energy,

Tired-mining-poverty-poor-rusted truck on blocks-UP energy,

Reservation conglomeration-government homes,

It was our beautiful black hair,

That we took a comb through,

Tears were behind us in the mirror we gazed at,

I was always afraid of my Dad's eyes,

In the rear view mirror,

Pearl Jam said it best,

"forced to endure what i could not forgive,

i seem to look away

wounds in the mirror waved,"

Saw things,

What did you see Grandfather?

How were you held down?

We were afraid of the tears,

No one told us that Indians could cry,

Could feel,

Could grieve,

On being a fake Indian,

Too much of what I remember,

Homogenization tactics,

But I knew something else,

Whether it was the thunder,

My Dad saying,

"its Grandpa LaPointe bowling in heaven..."

I can remember the orange streetlight and rain coming down

Sitting on the front steps,

Thunder and lightning across the sky,

On being a fake Indian,

Sure we exist in mixed skins,

Sure we exist in a mixed blood indentity conundrum,

Where mainstream TV perpetuates "equality" with other minorities,

They've got their tokens,

There are no American Indians on the TV,

We are invisible,

Life ways and identity stereotyped in a racist culture,

On being a fake Indian,

Our story is one that has not been heard,

The rush hour herds,

Daily grind in the name of "progress,"

Forgetting in daily prayers who we are,

Where we live,

The conditions of,

In this oppression,

On being a fake Indian,

No one can tell you what you feel in your heart,

What the family soul feels,

Or what healing we have done and will continue to do,

A beautiful strength,

Against great odds,

This is our choice,

What we have chosen,

What do you choose?

~#~#~#~#~

Dear Heart, you are NOT forgotten, trust me:




Related:
- The End of American Thanksgivings: A Cause for Universal Rejoicing
- Native Americans according to the first Western accounts
- Father of Cherokee girl honored in Oklahoma
- Baby Veronica & Baby Deseray: Don't Let Them Sell Our Babies!
- Judicial Impropriety in 'Baby Veronica' case? 
- Cherokee Nation Mourns as Veronica Is Returned to Adoptive Family
- Veronica Brown: The Taking of Native American Children
- Adoptive Parent Entitlement in South Carolina/Cherokee/ICWA Case/Baby Veronica UPDATED

"American Promise" -- a documentary

Family, since I'm always about full disclosure -- I got the email below a little bit ago and dithered about the request because:

1. I'm always a little leery about other folk telling me how wonderful something is in representing my lived experiences and 
2. I don't run ads on my blog for a reason -- everything's not for sale:

Hi Deb,

I just came across your blog and I wanted to reach out and let you know about American Promise, the Sundance Grand Jury prize winning documentary following the journeys of two African-American boys and their families from kindergarten through high school graduation. The film provides a rare look into Black middle class life while exploring the common hopes and hurdles of parents navigating their children’s educational journeys.

"the film is revelatory as an embedded report from the front lines of parenting."
-Film Comment

"American Promise is more than a documentary; it is part of a bigger, ongoing movement about changing perceptions of-and behavior and values with respect to-young African-American males in our society." - Documentary Magazine

I thought the film would be of great interest and conversation for your community. Would you be able to share the below information with your community?

We also have an online day of action on October 15. We are hoping to use this build a HUGE social media buzz about Black Male Achievement and supporting young black boys. Please support us by donating your organization and your personal accounts to our Thunderclap here:  http://thndr.it/16jxiwX mark your calendars for our twitter chat at 3 pm. Thanks!

If you would like to view an online screener of the film, please let me know.

Best,
Darcy

I decided I'd go ahead and post it with the caveat that I'd reserve my comments for after I'd seen it. Here's the descriptive snippet I was asked to post on the blog:

An opportunity to take part in conversations and actions on how we can better serve black boys!

Check out, American Promise, a documentary 13 years in the making, following the journeys of two African-American boys and their families from kindergarten through high school graduation. The film provides a rare look into Black middle class life while exploring the common hopes and hurdles of parents navigating their children’s educational journeys. Releasing in theaters starting October 18. Watch the trailer below. To learn more or find out where it is playing in your city visit http://on.fb.me/17lBHAZ or email info@americanpromise.org 

As promised, I will reserve my comments for after I've seen it -- but I can tell you right now, just from the trailer, I'll have quite a few! Please come back and let's talk.

Related:
‘An Education in Equality’ (please do watch the embedded video here!)

Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1g: A Poem for "Veronica Brown"

(Photo courtesy of Indian Country Today Media Network)

Forget That You Are Native
by Cecelia Rose LaPointe

They want you to forget,

That is their plan,

So look in the mirror,

Your skin,

Your eyes,

Your nose,

Your lips,

Your cheek bones,

Your hair,

Look closely,

In the mirror,

They want you to forget,

And when tears fill up in your hands,

You can wipe them on your jeans,

Get in the car,

Drive 60 in a 45,

Wipe the tears on your car seat,

Your steering wheel,

When the culture says you are homogeneous,

But the land pulses through your being,

Deep rooted in the land,

Waters,

Home,

Homogeneity is destructive to the soul,

Rise up amongst it all,

Gotta climb daily,

Because homogeneity is a sickness,

That can suck you in,

Destructive majority culture sickness,

Native children are hungry,

But you call us "white,"

When inside our homes is a fire,

Ablaze,

And we want to break down the walls,

They want you to forget,

So they don't have to own up to,

The damage they do to you,

Your family,

Your community,

They want you to forget,

So we can "get along,"

So we have "community,"

They want you to forget,

So they don't have to deal,

With the injustices that bury you,

In silence,

Most often when you are alone,

They want you to forget,

Forget that you are Native,

Because they think we are gone,

They want you to forget,

Because it is about a "divine plan,"

It is about "progress,"

For them,

They want you to forget,

Because they walk an easy road,

Their being is not crippled by,

The multiple layers of oppression,

If forgetting means dislocation,

Discombobulation,

Disorientation,

Addiction,

Abuse,

Remembering,

Knowing,

Feeling,

Living,

Breathing,

Walking,

Allowing,

We do not forget,

We can stand proud,

Stand tall,

Be whole,

Healthy,

When we remember who we are.

Cecelia Rose LaPointe is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed heritage residing in Naaminitigong (Manistee, MI) but is a part of Kchiwiikwedong (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community). She is a poet and writer whose blog I've been following for some time precisely because of the beautiful and simply profound truths her words impart.  When I read this morning that Dusten Brown had lost his beautiful daughter to the child traffickers -- yet again -- I was drawn to Cecelia's blog, searching for words to share with Veronica and she did not disappoint.

I'm writing a final post of these recent events as soon as I can get my head together.

Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1, Final -- State-sanctioned child-trafficking, "When animals attack"

Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1f -- Low people in high places

AP:  South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin face reelection bids in 2014

I believe BFF governors Mary Fallin and Nikki Haley (Fric-n-Frac respectively) long ago put their, silly little heads together and decided that Fric would -- after what seemed to them a reasonable amount of time to be legitimate -- sign that extradition warrant to send Dusten Brown back to South Carolina to face those trumped up felony custodial interference charges cooked up by Frac, the child traffickers Capobiancos and their cadre of politically connected cohorts.

Despite Fric's assurrances on August 13, that she would "not approve the warrant until Dusten Brown has a chance to fight extradition in court, starting with a hearing Sept. 12 in Sequoyah County" and, the fact her office had 90 days to review the warrant, coupled with her smarmy, "My hope, however, continues to be that sending Mr. Brown to face criminal charges in South Carolina is unnecessary" statement -- she decided, less than 30 days later, that Mr. Brown was "not acting in good faith" when he cut off Veronica's visits after Cherokee marshals alerted him the Mister had allegedly threatened to just take her back to South Carolina, in violation of the Oklahoma Supreme Court order to keep her there until Mr. Brown got his day in court.

You've got to be blind if you believe this wasn't all pre-planned once the battlefield changed to Oklahoma.  Hell, they were so confident in their, "On being white and other lies," privileged nonsense, Frac had already gotten her personal "Bull Connor" to dispatch two deputies and a SLED agent to Oklahoma, to the tune of $9,355.96 of SC taxpayer money on August 12!

As I look at all the parties involved in this case, I have to conclude that this is one of the most far-reaching, politically well-protected child trafficking rings in the country.  I'm sure you'll agree that -- from the baby-selling adoption agency and their attorney (who is also the Cabobiancos' attorney -- both currently embroiled in yet another kidnapping from Oklahoma to South Carolina); to the Tea Party enthusiasts who formed The Coalition to Protect Indian Tribes and Families (Melanie Duncan Capobianco and their PR guru, Jessica Munday are founding members), to the SC Guardian Ad Litem who lied to an attachment and bonding expert to get a favorable recommendation; to the attorney for the birth mother who is literally in bed with a clerk in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for SC Justice John Roberts (an adoptive parent himself who should've recused himself when the Supremes ruled on this case) ; to the Family Court judge, a defendant in the Native American Rights Fund civil suit, who ordered the immediate transfer of the child back to the traffickers; to the waffling SC Supreme Court which at first upheld the initial SC Family Court decision to return the child to her father, then flipped and upheld the US Supreme Court's tainted decision; to Melanie Duncan Capobianco's having a "Duncan" in the U.S. House of Representatives; to the BFFs above -- this case is crying out for the Department of Justice investigation this petition demands.  If you care one iota about stopping this madness, please follow the link and add your voice!

To date, Dusten Brown has handled this obvious, "David and Goliath" undertaking to keep his own flesh and blood with a measure of dignity and integrity that I'm certain I would never have been able to muster.  Even after Fric released the hounds with the swipe of her pen, he turned himself in yet again, rather than having his daughter see him arrested -- not what the BFFS or Sequoyah County Sheriff wanted:

With a warrant signed by Oklahoma's governor and Charleston County sheriff's deputies waiting to escort him back to South Carolina, Brown appeared to be running out of options when he surrendered to authorities in Sequoyah County, Okla.

But a short time later, a Sooner State judge granted Brown bail over the protests of the local sheriff, allowing him to remain free until an Oct. 3 hearing decides whether he will be sent to South Carolina to face a custodial-interference charge. He was released on a $10,000 surety bond.

Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart said he initially refused to follow Judge Jeff Payton's order because he had never heard of a suspect being released while awaiting extradition on a governor's warrant. “This is the first time in history I have seen that done,” he said.

Lockhart said he called the governor's office and initially was told not to release Brown. The governor's office then called back and told him to follow the court's orders, the sheriff said.

“I lost,” he said. (emphasis mine)

He lost?!  Talk about low people in high places!  They've got operatives every place you turn around!  After the judge let Brown go, who in the hell was the Sheriff to go over his head and call Fric??

Extreme hubris is the natural order of things for the money+things+privilege must = power crowd. Sleeping-her-way--to-the-top attorney, Alvino McGill had the nerve to imply there's some malfeasance going on in Brown's camp with this foolishness from the afore-linked piece:

In a separate statement, Alvino McGill also called into question how Brown was able to post bail Thursday.

“Given that Mr. Brown has miraculously been released on bond yet again in the face of an executed governor's warrant,” she said. “I'd expect the state's lawyers to take a very hard look at what is going on here.”

Meanwhile, Shannon Jones, Brown's attorney in Charleston, called on the governor to retract a statement alleging that her client hadn't agreed to visitation or negotiation.

Last month, Brown had been in tears over thoughts of being apart from his daughter as his attorneys made offers to the Capobiancos, she said. The Capobiancos' attorneys declined those offers, according to Jones.

“We've done everything we could to negotiate,” she said. “But they are confident that they will win this case. They do not believe they need to negotiate.”

Alvino McGill praised the governor's “decisive action” to help end the case.

“Veronica deserves the right to go home now, without yet more court orders or the intervention of law enforcement,” Alvino McGill said. “Brown's continued refusal to abide by the law is hurting everyone involved, especially Veronica.” (emphasis mine)

Really??  After all the behind the scenes machinations in their child-trafficking camp, she could still, as my Grandmother used to say, "fix her mouth to say this??" {smdh}  Of course she praised Fric's action -- she's a part of all of this!  Look Ms. Alvino McGill, Veronica is already home.  She doesn't need any more of you heartless people throwing up more interventions to her living a full and happy life with her father -- something Matt Capobianco will never, ever be to her.  She is neither a "commodity" to be bought and sold, nor one from which you and your friends should profit.  Speaking of profit, what the hayell is this madness!:

Though the idea only came on New Year’s Eve, 2011, the tempest had been brewing in the teapot for quite some time. My friends, Matt and Melanie Capobianco were ordered by a judge in South Carolina to surrender custody of their precious, adopted daughter, Veronica Rose to her biological father, a man whom she’d never met before...

...I meditated on it, daydreamed, and it became painfully obvious. A custom perfume. It’s unique, it’s fitting, and it’s something that I have a talent for. I ran the idea past the family, and with their blessing, I started working on her namesake perfume, Veronica Rose.

Using her name, “Rose” as a starting point, this delightful confection of a fragrance honors Veronica’s Aztec/Mexican Heritage with elements of vanilla, and her Native American heritage with sweet grass, cedar, and sage. One of Veronica’s favorite things is cake, so there are elements of birthday cake to this fragrance as well; Tart fruits, complex herbal and botanical bouquets, and a soft downy finish round out this soft, playful, feminine scent. (emphasis mine)

These people have no shame -- none. at. all.

Just when I thought everybody in my hometown was bat-shit crazy, unable to see the absolute wrongness of this continuing saga, I read this wonderfully empathetic and honest piece from the alternative hometown paper -- The Capobiancos should stop fighting for custody of Baby Veronica.  In it, Chris Haire expresses some deep and fundamental truths that only those NOT blinded by "winning at all costs" would recognize:

A short time ago, an Oklahoma judge ordered the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Department to release Brown from jail. As it stands now, Dusten Brown will return to court on Oct. 3 to learn whether he will be sent to South Carolina to be tried for the crime of custodial interference, namely that he had failed to turn over Baby Veronica to the Capobiancos. And if and when he is extradited, it will do nothing to solve the ongoing custody fight over the three-year-old little girl. In fact, it will only make things worse. Much worse. Especially for the Capobiancos.

Although the Capobiancos may not want to hear this, Ronnie Brown will never be their daughter as long as Dusten Brown is alive. Too much time has passed from when they called Baby Veronica their own and when they were forced to give her up. Today, the bond between Ronnie and her father is probably far too great to break, and anyone who believes that bond should be broken should be ashamed of themselves. When it comes down to it, Ronnie Brown is not a cause; Baby Veronica is. The flesh and blood Ronnie Brown is a child, and Dusten Brown is her flesh and blood father — and by all accounts, he loves her.

Forget the Indian Child Welfare Act. Forget that the Capobiancos raised Baby Veronica from birth until she was two. Forget that they tried desperately to have children of their own for years and years and years. Forget that they loved and cared for her as if she was their own child. She's not. She's Dusten Brown's, and for nearly the past two years, she has been under his care. She has spent her days and nights with him and his family. She has called him "daddy" countless times. Regardless of what happens, she will never call Matt Capobianco "daddy" and mean it in the exact same way she does when she refers to Dusten Brown.

Right now, Ronnie Brown is surely aware that her daddy, Dusten Brown, loves her so much he is willing to go to jail to save her. The Capobiancos will never be able to lay claim to such a heroic sacrifice, and because they can't, Ronnie Brown will never be theirs. And as the years go by, Dusten Brown's sacrifice will only grow in importance to little Ronnie Brown, and it will only poison whatever relationship the Capobiancos hope to have with her if she is handed over to them. Their lives will be ruined. But more importantly, so will hers.

So much has gone wrong when it comes to this case. So much has been mishandled. And too many tears have been shed and hearts have been broken. It's finally time for someone to do something right. And for the Capobiancos that means putting an end to this tragedy right here and right now. If they truly wish for the best for Ronnie Brown, they must quit fighting for custody of Baby Veronica. She doesn't exist. Ronnie Brown does, and Dusten Brown is her father. Let him have her. Her future — and theirs — depends on it (all emphasis mine).

I salute Mr. Haire's courage in writing that piece, Family.  Believe me, if you read the comments, you'll see what I mean!

Predictably, the child traffickers paid no attention to Mr. Haire's entreaty.  According to Michael Overall's piece in the Tulsa World this morning, a very haggard Melanie Duncan Capobianco, accompanied by the Mister and a young, vibrant Dusten Brown and his attorney left yet another round of negotiations.  To date, that's seven different courthouses in six different counties -- and counting.

All we can do now is wait and see what the October 3 extradition hearing in Sequoyah County will bring for this young, determined, grown-assed man.  I'm sending my prayers out to Spirit, for his and Veronica's sake, hoping it will help sound the death knell to these human and sovereign rights atrocities being perpetrated by these low people in high places.

Continued: Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1g: A Poem for "Veronica Brown"

Related:
- Okla. custody dispute compared to SC couple’s case
- United Nations Demands Respect for Baby Veronica's Human Rights
- Baby Veronica: How Dusten Brown could prevail in battle over his daughter
- Veronica Rose Perfume Fundraiser Day 2

Will the "taking" ever end???

This is so wrong on so many levels. I am just speechless about this right now -- U.S. Supreme Court reverses S.C. court in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, siding with James Island couple:

The opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, rules that assertions made by the South Carolina Supreme Court don't apply in the specific case of Adoptive Couple, saying that action by the S.C. court that resulted in Veronica being "taken, at the age of 27 months, from the only parents she had ever known" under the federal ICWA, "do not demand this result."

Writing for the Court, Alito says examination of the case using other provisions of the ICWA were inapplicable, and that an argument that the Capobianco's adoption was an attempt to "breakup" her birth father Dusten Brown's Native American family (as defined by the ICWA) is insubstantial since Brown "abandoned" Veronica before her birth.

So, white folk can still keep doing to Native-Americans what they've always done -- take their land, take their children and continue to slowly erase them from these alleged United States.{smdh} I just can't expound any further on this right now, I just can't.  But please read this incredibly truthful and moving piece by Dana Lone Hill over at The Intersection of Madness and Reality to get an idea of what I will say when I can -- "First Nations, White Privilege, & the Red Struggle."  This paragraph in particular, speaks passionately to what the sexist Alito and his lemmings have done with their lies and unbridled White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy today:

"In our very own land that we have ALWAYS occupied we have to fight, struggle, and reclaim our own very basic needs and rights. We are the only ethnic group who has a set of laws in place to keep our children with our own people because our children are targeted for foster care and years before boarding schools. Acts of genocide placing our children with other groups of people. We had to fight for the right to practice our own spirituality which we got in 1978. We had to buy our own stolen sacred land back." (all emphasis mine)

I'll write more later.

Continued: Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1

Related:
- U.S. Supreme Court ruling -- Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl
- Supreme Court says Native American child doesn’t have to be given to biological father

Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1

There is that great proverb—that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.

— Chinua Achebe, “The Art of Fiction,” 1994

(Photo:  Charleston City Paper)

Tucked amid those high-profile cases the Supremes chose to hear this year, is the little-talked-about (at least nationally), Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl wherein, the preservation of cultural identity is pitted against the often tried and true -- "best interest of the child" argument.

Steeped in the easily recognizable machinations of childless white folk who've set their sights on the children of the "Other" (don't act like this is an odd occurrence, it's what prompted the Indian Child Welfare Act in the first damned place!) -- the alleged adoptive parents' display of money+things+privilege must = power seems to me, little more than institutionalized white supremacy writ large.

Now Family, before you go asking yourselves, "What the hay-ell does this have to do with us?!" I beg your indulgence all the way to the end of the post, mkay?  Before then though, let's take a look at how this case of, "No!  You cannot have this man's child!" -- was able to even land in the U.S. Supreme Court.

At issue for the Court:

1. Whether a non-custodial parent can invoke the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 1901-63, to block an adoption voluntarily and lawfully initiated by a non-Indian parent under state law; and
2. Whether ICWA defines “parent” in 25 U.S.C. § 1903(9) to include an unwed biological father who has not complied with state law rules to attain legal status as a parent.

Just let those "implications" marinate for a minute. Having recently returned from home (yet again, Amenta!), I can tell you that there, as Elder Achebe noted above, "the history of the hunt" is definitely "glorifying the hunters" when it comes to "Baby Girl."

~#~#~

How it got this far

Perusing a hometown paper online the first week of 2013, I came across this: U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear 'Baby Veronica' case.  And yes, like the series of yet-to-be-published pieces about home with which I've been struggling across my recent visits, this also sat as a draft -- until I realized that the April 15 hearing date was upon us.

Several things struck me as I read the short piece (especially the first, double comment!).  I had to go and read the linked, mainstream media version of the original "specifics" of the case, as reported by The Charleston City Paper here.  Please, do read the entire thing -- I doubt you'll be able to ignore the "glorification of the hunter" throughout.  Particularly interesting to me, were these observations.

By now most people around here know something about Veronica. They see the purple Save Veronica signs and bumper stickers in business windows and parking lots. Her swath of curly dark hair has become almost iconic. But what most local residents don't understand is how this happened.

Four months after Matt and Melanie Capobianco brought Veronica home, an attorney called them to let them know that Dusten Brown had filed for paternity and custody. A few more months passed, and the Cherokee Nation joined the case, claiming a violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act. That law, passed in 1978 to keep tribes together, also deems the Capobiancos' unwavering drive to care for Veronica less significant than her biological tie to the Cherokee Nation. The Indian Child Welfare Act mandates that a child with Native American heritage grow up with blood relatives or, if that option is unavailable, with a member of his or her tribe. Social workers can place the child with adoptive or foster families from outside the tribe, but only after exhausting those possibilities. The cases that arise from this law prove as divisive as abortion or gay marriage. Some people take this law personally.

By, "most local residents," the writer must mean, "white folk who can't get their way," because quiet as it's kept, there are more Native Americans in the Carolinas than she'd like to admit, many of whom know full well how their culture has been turned upside-down by the presence of white folk on their lands (the main reason why "Occupy" anything causes a quiet riot deep in my gut). Equally -- because South Carolina once had a Black Majority due, in particular, to the volume of West African slaves brought into the colony because of their African and gendered knowledge of growing rice, as well as, to do the back-breaking work that made white planters rich -- there are many Blacks who not only understand why this happened, but are rooting for Dusten Brown.  So, no shit, Allyson, some people -- who are not white -- take this law personally (as a matter of fact, there's a Black father further down-post who, I'm sure, wishes there was an ICWA for him!).

Her concentration on the faux adoptive parents' "unwavering drive" versus the inane-sounding, "keep tribes together," is indicative of the "white gaze."  To frame this story as such, reeks of the white privilege permeating the whole affair.  And to equate the divisiveness of the cases arising from the ICWA with "abortion or gay marriage" is hyperbole at its best -- Baby Girl belongs with her damned Daddy who wants her!  Somebody please show my ignorant behind where the similarity is!

A court filing on behalf of the Capobiancos said Brown agreed to give up his rights to Veronica to his estranged ex-fiancée, so long as he could give up any child support obligation along with it. Brown's attorney, Shannon Jones, instead argued that her client expected Veronica's biological mother to raise their daughter and signed away his rights to her alone.

Now this is truly interesting to me.  As you will read in the opinion below, Dusten was active-duty military, preparing to deploy to Iraq, when he agreed "to give up his rights to Veronica to his estranged ex-fiancée."  Sounds really ominous right?  It is, but it's not -- here's why.  My husband and I were once, both on active-duty in the Navy (different languages, same specialty) and we both had to sign over our parental rights to (in our case) my mother, in the event that he would be assigned sea-duty and I would be assigned to an unaccompanied OUTCONUS (outside the continental U.S.) tour of duty.  This actually happened upon my re-enlistment, but I decided to get out instead because of the way my babies often reacted when Dad came back from other sea-duty tours  -- they didn't know who the hayell he was!  Their getting reacquainted was always a process, one I didn't want to have happen to me.  Now, might Dusten not have thought that was what he was signing?

Intrigued by the article though (mainly because in situations like these, there's always two sides to every story and then the damned truth), I googled some "Other" versions of the story.  This one was particularly interesting (especially the comments!):  Biological Father Regains Custody of Two-Year-Old Cherokee Daughter in Adoption Battle.

And further, because I prefer facts, versus an emotion-laden, media-biased opinion (which the City Paper's piece, along with CNN and others I've seen and read -- are), I decided to look up the actual, South Carolina Supreme Court opinion.  I wanted to know the legal reasons why the alleged adoptive parents' case was denied in the lower court in the first place -- and I'm glad I did:

CHIEF JUSTICE TOAL: This case involves a contest over the private adoption of a child born in Oklahoma to unwed parents, one of whom is a member of the Cherokee Nation. After a four day hearing in September 2011, the family court issued a final order on November 25, 2011, denying the adoption and requiring the adoptive parents to transfer the child to her biological father. The transfer of custody took place in Charleston, South Carolina, on December 31, 2011, and the child now resides with her biological father and his parents in Oklahoma. We affirm the decision of the family court denying the adoption and awarding custody to the biological father. (emphasis mine)

Now I'm no lawyer, but I see no ambiguity here.  The child was never legally adopted!  However, given what James Island has increasingly become, I'm certain that fact was merely an annoyance for the money+things+privilege must = power folk (kinda like no-see-ums instead of gnats, because you see, no-see-ums bite -- but still, they can be handled).

This child is living with her Daddy and extended family! And they're trying their damndest to get in between that with their, "Woe is me" displays? Lawd ha' mercy, doesn't the sense of entitlement just drip -- even as they spew that whole "best interest of the child" bullshit?

And to think, all of this trauma, being inflicted on the child and her Daddy, is being aided and abetted by the faux adoptive Mom -- who has a Masters degree and a PhD in developmental psychology and develops therapy programs for children with behavior problems and their families!  And people wonder why I'm wary of alphabet-holding, "mental health experts." {smdh}

Some additional points to ponder from the opinion:

• Mother testified that she knew "from the beginning" that Father was a registered member of the Cherokee Nation, and that she deemed this information "important" throughout the adoption process. Further, she testified she knew that if the Cherokee Nation were alerted to Baby Girl's status as an Indian child, "some things were going to come into effect, but [she] wasn't for [sic] sure what." 

• Mother reported Father's Indian heritage on the Nightlight Agency's adoption form and testified she made Father's Indian heritage known to Appellants and every agency involved in the adoption. However, it appears that there were some efforts to conceal his Indian status. In fact, the pre-placement form reflects Mother's reluctance to share this information:

  "Initially the birth mother did not wish to identify the father, said she wanted to keep things low-key as possible for the [Appellants], because he's registered in the Cherokee tribe. It was determined that naming him would be detrimental to the adoption.” 

• Appellants hired an attorney to represent Mother's interests during the adoption. Mother told her attorney that Father had Cherokee Indian heritage. Based on this information, Mother's attorney wrote a letter, dated August 21, 2009, to the Child Welfare Division of the Cherokee Nation to inquire about Father's status as an enrolled Cherokee Indian. The letter stated that Father was "1/8 Cherokee, supposedly enrolled," but misspelled Father's first name as "Dustin" instead of "Dusten" and misrepresented his birthdate. (my bold, their italic -- emphasis here) 
• Because of these inaccuracies, the Cherokee Nation responded with a letter stating that the tribe could not verify Father's membership in the tribal records, but that "[a]ny incorrect or omitted family documentation could invalidate this determination." Mother testified she told her attorney that the letter was incorrect and that Father was an enrolled member, but that she did not know his correct birthdate. Adoptive Mother testified that, because they hired an attorney to specifically inquire about the baby's Cherokee Indian status, "when she was born, we were under the impression that she was not Cherokee." Any information Appellants had about Father came from Mother. (emphasis mine)

Based just on the afore-going, it's obvious that -- from the Mother, to the agency handling the "adoption," to the attorney involved, to the adoptive parents -- this case is riddled with fraud and financial coercion at best, and institutionalized white supremacy at the very least (All together now, can we say, "You lie!" to the faux, adoptive parents and their lawyers?).  Also, it seems if push comes to shove, the adoptive parents are positioned to hurl the birth-mother under the damned bus, walking away, not only unscathed, but painted as "victims" of a lying, conniving birth mother.  But for the Cherokee Nations' written caveat, this Dad never stood a chance!

Here we have a single (now married, according to The Atlantic piece), Cherokee Nation father (non-custodial parent) trying to block the adopting out of his own biological child to white folk, after her non-Indian mother (with some pre- and post-financial assistance from the white folk), voluntarily, but it seems to me, unlawfully, gave her up for adoption -- without telling the father.

(Photo courtesy of The Atlantic)

Secondly, we have the faux, adoptive parents, relying on the language of the ICWA, to determine that Dusten Brown is not Veronica's parent (institutionalized white supremacy notwithstanding, he did file for paternity four months after her birth when he found out what the birth mother had done.  I don't see how they have a leg on which to stand there, especially if his deployment is raised but -- you never know about those "hunters,"right?).

From "Wounded Knee" (where Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Thomas Morgan stated in October 1889 -- a year before that massacre):

“The Indians must conform to "the white man’s ways," peaceably if they will, forcibly if they must. They must adjust themselves to their environment, and conform their mode of living substantially to our civilization. This civilization may not be the best possible, but it is the best the Indians can get. They cannot escape it, and must either conform to it or be crushed by it. The tribal relations should be broken up, socialism destroyed, and the family and the autonomy of the individual substituted.” (emphasis mine)

To the Changeling's, revisionist-history-nominated-for-an-Oscar, faux, "Great Emancipator," homeboy, Abe Lincoln, who said in his, Address on Colonization to a Deputation of Negroes:

"...If we deal with those who are not free at the beginning, and whose intellects are clouded by Slavery, we have very poor materials to start with.  If intelligent colored men, such as are before me, would move in this matter, much might be accomplished. It is exceedingly important that we have men at the beginning capable of thinking as white men, and not those who have been systematically oppressed." (emphasis mine)

White supremacy has continuously demanded that all of us, "Others," totally forget who we are, and assimilate into what they demand we become -- a carefully cultivated, "rainbow" version of THEM.  

Thanks, but no thanks -- I'll pass.

I cannot, and will not, speak to my Brown sister's motivations, nor actions (especially given the "gaze" under which she's been portrayed). But what I do know is true, is that Veronica is in her father’s household where she needs to be.  To the Capobiancos, I say -- go adopt a little white girl. There are plenty of them waiting for loving families, and, you won't have to deal with the ICWA!

~#~#~#~

Okay Family here's where we come in (and please -- stop listening to what the MSM and the Changeling have to say about Black fathers!):

The father of a baby girl who is nearly 2 years old now, and did not even know she existed until last year is battling her adoptive parents for custody. Army Staff Sergeant Terry Achane's wife put her child up for adoption while he was away on duty and did not tell him about it until six months after he returned home. A Utah judge has ruled the adoptive parents must hand the child over to him within 60 days. But the couple, Jared and Kristi Frei, is filing an appeal, hoping to keep their daughter. (emphasis mine)

So, sister-girl decided this adoption on her own, though she didn't create this life on her own. And now, the white family wants to fight to keep "their" daughter. {smdh} Even more disturbing for us, is a trend my young sister, Ankh posted at the advent of the new year, entitled, "First One of the Year."   Raising interracial children in a home with two parents who love them, carries its own set of "preserving cultural identity" difficulties, however, I find this set of circumstances more than chilling for the "accidental children" of the trysts described therein. I, unabashedly found great pride in the "Idle No More" movement going on during the Baby Veronica case because -- in nearly every picture at the link, "Protect Our Children" is the prominent consideration, as it is with all the briefs filed by other tribes in support of the case at the initial link.  These "lions" definitely have their own historians, Elder Achebe, and because of that, I have high hopes that this child's, "history of the hunt" will glorify them all. My fervent hope, is that Black folk, with all our historians, can begin to cogently relate "the history of the hunt" in which we've long been involved, glorifying (for a change), the rights of African-descended children to know who they are, rather than who the "hunters" demand they become.

Continued: Preserving cultural identity in the face of institutionalized white supremacy: Another Home-going -- Pt. 1a -- Cultural assaults on "The Other" continues

Related:
- Slave descendants seek equal rights from Cherokee Nation
- First Nations, White Privilege, & the Red Struggle
- P.L. 95--608, Approved November 8, 1978 (92 Stat. 3069) Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978
- The Indian Child Welfare Act, The need for a separate law
- Supreme Court To Hear Arguments on Indian Child Welfare Act
- High court to tackle Native American adoption dispute
- Indian family protection law central to emotional custody battle
- Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl: Information and Resources
- Save Wounded Knee

All in what game???

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 another word.

In the interim, I received two “new post” alerts from similar-but-different sources within hours of each other. One was Earl’s - Obama Plays the Race Card, and There's Nothing Wrong With That; the other was - News With Nezua Empire Games - MAJOR POWERS PLAY MAJOR GAMES (posted below).

While both were impassioned entreaties to their respective kinfolk about the Changeling, upcoming elections and the “games people play” - it was impossible to miss that they were clearly polar opposites in both their motivation and in their giving a shit about the whole of humanity.

As if in “response” to my “call” – Nezua posted his honest, enlightened and documented account, of exactly what I wanted to say. I knew I couldn’t say it any better, so I asked him to let me post it here, and he graciously consented:



I'm so proud of Nezua for standing up and saying, “No! Using us for votes – is NOT okay! Lying so you can “claim credit” – is NOT okay! And having the unmitigated gall to come back again, after screwing us over so brazenly - is certainly NOT okay!”

In solidarity, I too say - “This is not a game!”

As I told my friend Kitty in the comments a couple posts ago, “Latinos “don't need "aid." What they need – is a clear path to the same citizenship opportunity made available to the European immigrants who came here - and later became "white." Once they get that, no "Dream Act" - which would again, pit them against each other, and us - would be necessary.” And I stand by that statement.

Yet, even though the pain of Obama’s deception obviously cut very deeply, Nezua, in stark contrast to Earl, advised his “gente” - in truth, love and respect for their decision-making - to do what they believe is right for them - not the Changeling - in November. Imagine that!

Now my brother, Earl on the other hand, took a decidedly different tack in advising his kinfolk. As I read his above-linked post, I lost all the respect I was trying to have for this man.  All I could do was shake my damned head in disgust and say, "Man, you have no shame at all do you?”

Instead of presenting some useful, sensible, truthful analysis on which Black voters could rely to help make informed decisions next week, he chose to ratchet-up his speechifying instead - peppering it with the same fear, lies and disrespectful, parroted blather being spewed by the other side of the same coin:

The pitch to black voters is to get out in November and vote like your life depends on it. That means voting to save a slew of endangered Congressional Democrats. The stakes are well-known. A GOP grab of the House, even without the Senate, will almost certainly mean endless committee investigations of Obama administration actions, funding and appropriation stalls and sabotage, and a relentless no to every Obama initiative from energy to immigration reform. The escalation of congressional wars would be distracting, debilitating, and pose deep danger to Obama's reelection bid in 2012. (link mine)

Translation:

• “Yeah, Black folk, he’s coming back to USE you to help him keep those do-nothing clowns in office. And that’s okay.
• Forget he’s given you nothing but his ass to kiss since he came begging and lying the first time. That’s okay too!
• Forget you’re unemployed, or have been for some time, or still do not make a living wage. All okay.
• Forget that your “American Dream” homes are being foreclosed upon as we speak, or you can barely pay your rent. Of course, that’s okay!
• Forget he and his, continue to “play games” not only with your very lives, but with those of your children, by continuing to funnel Byrne Grant money to states, which then use it to hurt, not help our community - by funneling it to their respective agencies overseeing their prison industrial complexes. I’m sure that’s okay witcha!
• As a matter of fact, forget ALL of their hypocrisy and just run on out there and Pull That Lever for whomever the “O” man says you should. There’s nothing wrong with that!

I swear I felt like I’d been transported to Bizarro World, with Earl blasting the Bizarro Code from his perch at HuffPo:

"Us do the opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Is a big crime to make anything perfect on Bizarro World!"

Why on earth should people be trying to “save a slew of endangered Democrats” who’ve not done one thing they’ve been saying they would do – for two administrations??  Personally, I welcome the “endless committee investigations of Obama administration actions and funding (seeing as over the last few years, they’ve raised enough money to feed, clothe and house a small nation for eternity!).” And since he’s not had an “initiative” worth two cents since his transcendance ascendance to the throne - to what exactly, will the Republicans say “No?”

When one cannot point to any substantive change in an existence, after throwing all that support behind a man who did his damndest to degrade them – when he wasn’t ignoring them, the time for “playing games” are over. It’s time now that we create a new reality for ourselves – one that reflects the love, power, humility, persistence, strength, knowledge and grace - that got us this far in the first place.

Sure, the Republicans, and their red-headed (no offense HT!), Tea Party step-children, are - without a doubt - the epitome of the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy. With their privilege still very much intact, their racism is palpable and their fear-stoked, twisted lies are even more obvious than they’ve been in a very long time. But, so what! At least now you know exactly with whom you’re dealing!

And who, in their right mind, will stand with them in their overt hatred and spiteful bigotry toward their fellow countrymen that is sure to come? I say -no better way to find out than if their supposed Congressional take-over happens (now had the Changeling really been a “change agent” from the jump, we’d have all been well on our way to figuring that out by now! Just sayin’).

But rather than be afraid of their supposed, Congressional take-over (which I doubt will happen completely), I look forward to it. Why? Because I know they won’t be able to contain themselves - perhaps then, ushering in the “real revolution” this country sorely needs.

Politicians are always on the stroll for the next deep-pocketed John or Jane, willing to pay handsomely (both literally and figuratively) for their “favors.” Sadly, that's what democracy looks like in these United States. But trust me, there is something very wrong with joining that cabal of “the greedy-using-the-needy” for "sport" because, again – this is not a game. But if it were, just keep in mind - no team goes undefeated forever!