TheSpookWhoSatByTheDoor

How liberals are really ruining the country

2011-12-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

As the Obama money campaign churns into gear raising billions, the liberal press is of course allowing itself to be used to blame EVERY BODY but Obama for HIS catastrophic policies that harmed so many poor, working poor and middle class people. This specious cartoon is an example and is actually also an example of white racist liberalism.The never portrayed Clinton as being so weak and hapless as this cartoon does to Obama.

The truth is painfully evident and progressives should demand that liberals admit to being equally responsible primarily, as the republicans have done nothing that they have not attempted to any other president. The truth is that
since Obama entered the white house gates, instead of demanding accountability, liberals looked the other way as he made one bad decision after another starting with who he appointed to managed the economy and who he selected for his chief of staff. Yet instead of demanding accountability which means admitting the truth that Obama made some really bad decisions liberals simply blame republicans and progressives as if Obama is a victim being held hostage by the republicans. And now that some progressives are finally demanding accountability from our President, they get blamed as this liberal cartoonist is doing in the cartoon above. Democrats Politician will continue to betray us until liberals start demanding accountability, but sometimes I think they are too invested in this corrupt system to actually want change. Occupy Wall Street is America's only hope

Rapper Slim Dunkin was shot and killed during a fight over a five cent Fruit Chew candy in South Atlanta

2011-12-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Yea the same fruit chew they sale on the redline el a pack of ten for a dollar wrapped in Saran rap

Good F*cking riddance. There is a war being waged in America. And on the front line are of course Black People as mere cannon fodder. And the great majority of us don't even know it as our communities fall down around us. But some Black people are fighting back by joining Occupy Wall Street or any other truly progressive grassroots (non neo liberal) movement, or that one kid out there in the ghetto merely striving to stay in school and pull down a good grade, yea I see you!

But there are far too many enemies in our own camp and this "Negro" was one of them and I'm tired of these,

a*s holes using rap to pollute and destroy the minds of the next generation,( while they get ghetto rich) when they could be using Hip Hop like Common, Nas, and The Roots to inspire Black youth to be visionaries to benefit the Black Community.

The Black community is better off with him gone and I hope they bury him in that platinum Gumbi chain he was so proud of. Think I'm being harsh? Well just remember Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Viola Liuzzo, Medgar Evers, etc, took bullets to the brain for this fool. And those four little girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair were blown up in the 16th Street Baptist Church by the Klu Klux Klan in 1963 for fools like this. And look how he returned it! I hope they bury him in his Platinum Gumbi Chain

Black Children don't need any more Slim Dunkin, they need more Nas ( minus the weed addiction, but at least he's being real about his addiction)

"To my man Ill Will, God bless your life
To my peoples throughout Queens, God bless your life
My insight enlights vision
Words of wisdom, niggaz pay me intuition
To listen, to murder paragraphs of mysticism
Man plant seeds that brings forth multiple breeds
So many cultures in one planet but one culture's free
Son, I need weed to proceed
Change the flow speed and I'm getting vexed Guiliani and six six six"

-Nas The World is Yours( Original Remix)

Just When I Thought I Was Out!............

2011-11-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

The conspiracy Theorists Cop pulled me back in! Responding to a post I wrote last year! All up in arms beef'n! I hope I didn't cause him to beat down some brave protester at the Occupy Chicago Protest! I gotta remind him that only white cops can get away with that. Can you imagine if a Black cop had of maced that white women at the Occupy Wall Street Protest? And Big Shout Outs to all those protestors, Thank You! And keep on with the keep'n on!

Any way, honestly I've been feeling bad about not following through on my commitment to do my little part to expose shit, that gets worse daily. And actually writing about it soothes the savage beast inside me.

But man, law schools got me shackled like kunta Kinte and J.J's Father, James Evans Sr. The solution? More shorter and concise posts along with relevant( in my own head) historical quotes.

So this morning I got a mass email from CREDO ACTION ( More than a Movement)

that said "Dear [Spook]

For years, Pat Buchanan has passed off white supremacist ideology as legitimate mainstream political commentary. And MSNBC continues to pay him and give him a platform on national TV to do it.

And he's at it again.

Buchanan has just published a book which says that increasing racial diversity is a threat to this country and will mean the "End of White America."¹ To promote his book, he went on a white supremacist radio show whose host has said things like "MLK's dream is our nightmare," and "interracial sex is white genocide."²

Buchanan should be able to say just about anything he wants. But MSNBC — a network that is now working to position itself as the progressive alternative to FOX News and CNN — doesn't have to pay him money and give him an international television platform to spread his racist lies.

Tell MSNBC: Fire Pat Buchanan! Click here to automatically sign the petition.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin considers the network "the place to go for progressives."³

But promoting bigotry and racism is anything but progressive. Buchanan's laundry list of unabashed white-supremacy includes downplaying slavery,⁴ writing a book in which he advocated shutting down our borders to maintain white dominance and espoused the genetic superiority of whites,⁵ complaining that confirming Elena Kagan would put too many Jews on the Supreme Court,⁶ and even defending Hitler. Repeatedly.⁷

If Buchanan wasn't paid money and given a powerful media platform, he'd be just another person with outdated, extremist ideas. But it's irresponsible and dangerous for MSNBC to promote his hateful views to an audience of millions.

Tell MSNBC: Fire Pat Buchanan! Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Thank you for standing up to hate.

Ali Rozell, Campaign Manager

My response? Ali Rozell gets the "Get the Fuck Outta here Award"

Pat Buchanan aint the problem and frankly I'm glade old Pat is letting Black People know exactly where he stands. And believe, Black folks need to see racism in bold, because it's not like they're paying attention to politics anyway, unless it has something to with their church. But least I digress. The older I get the more I understand that it's not the Pat Buchanans of the world who are the problem, it's white liberals who practice a subtle and therefore more destructive form of racism and bigotry. And dig this happy crappy. It was George Bush who actually coined the term "Soft Bigotry" Of course Bush's definition was as racist as it was stupid. But the term itself is brilliant. So what do I mean?

Well here is a Chicago style example. The new Mayor, Rahm Israel Emanuel

is doing just what I predicted. Continuing Former Mayor ( who anointed him) Daley's ethnic cleansing programs aimed at Black people and anti poor programs aimed at the down trodden, broke and beat down. And Are white liberals in Chicago standing up against him? Nope. Why, because not only did they vote for him, but their leaders like liberal darling Illinois Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky chaired his mayoral campaign. Even the white liberal activists who worked agains Rahm adore Jan. Well Rahm Israel Emmanuel is doing far more harm as a hurricane of destruction to Black people than Pat Buchanan will ever be.

Ali Rozell is just another poverty pimp, using Black folk's misery to make money for a white run make work organization for the educated white liberal elite.

Spook Out!

"And I might have to start slanin bean pies

and the bootleg t shirt of the month

With you can't touch this on the front"

O' Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson- Steading Mobbin

Awakend by a Dream of A Foreign Land with Mississippi Hot Tamales

2011-05-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

This morning around 5:00am a vivid dream awoke me.

I think it meant me no harm, and in fact was a positive harbinger

that also connected me with some history of my past and my culture.

But first, I'll start with the dream.

I dreamt I was in a country

some where in the tropics

walking through a heavily

populated urban area and
came upon three men standing

along side a broken metal fence.

They began speaking to

me in friendly but ominous

voices and it became clear

that they were going to

robe me.

I was worried, but calm as could be
for an experienced, tested, and in shape

world traveler facing immediate danger,
far from home.
And although they were much bigger

and taller, they were also much

older than I. And, although I was

in their country, they were still

Black, which gave me

the confidence of familiarity in

dealing with my people from

all branches of the African

Disporia.

Therefore, I felt I could handle

myself. I just needed to be careful

not to let them get to close to me

But they began to follow me

while keeping the conversation

going. Somehow I convinced them

that I wasn't going to be their victim

and we began to speak easily and

earnestly, as I do with Black folks

from other countries, about who we are

and how we came to be in this

space and time.

One of the men, the leader of the group

who was also the only one employed,

worked as a street vendor preparing

and selling meals on the street. He

began cooking the most popular dish

that he sales while talking to me

about the poverty of their country,

their traditions and how it relates

to their food.

In a huge rusted tin vat

over an open fire on the side of a

busy and dirty street he prepared

some sort of spicy redish cabbage

while stirring( with a huge wood

paddle) in some round cylinder

shaped yellow corn tamales

When it was done, he offered me some

as a long line of hungry poor people formed, replacing the mangy stray dogs that had gathered around.

I didn't want any but ate

some any way and

understood why it was

so popular, because it was

very cheap, filling, and some what

flavorful.

When I awoke I remembered how my Mom use to serve those tamales to us for dinner, and how they were sold at every hot dog stand and fast food joint in the ghettos of Chicago

I always had assumed that they were of Mexican origin, even though I never see them in Logan Square

or at any Mexican restaurant. And because I wasn't able to go back to sleep. I googled these tamales by first finding their picture online. I was surprised to find out that these tamales were not brought to Chicago by Mexican immigrants, but by Black folks around the turn of the century who migrated from the Mississippi Delta. This is why they're made from the same cornmeal as southern cornbread, as opposed to Mexican masa used in "standard" tamales. And in fact, the original roving tamale sellers in Chicago where actually Black men called "Molly Men"

These Molly Men were such a fixture in the Black North that several popular songs memorializing the "Molly Men" were record, including an early rag time one called " The Hot Tamale Man" published by Herbert Ingraham in 1909 and sang by Pearl Hunt. Around that time Arthur Collins who was the most popular vaudeville minstrel actor of that time rerecorded a more uptempo version for Columbia and Victor Records.

"Just see the bucket steam'n

hear the folks screaming

here come the Hot Tamale Man

watch him charleston down the line

come on folks get your money

Tamale man needs shoesis for his honey

Here come the Hot Tamale Man!"

Then in 1928, Red Hot Ole Moses recorded the song "Molly Man" set in the cotton fields of the South

Molly Man comin, I hear his voice

He got mollies, and it's my choice

Don't wait too long

cause the mollies be gone

I judge by the way you act

Somebody around her had

a cotton pick'n feeling tired

sore shoulder.

Two for a nickel, four for a dime

white folks standing round spending

many dimes,

so I can't wait to get mine

In 1936 Robert Johnson who first recorded and sang the famous song "Sweet Home Chicago, sang

"They're Red Hot" about a Tamale Women.

"Hot Tamales and they're red hot,

yea she got em for sale, yes, yea yea"

And This week in Higher Education! Snoop Doggie Dog assumes the Presidency of Southern Illinois University

2011-04-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this "article", I thought it was a tardy April Fools Joke or The Onion.

What could be a bigger joke? A Black Fraternity "Kappa Alpha Psi" sponsoring an event with the words pimps, hoes, and players, a university allowing this "tradition" to be held on it's campus, and the "university's" student paper actually spinning high schoolish PR for the event as if it were something other than a modern day minstrel show at the expense of women world wide ( the majority of color) marginalized and forced into prostitution.

Adding insult to injury is that the Daily Egyptian( I suggest a name change for the paper), lists the numerous SIU students and grads( along with their college majors) associated with this event as if they are actually doing something of worthwhile. As a tax payer I'm outraged that my tax dollars go to this institution. In fact, the only way that I will ever consider SIU a real university is if the student body en mass rise up( like Egyptians) to protests this "Spike Lee Bamboozel"

The only thing missing is an announcement that Snoop Dog is going to replace the current president ( who should resign by the way) and take office after delivering the next commencement speech.

Finally why is the "Kappa Stroll" eerily reminiscent of the "cake walks" that white masters organized for their own amusement by dressing their slaves in exaggerated costumes, ordering them stroll up and down a white chalked line in the street and then to dance wildly for cake. Something tells me that SIU isn't a school at which to learn history, let alone Black History.

Shame Shame Shame,

Momma Maria McCray has gone Home now, like a Shooting Star. "I am not going to die, I'm going home like a shooting star"-Sojourner Truth.

2011-03-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe you passed
Your words on stage were as fierce as your spirit
You birthed and inspired thousands of poets
so they called you, Momma.

Love Spook

As quite as it's kept, It's easy for Black folk to come up with all sorts of reasons to dislike and hate one another, dating back from the first time a slave was forced up onto the auction block in America.

It's the reason why slave rebellions lead by the bravest of souls, like Gabriel Processer, Denmark Vesey, and George Boxly failed, because of the betrayal of other slaves. This syndrome is know as "crabs in the barrel" and continues down through out Black history to African Colonialism all the way to the two Black people now living in the white house who promised poor Black folk change too, and failed to deliver, and continues forward in various vicissitudes and strengths throughout America. Most Black people are just not honest about it.

Therefore I'll admit, that over ten years ago when I was sitting at the back of the ( now closed) Big Horse Tacqueria and Lounge located in Wicker Park at a weekly Poetry Slam, the first time I saw Momma Maria McCray spit poetry, I didn't like her. It was the way that the audience of mostly white kids, joined with the few Black, Asian, and Latino kids, and chanted "Momma! Momma! Momma!" as she stepped to and commanded the stage. I was also uncomfortable with her combining the masculine stinging wise cracking truth telling and wit of Dick Gregory's "From the Back of the Bus" with stories of her wounds and vulnerability as a Black woman from the American South who on top of it all, served in the Vietnam War. To listen to Mamma McCray was to be forced to experience her raw pain, when personally I'd fled from the South side of Chicago to run from mine. I wanted to hear the far more common political rants of privileged kids, intellectualized from books ( therefore sterilized), and not connected to the open wounds of a rightfully angry, articulate, and brilliant older Black women soldiering it alone. I didn't want to picture her riding on red line from the hard scrabble Roger's Park Neighborhood with her brown bag of poems. And even worse, on those nights when she could not secure a car ride home, I didn't want to picture her, after connecting with her children, alone on that long train ride home looking out the window at Chicago passing by in the night.

Well Momma McCray passed two days ago. I didn't find out from WBEZ, but from one of her children, a Black man from the South Side block that I lived on as a teenager. When I left the neighborhood for school on the east coast, he was the last person I expected to see again. Actually, the last I thought that I would ever hear about him being alive, was on Christmas Break as sophomore year, when I heard that my older cousin's best friend (Dark Mark) beat him down for shorting him on a bag of weed. Years later after I returned back to Chicago, bowed, bruised, and bloodied, but armed with my degree by the skin of my teeth. I had picked myself up and moved out from the segregated South Side, that defines most Black people in Chicago who live and die there, (some never even leaving) and moved to Bucktown/Wicker Park, a place that years ago reminded me of New York City. There, I encountered the person Dark Mark beat down over a dime bag of weed.

Although his home will probably always be on the South Side, he managed to "leave" the bad of the neighborhood enough to grow bigger than the south side as well. Although his face still carries the beatings, he's changed his appearance from hood to urban bohemian, reads books, writes poems, receives recognition as an artists and Chicago activist, and now goes only by his first name. We don't cross paths often as he still lives on the South side and has a child, but I often listen to his progressive political radio show broad casted on a North Side college radio station and keep up with him because we are "Face book Brothers"

It was from his "face book update" entitled "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.......damn" posted on Monday 7th at 11:14 p.m that I learned that Maria "Momma" McCray passed like the red line train she rode pulling away from the station for the last time. He was one of her children. And I guess I am one too, estranged, who has finally grown up enough to come home.

The only Thing I Miss about the South-
By Maria McCray

I would dig dandelions from around Dad's headstone

......2Feet from Grands....2Feet from Great-grands
.....2Feet from Great-Great-grands...& brag, loud & long to

my captive audience father

about his never-knew grandchildern,

just past where, i find dignity in small gestures..

just Past

A Spooks endorsement for Chicago's Next Mayor to the tune of "Runaway"

2011-02-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

Aydelott, Levin. Runaway Slave Ad for Kirt, NorthCarolina, 1814

"TEN DOLLARS REWARD.

RANAWAY on the 19th of February last, a Negro man namedKIRT, between 20 and 30 years old, 5 feet 10 or 11 inches high, very black, cunning and artful, can write a tolerable good hand, it is probable he has a pass with a number of names counterfeited to it, and he may attempt to counterfeit the county seal, speaks quick, is a little hollow eyed, rather knock-kneed, had with him a pair of leather breeches, a black full lincey coat, other clothing not recollected - it is possible he will change his clothing and make use of many devices to deceive the people, as he has a great deal of assurance; he has no motive in running away, but to get free, and may attempt to go to Ohio or Delaware, or the lower end of this State. The above reward will be given by the subscriber for the delivery or information of said runaway so that I get him again."

I'm listening to the song "Runaway", by Kayne "Pest" An idiot whom I "ran away from" right around the time his mother died because she wanted a "perfect body" and against her doctor's orders, underwent plastic surgery and died from related complications on the operating table. A sad and ironic metaphor for the shallow "bling" "bling" ostentatious diamond in crusted, rise of her son Kayne West, who paid for the operation in the first place. I've not come back. But this is the first song of his (not that I've listened to most of them, ) that a true Hip Hop head like me can "feel". It's certainly not about his shallow self aggrandizing, self absorbed, and misogynistic lyrics, that solely defines his every utterance. But the haunting melody that uses the piano, as if to mark the slow passage of time and the concept of Running Away.

Which is what I'm doing in Chicago in May.

Any one who's read my blog from it's origins, knows that I did not as first promised provide an inside view of how completely corrupted politics are in this state. But how could I? When my lively hood depended on being the Spook inside the door? Instead I wrote about race, class, gender, and economics, on a national and international scale. Somtimes so scathing, that I deleted the posts from the first couple of years, a few months ago when I thought that I was going to move to yet another realm of government- which is also the answer to those of you who posted and emailed to inquire as to what happened to those posts.

But now I'm finally running away to finish, my deam, law school, so upon graduation, I can finally pay for my modern day "Underground Rail Road Pass", away from this city-state political modern day plantation to the Promised Land. Because F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong. Indeed, there are second acts in Americans lives, but they're increasing harder to come by and most be earned, unless you are rich. So it's taken me a while.

But now that I made my first break from the plantation temporarily, to attend law school full time, I do want to comment on tomorrow's Chicago's Mayoral Race. This post is for Chicagoans, so it might be hard to interpret if you're not from here.

As a long time soldier for progressive ideals, I take no pleasure in writing this. But all of my friends( including two Chicago cops tonight ) and associates continue asking me, whom should be the next mayor of Chicago.

My choice( steady yourself) is that Rahm Emanuel should win because he's who complacent Chicago truly deserves. Because as Abrham Lincoln said, "The people get the type of government they deserve"

Out of the whole field of politicians who are running, and those who contemplated running for mayor, Emanuel is the only candidate with vision enough to plan his run for Mayor of the second largest city in America, long before Daley even announced his retirement. But he will not get my vote.

Most of my friends are going with Miguel deValle who is the candidate of privileged white Bike advocates and Logan Square housing activists. deValle (was) a long time progressive state senator and critic of Mayor Daley. Until, Daley appointed him to city clerk more then eight years ago to insure he didn't run against him for Mayor. deValle has been around far far long enough to not to have known to began organizing and building a rainbow progressive and liberal coalition (to run for Mayor) as soon as he became clerk more then eight years ago. He had the time and connections, yet choose to tinker at reform under Daley's thumb, while cheer leading for Daley up until today.

Further, members of his campaign are working harder at unseating one of the few independent Alderman, Rey Colon who actually opposed Daley. I view deValle as an updated liberal version of former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, who served out the remaining year and a half of the term of Harold Washington after his tragic untimely death. I can't see him as a strong progressive Mayor, which is why his campaign was more anemic than Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and almost as dead. Therefore I'm not going to denigrate my measly, pathetic, but only vote on him.

Carol Moseley Braun is just sad, sad and more sad. The only thing she represents is Chicago's useless, failed and corrupt "Negro" leadership who are nothing but modern day slave overseers to a blind Black community who can't even visualize being off Daley's political plantation. I'm sure they will all settle just as meekly on the Emanuel Plantation.

Gary Chico is actually running a good campaign and is the reason why I laugh when white liberals say "No human is illegal" while pressing our government not to control our borders. Gary Chico represents the rise of Chicago's the corrupt Hispanic Democratic Organization( HDO ), Chicago Hispanic Machine (which gets stronger because of our increased Mexican legal and illegal population),and supported by the old school "gray wolves like Ed Burke, and modern day Machine Irish Ward leaders like 19th Ward Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. And while it may be "their( HDO) turn" to control and plunder City Hall, like the Irish do,this lonely voter in the woods aint supporting it.

Bill "Doc" Walls who is the arch-type perennial candidate is not serious, and runs for office as his major source of income, which again represents failed Chicago "Negro" leadership.

I've never been so disappointed with liberal politicians/ leaders utter failure to take back this city. We have hundreds of so called "good government" politicians and leaders. But they're all so corrupted that they would never dream of actually doing more than talking about change, which sounds like another Chicago politician now in Washington.

And while I should vote for Emmanuel because he will at least protect my property values, I'll probably vote for Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins. While she doesn't deserve to be Mayor,( and she won't be tomorrow) she managed to win over the demons of her drug addiction and poverty. Then do some good in Chicago's poor Black community. Maybe one day she will actually be the candidate that deValle and Braun should have been.

Ironic that this particular election comes during Black History Month, which reminds me of something Toni Morrison wrote in her brilliant but tragic-comic book, The Bluest Eye.

"we were not strong, only aggressive; we were not free, merely licensed; we were not compassionate, we were polite; not good, but well behaved. We called ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life"

I hope we learn something by the next for years, because by then we will have created yet another generation of modern day "Pecola Breedloves".

American Bankers recreate modern day "Rosewood Towns" in Black America

2011-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Over the last two months America has witnessed young
middle class professionals in Tunisia and Egypt unite with
the poor in full rebellion against human rights abuses
perpetrated by their government; and the lack of opportunity
due to an oppressive two tier system of greed, cronyism,
and graft that enriched a few elite, while the masses
barely scraped by. Today these revolutions are sparking
protest movements in Yemen, Iran, and Bahrain.
In Egypt and Tunisia the hard work of building a
truly representative government of the people has
just started, but it has begun.

Meanwhile in America, the Black middle class continues to
shuffle along hapless and complacently deeper into the
frozen economic tundra. All America is suffering.
But in Black America the bottom has completely dropped
out due to the Great All American Corporate Mortgage
Ponzi Scam that has not only ruined the American economy,
but stripped an estimated $92 billion away from middle
class Black America, because home ownership represents
at least eighty percent of the average American's total worth.
The ripple effects continue to spread wider throughout
Black communities as the proliferation of vacant homes
( and those being foreclosed on) stress these communities
even further, increasing crime while lowering tax bases
which translates to cuts in services and education.
In fact many Black communities are starting to mirror
ghost towns.

For Black Americans, owning a home has always meant
a chance for stability, permanency, and wealth to
be passed down to dignify and economically fortify
the next generation.

In Toni Morrisons' book "The Bluest Eye", the main
character Claudia MacTeer, who also narrates, states

"knowing that their was a thing such as the outdoors,
breed within us a hunger for property, for ownership.
The firm possession of a yard, a porch, a grape arbor.
Propertied Black people spent all their energies,
all their love, on their nest. Like frenzied desperate
birds, they over decorated every thing, fussed
and fidgeted over their hard won homes; canned,
jellied, and preserved all summer to fill the
cupboards and shelves, they painted, picked
and pocked at every corner of their houses.
And those houses loomed like sunflowers among
the rows and weeds that were the rented houses.
Renting Blacks cast furtive glances at these owned
yards and porches, and made firmer commitments
to "buy themselves some little place".
In the meantime they saved and scratched and
piled away what they could in the rented hovels,
looking forward to the day of property."

The mortgage scam is not the first major erasure of
whole swaths of Black middle class in America. While
violence was often deployed to do this, as in the case
of the 1922 massacre that demolished the town (of
prosperous Black families) named Rosewood, located in
Levy Florida, often it was a combination of both fraud
and violence sanctioned by the local and national
Government.

This was exemplified on a national scale by
white supremacist forces who brought a violent
end to the only truly progressive era in American
history, known as American Reconstruction,
which lasted from 1857-1877. All the substantial
progress Blacks made during Reconstruction
was reversed completely. Using both violence
and fraud, Blacks were driven from their homes
and businesses which were then quickly claimed
by whites. Legislation was passed that established
the wretched Jim Crow laws that ejected Black
elected officials from local and national office
( others were simply hung) and keep
Black America in economic bondage for the next
hundred years. Ironically Reconstruction met its
doom under the watch of two supposedly liberal
Presidents, Johnson and Grant.

The dream of home ownership from slavery up until
today, made the lower rungs of the Black middle class
easy targets for the okie doke. 98.5 percent of sub-prime
loans that featured hidden costs and high interest rate
were targeted to Black communities. In a lawsuit filled
by Baltimore City against Wells Fargo, a former loan
officer( who was reprimanded for doing the right
thing by steering qualified Black borrowers toward
more affordable loans) testified that his colleagues
called sub-prime loans "ghetto loans" and Black people,
"mud people". Similarly, another former loan officer
stated that Black communities were considered a
"fertile ground for sub-prime mortgages,[and] we
just went right after them"

Black churches were major conduits of access
for these unscrupulous bankers who paid Black ministers
to convince their congregation to take sub-prime loans.

After stripping the Black community of wealth,
these banks, like fat ticks gorging on the American economy,

( after growing even fatter off Government bailout money)
have totally abandoned these communities. lending
( includes vital small business loans), has decreased by
over 60 percent compared to a 28 percent decrease in
white communities.

This larger modern version of the Town of Rosewood
is also being constructed on the watch of a
Democratic president.

President Obama is all up in the Business, in Egypt. But not for Change

2011-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

President Obama is all up in the business. The business of preventing "Change" in Egypt. That's not what he saying of course, because President Obama is the first "James Bond President", well trained, determined, strategic, cool, and merciless.

At last weeks' White House Press Conference, President Obama portrayed himself as watching events unfold while doing his best to nudge Mubarak to bend to the will of the people by transitioning to a unity government to establish democratic norms. President Obama stated, "exactly how the transition would occur is “not a decision ultimately the United States makes or any country outside of Egypt makes”. Right, because then, according to the New York Times, President Obama "laid out a series of principles designed to hem Mr. Mubarak in, and reduce his options." while promoting America's interests in the region. These principles where then full court pressed forward by Vice President Biden on down.

Clearly President Obama's got Henry Kissinger's art of "realpolitik" nation building, down to a science. That says, support your puppet dictator even in times of trouble. Which he did starting two years ago, when the British Broadcasting Company( BBC) asked President Obama after his famous Speech in Cairo, if he was going to mention to Mubarak about his authoritarian government. Mubarak, who was laying the foundation to gift the presidency to his son Gamall, (who has enriched his friends at the expense of regular Egyptians), and had just incarcerated a fresh batch of prominent political prisoners. Despite this, President Obama replied

"I don’t like to use labels for folks. Mubarak is a good man. He has done good things. He has maintained stability. We will continue to support him. He is a friend." President Obama was true to his word right up until last week when it became clear that the Egyptian people had reached the proverbial Bastille. President Obama then blamed the CIA for not providing good information to him. Now Obama has moved to the second chapter of "realpolitik" that says when the puppet has become trapped and entangled in his own wires, cut the wires and pick another puppet. This requires muscle.

President Obama is clearly comfortable in flexing to "make it happen" by taking a play from America's history of "gunboat diplomacy". But in this day, instead of sending an ambassador, escorted by a phalanx of battle ships to "negotiate", our shrewd President gently flexed the apex of America's might, in the form of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to be the two ton American Gorilla voice to "speak softly" to those in the hookah smoked filled back room in Cairo. I'm talking the United State's Pentagon.

But guess what? The students who started this uprising aint with the program. The Egyptian students and young professionals don't want Mubarak's long time confidant and close Washington ally Omar Suleiman, any where near the new government. Suleiman was in charge of the most feared Egyptian intelligence agency, who would have used extreme violence to suppress the protesters had the Egyptian Army allowed it. Again this is the same agency that was in charge of totally squashing democracy by torture and filling Egyptian jails with political prisoners and human rights activist for 30 years.

Suleiman's double dealing on behalf of America and the status quo in Egypt were exposed yesterday when Suleiman stated that an agreement had been reached for a transitional government. This was not true. And the young leaders and the Muslim Brother Hood who are wisely standing in support behind the students, publicly rebuked both Suleiman and America. Clearly Egypt wants Change. I just wish President Obama would spend as much time keeping his word about bringing change to America, instead of perpetuating the same status quo in Egypt, that he's continuing in America where the haves have it all and get even more. I also wish America could be like more Egypt and saw now, we will settle for nothing less than real Democratic Change.

The Black Water International of the International Dictator PR Game

2011-02-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Between Democrats and Republicans a thin line exist.

Another example, along with another example of the greed and in morality that has affected American politics to the core. The tragic lingering effects of European and American colonialism are still evident today in the Third World where dictators still rule because of Anglo intervention and neglect. A disturbing trend is being reported where former high level American appointed and elected officials ( perhaps inspired by America's quasi private militia and intelligence agency, Black Water International) are becoming high paid consultants to former and current dictators with records of prolific human rights abuses.

On this list is Lanny Davis, a former senior advisor for Bill Clinton. Davis became the international PR person for Ivory Coast's "former president" Laurent Gbabgo, right after he lost the presidential election but decided to remain in power by taking over Ivory Coast's banks and abducting, torturing and killing his opponents. While the U.N., The United State's of America, and international human rights organizations decried the rampant human rights violations under Gbadgo, Davis declared that Gbabgo "opposes violence". Davis not only attempted to market his dictator on American radio and TV, but also attempted to set up phone conversations between Gbabgo and senior white house officials and congressional members. These efforts came to naught, as Gbadgo increased the violence of his regime. Finally Davis quit after also being ridiculed by members of the media.

Now Former Congressmen from Iowa, Bob Bar who managed the Clinton Impeachment fiasco in the House of Representatives, has signed up for PR duty with the infamous Jean-Claude " Baby Doc" Duvalier. The Duvalier name is synonymous with terror, starting with Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Baby Doc's Father. Although Papa Doc, has the more violent record, Baby Doc worked hard to fallow his father's footsteps. Under Baby Doc's 14 year rule, over 30 thousands Haitians were tortured and killed, while he lived in lavish wonderment, including having the state pay for his 3 million dollar wedding. A violent uprising caused Baby Doc to flee Haiti along with millions from the Haitian Treasury in 1986. Now after Haiti has been further unstabilized by an earthquake and a deadly cholera outbreak. Baby Doc has returned with Bob Bar at his side, presumable to steal the presidency. Of course this might be hard to do because the Haitian Government under international pressure has jailed him. Hopefully for life.

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Change Spreads in the African and Arab World, While America Continues On With Out It.

2011-01-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

As I write this, disenfranchised youth are protesting and spreading a Democratic Revolution thought out the African and Arab world.

The beginning of these movements lie in the democratic life and death struggles in places like Zimbabwe and the Ivory Coast, and with the death of Mohamed Bouaziz in Tunisia, an impoverished street vendor who was beaten by police after they stole his wares, and beaten again after he bravely went to the police station to demand his property. He then went to the Governor's Office to complain and was rudely turned away. Mohamed Bouaziz's last act was to set himself afire in the government square of the town Sidi Bousiz where he struggled to support his family in dignity.

Mohamed Bouaziz's self sacrifice was not in vain. Increasingly violent and relentless
protests forced the autocratic and corrupt President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country. When Ben Ali's cabinet members assumed other positions of power in the government, they too were driven from office as well. Now protests have spread to Egypt where the dictator Hosni Mubarak has ruled since 1981 using his warm relationship with America and the weak threat of the Muslim Brother Hood to propel his autocratic and corrupt regime. But the Muslim Brotherhood ( who have now joined behind the youth movement ) admitted that their efforts over the years to bring down Mubarak have been futile compared to those who have now taken to the streets. Egyptian Lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed El Baradei who attempted change, from within the system to oppose Mubarak, has also jumped onto the growing bad wagon.

Mubarak continues to use his brutal security apparatus to crush the demonstrations, but the protests have only intensified. Yesterday Mubarak closed down the Internet in an attempt to cut communication between the protesters. Seeing his control sleeping away, Mubarak then ordered all his ministers to resign, but is still fighting to keep his position in power.
Now Al Jazeera radio and TV with their constant and aggressive coverage, are adding fuel to the fire.
Protests have now been sparked in Yemen and Jordan.

But in America nothing has changed. And the tragedy is that
President Obama had it easier than those students dying to reform the countries above. President Obama had the mandate to step into the smoldering wreck of the American economy, (and before all of America and especially those who voted for change), grab up by the scruff of it's neck for all to see, the near dead body politic of the parasitic corporate greed and self aggrandizement that destroyed our economy. Then President Obama could have charted and forged a new America. I don't think it was a question of President Obama not being brave enough. I simply think real change wasn't what motivated him . I think he knew that it motivated us to vote for him so he assumed that identity, to get elected. But once elected Obama stepped over the prone bodies of suffering Americans and pumped trillions of dollars to resurrect the old order of greed and corruption. And Americans by and large are silent, except for the Tea Party Movement of course.

President Obama sends yet another Bold Pro Oligarchy Message/ Frankenstein's Bank.

2011-01-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

I fought hard to hold my tongue about President Obama appointing William Daley as his chief of staff. Daley (the former Commerce Secretary under Bill Clinton) who the New York Times labeled a "Washington outsider", merges the art of Tammy Hall big city corruption and the voracious greed of American multi national banking conglomerates, into a human.

William Daley not just headed JP Morgan, but also directed it's "office of corporate responsibility", a term of Orwellian duality suggesting charity but in reality is charged to use any means necessary to safeguard and increase the profits for JP Morgan's shareholders. His appointment was less a signal but more of a strategic acquisition along side with Timothy Geithner ( Goldman Sachs) to insure the complete rise of the U.S. Multi National Banking Oligarchical Hegemony out of the ashes and dust of the ruined American economy. This new era is now being being solidified by the Obama Administration.

Now, President Obama after bailing out General Electric ( G.E) to the tune of 16 billion dollars has appointed it's CEO Jeffrey R Immelt to head President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

Jeffrey Immelt represents the way American corporations will operate under the arm of hegemony of The United State's Multi National American Banking Oligarchy. As G.E. CEO, Immelt shut down 15 factories in Ohio and sent the jobs to China. While President Obama preaches more decent wage green job growth for Americans, All of G.E's energy efficient light bulbs are now made in China. Not only does the low wages paid to Chinese workers by G.E. increase shareholder profits, but China's lax environmental laws are an added boom for G.E. shareholders.
GE also accepted a late under bid to produce wind turbines by a Chinese company. Then G.E. canceled an agreed upon order for wind turbines to be produced by an American company, ATI Casting Service, of LaPort Indiana, after ATI spent 30 million dollars to renovate a factory in Michigan( that has the highest unemployment rate in American) to produce the turbines.

Seems like the only thing being built in America these day is Frankenstein's Bank, a Multi National American Oligarchy Bank that is not about rebuilding main street, but exploiting day to day fluctuations in the global market, to make a select few billionaires even richer, but as we have seen is ruinous to the majority of America

Opiate for Liberals-Obama's Speech on Civility\ Martin Luther King-Where Do We Go From Here

2011-01-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

Cornel West frequently points out the inherent pitfalls of American Optimism because it's rooted in exceptionalism, which makes us overly susceptible to shallow "good news" fluff instead of honestly dealing with the harsh realities that plague America and it's people.

A tragi-comic example of this is the wave after wave of baseless, mind- numbing euphoria that has overtaken liberals after Obama's speech calling for a "New Era of Civility in U.S. Politics.
New York Times columnist, Gail Collins actually gushed in her Op Ed entitled "Obama Brings it Home" Jan 12, 2011 , "President Obama was saving the magic for a time when we really needed it."

It's clear that Ms. Collins has vastly different needs than most of America. And the only thing Obama brought home was hopeful but utterly impossible obfuscation, in short, opiate for liberals.

Meanwhile, the Tea Party/right wing( funded by an ever- emboldend, ever- richer Corporate Empire) after taking over The United State's House of Representatives has no intention of playing along. And of course, this Corporate Empire grows even richer and powerful under the Obama Administration.

Two weeks after Obama's speech, liberals are still singing Kum Bah Ya. But The Republican leadership ( and their troops) march on. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell via a spokesperson, called President Obama a hypocrite. One of the Tea Party's founders, Judson Phillip laid all the blame on Obama's followers. And Sarah Palin evoked the term "blood libel" to describe herself ( and other conservatives) as victims of liberal persecution. The term "blood libel" itself has historic roots as an accusation against Jews accused of murdering Christian children to use their blood in baking Passover Matzo.

The shooting in Arizona could have been a wake up call for liberals (to turn progressive) and finally say to President Obama that we've had it with his melodious words. And demand that he use his bully pulpit to make a critical speech about the real poisonous political climate, where six percent of the population controls 80 percent of the wealth and what this means to American. What we need is for Obama to make a speech about the fact that the banks who continue to make more profit than ever before are still refusing to bail out America. Telling the truth about America would have been a far more fitting and lasting tribute to nine year old Christina Taylor Green who's remarkable intellectual curiosity about how our Government actually works, lead her to that fateful journey to visit with Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords, where she was shot and killed.

The fact is that the Tea Party Movement are the storm troopers for the most dangerous movement since the South took back the country after American Reconstruction needs to be the topic of conversation, not an impossible call for civility at a time when we need to be sounding the alarm. Today, as some of us celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday, I am reminded of how Dr.King not only gave us melodious words but used them to capture what was real going on in America. I am reminded of the truth telling of Dr. King's speech "Where Do We Go From Here" where Dr. King talks about honestly addressing our short comings:

Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now. When the Constitution was written, a strange formula to determine taxes and representation declared that the Negro was 60 percent of a person. Today another curious formula seems to declare he is 50 percent of a person. Of the good things in life, the Negro has approximately one half those of whites. Of the bad things of life, he has twice those of whites. Thus half of all Negroes live in substandard housing. And Negroes have half the income of whites. When we view the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share. There are twice as many unemployed. The rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites and there are twice as many Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion to their size in the population.

In other spheres, the figures are equally alarming. In elementary schools, Negroes lag one to three years behind whites, and their segregated schools receive substantially less money per student than the white schools. One twentieth as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed Negroes, 75 percent hold menial jobs.

Obama on the other hand gives nothing but platitudes. Until we demand that Obama start telling the real truth about America our country will continue to take on water in these ever increasing seas. And judging from our expectation of him, this will not be likely.

Ishmael Reed fights Real Change by Playing the Race Card

2010-12-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, I was deeply moved by a speech given by Dr. Cornel West. He spoke of remembering a time when Black children could turn on the TV, and see someone willing to die for them out of a love so deeply profound that they could sense it through the TV. He listed Malcolm X, Martin King, Angela Davis, Huey P Newton, and Stokely Carmichaell as examples. Dr. West then said that today’s Black children have an intuitive understanding that no body loves them. Finally, He asked his audience, now, when Black children turn on the TV, can they see anybody willing to die for them? Dr. West was only able to list one person in the last twenty years who he maybe thought qualified. It was Tupac. Personally, I would have also named Nelson Mandela (first) along with Tupac (second).

Any way I’ve been ruminating on the profound lack of courage among Black leaders to stand up and tell the truth about what’s going on in Black America today. I see it as a grave betrayal, especially considering when we have so many prominent Black “race” women and men. It reminds me of the brilliant but sad biography entitled “Ralph Ellison", by Arnold Rampersad. Ellison's single real claim to humanity was his brilliant but sole novel (that was also his only real major work) called “Invisible Man”. “Invisible Man” provided a literary flashlight to illuminate just a tiny bit of the darkness that causes so many talented Black people to get lost forever in the dark nightmarish under side of America . But after “Invisible Man” was published and Ellison became rich and famous, a surprising thing happened. Ellison not only ignored talented Black people in need of a boost up through America’s for “coloreds only” trap door, but sabotaged some of the most gifted Black writers from the next generation, including Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. In actuality, Ellison came to mirror his own loathsome character from "Invisible Man". Dr. Bledsoe, (ironically modeled after Booker T. Washington) the self-hating Black university president who (with out cause) kicked the novel’s protagonist out his all Black college. Then in a twist of Chekhov’s “tragicomic", Bledsoe pretended to be kind hearted enough to write the protagonist a recommendation for employment. Bledsoe sealed the letter in an envelope, ordered the protagonist not to open it, and had him deliver it to a rich white board member of the school who lived in New York. The protagonist then traveles across the country to present the envelope to the man he assumes will hire him in his large company. When the man says no the protagonist humbly asks why, and the board member, although shocked, hands him the letter to read. The letter actually besmirches the protagonist’s character and ends with “Keep this Nigga running”

Well, Ishmael Reed is no Ralph Ellison. But in his Op-Ed in last Sunday’s New York Times entitled "What Progressives Don't Understand about Obama", Reed's lack of truth telling in defense of the status-quo makes me think about Cornel West’s speech. I’m not going to get into all the specifics of Reed’s “opinions” which are illogical and shallow. But what's behind them are the Black elite circling the wagons around President Obama, who continues to use America’s economic resources to circle the wagons around the wealthy elite who ruined our economy and continue to do little to help suffering Americans, including Black children. I’m sure Oprah will be next to jump to the President’s defense.

What’s so tragic about Reed's P.R. piece is that he uses his progressive voice to marginalize and silence brave white progressives are being called racist for telling the truth. Reed state's that “these progressives refer to themselves as Mr. Obama's base, but all they see is themselves. They ignore polls showing steadfast support for the president among black and Latinos." I call foul. One again another member of the royal Black elite playing the race card when it suits their own personal narrow agenda. And of course Reed didn't mention the names of any polls because I don't think they exists c Latinos are pissed because they didn't get the immigration reform they demanded and I suspect a lot of Black people living pay check to pay check are also gravely demoralized by the lack of progress. They may not publicly castigate President Obama now, but I'm sure they're not happy with him. Reed is also trying to undermine the increasing number of progressive Black bloggers who supported the President in the past, but are now communicating about yet another betrayal from the man who promised change and accountability. Progressive Americans are finally waking up and trying to help President Obama be the transformative president that so many people expected but instead got a warmed over mélange of Clinton, Bush, and Reagan.

Reed continues his scurrilously- Fox News like -attacks against progressives who speak truth to power, by misleading whites liberals and Blacks folks into thinking that progressives want Obama to sport a black beret, sunglasses, and throw a black leather gloved first in the air on national TV. What we have been saying over and over again, is that President Obama should use the elegant rhetoric that got him elected President, to honestly explain to America how the disparity between rich and power in our country is now equal to Great Depression era levels and how one percent of the population controls 40 percent of the wealth while the rich are demanding more! But I guess the best we can do is allow President Obama to waste away his Presidency by continuing to be the night watchmen of the plutocrats who sank The United State’s of America into the icy sea, while they speed off ( with all the money) aboard a luxurious yacht purchased from The United State’s Treasury.

I guess Mr. Reed isn’t angry about this because while he can’t afford a first class ticket, be can use his pen to insure himself a nice cozy berth in the bottom of the boat.

Spook Out!

Visualizing Slavery in Maps to Counter Southern Revisionist History and Lies

2010-12-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

I love old maps.The first map above hangs on my kitchen wall and is entitled "Napoleon's March" Created by Charles Joseph Minard, (reproduced by Edward Tufte) it portrays in detail the shocking deaths suffered by the French Army in Napoleon's 1812 campaign to invade Russia. Starting at the entry point on the Polish-Russian border, a the thick brown band demarcates the armies original size and strength. The band then shrinks ( due to battle,cold, disease, etc) as they march forward toward Moscow. Under these lines, is the retreat( depicted in a black thinning line ) of Napoleon's army back to France in the bitterly cold winter, along with temperature and time frames.

The other map is from a New York Times article written by Susan Sculten, entitled "Visualizing Slavery". Created in 1860 by the United States Coastal Survey Department, this amazing map details the slave population in all the Southern states in every county, using (for the first time) the technique called statistical cartography. "Each [state] not only displays its slave population numerically, but is shaded (the darker the shading, the higher the number of slaves) to visualize the concentration of slaves across the region, that "uniquely captured the complexity of the institution and struck a chord with a public hungry for information about the rebellion."

This makes a lot of since, as most Americas had no reliable access to current news cycles. Papers were expensive and a lot of people could not even read. So picture yourself a Northerner with no connection to slavery, wondering why so much blood was being spilled between not just American citizens- including African-Americans, but newly arrived immigrants from places like Ireland.

This map also intellectually destroyed the South's clarion call far from America's boarders to the European Power, that they rebelled because of "state's rights" first and foremost and secondarily, to protecting the "way of life" for the whole American South. Today the off spring of these confederates and confederate sympathizes argue the same revisionary history similar to those who deny the Nazi Holocaust.

Another historical misnomer, spread by many white liberals and African-Americans ( including myself years ago) is that slavery was the economic engine of the world, located operated in the United States. None of this true. Slavery was more like pure grade A oil being wasted in a slowly deteriorating social engine that lubricated the way of life for a small wealthy leisure class of the southern population. They in turned trickled down economic corruption and limited growth in greater dosages on down the line, where white workers could not get decent paying jobs due to slave labor. In short, slavery was, over the long term economically inefficient. Like a dope fiend with a crack rock, the first hit is nothing but euphoria, but leads to an increasingly downward spiral.

This map visually illustrates that states, such as South Carolina and Mississippi, who enslaved the majority of their population, were the first state that rebelled against the American Government. This map also demonstrates that the less slaves a southern state had, the more their citizens supported the United State's Government, which "reinforced President Abraham Lincoln’s belief that secession was animated by a minority and could be reversed if Southern Unionists were given sufficient time and support."

This map( and its message) spread like wild fire and was reprinted through out America as an indictment of the Confederate terrorist, and clearly helped President Lincoln make his case that freeing the slaves would win the war. In fact when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, this map was on his desk.

Of course this map will not end revisionist history in America and maybe neither will time.

Unemployment Benefits about to End? Well, at Least the First Lady is Still First Class Styling!

2010-12-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight, thousands of Americans are worried that their unemployment benefits are coming to an abrupt end because U.S. House Democrats finally refused to cave to the Republican Congressional hostage takers who continue to terrorize America on behalf of the wealthiest Americans. I don't use the word terrorize lightly, but isn't that what hostage takers (as labeled by Barack Obama) do?

Meanwhile, another part of America today is on displayed on the front page of today’s New York Times Style Section, An America who is able to appreciate the relationship between First Lady Michelle Obama, who as the article states “obviously loves clothes” and one of her favorite ( and one of the worlds most haute couture) clothing designers Azzedine Alaia, who resides in the Marais quarter of Paris and favors faded Chinese pajamas.

Americans losing their jobs and homes in record numbers while struggling to make it day to day, is about being stuck without options. But the First Lady, the article states is “not going to be stuck on one of two designers and quickly developed a rational for her ever changing wardrobe. The 50 different labels she wore in the [first year of Obama’s Presidency] reflected a democratic approach."

I don't want to give the impression that The First Lady is out of touch with the reality of average Americans because there is a touch of "every day people thrift store” to the First Lady in this article. Because generally Azzedine Alaia, makes his clients come to him in Paris, but the First Lady was able to be fitted for her custom made dresses and other "Alaia pieces at the ultra exclusive Ikram on Chicago’s Gold Coast.

Well, at least while Americans are tumbling into the economic abyss, they look, they want see Hilary Clinton wearing off the rack Bill Blass, But Michelle Obama waving down, dressed as if America were back on top. My sincere apology if this sounds like a rant, but I was expecting that in the Obama administration, like the Clinton Administration, what the first lady wears would not be so relevant, especially during these sad times for so many Americans. During the worse winter of the 1970's energy crisis, President Carter demonstrated his humble Southern roots and solidarity with the average American by wearing a sweater in the white house. Hello?

Should President Obama go Medea or go Black? The Republicans, Hostage Taking Terrorist

2010-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh Chicago where Journalist write columns that could easily be confused with the Onion.
Journalist Laura Washington, in the Chicago Suntimes, once again allowed provincial Midwest parochial attitudes to stand in the way of serious debate about President Obama, by opining that her African American middle class friends want Obama to “go black” [put his hands on his hips and let it rip]” Washington said. "They want to see a little more “Medea” in the White House.” Personally your Spook isn't familiar with Medea, but Washington filled in the details with “That’s Medea, Tyler Perry’s brassy, bossy, larger-than-life character who knows what she wants — and gets it. Medea does not play.”

Well I looked up "Tyler Perry's Media"and was really appalled. Is this what the debate comes down to in Chicago's African-American community, Medea being a point of reference and discussion with regards to Obama's current economic policy? And if he's gonna get angry, why can't he get angry like Malcom X or Angela Davis instead of a clownish drag queen? And what's up with Black people still watching TV shows like that in the first place? And then you have Black folks like Laura Washington who refuse to hold President Obama accountable. I'm trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Well, finally Obama gave a single body blow to the Republicans by calling them Hostage takers. But I think it's too little to late. And for the record, this time I theoretically agree with President Obama about negotiating and giving in to the Republican “hostage takers” in order to block thousands of Americans from being pushed over into the abyss of abject poverty. But the problem is that President Obama is responsible for arming, aiding, and abetting the hostage takers who are nothing but terrorist to what’s left of the “American Dream”.

It was President Obama who immediately and continually rewarded them even though they consistently prove to be unreliable, dishonest, and destructive partners at best. And when President Obama was first elected, he enriched the war chest of these hostage taker's by funding their corporate sponsors- Big Business- by allowing them to raid the American Treasury, via the corporate bailouts. We know that this did little for job creation or direct lending to spur our broken economy forward. What it did do was to increase the wealth of the moneyed elite and these Republican Hostage Taking Terrorist.

Sadly, President Obama has always praised the Reagan Presidency. And it seems that this praise is not just about Reagan having been a good communicator. President Obama, instead of using FDR and LBJ's approach of a bottom up economic rescue plan, continued George Bush’s Bank/Corporate Bail Out, which is distinctly Reaganesque in terms of his “trickle down theory", which continues to fail the American People. Now, we have a two year continuation of the biggest tax windfall for the wealthiest Americans, and Big business who will continue to invests in their own wealth creation as opposed to invest back into the economy, while the poorest unemployed Americans get a few more crumbs for the next six months.

Congressman Charlie Rangel and The Rent is Too Damn High Party

2010-12-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

"I'm with Jimmy, The Rent is Too Damn High"

The November election, saw a lot of passionate and very pissed off white people eject their white elected officials from office, replacing them with white people who mirrored their own "fire on Fort Sumter" views. Yes friends and neighbors, I'm talking about the Tea Party again. And while I don't respect their views, I do highly respect their passion and grassroots organizing ability. And while the Tea Party Juggernaut stole the media's complete unrivaled attention, I followed the New York Gubernatorial campaign of Jimmy McMillan,( see video above) the African-American eccentric founder of New York's "The Rent's too Damn High Party," which had only one issue, that "The Rent is Too Damn High" for poor and working class people in New York.

This was the only "movement" that even attempted to mirror the Tea Party's grassroots populist voice. And Jimmy Mc Millan is a lot more intelligent than Sarah Palin, but got no traction in the Black community, as "we" continued to elect the same tired poverty pimping politicians, even the most mired in the filth of corruption. Sadly, once someone is elected in the Black community, we will not vote them out no matter how far they stray, no matter how out of touch, or corrupt they become.

Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-New York),is a case and point. For the last 40 years Rangel continues to represent one of the poorest African-American districts in America, which besides for naturally occurring gentrification, not much has changed with his efforts. As you can see the only thing he really gives to his poor constituents is turkey's during ThanksGiving, which typical of the old school poverty pimping politicians.
Meanwhile Congressmen Rangel has gotten progressively richer, including owning a beach front villa in the Dominican Republic, which he paid no taxes on for the last twenty years, because he "forgot" to. But for most of his constituents that are not homeless, "The Rent is Too Damn High!"

Even more insulting, with respect to "The Rent's To Damn High Party", Rangel lives ensconced in this two large rent controlled apartments that he combined into one big house. So while the Black Community in New York deals with homelessness, families barely being able to pay rent," The Rent is Too Damn High" and foreclosures, Congressmen Rangel continues to pimp a housing program designed for poor and working class people for his own lavish living.

When Congressmen Rangel finally got caught, he fought back like a cranky old lion claiming that he was being singled out unfairly because of the color of his skin. Once again, its the most privileged of Black people who play the race card, not the real victims of racism who suffer in silence. Then "Victim" Congressmen Rangel, at his own Congressional Ethics Hearing controlled by his own Democratic Party, instead of defending himself he simply walked out of the hearing, later he said he was too poor to afford a lawyer.

Then, after the committee confirmed his guilt, Congressmen Rangel had the temerity to actually cry on the U.S. House floor asking his fellow congresswomen/men to spare him of it's second harshest punishment, a verbal reprimand delivered to the offender in the well of the full house of represenatives. I guess this practice dates back to a time when men fought duels because they actually cared about honor.
At no time was Congressmen Rangel expecting to be expelled from Congress- which he deserves- because the average tax cheat gets arrested. This is the type of leadership that the still sleep walking Black Community is saddled with.

Finally, to add salt to the gun shot wounds, several highly qualified candidates ran against Congressmen Rangel, during the height of his investigation, yet he was reelected again overwhelming. Well, old Abe Lincoln said that "people get the type of government they deserve", and I strongly believe this. And until the Black community, becomes enough like the Tea Party to get ride of our free loading politicians, then we will continue to be at the bottom of the well, with no body to blame but out selves. I just hope that the U.S. District Attorney indict Congressmen Rangel on Tax Evasion Charges.

The Ghost of Berlin's Degenerate Art

2010-12-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Berlin, Germany.

Late one bitterly cold and dark afternoon, a construction worker, part of a crew digging a new subway station in the heart of Berlin, spotted a strange object tumble off his front loaders shovel. Jumping to the ground, he cleared off as much of the frozen caked earth as possible, to reveal a bust of a women. Later, as winter turned to spring and spring to summer, more objects were unearthed. Researchers learned that the first sculpture- circa 1920's- was the work of a boldly brazen, but all most forgotten artist, Edwin Scharff.

Into the fall and winter, excavators unearthed a further trove that included; “Dancer” by Marg Moll, "Standing Girl" by Otto Baum, as well as long buried fragments that included

both the ghostly head of Emy Roeder’s “Pregnant Woman” and another head by Otto Freundlich.

These works were products of the German Weimar Cultural Era created by the devastation of World War I, as Victorian values and morals were cast aside by a new generation. Placing a premium on unrestrained artistic freedom, they created the greatest intellectual/artistic explosion in European history while living to explore their sexuality to the fullest, as in the famous and infamous dark underground cabarets.

Also from this era, Hitler, rose out of the great Reichstag fires with the last of his soul dying, the failed art student and the closeted homosexual, giving way to a heartless monster who extinguished the last embers of his humanity by rounding up these art forms from Museums through out Germany. Then, building a fire of hatred around them by creating “Degenerate Art” shows that included "comedy" films ridiculing this art, before finally vanishing them forever into the cellars of his Reich Propaganda Ministerium,
right before he graduated on to exterminate vast segments of the German population.But, although it's not exactly known how, the above "sign posts" leading back to these nightmare years, escaped.

Michael Kimmelman in his New York Times article,"Art's Survivors of Hitler's War" writes that archaeologists think the art came from a building( once located on the site)then owned by Erhard Oewerdieck, an escrow agent and tax attorney. Oewerdieck, risked his-and his families-life by helping Jews and persecuted artists escape Nazi Germany. The theory holds that an Allied air bombing raid collapsed Oewerdieck's building straight down into the earth. But how the art originally found its way into Oewerdieck's hands still, remains a mystery.

Concrete proof that OBama is not a Muslim President/ The Tea Party gains new ground.

2010-11-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

American politicians continue to jump through hoops to prove they're Israel’s staunchest defender and will continue to give Israeli the key to America's Treasury.

Meanwhile Israeli has very few power rivals in the Democratic Party and hold even more sway in the Republican Party because of their perverted connection to America's growing religious right.
Could it be that the Tea Party is the chicken coming home to roosts not only for America, but also for Israeli?

Well, I was floored when newly minted Senator and Tea Party flame carrier, Rand Paul, bluntly told the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee,( AIPAC)- one of the wealthiest, strongest, and feared lobby - that they "were going to disagree about the need for foreign aid and suggested they "move on" to other topics. Words like this, before the rise of the Tea Party, would've been a political death kneel for any national politician. Now the Tea Party seem more strongly patriotic over what is nothing but failed isolationism, while sadly the Democratic Party continues to kowtow as opposed to saying "enough" to Israel's compete and continued disrespect to our Government.

For instance, last March Israeli deeply embarrassed President Obama using the day before Vice President Biden's much anticipated visit to Israeli, to announce the construction of
1,600 new units of new housing in east Jerusalem. Not only did this further deteriorate President Obama's dream of a Palestinian Israeli peace accord, but continues to retard our ability in fighting our dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while increasing the likely hood of a Muslim Extremist attack on American soil. “What happened to the vice president in Israel was unprecedented,” said a senior administration official, speaking off record. “Where it goes from here depends on the Israelis.”

Meanwhile Israeli's domestic mouth peace IPAC condemned Obama for having no cause to be "angry". Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had the gall to say that Obama butting in on a domestic matter. Even though, American tax dollars fund both the military and domestic projects in Israel and their policies continue to jeopardize America.

Any good news for the Obama Presidency or the Democrats???????

My least Favorite Holiday, Original Sin.

2010-11-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks Giving has always been my least favorite holiday. As a Black man, I find it sad that my people who suffered( and still do), some the most brutal oppression in America- and the world -continue to celebrate this "holiday" that symbolizes the defeat of Native American civilization.

So I was reading a NY Times review of a book entitled "Original Sins" by A.J. Langguth, which connects two of the most brutal acts of American white supremacy, the genocide of Native Americans, and the Civil war, fought because of half of America's fierce desire to protect that "peculiar institution"called American chattel slavery. The review gets into William Faulkner's point that the past doesn't really die and is actually a continuum into the future.

This connection got me thinking about ways in which white supremacy is a stream spanning through out history into the present and future, connecting both big and small acts of white supremacy that drastically change the American and world landscape. Such is the case of Andrew Jackson, the former president. Andrew Jackson like any "American Patriot" including these today, loved the "America Way", unless America tried to empower non white people, then The America Way became, the enemy. Andrew Jackson, was a staunch Unionist until America, in the most meager ways tried to insure, protect, and promote certain liberties of Native Americans and Blacks.

Breaking Federal treaties between Native Americans and the U.S. Government, in the name of "state’s rights", Jackson also condoned and used violence and political force to destroy and ethnically cleanse America of Native Americans. The infamous Indian Removal Act of 1930, went against the U.S. Supreme court, becoming a clarion call that signaled to white American that they could pick and chose what federal laws they would and would not follow.

Ultimately, no law protecting Native Americans or Black people had to be respected by white men. This lead to the Civil War. Both of these events created catastrophic suffering and loss of life. The Indian Removal Act, resulted in the Trail of Tears, where only the Natives suffered while white America went on to prosper, momentarily. Then, because of the horrid human rights ethos of white supremacy, the aforementioned current continued forward destroying much, and transforming the rest into evil until it connected with the next horrific act. The Civil War, which like James Balwin's "fire this time" and Malcom X's "the chickens came home to roosts" almost destroyed all of America.

I think Black America should use November 25th to memorialize The Trail of Tears and connect it with our own in continuum.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? Because it's not President Obama. Could it be Hip Hop finally coming to rescue Black America?

2010-11-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

I remember being down on my luck, working two, long commute, minimum wage, corporate jobs that would swing to demeaning at a moments notice. One of the voices that kept me sane and focused was Tupac Shakur. In fact his song "Me Against The World" became my anthem and mantra, especially the part where Tupac raps

"With all this extra stressin

The question I wonder is after death, after my last breath
When will I finaly get to rest? Through this supression
they punish the people that's askin questions
And those that possess, steal from the ones without possesions
The message I stress: to make it stop study your lessons
Don't settle for less - even the genius asks-es questions
Be grateful for blessings
Don't ever change, keep your essence
The power is in the people and politics we address
Always do your best, don't let the pressure make you panic
And when you get stranded
And things don't go the way you planned it
Dreamin of riches, in a position of makin a difference
Politicians and hypocrites, they don't wanna listen
If I'm insane, it's the fame made a brother change
It wasn't nuttin like the game
It's just me against the world"

That passage summed up exactly where I was.

I was "extra stressing" after being fired from "a position of making a difference" which was my real job. Because I was "punished for asking questions". on behalf of poor children, which I considered part of my job.

And late at night, when I would leave my demeaning second job for the long train ride home from Evanston, I would listen to Tupac rapping " Be grateful for blessings" and more importantly "Don't ever change, keep your essence".

And I wasn't the only person in a difficult situation using Hip Hop to keep my head above the currents. I remember once ordering chicken wings from a westside fast food joint. In ran a kid no older than fourteen who was being chased. A few minutes later, a group of much older gang bangers-some armed with baseball bats- ran past. After looking out the window and seeing that the "coast was clear",

the kid rapped the following verse from Biggie Small's song Every Day Struggle. "I don't wanna live no mo' Sometimes I hear death knockin at my front do' I'm livin everyday like a hustle, another drug to juggle; another day, another struggle. He sounded so earnest, so prayerfully, as if rapping those words could save his life before fleeing out into the night. That was before Biggie went from rapping about young Black males struggling to make it day to day, to rapping exclusively about expensive champaign and Scare Face cocaine built dreams.

And that was also before the dream of Tupac, using Hip Hop to continuing on the Legacy of Malcolm X, died along with him in a hail of bullets.

Now the endless party, bullshit, rims, timbs, pimps, playa, fucking, smacking tricks, Black hoes down, has infected Hip Hop like zombies in Dawn of the Dead. But the progressive life preserving, highly democratic currents that stem from the deeply humanistic well which is the foundation of Hip Hop

still run through like a positive current in the negative bleak landscape of Rap Music.

And, although the dream has been deferred, that some from the Hip Hop World will pick up the baton that fell out of Tupac's back pocket the night he was killed,-clearly no one from the Black church of the Black political world has-, the dream it is not dead.

First on the horizon was Wyclef Jean. I was so excited when he threw his dread tam hat into the ring for President of Haiti. Haiti has always been a historic beacon to the Black western world. Haiti, was the only country to have a successful slave rebellion, organized and run by

Toussaint L'Ouverture, that lead to the establishment of the first Black new world government. I thought Wyclef could have done what former president Jean Bertrand Aristide tried but could not do. Reverse the dismal back breaking poverty and create a new progressive country.

Wyclef showed himself to be a selfish self absorbed pretentious fool. It took his "presidential campaign" to expose that he represents the worse of Haiti, starting with his Yele Haitian Foundation which raised money not to benefit Haiti's hyper poor, but to launder money to him and his cronies. Even his former Fuggie band mate, Pras Michel called him the "Black Sarah Palin". Then came Kanye West aka "Kanye Pest" who carried Hip Hop to a Lindsay Lohan Level. But then challenged others to look at him under a new progressive light with those brave historic words" George Bush don't like Black people", that uniquely spoke to a people still reeling at the abandonment and disrespect of Black Louisianians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Well, after helping focus the world on The United States Government's treatment of poor Black people, Kanye Pest went right back to preening on down the runway of diamond encrusted bling bling Dom Pérignon trappings and manifestations. Kanye's next political utterance came recently when he basically apologize to and compared himself to George Bush, the man he did what no other person could do during Bush's presidency, shame him.

But could there be new hope on the Hi Hop horizon with Che "Rhymefest" Smith, running for Chicago Alderman of the 20th Ward? O.K. like Tupac, Rhymefest has his demons that got him arrested as well. But I'm kinda liking what I'm hearing. He is one of the few Black voice to talk about holding Obama accountable for ignoring agendas that would lift the boat of poor Black America. For an interview with XXL Magazine, Rhymfest said "I think President Obama has to be criticized, he has to be empathized with, protested against and he has to be voted for again, because we are his constituents and he owes us; Just like you have gays and lesbians fighting for equal rights and "don't ask, don't tell"

After completing his last Album "Blue Collar", Rymfest announced his candidacy by saying "The 20th Ward in Chicago needs help, shorties are out here selling dope to pay the family bills. Grandmothers are raising their children's children, people are unemployed and under employed and leadership is absent!"

This sounds like a voice we need in Chicago's notoriously corrupted political system. Especially in Chicago's 20th Ward which like too many communities in Chicago, is bombed out and depleted like

Afghanistan, but with out the USA tax payer aid or public attention

The problem is that unlike Tupac, Rymfest isn't saying much and of course the press isn't really covering him. But win or lose, hopefully he will inspire the much more contemplative Hip Hop artists like Common, KRS One, Nas, The Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, etc, to get involved. Can you imagine the real change if the real hip hop community came together to fight for political change? I know Martin and Malcolm would be smiling for the first time in a long long time.

The following is Not from the Onion.. "African-American males without disabilities do no better than white males with disabilities"

2010-11-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

The ruins of the Temple of Hope smolder still, in the wake of the slash, burn, pillage and plunder of the marauding Tea Party Movement Army.

For those who care, there will be no "official" answers to why it was so easy for the barbarians (with only minimal resistance), to crush Obama's once energized "Movement of Change". And why wasn't a wall built to keep them out? After all, liberals still claim that President Obama was and has the heart of a grassroots community organizer.

The reason is simple. President Obama didn't run a campaign centered on protecting or empowering poor people, especially poor Black people. What candidate Obama did was ingeniously send subliminal political messages to white liberals who've grown tired of feeling guilty and they secretly blame poor Black folk for their continued plight at the bottom of the well. Finally an African-American candidate, Barack Obama, came along, freeing them from their liberal guilt by publicly calling out the negative behavior of poor Black people, while not addressing the decades of systematic racial oppression which is at the root of this behavior. The Black middle class also formally jumped on this bandwagon of retro Booker T. Washington empty rhetoric mixed with long simmering Black on Black self hate. This was a continuation of the same one sided blame game that gained social prominence with Bill Cosby in Black America. But with Barack Obama it gained political prominence throughout all America.

Upon assuming the presidency, except for universal health care, President Obama, along with the Democratic congress continued- as usual- to prioritize the

needs of the wealthy, high above those of the working class and the poor. A major example was the extension of the Bank Bailout ( TARP Program), which was eerily similar to Reagan's 1980's tax cuts. But in this case, instead of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans who did not reinvest it back into the economy, Obama gave American tax dollars to the wealthiest banks and corporations who likewise didn't reinvest it into the economy.

And instead of engaging the country in real discussions of race, President Obama used poor African-Americans and their children as a common rallying point for all of white America and the vapid and backwardly religious addicted Black middle class. Well,looks like it's time to call out America's Black middle class on how they are "raising" their kids.

Recently, The New York Times in an article entitled "Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected" covered a report released by the Council of the Great City Schools that I think brings into serious question the parenting skills of the Black middle class themselves. The report covers what those who have been paying attention to what's going down on the ground already know. That even with the Obama presidency, little has been done to substantively improve the "comprehensive challenges" facing African-American males nation wide", and that the issues connected to education, educational achievement, employment, drugs, violence, prison, fatherhood, etc, continue to deteriorate for African-American males

But what's new news is that the the average AfricanAmerican fourth and eighthgrade African-American male who isn't economically poor, does no better in reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Test (NAEP )than white males who are economically poor. And African-American males without disabilities do no better than white males with disabilities. So what's going on with the Black middle class? To much church and not enough intellectual growth. Too much mindless consumerism and not enough cultural spirituality. And finally too much self hate and not enough realizing that we will always be just a few steps away from Jamal passing around that 40 ounce on the corner, unless we become actively involved in the struggle.

I think before any more Black people criticize what Shaquita, Chantell and Rey Rey aint doing, they need to pick up E. Franklin Frazier's book "Black Bourgeoisie" published in 1957, which was billed as "The Book that brought the shock of self- revelation to middle-class Blacks in America".

What Hurricane Katrina Couldn't do to New Orleans, The Tea Party does to America

2010-11-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Friedrich Nietzsch said “when you look into the abyss the abyss looks back at you”

This is a disturbingly profound idea for those brave enough to engage an action that requires deep reflection and analysis that will lead them to finding themselves alone, perched precariously atop the peak of an

existential but very “real” Mt. Olympus of their own construct, looking straight down an icy slippery slope leading to infinity.

Such an example is how the Republican Party two years ago looked down into their abyss and emerged as the Tea Party, which is why yesterday they surged like Hurricane Katrina overwhelming the United States Congress and the House of Representatives aka "The People’s House of the United State’s America", completely. Do I like it? No. Do I respect it? Yes. Clearly the Democrats are not capable of this sort of reflection. They’re only capable of “hope” which propelled Barack Obama to The United State's Presidency, but he and the country no further.

If the Democrats could have peered deep into the abyss of their souls two years ago, they could have

created a real movement( bigger than Obama) to keep Obama focused on The People, and out of the arms of the Big Bank and Insurance Corporations and the Military Industrial Complex where he now sleeps soundly, and will be even more confined to, when the Tea Party takes formal control of The United States House of Representatives this January.

This just in!

2010-10-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

There's been a coup d'etat.

The Spook as you knew him has been killed in the fighting, like Maurice Bishop.

Until we have a new leader, please keep calm and fear not.

The Revolution Continues,

The Movement.