You Negroes skewered the polls: Next time please don't answer the phone.

I have a news flash for republicans: The 14th Amendment pretty much did away with Dred Scott v. Sandford. For those of you not familiar with the Dred Scott case, it is one of the many dark spots (no pun intended) in A-murder-can jurisprudence. That case basically said that us black folks were not humans but mere chattel. Property. No more important than the cotton we picked out of the ground or the animals we worked alongside.

Anyway, apparently conservatives didn't get the 14th Amendment memo. If they did, one of their most respected writers, Byron York, wouldn't be making the type of declarations that he did while writing for the Washington Examiner.

"On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama enjoys high job approval ratings, no matter what poll you consult. But if a new survey by the New York Times is accurate, the president and some of his policies are significantly less popular with white Americans than with black Americans, and his sky-high ratings among African-Americans make some of his positions appear a bit more popular overall than they actually are. [emphasis added]"

See, it's all so simple when you break it down: Obama's 62% job approval rating is primarily because of his high approval rating among black folks. But among white folks, whose opinion really matters, Obama's is "significantly less popular". See niggers, it's like this, when you are just three-fifths of a man or woman, your opinion only has three- fifths of the weight. So Obama being popular among you niggers means nothing. Wow! Byron York doing his best Chief Justice Taney imitation.

I love how Steve Benen writing in the Washington Monthly breaks down York's article:

"For crying out loud, what the hell does that mean, exactly? I read the rest of the piece, hoping to see York explain why the president's seemingly popular positions are exaggerated or inflated. Why, in other words, these positions "appear" more popular "than they actually are." But all the piece tells me is that African Americans tend to support Obama in greater numbers than white Americans.

The problem, of course, is that damn phrase "than they actually are." York argues that we can see polls gauging public opinion, but if we want to really understand the popularity of the president's positions, and not be fooled by "appearances," then we have to exclude black people. "

Steven, that is exactly the point Mr.York wants to make; "we do have to exclude black people". Because, let's face it, when did they ever matter.

Read Byron York's article here, and please note some of the comments that follow.


Big hat tip to my girl, Lynne Adrine, for hipping me to this story.

100 AND COUNTING.

It's been a giddy and euphoric 100 days indeed for most of you Negroes in A-murder-ca. Just knowing that the first family is black has been enough to have most of you (excuse the Jim Jones reference) popping champagne since January 20th. Most of you. Because there are still black folks in A-murder-ca who aren't impressed. Some of you are firmly under that small republican tent so you weren't going to be impressed no matter what. Some of you are just sceptical of the "One", and you think he is nothing but a fraud; a smooth talking brother who is still controlled by the "Man", and who won't be better for black folks, but worse.

Still, most of you probably feel like Paul Shepard who wrote the following:

"No doubt, some of us viewed the election of President Barack Obama as Christmas, New Year's and Juneteenth all rolled into one. And in light of all the hell black people have caught, and continue to catch in America, it's not without reason.

But 100 days into his administration, some black pundits and political observers are taking Obama to task for not pushing a more radical pro-black agenda. ...

'Why didn't Obama come out when that black man was killed by the white policeman in Oakland?'" one writer asks. 'Why isn't Obama talking about white racism?' asks another.
'Why isn't Obama pushing for more investment in urban America?' asks another blogger.

I'll add one 'why' to the list. Why are some of us so impatient and so simple?

This is not to say that Obama's first 100 days have been a total delight. The horrible vetting process of his Cabinet nominees has been an embarrassment that I still can't wrap my mind around. His nominations lead me to wonder if anyone in D.C. pays their taxes on time -- or at all.

And Obama has yet to offer a real answer I can swallow on how he's going to raise the revenue needed to pay for the stimulus package, cut taxes for all but the richest of us and avoid massive budget deficits down the road.

But as far as criticizing him for not being black enough during his first 100 days in office, come on now. Even if Obama were to run down Pennsylvania Avenue draped in kente cloth, these critics would not be satisfied.
Silly.

A couple points for Obama's critics on race. First is that Obama isn't a black leader. Obama is a leader who is black. There is a big difference. A true president doesn't have a constituency he can play to. He is supposed to be leader of us all."

More here.

The title of Mr. Shepard's article was "A Stealth Campaign For Black People." Now I wouldn't go that far, but I will say what I have continued to say since the day his O ness won this bad boy and forced me to have to run "au naturale" down Broad Street: If Ron Paul had won he would have been better than what we have had for the past eight years. The fact that his O ness is obviously a great communicator and so far seems to be a competent administrator gets him a pass from the field. Do I have some issues with him? Sure I do. But they pale in comparison to the amount of issues I had with a certain frat boy. Throw in the historical significance of it all and it's all good.

Just 1360 days to go. Obamaholics can you stand it?

Calling George Cloooney.

"When Christians kill Muslims, it's the Crusades. When Jews kill Muslims it's murder, and when Muslims kill Muslims, it's like talking about the weather. Nobody really cares about it." ~Dan Gillerman~~

Seeing one of my favorite field Negroes, John Lewis, get arrested yesterday for protesting the atrocities taking place in Darfur, got me thinking: When is the death of over 200,000.00 people and the displacement of over 2 millioin more going to matter to the rest of us?

Here in A-murder-ca it's wall to wall coverage of the stinking swine flu, and not one single A-murder-can has died so far. Not one! Yes we have lost about 200 or so of our brothers and sisters to the South, but you know what? I have lost thousands of brothers and sisters in Sudan and I don't see that shit on the news every day. Not unless George Clooney or some other "A" list celebrity starts feeling guilty about all the shit they have and decide to take a private jet and a camera to the middle of hell.

So sorry, I know I blogged about how potentially serious this swine flu thing could turn out to be, but that's just it; it's potentially serious. The shit going on in Sudan now is serious, and no one seems to give a damn. I wonder if those were Jews killing all those those poor black Africans in Darfur the silence would be this deafening? If the Janjaweed thugs were Zionist would there be outrage? If that scumbag, Omar al-Bashir, was propped up by Israel and not Russia, would there be mass protests in the streets?

"The war in Darfur has laid bare the racial animus that has always underlain the war in Sudan. The killing there is not about religion. It is about race and ethnicity. In Darfur, the government's drive to "Arabize" a country that is made up of myriad ethnic groups has found a full and willing partner in Arab nomads whose search for new water and grazing land for their herds has led them into conflict with the majority population of settled African farmers..."

~Julie Flint, Human Rights Watch~~

Nooooo, racist Arabs? Noooooo. (But field, the difference is those people in Khartoum belong there, it's their land. The Jews in Tel Aviv are colonialist, they are occupying land that is not theirs) Yeah, whatever. That is called pretzel logic, because it is seriously twisted. The fact is, Arabs from the North are trying to ethnically cleanse the poor Africans to the South, and the shit ain't pretty. We can dance around it all we want and pretend it's not happening, but it is.

Which is why I love the fact that my man John Lewis and those other protesters picketed the Sudanese embassy on Monday. I love the fact that they are still engaged and still trying to make us remember. Even if most of us would like to forget.

DON'T GO!

I should have known something was up when Mrs. Field asked me to go to the movies, Sunday.

I was totally played so that she could go and see, as she calls him, her "chocolate bunny", Idris Elba, get all jammed up with Missy. My man had some serious Michael Douglas moments, and I felt his pain.

Now for all of you brothers reading this (and I am sorry my white male friends, but I can only speak to the brothers, because sisters are my only frame of reference) this is a public service announcement from the field: Do not take your wife, girlfriend, or significant other to see Obsessed. Just don't. The shit is not worth it. (Do you remember what we all had to go thorough after "Fatal Attraction"? Same here, but worse for you brothers, because of the added element of, well, Missy. It's kind of like "Jungle Fever" meets "Fatal Attraction" if you get my drift. Cherry Hill's own Ali Larder* does her best Glenn Close imitation and girlfriend is kind of scary.) If your significant other insists on going like Mrs. Field because of her Elba jones or whatever, tell her to go with her girls.

Mrs. Field, of course, was mad throughout the entire flick. I tried to snuggle and make nice, only to be pushed away. I couldn't figure out if it was because of her "chocolate bunny" taking up the screen or if she was pissed with how the movie was going down. I got the impression it was the latter.

Anyway, here is a question for you brothers: and I want to ask it without giving away the movie for any of you who might be dumb enough to go and see it. The question is this: If something (anything) happened to you that involved another woman, but you didn't cheat on your significant other, and your significant other asks you an innocent question about what happened; what would you tell her? I know what I would tell her, but I want to see if I am in the majority or in the minority on this one. So please help a brotha out and tell me what you would say.

On our way home Mrs. Field was still in her Idris Elba trance. She was talking to herself as if she was the only one in the car: "Yeah that white girl needed to stay out of black folks business. But you know what? I can't blame girlfriend. No I can't. Girrrrrrl that bunny was too fine. All I need is just a little time with that brotha. "

Women!

*Thanks for the correction, Maryscott.

Hold the pork chops, please.

I finally got my revenge against the lovely Mrs. Field. Being raised Seventh Day Adventist I was raised not to eat pork. And even after I strayed from my church I never ate the stuff. It was one of the tenets of my former religion that I always kept with me, and for good reason.

So now that the world is in a tizzy over this swine flu thing I can finally look at Mrs. Field and say I told you so. All the taunting about the delicious pork chops, all the funny faces while she bit into one juicy BBQ rib after another; and now, finally, her chickens....scratch that,her pigs are coming home to roost. "I guess you will be ditching the pork now huh dear?" I told her while reading my morning paper. "Not funny field, people are dying because of this stuff."

She was right, of course, it wasn't funny. People are dying from this "stuff", and the shit could be serious. Eighty six dead in Mexico and counting, and they are finding cases popping up from California to New York and Kansas in between. It's gotten so bad that we have declared a health emergency in these divided states, and we seem to be on the verge of a world wide pandemic.

Now I am no doctor, but I know that whenever you have a virus that can be passed on by mere human to human contact we could have a serious problem. I don't want to scare you folks or get too fatalistic, but the last major flu pandemic cost over 20 million (and possibly way more) people their lives. That is some seriously scary shit. Hopefully, we have come so far and become so advanced as humans, that we can contain this one and find a cure for this particular strain of the flu. Hopefully.

Oh well, I think one good thing can come out of this: Maybe we will start getting rid of all the pig food and start finding different things to do with them. (The pigs) I think they are too nasty to become pets, so maybe more pig skin belts and shoes? Just thinking out loud folks, no one is suggesting that you pork eaters give up your love of that particular delicacy. All I ask is that you hold out until this swine flu bug is cleared up. Think of it as your personal contribution to humanity. And while we are at it,-- at the risk of pissing off the Mexican tourist board-- we might want to chill on those Cancun vacations for awhile as well.

Now go get your flu shot.

What's in a name?

I was thinking about blog names today. Names, that for some reason, stay in my head. I love lurking around other people's blogs (even the ones that I don't agree with) and reading all the fascinating things that they have to say.

Another thing that fascinates me about blogs is all the wild names that people come up with. I have to say that 90% of them are pretty damn good, because for the most part, bloggers can be some pretty creative people.

Anyway, here is a list of some of my favorite blog titles. (Not in any order of importance) Some of them might not still be around, and some of them are far apart from me ideologically, but the field is still feeling their handles.

Negrophile.

Cuter than jesus.

Ear Conditioning.

The Free Slave.

Electronic Village.

Nat Turner's Revenge.

My Left Wing.

Booker Rising.

Writing is Fighting.

Black folks don't swim.

Listen to Leon.

The Secret Council of American Negroes.

Happy Nappy Head.

InkogNegro

The Wild Wild Left.

And on a final note, I want to say thanks to the folks over at Drexel University and the REACH project for sponsoring one hell of a conference today. There were kids there from schools like Swarthmore, Haverford College, Penn, Temple, and Bryn Mawr. Seeing all those smart young people of color holding it down in elite schools and ready to get their activism on was refreshing.

Understanding the true meaning of community activism is field Negro behavior.

Do you Negroes want to be free?

I got an e-mail from Ben Dimiero of Media Matters hipping me to the latest wingnut whining about black people over the airwaves. The latest, some clown named Mark Davis, (Rush's fill in for the day) had a question for his conservative friends:

".. The caller then said that he'd never met one of these America-hating, flag burning liberals Davis and his colleagues keep talking about, and that he's actually seeing a lot of 'Obama Derangement Syndrome' out there, much like there was "Bush Derangement Syndrome" for the last eight years. Davis said the difference between ODS and BDS was not in the "vociferousness," but the "content."

Another break and Davis was back, explaining that 'there were people of all sizes, shapes, stripes, economic levels, and yes, races' at the tea party he hosted in Dallas. Davis added: 'I mean, did they tend to be pretty white? Yeah. Hang on, maybe talk shows of the future will deal not with the question of, you know, 'What is it we're doing that repels black people?' but 'Why aren't black people more attracted by liberty?' "

'Why aren't black people more attracted by liberty?' Seriously?"

Alright Mark, so you want to know why black people, in your mind, aren't "attracted to liberty?"

Let me see if I can answer your question in a tempered, coherent, and mellifluous way for you: (IwillnotcurseIwillnotcurseIwillnotcurseIwillnotcurseIwillnotcurseIwillnotcurseIwillnotcurse)

Actually Mark, black people are attracted to liberty. How could we not be? I mean it took us so long to get it from the likes of you, that I am pretty sure that we appreciate liberty even more than you and your tea bagging friends. It's just that we don't trust you and your ilk to insure that we keep whatever liberties we have. And we sure as hell don't trust or condone the tactics that you and your ilk have used in the past in your pursuit of liberty. But our men have died on battle fields and spilled their blood for you to enjoy your liberties. And many of those "black people" who you seem to have such disdain for have been lynched, beaten, and assassinated, so that you can enjoy your liberty in a country that you are not ashamed of.

But I think I get what you are saying Mark: black people support Obama in large numbers, and in your mind, Obama doesn't support liberty, therefore black people aren't "attracted to liberty." Now Mark, after considering your question, and your twisted logic for even posing it; I have a question for you: Why aren't far right conservatives attracted to education?

Read the entire Media Matters report here.

Sometimes a picture isn't worth a thousand words.

*

I swear I must be getting soft in my old age. Or maybe racism is getting too fast for me to try and chase.

A friend of mine sent me the pic you are looking *at and he wanted to know if I saw the racism in it. "Field, this is some bullshit! Somebody has to put these designers in check, they think it's cool and chic to play on people's racial anxieties." Now, I love my people, I really do, and I know that the person who sent me the pic is reading this. But I have to be honest, my first impression of the pic was I see a pretty sister (although she could use some food) holding a little white baby. Period. I didn't see the racial stereotype of the domestic helper mammy/Aunt Jamima type being played out, and I didn't see the black woman embracing the white child and abandoning her own. (These are some of the messages that my frantic friend was getting from the pic.)

Nope, I didn't see any of that. Maybe living in the age of O has caused my racial radar to lose some of its power. Or maybe I am giving Michael Kors a pass because I like his shirts. Whatever it is, it's causing me to say no on this one.

Sorry, get back to me when you see a cover like this and then we can talk.

What's worse, a house Negro or a crazy Negro?

"Paul Joseph WatsonPrison Planet.comTuesday, April 21, 2009

Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes has given perhaps his most dire warning yet, saying that the Obama administration is preparing to stage terror attacks, declare martial law and cancel the 2012 elections, which is why they are demonizing their political enemies as criminals and terrorists.

Keyes is best known for his performance during the 2000 Republican presidential debates, when he was accredited by many media outlets as being the clear winner during a series of debates with George W. Bush and John McCain.

“It’s obvious that they will stop at nothing,” Keyes told attendees of a reception in Fort Wayne, adding, “We may wake up one day and there’s a series of terrorist attacks, the economy is paralysed….martial law will be declared everywhere in the United States and it won’t end until the crisis ends.”

Keyes said that Americans should be thankful if they even see another election in 2012, stating, “If we don’t wake up and work to see that it happens, we will not see another election.” “The minute they think they can get away with it, they will end this system of government and that is their intention,” added Keyes, noting that everyone acting as if the time we are in was just “business as usual” reminds him of the attitude of politicians in the Weimar Republic when Hitler was rising to power or eastern Europe when the Communists were taking over after the second world war."

The rest of the article here.

I know I know, why is the field even blogging about this wack job?I can hear you all saying it now: Come on field, why are you wasting your time? It's Alan Keyes for crying out loud!

Yes but read the article again. Do you see what Keyes is known for? Winning a debate with George Bush and John McCain. What does that tell you about the condition of the republican party? Keyes might be right; if this republican party is what is masquerading as an opposition these days, we very well could have a one party government on the horizon.

But don't blame the O man, Alan. Blame the out of touch and clueless party that you belong to. And while you are at it, you might want to blame your doctor for misdiagnosing your mental condition and obviously forgetting to put you on some very strong medication. And who the hell is the "they" that you keep talking about? You do realize, don't you, that his O ness has about a **94% approval rating among black folks, and an overall approval rating of about 62%? So this "they" that you are talking about represents the majority of people in these divided states.

Honestly folks, there are house Negroes, there are field Negroes, and there are crazy Negroes. Alan Keyes, the fifth child of Alison and Gerthina Keyes, is one crazy ass Negro.

**BTW, check out the above link. It is a great article about the schism between the academic left and the grass roots progressives in O nation.

Why are you black farmers whining? Didn't you pick cotton for free back in the day?

You Obamaholics might want to skip this next post. I will give you a little time to click away before I start........

Okay, for those of you who are still reading, Quick, raise your hands if you have ever heard of the Pigford Case. If you haven't let me help you out a little bit: It was a class action lawsuit filed by a bunch of black farmers because the federal government denied them loans and assistance that went to whites. (Gee, there is a surprise) Anyway, they filed a class action lawsuit, and there must have been some fire to go with the smoke because Uncle Sam settled for damn near a billion dollars with my overall clad brothers.

Happy ending right? Wrong. As is always the case with our slick Uncle, the deadline period to file was so short that thousands of farmers with legitimate claims missed out on the filing deadline and got zilch. So in comes Johnny Boyd and other farmer activist; they started pressing the government to open back up the case and give some of the farmers who missed out on the filing deadline to refile their claims.

Well guess who stepped up to the plate to help them? Yep, you guessed it; his O ness.

Let me give you a little passage from the AP story:

"...The cause gained momentum in August 2007 when Obama, then an Illinois senator, introduced Pigford legislation about six months into his presidential campaign.
Although the case was hardly a hot-button political issue, it had drawn intense interest among African-Americans in the rural South. It was seen as a way for Obama to reach out in those areas, where he was not well-known and where he would need strong support to win the Democratic primary.

The proposal won passage in May as sponsors rounded up enough support to incorporate it into the 2008 farm bill. The potential budget implications were huge: It could easily cost $2 billion or $3 billion given an estimated 65,000 pending claims.

With pressure to hold down costs, lawmakers set an artificially low $100 million budget. They called it a first step and said more money could be approved later.
But with 25,000 new claims and counting, the Obama administration is now arguing that the $100 million budget should be considered a cap to be split among the successful cases.
The position — spelled out in a legal motion filed in February and reiterated in recent settlement talks — would leave payments as low as $2,000 or $3,000 per farmer. Boyd called that 'insulting.'

Boyd noted that Obama's legislation specifically called for the new claimants to be eligible for the same awards as the initial lawsuit, including expedited payments of $50,000 plus $12,500 in tax breaks that the vast majority of the earlier farmers received.
'I'm really disappointed,' Boyd said. 'This is the president's bill.'
'They did discriminate against these farmers, maybe not all of them, but a lot of these people would prevail if they could go to court,' he said.

The administration wouldn't discuss specific budget plans or commit to fully funding the claims. But in a statement to The Associated Press, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the department agrees that more needs to be done and is working with the Justice Department to 'ensure that people are treated fairly'"

Now I know that his O ness is the President, and he has a lot on his plate, BUT HE SPONSORED THIS BILL! So now that he is the President would it kill his administration to give these farmers a fair settlement? You better be careful O man, these farmers literally have the pitchforks.

"You can't blame it on the Bush administration anymore," said John Boyd, head of the National Black Farmers Association, which has organized the lawsuits. 'I can't figure out for the life of me why the president wouldn't want to implement a bill that he fought for as a U.S.

Senator'"

Well I would tell you why John, but I want my Obamaholic friends to come back.

Story here.

The O man takes a pass.

I was going to leave this one alone, but I can't. I have too much to say about it, and it is too important a subject to let it just hang out there.

I am talking about the racism conference which opened in Geneva, Switzerland today.

Now first, let me say that the fact that the world has to even have a racism conference, tells you just how messed up the human species is, and what a pathetic state of affairs the planet that we share is in. People are mad at the U.N. for finding it necessary to call all the countries of the world to sit down and talk about our differences, but I am not. In fact, I applaud them for their effort to draft a resolution and a formal declaration which all countries can sign on to.

Now they had to know that this wasn't going to be easy, and that certain cultures have such a deep hatred for other cultures that it was bound to be almost an exercise in futility. Take for instance the fact that the Israelis believe that there is implied criticism of Israel in the U.N. declaration, and that Muslim governments are trying to ban all criticism of Islam, sharia law, and the prophet Muhammad. All these non-starters; so right off the bat we have a big ass road block before we can even hold hands and start singing kumbaya.

Not surprisingly, a literal circus --complete with a protester dressed as a clown---broke out today when Iran's certifiable loon of a President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke of the arrogance of the West. Arrogance, which in his opinion, is "the root cause of the problems of the world." And then, as if to prove his point, a bunch of Western diplomats got up and walked out. Nice. That's a great way to sit down and talk about the world's problems when it comes to race, just get up and walk out.

Which brings me to his O ness. When he announced Saturday that the divided states of America would not be participating in this conference I was greatly disappointed; but sadly, not surprised. I ripped the frat boy when his administration pulled a no show the first time, so I have to rip "the One", now. It's called a conference, if you have issues with the proposals for the final declaration tell your diplomats to take their asses to Geneva and state your objection. Try to lobby some of the other no show countries, and the other Western countries who did show up, and try to get whatever language you don't like removed. Isn't that what this kind of shit is all about?

If this is about a segment at the conference downplaying the Holocaust, show up and up-play (is that a word? Well I just made it one ) it. O man you should have been on on the phone with the German Chancellor telling her that the U.S. plans to attend and Germany should too. Germany has been a major player in anti racism efforts in Europe, and when they pulled out that created an instant problem. Still, they have not ruled out attending, so it wouldn't have been hard to turn on that O man charm and get Fraulein Merkel to pull a switcharoo. I gurantee you that she wouldn't have said nein.

Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am a supporter of Israel, I make no bones about that. And I have taken quite a lot of heat from my more pro Arab friends for that position. But I have to get on the Israelis a little bit on this one. You shouldn't have been lobbying other Western countries not to participate in this conference, instead you should have been encouraging everyone to attend and show the rest of the world just how ridiculous the claims are that there was no Holocaust. You should have been there proclaiming that both sides in the Arab Israeli conflict has some reaching out to do. You should have brought some of those pictures from Auschwitz and held them up when that crack pot Ahmadinejad started speaking. It would not have turn into an anti-Semitic gathering as you feared, and if it did, the cameras would have been rolling, and guess who that would have helped. And if your objection to any U.N. conference on race is about this, well then you could address that as well.

I don't know O man, I am looking at some of the countries that chose not to attend: Germany,New Zealand, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands, and they all have something in common (I will give you a hint, it ain't that they all have good soccer teams). This was not the change that I wanted to believe in. The change that I wanted to believe in would have confronted issues no matter how difficult. Even an issue as difficult as racism. The change that I wanted to believe in would have taken on the uncomfortable subject of racism in the world, no matter what the political cost at home. Instead of boycotting we should have been engaging. That would have been change that I can believe in.

"I would love to be involved in a useful conference that addressed continuing issues of racism and discrimination around the globe," But he said the language of the U.N.'s draft declaration risked a reprise of Durban, during which "folks expressed antagonism toward Israel in ways that were often times completely hypocritical and counterproductive."
"We expressed in the run-up to this conference our concerns that if you adopted all of the language from 2001, that's not something we can sign up for," "Hopefully some concrete steps come out of the conference that we can partner with other countries on to actually reduce discrimination around the globe, but this wasn't an opportunity to do it,"

Wouldn't it have been nice if we could have been there to push for those "concrete steps" O man? I mean I know you are not Catholic, (BTW, are you still going to Notre Dame?) but even the Pope seemed to be saying that we should be there.

"I am shocked and deeply disappointed by the United States decision not to attend" So says Navi Pillay, the chief human-rights host for the conference.

Don't be shocked Navi, it's called politics.

Field Negro 101 Redux.

I was around some "bougie" black folks today, (a bunch of lawyers, a dentist, some guy who made a killing when the real estate market was hot and now he owns a bunch of strip malls, and a few other characters who thought they were more important than they really were) the usual mix of intellect and money. One of the people there who knew that I blogged asked me how my blog was going, and I told him it was cool. Then, of course, I got this: "Oh you have a blog, what do you call it?" "The field Negro"....(and here it comes) "Oh?" Why do you call it that? " Now since I was in the middle of watching my Fly guys push Sir Sidney and the Pens around, I really didn't want to be bothered with fam and participate in a long discussion about black folks in A-murder-ca. So I asked him if he had a computer at home. He said yes and I told him to google field Negro when he got home. He said he would, and I told him that just for him, I was going to leave an older post which explained why I use the field Negro handle. We exchanged some more pleasantries and he left me to the rest of the hockey game while he went to the other room to watch the Lakers with most of the other folks.

So anyway, in order to keep my promise to my man, here is my field Negro 101 post from almost three years ago:

I am always amused at how sensitive some blacks-particularly black conservatives-get when you talk about the house Negro field Negro dichotomy among black folks. Black conservatives are always quick to lash out at the house Negro moniker as if it's directed at them. They see it as a straw man and red herring, set up to distract from the real issues confronting black America. Well it's not. The moniker is one that was created by Malcolm X in one of his more famous speeches to make a point about certain blacks not giving their all to the movement because of their so called stake in America.

That speech ,is so inspiring, and so on point, that it is from where I find the inspiration- not to mention the name- for this blog. I use it, because I think it's still relevant for today's discourse in matters of race, as well as the black political movement in this country.When I post on other blogs, I always use the handle field-Negro, and the vitriolic responses I get for my handle alone -from whites and blacks- is at times frightening. "Why must you use that handle, it's so degrading to blacks?" "Shame on you for such a despicable handle", "you embarrass yourself and all self respecting black people by using such a handle". And so it goes, and this is just from the black folks. You can imagine what I get from white bloggers on the web; or, for that matter, the fringes of the web. [You might have noticed the vermin and rats crawling out of various trailer parks to post on this blog]But once again, I would like to set the record straight about this house Negro field Negro metaphor-and yes it's just a metaphor-and where I stand on this issue. Think of this post as field Negro 101 for your self improvement. First, being a house Negro has nothing to do with how you look, how much money you have, where you live, or where you work. The same can be said about being a field-Negro. It's not about how radical you think you are or how militant or African you may appear in your features. It's why I explain my background in detail to all who come to my blog. It's important to understand, that in spite of my upbringing and background, I am firmly entrenched in the fields. It's not about my credentials, or how I grew up, or even what privileges were afforded me. No, it's about my state of mind at this point in time, and how I choose to engage in the struggle to uplift black people and the less fortunate in modern day America.

For instance, I consider wealthy people such as Bill Cosby and Denzel Washington, field Negroes. But, on the other hand, I consider some not so wealthy people, such as Jessie Lee Peterson, and La Shawn Barber, house Negroes. I consider certain sports icons such as Jim Brown, Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali, field Negroes, but I consider icons such as Michael Jordon, O.J. Simpson and George Foreman, house Negroes. Oprah Winfrey, in my book, is a house Negro, while her good friend, Maya Angelo, belongs in the fields. Jessie Jackson-yes Jessie Jackson-is a house Negro, but John Lewis, the congressman from Georgia, is a field Negro. In terms of appearance, the very dark Clarence Thomas should have his picture in the dictionary beside house Negro, while the fairer skinned Thurgood Marhsall was a big time field Negro. So it's certainly not about how you look. It's all about who I think is contributing to the cause of advancing black issues in the right way. Period.

Now let's look at this phenomenon literally for a moment: I have no problem with someone living in the house, and wanting the things the house offers for his or her family. The better schools, the safer neighborhoods, and a better quality of life. Only a fool would think otherwise. I don't even have a problem with the house Negro running to put out the fire if massa's house catches on fire, or if he tries to save massa's life. After all, if massa and his house are gone, where is the house Negro going to live, and who is going to hire him to work? On the other hand, I do have a problem if the house Negro tries to save massa before his own. That type of house Negro is a problem, and he is the one I speak so disparagingly of when I make fun of the house Negro. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of house Negroes like the latter around today. They are the ones who write the books for massa's ears only, kicking black folks harder than massa would ever kick us by telling us how bad we are. They are the ones -insert Thomas Sowell here- who write about America and her problems as if the white man is blameless, and as if us black folks are responsible for all of America's problems; and as if we brought whatever problems we have on ourselves. They are the ones-insert Clarence Thomas here- who we all know just wish that they not only worked in the house for massa, but wish that they were a part of massa's family as well. That is the dangerous house Negro, the self hater, who will do anything to be more white than the very white person himself, because just working and living in the house is not enough for him. This house Negro wants a stake in massa's house, and he will sell the rest of us out to get it.

I will give you an example: I have a black colleague who does very well for himself and his family. He recently purchased a home in a very affluent predominantly white neighborhood, and has from time to time bragged of being the only black in his development. Now this individual is a classic house Negro. And living in his all white subdivision didn't make him one, but being proud that he is the only black in said subdivision does. Like the "house nigger" in Malcolm X' s speech, he was proud to be the only Negro living among the whites. This is the inclination and fixed way of thinking of an individual who has fled from his people and would not mind if he never sees a black neighborhood or anything associated with black people again. This Negro didn't flee to white suburbia for better schools, safer neighborhoods, and cost effectiveness. No, this Negro fled to white suburbia because he wanted to be around massa and his house.

This type of house Negro is the one I refer to when I make my lists, and speak of when I try to point out the Negroes that are holding us back by projecting to white folks-insert Oprah here- a false image of what black folks are going through. The field Negro, given the same circumstances, would find himself going back to the old neighborhood, volunteering his time, and helping when and where he can. He would not care about how many other Negroes lived in his development, as long as his family was receiving the benefits I outlined above. So for all of you who see the handle, and wonder why a field Negro. Think about that for a minute. Think about what makes a field Negro: Hard worker; cares about his family; cares about his race; cares about humanity; and always with the masses so he knows what it will take to improve our plight. He understands -because he works so hard in the fields- that it will take more than just talk but action to make things happen. And finally, that the house is not his, and ultimately, he will have to build his own. That, my friends, is the essence of the field-Negro, and that is what every Negro should strive to become.

***Note, since this post I have changed my opinion about Oprah. I think girlfriend is on the patio now and has at least one leg in the fields.

They will take their tea with lots of milk.

So now that the tea party protests are behind us, conservatives are scrambling to try and figure out how to make it a springboard for a viable grass roots movement. You know, kind of like their arch enemy , "The One", used to propel himself to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Now let's be clear; in my humble opinion the tea party numbers were not impressive, a few thousand here, a few thousand there does not a "Million Man March" make. If you want to see numbers watch the crowd at one of "The One's" speeches leading up to the elections. Or the sea of humanity that greeted him in Europe. Now those numbers were impressive. The conservatives, of course, think otherwise, and they are calling on those who participated to keep fighting the good fight. (Oh they are getting ready to fight the good fight alright, unfortunately they believe that shit in the literal sense).

When you get a chance please look at the pictures of these tea protesters again. And if you can, please do me another solid: If you see a picture or video of one person of color at one of those rallies please send me a link. I am sure there must be one person. So if you spot one, it will be like a sighting of the rare atala butterfly, consider it a hell of a find and enjoy the moment.

Now I know that a grass roots movement doesn't have to be multicultural, but it would lend some legitimacy to it. Say what you want about his O ness, but he had all different types of people on board with his movement. There was black;white; brown; rich; poor; man; woman and all those in between. That was a real movement, and every group in A-murder-ca was caught up in it. It wasn't just for a certain shade of folks. Hell these tea parties looked more like vanilla milk shake parties to me. Sorry, no real movement for change in A-murder-ca can be effective if it's that homogeneous. That would only be possible in places like Japan or North Korea. Say what you want about us A-murder-cans we like to think of ourselves as inclusive, and we like to believe that we embrace diversity. Seeing that very pale protest reminded us of places that we don't want to revisit. It was kind of like watching television circa 1955, if you get my drift.

And for the record; I know that there are some folks working on getting us to the Japanese model right now, but thankfully, we are not at that place just yet. Sorry, I think us other folks are going to be around for awhile.

THIS JUST IN: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SAYS THAT ABORTION IS OKAY FOR CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE.

I kid I kid.

They just won't quit.

I blogged about this before, but I have to go there again: They just won't leave my girl alone, and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it does. So I am going to have to expose this popular wingnut website and show you exactly how they are degrading my First Lady over there. ( I thought they had websites dedicated to getting Michelle's back?)



So anywhooo, I will give it to you exactly how it looks over there. First, let me give you the set up: They post a picture every Friday and leave it to their regular posters to leave clever comments with their own caption for the picture. They actually run a contest and the best caption wins. Get it?



Okay here goes:



"Wizbang Weekend Caption Contest



Posted by KevinPublished: April 17, 2009 - 7:00 AM
It's Friday, which means it's time for the Wizbang Weekend Caption Contest™. Enter your best caption for the following picture:"



And here are some of the clever comments for captions that followed:

"That's it honey, just like Axelrod's leash on me.
1. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:47 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:47 It's going to be important ... (Below threshold)
2. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 7:49 AM Score: 12 (14 votes cast)
IowaRight:
It's going to be important to keep that bitch on a leash....
2. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 7:49 AM Score: 12 (14 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:49 "That reminds me, we need t... (Below threshold)
3. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:49 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
"That reminds me, we need to take over pet stores next"
3. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:49 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:49 -Bravo Iowa-... (Below threshold)
4. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:50 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
-Bravo Iowa-
4. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:50 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:50 Look Barack, the dog takes ... (Below threshold)
5. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 7:52 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
IowaRight:
Look Barack, the dog takes the same size collar that you do...
5. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 7:52 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:52 "Barack you should be doing... (Below threshold)
6. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:54 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
"Barack you should be doing this...I need to write your speech for tomorrow"
6. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:54 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:54 "I miss Uncle Ted, he alway... (Below threshold)
7. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:58 AM Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
"I miss Uncle Ted, he always filled my waterbowl with top shelf stuff."
7. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 7:58 AM Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 07:58 BO knows Obama and can't wa... (Below threshold)
8. Posted by CDR M April 17, 2009 8:03 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
CDR M:
BO knows Obama and can't wait to leave the White House.
8. Posted by CDR M April 17, 2009 8:03 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:03 "Mr. President..PETA's on l... (Below threshold)
9. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 8:05 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
"Mr. President..PETA's on line three..."
9. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 8:05 AM Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:05 "Awww come on honey, we can... (Below threshold)
10. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 8:07 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Pretzel Logic:
"Awww come on honey, we can sneak him in...I'm the President."
10. Posted by Pretzel Logic April 17, 2009 8:07 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:07 After weeks and weeks of of... (Below threshold)
11. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:10 AM Score: 20 (22 votes cast)
IowaRight:
After weeks and weeks of of embarassing miscues in domestic and foreign affairs, the Obama White House team brings in a Clue-Sniffing Dog...
11. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:10 AM Score: 20 (22 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:10 Trained to search for telep... (Below threshold)
12. Posted by John April 17, 2009 8:11 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
John:
Trained to search for teleprompters, Bo is out again on the job.
12. Posted by John April 17, 2009 8:11 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:11 For the first time in my pu... (Below threshold)
13. Posted by guido April 17, 2009 8:11 AM Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
guido:
For the first time in my puppy life, I'm proud to be a Portuguese Water Dog.
13. Posted by guido April 17, 2009 8:11 AM Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:11 Up until now, the brown spo... (Below threshold)
14. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:13 AM Score: 15 (15 votes cast)
IowaRight:
Up until now, the brown spots on the lawn were attributable to Biden...
14. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:13 AM Score: 15 (15 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:13 Nothing says butt-kickin' n... (Below threshold)
15. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:28 AM Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
IowaRight:
Nothing says butt-kickin' name-takin, leader of the free of gol-dang world quite like a Portuguese Water Dog.
15. Posted by IowaRight April 17, 2009 8:28 AM Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:28 Yes, I read the memo, "Keep... (Below threshold)
16. Posted by lisapope April 17, 2009 8:43 AM Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
lisapope:
Yes, I read the memo, "Keep BO on a short leash."... Mr. Soros wasn't talking about the dog?
16. Posted by lisapope April 17, 2009 8:43 AM Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:43 Unless you're the lead dog,... (Below threshold)
17. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:43 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
fustian:
Unless you're the lead dog, the view doesn't change much.
17. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:43 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:43 Don't mind us, we're just t... (Below threshold)
18. Posted by Jeff Blogworthy April 17, 2009 8:45 AM Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Jeff Blogworthy:
Don't mind us, we're just taking our media out for a walk.
18. Posted by Jeff Blogworthy April 17, 2009 8:45 AM Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:45 Michelle insists that Barac... (Below threshold)
19. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:45 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
fustian:
Michelle insists that Barack can only walk 20 paces behind her.
19. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:45 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:45 Michelle might consider swa... (Below threshold)
20. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:47 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
fustian:
Michelle might consider swapping hair stylists with the dog.
20. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:47 AM Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:47 Eww, surely you don't expec... (Below threshold)
21. Posted by Jeff Blogworthy April 17, 2009 8:48 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jeff Blogworthy:
Eww, surely you don't expect US to pick up the mess.
21. Posted by Jeff Blogworthy April 17, 2009 8:48 AM Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 17, 2009 08:48 I see Barack is walking bot... (Below threshold)
22. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:50 AM Score: 1 (3 votes cast)
fustian:
I see Barack is walking both his dogs...
22. Posted by fustian April 17, 2009 8:50 AM Score: 1 (3 votes cast) "


More here. (They have actually gotten 92 comments so far.)

Aren't they funny? Those conservatives have missed their true calling. They should have all been comedy writers. Of course it might be too late now, they just missed out on eight years of really great material to work on their skills.

Dixieland.

"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit the vindication of the cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations." ~Stephen Dill Lee~~

I hear ya Mr. Lee, and in keeping with your dreams and wishes the descendants of the great confederacy have designated the month of April to be Confederacy month. That's right. Why should the Negroes be the only ones to have a month to celebrate their history? What about Southern history and pride? What about men like Lee; Davis; Jackson; and Forrest?

"All that the South has ever desired was the Union as established by our forefathers should be preserved and that the government as originally organized should be administered in purity and truth."

Those are the words of the great Robert E. Lee my Yankee friends. There is nothing racist about those words; in fact, they seem downright American to me. In fact if we put Robert E. Lee in a time machine and brought him back to 2009 I bet he would fit right into the new conservative movement sweeping the country. Hell, he could become governor of Texas. (BTW Gov. "good hair", [I love that name] I was joking when I blogged about your state wanting to secede from the rest of the Union, but apparently your dumb ass was serious)

Look, you good Confederate folks deserve a month. Especially after what Lincoln and his troops did to you. He invaded your homeland and had his Union troops fight you until your bitter surrender in 1865. Oh I bet if you could just go back to the years between 1861 and 1865 again and bring back the Confederate States of America life would be good. I bet you wouldn't have some skinny black man with a Muslim name from the South side of Chi as your President.

And I am not even mad that you have two more days in your month than mine. Or, that your month comes as spring flowers start to bloom and mine is in the dead of winter. Nope, I am not mad at ya, you fought for that month, the least the good folks of A-murder-ca could do is recognize you.

"Georgia's Governor, Sonny Perdue, and Mississippi's Governor, Haley Barbour, have both signed a proclamation designating April as Confederate History and Heritage Month for 2009, and city mayors and county commissioners will follow. The Georgia Senate also recently passed SB Bill 27, officially proclaiming April as Confederate History Month and the Georgia House rules committee voted 5-0, sending it out of committee for a full House vote. Supporters of the bill say, 'The measure would be a boom to the state's tourism industry, encouraging visitors to come to Georgia's Civil War battlefield sites."'

Well there you go.

Why isn't anyone out protesting for him?

I was going to blog about the teabaggers (Or whatever the hell they call themselves. Pay your fucking taxes like the rest of us and shut your mouths), but someone sent me a story (Hat tip"Horrible Leftist") that pissed me off so much that I can't help but blog about it.

Folks who know me know that there are three groups of people who I believe should never be fucked with in a civilized society: Those are children, the elderly, and the disabled. If we want to be proud of the country we call home we should always make sure that the weakest and most helpless among us are protected.

Which is why when I heard about what happened to 11 year old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover I was fit to be tied:

"Sirdeaner Walker, who has survived domestic violence, homelessness, and breast cancer, knew death could come suddenly -- but she could not have predicted it would find her 11-year-old son first.

Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was a sixth-grader at New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, Mass. There, many of his classmates were initially strangers, as few of his friends from Alfred Glickman Elementary followed him.

On April 6, Sirdeaner Walker came home, walked up the stairs to the second floor of her home, and saw her son suspended from a support beam in the stairwell, swaying slightly in the air, an extension cord wrapped around his neck, according to police. He apologized in a suicide note, told his mother that he loved her, and left his video games to his brother.

Walker said her son had been the victim of bullying since the beginning of the school year, and that she had been calling the school since September, complaining that her son was mercilessly teased. He played football, baseball, and was a boy scout, but a group of classmates called him gay and teased him about the way he dressed. They ridiculed him for going to church with his mother and for volunteering locally.

"It's not just a gay issue," Walker said. "It’s bigger. He was 11 years old, and he wasn't aware of his sexuality. These homophobic people attach derogatory terms to a child who’s 11 years old, who goes to church, school, and the library, and he becomes confused. He thinks, Maybe I'm like this. Maybe I'm not. What do I do?"

His birthday, April 17, falls this year on the 13th National Day of Silence, a day on which individuals observe vows of silence for students bullied at school. But instead of silence, Walker wants action from the school, which she said continuously ignored her, chalking the situation up to student immaturity. She said that every day her son left for school, he walked into a "combat zone" assigned to him because of his inner-city address. But he would not point a finger at specific classmates for fear he'd be called a "snitch."'

More here.

And black folks, can we talk? This severe homophobia that most of you are guilty of and pass down to your children has got to stop. The shit is seriously fucked up, and it is ignorant. But field how do you know the the kids taunting the little boy was black? I don't, but it doesn't take away from my point. I am not even as mad at the children in this story as I am at the adults in this school who were charged with protecting this little boy. The boy's mother said that she complained to the school that the boy was *"mercilessly"[*thanks for the correction "Actsoffaith"] teased", and yet they did nothing. So now, sadly, a child, who by all accounts was going to do something with his life, is dead.

Which caused this poster from the original article to write the following:

"Shame on the politicians , if they are homophobics with the army ( don't tell don't ask ) with the marriage ( gay marriage forbiden ) how can kids won't be homophobics ? A politician ( president , governor , senator ...) must be an example against HOMOPHOBIA ! Poor carl josef , for you , we have to fight against homophobia everywhere in the world ."

Sorry poster from Nice, France. We can't fight against homophobia just yet; we are too busy fighting against paying our taxes.

Don't mess with Mexas.

"I'm here today to offer my unwavering support to...millions of Texans just like yourself that are tired of Washington, D.C. trying to come down here and tell us how to run Texas."



That was Rick Perry, the republican governor of the soon to be country of Texas, declaring to his citizens that they want to be free from the tyranny of Washington.(Funny, I didn't see any of my cousins in that You Tube clip.) Yes folks, in the great state of Texas, they have decided to pass a resolution affirming their sovereignty under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution. Sounds like the folks in "hook em horns" country are trying to tell us something. (That there is secession talk, folks.)



Where do I start with this? Okay let me start by saying to my friends in Texas: we will miss you. Not all of you, but the ones who found themselves, for whatever reason, stuck in that land that time forgot. My only hope is that you can get out before the secession is complete.



Personally, I hope the good governor takes the stinking Cowboys and every backwards ass town from Amarillo to Brownsville and El Paso to Orange and declare the entire joint their own country. Then let's pull all of our federal services out of the new country of Texas which our taxes pay for and see how they make out. No more post offices; no more food stamps; no more farm subsidies; no more Medicare or medicaid; no more fancy roads to drive from one god forsaken town to another; no more funding for their child support offices or social security benefits for their seniors or disabled; no more money for research for their universities; --hell no more money, period-- and sure as hell no more electricity, because we will be cutting their asses off of the national grid. I mean give me a fucking break! I know they want to take our federal stimulus money without oversight, but that ain't gonna happen. Sorry, we don't trust you to spend it right. The scary thing is that Texas isn't alone, seems there are a dozen or so more states led by republican crackpots considering the same thing. See folks, this is what happens when Radio Rwanda AKA FOX NOISE gets to run amok.

I bet the folks who fought at the Alamo didn't sign up for this shit. If they only knew then what we know now Texas would probably be the most northern state of Mexico. Its not too late of course, I am sure the Mexicans would love to take them back. Now there might be a slight language problem, but the Canadians have handled that type of thing just fine. Just think, the hottest teams in Texas will go from being the Dallas Cowboys and San Antonio Spurs, to the Houston Dynamo and the F.C. Dallas soccer teams, over night. The downside, of course, would be that my Iggles wouldn't get to beat down the stinking cowboys every year like we do now. But Jerry Jones could always move the team to Oklahoma.

A purpose driven vetting.

"The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. "~Proverbs 11:1-3~

Looks like my man Rick Warren is in the news again. Apparently he made a little slip up (I am being kind)while talking to that hard nosed reporter Larry King. ( I kid of course, there is nothing "hard nosed" about Larry King) Seems pastor Rick was for fighting against Proposition 8 out in California before he was for it.

But how could the purpose driven pastor be less than honest with an entire country? I thought only politicians do these types of things? Wait...... "You know, Larry, there was a story within a story that never got told. In the first place, I am not an anti-gay or anti-gay marriage activist. I never have been, never will be. During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never -- never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop 8 was going." No pastor Rick, there is a little video of you that shows that you did issue a statement *against Proposition 8. [*Actually my fact checker, Woozie,was right. Warren was for Proposition 8, before he was against it...I think]

Now I don't like to bash a man of god, because someone.... I take that back. A lot of someones believe in the man; he is their pastor and spiritual leader and I really don't want to disparage someone else's spiritual leader. I am not religious, but you won't get me to bash someone else's faith. To each his own. Live and let live as far as I am concerned.

Here is hoping that Rick comes clean and tells us where he really stands on this issue. And if he did tell a little fib he has the man upstairs on speed dial, that's all.

And speaking of religion: You Obamaholics won't like this, but I hear your boy is looking for a church. LOOKING FOR A CHURCH? Apparently it's what presidents do. They try to find a public place of worship that can be easily protected by the secret service. His O ness went to St. John's Episcopal Sunday, it's right across from the White House, and it seems to have been the de facto church for past presidents. So why should his O ness be any different? Besides, Episcopalians are cool I guess, I am sure they will welcome the first family with open arms.

"With a search underway for a new church for the Obama family in Washington, advisers have said that the vetting will be careful to consider the history of the church and its pastors - a measure of how troubling the Wright saga was for Obama, who publicly denounced the "incendiary'' words of the now-retired but former longtime pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ after Wright's railing about racism in America from the pulpit was publicized by videos on the Internet. "

The "vetting" will be careful? How do you vet a church? I hope Granny or one of my other online friends who are more connected to the man (or woman) upstairs than I am can tell me how that works. I always kind of thought you belong to either church A or church B. And what denomination was Reverend Wright? Was it an independent church? If not, wouldn't they go to the same denominational church in D.C.? I mean it would be a different Pastor so A-murder-cans could relax. I am just saying.

"Since Obama left Trinity last year, he has been without an official house of worship, relying instead on a close circle of advisers and pastors for private counsel."

Now I can get with that program; "pastors for private counsel". Nothing wrong with that, getting his spirituality on in a private way can't hurt his O ness. If he is a true believer only good things can come form such an arrangement. I just hope that Rick Warren isn't one of the folks doing the counseling.

Another win for his O ness.

Last week I was driving into work and listening to conservative talk radio (Keep your friends close and your enemies closer) and you should have heard how they were going on and on about this crisis with the pirates. You would have thought that the Somalians had overrun America. They were all over his O ness for not speaking up about the Americans being held hostage and they wanted action, now.

Bill Bennett, on his show, was declaring that this was the defining foreign policy moment in the O man's presidency, and comparing it to Kennedy's Cuban Missile Crisis. Conservative blogs were buzzing and they could smell blood in the water. ( No pun intended) That Obama is no more than a panty waist. He is clueless when it comes to these issues, Reagan would have told those Pirates to free the American hostages or else. The guy is just another Jimmy Carter. It's all because he bowed to their King why they can take these liberties with our people. And on it went.

Well today, thanks to the work of the US Navy, Captain Richard Phillips is free, his O ness is looking golden, and once again, the haters are left with egg on their faces. I know the wing nuts are pretending that they are happy that this crises had a peaceful and happy ending, but let's keep it real, they are not.

I can't wait to hear how the reich wing talking heads spin this one. It was all the work of the Navy, if it wasn't for Captain Phillips jumping in the water Obama would still be twiddling his thumbs. Obama needs to go after the Pirates on land now and teach them all a lesson. But he won't do it, he is too soft. Forget the fact that these pirates have been terrorising shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa for years, and you never heard a peep out of these clowns when the frat boy was in charge. But now they want his O ness to nuke the entire Eastern part of the continent of Africa. Unbelievable!

And as it turns out, Obama was in contact with the military all along, and he did give the go ahead to go Jack Bauer on the pirate crew. He called Mr. Phillips to wish him well and tell him what a hero he was and he issued a statement about the incident: "Mr Obama said capt Phillips had courage that was "a model for all Americans".

Check mate, once again, to his Oness. But it's 's another week, and I am sure the wingnuts will find something else to get all fired up about.

Well, let's see now, the White House dog's name is "Bo". Maybe they can start there.

Does crack come with the cut?

I don't know what they were looking for, maybe it was a bad haircut. Hey, it was Cali, so they might have figured that there were still jheri curls being hooked up in these particular establishments. If that was the case I can't say that I blame them for raiding the joints. Wearing a jheri curl in this day and age ought to be a federal offense.

But seriously, why were law enforcement agencies out in Cali raiding black owned barber shops?I wonder if there weren't any person of color in these law enforcement agencies to help their colleagues understand just how important barber shops are to us black folks. On a real tip, they might as well have raided a church. That is how serious we are about our barbershops.

"Barbershops are of particular importance in the black community; they are part French salon, part Spanish cafe and part community living room for men. Targeting them without a clearly articulated cause is a surefire way to exacerbate tension in a community that already struggles with a sense of being disrespected by law enforcement."

Tell em LA Times, there are certain lines that you just don't cross. A brotha is in his barber's chair trying to get his dome right and here comes the po po. There is something fundamentally un-American about that shit. It's just not right. Is nothing sacred in the black community anymore? Oh come on field, they might have been doing drugs in there. What if they were selling drugs from the barbershop, would that have been right? Well no, but why the sweeps of numerous barber shops? Do you mean to tell me that instead of corners and abandoned houses, drug dealers are setting up their operation in barbershops all over Cali? Wow! What ever happened to just getting a shave and a nice fade?

"Can't we all just get along?"

The following story was sent to me by Dan Walter of the Center For Independent Media, and it's interesting for a few reasons:

First, there is the sensitive issue of race and journalism: Do journalist have an obligation to report the news no matter what? Or, should they show some sensitivity to certain racial groups given the history of race in this country? Second, do journalist report the news based on their own bias and fears? And finally, given the fact that we just found out that Hispanics are becoming citizens faster than any other racial group, should we pay attention whenever there seems to be a rift between African Americans and Latinos? Judging from this article maybe we should.

"By Gwyneth Doland 4/10/09 1:24 AM.
ALBUQUERQUE — Some African-American community leaders are unhappy with the way a story in Thursday’s Albuquerque Journal may unfairly affect the city’s small black community. The front-page story, which carried the banner headline “Cops Bust Memphis Mob,” featured large mug-shot images of six young black men accused of breaking “every law in the book.”
The Albuquerque Police Department worked with a consortium of law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service, to arrest or charge nearly 50 members of the cocaine-dealing gang, nine of whom face federal charges, according to the story. (You can read it online here, but unfortunately the photos are available only in the print edition with the eJournal service.)

According to 2000 Census figures, Albuquerque is slightly over 3 percent black; New Mexico as a whole is less than 2 percent black. There is no mention in the story of the names of the alleged gang members pictured in the mug shots, or the racial makeup of the gang.
While few would disagree that breaking up the gang is a positive development for the city, the image of six young black men’s mug shots on the front page troubled some.
'It’s just another example of — I don’t want to use the regular words like ‘racist’ — but convoluted thinking. It’s just an absence of thought. It’s amazing how people on a major newspaper, who are supposed to be intelligent would do that, unless they’re just trying to sell papers,' Ron Hinson of the African-American Chamber of Commerce told NMI.

Hinson said the story might have bothered him less had it been published on an inside page. He also thought it ironic that the story appeared alongside another item about a bill passed by the Legislature that would create a Department of Hispanic Affairs.'
Not only are we angry, but … today I find that there’s also an article about the governor having some serious thoughts about passing a bill that’s going to make things better for a Hispanic cultural group — which is 42 percent of the population. Now what problems are they having? They just got through stomping a black guy nearly to death, who was supposed to be in protective custody,' Hinson said.

Hinson was referring to a recent incident in which an African-American inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center was beaten so severely by another inmate that he was partially paralyzed. The accused attacker and a correctional officer who is facing charges of intimidating a witness in the case are both Hispanic. Just this week the victim’s family and community groups spoke out about the attack.

'We may have a black president, but we have not changed the hearts and minds of other cultural groups who have been misguided in their zeal to always have someone to step on,' Hinson said."

More here.

Some of you have commented on this before; ---especially you folks who live out West and in the Southwest---the tension among brown people in this country. Well here is my two cents: We really need to get a grip and start recognizing just where we (Af. Americans and Latinos) stand in this country. Because here is the deal: No matter how different we think we are from each other; there are still quite a few Lou Dobbs types in this country who still believe that we are all the same, and they will do everything in their power to keep the status quo.

Keeping up with the Mrs.

"..Her telling her homegirls that he couldn't stay up In the restaurant with her voice way up Please keep it discreet Keep the business out of the street She said "I would if he'll handle biz up in the sheets!"Pop off like a thang thang He keep keep And every time that she bang bang He skeet skeet" ~~ Stay Up by Kanye West~~

WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT!

So anyway, today was one of those rare occasions where our schedules allowed me to drive home from my plantation with the lovely Mrs. Field. As is usually the case, the car radio is on sports talk. It doesn't faze Mrs. Field because as usual she is on the phone with her sister giving her the 411 on the day's events.

And then it comes on: One of those damn male enhancement commercials. The guy is going on and on about improving your sex life and how all you have to do is call this 800 number and they will send you these magic pills for a free trial. The guy is guaranteeing you that their magic bullet pills will drive your partner wild and take your relationship to new heights.

This is when Mrs. Field feels the need to look at the kid with that look that says: are you listening field? She has a smirk on her face and she is totally enjoying the moment. "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask her. "Are you suggesting that I in any way usually come up small in that particular department?" The laughter is harder now, and she is way too into it. "Oh field, relax, how long have we been together now? Have I ever complained before....although there is a first time for everything". More laughter. "Oh you got jokes" I tell her. "Just keep talking to your sister and don't pay any attention to what's on the radio. It's called SPORTS TALK." I wonder if these clowns who do these commercials know what they put us guys through? "Look, I don't need that stuff, I am fine, thank you very much". "Hey, if you say so field". More smirking.

Now I am starting to think: Am I under performing? Should I see my Doctor about maybe getting a little....ahem, help? Does the old motor need a tune up? And if it does, just how the hell do I tune it up? After all, Mrs. Field is quite a few years younger than the kid. Will I be able to keep up (no pun intended) as father time keeps calling?

Hey, I have friends in their thirties who are popping the pill that starts with a V, and they swear by the stuff. Some of them tell me that they can't leave home without it. Which is exactly why I never even considered it in the first place. Who wants to get too dependent on a chemical enhancer? Besides, it's kind of like cheating. Why use the stuff if you really don't need it? But this isn't even that kind of commercial. There is a difference between male enhancement, and being able to, well, keep it going. I mean what good is a really nice sleek sports car if it can only get you five miles to the gallon. Wouldn't you much rather have a nice solid reliable compact that can get you thirty miles to the gallon? (That's a rhetorical question ladies, but you know where I am coming from)

Mercifully the commercial is over. But Mrs. Field isn't. "Girl you should have seen your boy. But I told him he is getting old." I don't know what's worse, her laughter or the thought of having to ask one of my boys if those little pills have any side effects. :(

Why should we give that Negro our money? You know they like to just spend it.

I have to admit that like most A-murder-cans I don't like paying taxes, and as April 15th approaches I am reminded of just how much I dislike the entire process. I dislike it,but I understand that as a citizen I have an obligation to the country I live in to pay my fair share. (Which the last time I checked is a hell of a share, but who is complaining?)

I enjoy driving on the nice roads my tax dollars help to fund. I enjoy the security that my tax dollars help to provide for me. I enjoy the protections from poisons and other deadly products that could harm me. I enjoy the fact that veterans who serve my country can be taken care of. I like the fact that when I put my money in the bank it is insured. And I like the fact that most children who cannot afford it can get a free education. I could go on but you get the point: Taxes are painful for some of us, but they are necessary.

Which is why I don't understand this "Tea Party Protest" that the FAKE NEWS people and conservatives have been planning for a little over a month now. Yes folks, on tax day conservatives will be getting out their pitch forks and walking shoes, and if FAKE NEWS has their way they will be storming the White House. Ironically, the man who called for a "Tea Party" style revolt against the government and all their bailouts, is distancing himself from the very movement he seemed to have started. (Leave it to conservatives and FAKE NEWS to get an accidental idea and treat it like it's some kind of righteous cause.) But the clowns on the right are having none of it, the troops have been foaming at the mouth ever since his O ness took office and they need to vent.

I sense that history is repeating itself here. I mean back in the day the colonist didn't think it was fair to pay taxes to a government who they didn't believe represented them. They weren't being taxed by their government, they were being taxed by the British. These conservatives are no different, his O ness does not represent them, just look at the guy; he is the total opposite of everything they represent, so why pay taxes to his government? Funny, they didn't seem to mind paying their taxes to fund the two wars that the frat boy started. But hey, the frat boy didn't have a funny name and a.....well, tan.

So wingnut bloggers, reich wing talk radio and the FAKE NEWS people are organizing. They expect to have "Tax Day Tea Parties" in over 300 cities, and according to them the number is growing. Nothing like a little good old fashion revolution against the man to get that red state blood pumping.

I wish them luck, I really do. I hope they get a million people out there on April 15th to stick it to the man. I guess they will be flooding public parks and driving on public roads to get there. Not to mention all those public officials who will be out in force to protect them and make sure that everything goes as planned. I guess Rupert, Rush, Glen and Sean, are going to write checks to cover the costs of all that stuff. Oh wait, they can't do that, they are conservatives, they are supposed to keep their money. Whoops, looks like our tax dollars will be paying for that as well.

What a country.

Now I see why W moved to Texas: He loves their laws.

I love me some Howard Witt, I really do. He is one of the last truly fearless journalist left in A-murder-ca. Anyway, he sent the following article to the Afrospear, and I wanted to share it with you, my fellow field hands and lurkers.

"Tribune correspondent April 6, 2009 HOUSTON - The crime Aaron Hart confessed to was undeniably repellent. Last September, the 18-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting a 7-year-old neighbor boy behind a tool shed in the small east Texas town of Paris. A relative of the victim said she walked outside and saw Hart with his pants pulled down, standing next to the boy. Police read Hart his Miranda rights and he quickly admitted his guilt. On Feb. 11, Hart's court-appointed attorney entered guilty pleas to each of five related felony counts, a jury recommended multiple sentences and a judge then ruled that the prison terms be served consecutively, for a total of 100 years.

That might have been the end of Cause No. 22924 in the 6th Judicial District Court of Lamar County, Texas-just another dismal criminal case on the docket of an obscure town. Except that now, less than two months after Hart was sentenced, every court official who had a hand in the case seems to agree that he doesn't really belong in prison for what amounts to the rest of his life.That's because Hart is profoundly mentally retarded. He has an IQ of 47, and his parents say he functions at the level of a 9-year-old. The boy he confessed to molesting is mentally retarded as well. What's more, the judge and the jury never heard any expert testimony about Hart's diminished mental functioning, his capacity to understand his Miranda rights or his ability to assist in his own defense, because his defense attorney never subpoenaed any experts. And since he has been in jail, Hart himself has been repeatedly raped, according to his parents. The first assault, allegedly by an inmate who is serving a far shorter sentence of just 8 years for sexual indecency with a child, so disturbed the alleged rapist's mother that she called Hart's parents to apologize.

'I have nightmares thinking about Aaron in prison and how he is going to survive in there,' said Robert Hart, Aaron's 70-year-old father. 'He's the type of kid who his whole life people beat him up, took stuff from him, and he wouldn't defend himself. He can't read or write. He can't hardly talk.' Hart's complex case is threatening to once again bring unwelcome outside scrutiny to the functioning of the criminal justice system in Paris. The town of 26,000 drew national civil rights protests in 2007 following a Tribune report contrasting the judicial treatment of a 14-year-old black girl, who was sentenced to up to 7 years in youth prison for shoving a hall monitor at her high school, with the treatment of a 14-year-old white girl, who was given probation for the more serious crime of arson. More racial tensions erupted last year after the slaying of a 24-year-old black man, allegedly at the hands of two whites. "

Wow, great community that Paris, Texas. Anyway, I hope that all of you will be as equally outraged when I tell you that there was no racial component to this story, and that both the victim and the accused are white. Sorry house Negroes, you can't accuse the field of racism chasing tonight. Nope, tonight I am chasing just plain injustice, and I will be damned if I didn't find it. I don't give a damn if the person being subjected to this injustice is purple yellow or green; this was outrageous, plain and simple. The good folks of Paris, Texas, once again, have some "splaining" to do. But before they start, they might want to read some law books.

Story here.

On a side note: It looks like our Police Chief apologized to State Rep. Williams for that incident I blogged about yesterday. Now let's see if he fires those two punks.

Even Volvos aren't safe for Negroes.

Whenever a police officer loses his or her life in the line of duty, I am as saddened and appalled as everyone else. I grieve for that fallen officer's family and for the society that he was trying to protect.

On the flip side, when I hear of the people who are paid to protect all of us abusing their power and becoming no better than the thugs that they are paid to protect us from, I will always write about it:

When I saw the story I am about to blog about in the paper, today, I called my friend Wellington Stubbs (It's cool, he said I could use his name.)who is a big shot with the Police Advisory Commission here in Philly. I wanted to ask him if he had ever heard of the two officers who were front and center in the article and to ask him if his agency has had an uptick in complaints of police abuse. Of course I wasn't surprised to hear that he had heard of them, and that the complaints against Philly's finest has been coming in fast and furious of late. I have been blogging about police abuse here and in other parts of the country, so if you read this blog you aren't surprised, either.

Timothy Devlin and Thomas Schaffling in all likelihood should not be Philadelphia police officers. They allegedly have a long history of abusing the citizens who they are supposed to protect. But finally, because of one particular citizen who they chose to fuck with on a windy evening in late March, their reign of terror might be over.

"STATE REP. Jewell Williams lay prone on the back seat of a police cruiser. The metal handcuffs bit into his wrists; his fingers began to swell as a fiery pain spread through his body.
It was about 6 p.m. on March 28, a windy Saturday evening.

Moments earlier, Williams, an ex-cop, stopped his car because a police cruiser was blocking the street in his North Philadelphia neighborhood.

Officer Thomas Schaffling had stopped a 2009 steel-gray Volvo, which looked like a car involved in a drug buy a few blocks away, police said.

Williams said that he watched as Schaffling frisked the driver, an older man, then placed his money on the Volvo's hood, where it began to blow away. When the man tried to grab his money, Schaffling handcuffed him.

Williams said that the Volvo's driver seemed frail. When the legislator heard the word 'hospital' and the thinly built man seemed distressed, Williams exited his car and asked another officer, Timothy Devlin, who was nearby, if everything was OK.

He identified himself as a state legislator. Devlin said, "Get the f--- back in your car before I give you a bunch of tickets," according to Williams and two independent witnesses. Williams said that he asked to speak to a supervisor.

Next thing Williams knew, Devlin had him in handcuffs, crammed in the back of a squad car. Williams was forced to lie sideways because his size 12 1/2 shoes didn't fit behind the cruiser's front seat.

'I was thinking, 'What are they going to do with me?' because I didn't do anything wrong,' said Williams, D-Phila. '"I came to the aid of a constituent who I didn't even know, and then I get rousted up.'

The Volvo's driver was John Cornish, a Nicetown resident and longtime truck driver for the city's Streets Department. His car matched a description of a vehicle involved in a drug buy a few blocks from where officers stopped Cornish on York Street, between Smedley and Bancroft, near 16th. Schaffling searched Cornish and the Volvo and found no drugs, according to police.

Williams was not charged with any crime. Cornish, who has no criminal record, and his passenger also were released.

Last week, the police Internal Affairs Bureau launched an investigation into the March 28 incident, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said.
Schaffling and Devlin, who did not return calls seeking comment, are no strangers to Internal Affairs investigators. Or to Ramsey.

Ramsey had placed both officers on desk duty in August after similar allegations made headlines:

* On Aug. 9, Schaffling and Devlin clashed with guests at an outdoor baby shower in North Philadelphia.

The guests claimed that Schaffling and Devlin were at the center of a police attack that injured at least six people, including children who were maced, struck with batons and pushed to the ground, witnesses told the Daily News in an Aug. 13 article.

In January, the alleged victims filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the Police Department.

* On Aug. 24, Schaffling and Devlin pulled over two men, who said they were headed to church, in West Philadelphia. The driver told NBC 10 that Schaffling aimed his gun at him and shouted, "I'm going to blow your f---ing head off." Devlin got nervous and also drew his weapon, the driver said.

The driver filed a citizen's complaint, and the city's Police Advisory Commission wrote a letter to Ramsey asking him to take Schaffling off the street.

Schaffling had also been linked to a May 5 police beating of three shooting suspects. That incident was captured by a Fox 29 news helicopter and broadcast around the world.
In the Fox video, Schaffling is seen pulling driver Brian Hall out of a car. He acknowledged afterward that he had 'utilized foot strikes,' or kicks, on Hall in an attempt to subdue him, police documents show.

Schaffling, 25, an officer since 2003, was cleared of wrongdoing. He wasn't among the eight officers disciplined by Ramsey. Devlin, who joined the force in 2002, was not involved in the May 5 incident. Ramsey said last week that he returned Schaffling and Devlin to the street a few months ago, but ordered supervisors to closely monitor them and to split them up. The officers are part of Strike Force South, an elite crime-fighting unit run by Capt. James J. Kelly III.

'We need [officers], as many as possible, out working,' Ramsey said about his decision. 'They were put on desk duty. They had been on desk duty for several months and there was no evidence that surfaced that would justify [keeping them off street patrol].'
Ramsey said that he "split them up . . . just to make sure that we don't have a problem with either one of them and to give them a chance to work with other people."

Schaffling and Devlin were not working together on the night that Williams, a member of the state House since 2001, was detained. Schaffling was partnered with Officer Donna Stewart, while Devlin was paired with a supervisor, Sgt. Kevin Bernard, police said.
Schaffling and Stewart stopped Cornish.

Cornish, a Vietnam veteran and self-described 'old head' who did not want his age in the newspaper, said that he and his childhood friend, Carl Cutler, 63, had just come from a VFW post in South Philadelphia where they picked up raffle tickets for an Easter event.
When Cornish saw the police lights behind him, he pulled over, thinking the cruiser needed to get by, he said.

Schaffling rushed up to the Volvo and yelled, 'Get out of the car! Get out of the car!' 'The officer seemed 'enraged," Cornish said.

Schaffling rifled through Cornish's pockets and placed about $900 on the hood of the Volvo. A heavy wind blew the cash off the hood. When Cornish tried to grab his money, Schaffling shoved him up against the Volvo and clamped the handcuffs tight on his bony wrists, according to Cornish and two witnesses. 'That money was blowing all the way down the street,' Cornish said. 'I worked for that money. That's no criminal money.'

Both Cornish and Cutler described Officer Stewart, who handcuffed Cutler, as polite and professional. In fact, Stewart ran after the money for Cornish, who said he had recently cashed a winning lottery ticket, his income-tax return, and city paycheck. He only got about $200 back; the rest blew away, Cornish said.

Cornish said that when he complained that the cuffs were too tight, Schaffling said something like, 'Shut the f--- up or I'll f--- you up and take you to the hospital.'
That's when Williams, who was stopped about three-car lengths back, emerged from his state-leased Chrysler.

Williams said that he caught the word 'hospital' and heard Cornish tell Schaffling, 'Son, why are you treating me like this?'

According to Cornish and Williams, Schaffling barked, 'I'm not your f---ing son. You address me as 'officer.'

'He wasn't acting like an officer; he was acting like a thug,' Cornish said.'"

Read the rest of the story here.

I know Jewell Williams, and no one is a bigger friend of the police than he is. He is a guy who served in law enforcement for years, and who is always advocating on the side of Philly's finest. But it just goes to show you what happens when you lump people together based on your ignorant perception of their skin color or whatever. These cops thought that this was just another nigger politician trying to throw his weight around, and nothing could have been farther from the truth. The guy just wanted to look out for an elder constituent, something that those boyz in blue should have been trying to do.

The rock star president.

I remember being a kid sitting in my cousin's Vineyard Town home in Kingston, Jamaica, as Tyrone Downie-- a friend of his at the time-- talked about the tour he had just come off of with Bob Marley in Europe. (Downie was the keyboard player for the Wailers for a long time) He was going on and on about how they played to a packed house in Germany and the Germans were rocking and vibing to every song; even though he knew that they didn't understand a word of the songs that they were singing or what the songs really meant. ("Chase Dem Crazy Bald Heads Out Of Town" wasn't meant to be a flattering song to white Europeans)

Later on in my young life as I listened to Fidel Castro give a speech, I could relate to those Germans, because although I didn't understand a lick of Spanish, I found myself cheering with the crowd whose grasp of the Spanish language was no better than mine. And so it is when you have skills as an orator or an artist, you can touch people's souls in spite of language and cultural barriers.

Fast forward over thirty years from that day at my cousin's home and I am watching his O ness give his town hall meeting in Strassbourg, France. I found my mind going back to that day and what Downie said about Bob and the Wailers and how they moved the crowds in Europe. Obama was moving the crowds in Europe and I am quite sure that like the Germans listening to Bob, most of the folks in Strassbourg, France weren't too proficient in the English language. Obama, like Castro and Marley has talent and charisma, and those two things can take you a very long way in life. If you have a message and an agenda those skills can help you convince others to go along with the program, and that is important to a politician, believe me. If you have talent and charisma that can also take you very far as an artist, and people will buy your records and pay to watch you in person no matter what.

Say what you want about his O ness and his politics, you have to admit the the man has some skills. Rethugs will nit pick and cry that he can't do any of his great oration without his trusted teleprompter, but Stevie Wonder and Governor Paterson can both see that it's all just sour grapes on their part.

So now rethugs have to ask themselves: Who will be our rock star? Who do we have with similar skills? Well, let me answer that for you: No one! In fact, you don't even have anyone that can come close. MC MacDaddy Steele? Not! Newt? The thrice married religion switching ,fraud? Not! Slum...(whoops I promised I wouldn't call him that).. Bobby Jindal? He blew his chance on the national stage. Sarah Palin? They really tried with her, but she wasn't ready for prime time and neither was her family. Eric Cantor? Please! In fact, rethugs are so desperate for a star that they created one who wasn't even a politician. But someone ought to tell the rethugs about packaging. I mean really folks; does "Joe the Plumber" really have a face that you want representing your party? Seriously, unless you are going after that all important skinhead vote, you might want to get him off the national stage. Then of course there is Rush, Sean, and Glen. It's not so easy to get them out of the spotlight since they are forever seeking it, but you might want to distance yourself from them as well, because as their envy for the really talented Obama gets greener, they are truly becoming unhinged. If I am going to be truly honest with you, I think quite a few people are becoming unhinged in A-murder-ca (That's my new name for A-merry-ca) these days. I wonder why? I bet if they had some talent and some real skills they wouldn't be so likely to be unhinged,but frustration can cause you to do some seriously crazy things.

“'I want anyone who believes in life, liberty, pursuit of happiness to succeed, and I want any force, any person, any element of an overarching big government that would stop your success – I want that organization, that element or that person to fail,' Limbaugh told the cheering CPAC crowd. "

Of course, frustration can cause you to say some seriously crazy things as well.

Oh King, I think you dropped your pic of you and George holding hands: Let me get that for you.

I was going to blog about yet another mass killing in these divided states, (this time it was police officers and not civilians) by a wacko and a certifiable wingnut who thought that the folks with the black helicopters were coming to get his dumb ass and his guns. I was going to blog about it but what's the point? If you motherfuckers want to load up on your assault weapons and kill each other, please free to knock yourselves out. Thanks to your sacred NRA you can buy as much of them[guns] as you want, and any delusional psycho who happens to have lived below the radar of law enforcement all of his miserable pathetic life can get one. (Blogger alert! Nova is getting hosed as a write this, so I am not in a good mood)

So that's it, you win; you won't hear the field talk about your guns and your precious 2nd amendment rights anymore. Train your kids to use em, arm every person in your town, and just go ahead and strap em on like the old days. Hell, let's just have drive thru gun shops. Why even bother with a background check? I mean who are we kidding? Any minor who wants a gun can buy one easier than they can buy a pack of cigarettes, so let's just go for it.

The other thing on my mind tonight is the Obama bow and how my friends on the right are all in a huff over his bending at the waist to a foreign leader, a leader who happened to be a....gasp, MUSLIM! "DID OBAMA BOW DOWN TO SAUDI KING?" (Are his knees touching the ground?Oh wait, that would be kneeling, not bowing) Is that all the wingnuts want to know these days? Not how can we fix the economy; not how can we reduce crime; not how can we get A-merry-cans working again; and not how can we better fight the war on terror. No, the wingnuts want to know if Obama took a bow to a Saudi King. And their reasoning for this is so illogical, nonsensical and absurd, that only a wingnut mind could process it: "No US president is supposed to bow down to a foreign head of state because it indicates submission, and the American president does not submit to anyone". Well, not anyone that looks like a Saudi King. I am pretty sure it would be cool if he bowed to the Queen of England, or even the King of Spain, but this Muslim guy, not so much. And who says the A-merry-can president doesn't submit to anyone? Didn't the frat boy submit to big oil? Didn't he submit to the bankers and Wall Street? Didn't he submit to the neocon-artists in his party? Looks to me like A-merry-can presidents submit all the time.

Honestly, this bow heard round the conservative world has me laughing to myself at the stupidity of these people. Michelle Malkin has got the video up on her blog to dissect it for her wingnut friends. And she wants everyone to know that it was a "deep bow" and not just a curtsy or a slight knee bend. No, it was a BOW. (I could say something here, but I will leave it alone. I don't need the sexist label tonight) Ok Michelle and others, you win, it was a bow. So fucking what?

I swear I love you wingnuts so much that I wish I could bow for you like Obama allegedly did for King Abdullah. But there would have to be two conditions: First, my back would have to be turned to you, and second, my pants would have to be down.

Apple Pies, Chevies, and Massacres.

I was going to blog about his O ness knocking em dead in Europe, but the tragic reality of A-merry-can life interrupted my thoughts and I decided to blog about yet another A-merry-can massacre, instead.

First, I want to thank my man Greg Fuller for sending me the following story:

"Published Mon, Mar 30, 2009 2:06pm ET by Eric Boehlert
And that the press, aside from downplaying what have now become routine, gun-related killing sprees that dot the nation, has completely walked away from even raising the issue of gun control in the wake of the rampages?

The latest proof came in the wake of the carnage that unfolded in Carthage, North Carolina, on Sunday when a heavily armed suspect, Robert Stewart, entered a local retirement home and began randomly shooting patients and employees with a high-powered rifle. Eight were killed and three others were wounded before police subdued the man. The local police chief described the killing scene as "unimaginable, horrific, everything you can possible imagine that is bad in this world."

The thin coverage the story has received nationwide has been rather astounding. According to TVeyes.com, in the 24 hours since news broke about the bloody killing spree, it has received just 180 mentions on cable and network television, combined (i.e. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, and NBC.)

By contrast, the flood that didn't materialize as feared in Fargo, North Dakota, over the weekend received nearly 250 mentions during the same time span. So the flood that didn't happen got more coverage than than the killing rampage that left eight people dead in North Carolina.

Also, TV mentions of General Motors in the last 24 hours, prompted by the news its CEO is being forced out, far outnumbered the news mentions of the nursing home killing spree.
As for a discussion of gun control in the wake of the nursing home massacre, forget about it. It never came up on TV. The press has no interest in dissecting our Rampage Nation.
UPDATE: As a reader notes, there was another killing rampage over the weekend. This one inside a Santa Clara, California home; 6 dead (including three children), one critically injured.
To date, there have been just seven mentions of the story on cable and network news, according to TVeyes.com"

UPDATE AGAIN: Now we can add Binghamton, New York to this ugly mix of depravity and apathy. (Isn't it ironic that this latest massacre was carried out in place where people studied to become citizens?) Although maybe because it was a slow news day, this shooting seemed to have gotten a little more publicity than some of the others we have had recently. Even his O ness commented about it all the way from Europe. Poor O man, he has got to be so embarrassed for his country and its culture of guns and violence. Not to say other countries don't have their share, lord knows they do.--Just look what happened in Germany not to long ago-- But here in A-merry-ca it just seems like the norm. And we have a billion dollar lobby group in this country known as the NRA who will stop at nothing to keep the status quo: Murder mayhem and massacres. At least in other countries you get a sense that there is true outrage when something like this happens and the governments in those countries take pro active steps to prevent it from ever happening again. Not here, our poli-tricksters need money to get elected, and if that money comes from the NRA with their facile arguments for more guns, well, then, so be it.

"Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence in Binghamton, NY today..."

Get used to it Mr. President, there will be more to come.

With friends like these.....

This post is going to pain me, but in the spirit of keeping it real, I have to do it.

Growing up I didn't have a brother, I am one of only two children and obviously the only boy. So when I tell you that the man I am going to to write about is like a brother to me you have got to understand where I am coming from. I was in his wedding, he was in mine, and I can't begin to tell you the shit that we have done together. We have been "thick as thieves" ever since we met some twenty years ago. And since I know that he will read it, I just hope this post doesn't change the nature of our relationship.

So anyway, Tony Clayton is the chairman of the board of the Southern University System, the largest land grant African American system of higher learning in these divided states. They are charged with educating thousands of our young people who are primarily from the state of Louisiana. The board consists of 16 people who were all appointed by powerful political people down in Louisiana, and who are, themselves, players in the very complex political world that is the Bayou state; a world I know all too well.

The Southern board recently voted 11-5 to give the System President, Ralph Slaughter the Donald Trump treatment. (Yes Ralph, "you are fired") And no one was more surprised than Slaughter himself. I hear from very good sources that Slaughter was making nice with Clayton over dinner not too long ago, and he was assured by the Chairman that he wasn't going anywhere. "You are my man Ralph, I am with you all the way." Well, not so fast.

“This had nothing to do with the president’s evaluation,” said Clayton of Port Allen. “Just like the president of our own country, sometimes it’s time for a change.

But why now Mr. Clayton? Why when you are going before the state legislature really soon to beg for more money for a very important HBCU? They are already telling you that they are going to slash your 30 million budget by 18%, and you are possibly taking an interim president to go and meet with them? Why not take the man who has been at the helm of the University, and who, by all accounts, have been doing a good job? Oh field, come on, who cares about what happens at some HBCU down in crawfish country? Well I will let student Jamal Taylor answer that for you:

"Student board member Jamal Taylor, who is the student body president of Southern’s Baton Rouge campus, also backed Slaughter.'This is the wrong time,' said Taylor, noting that the Southern system is facing about an 18 percent cut in its state funding. 'We’re putting ourselves in a predicament where we may be sending an interim president down there (to the State Capitol).'There is no place for politics in higher education, ' he added. Taylor said Slaughter scored a 3.64 in his evaluation on a scale of one to five, with one being poor and five being excellent. Southern Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi said he is disappointed the board acted against Slaughter without faculty input."

Thank you Jamal, you nailed it! "There is no place for politics in higher education". And faculty member, Sudhir Trivedi, nailed it as well. But isn't this typical of some of you Negroes here in A-merry-ca? You get a little power and you get drunk with it. You forgot how and why you got that power in the first place. Memo to Southern University board members: Your job and only job is to look out for the welfare of those children who you are supposed to be educating. Your job is to give them a good education and send them out into the world to become better citizens and human beings. Your job is not to play politics with the lives of these young people.

And another thing: I know Bobby Jindal had his plant on the board as well, and I am going to bet that Al Kaline baseball card of mine that Jindal's guy on the inside had something to do with the vote to remove Slaughter. Let's see what he has to say for himself:

" Board member Patrick Magee of Lafayette, who was named to the board by Gov. Bobby Jindal last July, offered the motion to remove Slaughter from office. But Magee declined comment and directed questions to Clayton after the meeting. "

Hmmm, so it was you who offered the motion to remove Slaughter Mr. Jindal appointee? Now I am really pissed. Because I know damn good and well that "slumdog" Governor does not have the Jaguar Nation's best interest at heart.

Something else about this story stinks: A couple of years ago a young lady was allegedly sexually harassed by a former board chairman while on an alumni retreat. The terrified young lady came forward and reported it to President Slaughter. What followed was an embarrassing attempt by the University and board to cover up what happened to the poor young lady. (I wonder why I didn't hear any of this from any of the blogs that always advocate for women?) It took Slaughter coming forward to expose the alleged serial harasser; but instead of praising him the board closed ranks around the scumbag who allegedly harassed the young lady in the first place. It took a lawsuit and public pressure to prevent the university from getting rid of him, then. But unfortunately for Slaughter, like Napoleon, his Waterloo was bound to come.


"Clayton also said the decision had nothing to do with Slaughter’s 2007 lawsuit against the board.."

Yeah, Okay, and I don't find Lark Voorhies in the least bit attractive. Come on Tony, I love you man, but you have to start keeping it real. Stop playing politics with our children's lives and tell your buddies on the board to do the same. You are the student's last defense against the poli-trick-sters in Louisiana who would love nothing more than shut SU down, or change its mission, completely. Don't let the "slumdog" Governor influence what goes on in Jaguar Nation, he doesn't care, but you should.

Oh, and one more thing before I go: Can someone tell me why Matt Drudge featured this story today? Hey Matt, we get it, I know it's an inside joke, but us black folks aren't laughing.

I'm out.

IT'S OVER.

Today is a sad day for the field, and I will tell you why: When I started this blog I decided that I would continue blogging until I found Lark Voorhies. Well, I am both happy and sad to announce that I have found her. Yes my friends, my hunt for the elusive Lark Voorhies is over; so now,unfortunately, I must stop blogging. Why? Because there is nothing left to blog for. This whole blogging thing was just a desperate and pathetic attempt to try and get Lark's attention.

One of her people found out about the blog, told Lark about the field, and thankfully, she has reached out.

So sorry folks, it's been real, and I enjoyed every minute with you. But I must move on to bigger and better things; Lark calls.....

Okay can I say April Fools now? APRIL FOOLS!!!

Now that I got that out of the way, let me get serious for a minute: We are just a couple of days away from the 41st Anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, and I saw an interesting essay about King and his movement over at TPM. The author, Clay Risen, seemed to be suggesting that King only included poor whites in his fight against injustice for tactical reasons. In other words, white A-merry-ca would not have accepted his movement if it did not include poor whites.

"Now, it is true that this position does not preclude the idea that poor whites also deserved something. But the debt America owed to poor whites was, in his view, clearly of a lesser magnitude. And as the quotes Rick presents make clear, his belief that the poor of all colors should be helped was in part a tactical, political move: Whites will block significant assistance to blacks unless that assistance can be explained in color-blind terms. "

Interesting. I can't help but think of his O ness and his quest for "change" and a new "post racial" A-merry-ca. Is this just a political strategy as well? And if it is, did it work? It sure looks like it. But who did it work for? Is his O ness and his political soul-mates the only ones who will benefit from his vision, or does he have a grand scheme to uplift black and poor people as King did? I know I know, lots of questions, and I hate to break up the spirit of the day, but they are serious ones.

April Fools is only one day; we have 364 where we have to get real.