Sunday, January 29, 2006
I am just learning about the St. Patrick's Day Four, Daniel Burns, Peter DeMott,Clare Grady, and Teresa Grady who back in 2003 carried out an act of Civil Disobedience by pouring vials of their own blood at the site of a military recruiting center. The three former have just recieved sentences ranging from four to six months handed down from a federal bench in New York. The latter, Teresa Grady, will be sentenced tommorow. THey seem quite up in spirits! They seem like beautiful people from what I have seen. God bless them and their courage to act.
Academic Freedom Discussion
Over at Michael Berube's, there is a great discussion going on concerning academic freedom, stemming off of a lecture that he gave and posted on his blog. I thought this response,posted byNew Margins was great:
I do not doubt that Dr. V is resisting the “all opinions are equal” perspective that his students bring into the classroom with them. If he were not, he would not have been able to articulate the problem so clearly and succinctly. But their perspective came from somewhere, no? I think it has made its way into the mainstream, originating in academia, over the last couple of decades. Hell, there is now a significant movement within the Christian church called “postmodern Christianity,” and youngsters being raised in conservative Christian homes are cutting their eyeteeth on it. (!) That came from somewhere, and I think it came, originally, out of the universities. Which doesn’t mean it was universally embraced by all professors by a long shot, but nevertheless.
I agree that “all opinions are equal” become identity politics is a mimicry of a mimicry and a parody of a parody, but that doesn’t matter to those who have harnessed it in the service of their attacks on academic freedom, like Horowitz, like the Religious Right. All that matters to them is that it is working for them politically. Which is why what Michael wrote resonates with so many of us. We can dismiss it all we like, and our dismissals will be accurate, in the meantime we’ve got scary folks like Horowitz and the Right posing very real threats to academic freedom in this country via the practice of what we are dismissing.
I think postmodernism has value to the degree that it interrogates and critiques western grand narratives so-called, and to the degree that it moves those who have been historically marginalized and disenfranchised in the direction of subjectivity by recognizing that art, literature, philosophy, ideas, politics emerge out of specific cultural and societal contexts in which some have enjoyed power, visibility and voice and others have not, have been made to be largely invisible and voiceless. My examples were meant to illustrate what happens when the heirs apparent to these western grand narratives—white, heterosexual, Christian men who can readily see their forefathers, men like them, in all of recorded western history—attempt to vault themselves out of power and privilege methodologically by practicing an identity politics arising out of the “all opinions are equal” perspective, intending to preserve, protect and defend a political status quo which protects the power and privilege they continue to enjoy. This is postmodernism turned on its head, but it did began with postmodernism, period.
When Mary Daly was fired, debate over her firing ensued. Instead of young, college-educated feminists and their teachers throwing down over a right-wing punk, backed by a right-wing political organization, taking an aging, brilliant heretic like Daly out, we had them defending the administration, and on what basis? That gender is a construct, it is “performative,” it’s not about what’s “between the legs,” and so Daly should not have forbidden male students. The material consequence, then, is that a right-wing punk takes Daly out and feminists, influenced by postmodern notions of gender as performance, inter alia, applaud and agree, all of which amounts to a victory for the Right in its goal of silencing unpopular teachers and their unpopular views and politics. And so it has gone in the universities where, by way of postmodern perspectives, women’s studies become “gender studies” with the ongoing second class status of women, something which is apparent to anyone who is paying attention, increasingly difficult to describe or confront. If there should be no category “woman,” for example, which is the postmodern perspective, then how will those of us who know we are women because we’re treated as women mount a challenge to those vested in our remaining in that second class status, or in the case of the Religious Right, turning back the clock a century or so? I think this is an example of the “material consequences” of making postmodernism political which Dr. Virago was talking about.
I have not meant to disparage academia. Thank god for feminist professors and women’s studies programs wherever they are, because that is about all we have left of visible feminism in this day and age. I do know that visible, brilliant feminists, including academics, have sounded warnings about the real consequences of postmodern perspectives and that those warnings have too often fallen on deaf ears. All along, though, there have been kickass professors, both men and women, who were not so deaf doing their damndest in difficult circumstances and I did not mean to suggest otherwise
I do not doubt that Dr. V is resisting the “all opinions are equal” perspective that his students bring into the classroom with them. If he were not, he would not have been able to articulate the problem so clearly and succinctly. But their perspective came from somewhere, no? I think it has made its way into the mainstream, originating in academia, over the last couple of decades. Hell, there is now a significant movement within the Christian church called “postmodern Christianity,” and youngsters being raised in conservative Christian homes are cutting their eyeteeth on it. (!) That came from somewhere, and I think it came, originally, out of the universities. Which doesn’t mean it was universally embraced by all professors by a long shot, but nevertheless.
I agree that “all opinions are equal” become identity politics is a mimicry of a mimicry and a parody of a parody, but that doesn’t matter to those who have harnessed it in the service of their attacks on academic freedom, like Horowitz, like the Religious Right. All that matters to them is that it is working for them politically. Which is why what Michael wrote resonates with so many of us. We can dismiss it all we like, and our dismissals will be accurate, in the meantime we’ve got scary folks like Horowitz and the Right posing very real threats to academic freedom in this country via the practice of what we are dismissing.
I think postmodernism has value to the degree that it interrogates and critiques western grand narratives so-called, and to the degree that it moves those who have been historically marginalized and disenfranchised in the direction of subjectivity by recognizing that art, literature, philosophy, ideas, politics emerge out of specific cultural and societal contexts in which some have enjoyed power, visibility and voice and others have not, have been made to be largely invisible and voiceless. My examples were meant to illustrate what happens when the heirs apparent to these western grand narratives—white, heterosexual, Christian men who can readily see their forefathers, men like them, in all of recorded western history—attempt to vault themselves out of power and privilege methodologically by practicing an identity politics arising out of the “all opinions are equal” perspective, intending to preserve, protect and defend a political status quo which protects the power and privilege they continue to enjoy. This is postmodernism turned on its head, but it did began with postmodernism, period.
When Mary Daly was fired, debate over her firing ensued. Instead of young, college-educated feminists and their teachers throwing down over a right-wing punk, backed by a right-wing political organization, taking an aging, brilliant heretic like Daly out, we had them defending the administration, and on what basis? That gender is a construct, it is “performative,” it’s not about what’s “between the legs,” and so Daly should not have forbidden male students. The material consequence, then, is that a right-wing punk takes Daly out and feminists, influenced by postmodern notions of gender as performance, inter alia, applaud and agree, all of which amounts to a victory for the Right in its goal of silencing unpopular teachers and their unpopular views and politics. And so it has gone in the universities where, by way of postmodern perspectives, women’s studies become “gender studies” with the ongoing second class status of women, something which is apparent to anyone who is paying attention, increasingly difficult to describe or confront. If there should be no category “woman,” for example, which is the postmodern perspective, then how will those of us who know we are women because we’re treated as women mount a challenge to those vested in our remaining in that second class status, or in the case of the Religious Right, turning back the clock a century or so? I think this is an example of the “material consequences” of making postmodernism political which Dr. Virago was talking about.
I have not meant to disparage academia. Thank god for feminist professors and women’s studies programs wherever they are, because that is about all we have left of visible feminism in this day and age. I do know that visible, brilliant feminists, including academics, have sounded warnings about the real consequences of postmodern perspectives and that those warnings have too often fallen on deaf ears. All along, though, there have been kickass professors, both men and women, who were not so deaf doing their damndest in difficult circumstances and I did not mean to suggest otherwise
Saturday, January 28, 2006
This is an interesting article from Inversion magazine concerning Laura Nyro, Angela Davis, and Anita Brookner.
A most urgent matter has arisen in Haiti. Father Gerard Jean Juste has been detained by the Haitian government in what basically can be defined as a political kidnapping and has been sitting in jail since December of this past year. He is in poor health, suffering from Leukemia, and is in need of medical attention which he may not be recieving in prison. The Haitian government needs to be pressured to release him. You can read about this story here
Friday, January 27, 2006
I was just thinking about a tea that my Aunt Carolyn's sister(Uncle Archie's wife), Aunt Bea, gave when I was a little boy. It has always stayed in my memory as a very grand,beautiful experience. She prepared a beautiful luncheon and had a very nice and comfortable home. I will always remember that affair.
In a Gallup Poll taken just recently, fifty-eight percent of the public consider George Bush's second term a failure and fifty-three percent believe he misled the public on the war. Bush defends himself by talking up a "thriving economy." Haha haha!! I dont know whether to laugh or tell that man to go to hell(again).
Cindy Sheehan in Venezuela
January 26, 2006
Cindy Sheehan, Mother Courage
I share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire
PEDRO DE LA HOZ, Special Correspondent
CARACAS-- "There is no difference between my pain and that of an Iraqi
mother or another that has lost a son or daughter to hunger, misery or
lack of medical care in the impoverished and plundered countries. I
share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire's
policies."
Cindy Sheehan is like a burning flame. Months ago she became a real
Mother Courage to the world. It is impressive how this pale, blond and
gentle woman --never before involved in public affairs-- has been had
able to systematically denounce her government's war against Iraq, where
her son Casey died.
Currently in Caracas, Sheehan is one of the most prominent participants
at the World Social Forum. With the help of Joel Suarez of the Martin
Luther King Center in Havana, Granma conducted a brief interview with her.
It stands out that Cindy uses the word "empire" to refer to the US
government. "Empires --she explains-- have always existed; unfortunately
we have perfected this insane concept of pursuing world hegemony at any
cost."
What began as an example of one person's pain has become not only a
symbol but also a way of confronting the foundations of the system
itself. Cindy describes it this way:
"For me, peace and justice have to go together. I hope the occupation of
Iraq ends as soon as possible, but that is not enough. We need a
philosophy of peace to prevail in the world, that there be no more
military ventures. However, for this to take place there must be a more
just world where wealth is equally distributed and where human dignity
is respected; a world in which the human being is really human and
overcomes racial and religious prejudices."
"I know --she clarified-- that those are lofty goals, but I won't give
them up. It is the way I can honor my dead son."
I asked Sheehan to comment on the situation at the US Guantanamo Naval
Base, a 21st century concentration camp.
"It is shameful that such a thing could exist at this time in history.
Not even the most minimal human rights are respected there. We have also
learned with horror that these practices are not only conducted in that
territory that the United States occupies without the consent of the
Cuban people. I was shocked by the news that soldiers from my country
have concealed torture camps in other countries allied to the empire."
A Brazilian colleague joined in the conversation introducing an
interesting twist by asking Sheehan her opinion of Condoleezza Rice and
Hillary Clinton, asking if they had shown solidarity with the losses
faced by US mothers.
"I don't think those women have maternal instincts, not even true human
instincts. I call them 'women' in quotation marks. Rice is convinced
that the war in Iraq is correct and should be waged in all its intensity
against the growing resistance movement. Clinton wants to solve the
problem by sending more troops, exposing both us and Iraqi mothers to
death. Both women are totally removed from the feelings of the majority
of US mothers."
Why is Cindy here in Caracas at the World Social Forum?
"It's the kind of event where many ideas are exchanged and the best are
promoted. I believe that talking about our movement, of the struggle we
are fighting, is of great value in the ears of the young people."
Cindy pauses and then continues:
"In the end, it's about no more mothers losing their sons to the whims
of a ruler."
Cindy Sheehan, Mother Courage
I share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire
PEDRO DE LA HOZ, Special Correspondent
CARACAS-- "There is no difference between my pain and that of an Iraqi
mother or another that has lost a son or daughter to hunger, misery or
lack of medical care in the impoverished and plundered countries. I
share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire's
policies."
Cindy Sheehan is like a burning flame. Months ago she became a real
Mother Courage to the world. It is impressive how this pale, blond and
gentle woman --never before involved in public affairs-- has been had
able to systematically denounce her government's war against Iraq, where
her son Casey died.
Currently in Caracas, Sheehan is one of the most prominent participants
at the World Social Forum. With the help of Joel Suarez of the Martin
Luther King Center in Havana, Granma conducted a brief interview with her.
It stands out that Cindy uses the word "empire" to refer to the US
government. "Empires --she explains-- have always existed; unfortunately
we have perfected this insane concept of pursuing world hegemony at any
cost."
What began as an example of one person's pain has become not only a
symbol but also a way of confronting the foundations of the system
itself. Cindy describes it this way:
"For me, peace and justice have to go together. I hope the occupation of
Iraq ends as soon as possible, but that is not enough. We need a
philosophy of peace to prevail in the world, that there be no more
military ventures. However, for this to take place there must be a more
just world where wealth is equally distributed and where human dignity
is respected; a world in which the human being is really human and
overcomes racial and religious prejudices."
"I know --she clarified-- that those are lofty goals, but I won't give
them up. It is the way I can honor my dead son."
I asked Sheehan to comment on the situation at the US Guantanamo Naval
Base, a 21st century concentration camp.
"It is shameful that such a thing could exist at this time in history.
Not even the most minimal human rights are respected there. We have also
learned with horror that these practices are not only conducted in that
territory that the United States occupies without the consent of the
Cuban people. I was shocked by the news that soldiers from my country
have concealed torture camps in other countries allied to the empire."
A Brazilian colleague joined in the conversation introducing an
interesting twist by asking Sheehan her opinion of Condoleezza Rice and
Hillary Clinton, asking if they had shown solidarity with the losses
faced by US mothers.
"I don't think those women have maternal instincts, not even true human
instincts. I call them 'women' in quotation marks. Rice is convinced
that the war in Iraq is correct and should be waged in all its intensity
against the growing resistance movement. Clinton wants to solve the
problem by sending more troops, exposing both us and Iraqi mothers to
death. Both women are totally removed from the feelings of the majority
of US mothers."
Why is Cindy here in Caracas at the World Social Forum?
"It's the kind of event where many ideas are exchanged and the best are
promoted. I believe that talking about our movement, of the struggle we
are fighting, is of great value in the ears of the young people."
Cindy pauses and then continues:
"In the end, it's about no more mothers losing their sons to the whims
of a ruler."
Thursday, January 26, 2006
There is a quite alarming discussion being had on the Afro-American studies listerv concerning the high numbers of Afro-American women who are dying from terminal illnesses(such as cancer,lupus, diabetes) at a frightening rate. Someone did a count and the number of black women in academia that were lost in the past decade alone is quite alarming. Indeed, here are links to obituaries for just a few of them.
Joann Grant
Claudia Tate
Barbara Christian
June Jordan
Joann Grant
Claudia Tate
Barbara Christian
June Jordan
To Be Young, Gifted, and Black
Composed and Sung by Nina Simone
To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean
In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that's a fact!
Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There's a world waiting for you
This is a quest that's just begun
When you feel really low
Yeah, there's a great truth you should know
When you're young, gifted and black
Your soul's intact
Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth
Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it's at
To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean
In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that's a fact!
Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There's a world waiting for you
This is a quest that's just begun
When you feel really low
Yeah, there's a great truth you should know
When you're young, gifted and black
Your soul's intact
Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth
Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it's at
Two reports from separate government agencies state that the U.S. military is overextended into what they term a "thin green line." Donald Rumsfeld says no.Someone is lying and I think it is Donald Rumsfeld.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
I must say that Lafayette does have two wonderful representatives in the Indiana Legislature. Sheila Klinker and Joe Micon are not only great legislators, they are great people and magnificent humanitiarians.
I heard on NPR today that Ghana is going to start granting Afro-Americans and other Blacks from around the diaspora citizenship, such as the state of Israel does with Diasporic Jews. I believe this is what Israel should be doing, working with the nations on the African continent and helping to make progress there, not standing as favored ward to the United States.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Little Red Shoes
I find this song by Lorette Lynn quite profound.
I was 11 months old
I was just starting to walk
And Daddy always kept a big stick behind the door just in case
Somebody was to come in that was drunk on moonshine,
You know, and Daddy had to do something about it
Anyway, this woman, we called her old Aunt Boyd,
She come in and she was telling
Mommy about her, uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this woman in
Paintsville
So she reared back with that big stick showing
Mommy how she was going to hit this woman in the head with it
And when she went back with it, she hit me in the head
And Mommy said I cried for 5 days
And she said I, that fifth night,
I had a great big knot that show up right in the middle of my forehead
And, you know, the only thing I remember,
I don’t remember no pain, but I just remember Mommy
And Daddy carrying me in this old quilt that Mommy had made out of overhalls
The knots kept getting bigger and bigger so she took me to the doctor
And that stuff called mesitor, something like that
Mommy said it made both ears flat to my face and I ain’t got very big ears
And told Mommy that I would, that I was going to die
And that happened like four times so I didn’t walk till I was almost 5
It was… It was kind of a mess…
Oh I forgot about the shoes,
Well shoot, I hadn’t… I’d never had a pair of shoes
And Mommy had went…
Took me to the hospital, you know, to see what that was…
If they couldn’t do something
But they wouldn’t keep me because Mommy and Daddy didn’t have no money
They just tell ‘em to take me home and let me die, you know,
Because there wasn’t nothing they could do about
That kind of disease, I guess
And, um, Mommy told Daddy,
Says “Ted, you take her down the street, you carry her down the street…” and said,
“…let me try this store here,” and Mommy went in and told them the story that I was dying,
That she had to carry me twelve miles to town
And twelve miles back and that I had no shoes
That place, I think it was Murphy’s 5 and 10 and they’re still there in Paintsville, Kentucky
And I think that they told Mommy that they wasn’t in business to give shoes away
Mommy told Daddy, says, “Carry Loretta on down a little farther,”
Said, “and let me stop in another store…”
And Mommy went right back to the same store
When the guy’s back was turned she stole these little red shoes
And I remember on the big’old bridge that went across the river
It went way up high and was…
I’ve always been scared of that bridge that took me across the big Sandy River
Mommy pulled them out from under that yellow jacket that she was wearing
And she was putting them red shoes on me
And I thought them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life
And Daddy started crying
And I wondered why
And he said, “Clerie, we’re not going to make it home,”
And Mommy put the shoes on me
And Daddy took off running and run all the way ahead t’Butcher Holler with me
And Mommy never had a chance to carry me any farther
And that’s almost twelve miles that Daddy run with me
But Daddy knew that the cops was going to get us
He left Mommy standing and he took off in a dead run
I remember him running but I didn’t know what for
And I remember asking Mommy,
“Mommy, why is Daddy running?”
I remember her hollering,
“To put your little red shoes away, honey, when you get home.”
[Laughs]
Can you believe that?
So I wrote a song called “Put My Little Red Shoes Away,”
You know, they’re my little red shoes and I don’t want
‘em to get… to be dirty…
I was 11 months old
I was just starting to walk
And Daddy always kept a big stick behind the door just in case
Somebody was to come in that was drunk on moonshine,
You know, and Daddy had to do something about it
Anyway, this woman, we called her old Aunt Boyd,
She come in and she was telling
Mommy about her, uh, husband, she thinks is going out with this woman in
Paintsville
So she reared back with that big stick showing
Mommy how she was going to hit this woman in the head with it
And when she went back with it, she hit me in the head
And Mommy said I cried for 5 days
And she said I, that fifth night,
I had a great big knot that show up right in the middle of my forehead
And, you know, the only thing I remember,
I don’t remember no pain, but I just remember Mommy
And Daddy carrying me in this old quilt that Mommy had made out of overhalls
The knots kept getting bigger and bigger so she took me to the doctor
And that stuff called mesitor, something like that
Mommy said it made both ears flat to my face and I ain’t got very big ears
And told Mommy that I would, that I was going to die
And that happened like four times so I didn’t walk till I was almost 5
It was… It was kind of a mess…
Oh I forgot about the shoes,
Well shoot, I hadn’t… I’d never had a pair of shoes
And Mommy had went…
Took me to the hospital, you know, to see what that was…
If they couldn’t do something
But they wouldn’t keep me because Mommy and Daddy didn’t have no money
They just tell ‘em to take me home and let me die, you know,
Because there wasn’t nothing they could do about
That kind of disease, I guess
And, um, Mommy told Daddy,
Says “Ted, you take her down the street, you carry her down the street…” and said,
“…let me try this store here,” and Mommy went in and told them the story that I was dying,
That she had to carry me twelve miles to town
And twelve miles back and that I had no shoes
That place, I think it was Murphy’s 5 and 10 and they’re still there in Paintsville, Kentucky
And I think that they told Mommy that they wasn’t in business to give shoes away
Mommy told Daddy, says, “Carry Loretta on down a little farther,”
Said, “and let me stop in another store…”
And Mommy went right back to the same store
When the guy’s back was turned she stole these little red shoes
And I remember on the big’old bridge that went across the river
It went way up high and was…
I’ve always been scared of that bridge that took me across the big Sandy River
Mommy pulled them out from under that yellow jacket that she was wearing
And she was putting them red shoes on me
And I thought them was the prettiest things I ever saw in my life
And Daddy started crying
And I wondered why
And he said, “Clerie, we’re not going to make it home,”
And Mommy put the shoes on me
And Daddy took off running and run all the way ahead t’Butcher Holler with me
And Mommy never had a chance to carry me any farther
And that’s almost twelve miles that Daddy run with me
But Daddy knew that the cops was going to get us
He left Mommy standing and he took off in a dead run
I remember him running but I didn’t know what for
And I remember asking Mommy,
“Mommy, why is Daddy running?”
I remember her hollering,
“To put your little red shoes away, honey, when you get home.”
[Laughs]
Can you believe that?
So I wrote a song called “Put My Little Red Shoes Away,”
You know, they’re my little red shoes and I don’t want
‘em to get… to be dirty…
Come Ye
By Nina Simone
This song by Nina Simone is explosive when hearing her perform it. I just recently listened to this on a compilation album of her work and I had to pause after hearing it. It definitely takes one aback.
Come ye ye who would have peace
Hear me what I say now
I say come ye ye who would have peace
It's time to learn how to pray
I say come ye ye who have no fear
What tomorrow brings child
Start praying for a better world
Or peace and all good things
I say come ye ye who still have hope
That we can still survive now
Let's work together as we should
And fight to stay alive
I say come ye ye who would have love
It's time to take a stand
Don't mind abuse it must be paid
For the love of your fellow man
I say come ye come ye
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
This song by Nina Simone is explosive when hearing her perform it. I just recently listened to this on a compilation album of her work and I had to pause after hearing it. It definitely takes one aback.
Come ye ye who would have peace
Hear me what I say now
I say come ye ye who would have peace
It's time to learn how to pray
I say come ye ye who have no fear
What tomorrow brings child
Start praying for a better world
Or peace and all good things
I say come ye ye who still have hope
That we can still survive now
Let's work together as we should
And fight to stay alive
I say come ye ye who would have love
It's time to take a stand
Don't mind abuse it must be paid
For the love of your fellow man
I say come ye come ye
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
Who would have hope
I am quite intrigued by the Nigerian rebels who are fighting to get the foriegn oil barons out of their country. I hope they have success in ridding themselves of imperialism.
I heard something absolutely horrendous and alarming today. The military has begun to prepare for a host of executions. Most of the people that are going to be put to death are Black. Not only is this aspect of this story alarming, but also under the new rules concerning executions set forth by the military, they are not required to carry out these executions in the United States, but can carry them out in any number of places outside of the United States including Guatanamo Bay.
Daimler-Chrysler has announced today that it will be cutting its white collar jobs by a fifth, totaling about 6,000 jobs. Oh this economy is going to hell is it not?
I read this excellent article, The Nonprofit and the Autonomous Grassroots,in Leftturn about how nonprofit status is ruining activism, especially organizations dedicated to activism....basically, it is another way that the government can keep tabs on and try and nullify activism and progressive movement. It is definitely worth paying attention to.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Bush Needs to Be Castrated...and Kansas is, Of Course, Bullshit Land
Today, George Bush delivered an address at Kansas State University in which he is attempting to defend his spying program. Someone should take his penis now. I don't give a shit how many white folks he stands in front of and tries to make it legitimate or ok. This man needs to go to hell and sure enough he will, in a Nina Simone woven handbasket.
Ford just announced 30,000 job cuts and the closure of factories throughout the United States. This will definitely be absolutely devastating to the areas where these plants are to be closed. Sadly, listening to NPR this evening, I have noticed they are trying to downplay and sugarcoat this horrendous thing with words like "restructuring" and announcing that even though Ford is closing these plants that they still plan to sell lincolns;-)Oh me oh my, what a fool I am not for these people. There needs to be a return of integrity, backbone, and gumption to this world.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Ella Jenkins played such a strong role in my early life. I grew up and was duly influenced by her music which my Aunt Johnnie would play for me in class and at home.
Friday, January 20, 2006
I just told Cecily about how when my grandmother retired she got back at her principal by not turning simply putting in her sick and vacation days for an entire year ando t filing for retirement until the next year so that they would have to pay both her salary and a substitute. My grandmother is no slow cat.
More on the War in Iraq Forum
I found the Purdue Exponent's reporting of the forum last night to be absolutely hilarious. They quoted everyone that sat on the panel EXCEPT Harry--and Im sure thats because he was on David Horowitz's list(LOL, Oh these people) and they made it quite clear what their position on the war was.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
A Sad Moment
A sad occurence today as my cousin, the legendary singer Wilson Pickett died today. My Aunt Bertie taught him while she was teaching in Autauga County.
War in Iraq Forum
The forum tonight was excellent! I was quite surprised that Kieth Schimko took such an avid and open anti-war position. Kudos to him(he is cute and gay;-) The icing on the cake was that I got to ask the last question...and I certainly did ask George Horowitz if he felt that raising a national income justified genocide.
Spike Lee at Purdue
Spike Lee was awesome and inspiring. Beautiful man, great talk...even though he tended to ramble at times. He said something quite interesting, however(besied knocking bush and Fema). His statement that the U.S. has come to dominate the world not because of military strength, but because our culture has been so adopted around the world. This is an interesting idea. Perhaps it is cultural politics that determine world power and not military strength?
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
My Great-Grandmother's Quote
My great-grandmother was known as a good woman, a Christian woman. The motto that she lived by was "Cast your bread upon the water and it will come back to you."
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
There is one anecdote that I find quite amusing,especially because it is about my Aunt Earnestine. At the time, my Aunt was a principal of one of the Black schools in the county and at home with her mother and father ( I believe just coming back from Ohio after having left one husband), Sadie Mae and John Archie.Well, apparently she hadn't paid her bill at the clothing store that she always always shopped at(and generally wasn't bothered about the bill, because they knew she was going to pay). However, the--according to my mother--old white devil who was the manager of the store(not the owner mind you) decided, at one point when he was in charge of the store, to send the sherrif after my aunt. LOL. Well, Aunt Earnestine apparently was crying buckets when this white man showed at the door(this was the 50s) and wanted to take her down to the police station. I can only imagine,haha! Well, as it was my great-grandfather was a good friend of Fred Posey, who was the judge there in the county, and with a few phone calls my frantic Aunt was put to rest when the Judge said she didn't have to go downtown, but to go ahead and pay her bill. LOL. I can only imagine though. My Aunt Earnestine was a mess. Quite a hilarious story though.
I remember hearing an anecdote told that there was this white boy whom my great-grandfather hired to do work around his farm--from a very young age--and practically helped raise. From what I was told, he was an orphan. Well, this boy grew up and went off to the War (WWII) and came back grown. Alas, my great-grandfather was in the store one day when he saw the boy after he returned. My great-grandfather apparently greeted him very warmly with "Why hello, Sam. How are you?" Well, this boy says to my great-grandfather, "Isn't it about time you start to call me mister." As the story goes my Great-grandfather gave him a look, there in the middle of the store and walked away. After the boy had left, one of the ladies there in the store, perhaps the wife of the owner tried to chastise my great-grandfather, " Aw, John, you know you could have called him Mr." In reply, my great-grandfather looked at her and said, " I didn't have to call him anything and I didn't" and proceeded to walk away. Something interesting to think about always.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Observations of the South
I wanted to comment upon my obersvations of the South and what I have realized since I have gone back, witnessed it, and left it in the first place. Montgomery, and indeed a large bulk of the south, and especially the powerhouse areas of the south have an influx of Afro-Americans(of course, its the trend ever since the 80s right?) However, one of the beautiful side effects of it is that you are beginning to see black owned, black controlled, and black influenced entities and institutions throughout the south--from the political, social, and economic fronts. One example of the stronghold of the Afro-american community in the south is WVAS 90.7, the radio station of Alabama State, which hosts NPR, jazz, and various functions from around the city of Montgomery. It is the best radio station in the area.
Also, indicative of this is the mayoral election in Montgomery during the '99 and '00 season. Not only was there a black woman running for the mayors race in the city of Montgomery (getting someting around 4% of the vote), but the Blacks and other progressives in the city ousted the old crudgeon of a mayor who had been sitting there for ages(I can't remember his name right now) and put in place someone who was only slightly more progressive. It was a small, but important victory.
Looking at other places in Alabama and throughout the South--it is absolutely astounding that Selma is now run by a Black muslim mayor. Beautiful and progressive. Alas, Hank Sanders (and his wife Rose) are power houses in the state of Alabama and the old Civil Rights veterans who were fortunate enough to be in the front of the lines and at the heads of the campaigns are sitting dignitaries in Alabama and Southern society. From Fred Gray to Andrew Young, they sit in the seats of reverance.
Progressivism, as a symptom of the changing of the guard, has invaded the South. Indeed, I was quite shocked to learn that in the last presidential election, Montomgery and Dallas County(the home county of Selma) went for Gore! That is quite amazing in the middle of that Bible belt. Times are definitely changing.
Alas, there is still much to be done in the south, and things to be challenged and fought. This is not a call to sit down. The guard is changing, but there still needs to be a constant banter of voices to express dissent and challenge the old powerbrokers of the south, whenever they come to stand in the way of progress.
Also, indicative of this is the mayoral election in Montgomery during the '99 and '00 season. Not only was there a black woman running for the mayors race in the city of Montgomery (getting someting around 4% of the vote), but the Blacks and other progressives in the city ousted the old crudgeon of a mayor who had been sitting there for ages(I can't remember his name right now) and put in place someone who was only slightly more progressive. It was a small, but important victory.
Looking at other places in Alabama and throughout the South--it is absolutely astounding that Selma is now run by a Black muslim mayor. Beautiful and progressive. Alas, Hank Sanders (and his wife Rose) are power houses in the state of Alabama and the old Civil Rights veterans who were fortunate enough to be in the front of the lines and at the heads of the campaigns are sitting dignitaries in Alabama and Southern society. From Fred Gray to Andrew Young, they sit in the seats of reverance.
Progressivism, as a symptom of the changing of the guard, has invaded the South. Indeed, I was quite shocked to learn that in the last presidential election, Montomgery and Dallas County(the home county of Selma) went for Gore! That is quite amazing in the middle of that Bible belt. Times are definitely changing.
Alas, there is still much to be done in the south, and things to be challenged and fought. This is not a call to sit down. The guard is changing, but there still needs to be a constant banter of voices to express dissent and challenge the old powerbrokers of the south, whenever they come to stand in the way of progress.
What is the IDA?
What is the IDA(Institute for Defense Analyses) and what are its ties to the miltiary industrial complex and universities?
Identity Cards
The conservative agenda in Britain suffered a major blow as a measure to require all Britains to acquire ID Cards was soundly defeated.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Kudos! to Maryland for forcing Walmart, their larest employer, to pay part of the cost for the healthcare of their workers!
I am really troubled that all of the voices I heard on the radio of those returning to New Orleans were white. I was also looking at a copy of The Worker's World where they had a photo of Black residents of New Orleans marching for their right to returned. It troubled me even more so, and I sat there looking at that picture observing these sixty and seventy year old women standing there behind their banners...having to march...for their human respect and dignity.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Something Else I Wanted to Comment On
I read in the Montgomery paper about a month ago that they were considering selling the Martin Luther King Center to the government. They absolutely should not. Not at this time. God it seems everything is just goiing to hell.
This article over at OMBWatch discusses the lack of corporate responsibility and the Bush administration's lax stance on safety and health standards that came into play in the Sago Coal Mine Tragedy.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
George Bush thinks that he is Joseph McCarthy warning his critics to not say too much. Someone should take his dick and pickle it, then chop it into bits.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Samuel Alito is an Evil Man
Samuel Alito is an evil man. Not only should his nomination to the Supreme Court be filibustered, but he should be castrated. The idea of putting such a man on a high court is morally reprehensible, and reprehensible in any other way you could possibly find. Any man who would render it within legal boundaries to strip search a ten year old girl should be absolutely taken out and whipped with all of the gruesomeness found in Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish. What wickedness, what evil....The entire Bush administration should rot in hell.
This From Barbra's Website
Is This The Democracy We Are Fighting For?
by Barbra Streisand
Posted on January 3, 2006
Why are we really fighting this war? First it was the search for WMDs. None were found. Then it was hunting for the terrorists and "smoking them out." We've only created a breeding ground for more terrorists. Finally, President Bush insisted the mission in Iraq was worth it in order to bring democracy to the country and unseat Saddam Hussein, a very bad guy, but one who was contained economically, politically and militarily. Remember, he was our ally in the fight against Iran. And there are many countries that need democracy, but the United States has not gone in militarily and usurped control. But Iraq has oil and Bush has a lot of big oil friends.
For the past 2 years, the President has exhausted the public with his rhetoric that building a democracy in Iraq will establish a peaceful civil society that will ultimately be an ally in the war on terror. In speech after speech, the country has heard the message point hammered home from Bush, Cheney, Condi and Rumsfeld: A free democratic Iraq is central to the war on terrorism. But judging by the climate of violence and unrest that still continues in Iraq, that battle is far from being won.
Central to the creation of a free and democratic Iraq was the notion of having the Iraqi people elect their own leaders. Amid great anticipation, the Iraqi elections were held in December. The good news is that there was strong turnout, little violence and large-scale participation by Sunni Muslims, who along with the Kurds, are the underrepresented, minority religious faction in Iraq. The White House heavily supported and hoped for Ayad Allawi to be victorious. While a Shiite, he believed in a modern secular government. The bad news is that the Administration, in their desperation to present the world with a successful and free Iraq election, had largely ignored the growing fury felt by many Sunni Arabs over the dominance of fanatical religious Shiites, who seek to implement their own version of fundamental Islamic law. The Administration's biggest fear was the possibility of a fundamentalist Shiite controlled Iraqi government, and that is now the likely reality. With the recent Iraqi election, the only regime that we have helped to erect is a theocratic one, where fundamental Islamic law will likely continue to repress the Iraqi people, spread religious intolerance and deny basic rights to women. Is this what we are fighting for?
The result of the December election has plunged Iraq into political turmoil. Preliminary results showed the advancement of the United Iraqi Coalition, supported by the Shiite religious figure Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani. Days after the election, Sunni Arab leaders had angrily rejected early election results, saying that the vote has been fixed to favor the Shiite majority party. Sunni Arab politicians have threatened to boycott the political process altogether, which would be a serious set back for the Bush Administration.
With the religious Shiite faction having gained control of the Iraqi government, religious law will be high on their agenda. The Islamic law that is favored by the Shiite fundamentalists has horrible implications for women. "Personal status" law, which governs marriage, divorce, inheritance, burial, and other issues, will likely replace the uniform civil code. It is possible that the December election may be the first and last "free" election the Iraqi people will participate in.
The fundamentalist Shiites have strong ties to Iran. With the Shiite victory, Iran will now become a close ally to Iraq and even more of a threat to the United States. In addition to proudly announcing their nuclear capability, Iran's unstable President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called the Holocaust a 'myth' and pledged to destroy Israel. This new alliance is dangerous for the US and far from the secular democratic government that the Bush Administration naively envisioned for a dictatorless Iraq.
Is this the democracy that we have been fighting for? Or has the Bush Administration failed once more in their mission to make America safer. There are no WMDs, there is an increasing anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and around the world, chances for a true democracy in Iraq are slim and a dangerous alliance between Iraq and Iran is likely. The Bush administration has made a mess in Iraq that they seem incapable of cleaning up. And speech after highly publicized speech by the President will not change this reality.
by Barbra Streisand
Posted on January 3, 2006
Why are we really fighting this war? First it was the search for WMDs. None were found. Then it was hunting for the terrorists and "smoking them out." We've only created a breeding ground for more terrorists. Finally, President Bush insisted the mission in Iraq was worth it in order to bring democracy to the country and unseat Saddam Hussein, a very bad guy, but one who was contained economically, politically and militarily. Remember, he was our ally in the fight against Iran. And there are many countries that need democracy, but the United States has not gone in militarily and usurped control. But Iraq has oil and Bush has a lot of big oil friends.
For the past 2 years, the President has exhausted the public with his rhetoric that building a democracy in Iraq will establish a peaceful civil society that will ultimately be an ally in the war on terror. In speech after speech, the country has heard the message point hammered home from Bush, Cheney, Condi and Rumsfeld: A free democratic Iraq is central to the war on terrorism. But judging by the climate of violence and unrest that still continues in Iraq, that battle is far from being won.
Central to the creation of a free and democratic Iraq was the notion of having the Iraqi people elect their own leaders. Amid great anticipation, the Iraqi elections were held in December. The good news is that there was strong turnout, little violence and large-scale participation by Sunni Muslims, who along with the Kurds, are the underrepresented, minority religious faction in Iraq. The White House heavily supported and hoped for Ayad Allawi to be victorious. While a Shiite, he believed in a modern secular government. The bad news is that the Administration, in their desperation to present the world with a successful and free Iraq election, had largely ignored the growing fury felt by many Sunni Arabs over the dominance of fanatical religious Shiites, who seek to implement their own version of fundamental Islamic law. The Administration's biggest fear was the possibility of a fundamentalist Shiite controlled Iraqi government, and that is now the likely reality. With the recent Iraqi election, the only regime that we have helped to erect is a theocratic one, where fundamental Islamic law will likely continue to repress the Iraqi people, spread religious intolerance and deny basic rights to women. Is this what we are fighting for?
The result of the December election has plunged Iraq into political turmoil. Preliminary results showed the advancement of the United Iraqi Coalition, supported by the Shiite religious figure Ayatullah Ali al-Seistani. Days after the election, Sunni Arab leaders had angrily rejected early election results, saying that the vote has been fixed to favor the Shiite majority party. Sunni Arab politicians have threatened to boycott the political process altogether, which would be a serious set back for the Bush Administration.
With the religious Shiite faction having gained control of the Iraqi government, religious law will be high on their agenda. The Islamic law that is favored by the Shiite fundamentalists has horrible implications for women. "Personal status" law, which governs marriage, divorce, inheritance, burial, and other issues, will likely replace the uniform civil code. It is possible that the December election may be the first and last "free" election the Iraqi people will participate in.
The fundamentalist Shiites have strong ties to Iran. With the Shiite victory, Iran will now become a close ally to Iraq and even more of a threat to the United States. In addition to proudly announcing their nuclear capability, Iran's unstable President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called the Holocaust a 'myth' and pledged to destroy Israel. This new alliance is dangerous for the US and far from the secular democratic government that the Bush Administration naively envisioned for a dictatorless Iraq.
Is this the democracy that we have been fighting for? Or has the Bush Administration failed once more in their mission to make America safer. There are no WMDs, there is an increasing anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and around the world, chances for a true democracy in Iraq are slim and a dangerous alliance between Iraq and Iran is likely. The Bush administration has made a mess in Iraq that they seem incapable of cleaning up. And speech after highly publicized speech by the President will not change this reality.
Monday, January 09, 2006
In more news concerning backdoor drafting on the part of the military, they have now put in injunctions to not imprison, but to destroy the lives of approximately 70-75 Individual Ready Reserve soldiers who have failed to report for being called to go fight in Iraq. So far, the military has summoned about 7200 of these individuals(who are not officially military, which is why they can't prosecute them, only persecute them). Among the "penalties" beladen upon these individuals that have refused to show, the most severe is that it will make it extremely difficult for them to find civilian employment inside the United States. I swear these people need to be castrated. Who gave them power? Fuck the military.
Kudos! to Harry Belafonte for calling George Bush a terrorist! I am also IN LOVE with Danny Glover, Cornel West, and Harry for becoming involved with Hugo Chavez! God Bless them all!!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
The Sago Mine Disaster saddens me immensely, especially as it looks too much like something out of the 1930s.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Alice Walker:From the Ending of The Way Forward is With A Broken Heart
"And Yet, Stranger who perhaps I am never to know, the past doesn't exist. It cannot be sanctuary. Skin color has always been a tricky solace, more so now that the ozone has changed. After Nature is destroyed, money will remain inedible. We have reached a place of deepest emptiness and sorrow. We look at the destruction around us and percieve our collective poverty. We see that everything is truly needed by the world is too large for individuals to give. We find we have only ourselves. Our experience. Our dreams. Our simple art. our memories of better ways. our knowledge that the world cannot be healed in the abstract. That healing begins where the wound was made.
Now it seems to me we might begin to understand something of the meaning of earnest speaking and fearless listening; something of the purpose of the most ancient form of beginning to remake the world: remembering what the world we once made together was like.
I send you my sorrow. And my art.
In the sure knowledge that our people, the American race, lovers who falter and sometimes fail, are good."
Now it seems to me we might begin to understand something of the meaning of earnest speaking and fearless listening; something of the purpose of the most ancient form of beginning to remake the world: remembering what the world we once made together was like.
I send you my sorrow. And my art.
In the sure knowledge that our people, the American race, lovers who falter and sometimes fail, are good."
This From Hungry Blues
Torture Begins At Home (II)
This article should clarify further why to worry about the Patriot Act and other post-9/11 policies and practices. As I will elaborate soon, with another source, the FBI has always had as one of its root purposes the surveillance and suppression of Black radicalism.
Former Black Panthers considered terrorists under Patriot Act
Afro America News
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Group wants torture used against American citizens to cease
Undaunted by what they call "unconstitutional" methods used under the guise of the Patriot Act, three former Black Panthers are touring the country to bring awareness to their recent interrogation by anti-terrorist law enforcement.
Former Black Panthers members John Bowman, Hank Jones and Ray Boudreaux held a forum, Dec. 8, at the Washington, D.C. office of Trans-Africa. They have in common the suffering they endured in 1971 under interrogation concerning a police shooting in San Francisco.
They were indicted by a grand jury, but the court rendered a decision stating the methods used to obtain information were unlawful and the Panthers members were freed from jail.
Thirty-four years later Bowman, Jones and Boudreaux along with many Black Panthers members once again faced their interrogators from the '70s who are now serving as agents with the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, a special division formed under the Homeland Security agency to apprehend suspected terrorists.
"I was quite surprised when I opened the door to see the same two detectives involved in beating me [34 years earlier] standing there. It brought back memories that I will never forget," said Bowman, the former Panther organizer. "This is very difficult for me to discuss in public."
According to Bowman, in 1973 he was stripped naked and beaten with blunt objects, wrapped with blankets soaked in boiling hot water, shocked with electric probes in his "anus and other private parts," punched, kicked and slammed into walls by investigators. The process lasted until investigators got the murder confessions they wanted....
The detectives, Frank McCoy and Edward Erdelatz, retired members of the San Francisco Police Department, now special agents with the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Anti-Terrorist Task Force have repeatedly interrupted the lives of many former Panthers to gain notoriety with the Bush administration by targeting individuals labeled as "terrorists" who were never convicted of wrongdoing.
"Once upon a time, they called me a terrorist, too," explained Boudreaux. "To expedite something in the system, they put a 'terror' tag on it and it gets done. Terror means money. These people [government] have a budget and they are working it."...
Trans Africa President Bill Fletcher expressed the forum's concerned about the erosion of civil rights. "It is ironic that instead of having a press conference in which apologies are being offered to the individuals who were tortured and the many other victims of COINTELPRO, instead we are to call attention to the prosecution of people who were freedom fighters and continue to be."...
"We condemn the persecution transpiring against these individuals. We wish to bring it to light when the word "terrorism" is in the air," said Ron Daniels, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. ... Daniels adds that "Before former Attorney General Ashcroft left, he issued a broad ranging edict that all the cases that involved any incident where a police officer had been killed and the case had been closed be re-opened...And if these men and women can be indicted or harassed, it sends a chilling effect," said, Daniels.
Read the rest for more background and to learn more about the event, which was held to promote awareness of these dimensions of COINTELPRO the Patriot Act.
(Part I is here.)
UPDATE: The SF Bay View has an article about the grand jury investigation of Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown, Hank Jones, and Harold Taylor and an article by John Bowman, "How the US destroyed the Black Panther Party and continues to persecute its veterans."
This article should clarify further why to worry about the Patriot Act and other post-9/11 policies and practices. As I will elaborate soon, with another source, the FBI has always had as one of its root purposes the surveillance and suppression of Black radicalism.
Former Black Panthers considered terrorists under Patriot Act
Afro America News
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Group wants torture used against American citizens to cease
Undaunted by what they call "unconstitutional" methods used under the guise of the Patriot Act, three former Black Panthers are touring the country to bring awareness to their recent interrogation by anti-terrorist law enforcement.
Former Black Panthers members John Bowman, Hank Jones and Ray Boudreaux held a forum, Dec. 8, at the Washington, D.C. office of Trans-Africa. They have in common the suffering they endured in 1971 under interrogation concerning a police shooting in San Francisco.
They were indicted by a grand jury, but the court rendered a decision stating the methods used to obtain information were unlawful and the Panthers members were freed from jail.
Thirty-four years later Bowman, Jones and Boudreaux along with many Black Panthers members once again faced their interrogators from the '70s who are now serving as agents with the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, a special division formed under the Homeland Security agency to apprehend suspected terrorists.
"I was quite surprised when I opened the door to see the same two detectives involved in beating me [34 years earlier] standing there. It brought back memories that I will never forget," said Bowman, the former Panther organizer. "This is very difficult for me to discuss in public."
According to Bowman, in 1973 he was stripped naked and beaten with blunt objects, wrapped with blankets soaked in boiling hot water, shocked with electric probes in his "anus and other private parts," punched, kicked and slammed into walls by investigators. The process lasted until investigators got the murder confessions they wanted....
The detectives, Frank McCoy and Edward Erdelatz, retired members of the San Francisco Police Department, now special agents with the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Anti-Terrorist Task Force have repeatedly interrupted the lives of many former Panthers to gain notoriety with the Bush administration by targeting individuals labeled as "terrorists" who were never convicted of wrongdoing.
"Once upon a time, they called me a terrorist, too," explained Boudreaux. "To expedite something in the system, they put a 'terror' tag on it and it gets done. Terror means money. These people [government] have a budget and they are working it."...
Trans Africa President Bill Fletcher expressed the forum's concerned about the erosion of civil rights. "It is ironic that instead of having a press conference in which apologies are being offered to the individuals who were tortured and the many other victims of COINTELPRO, instead we are to call attention to the prosecution of people who were freedom fighters and continue to be."...
"We condemn the persecution transpiring against these individuals. We wish to bring it to light when the word "terrorism" is in the air," said Ron Daniels, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. ... Daniels adds that "Before former Attorney General Ashcroft left, he issued a broad ranging edict that all the cases that involved any incident where a police officer had been killed and the case had been closed be re-opened...And if these men and women can be indicted or harassed, it sends a chilling effect," said, Daniels.
Read the rest for more background and to learn more about the event, which was held to promote awareness of these dimensions of COINTELPRO the Patriot Act.
(Part I is here.)
UPDATE: The SF Bay View has an article about the grand jury investigation of Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown, Hank Jones, and Harold Taylor and an article by John Bowman, "How the US destroyed the Black Panther Party and continues to persecute its veterans."
Friday, January 06, 2006
An Era Has Passed
And the great Lou Rawls is dead. He grew up in Chicago with my Father and my Uncles. I believe his father owned a funeral parlor or some sort of business. Anyway, what a beautiful voice and what a great loss.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
I just finished reading Alice Walker's account of her life with Mel Leventhal and the birth of her daughter, Rebecca, in southern, segregated mississippi, where miscegenation was illegal. What she wrote struck something with me and got me to thinking about what she said, that it is something, especially looking at the historical aspect of it, to see a biracial child born in a hospital--particularly of Black and White parentage, especially in the south. Most definitely odd for 1966. These children, who have always been around, were usually born in grandmother's bed, in the back wood's out of sight, in secret quarters--attended to not by nurses and doctors, but midwives...or sometimes grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters....It is interesting to think of such things and the realities of them....
I am remembering when I used to stay with Aunt Earnestine out in the country and she would wake me every morning at the crack of dawn to get ready to catch the bus so I could go to Autaugaville. I would sleep in her huge straight-backed bed, usually under ten million pounds of quilts and I would rise and get my clothes on while she went in the kitchen and cooked my breakfast--usually vienna sausage, rice or grits, and toast....my aunt was a practical cook. And later, after all of the practice of routine was over...Calvin Hunter would pull the bus up into Aunt Earnestine's lawn so that I could catch the bus and not have to walk out into the road(God didn't I feel so special sometimes LOL!) So I would grab my bookbag and be out of the door and off to my adventures of education at Autaugaville. That was my mystical half a year spent there. It was an interesting time. That perhaps, is an understatement.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Quote
"Politicians are not interested in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power" by Harold Pinter
This is Harold Pinter's magnificent acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature in which he calls for Bush and Blair to be prosecuted under international law.
Josephine Baker
By Al Stewart & Peter White
I was watching TV late last night
And a scene transported me
Long gone figures came back to life
In a documentary
Though I saw them dance for joy
I was sad I missed that show
If I had a time machine
I know just where I'd go
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
Now some they stand out from a crowd
Even at an early age
I suppose that her call was loud
'Cause she just lit up the stage
You can put on all that gloss
And still not have to feel
What's inside will come across
And only real is real
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
I'm sometimes trapped by the close confines
Of the age I'm born into
Though there were others worse than mine
Well, I miss what I can't do
Join the feast of Ancient Greece
See Alexander's Library
Maybe clink a champagne toast
With a jazz age dancing queen
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
In black and white film you can't mistake her
She must have been great in her heyday
I was watching TV late last night
And a scene transported me
Long gone figures came back to life
In a documentary
Though I saw them dance for joy
I was sad I missed that show
If I had a time machine
I know just where I'd go
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
Now some they stand out from a crowd
Even at an early age
I suppose that her call was loud
'Cause she just lit up the stage
You can put on all that gloss
And still not have to feel
What's inside will come across
And only real is real
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
I'm sometimes trapped by the close confines
Of the age I'm born into
Though there were others worse than mine
Well, I miss what I can't do
Join the feast of Ancient Greece
See Alexander's Library
Maybe clink a champagne toast
With a jazz age dancing queen
I was born too late to see Josephine Baker
Dancing in a Paris cabaret
Born too late to see Josephine Baker
She must have been great in her heyday
In black and white film you can't mistake her
She must have been great in her heyday
Monday, January 02, 2006
I want to write about my Aunt Bertie. My aunt bertie was a pleasant ray of sunshine for me. A beautiful presence who helped to mold that clay which became me. I feel her hands upon me all of the time. My Aunt Bertie was a stout,regally statured woman with the dignified bearing of any manner of nobility. Always suavely dressed, impeccably presented to the world--she carried out the roles she bore. She was the dignified principal's wife, the school teacher,and my aunt. Aunt Bertie made straight A's throughout grade school and college and did her graduate work at Columbia and at Governor's State. Cancer took her much too soon for her dear life to end in 1985. She handled her cancer as she did everything else in her life--with dignity and grace. I remember going in her room and sitting and watching her as she would change her wigs on the days that I would stay at home with her. I remember her retirement tea. When Fess died, he left her quite well put away and she was very comfortable. She died worrying about Freda abusing her money.... Aunt Bertie told me she was going to die and when she did, I believe I was prepared. I didn't cry and I was full of questions. I think she prepared me for dealing with death..and in handling her own taught me a lot. Her face is imprinted on my mind....She is one of my protecting angels.
This Post is For
My dear, sweet cousin Kim, who used to whip my behind at Aunt Bertie's house when I wouldn't do my homework right away. Whose soft,milk complexioned face and mild and meekly audible voice so bring delight to my mind and all of my memories. I remember when we lived in Chicago and Kim was going to Whitney Young and was staying with Aunt Bertie and Aunt Johnnie(right across the street from us) and she and Nikki would go in Aunt Johnnie's(Bertie's) basement and practice dance steps in the smaller room down there and I would sit on the other side of the bed and watch. I remember Kim in knee high snow boots and little chic, fashionable sweaters...with her boyfriends tagging along. I remember Kim bringing Christian home to Aunt Bertie's house and he in his baby bed and I made like he was mine all mine.... I remember Kim who would come regularly at different intervals to my grandmother's, with Christian in tow, because it was her obligation to do so and come see her relatives....I remember Kim who blossomed into a mother...who grew from the petite young woman that used to frolic in the snow with my sister to the buxom strong black woman with children in tow, her lion cubs who finally rested at her knee. Boy how time does bring about changes....many tiny little miracles that simply happen before your eyes.
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