Martin Luther King's last speech was entitled "Why America May Go To Hell." I would like to read it.

God Bless the truckers! We must support their strike!

Fire District Attorney, Reed Walters, in Jena, Louisiana

I think everyone across the country should call in to the office of the Governor of Louisiana and demand the job of Jena District attorney Reed Walters. You can contact the governor's office at


Office of the Governor
Attn: Constituent Services
P.O. Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004 Facsimile: 225-342-7099 E-mail the Governor

Call
866-366-1121
225-342-0991
225-342-7015

To reach the courthouse in Jena, Louisiana call
1050 Courthouse St, Jena - (318) 992-2158 or (318)992-8282

Demand that District Attorney Reed Walters loose his job over the case of the Jena 6. "With just a stroke of my pen, I can make your lives end."-D.A. Reed Walters to 6 Black Students in Jena, Louisiana.

Nina Simone: Why?(Is the King of Love Dead)

I believe we must try the entire Bush administration before the World Court in the Hague.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Vietnam Speech

Walmart Vs. The Shank Family

Walmart, in its rugged capitalism, according to a report that I saw on Democracy Now, has decided to drop the lawsuit filed against a brain-damaged and permanently disabled former employee. The entire thing is an outrage.

The Case of Sean Bell

Justice must be served in the trial of the murderers of Sean Bell. I hope that the people of New York hold the entire judicial system--political system of New York's feet to the fire and if they do not see justice in the death of this poor young man-let all hell break loose.

Barak Obama

Hillary Clinton seems to have lost her mind. What is this bowling bullshit?

Nina Simone

Don't Smoke in Bed

I left a note on his dresser
my old wedding ring
With these few goodbye words
How can I sing
Goodbye old sleepy head
I'm packing you in like I said

Take care of everything
I'm leaving my wedding ring
Don't look for me
I'll get ahead
Remember darling
Don't smoke in bed

Don't look for me
I'll get ahead
Remember darling
Don't smoke in bed

There is this beautiful black boy that I see everyday. He is gorgeous. There are actually a couple of them....

Thats All

Dorothy Dandridge

I can only give you love that lasts forever,
And a promise to be near each time you call.
And the only heart I own
For you and you alone
That's all,
That's all...

I can only give you country walks in springtime
And a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall;
And a love whose burning light
Will warm the winter's night
That's all,
That's all.

There are those I am sure who have told you,
They would give you the world for a toy.
All I have are these arms to enfold you,
And a love even time can't destroy.

If you're wondering what I'm asking in return, dear,
You'll be glad to know that my demands are small.
Say it's me that you'll adore,
For now and evermore
That's all,
That's all.

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Everything that wonderful man said was the truth. "Speak the Truth so you can be free."- Mahalia Jackson

Xica-Jorge Ben

Interview with Alex Van Schaick, Part I

Recently, I had the opportunity to correspond with the Fulbright student, Alex Van Schaick, who was in the news recently after he was approached by a representative of the U.S. embassy in Bolivia to spy on Venezuelans and Cubans there present in Bolivia on behalf of the United States government. Alex has appeared on Democracy Now and other news programs discussing his story. He agreed to conducting an interview via email with me. The following is what conspired.


1. What inspired you to become a Fulbright Scholar?

Alex: The Fulbright program represents an excellent opportunity for US students and scholars to live abroad and pursue their own research interests. As long as you have an undergraduate degree you can qualify for the program, whether or not you are in a Masters or PHD program. The program also isn’t too structured, so basically you get to follow your own research plan with little outside interference. In my case, I had done my undergraduate thesis on Bolivia, and I wanted to have an opportunity to get some on the ground research experience. Also, having the chance to live here for 10 months was a big draw.

2. Did you ever have an interest in the political movements in Latin America? What are your thoughts on Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian movement he is leading in Latin America?

Alex: Well, I’ve followed the developments in Venezuela relatively closely over the last few years. I think its positive that the majority of poor and working Venezuelans have an elected politician who seems to be making some positive changes on their behalf. I think they have made some strides in encouraging popular participation, creating workers’ cooperatives, and funnelling more money into social programs, for instance. Of course there are valid concerns one can have with Chavez’s personalistic style as well as corruption in the state bureaucracy, from what I have heard. I hope the loss in the recent constitutional referendum will give their movement a chance to do some self-reflection and renewal.

As for the influence of Bolivarianism in Bolivia, I don’t think there is too much influence on an ideological level. One of the major errors I think many reporters and commentators make, both in Bolivia and abroad, is in equating Evo Morales as a pawn or ideologue of Chavez. The situation here in Bolivia is a lot different, where the Morales government is held a lot more accountable to their bases than Chavez in Venezuela.

3. Explain what you were asked to do by the official at the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia.

Alex: Immediately upon arriving in Bolivia in late October with my Fulbright, I set up a date for my orientation with the Fulbright program director in Bolivia, Diego Ballivian, who works from the Cultural Affairs section of the US Embassy. I also was to receive a security briefing.

On November 5, 2007, I went in to do my orientation. I chatted with Diego for a bit in his office about my research, my academic future, and some precautions on living in Bolivia. Then he introduced me to someone from the Cultural Affairs office, a woman who advised me that the US’s relations with the Bolivian government are “sensitive” at the moment; “the smallest things can cause problems that we don't anticipate.” She and Diego warned me to be careful and not to "mess around in politics."

Diego then took me to a security floor for briefing by Vincent Cooper, who I now know was an assistant Regional Security Officer. He told me that the embassy had started doing security briefings for Fulbright scholars, even though we aren’t government employees, to keep us “under their wing” and “look out for us.” He said he was giving me a scaled down version of the briefing routinely given to US government employees. He reviewed a list of predictable, if unrealistic tips, including take radio taxis, don't use public transportation, and live in “safe” (expensive) neighborhoods. He also described the US Embassy Police, which is actually a sector of the Bolivian national police paid by the U.S. Embassy. This special unit receives better equipment, better training than their Bolivian counterparts, and develops loyalty to the U.S. In La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba members of this special section are always on call to assist US citizens. He told me to trust them if I needed any kind of help.

The crucial part was that Cooper also told me: "Alex, when you are out in the field, if you should encounter any Venezuelans or Cubans, field workers or doctors, we would like you to report their names and locations to the US Embassy." We "know that the they are out there," and we "want to keep tabs on them." I was stunned, and sat silently as he finished.

4. What went through your mind when you were asked to spy for the government?

Alex: Yeah, I don’t know if what they asked me would be considered in a strict sense spying, but certainly when he asked me to report political intelligence concerning foreign nationals working in Bolivia I felt like I was being asked to spy. Well at first I was shocked, because obviously I never expected as a Fulbright student to be asked something like that. I felt indignant at the arrogance that would allow someone to think that I would casually report political intelligence to the embassy. I also knew that it was clearly a violation of Bolivia’s sovereignty, the Fulbright program’s mission, as well as my personal code of ethics. So immediately after the incident I wrote down the relevant part of our conversation and began thinking about how I could make sure this never happened again. In the course of trying to find out more information about the situation, I learned that a similar thing had happened earlier with the Peace Corps.

So there are three reasons I eventually decided to go public. First and foremost, I believe national sovereignty should be respected. I think on a certain level it’s the right of the Bolivian people to know if the US embassy is asking people to spy on foreign nationals in their country.

Second, I thought that in order to really make a change I had to denounce this publicly – only with the scrutiny from the press and public would the Embassy be forced to act. I feel like the details of the situation that came out with the original exposé on ABCnews.com really justify my position. In June or July 2007, Vincent Cooper told a group of 30 new Peace Corps volunteers during a security briefing that they should report information they come across on Cubans working in Bolivia. In what seems to me to be a really positive act, the Peace Corps administrators apparently stopped the briefing and told the volunteers not to comply with Coopers request because it was inappropriate. They proceeded to use the “appropriate channels” to complain about the problem: they emailed the US Embassy to tell them that this was really not OK to ask Volunteers to report political intelligence. The embassy’s response was, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Oh, sorry. This is an error. It won’t happen again. We will discipline the officer involved.” Sound good, but four months later the same officer Vincent Cooper make virtually the same request of me, except this time including Venezuelans. For me, that means that the US Embassy was not taking this seriously.

Lastly, I feel like a strong statement needed to be made that you cannot improve mutual relations between the people of the USA and other countries, which is one of the missions of the Fulbright program, if you are being asked to spy. I felt like I needed to say publicly that that’s not what the Fulbright program is about or should be about.

5. Do you think the Bush administration has overstepped its bounds in its use of activities like wiretapping, torture, the abuses carried out at Guantanamo, and extraordinary rendition?

Alex: Short answer, yes.

6. What do you think the legacy of the Bush administration will be?

Alex: Besides what you just mentioned in the previous question, overwhelming arrogance. Now from a historical perspective one can make the argument that US foreign policy has been arrogant more often than not – I would tend to agree. But the Bush Administration really has pushed this to its logical extreme. The War in Iraq is the most obvious case and point, where the publicly stated “motive” for going to war has changed from saving the US from imminent nuclear attack, to “fighting the terrorists abroad so we wont have to fight them at home,” to “toppling a dictator” and implementing democracy. Of course we now know that Iraq had no nuclear weapons program, that there was no conspiracy between Saddam’s government and Al-Qaida, etc. We also know that the Bush Administration didn’t believe their own publicly stated reasons for going to war, but were just cynically manipulating public opinion. So in the Anti-war movement, which I was participating in a very modest way at the time, we staged the biggest day of protest in world history across dozens of countries. I feel like especially outside the United States, there was a pretty clear consensus that the US should not invade Iraq, both among people and among governments, that it was unjust, problematic, and being waged for unspoken political and economic reasons. Did this give Bush a moment of pause? Absolutely not. There are of course a million more examples of the current Administration’s arrogance that one could give both domestically and in terms of foreign policy.

7. What do you feel is an accurate assessment of where the U.S. is today -culturally, politically, economically?

Alex: I hope that the American people will take the initiative to change the future of our country, our environment, and our world. And that goes way beyond the ballot box. Beyond saying that, I’ll plead the fifth.

8. What do you think should be done to improve this country's position in the world and to improve the bleak economic outlook of the U.S.?

Alex: Well I think we need a humble foreign policy and changes that reorient our economy to benefit the people who make it run, not just the CEOs and shareholders. But I don’t feel like that’s going to come from above, like manna from heaven (or the White House). If there is one thing that my experience in Bolivia has reinforced for me, is that only after we have built powerful community, political, environmental, and economic grassroots organizations will we see serious positive changes in the USA. If we elect a democrat this year, running on the platform of reversing the harm the Bush Administration has done, who will keep them accountable once they are in office?

I’d definitively say that in my opinion neither Hillary Clinton nor Barak Obama are really going to make much of a change in Washington or in terms of economic policy. I don’t see either of them really taking on the corporate interests that dominate our political sphere. Regarding foreign policy, they might make nice with more countries than Bush did. But they still believe that protecting “American interests” abroad can justify anything. I reject that. I believe most foreign interventions justified in this fashion really only benefit the interests of small segments of US society. I would propose the same humble foreign policy that Senator William Fulbright, founder of the Fulbright program, proposed in his 1966 speech entitled “the Arrogance of Power.” Here is an excerpt:

“The attitude above all others which I feel sure is no longer valid is the arrogance of power, the tendency of great nations to equate power with virtue and major responsibilities with a universal mission. The dilemmas involved are preeminently American dilemmas, not because America has weaknesses that others do not have but because America is powerful as no nation has ever been before and the discrepancy between its power and the power of others appears to be increasing.
***
There are many respects in which America, if it can bring itself to act with the magnanimity and the empathy appropriate to its size and power, can be an intelligent example to the world. We have the opportunity to set an example of generous understanding in our relations with China, of practical cooperation for peace in our relations with Russia, of reliable and respectful partnership in our relations with Western Europe, of material helpfulness without moral presumption in our relations with the develop ing nations, of abstention from the temptations of hegemony in our relations with Latin America, and of the all- around advantages of minding one's own business in our relations with everybody. Most of all, we have the opportunity to serve as an example of democracy to the world by the way in which we run our own society; America, in the words of John Quincy Adams, should be "the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all" but "the champion and vindicator only of her own.”

9. Have you experienced any backlash for speaking out about the incident with the U.S. embassy official?

Alex: No. I’m sure the US embassy isn’t pleased that I went public with the information, they have said as much in public statements, but beyond that they haven’t said anything to me. No one else has bothered me either, except for the press the first week it all came out.

10. How has this experience affected you? Has this changed you in any way?

Alex: Luckily, it seems like this wont effect my research. In terms of the incident itself, I was certainly surprised to be asked something like that in my capacity as a Fulbright scholar although not surprised to learn that things like this are going on.

My Gut Feeling

I believe that those powers that be that are backing John McCain are pushing him into the presidency so that he can wage war with Iran. They should be castrated so they can relearn their humanity.

In Honor of the Economy

I present "Happy Days Are Here Again" in the spirit in which Barbra originally sang it, mournful, as a lament.

So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So lets sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Altogether shout it now
Theres no one
Who can doubt it now
So lets tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again

Your cares and troubles are gone
Therell be no more from now on
From now on...

Happy days are here again
The skies above are here again
So, lets sing a song of cheer again
Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!

A Good Article on Geraldine Ferraro and Her Comments

I have taught August Wilson's Fences. I don't think I will again if I can help it. I realize it now for the patriarchal bullshit it is.

Borrowing From Chella

The Weakness
by Toi Derricotte

That time my grandmother dragged me

through the perfume aisles at Saks, she held me up

by my arm, hissing, "Stand up,"

through clenched teeth, her eyes

bright as a dog's

cornered in the light.

She said it over and over,

as if she were Jesus,

and I were dead. She had been

solid as a tree,

a fur around her neck, a

light-skinned matron whose car was parked, who walked

on swirling

marble and passed through

brass openings--in 1945.

There was not even a black

elevator operator at Saks.

The saleswoman had brought velvet

leggings to lace me in, and cooed,

as if in service of all grandmothers.

My grandmother had smiled, but not

hungrily, not like my mother

who hated them, but wanted to please,

and they had smiled back, as if

they were wearing wooden collars.

When my legs gave out, my grandmother

dragged me up and held me like God

holds saints by the

roots of the hair. I begged her

to believe I couldn't help it. Stumbling,

her face white

with sweat, she pushed me through the crowd, rushing

away from those eyes

that saw through

her clothes, under

her skin, all the way down

to the transparent

genes confessing.



From Captivity by Toi Derricotte, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Copyright © 1989 Toi Derricotte. From the online Academy of American Poets.

This Must Stop!

According to A La Gauche, police in Charlotte, North Carolina have killed a 17 year old Black boy by using a taser as they tackled him in the grocery store where he worked. I hope someone has filed a lawsuit. People must demand community accountability for all police precincts and demand the creation of community review boards across this country.

Love is Yoo-Chrisette Michele

Be Ok-Lyrics

Chrisette Michele

Imma take my lexus to the mall
Get a little black dress just because
Me and my boo just broke it off
Imma be fly although hes gone
And i dont really care bout who he's with
Imma get mine and he'll get his
Even though i was in love with him,
I really hope the best for them

Every sentimental and my crying sacrimental
Tell me what i cant get into
I cant lose my mind
Think its time for me to let go
Cause my heart cant take it no more
You were all i lived for but i'll leave you behind

Imma be ok
Imma be ok
I'll survive, i'll be fine, i wont cry no way
Imma be ok
Imma be ok
Dont you talk, i'll move on, baby walk away

Imma keep my head up, hold it high
Really did my best i know you tried
Even though it hurts i will survive
I'll wipe my eyes, i'll stay alive
Take a deep breath and count to 10
Today's a new day i'll start again,
Imma find myself so deep within
Imma survivor i will win

Every sentimental and my crying sacrimental
Tell me what i cant get into
I cant lose my mind
Think its time for me to let go
Cause my heart cant take it no more
You were all i lived for but i'll leave you behind

Imma be ok
Imma be ok
I'll survive, i'll be fine, i wont cry no way
Imma be ok
Imma be ok
Dont you talk, i'll move on, baby walk away

Chrisette Michele- Be Ok

Troy Anthony Davis

Please call the Georgia governor's office and demand clemency for Troy Anthony Davis. End the death penalty.

A Very Happy Birthday to Marian MacPartland

The Power Structure is Rankling With Radical Leftists

In a most disturbing recent trend, the 1970s member of the radical group SLA, Sarah Olson, was at first released and then re-imprisoned, with rankling and the cry of an "error" from the so-called powers that be. This follows a disturbing trend in which former members of the Black Panther Party and other organizations have been harrassed by police agencies around the country. We should be ever vigilant to keep fascism at bay and make sure these people dont over-step their boundaries as public servants.

I LOVE the show In Treatment! I have become hooked. Incidentally, I accidentally caught it on HBO after Barbara Walters mentioned it on The View.

Today, while I was at home, I saw the fabulous Kathy Griffin on Bravo and listened to her spiel about Barbra Streisand and Oprah--Hilarious! I also saw Whoopi--who was beyond great!

Obama On Race: Simply Beautiful

Barack Obama Is a Brilliant and Beautiful Man

And he will make a great president!

Winter Soldier 2008

Interesting Article on Ferraro From The Chicago Sun-Times

Torture and Democracy on Democracy Now

I adamantly beleive America's use of torture will hurt the U.S. more than it will hurt any so-called terrorists.

Martina Navritilova Defects From the U.S.

And She leaves saying that life under Communist rule would have been favourable to George Bush.

To Bush: No War With Iran

We must stand adamantly against any machinations on the part of George Bush the evil against Iran. Tell him to go to hell.

Geraldine Ferraro Should Be Ashamed

Geraldine Ferraro should be ashamed and should publicly apologize about the comments she made concerning Barak Obama and his candidacy. Also, when did Greeks and Italians get to be white? A more important question, however. How many of Clinton's supporters, including Geraldine Ferraro, supported Shirley Chisolm in her bid for the presidency? I think that is an issue that should be given a long and hard look.

The U.S., Technology, and Dominance

I have been thinking recently about the idea that those who possess a technological advantage usually have dominance in the world. This is an interesting concept as the United States, which has long been at the helm of the world technologically and in other areas, now seems to be slipping. In relation to the current oil crisis, it seems one of the most blatant examples of the U.S.'s loss of dominance is in this arena. Many months ago, there was a lot of talk about Brazil's successful transfer to an energy system based on sugarcane instead of oil. The United States doesn't have this kind of technology. If Brazil is outdoing the U.S., there is a major slippage on the part of the U.S.

Kirk Franklin is a beautiful man.

Nancy Wilson Endorses Barack Obama!

Nancy's statement in support of Barack Obama

"I have always chosen to sing only those songs that speak to me, that resonate with my life and feelings. I am proud to support Barack Obama because he stays true to his core, and stands up for what he knows is right. As a Spokesperson for the National Minority AIDS Council, I work hard to raise AIDS awareness in the African-American communities, and deeply appreciate that Barack talks honestly with our community on this and other issues. I believe Barack can bring our nation together and realize the true promise of America, and that vision, that hope, speaks powerfully to me." - Nancy Wilson

It's finally here!

Racism in the Clinton Camp

Hillary should be very careful not to let racism become the rallying cry of her campaign. I think its nice that she is now thinking about taking the VP position on an Obama ticket.

Eliot Spitzer

Why is prostitution still illegal in this country?

Cheryl Underwood on The View

You know, this morning on the TJMS, Cheryl asked Tom and Cybil to pray for her because she was going on The View and she didn't want to go off on anybody and keep from embarrasing herself or anyone else. When Elizabeth Hasselback broke into her diatribe about the Black church and the Black family agenda at first I was simply smug with a "white girl talking" kind of attitude. Then I remembered Cheryl Underwood was going to be on the show and then I got scared, especially after Elizabeth started talking about Obama and I started to pray, "Lord, please save Elizabeth Hassleback and don't let Cheryl Underwood snap her in half...."

Racism....CondescensionHillary/Bill's Newest Strategy

After Obama's Wyoming win, Hillary has adapted yet a new tactic for playing her skillful political hand. I think that she should be careful not to let racism seep into her campaign, especially in the form of paternalism and condescension.

Congrats to Christian on his Project Runway win!

What I Have Learned

The Spirit lives in each of us. I used to think that everything was political--that there was little that wasn't outside of the realm of manipulation. I now see that everything is NOT political. Everything is spiritual. Everything has a spirit and now I must recognize the spirit in each and everything.

I'm Going to Say This in the Nicest Way I Can

I'm going to say this in the nicest way I can. Raven Simone is somewhere in the ballpark of 25 years old and overgrown. It is high time she left the Disney Channel.

From Hungry Blues

The Legacy of a Murder

Racial killings from the civil rights era still haunt families and the country.
By Benjamin Greenberg
Colorlines Magazine (March/April 2008)

“I heard a scream, and I said, ‘That’s Mother, that’s Mother.’ And we all started running to look.” It was August 14, 1959, near midnight, in Centreville, Mississippi. Laura O’Quinn Smith, then 33, and her brother Clarence, then 32, rushed from the house and found their father, Samuel O’Quinn, shot in the back outside of the front gate of Whitaker Plantation, the 235-acre family land.

Clarence got his mother and wounded father back into the car and drove to the Field Memorial Community Hospital. Samuel O’Quinn died en route, in the arms of his wife, Ida. He was 58 years old and the father of 11 children. No one has ever been charged with the crime.

Today, Laura and Clarence, now ages 81 and 80, are living in Springfield, Massachusetts, along with two other siblings, Phalba and Rance. They are one of numerous families who are still waiting for justice in racial murders from the civil rights era. “It would give closure for us,” said Phalba O’Quinn Plummer, who is now 71. “It would really help a lot for all of us to know what happened.”

The FBI is currently reviewing approximately 100 cases that it may reopen; 84 of the victims have been named, and of those, 34 are from Mississippi. The true number of unresolved cases, however, is unknown. A review of a relatively narrow set of FBI and state documents found references to at least seven murders in Mississippi that are not on the published FBI list.

The lack of justice for Samuel O’Quinn and other Blacks murdered during the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and ’60s is the haunting background for current events that every so often lay bare the broken promises of a supposedly post-civil rights society: the double standard of justice meted out to the Jena 6; the vast numbers of people, overwhelmingly Black, treated as disposable during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; the Klan-like torture and rape of Megan Williams.

Last June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act (known as the “Till Bill”), which would allocate $13.5 million annually for a special FBI office and Civil Rights Division unit to investigate civil rights-era crimes in coordination with local and state authorities. The Till Bill passed the House in June, but Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma placed a hold on the bill, keeping it stuck in the Senate through at least the winter recess.
• • •

The O’Quinns were a prosperous Black family in 1950’s Mississippi. A graduate of the Tuskegee Institute, Samuel O’Quinn was a certified plumber, electrician and carpenter. After working as the assistant town engineer and as the only plumber in Centreville, he opened O’Quinn’s Café with his wife, Ida, in 1937. He also owned and operated 33 jukeboxes throughout southwest Mississippi.

In the mid-1940s, O’Quinn obtained his mortician’s license and opened a funeral home. He sold the jukebox routes and invested in real estate. The O’Quinns owned most of the properties in the Quarters, which was lowincome housing for Blacks and essentially the ghetto of the small rural town of 1,200 people. They bought the Whitaker Plantation on Highway 33 in the late 1940s and farmed the land, raising and selling peppers, soy beans and cotton.

On Sundays, O’Quinn went from one church to another selling burial policies, which a person could pay into and eventually meet the cost of his or her own burial. During these visits, he also organized benevolent associations, community groups that together paid into a fund for community members when they were in need.

“It was kind of a self-help group,” explained Rance O’Quinn, one of Samuel O’Quinn’s sons, now 70, “but they later grew, and every time you organize people, others get suspicious.”

The O’Quinns were, in fact, as well-to-do as anyone in Centreville, Black or white. The 11 O’Quinn children never had to work for whites, which was most unusual and an affront to the white supremacist mentality of the time.

On August 14, 1959, Samuel O’Quinn picked up his wife at their café, just off Main Street, as he did every night at 11:00 pm. That night, their 7-year-old son, Roy, was with Ida at the café. On the ride home, Roy stood between his parents on the front seat. As usual, O’Quinn stopped, got out of the car to open their front gate and then drove the car in. He was shot when he got back out of the car to shut the gate.

(Photo: Samuel O’Quinn, early 1950s. Courtesy of Rance O’Quinn.)

Two Important Posts From Hungry Blues

When Is McCain Going to Denounce Anti-Semites in His Campaign?

A lack of time and nothing more to add lead me to give you this one whole cloth, by dnA over at his excellent blog, Too Sense.

Anger over anti-Semitism on the American Right, when coming from the Goyim, has only to do with the fact that the vast majority of American Jews are white. It’s what causes folks on the Right to sputter over Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism while ignoring that of their most prominent Christianist leaders.

McCain for his part, has more than his share of avowed anti-Semites on his campaign, as opposed to critics of Israel, which is what the Right is usually referring to when they speak of “anti-Semites” on the Left.

This is not to say that there are no anti-Semites on the Left. On September 11th, a white girl told me that 9/11 was my fault because I had “killed innocent Palestinian children.” I’m saying that these people do not comprise a significant part of the establishment on the Left, while the theo-cons who have endorsed McCain are mainstream enough for him to trumpet their approval without fanfare. Via Matthew Yglesias, McCain supporter Pastor John Hagee:

It was the disobedience and rebellion of the Jews, God’s chosen people, to their covenantal responsibility to serve only the one true God, Jehovah, that gave rise to the opposition and persecution that they experienced beginning in Canaan and continuing to this very day.

Simply put, the death of six million Jews in the Shoah was our fault for not accepting Jesus.

Nothing Farrakhan has said or done is more vile than this. Yet McCain appears with Hagee on the campaign trail, while Barack Obama has to denounce Farrakhan repeatedly despite a complete lack of an association beyond race.

Gentiles on the Right don’t care about anti-Semitism. They just want to hate without being hated back.

Support for Israel based on a desire to facilitate Armageddon is not “support”. If Jewish “leaders” weren’t as out of touch with the views of the community they supposedly represent as today’s black leaders (leading blacks), they would not embrace this man

The Big Give!

I am excited about The Big Give! What a great concept!

I Found This Great Article on Josephine Baker

Work That

MJB

One Thing I Have Learned

You don't have to be on guard against anything you think might do you harm or that you feel has more power than you. To think that way is to grant them power they do not possess.

Paris, Tokyo

Lupe Fiasco

(I know, I know but I gotta get up outta here,
You know, I gotta go pay these bills,
I got a show to do, you know?)

One time, for your mind.

[Chorus]
Let's go to sleep in Paris,
And wake up in Tokyo.
Have a dream in New Orleans,
Fall in love in Chicago,
Mayne.
Wherever I go she goes.

[Verse 1]
I love her
And I hate to leave her lonely
Ring ring went the Iphone, it was my homie
He said, "let's hit Japan,
If we can make 'em jam,
We can make a hundred grand,
Spend it in the south of France
Nothing further." I jumped,
Grabbed my go-yard trunk,
Got ready to 'walk it out,' like Unk
In my John Lennon chucks.
That's when I heard Murder
You're killin me, you're fillin me
With sorrow, sunrise, "goobye"'s,
And "missin you tomorrow"'s.
I turn to see my dream
Love supreme queen, meanest thing on the scene, cry.
I drop my bags in a flash
That's faster one A-T on that dash-er,
To dry your tears.
And wipe the rain from my dear like dash-er,
Use the dame who's the username to all my pass-words.
The reason I get fly as Ivan Jasp-er,
I even keep your picture in my pass-purt.
(love love)

[Chorus]
Let's go to sleep in Paris,
And wake up in Tokyo.
Have a dream in New Orleans,
Fall in love in Chicago,
Mayne.

Then we can land in the motherland,
Camelback across the desert sand.
Take a train, to Rome, or home,
Brazil, forreal.
Wherever I go she goes.
Wherever I go she goes.

[Verse 2]
So let's keep it, real,
All in't together, "free chill!"
Tell the stewardess to throw a movie, on the reel.
Heat up my kosher meal, exchange my dollar bills,
Lean back in my first-class seat, and sleep.
Don't wake me till I land, when they barely understand
What I speak, but they nod to my beats.
I tell my fans who I am and they stand and they clap
They applaud. They love me, my God.
"O'scadie sama'desta" or maybe "au revoir,"
"A spree on Saint Henry," then back to Charles de Gaul.
So I can get home and tell her everywhere that I been,
And, everything that I done, and,
Tell her that she's the one, and, um.

[Chorus]
Let's go to sleep in Paris,
And wake up in Tokyo.
Have a dream in New Orleans,
Fall in love in Chicago,
Mayne.

Then we can land in the motherland,
Camelback across the desert sand.
Take a train, to Rome, or home,
Brazil, forreal.
Wherever I go she goes.
Wherever I go she goes.

[Verse 3]
Uh.
Guess who's back in the, house,
With a bunch of souvenirs, and a smile for your mouth.
I really missed you, each and every night I kissed you
In my dreams, 'fore I went to sleep, to La-La land to count them sheep.
I swear you're lookin prettier than ever,
It's got to be a prophecy for us to stay together ever more.
For better or, less or poor, all worth the wait in buried treasure
X's on the shore.
I know my world tour's like war to you,
But Ian said, "Aloha," and Harley said, "Cheers!"
Julian said, "Bonjour!," Big O was like "Yeahhhhh!"
Amanda and Lemessie want to know when we goin there.
Edison sends his love, so does the rest of the club
Of the international play-boys and play-yas.
But I revoke my membership, all for My Tenderness,
She said, "Pursue your interests, 'cause even If
I'm ticketless, I'll be there, by your side,
In your heart and, on your mind."
So, as I taxi down another runway,
I Gotcha, who loves you 'bay?
Now bring it back, now, uh.

[Chorus]
Let's go to sleep in Paris,
And wake up in Tokyo.
Have a dream in New Orleans,
Fall in love in Chicago,
Mayne.

Then we can land in the motherland,
Camelback across the desert sand.
Take a train, to Rome, or home,
Brazil, forreal.
Wherever I go she goes.
Wherever I go she goes.

Wherever I go she goes.
Wherever I go she goes.

Immigrants Threatened with Deportation

Read this article about the plight of immgrants in Ireland who are being threatened with deportation, even if their children are native-born Irish.

Commercial I Just Saw on TV

I must express my love for Tyler Perry. I just saw the tv ad for the new Meet The Browns film with Angela Bassett--kudos to him for supporting and addressing the concerns of single mothers! I must say I had to come around to this point as I wasnt sure what his religious/politics were. There are some who think the solution for single mothers is for them to go get husbands....

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive..." -- Eleonora Duse

I do so very much admire Hillary Clinton.

State of the Black Union

A little wheel a turnin a little fire burnin a little wheel a turnin in my heart
and you can't make me doubt him, because I know too much about him and I can't live without him in my heart.....

I love Sheila Jackson Lee, Cornel West, Al Sharpton, Dick Gregory and everyone that appeared at the BSU today!

Something to Work On

Now I must shed my armored suit...

One Thing I Am Finally Figuring Out

Faith brings about hope. I believe!

Project Runway

I have not commented on Project Runway at all this season, mostly because I haven't watched regularly. However, Christian is a darling. I am rooting for him! Rami and Ricky are both hot...

I want Enrique Eglesias to be my husband.

Hold On-Yolanda Adams

Hold On

Yolanda Adams

You've Got dream and
you've got gold
there's a vision buring down in your soul
but hold on
theres nothing that you can't do
You've gotta be driven,
motivated too
stir up the gift that God has placed in you
Hold on
the Futures looking bright for you

Chorus
No matter how hard it seem
never give always believe
hold on, hold on to your dreams
Though your facing adversities
you can still be all you wanna be
hold on, hold on to your dreams


Determination is the key
In this cold world, if your gonna successed
Hold On
theres nothing that you can't do
Don't be discouraged by the trials you face
Cause your beautiful mind would be a terrible thing to waste
hold on Hold on
the futures looking bright for you

Repeat Chorus

Bridge
Hold on, be strong (Never let noboby tell you can't make it)
Hold your head up high, keep your eyes on the prize
(Your dreams are met for you to obtain)
And Your labor is not in vain

Repeat Chorus

Young Hearts, Run Free

Kym Mayzelle

What's the sense in sharing, this one and only life
Ending up just another lost and lonely wife
You count up the years and they will be filled with tears
Love only breaks up, to start over again
You'll get the babies, but you won't have your man
While he is busy loving, every woman that he can, aahh haa,
Say I want to leave a thousand times a day
It's easier said than done
When I just can't break away, just can't break away

Young hearts, run free
Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me, umm, my man and me,
Young hearts, to yourself be true
Don't be no fool with
When loving is all there is, say that I don't love you

It's high time just one crack at life
Who want to live in, trouble and strife
My mind must be free to learn all I can about me
I'm gonna love me, for the rest of my days
Caress the babies every time they say
Self preservation is what's really going on today, aahh, ho
Say I want to leave a thousand times a day
How can I turn loose
When I just can't break away, just can't break away

Young hearts, run free
Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me, umm, my man and me, aahh haa
Young hearts, to yourself be true
Don't be no fool with
When loving is all there is, say that I don't love you

Young hearts, run free
Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me, umm, my man and me, aahh haa
Young hearts, to yourself be true
Don't be no fool with
When loving is all there is, say that I don't love you.

Til You Come Back to Me
Luther Vandross


I wanna tell you, baby
The changes I've been goin' through
Missin' you, missin' you, oh...oh...
Till you come back to me
I don't know what I'm gonna do
N-n-n-no, n-n-no

Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby
You said you'd be comin' back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby
I love you
Yeah...I really do

Long ago
And oh, so far away
I fell in love with you
Before the second show

And your guitar
And you sound so sweet and clear
But you're not really here
It's just the radio

Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby
You said you'd be comin' back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby, yeah
I love you
I really do

(To belong) Yeah...hey...eah...yeah...hey...hey
(To belong) Whoa...ho...oh...whoa...ho...ho...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

You looked for me to be yours
You want my love, but you're on the road
Don't you remember me anymore

Loneliness
Is such a sad affair
A sad affair
And I can hardly wait
To be with you again

And what to say, to say
To make you come again
Oh, honey
Come on back to me again, yeah, hey
I wanna be, I wanna be anywhere you are

Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby
You said you'd be comin' back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, woo, baby, oh, baby
Yes, I love you
I really do

Yeah, hey...
Yeah, yeah...eah...yeah...ooh...
Play it easy, play it easy
Keep it right there, keep it right there, keep it right there
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
When are you gonna say
It's alright, it's alright
Ooh, baby, it's alright, it's alright
Alright now
Keep it right there, keep it right there
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
It's alright, it's alright
Ooh, baby, it's alright, it's alright
Say it's alright, it's alright
Say, ooh, baby, it's alright, it's alright
Alright now
Eah...
L-l-l-l-love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Eah...ooh...ooh...yeah...hea...
Say it's alright, it's alright
Ooh, baby, it's alright, it's alright
Alright now
Alright now
I used to be sad
But now it's alright, it's alright
Ooh, baby, it's alright, it's alright
Alright now
I wonder, I wonder
Where are you again tonight
Are you holdin' someone else real tight
I wonder, I wonder, I wonder

Cheryl Underwood on Tom Joyner

Cheryl Underwood is a trip! "And I told ya'll, come to me 'cause I watch Fox News. Theat's where they say anything they think they can get away with-and thats where we get our secret codes for the secret meetings we're supposed to attend."

Did Charlie Rangel's District Go For Obama?

In the link above, John Nichols reports on concerns about voting irregularities in the New York Congressional District that contains Harlem. Nichol's reports that at some voting precincts, Obama recieved zero votes. This does not happen in elections. People should definitely keep their eye on this one.

Students Uncover that Military Routinely Videotape Torture at Guantanamo

Read the story above.

In my world, Josephine Baker is a saint, on the scale of being a sister of Jesus. To be prayed to as if she were the Virgin Mary.

God Bless Castro, God Bless the Cuban people and God Bless Cuba!

Harlem Mystery: Did Rangel's District Go for Barack
Obama?

By John Nichold
The Nation - blog
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=286025

New York Congressman Charlie Rangel was an early and
essential backer of Hillary Clinton's campaign for
president.

The support of the senior House Democrat was required
if the senator from New York was to be able to run
nationally with the assurance that her home turf was
"locked up." And Rangel, as the dean of New York's
Democratic House delegation, and a dominant player in
the politics of Harlem for four decades, helped to do
just that.

Along with the support of Georgia Congressman John
Lewis, Rangel's backing also gave Clinton credibility
in the African-American community beyond New York. But,
now, Lewis is wavering in his support for Clinton --
suggesting to the New York Times that, after his
Atlanta-area congressional district voted
overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, he is likely to cast
his superdelegate vote at the Democratic National
Convention for the surging senator from Illinois.

When word came that Lewis and other African-American
House members were starting to talk about "keeping
faith" with their constituents and voting for the
candidate who could be the first African-American
nominee for president, I immediately checked the
results from Rangel's congressional district.

According to figures reported after the February 5 New
York primary, Rangel's Harlem-based 15th district voted
rather comfortably for Clinton. The unofficial count
with 100 percent of the votes supposedly tabulated was:

Clinton -- 55,359 votes, 53 percent

Obama -- 47,514 votes, 45 percent

That was close enough to create a 3-3 delegate split.
But it was a clear Clinton win, and thus there would be
no pressure on Rangel to vote the will of a
congressional district that backed Obama.

Or so it seemed.

Now comes Saturday's New York Times Metro Section
report headlined: "Unofficial Tallies in City
Understated Obama Vote."

According to the paper:

"Black voters are heavily represented in the 94th
Election District in Harlem's 70th Assembly District.
Yet according to the unofficial results from the New
York Democratic primary last week, not a single vote in
the district was cast for Senator Barack Obama.

That anomaly was not unique. In fact, a review by The
New York Times of the unofficial results reported on
primary night found about 80 election districts among
the city's 6,106 where Mr. Obama supposedly did not
receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a
respectable race in a nearby district.

City election officials this week said that their
formal review of the results, which will not be
completed for weeks, had confirmed some major
discrepancies between the vote totals reported publicly
-- and unofficially -- on primary night and the actual
tally on hundreds of voting machines across the city.:

The Times adds this relevant information: "The 94th
Election District in Harlem, for instance, sits within
the Congressional district represented by Charles B.
Rangel, an original supporter of Mrs. Clinton."

No one is suggesting that Rangel did anything wrong,
nor should they. There are many explanations for why
vote counts are off, and there are many players in the
process -- and Rangel is one of the more honorable of
the lot.

What New Yorkers should be asking for, however, is a
complete review of the results in New York City, with a
heavy focus not just on the 80 election district where
Obama supposedly received no votes but also on those
where it appears that his vote was far below the level
of support that he received in surrounding districts --
and that might reasonably be expected.

Could there be another 8,000 votes for Obama in the
15th?

That's a lot. But it is not beyond the realm of
possibility that they exist.

No one, be they Clinton or Obama supporters, should
question that every effort must be made to find every
Obama vote in Harlem, along with "missing" Obama votes
from other congressional districts in Manhattan and
Brooklyn.

At issue may be a few more pledged delegates for Obama
-- no small matter in a close race for the nomination
-- and the broader question of how superdelegates who
want to respect the sentiments of their constituents, a
group that could include Rangel and several other House
members from New York, cast their votes at this
summer's convention.

_____________________________________________

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Wow...Toni Morrison

The Dead of September 11

Toni Morrison

Real Time With Bill Maher

I very much like Senator Clare McCaskill of Missouri.

The Many Faces of Nina Simone--Oh How Much and How Long Have I Loved Nina Simone?

Nina- To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

Revolution-Nina Simone

Lyrics

And now we got a revolution
Cause i see the face of things to come
Yeah, your Constitution
Well, my friend, its gonna have to bend
Im here to tell you about destruction
Of all the evil that will have to end.

Some folks are gonna get the notion
I know theyll say im preachin hate
but if i have to swim the ocean
well i would just to communicate
its not as simple as talkin jive
the daily struggle just to stay alive

Singin about a revolution
because were talkin about a change
its more than just air pollution
well you know you got to clean your brain
the only way that we can stand in fact
is when you get your foot off our back

Nina Simone-Revolution

I heard Shirley Bassey on Democracy Now tonight and that made me so giddy! I am such a queen....

I wanted to build on the theme of my last post, with the idea that the society we live in is sick. One of the clearest symptoms of this is the hostility that is housed in the language that has become part of the vernacular of our times--clear across popular culture.I wanted to address these issues because of the recent verbal abuse flung at Tiger Woods( and though he may make nothing of it, the larger Black community has and rightfully will. A white, female journalist in a joking manner--and I want to stress that --in a joking manner, said that he should be lynched. Ignoring the entire legacy of racism and lynching, this person now feels comfortable in making light of the dehumanization and murder of Black men. I posted a long time ago about the time that I was at a restaurant, when I was still in Lafayette, and a girl sitting at the table next to mine was on the phone with one of her friends and she was laughing and chatting and telling the friend on the phone that one of her other friends was just "so gay" and that she should just "kill him" because of it. The horrid part of it is that she was making fun-joking-as she said it. A bit of the carnivalesque? And this phrase "thats so gay" has become permeated throughout American youth culture. It is the privileged idea that you can ignore and need not respect the humanity of other people. This society has taught and teaches its children that the degradation and dehumanization of the Other is perfectly acceptable--that that which fits outside of the defined norm can be obliterated and degraded. This is unacceptable and I for one demand the recognition of my integrity- with no exceptions and no compromises. Progressive people must work to rebuild this society into a more holistic, egalitarian one and to rebuild it as one with its humanity intact, one with respect and dignity for all. More and more I am reminded of what bell hooks said--that the powers that be took Martin Luther King's dream of each person having their needs met and living with recognition of one's integrity and with respect and dignity--and these powers have hollowed that message out and turned it into something that serves the purposes of capitalism. "Each for what they can get. We all have the equal right to consume..." We must return to humanitarian values or else we are in trouble.

School Shootings

This culture is sick. People in this country think they live in utopia and don't need to reevaluate how they live. The people of this country are in dire need of reevaluating their value system and the way they live.

The other day I found the address for the school that was named for Fess MacDavid's first wife. The scool was located on Hardaway street in Montgomery

Everyday I am more and more convinced that the best way to get rid of patriarchy is to remain beautiful and free in spite of it. What a process, but oh how worth it.

Patriarchy

I listen to tne television...and to popular culture in general and it is troubling that we nave returned to the era of "keep an eye on your neighbor." A good example of this is the line in the zonic commercial "friend or no friend, Ill turn you in." I think we need to reconsider the way we live in this world and we need to eliminate (castrate?) patriarchy in order to liberate ourselves and live more fully, freely, and wholly, in the world.

Jane Fonda and Eve Ensler on the Today Show! Wonderful stuff!!

Project Runway

Tiki Barber is sooo hot! Let me design for him lol.

Reasons Why I Love O

I Love O Magazine. I learn so much from it and I love to learn. This month's interview with Sally Field is very informative. I have learned a lot from Sally Field over the years. I especially took a lot from her interview on the Actors Studio.

Say No To Bush's Wiretapping Legislation

Everyone should be on the phone calling their representatives and telling them to stand against George Bush's wiretapping program. This man has to be stopped.

Revelation

I finally understand, after many years, the sentiment of Shirley Maclaine's Charity in Sweet Charity at the end of the film. I very much understand it now.

I so want to see The Other Boleyn Sister. It should be intriguing.

Poem I was Inspired to Write this Morning

The white automaton
stood before me
demanding conformity and consent
the ultimate of peace in the ultimate of war

Death drive and destruction
cloaked in the vise of a lamb
demand a rendering of my power
so that it can better stand
to rape, malign, and make war
I think not and underscore
the fact that in this house
of the universe
where all humanity rests
the strongest and the meanest of us
with blood flowing through our veins
will learn with surest certainty
the meaning of human pain.

Repost

I love this response. bell hooks' reports that in response to a letter from a white farm boy concerning the solution to the "Negro Question," Lorraine Hansberry wrote

"the condition of our people dictates that what can only be called revolutionary attitudes.... I Think,then, that Negroes must concern themselves with every single means of struggle:legal,illegal,passive,active,violent,and nonviolent. That they must harrass, debate, petition, give money to court struggle,sit-in,lie-down,strike,boycott,sing hymns,pray on steps-and shoot from their windows when the racists come cruising through their communities."

There is a reason why I love Lorraine Hansberry.

This morning, I thought about my time at Price. The first two years I was in Aunt Johnnie's classroom, Head Start and Kindergarten. The third year they placed me in Mrs. Bull's class. I also thought about the time Aunt Johnnie's car broke down on the expressway and Mrs. Bull was behind us and gave us a ride to school. What fond memories.

U.S. Government Harrasses Puerto Rican Activists

Democracy Now also reported tonight that U.S. federal authorities are harrassing Puerto Rican Independence activists. Avelino Gonzalez Claudio has been arrested on charges related to a 1983 bank robbery. Everyone should throw there support behind the Puerto Rican people and their push for independence and self-determination.

U.S. EvilDoings in Bolivia

There needs to be some castration going on. Democracy Now ran a story tonight about u.s. officials, acting on either official or unofficial policy of the United States government, asking Fulbright Scholars and Peace Corp Volunteers in Bolivia to spy on Cubans and Venezuelans present in Bolivia. The story was broke when 2007 Fulbright Scholar, Alexander Von Schaick, contacted independent journalist, Jean Friedman Rudovsky, and expressed his concern that a u.s. official at the u.s. embassy in Bolivia asked Schaick and other Fulbright Scholars during a security briefing to "report to the embassy the names and locations of Cubans and Venezeualans that they encountered in Bolivia." After some investigating, it was uncovered that the same thing had been asked of Peace Corp recruits, at which Peace Corp officials lodged a complaint with the State Department about this violation of international law and breach of the goals and aims of the Peace Corp program. So far, it has not been reported that the Fulbright Program has done the same.

The u.s. government has declared that these two separate incidents were "abberations" but journalist Bengamin Dangl says that it is a part of a larger effort on the part of the Bush adminstration to destabilize the government of President Evo Morales in Bolivia. The u.s. government, through the USAID program has channeled millions of dollars to right-wing groups in Bolivia in the effort of decentralizing the Bolivian government, giving greater autonomy to right-wing forces within the country with the intended results of toppling Evo Morales as president of Bolivia. USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy have both been used as tools by the Bush administration in these efforts. Please read the interview that Amy does with Schaick, Rudovsky, and Dangl above. This is a serious affront to the integrity of people all across the globe to define their own destiny and choose the ways in which they intend to live.

Bird Jackson's Blues

I finished my novel last night. ;-)