I could not even sleep last night after having listened to the case concerning the Jena 6. The District Attorney in Jena, Louisiana should lose his penis. Having staged a protest after requesting permission to sit under a tree on the grounds of the high school, a spot where only white students usually sat, some Black students dared to sit under the tree. The next day, there were three nooses hanging in the tree.As events unfolded racial violence ensued and 6 Black male students were arrested and charged, originally with attempted murder. They now face charges of attempted second degree murder. Someone should cut the D.A.'s penis off and he would learn what to do. The case as it has unfolded was discussed on Democracy Now last night. The transcript is below. Please donate to the Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund. The address is Jena 6 Defense Committee, PO Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342.
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We speak with the parents of three of the 'Jena Six' - the black high school students charged with attempted murder for a school fight in which a white student was beaten up. We are joined by Caseptla Bailey, the mother of Robert Bailey and Tina Jones, the mother of Bryant Purvis - both of their sons are awaiting trial on charges of attempted second degree murder and conspiracy. We also speak with Marcus Jones, his son, Mychal Bell, was the first of the Jena Six to go on trial. He was convicted just over a week ago of aggravated battery and conspiracy. He faces up to 22 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 31st. [includes rush transcript]
We are also joined from Baton Rouge by Catrina Wallace, the secretary of the LaSalle Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She is also Robert Baily's stepsister. As well as Jordan Flaherty, a journalist and community organizer in New Orleans who broke the story about the Jena Six. He is an editor of Left Turn magazine.
Marcus Jones, father of Mychal Bell. His son was recently convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. He faces up to 22 years in prison.
Caseptla Bailey, mother of Robert Bailey Jr., one of the Jena 6. Her son is facing charges of attempted second degree murder and conspiracy.
Tina Jones, mother of Bryant Purvis, one of the Jena 6. Her son is facing charges of attempted second degree murder and conspiracy.
Catrina Wallace, Robert Bailey's stepsister and the secretary of the LaSalle Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Jordan Flaherty, journalist and community organizer in New Orleans who broke the story about Jena. He is an editor of Left Turn magazine.
Jena 6 Defense Committee
PO BOX 2798
Jena, LA 71342
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RUSH TRANSCRIPT
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AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to the parents of three of the Jena 6 joining us from Louisiana. Caseptla Bailey is the mother of Robert Bailey. Tina Jones is the mother of Bryant Purvis. Both of their sons are awaiting trial on charges of attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy. They join us from Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge. Joining us on the telephone from Jena is Marcus Jones. His son Mychal Bell was the first of the Jena 6 to go on trial. He was convicted just over a week ago of aggravated battery and conspiracy. He faces up to twenty-two years in prison when he’s sentenced July 31st.
We'll begin with Mychal Bell, because I know that you need to go back to work, talking to us from work. Marcus Jones, thank you very much for being with us.
MARCUS JONES: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Tell us your reaction to the conviction of your son and the time he faces in jail.
MARCUS JONES: I was furious and real mad about the conviction, ’cause I know that it was wrong. I know my son is innocent of the charges that the DA put on him, and it's just wrong. You know, this is just a 2007 modern-day court lynching here.
AMY GOODMAN: In your own words, tell us what you understand took place.
MARCUS JONES: Well, what I understand that took place is wrongdoing. The judge let the DA just really just choose an all-white jury. There was an all-white jury. Relatives of some of the jurors was some of the witnesses, too. One of the boys that testified for Barker was one of the boys that hung up the nooses at the high school.
AMY GOODMAN: Was that brought out in the trial?
MARCUS JONES: No, no, that wasn’t brought out in the trial. See, we had a complication with my son’s court-appointed lawyer, and come to find out that he was working with the DA for to get my son convicted.
AMY GOODMAN: Explain the lead-up to the fight and then how you understand the fight taking place, Marcus Jones.
MARCUS JONES: Well, my understanding of how the fight took place is Barker was telling some of the boys earlier that morning, calling them nigger and telling them about the fight that happened the previous weekend now. So the majority of the creation of the fight was due to Justin Barker's racial remarks. But, see, we’ve got to go back now to understand, see, the DA created this whole racial atmosphere, where he didn't do nothing to the boys that hung up the nooses, so that gave the message to all the black kids, well, the white kids will do what they want to do and get away with it. And that ain’t right. I don't care what town or city you live in, that is not right.
AMY GOODMAN: The court-appointed lawyer, when the jury pool was all white, did he challenge it at all?
MARCUS JONES: No. He did not challenge it. Now, see, remember, before the jury was even selected, the judge had called all the witnesses up front. So he put me and my son’s mother on the witness list, not informing us that he was going to do that. Now, what made him do that? I don't know. But right then and there, we smelled a rat. So the judge had put a gag order on all the witnesses, where they couldn't be present in the courtroom, couldn't talk to the press, couldn’t talk to nobody outside court room about the case. So right then and there, we -- I mean, you know, we smelled a rat then.
AMY GOODMAN: And were you called up to testify?
MARCUS JONES: No, no, no, no.
AMY GOODMAN: So you couldn't speak about the case, and you were kept out of the trial?
MARCUS JONES: Yes, the whole while. We was allowed -- only time we was allowed back in the courtroom, when the verdict came back.
AMY GOODMAN: Did your son's court-appointed attorney call up any witnesses?
MARCUS JONES: No. He did not put up no kind of defense at all. He did not call one witness. There was a coach that had wrote a statement out saying that he didn't -- that Mychal wasn't the one was involved in the fight, that didn't hit Barker --
AMY GOODMAN: Justin Barker.
MARCUS JONES: -- so he didn't even subpoena him. Now, remember, in the school system, a teacher or a coach, any administration word or statement is more credible than any student. So he didn't, I mean, didn't even call, I mean, had the coach subpoenaed for to come testify for Mychal. And he was Mychal's key witness.
AMY GOODMAN: What are your plans now? Are you keeping this attorney? This attorney wanted Mychal to plea bargain?
MARCUS JONES: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Why did Mychal choose not to plea bargain?
MARCUS JONES: ’Cause he wanted Mychal to take a plea. Well, see, you’ve got to remember, any time a plea bargain be thrown on the table for any man here in LaSalle Parish, that person is innocent. Here in LaSalle Parish, whenever a black man is offered a plea bargain, he is innocent. That’s a dead giveaway here in the South. So he was putting pressure on Mychal, threatening him, you know, about the time he gonna get and, oh, he ain’t going to be able to play no football no more, and his life is over with, you know, just that old Jim Crow intimidation method that he was using for to try to get my son to take a plea bargain. So he lowered the charges down on my son from a lesser charge, but it was still -- all of it was still felonies. But he wanted Mychal to give away information for the plea bargain, give away information about who all else was involved in there. Well, why you gonna try to trick him and lie to him for to do something that he's innocent of? If you have all this hardcore information about who was involved in it, you shouldn't even be trying to manipulate no young man's mind like that. And, I mean, the court-appointed lawyer, I mean, he was just playing right along, right along with the DA.
AMY GOODMAN: Are you able to get another lawyer?
MARCUS JONES: No, not at this moment.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you, Marcus Jones, father of Mychal Bell, the first of the Jena 6 to be convicted. His son on July 31st faces up to twenty-two years at his sentencing.
Joining us, again, at Louisiana Public Broadcasting is Caseptla Bailey and Tina Jones. They’re mothers of two of the other young men who have been charged, who face trial. Caseptla’s son is Robert Bailey. Tina Jones's son is Bryant Purvis.
Caseptla, talk about the upcoming trial of Robert. When do you expect that he will be tried?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: We’re expecting that he will be tried during the September-October timeframe, according to his lawyer, Mr. Samuel Thomas.
AMY GOODMAN: And does your son have a different attorney than Mychal Bell?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yes, ma'am.
AMY GOODMAN: The charges exactly that your son faces?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: The charges that Robert L. Bailey, Jr. faces are attempted second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, theft over $500, aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy.
AMY GOODMAN: Caseptla, can you talk about the fall, how it all took place? We saw part of it in the piece that we played at the beginning of the broadcast, but what you understood was happening from the time that the teenagers challenged the so-called white tree and went to sit under it?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: From my understanding, a student asked if it would be OK for them to sit under the tree, and the principal responded and said, “Sure, you could sit anywhere. This is your campus, as well.” And after the student went and sat under the tree -- as a matter of fact, I think he you wanted to be cool. It was so hot that day. So him and a couple of his friends went and sat under the tree. And the following day, there were three nooses under the tree.
AMY GOODMAN: And then, can you talk about the tensions rising in town?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Well, the tensions were very high in town. As a matter of fact, on the day of the incident, I hadn’t heard anything about it. I heard it the following Tuesday, which it happened on a Thursday. And the following Tuesday, that’s when the community, African American community, decided to get together and have a meeting at L&A Baptist Church, so we can call in professional leaders and lawyers and leaders of the community to come together and try to solve this issue and find out what is the problem, what is the purpose. And really everybody was really highly upset that this type of thing would happen in the millennium.
AMY GOODMAN: And what happened after that meeting?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Well, after that meeting, we had spoken with a few lawyers out of Alexandria, Louisiana, and from that meeting they were supposed to meet with the NAACP state president, Mr. Ernest Johnson. And from there, they went on, did several television news stories about the incident. But all of a sudden, it just faded out.
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about the fight before the final fight, the fight where a young black man was beaten at a party?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: That young black man was my son Robert Bailey. Him and some friends had gone to a party at the Jena Fair Barn. And to my understanding, it wasn’t an all-white party there. It was a few blacks that was already there in the party, and he asked to enter the party, if would it be OK for them to come in. And he said the lady responded as, “Sure, you know, as long as there be no fighting.”
So once he did enter the building, a gentleman asked him what was his name. He told him, “Robert Bailey” -- no, asked him, “Is your name Robert Bailey?” And my son said yes, and Justin Sloan hit him, as well as his sister Jessie Sloan. And from there, he was attacked by several white men in the Fair Barn. After the incident happened, his other friends came in to assist him. And once the police got there, the police told the black kids that they need to get back to their side of town. So that’s where a lot of racial tension is also coming from: our town cops in Jena, Louisiana.
AMY GOODMAN: And the incident where your son tried to get a gun from a man at a convenience store?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Well, that incident happened on Saturday, December 2nd, the following day, where Robert and two of his friends, Theo Shaw and Ryan Simmons, were going to Gotta-Go Grocery. And once they got there, they say Matt Windham, who is a man, not a student at Jena High School, and Matt Windham -- I guess they had come upon each other, because Matt Windham was involved the previous night with the white gentlemen that beat my son the previous night at the Fair Barn, where -- rather attacked my son at the Fair Barn. So once they came upon each other, I guess it was on.
You know, Matt ran to his truck, from my understanding, pulled a shotgun, a sawed-off shotgun with a pistol grip, and my son wrestled with him to get the gun from him. And the other two gentlemen proceeded then to fight, and they took the gun from him and left the scene running. You know, I’m sure they were -- I know they were in fear of their lives. They were afraid that this man was going to shoot them, you know, especially in the back, running away from the scene. So they were scared. I’m sure Matt Windham was scared. You know, but he chose to run to the truck and pull the shotgun, not our children.
AMY GOODMAN: Were any authorities intervening at this point? And in the case of your son being attacked, did anyone get charged?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: In the beginning, no one was charged for the first three to four days. And then, thereafter, for the first -- probably the first couple of weeks after that. I don’t know when Justin Sloan was charged, but he was charged with just simple battery. But the other gentleman, as well as his sister, was not charged with any crime. I mean, you know, they talk about conspiracy and they talk about attack of a white student at Jena High School. What about my son, who was attacked at a function within the town city limits?
AMY GOODMAN: In addition to Caseptla Bailey, we’re joined by Tina Jones. She’s mother of Bryant Purvis, another of the Jena 6, the six young men who are now charged -- who were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder for a fight in the schoolyard. Talk about Bryant Purvis. How old is Bryant, Tina?
TINA JONES: Bryant is eighteen. He turned eighteen when he was in jail.
AMY GOODMAN: When did he go to jail?
TINA JONES: December 5th.
AMY GOODMAN: The day after the fight.
TINA JONES: Yeah, he went the day after the fight. Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And how long has he remained in jail?
TINA JONES: He was in jail two days -- two nights and three days.
AMY GOODMAN: And then you were able to bail him out?
TINA JONES: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what he was saying in the lead-up to the fight, and then your understanding of the December 4th fight.
TINA JONES: Most of the information that I gathered was from just being at work and other parents and kids. Bryant is not the type of kid to just, you know, just come home and tell what’s going on, because when they hung the nooses and everything, I heard about it at work. And when I come home, I asked him about it. He said he didn’t actually see the nooses hung, but he did see the ropes, because by the time that he had come out to the yard, you know, they had cut the noose part of it off. But he was affected by and upset by all of it himself, but he didn’t actually see the noose part hanging on the rope.
AMY GOODMAN: And what about the gatherings that you had to try -- in the community to try to deal with this before the final fight?
TINA JONES: I didn’t attend but one of them, and it seemed to be very productive, but after the meeting it didn’t really go anywhere. But, you know, that night, everybody was on fire and was going to do so much, but in the end nothing really come of it.
AMY GOODMAN: What date do you expect your son to be tried, Tina?
TINA JONES: My son hasn’t even been arraigned, so we don’t have an arraignment date or a court date, so I’m just -- I mean, I don’t know. I just wake up every morning wondering, myself.
AMY GOODMAN: Caseptla, can you tell us a little about your son Robert? How old is he?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: My son Robert is seventeen years old. He was a junior at Jena High School, football, basketball player. And he’s a musician at several of the churches here in Jena, Louisiana. He’s as well a bootleg barber. You know, that’s a barber that’s in the neighborhood that’s not really licensed to cut hair, but he’s a very good barber within the neighborhood.
AMY GOODMAN: After the fight, how long was he in jail -- Robert?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Robert was in jail approximately about four months, from December 4th, the day of the fight, until April 3rd, 2007.
AMY GOODMAN: How were you able to get him out?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: At the time of his arrest, we weren’t able to get him out, due to the high bail, which was $138,000, without having a previous criminal record or anything. And we had to come together as a family and come up with three different pieces of property in order to get Robert out. Once the bond had been reduced to $84,000, so that’s how we were able to get Robert released from jail on April 3rd.
AMY GOODMAN: How divided has this made Jena, in terms of white and black? The community, 85% white. Do you have any white support?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: The town has been divided pretty much for a long length of time, and it really has been divided even farther apart now since this incident has happened. A lot of people don’t want to take their heads out of the sand and say, you know, we have a problem. They want to walk around with blinders on. They’re afraid of, you know, making a white man mad. They’re upset, because some of the things that we are doing, as the NAACP unit that’s been formed since all these type of things, racial injustice, has happened in Jena -- so there is a divide. Now, we do have white support, but they will not come out to the public. You know, they will do it behind closed doors, but a lot of the whites will not come before the camera and say, “Hey, I don’t support what is happening to your children.”
AMY GOODMAN: We're going to break, and then we’re going to continue this discussion. We're joined at Louisiana Public Broadcasting in Baton Rouge by Caseptla Bailey, mother of Robert Bailey. Tina Jones, thank you for joining us, mother of Bryant Purvis. Marcus Jones was speaking to us on the phone. His son was just tried and convicted. Mychal Bell faces twenty-two years in jail. When we come back, we’ll be joined by the local head, the secretary of the LaSalle Parish NAACP, as well as the journalist who broke the story nationally, Jordan Flaherty. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: As we look at the town of Jena, we're joined from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, by Jordan Flaherty. He’s a journalist and community organizer from New Orleans. He broke the story about the Jena 6, an editor of Left Turn magazine. Also joining us is Catrina Wallace, the secretary of the LaSalle Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She happens also to be Robert Bailey's stepsister.
Jordan, talk about how you came to break this story, what you learned, when you learned it.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: Well, you know, first I really want to give all credit to the families that have really been organizing in Jena. I want to say, in the Civil Rights Movement the rural South was so important as the frontlines of the movement, and people were organizing in the grassroots to do that, and they had institutional infrastructure support from organizations like SNCC and Congress of Racial Equality. And right now a lot of those organizations don’t exist as much, and the folks from Jena had to really be organizing on their own. I’m so inspired by Caseptla and Catrina and the folks from Jena -- Marcus, all those folks, Lisa -- who are organizing to make this happen. And they really did it really without institutional support.
Some folks came, like this person Alan Bean from Friends of Justice based out of Tulia, who’s been organizing around these kind of cases of disparate sentencing in Texas and Louisiana and going out and supporting families. And he was one of the folks that really put together the facts, the information, and helped spread the word. I also heard about it from the ACLU chapter of Louisiana, who had also been going out and giving some support and spreading the word. But I really want to give all the credit to the families who have really been fighting this on the grassroots level, organizing and getting the word out on this really horrendous, heartbreaking series of events.
AMY GOODMAN: Paint a picture of Jena for us.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: Well, I’m sure Ms. Caseptla and Catrina could do it better than me, but I can say, you know, it’s a small town, rural Louisiana, Central, kind of northern Central Louisiana. I want to say, during the Civil Rights Movement, the Deacons for Defense, which was an armed self-defense organization during the Civil Rights Movement, was based not so far from there in Monroe, Louisiana, about a half-hour north. It’s an area that -- I guess the parish is about 85% white. I think it’s about 2,500 in the town of Jena, about 350 black folks, is that about right?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yeah.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: And so, it’s fairly divided, right? Where you’ve got more a black section of town, a white section of town?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yes.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: You have an elementary school that’s mostly white and then an elementary school that’s more mixed. And then the high school is more mixed, black and white.
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yes.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: So you have, you know, a still very Jim Crow system set up in the town in many ways. The high school, as I think folks have already talked about, was very divided between the black and the white part of the high school. And what this is really about, though, is the two systems of justice, a system of justice for black folks and white folks. And this goes back decades, you know, in this town, of course, and in the South and in this country overall. And that’s what we’re seeing here. There’s the system of justice for white folks in Jena and for black folks in Jena, just as there is a system for folks like Scooter Libby, who gets his sentence commuted by the Bush administration, and then there’s the sentence for everybody else that doesn’t have the personal favors, that doesn’t have the white system of justice and the power structure behind them.
AMY GOODMAN: Aggravated battery, what Mychal Bell was charged with, has to have a dangerous weapon in Louisiana under Louisiana law. Explain the weapon, Jordan.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: Tennis shoes. They were using his sneakers. And, you know, remember, this was originally attempted murder, and then they lowered it to aggravated battery. And it is such a miscarriage of justice. I don’t think there is anyone around that would doubt that if this had been a fight between black students or a fight of white students beating up a black student, you would never be seeing this. And it’s completely about race. It’s completely about two systems of justice. And it’s heartbreaking to me.
And I just want to encourage folks really to support these families. I think, you know, they need legal support. They need all the support that they can get in this struggle, which I think people all around the country are facing this. This issue of sentencing disparity is something people are facing everywhere, but Jena is such a clear example and such a heartbreaking example. And I think it’s really important, you know, that we draw the line here and that we stand up and say that this is not acceptable.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, Justin Barker, the young white man who was beat up on December 4th, was he hospitalized overnight? How seriously was he beaten?
JORDAN FLAHERTY: I’m sure it was a serious fight, and I’m sure it deserved real discipline within the school system, but he was out later that day at a ring ceremony. He was smiling. He was with friends. So he was not hospitalized overnight. It was certainly a serious school fight, but it was not aggravated battery. It was not a serious criminal charge. It was a serious school disciplinary problem. And it was also a serious school problem that came on the heels of a long series of other events, including, as we've already talked about, the black student being beaten up by white students, including black students being threatened with a shotgun, all of this series of events, nooses being hung outside the school, very serious series of events that were not taken seriously when white students were perpetrating them on black students. But as soon as black students were involved, then that’s when the hammer came down. And as it’s been discussed, Reed Walters, the -- is it district attorney of the town?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: District attorney.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: -- district attorney of the town, came out and, you know, he said, "I can make your lives disappear with the stroke of a pen." And what he was responding to was black students standing up against racism. It was when black students went and went under that tree and said, “We're not going to put up with these nooses under the tree.” That’s what made Reed Walters concerned with black students standing up. And then he came back again when black students got in a fight with white students. That is what they wanted to shut down.
AMY GOODMAN: Jordan, explain how it worked that the jury pool, not just the jurors in this jury were all white, but the jury pool who showed up to the courtroom were all white.
JORDAN FLAHERTY: Well, you know, you have a town that’s already 85% white. So that’s going to cut people out already. And then you have the districting, where most of the black folks from the town are cut out from the town through the districting, so they're cut out from it. And -- do you folks want to say -- that’s the main thing, the various ways in which people are cut out of the jury pool, and then, of course, the challenging.
AMY GOODMAN: In the various articles written about it, the discussion of some of these jurors being friends with the DA, with the district attorney.
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Caseptla, would you like to elaborate on that?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: Yeah. As a matter of fact, one of the -- as Marcus Jones stated, one of the young men that testified was a friend of Justin Barker, as well as the student identified as the student that put the noose in the tree. And also one of the witnesses’ mother is a close friend, as well as coworker, works for Justin Barker’s mother, Kelly Barker, as a manager over at Wal-Mart in Jena. So there are some close ties. And there was also the only male that was on the jury was a classmate of Justin Barker's dad, who is David Barker. So there are a lot of family ties. There are a lot of friends. There are a lot of things that connect together, you know, as the DA pooled these jurors to be on this, witness against Mychal.
And the thing that is very, very disturbing is the fact that Mychal's attorney accepted this all-white jury. From my understanding -- I’m not a lawyer -- from my understanding, he could have objected to these jurors. And I know that Marcus Jones tried to attempt to pass him something, a note, to let him know about those that were on the jury that day. And he refused.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to bring Robert's stepsister and secretary of the LaSalle Parish chapter of the NAACP, the NAACP in Jena, into the conversation. Catrina Wallace, what is the NAACP doing about this situation right now?
CATRINA WALLACE: Well, right now, the thing we’re understanding about the NAACP, when we joined, we had to organize for ourselves. So now that we’re organized, we have to do it on our own, and whatever they can do to help us they can do, but as a group in Jena, as an organization in Jena, we’re just fighting the injustice system there. You know, we’re not giving up on these kids, because what they’re doing to these kids is unjust. For a simple school fight, you get a hundred years in prison.
And to go back to that, this type of thing has always happened in Jena, you know, fights at school, more than one person jumping on one single person. I mean, when a black man got beat up by a group of white men -- I mean, this goes back to when the schools were integrated. So, I mean, I don’t understand how they took all this out of context and to say, “Hey, Justin Barker got jumped on. We’re going to charge these kids with murder.” It’s not right.
So as an organization, you know, we protest. We’re protesting, we’re calling out to people. We need help. I mean, we need to get these kids lawyers. So we set up a Jena 6 Defense Fund. So if anybody out there, if y’all can help us, the address is PO Box 2798, Jena, Louisiana 71342. We need all the help, lawyers. If you can come help us protest, we need that also.
AMY GOODMAN: I do want to say we also tried to get the DA on the broadcast, and we weren’t able to do that. But we will put a link to -- we will put that address on our website, as well, Catrina.
CATRINA WALLACE: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: And I also wanted to ask Jordan about the prison, the detention facility in Jena, that you’ve written about extensively. It has undergone many changes, the notorious Jena Juvenile Facility was closed because of, well, how bad the abuses were inside. And then what happened after Katrina?
JORDAN FLAHERTY: Well, after the storm, folks from Louisiana were in Orleans Parish prison, which was the prison, the city jail in New Orleans. It’s the eighth largest city jail in the country. And they were left behind in the storm, and then several days afterwards were evacuated, first up to Hunts prison in upstate Louisiana, and then moved to various prisons, including the Jena facility, was specially opened up for the folks from New Orleans. And there was major reports of abuses there. You know, that is another aspect of Jena. It’s, like many towns, sort of a company town for the prison, where a lot of folks from Jena have worked in the prison, and that’s a major job for folks, including many of the family members involved in this case and many people in the town overall. And I think that that has an effect on any community, I think, when that’s the main employment in the town is this prison.
My understanding is a company -- I think it’s GEO -- has bought up the prison to open it up again, I think not as a juvenile but as an adult facility. And, in general, we're seeing that all over the country, more and more prisons being built, and once you have a prison, you have to fill it with people. You know, it’s a cycle that just keeps perpetuating itself. And Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate of any state in the US. If Louisiana were a country, it would have the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. We’re just locking up more and more people. It’s a state where vast disparities exist in sentencing, where overwhelmingly it’s black folks that are sent in these prisons. You have places like Angola prison, which was a former slave plantation, where people still do there a lot of the work that folks did during the times of slavery. It was named for Angola, because a lot of the folks originally in there as a slave plantation had come from Angola, and 90% of the people in that prison will die in that prison. And that’s, you know, what we’re seeing in prisons all around Louisiana. It’s not about reform. It’s not about rehabilitation. It’s about people being sent there to die.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m looking at a press release from Human Rights Watch, and it’s about the prisoners who were taken to the Jena Correctional Facility after the evacuation, after Hurricane Katrina, and Human Rights Watch urging the secretary of the Louisiana Corrections Department to end the abuse of prisoners and start an investigation, the prisoners saying at Jena that correctional officers had beaten and kicked and hit them while they were shackled. In addition, they claim that officers forced inmates to stay kneeling for several hours at a stretch, then hit them if they fell. They also say officers sprayed the walls with chemical spray that prisoners believe was mace and forced inmates to hold their faces against the sprayed walls. The prisoners became ill and vomited. Officers wiped their faces and hair in the vomit, they said. Now, that was the facility that’s been closed. Now GEO reopening -- that’s GEO, which is now the new name for Wackenhut, that ran the previous facilities. That’s just a picture of another part of Jena.
But I’m going to end with you, Caseptla Bailey, mother of Robert Bailey. We just have about thirty seconds left, but what would you like to leave with people around the country and around the world who are watching to and listening to this broadcast?
CASEPTLA BAILEY: I would like to leave this message to the people of the United States, that we are asking for a plea to the governor of Louisiana, Governor Kathleen Blanco, to come in and assist, investigate, and do as she needs to do on this case with Mychal Bell, as well as the other Jena 6.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you all for being with us. And, finally, Catrina, one more time, that address that you gave out. Catrina Wallace, secretary of the LaSalle Parish NAACP.
CATRINA WALLACE: Yes, it’s the Jena 6 Defense Committee, PO Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you all for being with us, Catrina Wallace, Caseptla Bailey and Jordan Flaherty.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Wow, What A Power Move
In a move that speaks volumes, Cindy Sheehan has vowed to run as an independent against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she doesn't seek to impeach Bush. Pelosi was elected with the mandate of ending the war. Congressional Democrats have done an excellent job of kowtowing and straddling the fence in regards to progressive issues.
Monday, July 09, 2007
More Love
Dixie Chicks
I'm so close to you baby
But I'm so far away
There's a silence between us
And there's so much to say
You're my strength, you're my weakness
You're my faith, you're my doubt
We gotta meet in the middle
To work this thing out
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
We're afraid to be idle
So we fill up the days
We run on the treadmill
Keep slavin' away 'til there's no time for talkin'
About trouble in mind
And the doors are all closed
Between your heart and mine
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
Just look out around us
People fightin' their wars
They think they'll be happy
When they've settled their scores
Let's lay down our weapons
That hold us apart
Be still for just a minute
Try to open our hearts
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
I'm so close to you baby
But I'm so far away
There's a silence between us
And there's so much to say
You're my strength, you're my weakness
You're my faith, you're my doubt
We gotta meet in the middle
To work this thing out
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
We're afraid to be idle
So we fill up the days
We run on the treadmill
Keep slavin' away 'til there's no time for talkin'
About trouble in mind
And the doors are all closed
Between your heart and mine
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
Just look out around us
People fightin' their wars
They think they'll be happy
When they've settled their scores
Let's lay down our weapons
That hold us apart
Be still for just a minute
Try to open our hearts
More love, I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
I can hear our hearts cryin'
More love, I know that's all we need
More love, to flow in between us
To take us and hold us and lift us above
If there's ever an answer
It's more love
Friday, July 06, 2007
Domestic Spying Continues
A federal court of appeals ruled in favor of the Bush administration in the ACLU fight to end the Bush administration's illegal spying and wiretapping. If they won't stop it, I say chop off some penises.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Walter Williams' Piece "Caring Largely Irrelevant"
In this morning's paper, Walter Williams has an article in which he makes the argument that white people rarely think about Black people, therefore, racism must not exist. He fails to recognize the fact that white people are white so that they can refuse to think about Black people, and more importantly the power and privilege that they have, and even more than that how that power and privilege was attained--with their great-great grandfathers raping,killing, and enslaving everything in sight. That's the purpose for whiteness, so you can forget. I'll tell you this, white people may not think about Black people, but they sure do think about--those who are truly white--those people who have the greatest power and privilege--the people at the top of the economic and political ladders-they sure do think about how they are going to keep it. Also, whiteness is a delusion--it allows you to forget and it allows you not to think about past or present--when was the last time you looked at the tag on your clothing and thought about what Third World country it was made in. 9/11 was supposed to be a wakeup call--and it was, somewhat, people in this country aren't nearly as comfortable. However, they are still living in a delusion.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Talking With My Grandmother-Recording
My grandmother's high school English teacher was named Ms. Borders. On a separate note, I remember being a little boy and driving in Montgomery. My mother pointed out the school that was named for my uncle's first wife, Mary Foster McDavid. It has since been torn down.
Sad Tidings, Beverly Sills is Dead at 78
The magnficent and legendary Beverly Sills has died. What a great loss.
Surprise in the Newspaper This Morning
I ran across Dr. Inez Baskin's obituary in the newspaper this morning, the civil rihts activist and renowned journalist, and I found something interesting. Among the credits she has listed, it states that she worked with photographer Arthur Freeman, who was my uncle. Uncle Arthur Lee took photographs of lynchings for Jet and Ebony magazines.
Libby's Sentence Commuted
So Bush has pardoned Libby. Although, he couldn't call it a pardon because that would just make him look like the crook he his so he calls it commuting his sentence. I don't think anything positive will come out of this for Bush. He's a lame duck and a total disaster.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Viva Barbra! Kudos On Her Legion of Honor Award!
Barbra, following in the tradition of Josephine Baker has just been awarded France's highest homor, the Legion of Honor! I am so going to a Barbra Streisand concert before I die!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Ward Chapel A.M.E Church Demolished, People's Historical Museum Displaced
The story linked above is a fine example of Negroes with no conviction. After years of trying, the congregation of Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church, the oldest Black church in Autauga County, established by the former slaves and bastard children of Daniel Pratt, have had the original building, which had been declared a historical landmark, demolished and in its place will build a parking lot. Gone is the history associated with that building, and also displaced is the People's Historical Museum, a museum founded and run by Fannie Smith dedicated to the history of and the legacy of the people of Autauga County. The museum, having moved from Ward Chapel a few years ago, has settled in a few different places and currently resides in the community of Mount Sinai. This is a progressive effort and deserves the support of everyone.
Supreme Court Decision on Integration
American Blacks, if they aren't in cahoots with white people in doing evil, are constantly allowing themselves to be walked over. Isn't it time to grab something and cut some of these people's penises off who try to stand in the way of humanity?
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
From Granma International
Subscription for the printed edition
N E W S
Havana. June 18, 2007
Translated by ESTI
Reflection and Manifesto for the People of Cuba
They will never have Cuba
I hope that no-one say that I am gratuitously attacking Bush. Surely they will understand my reasons for strongly criticizing his policies.
Robert Woodward is an American journalist and writer who became famous for the series of articles published by The Washington Post, written by him and Carl Bernstein, and which eventually led to the investigation and resignation of Nixon. He is author and co-author of ten best-sellers. With his fearsome style he manages to wrench confessions from his interviewees. In his book, State of Denial, he says that on June 18, 2003, three months after the Iraq war had begun, as he was on the way out of his White House office following an important meeting, Bush slapped Jay Garner on the back and said to him:
"Hey, Jay, you want to do Iran?
"Sir, the boys and I talked about that and we want to hold out for Cuba. We think the rum and the cigars are a little better...The women are prettier."
Bush laughed. "You got it. You got Cuba."
Bush was betrayed by his subconscious. It was in his mind when he declared what scores of dark corners should be expecting to happen and Cuba occupies a special place among those dark corners.
Garner, a recently retired three-star general who had been appointed Head of the Post-War Planning Office for Iraq, created by secret National Security Presidential Directive, was considered by Bush an exceptional man to carry out his war strategy. Appointed for the post on January 20, 2003, he was replaced on May 11 of that same year at the urging of Rumsfeld. He didn't have the nerve to explain to Bush his strong disagreements on the matter of the strategy to be pursued in Iraq. He was thinking of another one with identical purpose. In the past few weeks, thousands of marines and a number of US aircraft carriers, with their naval supporting forces, have been maneuvering in the Persian Gulf, a few miles off the Iranian territory.
It will very soon be 50 years since our people started suffering a cruel blockade; thousands of our sons and daughters have died or have been mutilated as a result of the dirty war against Cuba, the only country in the world to which an Adjustment Act has been applied inciting illegal emigration, yet another cause of death for Cuban citizens, including women and children; more than 15 years ago Cuba lost her principal markets and sources of supply for foods, energy, machinery, raw materials and long-term low-interest financing.
First the socialist bloc collapsed followed almost immediately by the USSR, dismantled piece by piece. The empire tightened and internationalized the blockade; the proteins and calories which were quite well distributed despite our deficiencies were reduced approximately by 40 percent; diseases such as optical neuritis and others appeared; the shortage of medicines, also a result of the blockade, became an everyday reality. Medicines were allowed to enter only as a charitable act, to demoralize us; these, in their turn, became a source of illegal business and black-market dealings.
Inevitably, the "special period" struck. This was the sum total of all the consequences of the aggression and it forced us to take desperate measures whose harmful effects were bolstered by the colossal media machine of the empire. Everyone was awaiting, some with sadness and others with oligarchic glee, the crumbling of the Cuban Revolution.
The access to convertible currency greatly harmed our social consciousness, to a greater or a lesser degree, due to the inequalities and ideological weaknesses it created.
Throughout its lifetime, the Revolution has taught the people, training hundreds of thousands of teachers, doctors, scientists, intellectuals, artists, computer engineers and other professionals with university and post-graduate degrees in dozens of professions. This storehouse of wealth has allowed us to reduce infant mortality to low levels, unthinkable in any Third World country, and to raise life expectancy as well as the average educational level of the population up to the ninth grade.
By offering Cuba oil under favorable terms of payment at a time when oil prices were escalating dramatically, the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution brought a significant relief and opened up new possibilities, since our country was already beginning to produce her own energy in ever-growing amounts.
Concerned over its interests in that country, the empire had for years been planning to destroy that Revolution, and so it attempted to do it in April 2002, as it will attempt to do again as many times as it can. This is why the Bolivarian revolutionaries are preparing to resist.
Meanwhile, Bush has intensified his plans for an occupation of Cuba, to the point of proclaiming laws and an interventionist government in order to install a direct imperial administration.
Based on the privileges granted to the United States in Bretton Woods and Nixon's swindle when he removed the gold standard which placed a limit on the issuing of paper money, the empire bought and paid with paper tens of trillions of dollars, more than twelve digit figures. This is how it preserved an unsustainable economy. A large part of the world currency reserves are in US Treasury bonds and bills. For this reason, many would rather not have a dollar crisis like the one in 1929 that would turn those paper bills into thin air. Today, the value of one dollar in gold is at least eighteen times less than what it was in the Nixon years. The same happens with the value of the reserves in that currency.
Those paper bills have kept their low current value because fabulous amounts of increasingly expensive and modern weapons can be purchased with them; weapons that produce nothing. The United States exports more weapons than anyone else in the world. With those same paper bills, the empire has developed a most sophisticated and deadly system of weapons of mass destruction with which it sustains its world tyranny.
Such power allows it to impose the idea of transforming foods into fuels and to shatter any initiative and commitment to avoid global warming, which is visibly accelerating.
Hunger and thirst, more violent hurricanes and the surge of the sea is what Tyranians and Trojans stand to suffer as a result of imperial policies. It is only through drastic energy savings that humanity will have a respite and hopes of survival for the species; but the consumer societies of the wealthy nations are absolutely heedless of that.
Cuba will continue to develop and improve the combative capacities of her people, including our modest but active and efficient defensive weapons industry which multiplies our capacity to face the invaders no matter where they may be, and the weapons they possess. We shall continue acquiring the necessary materials and the pertinent fire power, even though the notorious Gross Domestic Product as measured by capitalism may not be growing, for their GDP includes such things as the value of privatizations, drugs, sexual services and advertising, while it excludes many others like free educational and health services for all citizens.
From one year to the next the standard of living can be improved by raising knowledge, self-esteem and the dignity of people. It will be enough to reduce wastage and the economy will grow. In spite of everything, we will keep on growing as necessary and as possible.
"Freedom costs dearly, and it is necessary to either resign ourselves to live without it or to decide to buy it for its price", said MartÃ.
"Whoever attempts to conquer Cuba will only gather the dust of her soil soaked in blood, if he does not perish in the fight", exclaimed Maceo.
We are not the first revolutionaries to think that way! And we shall not be the last!
One man may be bought, but never a people.
Fate decreed that I could survive the empire's murderous machine. Shortly, it will be a year since I became ill and, while I hovered between life and death, I stated in the Proclamation of July 31, 2006: "I do not harbor the slightest doubt that our people and our Revolution will fight until the last drop of blood."
Mr. Bush, don't you doubt that either!
I assure you that you will never have Cuba!
Fidel Castro Ruz
June 17, 2007
2:03 p.m.
N E W S
Havana. June 18, 2007
Translated by ESTI
Reflection and Manifesto for the People of Cuba
They will never have Cuba
I hope that no-one say that I am gratuitously attacking Bush. Surely they will understand my reasons for strongly criticizing his policies.
Robert Woodward is an American journalist and writer who became famous for the series of articles published by The Washington Post, written by him and Carl Bernstein, and which eventually led to the investigation and resignation of Nixon. He is author and co-author of ten best-sellers. With his fearsome style he manages to wrench confessions from his interviewees. In his book, State of Denial, he says that on June 18, 2003, three months after the Iraq war had begun, as he was on the way out of his White House office following an important meeting, Bush slapped Jay Garner on the back and said to him:
"Hey, Jay, you want to do Iran?
"Sir, the boys and I talked about that and we want to hold out for Cuba. We think the rum and the cigars are a little better...The women are prettier."
Bush laughed. "You got it. You got Cuba."
Bush was betrayed by his subconscious. It was in his mind when he declared what scores of dark corners should be expecting to happen and Cuba occupies a special place among those dark corners.
Garner, a recently retired three-star general who had been appointed Head of the Post-War Planning Office for Iraq, created by secret National Security Presidential Directive, was considered by Bush an exceptional man to carry out his war strategy. Appointed for the post on January 20, 2003, he was replaced on May 11 of that same year at the urging of Rumsfeld. He didn't have the nerve to explain to Bush his strong disagreements on the matter of the strategy to be pursued in Iraq. He was thinking of another one with identical purpose. In the past few weeks, thousands of marines and a number of US aircraft carriers, with their naval supporting forces, have been maneuvering in the Persian Gulf, a few miles off the Iranian territory.
It will very soon be 50 years since our people started suffering a cruel blockade; thousands of our sons and daughters have died or have been mutilated as a result of the dirty war against Cuba, the only country in the world to which an Adjustment Act has been applied inciting illegal emigration, yet another cause of death for Cuban citizens, including women and children; more than 15 years ago Cuba lost her principal markets and sources of supply for foods, energy, machinery, raw materials and long-term low-interest financing.
First the socialist bloc collapsed followed almost immediately by the USSR, dismantled piece by piece. The empire tightened and internationalized the blockade; the proteins and calories which were quite well distributed despite our deficiencies were reduced approximately by 40 percent; diseases such as optical neuritis and others appeared; the shortage of medicines, also a result of the blockade, became an everyday reality. Medicines were allowed to enter only as a charitable act, to demoralize us; these, in their turn, became a source of illegal business and black-market dealings.
Inevitably, the "special period" struck. This was the sum total of all the consequences of the aggression and it forced us to take desperate measures whose harmful effects were bolstered by the colossal media machine of the empire. Everyone was awaiting, some with sadness and others with oligarchic glee, the crumbling of the Cuban Revolution.
The access to convertible currency greatly harmed our social consciousness, to a greater or a lesser degree, due to the inequalities and ideological weaknesses it created.
Throughout its lifetime, the Revolution has taught the people, training hundreds of thousands of teachers, doctors, scientists, intellectuals, artists, computer engineers and other professionals with university and post-graduate degrees in dozens of professions. This storehouse of wealth has allowed us to reduce infant mortality to low levels, unthinkable in any Third World country, and to raise life expectancy as well as the average educational level of the population up to the ninth grade.
By offering Cuba oil under favorable terms of payment at a time when oil prices were escalating dramatically, the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution brought a significant relief and opened up new possibilities, since our country was already beginning to produce her own energy in ever-growing amounts.
Concerned over its interests in that country, the empire had for years been planning to destroy that Revolution, and so it attempted to do it in April 2002, as it will attempt to do again as many times as it can. This is why the Bolivarian revolutionaries are preparing to resist.
Meanwhile, Bush has intensified his plans for an occupation of Cuba, to the point of proclaiming laws and an interventionist government in order to install a direct imperial administration.
Based on the privileges granted to the United States in Bretton Woods and Nixon's swindle when he removed the gold standard which placed a limit on the issuing of paper money, the empire bought and paid with paper tens of trillions of dollars, more than twelve digit figures. This is how it preserved an unsustainable economy. A large part of the world currency reserves are in US Treasury bonds and bills. For this reason, many would rather not have a dollar crisis like the one in 1929 that would turn those paper bills into thin air. Today, the value of one dollar in gold is at least eighteen times less than what it was in the Nixon years. The same happens with the value of the reserves in that currency.
Those paper bills have kept their low current value because fabulous amounts of increasingly expensive and modern weapons can be purchased with them; weapons that produce nothing. The United States exports more weapons than anyone else in the world. With those same paper bills, the empire has developed a most sophisticated and deadly system of weapons of mass destruction with which it sustains its world tyranny.
Such power allows it to impose the idea of transforming foods into fuels and to shatter any initiative and commitment to avoid global warming, which is visibly accelerating.
Hunger and thirst, more violent hurricanes and the surge of the sea is what Tyranians and Trojans stand to suffer as a result of imperial policies. It is only through drastic energy savings that humanity will have a respite and hopes of survival for the species; but the consumer societies of the wealthy nations are absolutely heedless of that.
Cuba will continue to develop and improve the combative capacities of her people, including our modest but active and efficient defensive weapons industry which multiplies our capacity to face the invaders no matter where they may be, and the weapons they possess. We shall continue acquiring the necessary materials and the pertinent fire power, even though the notorious Gross Domestic Product as measured by capitalism may not be growing, for their GDP includes such things as the value of privatizations, drugs, sexual services and advertising, while it excludes many others like free educational and health services for all citizens.
From one year to the next the standard of living can be improved by raising knowledge, self-esteem and the dignity of people. It will be enough to reduce wastage and the economy will grow. In spite of everything, we will keep on growing as necessary and as possible.
"Freedom costs dearly, and it is necessary to either resign ourselves to live without it or to decide to buy it for its price", said MartÃ.
"Whoever attempts to conquer Cuba will only gather the dust of her soil soaked in blood, if he does not perish in the fight", exclaimed Maceo.
We are not the first revolutionaries to think that way! And we shall not be the last!
One man may be bought, but never a people.
Fate decreed that I could survive the empire's murderous machine. Shortly, it will be a year since I became ill and, while I hovered between life and death, I stated in the Proclamation of July 31, 2006: "I do not harbor the slightest doubt that our people and our Revolution will fight until the last drop of blood."
Mr. Bush, don't you doubt that either!
I assure you that you will never have Cuba!
Fidel Castro Ruz
June 17, 2007
2:03 p.m.
Growing Up X
I just recently finished Ilyasah Shabazz'sGrowing Up X. What a beautiful experience. I am glad that book came into my consciousness.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Wilson Case in Georgia
Someone should tell the attorney-general in Georgia to go to hell. I would absolutely not expect anything like justice to come out of Georgia, or anywhere in the south. However, we do need to relieve these people of their power.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Attacks On Academic Freedom
National Project in Defense of Dissent
> and Critical Thinking in Academia
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> Contact:
> Reggie Dylan: (626) 319-1730
> Matthew Abraham: (773) 682-9322
> Email: criticalxthinking@yahoo.com
> Website: www.defendcriticalthinking.org
>
>
> Opposition Mounts as University of Colorado President
> Calls for Ward Churchill to be Dismissed
>
> In a letter to the Board of Regents,
> University of Colorado President Hank Brown has called
> for the dismissal of tenured Ethnic Studies Professor
> Ward Churchill. His recommendation goes beyond that
> of the faculty investigative committee that examined
> charges of research misconduct; and of the faculty
> Privilege and Tenure (P&T) committee that recently
> heard Churchill's appeal. Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado
> joined Brown in calling for the firing of Churchill,
> as his predecessor Bill Owens did two years earlier.
> The Board of Regents is expected to make a final
> decision in this case at a public hearing some time in
> July.
>
> A growing number of scholars see CU's
> investigation of Churchill's scholarship as completely
> illegitimate and a dangerous precedent threatening
> dissent and critical thinking in the universities.
> The CU - Boulder chapter of the American Association
> of University Professors (AAUP) has written that "we
> believe that the investigation now is widely perceived
> to be a pretext for firing Churchill when the real
> reason for dismissal is his politics." The
> investigation was launched in the wake of controversy
> provoked by an essay Churchill wrote after 9/11.
>
> Churchill noted in response to Brown's
> letter that "the University had received no formal or
> written complaints about my scholarship when it
> initiated this 'investigation.' All of the
> allegations investigated were either solicited or
> brought directly by University administrators." He
> also noted that "The Investigative Committee charged
> with conducting a 'fact-finding, nonadversarial'
> investigation was chaired by law professor Mimi
> Wesson, who - in February 2005 - had compared me to
> 'charismatic male celebrity wrongdoers' like O.J.
> Simpson, Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton, and had
> already come up with the faulty 'traffic stop' analogy
> the Committee used to justify its conclusions." The
> committee included no American Indians or experts in
> American Indian Studies, and scholars that had used
> Churchill's research in their own work were removed
> from the committee.
>
> The report of the committee hearing
> Churchill's appeal found that Churchill proved by a
> "preponderance of the evidence" that "but for" his
> exercise of his protected first amendment rights, the
> subsequent investigation of his scholarship would
> never have been initiated.
>
> In a recent open letter to colleagues
> around the country Dr. Margaret LeCompte, President of
> the Boulder AAUP Chapter, wrote: "What has happened at
> the University of Colorado makes a mockery of both due
> process and academic freedom protections, AND what
> faculty believe. It is a cruel violation of the
> delicate balance between faculty rights and
> administrative responsibilities. The entire process
> was a sham---imitating the form, but not the intent,
> of due process and fair, objective, scholarly
> investigation."
>
> Two faculty groups that have examined the
> report of the investigative committee claim that the
> report is seriously flawed. In an unprecedented
> action, both have now filed formal charges of academic
> misconduct against the members of the faculty
> committee. The most recent group to do so, made up of
> principally Indigenous scholars from around the
> country and Canada, documented "many instances of
> fraud, fabrication, plagiarism and/or serious
> deviation from accepted scholarly practices" which
> "demonstrate a consistent pattern of deliberate
> misrepresentation intended to discredit Professor
> Churchill's larger body of scholarship." Eric
> Cheyfitz, Ernest I. White Professor of American
> Studies and Humane Letters at Cornell University, has
> found "the Report turns what is a debate about
> controversial issues of identity and genocide in
> Indian studies into an indictment of one position in
> that debate."
>
> The implications of this case go beyond
> the threat to Churchill's reputation and career, as
> serious as those are. The attack on Churchill is seen
> by many in academia as part of a much broader attack
> on academic freedom and critical thinking and dissent.
> Dr. LeCompte notes, "It is not limited to Colorado. In
> fact, it is a test case by the US right wing to
> emasculate faculty rights in US universities."
>
> This is illustrated by the recent denial of tenure
> for DePaul University political scientist Norman
> Finkelstein. Though he was supported by his
> department, Finkelstein was denied tenure after an
> intense campaign spearheaded by Harvard Law School's
> Alan M. Dershowitz, who called Finkelstein "worse than
> Churchill." Many DePaul faculty and others were
> alarmed at Dershowitz's heavy-handed tactics and saw
> them as an attempt to punish one side of a
> controversial debate. Finkelstein said that DePaul's
> decision was based on "transparently political
> grounds" and was an "egregious violation" of academic
> freedom.
>
> Churchill noted in his response to Brown's
> letter that "President Brown, his new VP Michael
> Poliakoff, and Regent Tom Lucero, like Bill Owens, are
> key players in Lynne Cheney's American Council of
> Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). ACTA and similar
> neoconservative groups have received generous funding
> [from] Castle Rock (Coors), Scaife, Bradley and Olin
> foundations to eliminate Ethnic, Gender and Peace
> Studies Programs and to purge higher education of
> those who think critically, challenge historical
> orthodoxy, or otherwise threaten the status quo."
>
> Opposition to this impending firing has
> been increasing nationally, as more and more academics
> recognize the stakes involved in the Churchill case.
> An open letter signed by numerous prominent scholars,
> including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Derrick Bell and
> Immanuel Wallerstein was published in the New York
> Review of Books in April. Scores of others have
> written letters of support, and there was a recent
> Emergency National Forum in Boulder of academics and
> supporters. The Society of American Law Teachers has
> written a letter arguing against a firing.
>
> Richard Falk, visiting Distinguished
> Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara
> recently wrote: "All of us who value academic freedom
> should now stand in full solidarity with Ward
> Churchill. The outcome of his case at the University
> of Colorado is the best litmus test we have to tell
> whether the right-wing's assaults on learning and
> liberty will stifle campus life in this country. Never
> in my lifetime have we in America more needed the sort
> of vigorous debate and creative controversy that Ward
> Churchill's distinguished career epitomizes. We all
> stand to lose if his principled defense fails."
>
> # # #
>
>
> Signed:
>
> Matthew Abraham - Department of English, De Paul
> University.
>
> William Ayers - Distinguished Professor of Education
> and Senior University Scholar, University of Illinois
> at Chicago.
>
> Derrick A Bell - Visiting Professor of Constitutional
> Law, New York University School of Law.
>
> Timothy Brennan - Departments of English and Cultural
> Studies & Comparative Literature, University of
> Minnesota.
>
> Renate Bridenthal - Emerita Professor of History,
> Brooklyn College, The City University of New York.
>
> Bob Buzzanco - Department of History, University of
> Houston.
>
> Dana Cloud - Associate Professor of Communication
> Studies at the University of Texas (Austin).
>
> Drucilla Cornell - Professor in the Departments of Law
> and Political Science at Rutgers University.
>
> Sandi E Cooper - Professor of History, College of
> Staten Island and the Graduate School, The City
> University of New York.
>
> Richard Delgado - University Distinguished Professor
> of Law and Derrick Bell Fellow, University of
> Pittsburgh.
> Richard A Falk - Albert G. Milbank Professor of
> International Law and Practice at Princeton
> University; Visiting Distinguished Professor (since
> 2002), Global Studies, University of California, Santa
> Barbara.
>
> Seth Kahn - Assistant Professor of English, West
> Chester University of PA.
>
> Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies,
> Middle East Institute, Columbia University.
>
> Vinay Lal - Department of History, University of
> California, Los Angeles.
>
> Gary Leupp - Professor of History at Tufts University,
> and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion.
>
> Henry Silverman - Professor and Chairperson Emeritus,
> Department of History, Michigan State University.
>
> Immanuel Wallerstein - Senior Research Scholar, Yale
> University.
>
> Tim Wise - Author of "White Like Me: Reflections on
> Race from a Privileged Son," and "Affirmative Action:
> Racial Preference in Black and White."
>
>
>
> For more information, contact us at
> (626) 319-1730
> Criticalxthinking@yahoo.com
> www.defendcriticalthinking.org
>
> Or contact any of the faculty listed below to arrange
> an interview:
>
> Matthew Abraham: matthew.mabraha2@gmail.com; (773)
> 682-9322.
>
> Timothy Brennan - brenn032@umn.edu; (651) 228-0965.
>
> Dana Cloud - dcloud@mail.utexas.edu; (512) 471-1947.
>
> Drucilla Cornell - sgkcornell@aol.com; (212) 260-9730.
>
> Seth Kahn - skahn@wcupa.edu; (610) 436-2915.
>
> and Critical Thinking in Academia
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> Contact:
> Reggie Dylan: (626) 319-1730
> Matthew Abraham: (773) 682-9322
> Email: criticalxthinking@yahoo.com
> Website: www.defendcriticalthinking.org
>
>
> Opposition Mounts as University of Colorado President
> Calls for Ward Churchill to be Dismissed
>
> In a letter to the Board of Regents,
> University of Colorado President Hank Brown has called
> for the dismissal of tenured Ethnic Studies Professor
> Ward Churchill. His recommendation goes beyond that
> of the faculty investigative committee that examined
> charges of research misconduct; and of the faculty
> Privilege and Tenure (P&T) committee that recently
> heard Churchill's appeal. Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado
> joined Brown in calling for the firing of Churchill,
> as his predecessor Bill Owens did two years earlier.
> The Board of Regents is expected to make a final
> decision in this case at a public hearing some time in
> July.
>
> A growing number of scholars see CU's
> investigation of Churchill's scholarship as completely
> illegitimate and a dangerous precedent threatening
> dissent and critical thinking in the universities.
> The CU - Boulder chapter of the American Association
> of University Professors (AAUP) has written that "we
> believe that the investigation now is widely perceived
> to be a pretext for firing Churchill when the real
> reason for dismissal is his politics." The
> investigation was launched in the wake of controversy
> provoked by an essay Churchill wrote after 9/11.
>
> Churchill noted in response to Brown's
> letter that "the University had received no formal or
> written complaints about my scholarship when it
> initiated this 'investigation.' All of the
> allegations investigated were either solicited or
> brought directly by University administrators." He
> also noted that "The Investigative Committee charged
> with conducting a 'fact-finding, nonadversarial'
> investigation was chaired by law professor Mimi
> Wesson, who - in February 2005 - had compared me to
> 'charismatic male celebrity wrongdoers' like O.J.
> Simpson, Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton, and had
> already come up with the faulty 'traffic stop' analogy
> the Committee used to justify its conclusions." The
> committee included no American Indians or experts in
> American Indian Studies, and scholars that had used
> Churchill's research in their own work were removed
> from the committee.
>
> The report of the committee hearing
> Churchill's appeal found that Churchill proved by a
> "preponderance of the evidence" that "but for" his
> exercise of his protected first amendment rights, the
> subsequent investigation of his scholarship would
> never have been initiated.
>
> In a recent open letter to colleagues
> around the country Dr. Margaret LeCompte, President of
> the Boulder AAUP Chapter, wrote: "What has happened at
> the University of Colorado makes a mockery of both due
> process and academic freedom protections, AND what
> faculty believe. It is a cruel violation of the
> delicate balance between faculty rights and
> administrative responsibilities. The entire process
> was a sham---imitating the form, but not the intent,
> of due process and fair, objective, scholarly
> investigation."
>
> Two faculty groups that have examined the
> report of the investigative committee claim that the
> report is seriously flawed. In an unprecedented
> action, both have now filed formal charges of academic
> misconduct against the members of the faculty
> committee. The most recent group to do so, made up of
> principally Indigenous scholars from around the
> country and Canada, documented "many instances of
> fraud, fabrication, plagiarism and/or serious
> deviation from accepted scholarly practices" which
> "demonstrate a consistent pattern of deliberate
> misrepresentation intended to discredit Professor
> Churchill's larger body of scholarship." Eric
> Cheyfitz, Ernest I. White Professor of American
> Studies and Humane Letters at Cornell University, has
> found "the Report turns what is a debate about
> controversial issues of identity and genocide in
> Indian studies into an indictment of one position in
> that debate."
>
> The implications of this case go beyond
> the threat to Churchill's reputation and career, as
> serious as those are. The attack on Churchill is seen
> by many in academia as part of a much broader attack
> on academic freedom and critical thinking and dissent.
> Dr. LeCompte notes, "It is not limited to Colorado. In
> fact, it is a test case by the US right wing to
> emasculate faculty rights in US universities."
>
> This is illustrated by the recent denial of tenure
> for DePaul University political scientist Norman
> Finkelstein. Though he was supported by his
> department, Finkelstein was denied tenure after an
> intense campaign spearheaded by Harvard Law School's
> Alan M. Dershowitz, who called Finkelstein "worse than
> Churchill." Many DePaul faculty and others were
> alarmed at Dershowitz's heavy-handed tactics and saw
> them as an attempt to punish one side of a
> controversial debate. Finkelstein said that DePaul's
> decision was based on "transparently political
> grounds" and was an "egregious violation" of academic
> freedom.
>
> Churchill noted in his response to Brown's
> letter that "President Brown, his new VP Michael
> Poliakoff, and Regent Tom Lucero, like Bill Owens, are
> key players in Lynne Cheney's American Council of
> Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). ACTA and similar
> neoconservative groups have received generous funding
> [from] Castle Rock (Coors), Scaife, Bradley and Olin
> foundations to eliminate Ethnic, Gender and Peace
> Studies Programs and to purge higher education of
> those who think critically, challenge historical
> orthodoxy, or otherwise threaten the status quo."
>
> Opposition to this impending firing has
> been increasing nationally, as more and more academics
> recognize the stakes involved in the Churchill case.
> An open letter signed by numerous prominent scholars,
> including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Derrick Bell and
> Immanuel Wallerstein was published in the New York
> Review of Books in April. Scores of others have
> written letters of support, and there was a recent
> Emergency National Forum in Boulder of academics and
> supporters. The Society of American Law Teachers has
> written a letter arguing against a firing.
>
> Richard Falk, visiting Distinguished
> Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara
> recently wrote: "All of us who value academic freedom
> should now stand in full solidarity with Ward
> Churchill. The outcome of his case at the University
> of Colorado is the best litmus test we have to tell
> whether the right-wing's assaults on learning and
> liberty will stifle campus life in this country. Never
> in my lifetime have we in America more needed the sort
> of vigorous debate and creative controversy that Ward
> Churchill's distinguished career epitomizes. We all
> stand to lose if his principled defense fails."
>
> # # #
>
>
> Signed:
>
> Matthew Abraham - Department of English, De Paul
> University.
>
> William Ayers - Distinguished Professor of Education
> and Senior University Scholar, University of Illinois
> at Chicago.
>
> Derrick A Bell - Visiting Professor of Constitutional
> Law, New York University School of Law.
>
> Timothy Brennan - Departments of English and Cultural
> Studies & Comparative Literature, University of
> Minnesota.
>
> Renate Bridenthal - Emerita Professor of History,
> Brooklyn College, The City University of New York.
>
> Bob Buzzanco - Department of History, University of
> Houston.
>
> Dana Cloud - Associate Professor of Communication
> Studies at the University of Texas (Austin).
>
> Drucilla Cornell - Professor in the Departments of Law
> and Political Science at Rutgers University.
>
> Sandi E Cooper - Professor of History, College of
> Staten Island and the Graduate School, The City
> University of New York.
>
> Richard Delgado - University Distinguished Professor
> of Law and Derrick Bell Fellow, University of
> Pittsburgh.
> Richard A Falk - Albert G. Milbank Professor of
> International Law and Practice at Princeton
> University; Visiting Distinguished Professor (since
> 2002), Global Studies, University of California, Santa
> Barbara.
>
> Seth Kahn - Assistant Professor of English, West
> Chester University of PA.
>
> Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies,
> Middle East Institute, Columbia University.
>
> Vinay Lal - Department of History, University of
> California, Los Angeles.
>
> Gary Leupp - Professor of History at Tufts University,
> and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion.
>
> Henry Silverman - Professor and Chairperson Emeritus,
> Department of History, Michigan State University.
>
> Immanuel Wallerstein - Senior Research Scholar, Yale
> University.
>
> Tim Wise - Author of "White Like Me: Reflections on
> Race from a Privileged Son," and "Affirmative Action:
> Racial Preference in Black and White."
>
>
>
> For more information, contact us at
> (626) 319-1730
> Criticalxthinking@yahoo.com
> www.defendcriticalthinking.org
>
> Or contact any of the faculty listed below to arrange
> an interview:
>
> Matthew Abraham: matthew.mabraha2@gmail.com; (773)
> 682-9322.
>
> Timothy Brennan - brenn032@umn.edu; (651) 228-0965.
>
> Dana Cloud - dcloud@mail.utexas.edu; (512) 471-1947.
>
> Drucilla Cornell - sgkcornell@aol.com; (212) 260-9730.
>
> Seth Kahn - skahn@wcupa.edu; (610) 436-2915.
>
Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor from the White House Subpeonaed in Attorney Firings Scandal
This is getting really interesting. It seems the more Bush props up Gonzales, the more it seems the house is going to fall.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Hate Crime In Indiana
Violent hate crime in Indiana... why no coverage?
by feduphoosier
Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 05:54:25 AM PDT
Two young men in Jackson County Indiana said they were so freaked out when 'propositioned' by Aaron Hall on April 12th, that they proceeded to beat the 100 pound, 5'4 man for hours, using their fists, boots, dragging him down a staircase while his head slammed into each step, and then throwing him in a ditch and leaving. Aaron managed to crawl out of the ditch and out into a nearby field, where he died, alone and naked.
Sound familiar? A bit like the story of Matthew Shephard? Then why no coverage outside of Jackson County, Indiana?
feduphoosier's diary :: ::
Is the lack of coverage due, perhaps, to allegations that Hall is gay? Or that no one is sure that these allegations are even true?
You see, the story is even stranger than it appears. Some contend that the young men made up the story about having been propositioned so as to use the 'gay panic defense,' in hopes of getting a more lenient sentence. Apparently the thinking was that exposure to homosexuality is so frightening that well... heck, anyone would go crazy and beat the hell out of a guy for hours, then toss him in a ditch to die.
A number of Hoosier bloggers have wondered at the lack of local coverage. In the interest of promoting this case, I thought I'd bring it out here for your perusal. This is a horrific crime, and while I don't promote the kind of overdone sensationalism (carried on for weeks at a time) evidenced on CNN and Fox News, this man's death should draw some notice. It should serve as a warning, at the very least. Whether Hall was or wasn't gay isn't the point. The fact that the teenagers used this as their defense... speaks volumes.
This from the Bloomington Alternative... one paper that did cover the story:
Crothersville is a town of 1,500, located midway between Louisville and Indianapolis just off Interstate 65 in the southeast corner of Jackson County.
According to the U.S. Census, it is 97.6 percent white, and 75.4 percent of its residents 25 or older have high school educations. The national average is 80.4.
It's not the sort of place that makes big news often. One of the more recent times was in 2005 when a 10-year-old Crothersville girl named Katie Collman was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered.
"Ironically, it was Terry Gray, Garrett Gray's father, who served as the Collman family spokesman during the investigation and court proceedings," the Times reported.
The Collman case was big news. Indianapolis Star-columnist-turned-Internet-blogger Ruth Holliday noted on May 8 that it "had a lot of twists and turns." A search of the Star Web site turns up more than a dozen stories.
Yet the Star has left the Hall murder to the Jackson County media, the never-to-be-trusted Indianapolis and Louisville television stations and bloggers like Advance Indiana's Gary Welsh, who has covered the story in depth and, along with Holliday, has questioned the lack of major media attention.
A search of the Star Web site for Aaron Hall returned zero stories.
On May 3, Welsh, who is an advocate for hate crimes legislation in Indiana, wrote a column titled "Why Won't the Star Cover The Hate Crime Killing of Aaron Hall?" He noted that the paper "has been silent" about the Hall case but that editorial writer RiShawn Biddle argued in his May 1 Star blog that a hate crimes law would not have prevented Hall's murder.
Tags: hate crime, Indiana, murder, media, violence, homophobia, hate, Discrimination
by feduphoosier
Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 05:54:25 AM PDT
Two young men in Jackson County Indiana said they were so freaked out when 'propositioned' by Aaron Hall on April 12th, that they proceeded to beat the 100 pound, 5'4 man for hours, using their fists, boots, dragging him down a staircase while his head slammed into each step, and then throwing him in a ditch and leaving. Aaron managed to crawl out of the ditch and out into a nearby field, where he died, alone and naked.
Sound familiar? A bit like the story of Matthew Shephard? Then why no coverage outside of Jackson County, Indiana?
feduphoosier's diary :: ::
Is the lack of coverage due, perhaps, to allegations that Hall is gay? Or that no one is sure that these allegations are even true?
You see, the story is even stranger than it appears. Some contend that the young men made up the story about having been propositioned so as to use the 'gay panic defense,' in hopes of getting a more lenient sentence. Apparently the thinking was that exposure to homosexuality is so frightening that well... heck, anyone would go crazy and beat the hell out of a guy for hours, then toss him in a ditch to die.
A number of Hoosier bloggers have wondered at the lack of local coverage. In the interest of promoting this case, I thought I'd bring it out here for your perusal. This is a horrific crime, and while I don't promote the kind of overdone sensationalism (carried on for weeks at a time) evidenced on CNN and Fox News, this man's death should draw some notice. It should serve as a warning, at the very least. Whether Hall was or wasn't gay isn't the point. The fact that the teenagers used this as their defense... speaks volumes.
This from the Bloomington Alternative... one paper that did cover the story:
Crothersville is a town of 1,500, located midway between Louisville and Indianapolis just off Interstate 65 in the southeast corner of Jackson County.
According to the U.S. Census, it is 97.6 percent white, and 75.4 percent of its residents 25 or older have high school educations. The national average is 80.4.
It's not the sort of place that makes big news often. One of the more recent times was in 2005 when a 10-year-old Crothersville girl named Katie Collman was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered.
"Ironically, it was Terry Gray, Garrett Gray's father, who served as the Collman family spokesman during the investigation and court proceedings," the Times reported.
The Collman case was big news. Indianapolis Star-columnist-turned-Internet-blogger Ruth Holliday noted on May 8 that it "had a lot of twists and turns." A search of the Star Web site turns up more than a dozen stories.
Yet the Star has left the Hall murder to the Jackson County media, the never-to-be-trusted Indianapolis and Louisville television stations and bloggers like Advance Indiana's Gary Welsh, who has covered the story in depth and, along with Holliday, has questioned the lack of major media attention.
A search of the Star Web site for Aaron Hall returned zero stories.
On May 3, Welsh, who is an advocate for hate crimes legislation in Indiana, wrote a column titled "Why Won't the Star Cover The Hate Crime Killing of Aaron Hall?" He noted that the paper "has been silent" about the Hall case but that editorial writer RiShawn Biddle argued in his May 1 Star blog that a hate crimes law would not have prevented Hall's murder.
Tags: hate crime, Indiana, murder, media, violence, homophobia, hate, Discrimination
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sweet Love
Anita Baker
(Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson & Gary Bias)
With all my heart I love you baby
Stay with me and you will see
My arms will hold you, baby
Never leave, 'cause I believe
[Chorus:]
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
Oh, your heart has called me closer to you
I will be all that you need
Just trust in what we're feeling
Never leave 'cause baby, I believe
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
No stronger love in this world
Oh, baby no, you're my man, I'm your girl
I'll never go, wait and see, can't be wrong
Don't you know this is where you belong
Sweet, sweet and lovely baby
Stay right here, never fear
I will be all that you need
Never leave, 'cause baby, I believe
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
(Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson & Gary Bias)
With all my heart I love you baby
Stay with me and you will see
My arms will hold you, baby
Never leave, 'cause I believe
[Chorus:]
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
Oh, your heart has called me closer to you
I will be all that you need
Just trust in what we're feeling
Never leave 'cause baby, I believe
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
No stronger love in this world
Oh, baby no, you're my man, I'm your girl
I'll never go, wait and see, can't be wrong
Don't you know this is where you belong
Sweet, sweet and lovely baby
Stay right here, never fear
I will be all that you need
Never leave, 'cause baby, I believe
I'm in love, sweet love
Hear me calling out your name, I feel no shame
I'm in love, sweet love
Don't you ever go away, it'll always be this way
You Bring Me Joy
Anita Baker
You bring me joy
When I'm down
So much joy
When I lose my way your love comes smiling on me
I saw your face
And then I knew
We would be friends
I was so afraid, but your arms, they'd say 'come to me'
So I'd say to you
"Can we talk for a while?"
You'd say "alright"
When you love me, I smile
I feel your hands and you feel mine
You bring me joy
You bring me joy
Don't go too far away
If I can't see your face, I will remember that smile
But can this be right
Or should we be friends
I get lonely sometimes and I'm mixed up again
'Cause you're the finest thing I've seen in all my life
You bring me joy
My joy, my joy
I believe this is gonna be what you want it to be
I just love you, I just love you, can't you see
That you're the best I've seen in all my life
You bring me joy
My joy... you're my joy
My joy... my, my joy
Thank you, baby, thank you, baby
I just love you, baby
When I lose my way, your love comes smiling on me
You bring me joy
When I'm down
So much joy
When I lose my way your love comes smiling on me
I saw your face
And then I knew
We would be friends
I was so afraid, but your arms, they'd say 'come to me'
So I'd say to you
"Can we talk for a while?"
You'd say "alright"
When you love me, I smile
I feel your hands and you feel mine
You bring me joy
You bring me joy
Don't go too far away
If I can't see your face, I will remember that smile
But can this be right
Or should we be friends
I get lonely sometimes and I'm mixed up again
'Cause you're the finest thing I've seen in all my life
You bring me joy
My joy, my joy
I believe this is gonna be what you want it to be
I just love you, I just love you, can't you see
That you're the best I've seen in all my life
You bring me joy
My joy... you're my joy
My joy... my, my joy
Thank you, baby, thank you, baby
I just love you, baby
When I lose my way, your love comes smiling on me
Save Room For My Love
John Legend
Say that you'll stay a little
Don't say bye bye tonight
Say you'll be mine
just a little of bit of love Is worth a moment of your time
knocking on your door just a little
so cold outside tonight
let's get the fire burning
oh I know, I keep it burning right
If you stay, won't you stay - stay
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
This just might hurt a little
love hurts sometimes when you do it right
Don't be afraid of a little bit of pain
pleasure is on the other side
Let down your guard just a little
I'll keep you safe in these arms of mine
Hold on to me - pretty baby
You will see I can be all you need
If you stay, won't you stay - stay
[Save Room lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
[pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [da-da-da]
Ohhh come on
Make time to live a little
don't let this moment slip by tonight
you never know what you are missing until you try
I keep you satisfied
if you stay, won't you stay - stay
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
save room for love
save room for a moment to be with me
save a little, save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me
Say that you'll stay a little
Don't say bye bye tonight
Say you'll be mine
just a little of bit of love Is worth a moment of your time
knocking on your door just a little
so cold outside tonight
let's get the fire burning
oh I know, I keep it burning right
If you stay, won't you stay - stay
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
This just might hurt a little
love hurts sometimes when you do it right
Don't be afraid of a little bit of pain
pleasure is on the other side
Let down your guard just a little
I'll keep you safe in these arms of mine
Hold on to me - pretty baby
You will see I can be all you need
If you stay, won't you stay - stay
[Save Room lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
[pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [pa-ya-pa-pa] - [da-da-da]
Ohhh come on
Make time to live a little
don't let this moment slip by tonight
you never know what you are missing until you try
I keep you satisfied
if you stay, won't you stay - stay
save room for my love
save room for a moment to be with me
save room for my love save a little
save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me - ohh
save room for love
save room for a moment to be with me
save a little, save a little for me
won't you save a little
save a little for me
Sunday, June 10, 2007
XCVII
The absence of good food
Is a sour shame. I dream of a hunk
or a gourd of thick block cheese
delight to taste but nothing is there.
I wish to try rich creams that put a pucker in your mouth
A savour so rich you have to devour your bottom lip in remembrance
To sample good living through good food that makes you want to get up and bounce dance steps off of the goodness of the earth
sharing your world and joy with someone in the absence of a fierce,
agonizing hunger.
XCVIII
Nights
Of
Chaka
Khan
loose
and
moving
to an
energetic
beat
grooving
to your
soul
LXXXIX
My Mother’s Vase
Patterns of Butterflies or
Popcorn, rich and Black like Me
XC
Sweltering heat of a summer night
Pillows blankets ice and a cooler
The grass between my toes in the middle of the park
Whispering crowds feeling the summer breeze coming off of the lake.
XCI
I remember my mother at thirty
I remember my mother at forty with black balloons and cigarette smoke
I remember my mother at fifty
XCII
The Family Cemetery
In between Guernica and the Jewish Cemetery lies
the majesty of our family cemetery. Filled with the
bones of Deramuses and Goodsons and Smiths these
bones, the flesh that once clung to human form,
the sacredness of their names unspoken, combined in unison to provide
the providence for our litany.
LXXIV
Things move here so painfully slow obstacles and sour smells invade and overtake my aims for progress--a successful block at which I fall; chin shudders
and I naturally drown the rhythm of my breathing;
a stifled staccato
where nothing else arises for the use of my humanity.
They tease and torture a moment’s silent movement and then halt to wait Five Ten Fifteen Fifty as the bus sits immobile,
its joints unreachable and glued together by the
steel trade winds of death
while my soul lingers on the edge of eternal bliss
following the blistering path of drumsticks, cymbals, and the movement of tongue
folding back into a throat.
LXXV
Sitting in the rain
under black umbrellas the
raindrops hitting the ground
like the twill of a cymbal
LXXVII
Hot Turkish Tea
pour gently into me
lift your porcelain spout and let it warm against my face before I breathe. Let
me taste the cinnamon, raw between your thighs and play scales up and down your
instrument with my fingers
measure my talents with your shallow breathing
2006
LXXVIII
He knocked on my door about midnight
Feelings flowing freely in expectations of liquor, camaraderie,
and a bonding friendship
We exposed our souls to each other
Came in close and spoke our truths to one another.
He spoke of a girl in Colorado,
His soccer days waned. I bore my soul
To him and love entered the room.
Slowly we express it with a kiss.
Lips to flesh, hands set free
To explore
LXXIX
Poem for Charles
You were sweet to me
And your caress inspired Roses
And lilies of the valley to grow in my soul
Ecstatic and Happy, I drank in the nectar of your good vibes,
Felt your soul lay welcome at my feet to drown myself in the pleasure that from you flowed.
Sweet spirit
Your bright eyes brought
Comfort to my weariness
In return, I gave myself to you, or
At least I tried
To unleash my selfish soul
As I relished the chemistry that sparked between us
That lit up the room spreading bright, new visions
To the darkened corners where I often sit.
LXXX
I sit here in the coffeeshop
Drinking my coke with the cap decidedly off the cup
Embarking upon my sweet potato which makes me feel
Utterly Caribbean. My handwriting decidedly vague, covering
Up and purposefully hiding that which I don’t want seen,
Which is me. Understanding the folly that trips me up- which is life and punishes me
Before the cold exacting words which do not care for me—and as I look into the reflection of the cobalt black I see Billie’s face smiling back at me
Her sparkling eye is my guiding star.
The road is unknown, but the journey will be a spectacular experience,
Understand that fate plays only a deliberate hand, and her skills
And her craft have been sharpened. I see the light shining on her face.
Open up Pandora’s Box, the gift she brings to you will be rewarding.
I understand my fate to be part and parcel of that predestined code,
Which will play out in fugues and adaptations as our humanity wills.
We understand our fate and look upon the receding tide to deliver us safely.
Understand the tides and ride them on with a great hope for oblivion.
Brandon
May 2007
The absence of good food
Is a sour shame. I dream of a hunk
or a gourd of thick block cheese
delight to taste but nothing is there.
I wish to try rich creams that put a pucker in your mouth
A savour so rich you have to devour your bottom lip in remembrance
To sample good living through good food that makes you want to get up and bounce dance steps off of the goodness of the earth
sharing your world and joy with someone in the absence of a fierce,
agonizing hunger.
XCVIII
Nights
Of
Chaka
Khan
loose
and
moving
to an
energetic
beat
grooving
to your
soul
LXXXIX
My Mother’s Vase
Patterns of Butterflies or
Popcorn, rich and Black like Me
XC
Sweltering heat of a summer night
Pillows blankets ice and a cooler
The grass between my toes in the middle of the park
Whispering crowds feeling the summer breeze coming off of the lake.
XCI
I remember my mother at thirty
I remember my mother at forty with black balloons and cigarette smoke
I remember my mother at fifty
XCII
The Family Cemetery
In between Guernica and the Jewish Cemetery lies
the majesty of our family cemetery. Filled with the
bones of Deramuses and Goodsons and Smiths these
bones, the flesh that once clung to human form,
the sacredness of their names unspoken, combined in unison to provide
the providence for our litany.
LXXIV
Things move here so painfully slow obstacles and sour smells invade and overtake my aims for progress--a successful block at which I fall; chin shudders
and I naturally drown the rhythm of my breathing;
a stifled staccato
where nothing else arises for the use of my humanity.
They tease and torture a moment’s silent movement and then halt to wait Five Ten Fifteen Fifty as the bus sits immobile,
its joints unreachable and glued together by the
steel trade winds of death
while my soul lingers on the edge of eternal bliss
following the blistering path of drumsticks, cymbals, and the movement of tongue
folding back into a throat.
LXXV
Sitting in the rain
under black umbrellas the
raindrops hitting the ground
like the twill of a cymbal
LXXVII
Hot Turkish Tea
pour gently into me
lift your porcelain spout and let it warm against my face before I breathe. Let
me taste the cinnamon, raw between your thighs and play scales up and down your
instrument with my fingers
measure my talents with your shallow breathing
2006
LXXVIII
He knocked on my door about midnight
Feelings flowing freely in expectations of liquor, camaraderie,
and a bonding friendship
We exposed our souls to each other
Came in close and spoke our truths to one another.
He spoke of a girl in Colorado,
His soccer days waned. I bore my soul
To him and love entered the room.
Slowly we express it with a kiss.
Lips to flesh, hands set free
To explore
LXXIX
Poem for Charles
You were sweet to me
And your caress inspired Roses
And lilies of the valley to grow in my soul
Ecstatic and Happy, I drank in the nectar of your good vibes,
Felt your soul lay welcome at my feet to drown myself in the pleasure that from you flowed.
Sweet spirit
Your bright eyes brought
Comfort to my weariness
In return, I gave myself to you, or
At least I tried
To unleash my selfish soul
As I relished the chemistry that sparked between us
That lit up the room spreading bright, new visions
To the darkened corners where I often sit.
LXXX
I sit here in the coffeeshop
Drinking my coke with the cap decidedly off the cup
Embarking upon my sweet potato which makes me feel
Utterly Caribbean. My handwriting decidedly vague, covering
Up and purposefully hiding that which I don’t want seen,
Which is me. Understanding the folly that trips me up- which is life and punishes me
Before the cold exacting words which do not care for me—and as I look into the reflection of the cobalt black I see Billie’s face smiling back at me
Her sparkling eye is my guiding star.
The road is unknown, but the journey will be a spectacular experience,
Understand that fate plays only a deliberate hand, and her skills
And her craft have been sharpened. I see the light shining on her face.
Open up Pandora’s Box, the gift she brings to you will be rewarding.
I understand my fate to be part and parcel of that predestined code,
Which will play out in fugues and adaptations as our humanity wills.
We understand our fate and look upon the receding tide to deliver us safely.
Understand the tides and ride them on with a great hope for oblivion.
Brandon
May 2007
Hot Sauce
XCVI
Hot Sauce
When once you are older and the
heat of it you welcome into your mouth
relishing the burning fire that tears
into your tongue and devours your throat
the raw spice in keeping with the flames that stain
the cheeks and produce bloodied faces.
Undone, with the sting of mortality.
Brandon
May 2007
Hot Sauce
When once you are older and the
heat of it you welcome into your mouth
relishing the burning fire that tears
into your tongue and devours your throat
the raw spice in keeping with the flames that stain
the cheeks and produce bloodied faces.
Undone, with the sting of mortality.
Brandon
May 2007
Recent Poems I Have Written
CX
Love be strange to me
withering slithers appear
Falling in my eye
CVII
One Day
One day
I’m going to think
With my hands and fingers
And use my mouth to formulate reason
And the heat encapsulating us will provide
The intellectual energy that steams our thoughts
Romance will season and flavor the electricity
That overtakes our bodies
And for once my body my mind and my soul will be as one
And together with you
CVIII
I am the other
Offended and exiled
Into the interiors of your cities
The interlockings
Of your past
CVI
We
are
all
buses
on busy streets
trying not to
run over anybody
trying to
maneuver
through tight traffic
and too close
calls
trying to
stay afloat and balanced
in an
effort to
move ahead
Brandon
May 2007
Love be strange to me
withering slithers appear
Falling in my eye
CVII
One Day
One day
I’m going to think
With my hands and fingers
And use my mouth to formulate reason
And the heat encapsulating us will provide
The intellectual energy that steams our thoughts
Romance will season and flavor the electricity
That overtakes our bodies
And for once my body my mind and my soul will be as one
And together with you
CVIII
I am the other
Offended and exiled
Into the interiors of your cities
The interlockings
Of your past
CVI
We
are
all
buses
on busy streets
trying not to
run over anybody
trying to
maneuver
through tight traffic
and too close
calls
trying to
stay afloat and balanced
in an
effort to
move ahead
Brandon
May 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
My Cousin Fannie
This post is dedicated to my Cousin Fannie, whom I think is a most remarkable woman. At the age of eighty my cousin took the initiative to found a museum, The People's History Museum which is located in Prattville, Alabama. She has been dedicated to that museum for most of a decade. Just a year younger than my grandmother, she is as robust and does more than most people in their 20s. Despite obstacles and naysayers, she is keeping that museum together and has gotten so many interesting people involved in her projects. She has put together some interesting events and many great exhibits. She is truly inspirational.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
My Grandmother Loves to Sing This Song
VERSE 1
One night it was dark and was stormy
When along came a tramp in th rain
He was making his way to some station
To catch some long distance train
VERSE 2
May I sleep in your barn tonight, mister
It is cold lying out on th ground
An' th cold north wind it is whistling
An' I have no place to lay down
VERSE 3
O, I have no tobacco or matches
An' I'm sure that I'll do you no harm
I will tell you my story, kind mister
For it runs through my heart like a storm
VERSE 4
It was three years ago last summer
I shall never forget that sad day
When a stranger came out from th city
An' he said, that he wanted to stay
VERSE 5
Now, this man, was tall, strong and handsome
And he looked like a man that had wealth
An' he wanted to stay in th country
Said he wanted to stay for his health
VERSE 6
One night, as I came from my workshop
I was whistl'n and sing'n with joy
Expected a kind hearted welcome
From my sweet lov'n wife and my boy
VERSE 7
But what did I find but a letter
It was placed in th room on a stand
An' th moment my eyes fell upon it
I picked it right up in my hands
VERSE 8
Now, this note said my wife an' this stranger
They had left and had taken my son
Now, I wonder if God up in Heaven
Only knows what this stranger has done
VERSE 9
May I sleep in your barn tonight, mister
It is cold lie'n out on th ground
An' th cold north wind it is whistl'n
An' I have no place to lay down
One night it was dark and was stormy
When along came a tramp in th rain
He was making his way to some station
To catch some long distance train
VERSE 2
May I sleep in your barn tonight, mister
It is cold lying out on th ground
An' th cold north wind it is whistling
An' I have no place to lay down
VERSE 3
O, I have no tobacco or matches
An' I'm sure that I'll do you no harm
I will tell you my story, kind mister
For it runs through my heart like a storm
VERSE 4
It was three years ago last summer
I shall never forget that sad day
When a stranger came out from th city
An' he said, that he wanted to stay
VERSE 5
Now, this man, was tall, strong and handsome
And he looked like a man that had wealth
An' he wanted to stay in th country
Said he wanted to stay for his health
VERSE 6
One night, as I came from my workshop
I was whistl'n and sing'n with joy
Expected a kind hearted welcome
From my sweet lov'n wife and my boy
VERSE 7
But what did I find but a letter
It was placed in th room on a stand
An' th moment my eyes fell upon it
I picked it right up in my hands
VERSE 8
Now, this note said my wife an' this stranger
They had left and had taken my son
Now, I wonder if God up in Heaven
Only knows what this stranger has done
VERSE 9
May I sleep in your barn tonight, mister
It is cold lie'n out on th ground
An' th cold north wind it is whistl'n
An' I have no place to lay down
Turkish Troops Enter Iraq
Wow, what a new dynamic! I wonder what this will do in terms of the larger scope of Iraq.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Michael Moore and Sicko on Oprah
Very important show today. Michael Moore and Oprah discussed his new film Sicko.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Fascism on the Rise in the U.S. --People Should Be Paying Attention To This
Last night, I learned about this National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, that was approved by Congress under which the president, at his own judgement and bidding, can assume all of the powers of the government under presidential authority without any advise or consent from either of the other two branches of government. This means that if and when he decides, George Bush can declare a state of National Emergency and assume total power. This is what Hitler did in 1933 when he implemented a national boycott of Jewish businesses and services, and later rounded them up to send them off to death camps. I think people need to start paying attention to what their elected officials are doing and start holding their feet to the fire til they burn and get some common sense. Else, you will find yourself living in an autocratic, right-wing dictatorship.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Love For Serena Williams
I saw Serena win against Dinara Safina today. It was like watching Cookie Monster eating a cookie.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Go Down Moses
Paul Robeson (the link above is to Paul Robeson singing Go Down Moses on Youtube)
When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let My people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let My people go;
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The Lord told Moses what to do, Let My people go;
To lead the children of Israel through, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The pillar of cloud shall clear the way, Let My people go;
A fire by night, a shade by day, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
As Israel stood by the water-side, Let My people go;
At God’s command it did divide, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
When they had reached the other shore, Let My people go;
They dang the song of triumph over, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
Oh, let us all from bondage flee, Let My people go;
And let us all in Christ be free, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let My people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let My people go;
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The Lord told Moses what to do, Let My people go;
To lead the children of Israel through, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The pillar of cloud shall clear the way, Let My people go;
A fire by night, a shade by day, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
As Israel stood by the water-side, Let My people go;
At God’s command it did divide, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
When they had reached the other shore, Let My people go;
They dang the song of triumph over, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
Oh, let us all from bondage flee, Let My people go;
And let us all in Christ be free, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
More Gonzales/U.S. Attorneys Bullshit
there is a story out this morning that Gonzales' pick for the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas has now resigned due to the unfolding quagmire that is resulting from the U.S. Attorney firings. What really gets my goat this morning has nothing to do with this resignation, but the awareness now, according to the report I read, the Senate gave up its right to approval of U.S. Attorneys as it passed the Patriot Act, giving Gonzales the power to appoint whomever he likes without congressional oversight. Whats wrong with these people? Are they idiots? What in the fucking hell are they doing other than serving some white man's bullshit. We need a total rehaul.
The Perfect Orange Party
To Celebrate Orange. I made up a list of what I would have to throw the perfect orange party.
Orange juice, fresh with plenty of pulp.
Seabreezes and mimosas.
Fresh unpeeled oranges
orange slush with rum and another with scotch
orange scones and cookies
Orange juice, fresh with plenty of pulp.
Seabreezes and mimosas.
Fresh unpeeled oranges
orange slush with rum and another with scotch
orange scones and cookies
The Battle Is The Lord's
There is no pain Jesus can't feel
No hurt He can not heal
All things work according to His perfect will
No matter what you're going through
Remember God is using You
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
There's no sadness Jesus can't feel
And there is no sorrow
that He can not heal
For all things work
according to the Master's holy will
No matter what you're going through
Remember that God is only using You
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
It's the Lord's
Yes It's the Lord's
Hold your head up high
Don't you fright
It's the Lord's
It's the Lord's
Yes It's the Lord's
No matter what
You're going through
Remember that God
Only wants to use you
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
No matter what
You happen to go through right now
Remember that in the midst of it all
God only wants to use you
No matter what you're going through
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
No matter what it is
That you're going through
Hold your head up, stick your chest out
And remember He's using you
No matter what you're going through
God is only using you
For this battle is not yours alone
This battle is not yours, no
You can not handle it all by yourself
No, no, no, no, no, no
It's not yours
This battle is not yours
It's the Lord's, not yours
This battle is not yours
The Lord is the only one who can fight it
He wants to use you as His vessel
So be open to Him
It's not yours
No It's not yours
It's the Lord's, not yours
The battle is not your's
It's the Lord's
Hallelujah
yeah!
No hurt He can not heal
All things work according to His perfect will
No matter what you're going through
Remember God is using You
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
There's no sadness Jesus can't feel
And there is no sorrow
that He can not heal
For all things work
according to the Master's holy will
No matter what you're going through
Remember that God is only using You
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
It's the Lord's
Yes It's the Lord's
Hold your head up high
Don't you fright
It's the Lord's
It's the Lord's
Yes It's the Lord's
No matter what
You're going through
Remember that God
Only wants to use you
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
No matter what
You happen to go through right now
Remember that in the midst of it all
God only wants to use you
No matter what you're going through
For the battle is not yours
It's the Lord's
No matter what it is
That you're going through
Hold your head up, stick your chest out
And remember He's using you
No matter what you're going through
God is only using you
For this battle is not yours alone
This battle is not yours, no
You can not handle it all by yourself
No, no, no, no, no, no
It's not yours
This battle is not yours
It's the Lord's, not yours
This battle is not yours
The Lord is the only one who can fight it
He wants to use you as His vessel
So be open to Him
It's not yours
No It's not yours
It's the Lord's, not yours
The battle is not your's
It's the Lord's
Hallelujah
yeah!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Time and Love
Laura Nyro/ Labelle
Winter froze the river
And winter birds don't sing
So winter makes you shiver
So time is gonna bring you spring
So he swears he'll never marry
Says that cuddles are a curse
Just tell him plain
You're on the next train
If love don't get there first
Time and love
Everybody
Time and love
Nothing cures like
Time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like
Time and love
(Nothing cures like
Time and love)
Winter froze the river
And winter birds don't sing
So winter makes you shiver
So time is gonna bring you spring
You've been running
You've been rambling
And you don't know what to do
A holly golden wager says
That love will see you through
Time and love, everybody
Time and love (Oh, time and love)
Nothing cures like time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like
Time and love
(Nothing cures like
Time and love)
Jesus wasn't angel
The mankind broke His wing
But Jesus gave His lifeline
So sacred bell could sing
Now a woman is a fighter
Gather white or African
A woman is a woman, inside
Has miracles for men at night
Time and love, everybody
Time and love (Oh, Time and love)
Nothing cures like
Time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like time and love
Nothing cures like time and love
(Love for the man if you please if you can)
Nothing cures like time and love
Love for the man
If you can, if you please...
Winter froze the river
And winter birds don't sing
So winter makes you shiver
So time is gonna bring you spring
So he swears he'll never marry
Says that cuddles are a curse
Just tell him plain
You're on the next train
If love don't get there first
Time and love
Everybody
Time and love
Nothing cures like
Time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like
Time and love
(Nothing cures like
Time and love)
Winter froze the river
And winter birds don't sing
So winter makes you shiver
So time is gonna bring you spring
You've been running
You've been rambling
And you don't know what to do
A holly golden wager says
That love will see you through
Time and love, everybody
Time and love (Oh, time and love)
Nothing cures like time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like
Time and love
(Nothing cures like
Time and love)
Jesus wasn't angel
The mankind broke His wing
But Jesus gave His lifeline
So sacred bell could sing
Now a woman is a fighter
Gather white or African
A woman is a woman, inside
Has miracles for men at night
Time and love, everybody
Time and love (Oh, Time and love)
Nothing cures like
Time and love
Don't let the devil fool you
Here comes a dove
Nothing cures like time and love
Nothing cures like time and love
(Love for the man if you please if you can)
Nothing cures like time and love
Love for the man
If you can, if you please...
The Man In The Moon Is A Lady
Mame:
Oh, Vera, I can't wait to hear that Overture,
Tell me about the show!
Vera:
Well, well, it's this terribly modern operetta about a lady astronomer,
who make a universe shaking discovery.
Chorus:
Oooooh Aaaaaaaaah...
vERA:
I have a little secret I'd like to impart.
That I hope doesn't give you too much of a start;
Tho' it's shocking, it's completely true.
I know it isn't gossip, or rumor, of course,
For I've had it from quite a reliable source
And I'd like to pass it on to you.
The man in the moon is a lady,
A lady in lipstick and curls;
The cow that jumped ovah cried,
"Jumpin' Jehovah,
I think it's just one of the girls."
She winks at the stars from her bed of green cheese,
That isn't a night-gown,
It's a Saturn chemise.
Oh, her friends are the stars and the planets,
She sends the Big Dipper a kiss;
So don't ever offend her,
Remember her gender,
The man in the moon is a miss.
Oh, Vera, I can't wait to hear that Overture,
Tell me about the show!
Vera:
Well, well, it's this terribly modern operetta about a lady astronomer,
who make a universe shaking discovery.
Chorus:
Oooooh Aaaaaaaaah...
vERA:
I have a little secret I'd like to impart.
That I hope doesn't give you too much of a start;
Tho' it's shocking, it's completely true.
I know it isn't gossip, or rumor, of course,
For I've had it from quite a reliable source
And I'd like to pass it on to you.
The man in the moon is a lady,
A lady in lipstick and curls;
The cow that jumped ovah cried,
"Jumpin' Jehovah,
I think it's just one of the girls."
She winks at the stars from her bed of green cheese,
That isn't a night-gown,
It's a Saturn chemise.
Oh, her friends are the stars and the planets,
She sends the Big Dipper a kiss;
So don't ever offend her,
Remember her gender,
The man in the moon is a miss.
NASA wants to spend $16.5 billion dollars to touch its penis...and put not only another man on the moon, but also build a permanent housing station there. The director of NASA was on NPR this morning trying to justify this initiative. He sounded like he was high. Oh NASA, caught on the right-wing bandwagon as well. DO these people think they can really control the universe?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Drinkin' Again
Nancy Wilson
Drinkin again.
Thinking of when you loved me.
Having a few.
Wishing that you were here.
Making the rounds.
Buying a round for total strangers.
Just being a fool,
cause I keep hoping, hoping, hoping youll appear.
Sure I can borrow a smoke.
I can sit here all night and tell these jokers some jokes,
But who wants to laugh, whos gonna laugh
At a broken heart?
Oh, my heart is aching, I swear its breaking.
And Im drinking again.
Thinking of when you loved me.
And Im tryin to get home
With nothing, nothing but a memory.
Yes, Im dying to get home,
Dying to get home.
And I got nothin but a bottle of beer,
And just my memory.
Drinkin again.
Thinking of when you loved me.
Having a few.
Wishing that you were here.
Making the rounds.
Buying a round for total strangers.
Just being a fool,
cause I keep hoping, hoping, hoping youll appear.
Sure I can borrow a smoke.
I can sit here all night and tell these jokers some jokes,
But who wants to laugh, whos gonna laugh
At a broken heart?
Oh, my heart is aching, I swear its breaking.
And Im drinking again.
Thinking of when you loved me.
And Im tryin to get home
With nothing, nothing but a memory.
Yes, Im dying to get home,
Dying to get home.
And I got nothin but a bottle of beer,
And just my memory.
Today I found myself doing something that I totally want to stop. I have found that I have aqcuired one of my Aunt Earnestine's nervous ticks and I tell you that is a mess. It is one that annoyed my sister to no end on one car trip from Alabama to Chicago(ha!)I swear I am not turning into my Aunt Earnestine. Recognizing that I had acquired that tick started me to thinking and becoming quite nostalgic. Oh how things change. Once I was a little boy, surrounded by tall trees which were my relatives that sheltered me from the sun. Now those trees are memories, ever present and vibrant in my mind.
I Wanna Be Loved
Nancy Wilson/ Dinah Washington
I wanna be loved with inspiration
I wanna be loved starting tonight
Instead of merely holding conversation
Hold me tight
I wanna be kissed until I tingle
I wanna be kissed starting tonight
Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle
Wrong or right
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving(be careful, be careful
what you do)I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight(love me, love me, love me)
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving
I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved
I wanna be loved with inspiration
I wanna be loved starting tonight
Instead of merely holding conversation
Hold me tight
I wanna be kissed until I tingle
I wanna be kissed starting tonight
Embrace until our heartbeats intermingle
Wrong or right
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving(be careful, be careful
what you do)I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight(love me, love me, love me)
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved
I feel like acting my age
I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving
I'm in no mood to resist
And I insist the world owes me a loving
I wanna be thrilled to desperation
I wanna be thrilled starting tonight
With every kind of wonderful sensation
I wanna be loved
How Glad I Am
Nancy Wilson
My love has no beginning, my love has no end
No front or back and my love won't bend
I'm in the middle, lost in a spin loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
My love has no bottom, my love has no top
My love won't rise and my love won't drop
I'm in the middle and I can't stop loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
I wish I were a poet so I could express
What I'd, what I'd like to say yeah
I wish I were an artist so I could paint a picture
Of how I feel, of how I feel today
My love has no walls on either side
That makes my love wider than wide
I'm in the middle and I can't hide loving you
[2x]
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
My love has no beginning, my love has no end
No front or back and my love won't bend
I'm in the middle, lost in a spin loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
My love has no bottom, my love has no top
My love won't rise and my love won't drop
I'm in the middle and I can't stop loving you
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
I wish I were a poet so I could express
What I'd, what I'd like to say yeah
I wish I were an artist so I could paint a picture
Of how I feel, of how I feel today
My love has no walls on either side
That makes my love wider than wide
I'm in the middle and I can't hide loving you
[2x]
And you don't know, you don't know
You don't know, you don't know how glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
How glad I am
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
My New Favorite Russian Tennis Player-Igor Andreev!
Igor Andreev is my favorite Russian player since Yvegeny Kafelnikov! Hooray on his victory over Andy Roddick!
Old Spiritual My Grandmother and Great Grandmother Used to Sing And I Like To Sing As Well
A little wheel a turnin'
a little fire burnin'
a little wheel a turnin' in my heart
you can't make me doubt him because I know too much about him
and I can't live without him in my heart
a little fire burnin'
a little wheel a turnin' in my heart
you can't make me doubt him because I know too much about him
and I can't live without him in my heart
Good Riddance Attention Whore
By Cindy Sheehan
I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called “Face” of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such “liberal blogs” as the Democratic Underground. Being called an “attention whore” and being told “good riddance” are some of the more milder rebukes.
I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning. These are not spur of the moment reflections, but things I have been meditating on for about a year now. The conclusions that I have slowly and very reluctantly come to are very heartbreaking to me.
The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a “tool” of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our “two-party” system?
However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the “left” started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of “right or left”, but “right and wrong.”
I am deemed a radical because I believe that partisan politics should be left to the wayside when hundreds of thousands of people are dying for a war based on lies that is supported by Democrats and Republican alike. It amazes me that people who are sharp on the issues and can zero in like a laser beam on lies, misrepresentations, and political expediency when it comes to one party refuse to recognize it in their own party. Blind party loyalty is dangerous whatever side it occurs on. People of the world look on us Americans as jokes because we allow our political leaders so much murderous latitude and if we don’t find alternatives to this corrupt “two” party system our Representative Republic will die and be replaced with what we are rapidly descending into with nary a check or balance: a fascist corporate wasteland. I am demonized because I don’t see party affiliation or nationality when I look at a person, I see that person’s heart. If someone looks, dresses, acts, talks and votes like a Republican, then why do they deserve support just because he/she calls him/herself a Democrat?
I have also reached the conclusion that if I am doing what I am doing because I am an “attention whore” then I really need to be committed. I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither. If an individual wants both, then normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others. I have spent every available cent I got from the money a “grateful” country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then. I have sacrificed a 29 year marriage and have traveled for extended periods of time away from Casey’s brother and sisters and my health has suffered and my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times.
The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives. It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most.
I have also tried to work within a peace movement that often puts personal egos above peace and human life. This group won’t work with that group; he won’t attend an event if she is going to be there; and why does Cindy Sheehan get all the attention anyway? It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.
Our brave young men and women in Iraq have been abandoned there indefinitely by their cowardly leaders who move them around like pawns on a chessboard of destruction and the people of Iraq have been doomed to death and fates worse than death by people worried more about elections than people. However, in five, ten, or fifteen years, our troops will come limping home in another abject defeat and ten or twenty years from then, our children’s children will be seeing their loved ones die for no reason, because their grandparents also bought into this corrupt system. George Bush will never be impeached because if the Democrats dig too deeply, they may unearth a few skeletons in their own graves and the system will perpetuate itself in perpetuity.
I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost. I will try to maintain and nurture some very positive relationships that I have found in the journey that I was forced into when Casey died and try to repair some of the ones that have fallen apart since I began this single-minded crusade to try and change a paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble.
Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford, Texas? I will consider any reasonable offer. I hear George Bush will be moving out soon, too…which makes the property even more valuable.
This is my resignation letter as the “face” of the American anti-war movement. This is not my “Checkers” moment, because I will never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system. This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.
Good-bye America…you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.
It’s up to you now.
I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called “Face” of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such “liberal blogs” as the Democratic Underground. Being called an “attention whore” and being told “good riddance” are some of the more milder rebukes.
I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning. These are not spur of the moment reflections, but things I have been meditating on for about a year now. The conclusions that I have slowly and very reluctantly come to are very heartbreaking to me.
The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a “tool” of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our “two-party” system?
However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the “left” started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of “right or left”, but “right and wrong.”
I am deemed a radical because I believe that partisan politics should be left to the wayside when hundreds of thousands of people are dying for a war based on lies that is supported by Democrats and Republican alike. It amazes me that people who are sharp on the issues and can zero in like a laser beam on lies, misrepresentations, and political expediency when it comes to one party refuse to recognize it in their own party. Blind party loyalty is dangerous whatever side it occurs on. People of the world look on us Americans as jokes because we allow our political leaders so much murderous latitude and if we don’t find alternatives to this corrupt “two” party system our Representative Republic will die and be replaced with what we are rapidly descending into with nary a check or balance: a fascist corporate wasteland. I am demonized because I don’t see party affiliation or nationality when I look at a person, I see that person’s heart. If someone looks, dresses, acts, talks and votes like a Republican, then why do they deserve support just because he/she calls him/herself a Democrat?
I have also reached the conclusion that if I am doing what I am doing because I am an “attention whore” then I really need to be committed. I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither. If an individual wants both, then normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others. I have spent every available cent I got from the money a “grateful” country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then. I have sacrificed a 29 year marriage and have traveled for extended periods of time away from Casey’s brother and sisters and my health has suffered and my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times.
The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives. It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most.
I have also tried to work within a peace movement that often puts personal egos above peace and human life. This group won’t work with that group; he won’t attend an event if she is going to be there; and why does Cindy Sheehan get all the attention anyway? It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.
Our brave young men and women in Iraq have been abandoned there indefinitely by their cowardly leaders who move them around like pawns on a chessboard of destruction and the people of Iraq have been doomed to death and fates worse than death by people worried more about elections than people. However, in five, ten, or fifteen years, our troops will come limping home in another abject defeat and ten or twenty years from then, our children’s children will be seeing their loved ones die for no reason, because their grandparents also bought into this corrupt system. George Bush will never be impeached because if the Democrats dig too deeply, they may unearth a few skeletons in their own graves and the system will perpetuate itself in perpetuity.
I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost. I will try to maintain and nurture some very positive relationships that I have found in the journey that I was forced into when Casey died and try to repair some of the ones that have fallen apart since I began this single-minded crusade to try and change a paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble.
Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford, Texas? I will consider any reasonable offer. I hear George Bush will be moving out soon, too…which makes the property even more valuable.
This is my resignation letter as the “face” of the American anti-war movement. This is not my “Checkers” moment, because I will never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system. This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.
Good-bye America…you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.
It’s up to you now.
Cindy Sheehan Quote From "Good Riddance Attention Whore"
"It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years, and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most."
Whats Wrong WIth Cindy Sheehan?
Sheehan has announced that she is leaving the peace movement, fed up and tired. She shouldn't let these people bother her. This country, and these people, are going to hell if they don't change their ways. What she should do is castrate that motherfucker in the white house. I believe everything is going to work its way out in time. The world is looking brighter every day, despite the bullshit that keeps piling up. Keep trucking Cindy! Don't give up!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memories From My Childhood
My Aunt Johnnie and her Ella Jenkins records. We used to listen to them all the time in her class and I still remember all the songs.
This From Barbra's Website
Joan Baez Ban at Walter Reed
Just days before Joan Baez was scheduled to perform at Walter Reed Hospital for recovering soldiers, she was told she was "not approved" by the army to take part in the program. Over the long span of her career, Joan Baez has been an outspoken advocate for peace, an activist and a concerned patriot of our country. She strongly believes in the theory of non-violence and she spoke out against the war in Iraq, like millions of others in this country and around the world.
Does freedom of speech and thought exist in the United States anymore? Or does everyone who disagrees with this administration and their policies get the ax?
These are just a few of the fallen men and women that quit, were fired or forced to retire from their positions in the Bush Administration due to the fact that they were critical of the failed policies, poor decision-making or false information that we have endured from our current president and his cronies.
Richard Clark, Fmr. Chief Adviser on Terrorism (quit)
Paul O'Neil, Fmr. Secretary of the Treasury (fired)
Lawrence Lindsey, Bush's Top Economic Advisor (fired)
Anthony Zinni, Special envoy to the Middle East (failed to be reappointed)
General Eric Shinseki, US Army's Chief of Staff (forced to retire)
Joanne Wilson, Commissioner of the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) (quit)
Teresa Chambers, U.S. Park Police Chief (fired)
Andrew Eller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fired)
Eric Schaeffer, Director of the Office of Regulatory Enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency (resigned)
Just days before Joan Baez was scheduled to perform at Walter Reed Hospital for recovering soldiers, she was told she was "not approved" by the army to take part in the program. Over the long span of her career, Joan Baez has been an outspoken advocate for peace, an activist and a concerned patriot of our country. She strongly believes in the theory of non-violence and she spoke out against the war in Iraq, like millions of others in this country and around the world.
Does freedom of speech and thought exist in the United States anymore? Or does everyone who disagrees with this administration and their policies get the ax?
These are just a few of the fallen men and women that quit, were fired or forced to retire from their positions in the Bush Administration due to the fact that they were critical of the failed policies, poor decision-making or false information that we have endured from our current president and his cronies.
Richard Clark, Fmr. Chief Adviser on Terrorism (quit)
Paul O'Neil, Fmr. Secretary of the Treasury (fired)
Lawrence Lindsey, Bush's Top Economic Advisor (fired)
Anthony Zinni, Special envoy to the Middle East (failed to be reappointed)
General Eric Shinseki, US Army's Chief of Staff (forced to retire)
Joanne Wilson, Commissioner of the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) (quit)
Teresa Chambers, U.S. Park Police Chief (fired)
Andrew Eller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fired)
Eric Schaeffer, Director of the Office of Regulatory Enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency (resigned)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Saturday Seven: Best Female Jazz Vocalists
This post is inspired by Palm Springs Savant's pick of his top seven female vocalists, stemming from the jazz era of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. His list was quite well crafted and included some great choices and even some surprise ones. Here are my choices for the top seven. The first one is clearly defined. I do not rank the other six.
1. Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald hands down must be declared to be the greatest jazz vocalist to have ever lived. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," the title fits as Ella, like no other, could twirl a song around her finger and lure every listener into whatever web she chose to spin. She was truly the Goddess of her craft. No one compares to Ella when it comes to song.
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington's short and troubled life gave the world some some of the best jazz styling it has ever witnessed. Her stirring and soulful voice packed a punch with such classics as What a Difference a Day Makes and This Bitter Earth. Her music has stood as the finest jazz recordings over the expanse of decades from the 50s to the present. Her short career,which spanned the 40s, 50s and 60s,made a great impact on the world of music.
Sarah Vaughn
Sarah Vaughn's deep, flavorful voice catapulted her to fame at an early age in the 1940s and spawned a career that lasted until her death in 1990. Her rich voice, her incredible ability to scat, and her unique vocal phrasing all made Sarah Vaughn a legend. Her hits include her rendition of "Black Coffee," "Tenderly," "I'm Crazy to Love You," and "I Love The Guy."
Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson is one of the most powerful singers around and definitely one of my favorites. Nancy's sharp, edgy voice put the rub on such songs as "Lush Life," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Very Thought of You," and "Miss Otis Regrets." Perhaps her signature song, the one she has said is her most requested, is her stylizing of the incredibly charged classic "Guess Who I Saw Today." Nancy Wilson's career has been one with incredible gusto. For a large part of the 60s, Nancy Wilson was the best selling recording artist on the Capitol Record Label, selling more records than even the Beatles(who were on the same label). The album of hers that I adore more than the rest and that I want to get my hands on is the 1967 LP, Just for Now. The song, "Just For Now," is also incredible. Nancy Wilson is a Grammy-Award winning artist. She is the host of the show Jazz Profiles on NPR.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone is a Goddess. No more need be said. Born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North Carolina in 1933, Simone was a child prodigy on the piano. With community support behind her, she made her way to Julliard where she trained to be the first classically trained Black pianist. When funds ran out, and having been rejected from the Curtis School of Music because of her color, she began playing standard tunes in jazz clubs in New Jersey and New York. Her first, massive hit, "I Loves You Porgy," was released on the Bethlehem Label in the mid-50s. Becomind a darling of the music halls and the supper clubs, Nina Simone became a fiery, truth-telling priestess as she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. On close terms with such figures as Malolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Loraine Hansberry and marching with Martin Luther King and others throughout the South, Nina became the voice of the movement. Her 1969 classic Top Ten R&B hit, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," became an anthem for Black America. Nina is definitely one of the greatest jazz musicians to have ever walked the face of the earth, despite her refusing the label of a jazz artist all of her life. Her smoky, classic rendition of Screaming Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You," is one of the best recordings to come out of the 1950s. Other jazz flavored tunes such as "WIld is the Wind," and her rendition of Billie Holiday's classic "Don't Explain," are among the best jazz recordings ever and define her as one of the best jazz stylists of her era.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is one of the greatest singers of all time. Her legacy has lived on 60 years after her death and she continues to win fans and inspire artists. She rivals Ella as number one on this list, and certainly takes her place as The Empress of Jazz. With such soul stirring classics as "Good Morning Heartache," "God Bless The Child," and such delicious hits as "Speak Low," Billie will live on for centuries to come.
Shirley Horn
Shirley Horn was one of the most soulful jazz artists in the world. A pianist and a singer, her voice was unique and distinctly flavored the songs she sang. Her incredible career lasted for forty years. She could frequently be heard on NPR.
If this list could be ten
Etta James, Peggy Lee, and Rosemary Clooney would make the list.
1. Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald hands down must be declared to be the greatest jazz vocalist to have ever lived. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," the title fits as Ella, like no other, could twirl a song around her finger and lure every listener into whatever web she chose to spin. She was truly the Goddess of her craft. No one compares to Ella when it comes to song.
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington's short and troubled life gave the world some some of the best jazz styling it has ever witnessed. Her stirring and soulful voice packed a punch with such classics as What a Difference a Day Makes and This Bitter Earth. Her music has stood as the finest jazz recordings over the expanse of decades from the 50s to the present. Her short career,which spanned the 40s, 50s and 60s,made a great impact on the world of music.
Sarah Vaughn
Sarah Vaughn's deep, flavorful voice catapulted her to fame at an early age in the 1940s and spawned a career that lasted until her death in 1990. Her rich voice, her incredible ability to scat, and her unique vocal phrasing all made Sarah Vaughn a legend. Her hits include her rendition of "Black Coffee," "Tenderly," "I'm Crazy to Love You," and "I Love The Guy."
Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson is one of the most powerful singers around and definitely one of my favorites. Nancy's sharp, edgy voice put the rub on such songs as "Lush Life," "Willow Weep for Me," "The Very Thought of You," and "Miss Otis Regrets." Perhaps her signature song, the one she has said is her most requested, is her stylizing of the incredibly charged classic "Guess Who I Saw Today." Nancy Wilson's career has been one with incredible gusto. For a large part of the 60s, Nancy Wilson was the best selling recording artist on the Capitol Record Label, selling more records than even the Beatles(who were on the same label). The album of hers that I adore more than the rest and that I want to get my hands on is the 1967 LP, Just for Now. The song, "Just For Now," is also incredible. Nancy Wilson is a Grammy-Award winning artist. She is the host of the show Jazz Profiles on NPR.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone is a Goddess. No more need be said. Born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North Carolina in 1933, Simone was a child prodigy on the piano. With community support behind her, she made her way to Julliard where she trained to be the first classically trained Black pianist. When funds ran out, and having been rejected from the Curtis School of Music because of her color, she began playing standard tunes in jazz clubs in New Jersey and New York. Her first, massive hit, "I Loves You Porgy," was released on the Bethlehem Label in the mid-50s. Becomind a darling of the music halls and the supper clubs, Nina Simone became a fiery, truth-telling priestess as she became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. On close terms with such figures as Malolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Loraine Hansberry and marching with Martin Luther King and others throughout the South, Nina became the voice of the movement. Her 1969 classic Top Ten R&B hit, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," became an anthem for Black America. Nina is definitely one of the greatest jazz musicians to have ever walked the face of the earth, despite her refusing the label of a jazz artist all of her life. Her smoky, classic rendition of Screaming Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You," is one of the best recordings to come out of the 1950s. Other jazz flavored tunes such as "WIld is the Wind," and her rendition of Billie Holiday's classic "Don't Explain," are among the best jazz recordings ever and define her as one of the best jazz stylists of her era.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is one of the greatest singers of all time. Her legacy has lived on 60 years after her death and she continues to win fans and inspire artists. She rivals Ella as number one on this list, and certainly takes her place as The Empress of Jazz. With such soul stirring classics as "Good Morning Heartache," "God Bless The Child," and such delicious hits as "Speak Low," Billie will live on for centuries to come.
Shirley Horn
Shirley Horn was one of the most soulful jazz artists in the world. A pianist and a singer, her voice was unique and distinctly flavored the songs she sang. Her incredible career lasted for forty years. She could frequently be heard on NPR.
If this list could be ten
Etta James, Peggy Lee, and Rosemary Clooney would make the list.
Romanian Film Concerning Abortion Wins The Palme D'Or
The film, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, by Romanian filmmaker, Cristian Mungiu depicts a woman's struggle to secure an abortion in Romania. He accepted the award from legendary actress, feminist, and social activist, Jane Fonda.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Anyone Can Whistle
Stephone Sondheim
Anyone can whistle,
That's what they say-
Easy.
Anyone can whistle
Any old day-
Easy.
It's all so simple:
Relax, let go, let fly.
So someone tell me why
Can't I?
I can dance a tango,
I can read Greek-
Easy.
I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me.
I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me
Anyone can whistle,
That's what they say-
Easy.
Anyone can whistle
Any old day-
Easy.
It's all so simple:
Relax, let go, let fly.
So someone tell me why
Can't I?
I can dance a tango,
I can read Greek-
Easy.
I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me.
I can slay a dragon
Any old week-
Easy.
What's hard is simple.
What's natural comes hard.
Maybe you could show me
How to let go,
Lower my guard,
Learn to be free.
Maybe if you whistle,
Whistle for me
Abolishing Whiteness
I think a huge step that could and should be taken in this country in terms of forming an egalitarian and humanity-based society would be to abolish whiteness in all of its past glory. Those who know and identify themselves as white in this country should cease to go so and identify themselves as either "German-American" or "Scot-Irish" or "Irish-American" or even "American"(which in more ways than one is already synonymous with white). Redefine what you are and abolish the hierarchy and the evil legacy that was created by those pasty, evil white men long ago.
American Bullying of Iran
The United States is antagonizing Iran. I have heard countless "reports" and stories on NPR, CNN, and other news programs. A question to ask is, what is this money that the United States is using to fund a coup of the Iranian government? Should this government be concerned with trying to stage coups at this point in time, or at any time? What this reminds me of, somewhat, is what Antonia Fraser called Henry VIII's "Rough Wooing" of Scotland. Its repeated advances into Scottish territory, trying to stir the Scottish lords against James V and his mother, and pestering the Scots at whatever turn he could get. The United States is on a fatal course.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Orange Party
Since I love orange juice so much, I came up with the idea of an Orange party...to celebrate orange.
Peace Begins with One Person
This is a beautiful essay by a lady named Ivory Harlow on what she believes is fundamental to peace. Very inspirational.I encourage everyone to read.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
U.S. Attorney Firings
It seems to me that Karl Rove and George Bush were out to make the Justice Department their own little Reichstag. Removing people to replace with their pawns? Playing politics with the justice system? Hmm. Impeach these people.
Monica Gooding Before Congress
I saw some of Monica Gooding's testimony before Congress this morning. I am defintiely interestd in hearing all that she has to say.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Keep On Movin'
Now, I have always loved Soul II Soul. I love TLC too, but Soul II Soul more.
Soul II Soul
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
Click clock
find your own way to stay
The time will come one day.
Why do people choose to live their live this way?
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving
Keep on moving
keep on moving
don't stop
no
Keep on moving.
It's our time
time today
the right time is here to stay
Stay in my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
I hide myself from no one
I know the time will surely come when -
You'll be in my life
my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
Click clock
fing your own way to stay
the time will come one day.
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving
...
I know the time
time today
walking alone in my own way
Extremely cold and rainy day
friends and I have fun along the way
Yes
we do! I hide myself from no one
I know the time will really come when -
You'll be in my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
...
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving.
Soul II Soul
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
Click clock
find your own way to stay
The time will come one day.
Why do people choose to live their live this way?
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving
Keep on moving
keep on moving
don't stop
no
Keep on moving.
It's our time
time today
the right time is here to stay
Stay in my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
I hide myself from no one
I know the time will surely come when -
You'll be in my life
my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
Click clock
fing your own way to stay
the time will come one day.
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving
...
I know the time
time today
walking alone in my own way
Extremely cold and rainy day
friends and I have fun along the way
Yes
we do! I hide myself from no one
I know the time will really come when -
You'll be in my life
my life always
yellow is the colour of sunrays.
Keep on moving
don't stop like the hands of time
...
Keep on moving
don't stop
no
keep on moving.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Concrete Steps to Confront Racism
Today there was a letter to the editor in the Exponent(which I by chance happened to pick up) concerning racism and the sparse representation of Blacks at Purdue. I have had this conversation many times over and at one point I came up with a list of some things that we might do in terms of tackling the problem of racism and the lack of a true spirit of diversity at Purdue(we will see what happens with the new president- a woman of color). In my response to someone else, this is what I came up with:
In regards to what we can do concretely, I think we need to firstly remain firm in challenging and confronting racism where we find it. In terms of specific actions however, I think
1. We should write articles about our thoughts and feelings concerning racism at Purdue and submit them to publications that would be sympathetic to our cause(not the journal and courier or the exponent--I mean ebony, essence, Chronicle of Higher education, The Black Scholar,etc....)
2. Write Letters about our observations concerning Purdue's falsity in its appearance as diverse(little representation of indigenous minority ethnic groups--where are the native americans?)
3. Urge student groups on this campus(take your pick--POLE, which ever ones) to take up the issue of racism and the racist atmosphere on this campus.
4. VOCALIZE it to death
5. Establish contacts with civil rights organizations and other black student and community groups around the country and especially at other universities.
6. Establish a body here at Purdue where Black students--and for tha matter other students of color can voice concerns and report racist incidents and develop a group to keep track of it and investigate and advocate if neccesary.
Also, study the history of this place and the racial legacy that is left here.
In regards to what we can do concretely, I think we need to firstly remain firm in challenging and confronting racism where we find it. In terms of specific actions however, I think
1. We should write articles about our thoughts and feelings concerning racism at Purdue and submit them to publications that would be sympathetic to our cause(not the journal and courier or the exponent--I mean ebony, essence, Chronicle of Higher education, The Black Scholar,etc....)
2. Write Letters about our observations concerning Purdue's falsity in its appearance as diverse(little representation of indigenous minority ethnic groups--where are the native americans?)
3. Urge student groups on this campus(take your pick--POLE, which ever ones) to take up the issue of racism and the racist atmosphere on this campus.
4. VOCALIZE it to death
5. Establish contacts with civil rights organizations and other black student and community groups around the country and especially at other universities.
6. Establish a body here at Purdue where Black students--and for tha matter other students of color can voice concerns and report racist incidents and develop a group to keep track of it and investigate and advocate if neccesary.
Also, study the history of this place and the racial legacy that is left here.
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